cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The genetic basis of FSGS and steroid-resistant nephrosis.

Studies of Mendelian forms of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and nephrotic syndrome have provided new insights into the mechanism of these diseases. Congenital nephrotic syndrome and familial forms of FSGS form a spectrum of podocyte diseases of varying severity and age of onset. Mutations in both nephrin gene (NPHS1) alleles lead to congenital nephrosis, podocyte foot process efacement, and loss of slit-diaphragm structure. Mutations in both podocin gene (NPHS2) alleles lead to a wide range of human disease, from childhood-onset steroid-resistant FSGS and minimal change disease to adult-onset FSGS. Dominantly inherited mutations in ACTN4, the alpha-actinin-4 gene, can lead to a slowly progressive adult-onset form of FSGS. In addition, FSGS is observed as part of several rare multisystem inherited syndromes. Here we review recent progress in understanding the genetic basis of FSGS in humans.
Enhancing input on and above the interactive surface with muscle sensing

Current interactive surfaces provide little or no information about which fingers are touching the surface, the amount of pressure exerted, or gestures that occur when not in contact with the surface. These limitations constrain the interaction vocabulary available to interactive surface systems. In our work, we extend the surface interaction space by using muscle sensing to provide complementary information about finger movement and posture. In this paper, we describe a novel system that combines muscle sensing with a multi-touch tabletop, and introduce a series of new interaction techniques enabled by this combination. We present observations from an initial system evaluation and discuss the limitations and challenges of utilizing muscle sensing for tabletop applications.
System for synthetic vision and augmented reality in future flight decks

Rockwell Science Center is investigating novel human-computer interaction techniques for enhancing the situational awareness in future flight decks. One aspect is to provide intuitive displays that provide the vital information and the spatial awareness by augmenting the real world with an overlay of relevant information registered to the real world. Such Augmented Reality (AR) techniques can be employed during bad weather scenarios to permit flying in Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in conditions which would normally require Instrumental Flight Rules (IFR). These systems could easily be implemented on heads-up displays (HUD). The advantage of AR systems vs. purely synthetic vision (SV) systems is that the pilot can relate the information overlay to real objects in the world, whereas SV systems provide a constant virtual view, where inconsistencies can hardly be detected. The development of components for such a system led to a demonstrator implemented on a PC. A camera grabs video images which are overlaid with registered information. Orientation of the camera is obtained from an inclinometer and a magnetometer; position is acquired from GPS. In a possible implementation in an airplane, the on-board attitude information can be used for obtaining correct registration. If visibility is sufficient, computer vision modules can be used to fine-tune the registration by matching visual cues with database features. This technology would be especially useful for landing approaches. The current demonstrator provides a frame-rate of 15 fps, using a live video feed as background with an overlay of avionics symbology in the foreground. In addition, terrain rendering from a 1 arc sec. digital elevation model database can be overlaid to provide synthetic vision in case of limited visibility. For true outdoor testing (on ground level), the system has been implemented on a wearable computer.
Neonatal Resuscitation Guidelines and the Late Preterm Infant

Abstract The Neonatal Resuscitation Guidelines have been recently reviewed and released (American Academy of Pediatrics: Neonatal Resuscitation Textbook. 5th edition. Elk Grove, IN: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2006). There are many areas that have applicability to specific populations, such as the infant with meconium-stained amniotic fluid, preterm infants, and infants at the edge of viability. However, there is no specific mention of the late preterm infant. This population does not usually need specific resuscitation measures that are different from other infant populations but may, in fact, require some measure of support after delivery more often than term infants do. The specific changes in the guidelines as well as postresuscitation measures, which are as important as the resuscitation measures themselves, are reviewed in this article. Careful consideration about the best place to provide this increased level of monitoring and intervention, as necessary, is required.
Spatial distribution of synchronous colorectal adenomas reflect field cancerization effect

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 1601 Extrarenal production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in human colonic epithelium has recently been suggested as a physiological defense mechanism against colorectal cancer. Since both vitamin D receptor as well as 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (CYP27 B1) protein demonstrate increased expression in early colorectal tumors compared to adjacent normal epithelium, an autocrine mode of growth control by elevated mucosal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 levels has been postulated. Estrogen administration also appears to reduce colorectal cancer risk although mechanisms of action have not been clarified. Estrogen increases the intestinal absorption of calcium, and our recent findings suggest it may enhance the activity of vitamin D3 in colorectal epithelium. In this study we evaluated the effects of estradiol administered to 10 post-menopausal women who were maintained on controlled nutritional intakes, with estradiol given in amounts sufficient to raise serum values to premenopausal levels for 4 weeks. Rectal biopsies were taken before and after administration of estradiol. Following estradiol administration, 1α-hydroxylase mRNA, determined by real-time-PCR increased significantly (p<0.01), without changes occurring in CYP24 or caspase 3 mRNA. Immunohistochemical measurements confirmed that CYP27 B1 was present in rectal epithelial cells. Trends toward correlations between CYP27 B1 and CYP24, as well as between CYP27 B1 and caspase 3 mRNA were seen. No significant changes were observed in ERα, ERβ and vitamin D receptor mRNA, nor in circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. We conclude that estrogen administration in protecting against colorectal neoplasia modifies the metabolism of vitamin D3 in colorectal epithelium, resulting in increased levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 the active intracellular form of vitamin D. Since vitamin D has been shown to decrease colorectal cancer risk estrogen may function at least in part by its ability to increase the activity of vitamin D and its protective effect against colon cancer.
Konstanten der potentiellen Energie, mittlere Schwingungs-amplituden, Bastiansen—Morino-Schrumpfeffekt, molekulare Polarisierbarkeit und absolute Ramanintensitäten der Σ g − -Sehwingungsrassen des Quecksilber(I)chlorids

