cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A c-Myc-regulated stem cell-like signature in high-risk neuroblastoma: A systematic discovery (Target neuroblastoma ESC-like signature)

c-Myc dysregulation is hypothesized to account for the 'stemness' - self-renewal and pluripotency - shared between embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and adult aggressive tumours. High-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) is the most frequent, aggressive, extracranial solid tumour in childhood. Using HR-NB as a platform, we performed a network analysis of transcriptome data and presented a c-Myc subnetwork enriched for genes previously reported as ESC-like cancer signatures. A subsequent drug-gene interaction analysis identified a pharmacogenomic agent that preferentially interacted with this HR-NB-specific, ESC-like signature. This agent, Roniciclib (BAY 1000394), inhibited neuroblastoma cell growth and induced apoptosis in vitro. It also repressed the expression of the oncogene c-Myc and the neural ESC marker CDK2 in vitro, which was accompanied by altered expression of the c-Myc-targeted cell cycle regulators CCND1, CDKN1A and CDKN2D in a time-dependent manner. Further investigation into this HR-NB-specific ESC-like signature in 295 and 243 independent patients revealed and validated the general prognostic index of CDK2 and CDKN3 compared with CDKN2D and CDKN1B. These findings highlight the very potent therapeutic benefits of Roniciclib in HR-NB through the targeting of c-Myc-regulated, ESC-like tumorigenesis. This work provides a hypothesis-driven systems computational model that facilitates the translation of genomic and transcriptomic signatures to molecular mechanisms underlying high-risk tumours.
Interfacing With Faces: Perceptual Humanization and Dehumanization:

This article links the visual perception of faces and social behavior. We argue that the ways in which people visually encode others’ faces—a rapid-fire perceptual categorization—can result in eith...
Aromatase blockade is associated with increased mortality in acute illness in male mice.

Context The increase in circulating estrogen levels with acute illness in humans is accompanied by increased aromatase expression in adipose tissue and increased peripheral aromatization of estrogens to androgens. Animal studies indicate that estrogen may be beneficial in acute illness. Objective We hypothesized that blockade of aromatase in acute illness would decrease survival. Design Prospective sham controlled. Setting Maine Medical Center Research Institute animal facility. Animals Six- to 8-week-old male black 6 mice. Intervention Mice underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce acute illness and were administered letrozole to block aromatase or saline. Mice undergoing sham surgery with or without letrozole served as controls. Adipose and cardiovascular tissue was harvested for preliminary evaluation of aromatase expression. Main outcome measurements Survival was the main outcome measurement. Evidence for aromatase expression in tissue samples was assessed using western blot and/or immunohistochemistry. Results With aromatase blockade, survival in CLP mice was decreased (P = 0.04). The presence of aromatase in adipose tissue was observed by western blot in CLP but not control mice. Similarly, the presence of aromatase was observed in cardiac tissue of CLP but not in control mice. Conclusions The decreased survival during sepsis with aromatase blockade suggests that this response to acute illness may be important both physiologically and clinically. The preliminary observation of aromatase expression in adipose and cardiovascular tissue during acute illness in this mouse model indicates that this model has parallels to human physiology and may be useful for further studying the aromatase response to acute illness.
A Framework for Robust Hybrid State Estimation With Unknown Measurement Noise Statistics

In practical applications like power systems, the distribution of the measurement noise is usually unknown and frequently deviates from the assumed Gaussian model, yielding outliers. Under these conditions, the performances of the existing state estimators that rely on Gaussian assumption can deteriorate significantly. In addition, the sampling rates of measurements from supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system and phasor measurement unit (PMU) are quite different, causing time skewness problem. In this paper, we propose a robust state estimation framework to address the unknown non-Gaussian noise and the measurement time skewness issue. In the framework, robust Mahalanbis distances are proposed to detect system abnormalities and assign appropriate weights to each chosen buffered PMU measurements. Those weights are further utilized by the Schweppe-type Huber generalized maximum-likelihood (SHGM) estimator to filter out non-Gaussian PMU measurement noise and help suppress outliers. In the meantime, the SHGM estimator is used to handle unknown noise of the received SCADA measurements, yielding another set of state estimates. We show that the state estimates provided by the SHGM estimator follow an asymptotical Gaussian distribution. This nice property allows us to obtain the optimal state estimates by resorting to the data fusion theory for the fusion of the estimation results from two independent SHGM estimators. Extensive simulation results carried out on the IEEE 14, 30 and 118-bus test systems demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
Nip misinformation in the bud

The democratization of journalism through crowd sourcing, blogging, and social media has proven to be a sharp, double-edged sword. The internet has vastly expanded the sourcing of news and information, capturing stories that might otherwise go untold and delivering a diversity of perspectives that no single media outlet could hope to offer. At the same time, this new and open model has given anyone with web access a global platform to propagate information that is mistakenly or intentionally false. This is especially problematic when it comes to scientific information, which is critical to rational policy-making in areas like health, environmental protection, and national security, and at its best is often misinterpreted by the lay public. Yet recent years have seen a reduction in specialized science pages and reporters in the nation's newsrooms in favor of reliance on general assignment staffers, even as deadlines have grown shorter—reducing opportunities to ensure accuracy and clarity before publication.
Education Research: Difficult conversations in neurology: Lessons learned from medical students.

