cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Higher-order Horn clauses

A generalization of Horn clauses to a higher-order logic is described and examined as a basis for logic programming. In qualitative terms, these higher-order Horn clauses are obtained from the first-order ones by replacing first-order terms with simply typed l-terms and by permitting quantification over all occurrences of function symbols and some occurrences of predicate symbols. Several proof-theoretic results concerning these extended clauses are presented. One result shows that although the substitutions for predicate variables can be quite complex in general, the substitutions necessary in the context of higher-order Horn clauses are tightly constrained. This observation is used to show that these higher-order formulas can specify computations in a fashion similar to first-order Horn clauses. A complete theorem-proving procedure is also described for the extension. This procedure is obtained by interweaving higher-order unification with backchaining and goal reductions, and constitutes a higher-order generalization of SLD-resolution. These results have a practical realization in the higher-order logic programming language called lProlog.
The fate of the Indian lithosphere beneath western Tibet: Upper mantle elastic wave speed structure from a joint teleseismic and regional body wave tomographic study

Abstract We investigate the fate of the Indian lithosphere following its descent beneath western Tibet by means of tomographic imaging based on arrival times of body waves from regional and teleseismic sources recorded by a portable network deployed in the region from 2007 to 2011. We use a non-linear iterative algorithm that simultaneously models absolute, regional, and relative teleseismic arrival times to obtain a 3-D velocity structure in a spherical segment that extends from 26°N to 37°N, from 76°E to 89°E, and from the surface to 430 km depth. We find that variations in P and S wave speeds in the upper mantle are similar, and identify a number of prominent fast anomalies beneath western Tibet and the adjacent Himalayas. We associate these fast anomalies with the mantle lithosphere of India that is likely colder and hence faster than the ambient mantle. Resolution tests confirm the ability of our dataset to resolve their shapes in the upper 300 km, and the lack of significant downward smearing of these features. We interpret the presence of faster material below 300 km as being consistent with former Indian lithosphere having reached these depths. There are two main fast anomalies in our model. One resembles a ∼100 km wide sub-vertical column located directly beneath the India-Asia plate boundary. The other anomaly is thinner, and has the shape of a dipping slab that spans the north-south width of the Lhasa block. It dips towards the NE, starting near the Indus-Yarlung suture and ending north of the Bangong-Nujiang Suture at depths in excess of 300 km. Another finding of our study is the absence of major fast anomalies west of ∼80°E, which our resolution tests show to be significant. Our results do not support the notion of a continuous body of formerly Indian lithosphere being presently underthrust northward, and extending all the way to the northern boundary of the plateau. Rather, shapes of fast anomalies in western Tibet suggest colder material beneath the northernmost Himalaya and the southernmost part of the plateau. The presence of multiple relatively small-scale anomalies, rather than a single large fast body aligned with the India-Asia boundary, rules out subduction of the intact Indian lithosphere. Our preferred scenario for the process that currently removes the mantle lithosphere of India from the collision zone envisages viscous behavior, with gravity-driven instabilities leading to the formation of multiple drips of different size. To reconcile our findings with evidence of past underthrusting of Indian lithosphere beneath Tibet we postulate a geologically recent change in the mode of lithosphere removal. Our scenario includes initial underthrusting, subsequent gravitational destabilization, and removal of the mantle lithosphere of Indian plate. At present the mantle lithosphere of India that continues to underthrust southern Tibet develops a drip-like instability that is seen as a fast columnar feature in our model.
Race in Translation: Culture Wars around the Postcolonial Atlantic

In Race in Translation, Ella Shohat and Robert Stam trace the colonial epistemologies linking France, Brazil and the United States. Engaging figures as diverse as Slavoj Žižek and French rapper MC ...
Ecological vulnerability evaluation of Yan'an city

Taking Yan'an city as a case,we selected 16 representative and comprehensive indexes of resource,environment and social economy which could reflect the research area's ecological character to build assessment system for ecological vulnerability.On the basis of determining the weight AHP,we used method of composite index evaluation to separately calculate the ecological vulnerability values from four aspects,including natural ecological background,ecological sensitivity,human disturbance and human adaptability.They were classified as natural potential vulnerability and human disturbance vulnerability,and evaluated them.Then we calculated the integrate ecological vulnerability value of various countries as well as carried out graded evaluation.The result told us that the high ecological vulnerability area was in the north of Yan'an,this six cities were Zichang city,Ansai city,Yanchuan city,Yanchang city,Zhidan city and Wuqi city.The total area was 19513.61km2 and account for 52.79% of the research area.
Clinical application of brain natriuretic peptide(BNP) in early diagnosing cardiac failure of neonate