Nach der gruppentheoretischen Methode wurden mit einem Feld von funf Bindungskraftkonstanten fur das Quecksilber(I)chlorid, das eine lineare symmetrische Struktur der Symmetriepunktgruppe D∞ h besitzt, die Konstanten der potentiellen Energie berechnet. Mit Hilfe der Symmetriekoordinaten, der mittleren Amplitudenquadrate und der verallgemeinerten mittleren Amplitudenquadrate (mittlere Parallelamplitudenquadrate, mittlere Senkrechtamplitudenquadrate und mittlere gemischte Produkte) wurden die mittleren Schwingungsamplituden der gebundenen und der nichtgebundenen Atompaare und die Schrumpfung der chemischen Bindungen fur die Temperature 298° K und 500° K berechnet. Die Bindungspolarisierbarkeiten, die molekulare Polarisierbarkeit und die Ableitungen der Polarisierbarkeit, die direkt den absoluten Ramanintensitaten der vollig symmetrischen Hg−Cl- und Hg−Hg-Streckschwingungen im Elektronengrundzustand entsprechen, wurden berechnet. Dazu wurde ein halbempirisches Deltafunktionspotentialmodell angenommen und eine Variationsmethode und Deltaelektronenwellenfunktionen verwendet. Die chemische Bedeutung der Ergebnisse wird kurz behandelt.
Too Clever by One Half

The past ten years will most surely go down as the most financially troubled since the Great Depression. And, unlike most other eras of financial suffering, much of the pain was brought about by chicanery.
Reliability of the perceptual evaluation of adductor spasmodic dysphonia.

OBJECTIVES Although perceptual assessment by experienced voice clinicians remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and assessment of severity of adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD), the interrater reliability of voice experts for this task has not been assessed. In addition, it is unknown whether telephone-recorded or -transmitted voice samples could be used for this task. The aims of this study were (1) to assess the reliability of perceptual analysis of ADSD severity by voice experts and (2) to compare the results between digitally recorded voice samples and those recorded over the telephone. METHODS Five laryngologists randomly selected voice samples from 46 ADSD patients and rated the severity of ADSD on a 5-point rating scale. A set of digital voice recordings and a set of telephone voice recordings made from filtering the digital set via the telephone were rated, and each voice set was rated twice. Measures of intrarater and interrater reliability, as well as a measure of the probability of agreement among the raters, were calculated. RESULTS There was a high level of agreement on ADSD severity, with excellent interrater and intrarater reliability (Cronbach's alpha, .93 to .96). The probabilities of rater agreement on the digitally recorded and telephone-filtered voice samples were similar (chi2, p = .07). The ratings of digital versus telephone voice samples were highly correlated (Pearson r, 0.99; p < .001). CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that voice experts are reliably able to judge and agree on the severity of ADSD. Telephone-filtered voices appear to convey adequate ADSD perceptual cues for expert listeners to judge the severity of spasmodic dysphonia.
Can Individualized Learning Plans in an advanced clinical experience course for fourth year medical students foster Self-Directed Learning?

Residency programs have utilized Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) to customize resident education while undergraduate medical education has not done so in a meaningful way. We discuss the use of ILPs within a fourth year medical school course to facilitate self-directed learning (SDL). At Stony Brook University School of Medicine, an ILP component was added to the Advanced Clinical Experience (ACE) course for fourth year students. Each completed an ILP outlining personal learning goals and strategies to achieve them. An adaptation of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Duncan T and McKeachie W, Educ Psych 40(2):117-128, 2005 and Cook DA et al., Med Ed 45:1230-1240, 2011) was used to measure success of ILPs in improving SDL. Qualitative data analysis was conducted on the ILPs and self-reflections. Forty-eight students participated. Two of the four SDL sub-domains identified on the MSLQ showed improvement; self-efficacy (p = .001) and self-regulation (p = .002). ‘Medical Knowledge’ was the competency most frequently identified as an area of concentration (90 %) and professionalism was selected least frequently (4 %). A higher percentage (83 %) of students who reported complete achievement of their ILP goals also reported feeling better prepared for entering residency. ILPs improve SDL strategies among medical students and may serve as useful tools to help shape future learning goals as they transition to residency training.
Peculiar Faith: Queer Theology for Christian Witness