Objective To characterize features of medical student exposure to difficult conversations during a neurology core clerkship. Methods This was a cross-sectional concurrent nested mixed methods study, and all students rotating through a required neurology clerkship between 2014 and 2015 were enrolled. Data collection included an electronic communication tracker, baseline and end-of-clerkship surveys, and 4 facilitated focus groups. Students were asked to log exposure to patient–clinician conversations about (1) new disability, (2) poor prognosis, (3) prognostic uncertainty (4), terminal diagnosis, and (5) end-of-life care. Results A total of 159 students were enrolled and 276 conversations were tracked. Most (70%) students observed at least 1 difficult conversation, and conversations about poor prognosis, new disability, and prognostic uncertainty were most commonly logged. At clerkship end, most students (87%) desired additional bedside training in communication skills. Exposure to one of the predefined conversation types did not improve student perceived preparedness to lead difficult conversations in the future. In focus groups, students noted that the educational value of observation of a difficult conversation could be optimized with preconversation planning and postconversation debriefing. Conclusions Difficult conversations are common in neurology, and represent a valuable opportunity to provide communication skills training on the wards. Future curricula should consider ways to leverage these existing opportunities to enhance communication skills training.
Interparticle separation dependent dynamics in optical matter (Conference Presentation)

Optical trapping has proved to be a valuable research tool in a wide range of fields including physics, chemistry and material science. The ability to place and manipulate individual colloidal particles in a precise three-dimensional location has been highly useful for the understanding of soft matter phenomena and inter-particle interactions. It also holds great promise for nanoscale fabrication and ultra-sensitive medium sensing by enabling precise positioning of specific material building blocks. An interesting consequence of optical trapping is seen when a large number of particles are trapped in a single holographic trap that is significantly larger than the particle diameter. Due to the interference effects between the incident light and scattered light, the particles become strongly bound to one another. This can lead to the creation of large, highly ordered structures of colloidal particles, termed optical matter. The geometry of the structure is dependent on the phase and polarization profile of the incident optical beam. In this talk we discuss our research on the structural and dynamical effects on optical matter composed of plasmonic nanoparticles. We describe how the structures are formed from one particle up, and how their dynamics and structure are shaped by the size, phase profile, and polarization of the incident optical beam. Specifically we discuss how circular polarization can create an isotropic optical binding potential and induce rotation in the system, and how the rotation depends on the particle and beam characteristics.
A Comprehensive Investigation of Model Driven Architecture (MDA) for Reverse Engineering

Models and transformations are the primary elements of Model Driven Architecture (MDA). On the other hand, Reverse Engineering (RE) also deals with the intermediate models and different transformation practices to produce the desired output models. Consequently, MDA have been utilized in the field of reverse engineering. This article inspects and summarizes the applications of MDA for RE. Particularly, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is performed to analyze 23 studies published during 2006-2017. Consequently, five leading RE techniques are identified. Moreover, 10 tools regarding MDA-based reversed engineering have been presented. Furthermore, modeling and transformation approaches are investigated for reverse engineering. The results of this SLR are highly valuable for academia and industry professionals of the domain.
Vascular dysfunction across the stages of the menopausal transition is associated with menopausal symptoms and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE The menopausal transition is associated with somatic symptoms and increased rates of depression, which can impair quality of life (QOL) and increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This period is also associated with accelerated vascular aging (arterial stiffening and endothelial dysfunction), an antecedent to CVD. This secondary analysis sought to explore associations between depression, menopausal symptoms and QOL, and vascular aging across menopause stages. METHODS Arterial stiffness (carotid artery compliance), endothelial function (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation [FMD]), menopausal symptoms (Menopausal Symptom List [MSL]), depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D]), and QOL (Utian QOL Scale [UQOL]) were measured in 138 women (19-70 years) classified as premenopausal (n = 41, 34 ± 8 years; mean ± SD), early (n = 25, 49 ± 3 years), or late perimenopausal (n = 26, 50 ± 4 years), or early (n = 22, 55 ± 4 years) or late postmenopausal (n = 24, 61 ± 5 years). Differences across menopause stages were determined using one-way analysis of variance; associations between vascular measures and MSL, CES-D, and UQOL were tested using Pearson's correlation analyses. RESULTS Menopausal symptoms, depression, and QOL worsened across menopause stages, particularly in late perimenopausal women. Vasosomatic symptom frequency, and general somatic symptom frequency and severity were inversely correlated with carotid artery compliance and FMD (r = -0.27 to -0.18, all P < 0.05). Only correlations with general somatic symptoms were significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. Total QOL was positively correlated with carotid artery compliance (r = 0.23, P = 0.01). CES-D scores were not correlated with carotid artery compliance or FMD (r = -0.08, -0.03, P = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS Vascular dysfunction across the stages of menopause was associated with greater frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms, and lower QOL, but not depression. Mechanisms underlying these associations (eg, inflammation, oxidative stress) should be explored.
Indirect Pursuits of Intimacy in Romantic Couples Everyday Conversations: A Discourse Analytic Approach