Objective To discuss the clinical significance of brain natriuretic peptide(BNP) in early diagnosing the cardiac failure of neonate. Methods We defined the 36 newborn diagnosed cardiac failure 3 days in our unit from January 2011 to Jun 2013 as observed group, and the 30 newborn without cardiac failure as control group. We measured the BNP of the two groups before treating and the observed group after treating 7 days. The BNP of the two groups, the observed group before and after treating, the after treating and the control were compared. Results The BNP of the two groups, before and after treating of the observed group had statistical difference(P0.01). The difference of the after treating and the control had no statistical significance(P0.05). Conclusion The dynamic change of BNP can react the recovering of cardiac failure of the neonate, it can be a detection index to early diagnosis the cardiac failure of the newborn.
Electric Putter in the Packaging of the Friction Coefficient Test

This paper introduces the concept of friction phenomenon and testing the mechanical friction coefficient of the test loading program. As with electric hoist lifting unconfined positive pressure, DC motor-driven electric putter as the level of lateral thrust, under the control of the AVR microcontroller, computer -integrated management and control systems. AVR microcontroller on the sensor data acquisition, electric actuator motor control and up/down bit machine communication interface were key description. VB programming in the host computer with software calibration process emphasized the value of a simple load, transparent and displayed in the interface between the linear calibration grade level. The implementation of the components of the control switches are used to move the control. The text records and test data curves dump to Excel spreadsheet and graphics functions.
Humoral immune responses to testis antigens in sera from patients with prostate cancer

Tumor vaccines represent one type of molecularly targeted therapy being investigated for the treatment of prostate cancer. Although many prostate-specific proteins are being tested as target antigens for prostate cancer vaccines, most are not natural targets of an immune response in patients with cancer. Using sera from cancer patients, several research groups have identified a large family of immunologically recognized proteins whose expression is normally confined to immune-privileged testis tissue but which may be expressed in cancers of different histological origins. These proteins, so-called cancer-testis (CT) antigens, are appealing targets for immune-based therapies because they are essentially tumor-restricted antigens and there is less risk of preexisting immune tolerance. In addition, specifically targeting these proteins by means of vaccines should reduce the risk of potential autoimmune reactions to normal tissues. In the current study, we hypothesize that prostate CT antigens can be identified using a SEREX screening method with sera from patients with prostate cancer and probing with a human testis cDNA expression library. We have identified several potential prostate cancer antigens with predominantly testis-specific expression in normal tissues, including MAD-CT-1 (protamine 2) and MAD-CT-2. Each was independently identified from different subjects with prostate cancer. Antigens identified by these studies can be investigated further as potential prostate cancer tumor antigens. This article was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.
Blind loop syndrome associated with growth retardation.

A 26-year-old male with retarded growth, maturation, and severe malnutrition underwent corrective surgery for blind loop syndrome. A large foreign mass was found within a loop of jejunum. Subsequently there was an increase in height, weight, and sexual maturation. This case demonstrates that blind loop syndrome with associated malabsorption may inhibit normal adolescent development and that retarded development may be partially corrected when good nutrition is once again restored.
The Directed Attention Progression

We have determined that ‘I’ am a particular species of consciousness—the motivation to focus, intensify and explicate felt meanings. We have also seen that I am not equivalent with all my states of consciousness, but only with those constitutive of the creative component of cognition, which is the source of this motivational feeling and consequently the source of the direction of the stream of consciousness in terms of the selective attention process. The creative component is the preconscious, categorially intentional (but not presentatively intentional) and value-positing dimension of consciousness; it determines in part what I see by motivating where I look at each instant; it is thus the transcendental ego.
Extending prerendered-interface voting software to support accessibility and other ballot features

This work builds on the prerendered user interface (PRUI) approach for high-assurance voting software with a new design that supports synchronized audio and visual output, as well as concurrent input from a touchscreen and an alternate input device. This new design offers access for voters with a range of disabilities while retaining the benefits of PRUI voting systems: the user interface can be independently designed and audited, and the software needing verification is much smaller and simpler. This paper discusses the challenges of supporting accessibility in this architecture, explains how these challenges were addressed, and describes the resulting design. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach and to establish a point of reference for the simplicity of voting machine software, this design has been implemented as a program called Pvote, in 460 lines of Python.
Iterative reconstruction algorithm which incorporates a high resolution anatomical image: simultaneous correction for 3-D detector response, attenuation, and scatter in SPECT neuroreceptor imaging