Queer theology has, for some time now, moved beyond the need to defend itself as a legitimate enterprise, yet such a defensive stance is still taken frequently by queer Christians and the faith com...
Kinetics of NCl(a1Δ and b1Σ+) Generation: The Cl + N3 Rate Constant, the NCl(a1Δ) Product Branching Fraction, and Quenching of NCl(a1Δ) by F and Cl Atoms

The quenching rate constants for NCl(a1Δ) by F and Cl atoms have been measured at room temperature to be (2.2 ± 0.7) × 10-11 and (1.0 + 1.0/−0.5) × 10-12 cm3 s-1, respectively, by adding F and Cl atoms to a flow reactor containing NCl(a1Δ). With knowledge of these quenching rate constants, the kinetics for the formation of NCl(a1Δ) from the Cl + N3 reaction could be investigated in the F/Cl/HN3 reaction system. The reduction in NF(a1Δ) yield from adding Cl atoms to the reactor containing F and HN3 and the relative NF(a1Δ) and NCl(a1Δ) yields for known concentrations of F and Cl atoms in this reaction system favor a total Cl + N3 rate constant of 3 ± 1 × 10-11 cm3 s-1 with a branching fraction for NCl(a1Δ) formation of ≳ 0.5. The branching fraction was deduced from comparing the relative intensities of the NCl(a−X) and NF(a−X) transitions using a lower limit to the NCl(a) radiative lifetime of 2 s. The direct formation of NCl(b1Σ+) from Cl + N3 is a minor channel; however, NCl(b1Σ+) is formed by bimolecula...
Cooperative electrochemical water oxidation by Zr nodes and Ni–porphyrin linkers of a PCN-224 MOF thin film

Here, we demonstrate a new strategy for cooperative catalysis and proton abstraction via the incorporation of independent species competent in the desired reactivity into a metal–organic framework (MOF) thin film. The highly porous MOF, designated as PCN-224-Ni, is constructed by Zr–oxo nodes and nickel(II) porphyrin linkers. Films of PCN-224-Ni were grown in situ on FTO and were found to electrochemically facilitate the water oxidation reaction at near neutral pH.
Approximate Sufficient Statistics for Team Decision Problems

Team decision problems are one of the fundamental problems in decentralized decision making. Because team decision problems are NP-hard, it is important to find methods for reducing their complexity. Wu and Lall gave a definition of sufficient statisticsfor team decision problems, and demonstrated that these statistics are sufficient for optimality, and possess other desirable properties such as being readily updated when additional information becomes available. More recently, Lemon and Lall defined weak sufficient statistics for team decision problems, and showed that these statistics are sufficient for optimality and necessary for simultaneous optimality with respect to all cost functions. This prior work studied the extent to which the complexity of team decision problems can be reduced while maintaining exact optimality. However,when faced with a computationally difficult problem, we are often willing to sacrifice exact optimality for significant reductions in complexity. In this paper we define approximate sufficient statistics, which are a generalization of weak team sufficient statistics. Then we prove that these statistics are quantifiably close to being optimal.
Welcome to the Indexed World: Thomas Pynchon’s Bleeding Edge and the Things Search Engines Will Not Find

ABSTRACTGiven the state of contemporary American culture, it should come as no surprise that Thomas Pynchon’s novel Bleeding Edge (2013) revolves around technological change: all of the published responses to the novel refer to this phenomenon in some way. What these interpretations fail to appreciate, however, is that this novel is not just about media technology or even the Internet more specifically; it is about the effect of the search engine. To that end, this article uses a media-historical analysis to argue for the search engine as the prime motor spurring the reorganization of Pynchon’s technique and his take on popular culture in the novel.
“let me tell you. . . ”: audience Engagement strategies in the campaign speeches of Trump, Clinton, and Sanders

Throughout the 2016 campaign, presidential candidate Donald Trump surprised observers with his ability to maintain his popularity in the face of unorthodox and often offensive statements. Trump likely bolstered his electoral chances by appealing to a large segment of voters with whom other candidates failed to align themselves. To quote one news anchor, “People tried to attack Trump; it just didn’t work - voters liked him anyway”. As previous work by Miller (2002; 2004) has shown, systemic functional linguistic (SFL) analysis (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004) can illuminate particular strategies politicians employ to strengthen their arguments and exhort their audiences to join their efforts. In this paper, we employ the SFL-based Engagement framework (White, 2003; Martin & White, 2005) to examine ways in which the 2016 presidential candidates aligned themselves with their audiences. Our analysis of the speeches of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders reveals markedly different patterns of interaction with the voters in terms of ways expansive and contractive dialogic strategies are used, an intended audience is identified and thematized, and shared assumptions are made. While Trump makes his arguments in a highly constrained dialogic space, taking the agreement with the audience for granted, his opponents often employ a mix of contractive and expansive argumentative strategies and make more explicit overtures to the audiences whose perspectives they share. This study offers insights as to how each candidate identifies and addresses his or her ideological sympathizers or opponents and exhorts the former to intensify their support.
Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a treatment option for severe neuropathic pain not responsive to more conservative treatments. Common indications include FBSS, CRPS types 1 and 2, and painful radiculopathies. Other indications include but are not limited to painful peripheral vascular disease, post-herpetic neuralgia, and axial low back pain. Careful patient selection is paramount; contraindications include but are not limited to certain severe psychological comorbidities, active infection, and an inability to pause anticoagulants for the procedure. Prior to implantation of the impulse generator, the patient must first undergo a trial with a percutaneous or surgically placed lead and show at least a 50 % improvement in pain or functional status.
It’s Close but We’re Losing: The Motivating Power of Under-Confidence