Die Frage, wie Paare (im Alter von 19-26 Jahren) Kritik und Andeutungen moglicher Untreue in naturlichen Interaktionen genutzt haben mit dem Ziel, auf kreative und indirekte Weise Nahe herzustellen, war Gegenstand der hier vorgestellten diskursanalytischen Studie. Ausgangspunkt war das vermehrte Vorliegen von Forschungsarbeiten, denen zufolge vordergrundig strittige Interaktionen zwischen jungen Paaren weniger feindlich intendiert waren, sondern als spielerische Methoden, um Verbundenheit zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Im Beitrag zeige ich, dass Kritik oft relativ (geschlechts-) stereotyp formuliert und witzelnd beantwortet wurde z.B. durch die Nutzung von Ironie, Lachen, Umdeutungen, durch abrupte Gedankensprungen und Themenwechsel – allesamt Strategien, die halfen, mogliche feindseile Konnotation abzumildern. In ahnlicher Weise wurden Anspielungen auf Untreue oft in Interaktionspausen eingebracht, eine knappe und effektive Weise, der anderen Person zu signalisieren, dass dies in vorangegangen Interaktionen ubergangen worden war. Insoweit fand sich auch fur meine Studie, dass die von mir untersuchten jungen Paare auch in potenziellen Konfliktsituationen in ihren Alltagsinteraktionen Nahe herzustellen versuchten.
How Would We Know If Public Colleges and Universities Are Productive

A profound ideological divide over the proper role of government has been part of the political scene in the various states for decades. These polarized views have become more prominent nationally in the aftermath of the economic stimulus packages that responded to the Great Recession and of the proposed regulation of major industries, such as health insurance and financial services. The proponents of limited government argue that private enterprise has been forced to downsize to remain more competitive, with the result that corporations increasingly emphasize efficiency and productivity. The problem, these proponents claim, is that there is no incentive for government to emphasize efficiency and productivity. “Starving the beast,” or sharply limiting taxation, is the proposed solution to Big Government. And the public universities, particularly the public research universities, are in the cross-hairs of the critics.
Synthesis of Highly Porous Organic/Inorganic Hybrids by Ambient Pressure Sol-Gel Processing

This paper reports the synthesis of highly porous organic/inorganic hybrids by a two-step acid-base catalyzed sol-gel process and ambient pressure drying. In the method organic and inorganic precursors are copolymerized so as to incorporate organic ligands into the solid network. The two-step acid-base catalyzed process was used to prevent phase segregation during the hydrolysis and co-condensation of organic and inorganic precursors. The organic ligands incorporated into the solid gel network modify the surface chemistry. Thus, the wetting angle is significantly increased so that the collapse of the gel network is greatly reduced upon the removal of pore fluid during drying. Organic/inorganic hybrids with BET surface areas above 1250 m2/g, porosities above 75% and pore sizes of ∼8 nm have been synthesized.
A New Saint-Venant Solver for SWMM

The next generation of the public domain Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) code needs to be able to effectively use parallelization of 1000+ threads for high-resolution simulation of large urban drainage systems. We propose a new explicit solution technique using a “no-neighbour” finite-volume algorithm. A no-neighbour algorithm is strictly limited in the design of its time/space discretization stencil to limit the communication bandwidth issues that typically cause codes to lose efficiency when applied over large numbers of parallel threads. Returning SWMM to an explicit solver creates a number of challenges for implementing the solution technique, but also raises some new possibilities for how the model can be used. In this work, we briefly describe the proposed algorithm and examine its performance in simulating a steep urban stream.
Understanding functional and social risk characteristics of frail older adults: a cross-sectional survey study