Computer simulation studies have shown that twofold to threefold cortical variations in neuroreceptor single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images may result from imaging artifacts. To differentiate these variations from physiological variations resulting from a disease state, an iterative reconstruction algorithm (IRA) which corrects for the artifacts was developed. The IRA utilizes both a realistic 3-D model of the imaging process and a realistic Hoffman 3-D brain model. For both the normal and the patient the radioactivity was set to unity in each gray matter voxel of a basal ganglia slice, but for the patient the radioactivity in the right parietal cortex was decreased by 30%. Filtered backprojection of both the normal and the patient resulted in circumferential cortical profiles which exhibited twofold to threefold cortical variations, although (except for the deficit in the right parietal cortex) these should theoretically be constant. For IRA, however, circumferential cortical profiles of both the normal and the patient were constant, except for the 30% deficit in the right parietal cortex. These results show that IRA can compensate for variations due to imaging artifacts to permit the quantitation of physiological variations. >
Rostral anterior cingulate cortex morphology predicts treatment response to internet-based CBT for depression

Background Rostral and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (rACC and sgACC) activity and, to a lesser extent, volume, have been shown to predict depressive symptom improvement across different antidepressant treatments. This study extends prior work by examining whether rACC and/or sgACC morphology predicts treatment response to internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) for major depressive disorder (MDD). This is the first study to examine neural predictors of response to iCBT.
A learning backstepping controller for voltage source inverter with nonlinear loads

An inverter with an output LC filter can be used for generation of sinusoidal output voltage with low harmonic distortion, suitable for distributed generation systems. However, with the growing number of electronic devices with rectifiers at the front end of their power supply, the nonlinearities of the load current in power systems are increasing. As such designing an inverter system with a nonlinear controller that can take into account this nonlinearity in the load current and generate a high quality sinusoidal output voltage has become of great interest to the academic and industrial communities. In this paper, a nonlinear backstepping controller combined with a periodic disturbance learning observer is proposed for the control of a single-phase H-Bridge inverter with an output LC filter. A Lyapunov stability analysis is utilized to demonstrate system stability. Simulation results validate the performance of the control scheme in the presence of nonlinear loads in terms of tracking objective and system stability.
Private Provision of Public Goods

This note argues that it is hard for private institutions to provide the public goods that the government provides. In other words, there will tend to be an under provision of public goods if private institutions provided them. The explanation this note provides hinges on the very nature of what public, as opposed to private, goods are. Excerpt UVA-GEM-0144 Aug. 17, 2016 Private Provision of Public Goods Many public goods are provided by the government. This note argues that one of the reasons why the government takes on this role is that it is very hard for private institutions to provide public goods in sufficient quantity without the government's help. In other words, there would tend to be an underprovision of public goods. The explanation this note provides hinges on the very nature of what public, as opposed to private, goods are. There are different types of goods. A soft drink that you buy in a supermarket is an example of a purely private good. Because you buy the good and consume it yourself, you will benefit from the soft drink, not someone else. Therefore, consumption of the soft drink is said to be rival. Moreover, with private goods, it is relatively easy to exclude people from consuming the good, which is why the price system works well as a means of distributing private goods. By buying something, you get exclusive access to it. National defense, safe cities, clean air, and clean water are very different types of goods, however: they are public. Once the country is protected, once the streets are safe, or once the air or the water in an area is clean, everyone benefits from the security, the air, or the water, and one person's benefit does not diminish somebody else's. In other words, the consumption of a public good is nonrival. In addition, it is not trivial to exclude other people from access to security (once the country is defended), from the benefit of safe cities, or from clean water or air, which is why it is difficult to use the price mechanism to distribute public goods. Because of those two special characteristics of public goods (nonrivalness, nonexclusivity), it is not so easy to find out how much of these goods should be provided, and also at what price. It is often argued that the government should guarantee the provision of purely public goods because of those characteristics. If private institutions were to provide public goods (without government support), there would be a tendency to undersupply. . . .
Spectral characterizations of structured big data covariance matrices

Radar data suffers from the curse of dimensionality, and with the deluge of data, due to advances in sensors, and technology, it has becomes increasingly challenging to interpret, visualize and process data. In this paper, we assume that the dimensions of the data matrix is large. That is, we assume that the number of variables as well as the number of samples is large, however, their ratio is a finite constant. We further assume a structured covariance matrix, comprised of low rank matrices added to a scaled identity matrix. The behavior of their principal components (PCs) and eigenvalues of the estimated covariance matrix is analyzed using well known tools in random matrix theory (RMT) and almost sure limits are studied. Simulations reveal that the analysis is valid for many distributions, not necessarily Gaussian, provided these samples are statistically independent. The theory is applied to the covariance matrices generated from the KASSPER database.
Human Responding on a Temporally Defined Schedule of Point-Loss Avoidance

Two experiments extended the investigation of temporally defined avoidance schedules to human Ss responding on a schedule of point-loss avoidance. Experiment I found that superimposition of a td-correlated added stimulus had no effect on response rate or distribution, while response-cost contingency of 1 point per response produced a decrease in response rate and an increase in failures to avoid 10-point losses. Discriminated responding was produced only by combination of the added stimulus and the response-cost contingency. Experiment II found that a high-effort response mani-pulandum was functionally equivalent to the response-cost contingency in behavioral effects. The results are consistent with Weiner’s explanation for apparent insensitivity of human responding to nonresponse contingency events and support the generic use of the term “cost” in exchange theories.
Specialty Societies and Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations-Reply.