If you want to marshal support for your cause or organization, is it better to claim you are winning (at the risk of being overconfident) or losing (risking under- confidence)? In six studies (thre...
Chronic Health Illnesses as Predictors of Mild Cognitive Impairment Among African American Older Adults.

Abstract Approximately 5.5 million individuals are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia, a number which includes those with mild cognitive impairment and asymptomatic individuals with biomarkers of AD. There is a higher incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in African American populations as compared to White populations, even when controlling for sociodemographic factors. The existing body of ethnically/racially targeted research on MCI has been limited by few studies with the ability to generalize to African American communities. This study sought to examine whether medical conditions which occur at a higher rate in African American individuals increase the hazard of subsequent MCI development. A secondary data analysis of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set was employed to examine the associations between health conditions (congestive heart failure, traumatic brain injury, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, B12 deficiency, thyroid disease) and their relationship to MCI. The analytic sample included 2847 participants with 9872 observations. Binary logistic generalized estimating equation modeling was used to examine repeated measures over the course of 1–11 observations. Education was associated with MCI development, specifically those with some college or college graduates (p Though vascular factors are often attributed to higher mortality and neurodegeneration in African Americans, congestive heart failure, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, nor seizures were associated with an increased risk of MCI development. Findings from this study provide formative data to develop targeted interventions for subsets of the African American community, including those with higher educational levels, those with TBI, and those with a history of thyroid disease. While it may not be possible to prevent MCI development, it is possible to modify lifestyle behaviors contributing to these health conditions, such as falls that are often experienced by older adults. Practitioners can increase awareness, knowledge, and resources relevant to clients.
Visual–motor symbol production facilitates letter recognition in young children

Previous research has suggested that handwriting letters may be an important exerciser to facilitate early letter understanding. Experimental studies to date, however, have not investigated whether this effect is general to any visual–motor experience or specific to handwriting letters. In the present work, we addressed this issue by testing letter knowledge using three measures in preschool children before and after a school-based intervention. Participants were divided into four training groups (letter-writing, digit-writing, letter-viewing, digit-viewing) that either wrote letters or digits or viewed letters or digits, twice a week for 6 weeks. We hypothesized that the visual–motor experience of handwriting letters or digits would improve letter knowledge more than viewing experience and that this effect would not be specific to training with letters. Our results demonstrated that the writing groups improved in letter recognition—one component of letter knowledge—significantly more than the viewing groups. The letter-writing group did not improve significantly more than the digit-writing group. These results suggest that visual–motor practice with any symbol could lead to increases in letter recognition. We interpret this novel finding as suggesting that any handwriting will increase letter recognition in part because it facilitates gains in visual–motor coordination.
Thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy for achalasia in the pediatric population: A retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background/Purpose Achalasia is an extremely rare disease in children (0.1 per 100,000 individuals). Standard treatments for this include pneumatic dilation and esophagomyotomy. Minimally invasive esophagomyotomies have increasingly been used owing to improved postoperative pain and length of stay. We describe our experience with thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy in this population. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of all patients at our institution who underwent thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy for achalasia from 1995 to 2016. We used endoscopic guidance during all procedures. No fundoplication was performed. Results Thirty-one patients were included in this study. Thirteen patients underwent pneumatic dilations prior to their operation with a median of 3 dilations. Two patients had a mucosal injury during the case. There were no conversions to an open procedure. Median length of stay was 2 days. After the procedure, 97% of patients had initial symptom relief. Eight patients (26%) required postoperative pneumatic dilations for recurrent symptoms; there was a greater chance of this (OR 8.5) if they had a preoperative dilation. No patients required a fundoplication for reflux postoperatively. Conclusions Thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy is a safe and effective procedure for achalasia in the pediatric population. It should be considered as an alternative to the laparoscopic approach for these patients. Level of evidence IV
Legal History As Economic History

This chapter for The Oxford Handbook of Legal History, on "Legal History as Economic History," surveys the current state of scholarship on the border between legal and economic history, describing the major questions asked by recent scholarship and pointing out directions for future research. The chapter identifies the key concerns that have guided much of the work in this field and describes two theoretical frameworks available to legal historians for conceptualizing the relationship between law and economy. It concludes that future work on the history of political economy should put aside the time-worn project of measuring the impact of law on economy (and vice versa) and instead explore how the boundary between law and economy has been constructed and maintained over time. Throughout, the chapter draws on examples from recent scholarship.
Correction to: Progression of anal intraepithelial neoplasia in HIV-positive individuals: predisposing factors

Unfortunately, the "Informed consent" statement was incorrectly published in the original version. The complete correct reference should read as follows.
Factors associated with emotional distress and suicide ideation among international college students.