Frailty is a condition of increasing importance, given the aging adult population. With an anticipated shortage of geriatricians, primary care physicians will increasingly need to manage care for frail adults with complex functional risks and social-economic circumstances. We used cross-sectional data from 4551 adults ages 65–90 who responded to the 2014/2015 cycle of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Member Health Survey (MHS), a self-administered survey that covers multiple health and social characteristics, to create a deficits accumulation model frailty index, classify respondents as frail or non-frail, and then compare prevalence of functional health issues including Activities of Daily Living (ADL)/Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and social determinants of health (SDOHs) by frailty status. The overall prevalence of frailty was 14.3%, higher for women than men, increased with age, and more common among those with low levels of education and income. Frail older adults were more likely than non-frail to have ≥ 3 chronic diseases (55.9% vs. 10.1%), obesity (32.7% vs. 22.8%), insomnia (36.4% vs. 8.8%), oral health problems (25.1% vs. 4.7%), balance or walking problems (54.2% vs. 4.9%), ≥ 1 fall (56.1% vs. 19.7%), to use ≥ 1 medication known to increase fall risk (56.7% vs. 26.0%), and to need help with ≥2 ADLs (15.8% vs. 0.8%) and ≥ 2 IADLs (38.4% vs. 0.8%). They were more likely to feel financial strain (26.9% vs. 12.6%) and to use less medication than prescribed (7.4% vs. 3.6%), less medical care than needed (8.3% vs 3.7%), and eat less produce (9.5% vs. 3.2%) due to cost. Nearly 20% of frail adults were unpaid caregivers for an adult with frailty, serious illness or disability. This study examined the prevalence of frailty and identified modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of health. The frail older adult population is heterogeneous and requires a patient-centered assessment of their circumstances by healthcare providers and caregivers to improve their quality of life, avoid adverse health events, and slow physical and mental decline. The characteristics identified in this study can be proactively used for the assessment of patient health, quality of life, and frailty prevention.
Negative alcohol-related consequences experienced by young adults in the past 12 months: Differences by college attendance, living situation, binge drinking, and sex.

Abstract Purpose This study estimated the prevalence of negative consequences associated with alcohol use in a national sample of young adults one or two years after graduating from high school, focusing on differences by college attendance, living situation, binge drinking, and sex. Methods A subsample (N = 1068) of U.S. nationally representative Monitoring the Future study 12th grade students from 2006 to 2016 cohorts was followed-up at modal age 19 or 20 (in 2008–2017) and asked about negative consequences related to their own alcohol use during the past 12 months. Differences in prevalence were estimated and multivariable models examined associations with college attendance, living situation, binge drinking, and sex. Results Half of surveyed U.S. 19/20 year-old alcohol users (a third of non-binge drinkers and almost three-quarters of binge drinkers) experienced negative consequences in the past year. The likelihood of experiencing several consequence types was significantly associated with college attendance prior to controlling for living situation. In multivariable models controlling for living situation, unsafe driving due to drinking remained more likely for students attending 2-year colleges or vocational/technical schools than for 4-year college students or non-attenders. In general, negative consequence risk was elevated among young adults not living with parents (vs. those living with parents) and women (vs. men). Conclusion Negative consequences from alcohol use are prevalent among young adults and differ by college attendance, living situation, binge drinking, and sex. Students at 2-year/vocational/technical schools are at particular risk for unsafe driving, warranting specific research attention and targeted intervention.
Machine Learning Principles

Machine learning (ML) algorithms seek to extract the most beneficial information out of the raw data. As mentioned in previous chapters, preprocess data preparation actions might be needed in order to make the data set ready to be fed into the ML algorithms. ML algorithms have gotten the attention of researchers all over the world during the last few decades. In traditional algorithms, the analyst had to define the rules, which was not always accessible or easily possible, in order to obtain the output. ML algorithms develop the models or rules based on the training data set which include input and output data points. ML algorithms try to understand more beneficial information regarding the system based on the training data set. The built model can be tested using the verification data set which does not have any overlap with the training sets. If the model acquires the acceptable performance measures, it can be applied for other cases to perform the prediction process. It should be considered that ML algorithms are not supposed to do the magic. Indeed, they are supposed to explore and analyze the training data, which the human brain is not able to handle that, to develop a predictive model in which its performance is acceptable for the verification data set. Predictive models should be generalized which means performing satisfactorily for both training and verifying data sets.
You Can’t Live (Well) Without Business Ethics

There are many examples of businesspeople acting unethically, but the reality is that in modern-day, sophisticated economies, most transactions are conducted with few complaints. Because what is considered ethical in business has changed across time and across societies, studying history is important. Basic economic principles assist in ascertaining whether alleged unethical business practices injured consumers, workers, or business rivals. On occasion, economists disagreed with the general population as to the effects of various business practices.
Restructuring and the scope of negation in Hindi-Urdu

In Hindi-Urdu, a negation which seems to be inside an infinitival complement can have effects typical of a matrix negation, e.g., NPI licensing in the matrix. We show that this exceptional behavior of negation is only possible with restructuring infinitives. We argue that the infinitival V moves out of the restructuring infinitive and into the matrix, and that it forms a cluster with the main verb. This movement makes the negative marker appear to belong to the embedded clause, when in fact it is in the matrix, and behaves as a matrix negation (in terms of scope and other tests). We thus have a new criterion for restructuring in Hindi-Urdu, alongside Long Distance Agreement. The existence of these two criteria allows us to explore the diversity of restructuring complements in Hindi-Urdu and show that the optionality of Long Distance Agreement is not tied to the optionality of restructuring.
Using Photovoice to Improve Healthy Eating for Children Participating in an Obesity Prevention Program.