Gynecologists order twice as many mammograms as family medicine and/or general practice physicians; physician specialty society guidelines may account for this wide variation.
Influence of Exposure to an Aggressive Environment on Cyclic Fatigue Response and Life of an Alloy Steel

Corrosion or environment-induced degradation often occurs in structural steel as an electrochemical process which leads to gradual loss in mass over a period when subjected to prolonged exposure to an aggressive environment. Immediate effects of this environment-induced degradation, also referred to in industry circles as corrosion, includes a progressive reduction of the cross section, which in turn has a detrimental influence on stiffness and load carrying capacity of the components in a structure, such as a bridge, a stiffened panel or a building. Due to its high strength, low alloy A572 Grade 50 steel is a potentially viable candidate for a wide range of applications in the construction industry. However, like in other high strength alloy steels, A572 is vulnerable to the effects of degradation-induced by the environment owing to its chemical composition. This paper discusses the details of tests conducted to determine the fatigue properties of A572 steel after inducing uniform environment-induced degradation or corrosion. Flat (rectangular dog-bone shaped) specimens, conforming to specifications detailed in ASTM E8 standard, were used in this study. A technique that was developed by the ASTM and General Motors Corporation (GM) [called GMW14872] for a controlled corrosion process based on use of the spray technique was used to induce accelerated corrosion on selected test specimens in an environment chamber. Stress-controlled high cycle fatigue tests were conducted on the corroded test specimens and compared with the as-new, uncorroded counterpart.
A comprehensive review of select smart polymeric and gel actuators for soft mechatronics and robotics applications: fundamentals, freeform fabrication, and motion control

Smart polymeric and gel actuators change shape or size in response to stimuli like electricity, heat, or light. These smart polymeric- and gel-based actuators are compliant and well suited for deve...
Long-Term Effects of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonists and Add-Back in Adolescent Endometriosis.

Abstract Study Objective To explore the potential occurrence of long-term side effects and tolerability of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) plus 2 different add-back regimens in adolescent patients with endometriosis. Design Follow-up questionnaire sent in 2016 to patients who participated in a drug trial between 2008 and 2012. Setting Tertiary care center in Boston, Massachusetts. Participants Female adolescents with surgically confirmed endometriosis (n = 51) who enrolled in a GnRHa plus add-back trial as adolescents. Interventions Leuprolide depot 11.25 mg intramuscular injection every 3 months, plus oral norethindrone acetate 5 mg daily or oral norethindrone acetate 5 mg daily and oral conjugated equine estrogens 0.625 mg daily. Main Outcome Measures Side effects during and after treatment, irreversible side effects, changes in pain, overall satisfaction. Results The response rate was 61% (25 of 41; 10 subjects could not be located). Almost all (24 of 25) reported side effects during treatment; 80% (16 of 21) reported side effects lasting longer than 6 months after stopping treatment. Almost half (9 of 20) reported side effects they considered irreversible, including memory loss, insomnia, and hot flashes. Despite side effects, participants rated GnRHa plus add-back as the most effective hormonal medication for treating endometriosis pain; two-thirds (16 of 25) would recommend it to others. More participants who received a modified 2-drug add-back regimen vs standard 1-drug add-back would recommend GnRHa and believed it was the most effective hormonal medication. Conclusion Subjects believed that GnRHa used with add-back was effective and would recommend it to others, despite significant side effects. Those who received 2-drug add-back reported more success than those who received standard add-back. A subset of patients reported side effects they consider to be irreversible.
An information-theoretic approach to partitioning simultaneous transmit and receive digital phased arrays

Dynamically reconfigurable digital phased array technology has become more common and advances in signal processing techniques have enabled digital self-interference cancellation sufficient for practical simultaneous transmit and receive applications. As systems implement these technologies, techniques for configuring arrays must be developed. In this work, we consider operating an array in an imaging mode and demonstrate the effectiveness of the Fisher Information of a point target's estimated cross-range position in determining the optimal partitioning of an array into transmit and receive elements. We demonstrate that the partitions formed by optimizing the Fisher Information metric perform better than those that consider other metrics.
Branch-cut contribution to the longitudinal electric field in relativistic plasmas