Objective: To identify risk and protective factors associated with greater emotional distress and suicide ideation among international college students. Participants: International students (n = 43...
CARBOCYCLIC NUCLEOSIDE ANALOGS. 1. CONCISE ENANTIOSELECTIVE SYNTHESIS OF FUNCTIONALIZED CYCLOPENTANES AND FORMAL TOTAL SYNTHESIS OF ARISTEROMYCIN

An enantioselective synthesis of functionalized cyclopentanes has been used to access carbocyclic nucleoside analogs. This pathway allows access to carbocyclic C- or carbocyclic N-nucleosides from ...
Exposures to carbon monoxide in a cookstove intervention in Northern Ghana

Biomass burning for home energy use is a major environmental health concern. Improved cooking technologies could generate environmental health benefits, yet prior results regarding reduced personal exposure to air pollution are mixed. In this study, two improved stove types were distributed over four study groups in Northern Ghana. Participants wore real-time carbon monoxide (CO) monitors to measure the effect of the intervention on personal exposures. Relative to the control group (those using traditional stoves), there was a 30.3% reduction in CO exposures in the group given two Philips forced draft stoves (p = 0.08), 10.5% reduction in the group given two Gyapa stoves (locally made rocket stoves) (p = 0.62), and 10.2% reduction in the group given one of each (p = 0.61). Overall, CO exposure for participants was low given the prevalence of cooking over traditional three-stone fires, with 8.2% of daily samples exceeding WHO Tier-1 standards. We present quantification methods and performance of duplicate monitors. We analyzed the relationship between personal carbonaceous particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) and CO exposure for the dataset that included both measurements, finding a weak relationship likely due to the diversity of identified air pollution sources in the region and behavior variability.
Should Adults with Prediabetes Be Prescribed Metformin to Prevent Diabetes Mellitus? Yes: High-Quality Evidence Supports Metformin Use in Persons at High Risk

High-quality evidence supports metformin use for diabetes prevention among younger or more obese individuals or for women with a history of gestational diabetes. Clinicians should consider prescribing metformin, in addition to intensive lifestyle interventions, in accordance with patients' values and preferences.
A photostable monomeric superfolder GFP

ABSTRACT The green fluorescent protein GFP from Aequorea victoria has been engineered extensively in the past to generate variants suitable for protein tagging. Early efforts produced the enhanced variant EGFP and its monomeric derivative mEGFP, which have useful photophysical properties, as well as superfolder GFP, which folds efficiently under adverse conditions. We previously generated msGFP, a monomeric superfolder derivative of EGFP. Unfortunately, compared to EGFP, msGFP and other superfolder GFP variants show faster photobleaching. We now describe msGFP2, which retains monomeric superfolder properties while being as photostable as EGFP. msGFP2 contains modified N- and C-terminal peptides that are expected to reduce nonspecific interactions. Compared to EGFP and mEGFP, msGFP2 is less prone to disturbing the functions of certain partner proteins. For general-purpose protein tagging, msGFP2 may be the best available derivative of A. victoria GFP.
Interactions between Analysts in Developing Collaborative Conceptual Models

Conceptual models are frequently developed as part of IS analysis and design. Development of such models involves expertise in conceptual modeling techniques, served by modeling analysts, and in the domain applications, served by domain analysts. This paper focuses on understanding how these two types of analysts interact and develop conceptual models collaboratively. The subjects as analysts were placed in pairs (one modeling and one domain) and asked to develop conceptual models collaboratively on a complex domain. The interactions during conceptual model development were analyzed using a sensemaking framework. It was found that all groups performed the reciprocal acts of modifying each other’s understanding of the concepts that were required to develop the model collaboratively. The study also indicates that the groups which had high incidence of sensebreaking acts (i.e. attempts to question the existing understanding of other) and high incidence of shared conceptualization, created higher quality conceptual models.
Minority status, depression and suicidality among counseling center clients.