Background: Children have benefited from participation in obesity prevention programs. Aims: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of a healthy eating intervention for children i...
Repair of a mixed form of supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection is a rare congenital heart defect. We report an infant with a mixed form of supracardiac TAPVC, in whom all pulmonary veins, except the right upper, entered a pulmonary venous confluence that is connected to a vertical vein and drained into the superior vena caval-right atrial junction. Several segmental right upper pulmonary veins entered the superior vena cava, superior to the entry of the vertical vein. Surgical repair consisted of the Warden procedure combined with direct anastomosis of the vertical vein to the left atrium. Separate pulmonary venous drainage pathways decreased the risk of post-operative pulmonary venous obstruction. Our patient had an uneventful post-operative course and encouraging 2-month follow-up echocardiography. Careful follow-up is warranted to detect post-operative complications, including obstruction of the pulmonary venous and cavoatrial anastomoses.
Computational methods for visualizing and measuring verapamil efficacy for cerebral vasospasm

Cerebral vasospasm is a dreaded sequelae of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), requiring timely intervention with therapeutic goals of improving brain perfusion. There are currently no standardized real-time, objective assessments of the interventional procedures performed to treat vasospasm. Here we describe real-time techniques to quantify cerebral perfusion during interventional cerebral angiography. We retrospectively analyzed 39 consecutive cases performed to treat clinical vasospasm and quantified the changes in perfusion metrics between pre- and post- verapamil administrations. With Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) perfusion analysis, we are able to identify hypoperfused territories and quantify the exact changes in cerebral perfusion for each individual case and vascular territory. We demonstrate that perfusion analysis for DSA can be performed in real time. This provides clinicians with a colorized map which directly visualizes hypoperfused tissue, combined with associated perfusion statistics. Quantitative thresholds and analysis based on DSA perfusion may assist with real-time dosage estimation and help predict response to treatment, however future prospective analysis is required for validation.
Generation of Plastic Collapse Load Boundaries of a Pressurized Cylindrical Vessel/Radial Nozzle Structure Subjected to Nozzle Bending Loadings Utilizing Various Plastic Collapse Load Techniques

This research focuses on generating the plastic collapse load boundaries of a cylindrical vessel with a radial nozzle via employing three different plastic collapse load techniques. The three plast...
Cytomegalovirus gastritis: Clinicopathological profile

Abstract Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) gastritis is occasionally reported in case reports and limited case series. Up to now, it is the largest and most comprehensive retrospective study of CMV gastritis. Methods All patients who were histologically diagnosed with CMV gastritis at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between January 2000 and April 2020 were included. Patients were divided into two groups according to immunity. Between-group differences in characteristics, manifestations, endoscopic features, prognostic factors, and outcomes were analyzed. The main endpoint was 3-month mortality. Results A total of 54 patients (34 immunocompromised, 20 immunocompetent) were enrolled. Common presentations included gastrointestinal bleeding (35.2%), abdominal pain (33.3%) and fever (31.5%). The endoscopic features included ulcer (88.9%) and inflammation (11.1%). The 3-month mortality rate was 20.4% and overall mortality rate was 40.7%. Acute kidney injury was the only independent risk factor for 3-month mortality (OR 53.89, 95%CI 1.56–1861.73, p = 0.027). Anti-viral therapy and host immune status did not affect 3-month mortality. Conclusion Both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with CMV gastritis have high mortality rates, without significant between-group differences. Acute kidney injury is the only independent predictive factor for 3-month mortality. Prevention of acute kidney injury may possibly improve the 3-month mortality rate.
Validation of a hybrid active shape and deep learning intracochlear anatomy segmentation method for image-guided cochlear implant programming

Cochlear implants (CIs) are neuroprosthetic devices that can improve hearing in patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Postoperatively, a CI device needs to be programmed by an audiologist to determine parameter settings that lead to the best outcomes. Our group has developed an image-guided cochlear implant programming (IGCIP) system to simplify this laborious post-programming procedure and improve hearing outcomes. IGCIP requires image processing techniques to analyze the location of the inserted electrode arrays (EAs) with respect to the intracochlear anatomy (ICA). An active shape model (ASM)-based method is currently in routine use in our IGCIP system for ICA segmentation. Recently, we have proposed a hybrid ASM/deep learning (DL) segmentation method that improves segmentation accuracy. In this work, we first evaluate the effect of this method on so-called distance-vs.-frequency curves (DVFs), which permit to visualize electrode interaction and are used to provide programming guidance. An expert evaluation study is then performed to manually configure the electrodes based on the DVFs and grade the quality of the electrode configurations derived from ASM and hybrid ASM/DL segmentations compared to the one derived from ground truth segmentation. Results we have obtained show that the hybrid ASM/DL segmentation technique tends to generate DVFs with smaller frequency error and distance error, and electrode configurations which are comparable to the existing ASM-based method.
At-Home Healthcare Through Smart-Environmental Sensing, Including Biometrics for Multi-Factor Authentication