The branch-cut contribution to the longitudinal electric field in a relativistic Maxwellian plasma is evaluated in the long-time limit by a procedure which does not depend upon the Laplace transformation method. The analytic-continuation difficulty inherent in previous work in this field is thereby eliminated.
Wie man Marihuana-Benutzer wird

Eine unbekannte, aber wahrscheinlich ziemlich grose Zahl von Menschen in den Vereinigten Staaten benutzen Marihuana. Sie tun dies trotz der Tatsache, dass es ungesetzlich ist und auch nicht gebilligt wird.
The legacy and trajectories of multicultural education: recognition, refusal, and movement building in troubling times

In this conceptual analysis paper, I provide a brief overview of multicultural education and highlight the critiques to the field that demonstrate challenges to implementing an education that is multicultural especially when considering students from minoritized and global majority backgrounds. Next, I explore the changing political and social context that suggests, among other things, the need for re/newed orientations to multicultural education. I focus on two important scholarly lines of inquiry – Decolonization and Antiblack theorizing – that might inform possible trajectories for multicultural education including a pedagogy of recognition and a pedagogy of refusal. I conclude by identifying questions that lay at the intersection of these two pedagogies and share some final thoughts about the role of social movements in forging a more critical, responsive approach to multicultural education.
Conceptual framework for investigating causal effects from observational data in livestock

Understanding causal mechanisms among variables is critical to efficient management of complex biological systems such as animal agriculture production. The increasing availability of data from commercial livestock operations offers unique opportunities for attaining causal insight, despite the inherently observational nature of these data. Causal claims based on observational data are substantiated by recent theoretical and methodological developments in the rapidly evolving field of causal inference. Thus, the objectives of this review are as follows: 1) to introduce a unifying conceptual framework for investigating causal effects from observational data in livestock, 2) to illustrate its implementation in the context of the animal sciences, and 3) to discuss opportunities and challenges associated with this framework. Foundational to the proposed conceptual framework are graphical objects known as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). As mathematical constructs and practical tools, DAGs encode putative structural mechanisms underlying causal models together with their probabilistic implications. The process of DAG elicitation and causal identification is central to any causal claims based on observational data. We further discuss necessary causal assumptions and associated limitations to causal inference. Last, we provide practical recommendations to facilitate implementation of causal inference from observational data in the context of the animal sciences.
Embedded Microjets for Thermal Management of High Power-Density Electronic Devices

With current trends toward increased power in smaller devices and packages, the search continues for high-performance thermal management solutions for MOSFETs, high-electron mobility transistors, and other power electronics. Microjet impingement cooling has been shown to produce high heat transfer capabilities for electronics cooling. In this paper, microjets based on well-studied geometries were embedded within the substrate of a heat-producing device, removing several layers of thermal resistance typically found in advanced packages. In contrast with competing liquid cooling solutions that use expensive materials and processes, industry-standard silicon microfabrication techniques were used to build a low-cost microjet cooler. Numerical analysis of the embedded microjet device showed average heat transfer coefficients greater than 250 kW/ $\text {m}^{2}\cdot \text {K}$ and low peak temperature rises in high power-density devices. Using an innovative micro-Raman thermography technique, experimental measurements with a 1- $\mu \text{m}$ spatial resolution were taken, supporting the numerically predicted heat transfer coefficients on a device with a heat flux of over 5 kW/cm2 and a temperature rise of 46 °C. As devices continue to become miniaturized, both low-cost embedded microjet cooling technology and micro-Raman thermography may play a vital role in the design, operation, and evaluation of advanced high power-density electronics.
Enabling a Low-delay Internet Service via Built-in Performance Incentives

The single best-effort service of the Internet struggles to accommodate divergent needs of different distributed applications. Numerous alternative network architectures have been proposed to offer diversified network services. These innovative solutions failed to gain wide deployment primarily due to economic and legacy issues rather than technical shortcomings. Our paper presents a new simple paradigm for network service differentiation that accounts explicitly for the multiplicity of Internet service providers and users as well as their economic interests in environments with partly deployed new services. Our key idea is to base the service differentiation on performance itself, rather than price. We design RD (Rate-Delay) network services that give a user an opportunity to choose between a higher transmission rate or low queuing delay at a congested network link. To support the two services, an RD router maintains two queues per output link and achieves the intended ratedelay differentiation through simple link scheduling and dynamic buffer sizing. Our extensive evaluation of the RD network services reports their performance, deployability, and security properties. Type of Report: Other Department of Computer Science & Engineering Washington University in St. Louis Campus Box 1045 St. Louis, MO 63130 ph: (314) 935-6160 Enabling a Low-delay Internet Service via Built-in Performance Incentives Maxim Podlesny and Sergey Gorinsky Technical report WUCSE-2009-70 Applied Research Laboratory Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA {podlesny,gorinsky}@arl.wustl.edu
Under the Sea: An evaluation of the establishment and continued effectiveness of the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve in Ecuador