Objective: This study examined race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and financial stress and their association with depression and suicidality among university counseling center clients. Met...
ATHENA++: natural language querying for complex nested SQL queries

Natural Language Interfaces to Databases (NLIDB) systems eliminate the requirement for an end user to use complex query languages like SQL, by translating the input natural language (NL) queries to SQL automatically. Although a significant volume of research has focused on this space, most state-of-the-art systems can at best handle simple select-project-join queries. There has been little to no research on extending the capabilities of NLIDB systems to handle complex business intelligence (BI) queries that often involve nesting as well as aggregation. In this paper, we present Athena++, an end-to-end system that can answer such complex queries in natural language by translating them into nested SQL queries. In particular, Athena++ combines linguistic patterns from NL queries with deep domain reasoning using ontologies to enable nested query detection and generation. We also introduce a new benchmark data set (FIBEN), which consists of 300 NL queries, corresponding to 237 distinct complex SQL queries on a database with 152 tables, conforming to an ontology derived from standard financial ontologies (FIBO and FRO). We conducted extensive experiments comparing Athena++ with two state-of-the-art NLIDB systems, using both FIBEN and the prominent Spider benchmark. Athena++ consistently outperforms both systems across all benchmark data sets with a wide variety of complex queries, achieving 88.33% accuracy on FIBEN benchmark, and 78.89% accuracy on Spider benchmark, beating the best reported accuracy results on the dev set by 8%.
7.656-Mev E0 TRANSITION IN C$sup 1$$sup 2$

S>7.656-Mev second excited state of C/sup 12/ is involved in theories of helium burning and element synthesis in red giant stars. By means of an intermediate-image pair spectrometer the 7.656-Mev nuclear pair line was observed in the Be/sup 9/( alpha ,n)C/sup 12/ reaction. Singly-ionized helium was accelerated and then gas-stripped before entering the 9O deflecting magnet. Runs were made with beams of ~4 f UO/sub 2/ a of He/sup ++/ at 5.38 and 5.81 Mev on thick targets and with a beam of ~1 f UO/sub 2/ a of He/sup ++/ at 5.81 Mev on a thin target. (W.D.M.)
Relationship of Pneumocystis antibody responses to paediatric asthma severity

Background Although asthma is the most commonly diagnosed respiratory disease, its pathogenesis is complex, involving both genetic and environmental factors. A role for the respiratory microbiome in modifying asthma severity has been recently recognised. Airway colonisation by Pneumocystis jirovecii has previously been associated with multiple chronic lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma (SA). Decreased incidence of Pneumocystis pneumonia in HIV-infected individuals and reduced severity of COPD is associated with naturally occurring antibody responses to the Pneumocystis antigen, Kexin (KEX1). Methods 104 paediatric patients were screened for KEX1 IgG reciprocal end point titre (RET), including 51 with SA, 20 with mild/moderate asthma, 20 non-asthma and 13 with cystic fibrosis (CF) in a cross-sectional study. Results Patients with SA had significantly reduced Pneumocystis KEX1 titres compared with patients with mild/moderate asthma (p=0.018) and CF (p=0.003). A binary KEX1 RET indicator was determined at a threshold of KEX1 RET=1000. Patients with SA had 4.40 (95% CI 1.28 to 13.25, p=0.014) and 17.92 (95% CI 4.15 to 66.62, p Conclusions Paediatric patients with SA may be at higher risk for chronic Pneumocystis infections and asthma symptom exacerbation due to reduced levels of protective antibodies. Plasma KEX1 IgG titre may be a useful parameter in determining the clinical course of treatment for paediatric patients with asthma.
Postoperative Pulmonary Hypertension and Right Ventricular Dysfunction are Independently Associated with Poor Outcomes after LVAD Implantation

Purpose While preoperative hemodynamic risk factors associated with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction after LVAD are well-established, the relationship between postoperative hemodynamics and subsequent outcomes is poorly defined. Methods We analyzed adult patients from the STS-INTERMACS registry with hemodynamic data available at 1 or 3 months after LVAD implant. Hemodynamic parameters analyzed included measures of RV afterload (mean PA pressure [mPAP] and pulmonary vascular resistance [PVR]) and RV function (right atrial pressure [RAP], RAP:PCWP, and pulmonary artery pulsatility index [PAPi]). The primary outcome was the composite of death or late right heart failure (LRHF), and the secondary outcome was gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), both conditional on survival to 1 month. Associations were assessed using Cox proportional hazards modeling, adjusted for 10 relevant clinical covariates. Results Among 1328 patients meeting inclusion criteria, postoperative mean RAP was 9.6 ± 6.0 mmHg and mean PCWP was 13.1 ± 6.9 mmHg. Post-LVAD pulmonary hypertension was common, with 775 (58.4%) patients having mPAP ≥ 20 mmHg and 227 (17.1%) having PVR ≥ 3 WU. mPAP (HR 1.1 per 5 mmHg increase), PVR (HR 1.1 per 1 WU increase), PAPi (HR 1.26 per log-decrease), and RAP:PCWP (HR 1.37 per log-increase) were independently associated with death or LRHF (p Conclusion Postoperative RV dysfunction and elevated RV afterload are associated with mortality, LRHF, and GIB after LVAD implantation. Whether strategies aimed at optimizing RV function and afterload can reduce the burden of adverse events requires prospective study.
Dynamics of microglia and dendritic spines in early adolescent cortex after developmental alcohol exposure