There is a growing need for at-home, personalized, accessible, and accurate healthcare. The potential of Internet of Things (IoT) enabled sensors for non-invasive medical diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring as well as for environmental monitoring through a "smart-home" system and multi-factor authentication using various biometrics, create a vast number of possibilities for further implementation of these sensing opportunities into society.
A Precision Medicine Approach to Treating Alzheimer's Disease Using Rosiglitazone Therapy: A Biomarker Analysis of the REFLECT Trials.

Background The REFLECT Trials were conducted to examine the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease utilizing a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist. Objective To generate a predictive biomarker indicative of positive treatment response using samples from the previously conducted REFLECT trials. Methods Data were analyzed on 360 participants spanning multiple negative REFLECT trials, which included treatment with rosiglitazone and rosiglitazone XR. Support vector machine analyses were conducted to generate a predictive biomarker profile. Results A pre-defined 6-protein predictive biomarker (IL6, IL10, CRP, TNFα, FABP-3, and PPY) correctly classified treatment response with 100%accuracy across study arms for REFLECT Phase II trial (AVA100193) and multiple Phase III trials (AVA105640, AV102672, and AVA102670). When the data was combined across all rosiglitazone trial arms, a global RSG-predictive biomarker with the same 6-protein predictive biomarker was able to accurately classify 98%of treatment responders. Conclusion A predictive biomarker comprising of metabolic and inflammatory markers was highly accurate in identifying those patients most likely to experience positive treatment response across the REFLECT trials. This study provides additional proof-of-concept that a predictive biomarker can be utilized to help with screening and predicting treatment response, which holds tremendous benefit for clinical trials.
Emission Frequency of a Homogeneously Broadened Laser Operating Below Threshold

By considering the effect of small perturbations around the zero-intensity solution we demonstrate that there is a “preferred” optical frequency for the single-mode laser below the lasing threshold. This frequency is generally different from the frequency of the usual non-trivial lasing solutions though they are equivalent at the lasing threshold. This suggests using the “preferred” frequency to define a sub-threshold, zero-amplitude branch of solutions which bifurcates to form the finite amplitude branch at threshold.
A novel mechanism for ionizing radiation-induced radio-resistance of tumor cells involving SHP2 and nuclear localization of EGFR

4384 The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is activated by ionizing radiation (IR) in human carcinomas, mediating a cytoprotective response. We have begun to uncover the mechanisms underlying its activation by IR. We have shown that EGFR Tyr992 is significantly more sensitive to IR than the other Tyr residues. Phosphorylation of Tyr992 following IR is a consequence of inhibition of its modulating phosphatase, SHP2, by S-nitrosylation. A431 cells treated with 2Gy IR exhibited up to a 3.7-fold increase in localization of EGFR to the nucleus. The nuclear localization in response to EGF was smaller with only a 1.9-fold increase. This phenomenon was reported previously in a study that determined a role for EGFR in the activation of DNAPK and potentially DNA repair. We have now shown this movement of EGFR to correlate with its phosphorylation on Tyr992, which exhibits an increase in phosphorylation following IR that is twice that following EGF. Nitric oxide synthase inhibitors blocked both Tyr992 phosphorylation and nuclear import of EGFR induced by IR up to 70%. We therefore hypothesize that the modulation of EGFR Tyr992 phosphorylation by SHP2 is responsible for the subcellular location of EGFR and consequently its contribution to radio-resistance. Since we have shown phosphorylation levels of Tyr992 to be specifically sensitive to modulation by SHP2, both wt SHP2 (wtSHP2) and a dominant negative SHP2 (csSHP2) were overexpressed in the squamous carcinoma cell line, A431 and the breast carcinoma cell line, MCF-7. wtSHP2 induced a 50% (p
Radiation Resistance of Microstrip Excited Magnetostatic Surface Waves

The radiation resistance of magnetostatic surface waves excited by a shorted microstrip transmission line is calculated. Supporting experiments show that the assumed model accurately predicts the dependence of the frequency response upon geometrical parameters.
Reduction of Carbonyl and Other Functional Groups