approved: . Michael Harte Conservation of natural resources has become a new watchword of the scientific community. While many terrestrial ecosystems are well protected, marine ecosystems have only recently come to the forefront. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been introduced as a means of protecting biodiversity, commercial stocks, and ecosystem services. There are many social, ecological, and economic considerations to be addressed for a marine reserve to be effective from a biological and social perspective. In 1998 the Special Law of the Galapagos created the Galapagos Marine Reserve, and instituted a participatory management scheme for local and governmental cooperation in management. The foundations of the Special Law are strong, however many problems plague the islands, including rapid growth of the population and the tourism industry, and a great deal of non-compliance with reserve regulations in the form of violent protests and illegal fisheries. Feelings of legitimacy must be fostered among the local populations through significant improvements in education to enhance stakeholder participation, and increased funding to the National Park to allow for effective enforcement of the regulations. Increasing visitor fees is a potential source of new income to be used for park management and improving local resources, especially education.
Rapid progression of disease from immunotherapy following targeted therapy: insights into treatment management and sequence

With emerging promising therapeutic regimens in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the standard-of-care treatments for a variety of histologic and mutated subgroups in NSCLC has been regularly shifting in response to landmark clinical trials. However, with the availability of a range of therapeutic agents, clear grouping of patient populations to appropriate treatment strategies is essential. In this review, we illustrate past and current treatment strategies in NSCLC, specifically focusing on targeted therapy and immunotherapy. We describe a complex clinical scenario that oncologists will encounter of patients with multiple actionable mutations such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) sensitizing mutations and high expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Recent data regarding sequential therapy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) demonstrate severe adverse interactions between the therapies that impact patient quality-of-life and outcomes. As we enter further into an era of personalized and precision medicine, guidelines and standard-of-care therapies are essential to define separate patient groups based on molecular testing, histology, comorbidities, and more. This article explores the current status of generally understudied patient groups in NSCLC and proposes future directions in therapeutic strategies.
SCA4 locus-associated gene Ronin (Thap11) increases Ataxin-1 protein levels and induces cerebellar degeneration in a mouse model of ataxia

ABSTRACT Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group of genetically heterogeneous inherited neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive ataxia and cerebellar degeneration. Here, we tested if Ronin (Thap11), a polyglutamine-containing protein encoded in a region on human chromosome 16q22.1 that has been genetically linked to SCA4, can be connected with SCA disease in a mouse model. We report that transgenic expression of Ronin in mouse cerebellar Purkinje cells leads not only histopathologically to detrimental loss of Purkinje cells but also phenotypically to the development of severe ataxia as early as 10-12 weeks after birth. Mechanistically, we find that Ronin is part of a protein complex in the cerebellum that is distinct from the one previously found in embryonic stem cells. Importantly, ectopically expressed Ronin raises the protein level of Ataxin-1 (Atxn1), the causative gene of the most common type of SCA, SCA1. Hence, our data provide evidence for a link between Ronin and SCAs, and also suggest that Ronin may be involved in the development of other neurodegenerative diseases.
Lessons learned from Zaire ebolavirus to help address urgent needs for vaccines against Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg virus.

The 2014–2016 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa triggered extensive investments from public and private partners in an attempt to slow the spread of disease and bring the outbreak under control. ...
What Will Florida Strawberry Varieties Look like in the Future? A Breeder’s Perspective

A recent economic analysis predicted that the distribution of strawberry production in Florida that would maximize profit is very different from the current production distribution. An earlier star...
The role of platelets in thrombus fibrosis and vessel wall remodeling after venous thrombosis.

Purpose Platelets are known to play an important role in venous thrombogenesis, but their role in thrombus maturation, resolution, and postthrombotic vein wall remodeling is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the role that circulating platelets play in the later phases of venous thrombosis. Methods We used a murine inferior vena cava (IVC) stenosis model. Baseline studies in untreated mice were performed to determine an optimal postthrombotic time point for tissue harvest that would capture both thrombus maturation/resolution and postthrombotic vein wall remodeling. This time point was found to be postoperative day 10. After undergoing IVC ultrasound on day 2 to confirm venous thrombus formation, mice were treated with a daily injection of platelet-depleting antibody (anti-GP1bα) to maintain thrombocytopenia or with control IgG until postoperative day 10, at which time IVC and thrombi were harvested and thrombus length, volume, fibrosis, neovascularization, and smooth muscle cell invasion analyzed. Vein wall fibrosis and intimal thickening were also determined. Results Mice that were made thrombocytopenic after venous thrombogenesis had thrombi that were less fibrotic, with fewer invading smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, thrombocytopenia in the setting of venous thrombosis resulted in less postthrombotic vein wall intimal thickening. Thrombus volume did not differ between thrombocytopenic mice and their control peers. Conclusions This work suggests that circulating platelets contribute to venous thrombus maturation, fibrosis, and adverse vein wall remodeling, and that that inhibition of platelet recruitment may decrease thrombus and vein wall fibrosis, thus helping thrombolysis and preventing postthrombotic syndrome.
Overview on Trauma and Resilience