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) patients suffer from many cognitive disabilities. These include impaired auditory, visual, and tactile sensory information processing, making it more difficult for these patients to learn to navigate social scenarios. Rodent studies have shown that alcohol exposure during the brain growth spurt (BGS) can lead to acute neuronal apoptosis and an immunological response by microglia in the somatosensory cortex. Since microglia have critical physiological functions, including the support of excitatory synapse remodeling via interactions with dendritic spines, we sought to understand whether BGS alcohol exposure has long-term effects on microglial or dendritic spine dynamics. Using in vivo two-photon microscopy in 4-5 week old mice, we evaluated microglial functions such as process motility, the response to tissue injury, and the dynamics of physical interactions between microglial processes and dendritic spines. We also investigated potential differences in the morphology, density, or dynamics of dendritic spines in layer I/II primary sensory cortex of control and BGS alcohol exposed mice. We found that microglial process motility and contact with dendritic spines were not altered after BGS alcohol exposure. While the response of microglial processes toward tissue injury was not significantly altered by prior alcohol exposure, there was a trend suggesting that alcohol early in life may prime microglia to respond more quickly to secondary injury. Spine density, morphology, stability, and remodeling over time were not perturbed after BGS alcohol exposure. We demonstrate that after BGS alcohol exposure, the physiological functions of microglia and excitatory neurons remain intact in early adolescence. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Color primitivism

The typical kind of color realism is reductive: the color properties are identified with properties specified in other terms (as ways of altering light, for instance). If no reductive analysis is available – if the colors are primitive sui generis properties – this is often taken to be a convincing argument for eliminativism. That is, realist primitivism is usually thought to be untenable. The realist preference for reductive theories of color over the last few decades is particularly striking in light of the generally anti-reductionist mood of recent philosophy of mind. The parallels between the mind–body problem and the case of color are substantial enough that the difference in trajectory is surprising. While dualism and non-reductive physicalism are staples, realist primitivism is by and large a recent addition to the color literature. And it remains a minority position, although one that is perhaps gaining support. In this paper, we investigate whether it should be accepted, and conclude it should not be.
A Systematic Dry Needling Treatment Supports Recovery Post-Training for Division I Ice Hockey Athletes: An Exploration Case Series

Four student-athletes (aged 20 to 22 years old) participating in NCAA Division I ice hockey served as cases. Cases were free of injury, and participated in all team activities without restrictions. A dry needling (DN) lower extremity recovery protocol was completed on all cases during a single session. To administer the DN recovery treatment, static needles were placed in specific bilateral locations that consisted of 5 points on both the anterior and posterior aspect of lower extremity and lumbopelvic complex. The Acute Recovery Stress Scale (ARSS) was used to evaluate the effect of the DN recovery treatment on each cases perception of recovery at 24 hours post, and 48 hours post DN treatment. Overall, total and average scores of ARSS for all cases were closer to baseline at 48-post than the other time points. Recovery techniques historically have been used post-activity because even normal training loads, which are considered positive, produce athlete stress and fatigue and can lead to injury. Results from this case series suggest that ice hockey athletes who are experiencing post-exercise stress, such as soreness and fatigue, may benefit from a lower extremity DN recovery treatment protocol.
Theta oscillations in rat infralimbic cortex are associated with the inhibition of cocaine seeking during extinction.

Infralimbic cortical (IL) manipulations indicate that this region mediates extinction learning and suppresses cocaine seeking following cocaine self-administration. However, little work has recorded IL activity during the inhibition of cocaine seeking due to the difficulty of determining precisely when cocaine-seeking behaviour is inhibited within a cocaine-seeking session. The present study used in vivo electrophysiology to examine IL activity across extinction as well as during cocaine self-administration and reinstatement. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 6-h access cocaine self-administration in which the response lever was available during discrete signalled trials, a procedure which allowed for the comparison between epochs of cocaine seeking versus the inhibition thereof. Subsequently, rats underwent extinction and cocaine-primed reinstatement using the same procedure. Results indicate that theta rhythms (4-10 Hz) dominated IL local-field potential (LFP) activity during all experimental stages. During extinction, theta power fluctuated significantly surrounding the lever press and was lower when rats engaged in cocaine seeking versus when they withheld from doing so. These patterns of oscillatory activity differed from self-administration and reinstatement stages. Single-unit analyses indicate heterogeneity of IL unit responses, supporting the idea that multiple neuronal subpopulations exist within the IL and promote the expression of different and even opposing cocaine-seeking behaviours. Together, these results are consistent with the idea that aggregate synaptic and single-unit activity in the IL represent the engagement of the IL in action monitoring to promote adaptive behaviour in accordance with task contingencies and reveal critical insights into the relationship between IL activity and the inhibition of cocaine seeking.
Root Systems for Levi Factors and Borel–de Siebenthal Theory

Let m be a Levi factor of a proper parabolic subalgebra q of a complex semisimple Lie algebra g. Let t = cent m. A nonzero element v ∈ t? is called a t-root if the corresponding adjoint weight space gv?is not zero. If v ?is a t-root, some time ago we proved that gv ?is adm irreducible. Based on this result we develop in the present paper a theory of t-roots which replicates much of the structure of classical root theory (case where t is a Cartan subalgebra). The results are applied to obtain new results about the structure of the nilradical n of q. Also applications in the case where dimt = 1 are used in Borel–de Siebenthal theory to determine irreducibility theorems for certain equal rank subalgebras of g. In fact the irreducibility results readily yield a proof of the main assertions of the Borel–de Siebenthal theory.
Activist Learning vs. Service Learning in a Women's Studies Classroom