The topic of this chapter is reduction reactions that are especially important in synthesis. Reduction can be accomplished by several broad methods, including addition of hydrogen and/or electrons to a molecule or removal of oxygen or other electronegative substituents. The most important reducing agents from a synthetic point of view are molecular hydrogen and hydride derivatives of boron and aluminum. Other important procedures use metals such as lithium, sodium, or zinc as electron donors. Certain reductions that proceed via a free-radical mechanism involve hydrogen atom donors such as the trialkyl tin hydrides. Reductive removal of oxygen from functional groups such as alcohols, benzylic carbonyls, α-oxycarbonyls, and diols is also important in synthesis, since these reactions provide important methods for interconversion of functional groups. There are also reductive procedures which involve formation of carbon-carbon bonds. Most of these begin with an electron transfer that generates a radical intermediate which then undergoes a coupling or addition reaction.
Radiation graft polymerization of styrene to cellulose acetate-butyrate

The kinetics of radiation graft polymerization of styrene onto cellulose acetate-butyrate is studied over a range of radiation intensities and monomer concentrations. The reaction is diffusion-free under the experimental conditions as shown by the independence of the grafting rate on film thickness. The dependence of the grafting rate on monomer concentration increases from 3/2-order to slightly greater than 5/2-order with increasing radiation intensity. The dependence of the grafting rate on radiation intensity decreases from 1/2-order to 0-order with decreasing monomer concentration. Possible mechanisms for these results are discussed.
A Plea to Update How 'Public' Goods are Treated in Economics Textbooks

In 1954, Paul Samuelson rigorously defined what have come to be known as public goods and private goods. Unfortunately, textbook discussions have not moved very far beyond Samuelson, even though economic theory has. In 1965, James Buchanan created the economic theory of clubs to address the large number of goods that are neither purely private nor purely public. Since 1965 much work has been devoted to improving and extending the theory, but so far virtually none of it has found its way into the textbooks. This paper offers a simple way to incorporate Buchanan's insights into economics textbooks.
Robust controller design for a dual-stage positioning system

An important objective of positioning systems is to follow a desired path precisely under the presence of disturbance and plant uncertainty. To achieve this objective, we examine a dual-actuator configuration. An H/sub /spl infin controller is designed to guarantee closed-loop robustness. Furthermore, we adopt a two degree of freedom control scheme to obtain a good transient response. Simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the design method. >
Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates with varying serotype and multiple antibiogram patterns from individual burn patients.

Multiple isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from individual burn patients were tested for their antibiotic susceptibility-resistance patterns and serotype of their somatic antigen. P. aeruginosa strains with varying antibiograms and/or serotypes were found simultaneously in the same patient. Furthermore, several individual colonies of P. aeruginosa isolated from single-culture sites on patients were found to contain strains differing in antibiogram, serotype, or both. These results suggest that burn patients are co-colonized/co-infected with phenotypically diverse strains of P. aeruginosa. These data may explain in part the failure of single-antibiotic therapy in many patients in whom it has been used to treat severe P. aeruginosa infections.
Structure-activity relationship studies on derivatives of eudesmanolides from Inula helenium as toxicants against Aedes aegypti larvae and adults.

An Aedes aegypti larval toxicity bioassay was performed on compounds representing many classes of natural compounds including polyacetylenes, phytosterols, flavonoids, sesquiterpenoids, and triterpe- noids. Among these compounds, two eudesmanolides, alantolactone, and isoalantolactone showed larvicidal activities against Ae. aegypti and, therefore, were chosen for further structure - activity relationship study. In this study, structural modifications were performed on both alantolactone and isoalantolactone in an effort to understand the functional groups necessary for maintaining and/or increasing its activity, and to possibly lead to more effective insect-control agents. All parent compounds and synthetic modification reaction products were evaluated for their toxic activities against Ae. aegypti larvae and adults. Structure modifications included epoxidations, reductions, catalytic hydrogenations, and Michael additions to the a,b-unsaturated lactones. None of the synthetic isomers synthesized and screened against Ae. aegypti larvae were more active than isoalantolactone itself which had an LC50 value of 10.0 mg/ml. This was not the case for analogs of alantolactone for which many of the analogs had larvicidal activities ranging from 12.4 to 69.9 mg/ml. In general, activity trends observed from Ae. aegypti larval screening were not consistent with observations from adulticidal screening. The propylamine Michael addition analog of alantolactone was the most active adulticide synthesized with an LC50 value of 1.07 mg/mosquito. In addition, the crystal structures of both alantolactone and isoalantolactone were determined using CuKa radiation, which allowed their absolute configurations to be determined based on resonant scattering of the light atoms.
Endoscopic colotomy closure for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery using a T-fastener prototype in comparison to conventional laparoscopic suture closure