“Resilience after trauma is one of the most compelling phenomena in contemporary traumatic stress research” (Nugent et al., European Journal of Psychotraumatology 5, 2014), para. 1). Indeed, resilience is compelling. The health practitioner may view patient or client resilience as unexpected strength amid inner turmoil or environmental chaos. The health researcher or academic may observe resilience as one’s ability to survive amid the negative forces related to physiological, cognitive, or emotional trauma. Regardless of perspective, resilience is appreciated by most as something positive, some phenomena that offers the ability to bounce back during hard times (Tugade and Fredrickson, Journal of Personality & Social Psychology 86:320–333, 2004). To understand the value of resilience to health and well-being, especially as it relates to trauma, we must understand it at the basic level. Accordingly, the purpose of this chapter is to provide a foundational understanding of these constructs: resilience and trauma. They are used frequently in varying roles – independent and outcome variables – in disaster research. Trauma-focused research with resilience outcomes is gaining ground in health literature. Therefore, we find it necessary and compelling to provide conceptual clarity to these constructs, distinctly and connectedly. Later, this chapter provides a brief overview of these constructs through the lens of behavioral health.
Gene x responsive parenting interactions in social development: Characterizing heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorder.

Emerging research suggests that caregiving environments and genetic variants independently contribute to social functioning in children with typical development or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, biologically plausible interactive models and complimentary assessment of mechanisms are needed to: (a) explain considerable social heterogeneity, (b) resolve inconsistencies in the literature, and (c) develop and select optimal treatments based on individual differences. This study examined the role of child genotypes and responsive parenting in the social development of 104 children with ASD (ages 4-7 years). We utilized a longitudinal, multi-informant design and structural equation models to evaluate: (a) the additive and interactive effects of biologically plausible candidate genes (5-HTTLPR, OXTR, DRD4) and responsive parenting in predicting prospective social development in ASD across three time points spanning 1.5 years, and (b) whether child emotion regulation mediated observed gene x environment interactions (GxEs). Responsive parenting positively predicted prospective change in child social skills; these associations were moderated by 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 in teacher-report models, and DRD4 in parent-report models. No GxE effects were found for OXTR. Emotion regulation did not significantly mediate the GxEs involving 5-HTTLPR and DRD4. Acknowledging the complexities of GxE research, implications for future research, and targeted intervention efforts are discussed.
The geography of money and politics: Population density, social networks, and political contributions:

We examine the social antecedents of contributing to campaigns, with a particular focus on the role of population density and social networking opportunities. Using 10 years of US campaign contribution data from the Federal Election Commission and a national survey of party leaders, we find that recruiting contributors is easier in a densely populated region, where the daily opportunity of individuals being exposed to the same information via their social networks is high. Furthermore, the effect of population density is heterogeneous with respect to mobility: if a region has substantial commuting outflow, the chance of being mobilized from the place of residence decreases, but the chance of mobilization in their place of work increases. This analysis also reveals differences between political parties. Democrats are more dependent on social networking in population dense areas. This difference in the importance of social networking opportunities present in geographical space helps explain macro-level patt...
Wireless Coexistence of Cellular LBT Systems and BLE 5

The 2.4 GHz spectrum is home to several Radio Access Technologies (RATs), including ZigBee, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Wi-Fi. Accordingly, the technologies’ spectrum-sharing qualities have been extensively studied in literature. License-Assisted Access (LAA) Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) has been identified in technical reports as the foundation for the channel access mechanism for 5G New Radio-Unlicensed (NR-U) operating in the 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. The introduction of NR-U into this band raises new concerns regarding coexistence of the newcomer with traditional incumbents. This article reports an investigation of BLE 5 and cellular LBT coexisting systems by means of empirical evaluation. The importance of this study stems from that the studied LBT mechanism is indicative of how 5G NR-U would perform in the 2.4 GHz band. Tests were performed in conformity with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C63.27 standard for evaluation of wireless coexistence, and results were reported in terms of throughput and interframe delays. In accordance with the standard and under different BLE physical layers (PHYs) and LBT priority classes, three setups were investigated. These pertain to the three tiers of evaluation, which correspond to the criticality of the device under test. Results demonstrated how BLE throughput dropped as the intended-to-unintended signal ratio decreased, and LBT classes exhibited a diminishing effect as the class priority descended. Long Range BLE PHY was found to sustain longer gap times (i.e., delay) than the other two PHYs; however, it showed less susceptibility to interference. Results also demonstrated that low data rate BLE PHYs hindered the LBT throughput performance since they correspond to longer airtime durations.
Modified Ravitch Procedure for Pectus Excavatum Combined With Complex Cardiac Surgery