Various scholars assert that teaching and discussing feminist literature written by and about women constitutes activism. While we agree that integrating Women's Studies into college and university curricula is a radical act and an important step toward broader social change, we argue that Women's Studies programs must see promoting feminist scholarship as a beginning point, and not an end point. We argue that faculty members must teach students to merge feminist theory with social action in order to transform systemic gender, class, and race inequalities. At a time when there are few strong and vibrant social movements and few students who participate in movements for social change, one way to include activism in the classroom experience is to structure it into course assignments. Based on a pilot of an activist learning project for a Women's Studies class, we make recommendations to faculty members on how to get the best results from such a project.
Binding of cytochalasin D to platelet and muscle myosin.

Abstract Human blood platelets exposed to 2 um tritiated cytochalasin D showed maximum incorporation within 5 min. Tritiated cytochalasin D was found to be bound to thrombosthenin M (platelet myosin), when subjected to gel exclusion chromatography in 0.6 m KCl. Using a Millipore filtration technique, binding at low ionic strength of tritiated cytochalasin D to purified preparations of contractile proteins, showed that platelet thrombosthenin M and muscle myosin, but not actin, was involved (0.9 mole of cytochalasin D per mole of protein). Prior treatment of these proteins with nonradioactive cytochalasin D, followed by exposure to the labeled alkaloid, showed little exchange under these conditions. Binding data gave a value of 0.99 ± 0.11 sites per 4.6 x 106 g of muscle myosin, an average intrinsic association constant of 6.2 x 107 m-1 with an heterogeneity index of 1. Although the Ca2+- or Mg2+-stimulated ATPase activities of actomyosin from platelets (thrombosthenin) or muscle were not inhibited by 2 um cytochalsin D, this concentration depressed thrombosthenin M and myosin ATPase. Recombination experiments indicated that actin and cytochalasin D compete for a binding region on myosin. The inhibitory effect of cytochalasin D on myosin ATPase was restored following dialysis against 0.6 m KCl; with concomitant removal of the drug. Furthermore, quantitative measurements of superprecipitation indicated that, although cytochalasin D did not interfere with dissociation of actomyosin by MgATP, increasing concentrations of cytochalasin D inhibited reassociation. Labeled cytochalasin D associated with thrombosthenin M could be removed by solvent extraction on thin layer chromatography and by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, suggesting that the bond between cytochalasin D and thrombosthenin M or muscle myosin is not covalent.
The teleoperation of a mobile robot in a network without a quality of service guaranteed

The fluctuation of the time delay in a communication network is one of the obstacles for many realtime applications such as teleoperation of mobile robots. To solve this problem, we propose in this paper an architecture that allows to predict in real-time the Round Trip Time (RTT) and an improved speed limit module (ISLM), in order to control the mobile robot speed and reach the desired destination successfully and safely. To overcome the long delays of video feedback from the slave site, we also used the virtual reality (VR) to simulate and monitor the current state of the teleoperated site in real-time and get a better control. We validate our work by implementing the proposed architecture in order to teleoperate our mobile robot, the pioneer 3AT, over various geographically distant locations. The obtained results confirm the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed architecture.
Coliform Enteritis of Cottontail Rabbits

Yuill, Thomas M. (University of Wisconsin, Madison), and Robert P. Hanson. Coliform enteritis of cottontail rabbits. J. Bacteriol. 89:1-8. 1965.-Mortality from enteritis occurred among 78 penned adult cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) during severe winter weather, and in 9 juvenile rabbits held in captivity during the summer. This mortality was associated with high numbers of Escherichia coli throughout the intestinal tract. Grossly normal cottontails from the laboratory, from the outdoor penned colony, and from the wild had few E. coli, and these were usually restricted to the lower gut. It was possible to induce mortality of adult rabbits by holding them at -20 C for 2 to 14 days. The animals that died during exposure to low temperatures had signs of enteritis and high numbers of E. coli throughout the intestinal tract. It was possible to prolong the life of cottontails held at -20 C by antibiotic suppression of their intestinal E. coli. A marked slowing in the rate of passage of materials through the intestine ensued after exposure at -20 C. This phenomenon may have been important in the alteration of the distribution of the intestinal microflora. Limited infection by E. coli occurs in rabbits in the wild. Of 47 serum samples from grossly normal cottontails collected in the wild, 42 contained E. coli agglutinins. The rabbit's defenses are apparently sufficient to control this organism under all but extremely unfavorable circumstances. The age of the rabbit appeared to influence its susceptibility to enteritis. Juvenile rabbits experienced enteritis, tissue invasion, and death under conditions which did not produce any enteric changes in adults.