Background Safe and efficient endoscopic closure of a colotomy is essential for transcolonic peritoneal access or endoscopic full-thickness resection of the colon, if open or laparoscopic surgery is to be avoided. Objective To compare the feasibility and safety of colotomy closure with the newly developed Tissue Approximation System (TAS, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.) to conventional laparoscopic suture closure. Design Prospective randomized survival animal study involving 16 pigs. Setting University hospital. Interventions Pigs were randomized for closure of a 2- to 3-cm full-thickness colotomy with the TAS or with a conventional laparoscopic running suture. Main Outcome Measurements Success of colotomy closure, time of colotomy closure, postoperative infection, and complication rates. Results Colotomies were successfully closed in all animals. Median closure time (range) was 39.5 minutes (25-95 min) in the TAS group and 23 minutes (16-40 min) in the laparoscopic group ( P = .0134). There were no postoperative infections or complications. Limitations Closure with the TAS was performed under laparoscopic vision. There was no control group without closure of the colotomy site. Conclusions Colotomies are safely closed with the TAS with comparable results to laparoscopic closure. The TAS may serve as a useful tool to close full-thickness colon defects or colotomy sites made for transluminal endoscopic procedures.
Impact of spatial auditory feedback on the efficiency of iconic human-computer interfaces under conditions of visual impairment

This paper investigates the addition of spatial auditory feedback as a tool to assist people with visual impairments in the use of computers, specifically in tasks involving iconic visual search. In this augmented interface, unique sounds were mapped to visual icons on the screen. As the screen cursor traversed the screen, the user heard sounds of nearby icons, spatially, according to the relative position of each icon with respect to the screen cursor. A software prototype of the design was developed to evaluate the performance of users in the search of icons within the proposed interface. Experiments were conducted with simulated visual impairments on volunteer participants to evaluate if the addition of spatial auditory feedback makes the interface more accessible to users with impaired vision. Results demonstrated that spatialization of icon sounds provides additional remote navigational information to users, enabling new strategies for task completion. Directions for future research are discussed and prioritized.
The human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat is preferentially expressed in Langerhans cells in transgenic mice.

Four lines of transgenic mice containing the HIV LTR linked to the bacterial gene encoding chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) were constructed. In each line, a characteristic tissue pattern of...
A decomposition approach to analysing racial and gender biases in Farm Service Agency's lending decisions

This study provides a different perspective in revisiting the racial and gender discrimination issue at the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Employing the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition method, this study analyses disparities in approved loan amounts among racial and gender classes of borrowers. This study's results indicate substantial differentials in approved loan amount gaps between racial and gender classes, favouring white and female borrowers, respectively. Further scrutiny of the borrowers’ comparative financial conditions presented to FSA to support their loan applications, however, indicate that these borrower groups significantly dominate their peers in a number of measures that indicate their financial strengths and relatively greater capability to repay their future lending obligations. Hence, this study's results can hardly be construed as evidence of biased lending decisions as these borrower groups should rightfully be offered more favourable loan terms, such as larger loan amounts, by the FSA.
Behavior of a meniscus subjected to transient accelerations for increasing capillary numbers

This study experimentally and analytically investigates the effects of acceleration transients on the dynamic response of an unheated meniscus in a capillary tube. A capillary tube partially filled with ethyl alcohol was mounted on a centrifuge to observe the dynamic response of the meniscus subject to single and multiple cycle acceleration transients. Experimental data of the meniscus recession and advance agreed well with a onedimensional equation of motion accounting for changes in the receding and advancing contact angle assuming a spherically shaped meniscus. Systems typified by a low Bond number, as distinguished by a small capillary tube diameter, tended to be insensitive to transverse acceleration components. It was found that the combined effects of a Bond number less than 1.5 (distinguished by a small capillary tube diameter), and capillary number greater than 10 ~ resulted in a retardation of the meniscus position, relative to the inviscid solution, due to acceleration transients. An additional retardation in the advancing meniscus position appeared to be due to an increase in the advancing contact angle with increasing capillary number.
Single-Read De Novo Sequencing Using Nanopore Mspa

Biological nanopores such as MspA are used in a promising next-generation DNA sequencing technique capable of achieving long, single-molecule reads. In our experiments, current is driven through the ∼1 nm constriction of the protein nanopore MspA. Single molecules of DNA are pulled in by the voltage, and held in place by a DNA polymerase. The polymerase pulls the DNA under load in single-nucleotide steps. The current depends on the bases in the narrowest part of the pore. De novo sequencing accuracy with this method is limited by the inability to distinguish different base sequences that have the same currents, and by unpredictable deviations from forward-stepping behavior by the polymerase. We show that by driving the current through the pore with a varying voltage, we obtain additional information about the base content of the DNA. Varying the voltage allows for the identification and correction of skipping and backstepping behavior, and can discriminate between nucleotide sequences that are indistinguishable when driving the system at a constant voltage. We provide initial results demonstrating that this method greatly improves single read de novo sequencing fidelity.