Pectus excavatum is common in patients with connective tissue disorders or congenital heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery, and is occasionally severe enough to warrant repair. The optimal surgical strategy is currently debated. We report our experience with simultaneous repair. From January 2012 to January 2020, 11 patients (median age of 35 ± 18 years, range 12–74) underwent a modified Ravitch procedure for severe pectus excavatum performed by a single thoracic surgeon at the time of simultaneous complex cardiac surgery. Eight patients (73%) had a confirmed connective tissue disorder and 2 patients (18%) had recurrent pectus excavatum following a failed Nuss procedure in adolescence. The mean Haller index was 7.3 ± 3.2 (range 3.8–13). The most common concomitant cardiac procedures were valve-preserving aortic root replacement (n=7, 64%) and mitral valve repair (n = 4, 36%). Patients are presented as a case series with descriptive analysis. The median total operative and cardiopulmonary bypass times were 400 minutes (±109 minutes) and 168 minutes (± 43 minutes), respectively. No deaths occurred in-hospital or during follow-up. There were no reoperations for bleeding, tamponade or other indications. No deep or superficial sternal wound infections occurred. Postoperative analgesia regimens were multimodal to facilitate early mobilization and pulmonary hygiene. None of the patients required prolonged ventilation or reintubation for respiratory failure. The mean stay in the intensive care unit was 82 hours (±56 hours) and the mean hospital stay was 9.1 days (2.4 days). Concurrent pectus excavatum repair at the time of cardiac surgery using a modified Ravitch technique can be safely performed by a multi-disciplinary team and should be considered for patients with multiple indications for operation.
Rest Day Requirements Have a Greater Effect on Season-Long Workload Expenditure by High School Pitchers than Pitch Count Limits: Implications for High School State Pitch Count Regulations:

Objectives:High school baseball pitch count limits vary widely by state; however, it is unknown how these variations impact cumulative elbow varus torque (EVT) throughout a season. Specifically, pi...
Does Protest “Distract” Athletes From Performing? Evidence From the National Anthem Demonstrations in the National Football League:

While there is a long tradition of activism within sport, a popular criticism of athlete protest is that it is a “distraction” that hinders on-field performance. The widespread demonstrations again...
Site-specific processing of Ras and Rap1 Switch I by a MARTX toxin effector domain

Ras (Rat sarcoma) protein is a central regulator of cell growth and proliferation. Mutations in the RAS gene are known to occur in human cancers and have been shown to contribute to carcinogenesis. In this study, we show that the multifunctional-autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (MARTX) toxin-effector domain DUF5(Vv) from Vibrio vulnificus to be a site-specific endopeptidase that cleaves within the Switch 1 region of Ras and Rap1. DUF5(Vv) processing of Ras, which occurs both biochemically and in mammalian cell culture, inactivates ERK1/2, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation. The ability to cleave Ras and Rap1 is shared by DUF5(Vv) homologues found in other bacteria. In addition, DUF5(Vv )can cleave all Ras isoforms and KRas with mutations commonly implicated in malignancies. Therefore, we speculate that this new family of Ras/Rap1-specific endopeptidases (RRSPs) has potential to inactivate both wild-type and mutant Ras proteins expressed in malignancies.
Memory of Time in the Light of Flesh

I wish to show that living is composed of events that are defined by memories, that memories are inclusive of what we might call animality, that memories are definitive of the occurrence of time, and that experiences of light and of animality are inseparably associated. Our ability to communicate With animals, our projections onto them, and our own experiences of animality show memories of something that is intrinsic to our lives and to events of appearance as well as something that Heidegger leaves out of his thought. Time belongs to memory in the sense that time happens with and in memories. Without memory time does not occur. Without time memory does not occur. The phrase, the memory of time, when one maximizes the ambiguity of the 'of', means that each belongs to the other and although we might find time passing through memory, we will also find memory marking time. The account suggests that the 'light' of appearing happens in a fleshly way that requires considerable modification of Heidegger's descriptive accounts of dasein and being.