cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vegetation dynamics during last 35,000 years at a cold desert locale: preferential loss of forbs with increased aridity

Paleoecological records are an important source of data to better understand ecological responses to climate. To help understand vegetation–climate relationships in the Great Basin cold desert of North America, we analyzed 154 plant taxa from 52 fossil woodrat middens that spanned both an 800-m elevation gradient and the last 35,000 yr (35 ka) within a single study area. Vegetation was analyzed by community assemblage (CA), by plant functional type, and by individual species. Concordant with a predominant trend of increased aridity since glacial maximum, CA change was largely unidirectional despite centennial-scale cycles of climate variation. Richness of forb and other herbaceous plant functional types peaked from 15 to 26 ka during glacial maximum and then gradually decreased from ~15 ka to present. Analysis of individual taxa indicates that once a herbaceous species was lost from the study area, that species did not re-occur. In contrast, woody (shrubs and trees) species richness peaked from 8 to 15 ka during and following the Bolling-Allerod rapid warming. However, most tree taxa that established during this period of warming were subsequently lost as climate became more arid after the beginning of Mid-Holocene Temperature Maximum warming ~8 ka. These shifts in plant functional types decreased relative richness of forbs compared to shrubs (i.e., decreased forb/shrub ratio), and these shifts continue to the present despite intervening cycles of climate cooling and warming. We conclude that the relative importance of herbaceous species in current CAs of the Great Basin cold desert has been decreasing for the last 15 ka. We also speculate that decreased richness of herbaceous species has, in part, provided opportunities for exotic species to establish and proliferate in the Great Basin during the last 100 yr. Thus, observations of past vegetation change suggest that increased aridity with future climate warming will continue to favor woody vegetation over herbaceous species at our cold desert locale, at least until invasive species displace native shrub species.
Marginal charging station pricing in an intelligent electric transportation system

We consider the coupling introduced between power and transportation systems through Electric Vehicles (EVs). We envision that a number of charging network operators track the mobility of EVs to better estimate their battery charging needs. They use this information to make better-informed decisions on how to participate in the wholesale market of electricity and also to design marginal retail prices that reduce wait times and electricity costs at charging stations. To formulate these decision-making and price design problems, we introduce a network flow model that can capture the temporally-variable travel and charge patterns of an EV population through expanding the transportation network with virtual arcs.
Remote sensing of terrestrial snow using signals of opportunity

Snow water equivalent (SWE) storage is critical parameters of the water cycle and may be important indicators of climate change. Despite their importance in the seasonal and regional terrestrial water cycle, SWE is currently poorly characterized in space and time. We develop a method for observations of these parameters using P-band signals of opportunity (SoOp) concept to measure the SWE. Effect of wet snow on the measurement is analyzed through modeling and it is found that for wet snow, the phase of the SoOp measurement becomes correlated to snow depth while for dry snow, phase is correlated to the Snow Water Equivalent (SWE). In addition, qualitative data analysis from two different site for a proof-of-concept experiment is shown in this paper.
Community readiness assessment for obesity research: pilot implementation of the Healthier Families programme

This article reports on the development of a systematic approach to assess for community readiness prior to implementation of a behavioural intervention for childhood obesity. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we developed research tools to evaluate local community centres’ organisational readiness and their capacity to implement the intervention. Four community Parks and Recreation centres from different states expressed interest in piloting an approach for dissemination and implementation of an evidence-based obesity prevention program for families with young children (Healthier Families). We conducted a mixed methods pre-implementation evaluation using the CFIR to evaluate the alignment of organisational priorities with the Healthier Families programme. Written surveys assessed organisational readiness for change amongst organisational leaders, recreation programmers, and staff (N = 25). Key informant interviews were conducted among staff to assess organisational readiness and with community members to assess community readiness (N = 64). Surveys were analysed with univariate statistics. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed using inductive and deductive methods of analysis. Mixed-methods analysis led to the identification of three key domains on which to assess the organisational readiness to adopt a childhood obesity intervention, namely the physical infrastructure, the knowledge infrastructure, and the social infrastructure. The most critical measure of compatibility was the social infrastructure, since obstacles in the knowledge and physical infrastructures could be overcome by the strength of social resources, including the staff’s ingenuity and commitment to a healthier community. This approach guided an assessment of organisational readiness prior to community organisations adopting and preparing to disseminate an obesity prevention community-based program in a wide-range of social and environmental contexts. Using a comprehensive pre-implementation assessment of the knowledge, physical and social infrastructures in a community is an essential step in effective dissemination for community-based behavioural interventions. Our research found that, when evaluating readiness and alignment, a responsive social infrastructure could provide the capacity to overcome potential barriers to implementation in either the knowledge or physical infrastructures.
Rolling and Sliding Contact

So far, we have focussed mainly on contact problems in which the bodies are nominally stationary, except for the generally small motions associated with material deformation. However, in tribology, we often have to do with bodies in relative motion. This can be accomplished by sliding or rolling at the interface, or by a combination of the two.
Consolidating skill learning through sleep

Skill learning depends on retaining memories of skill-use experiences over time. These memories need to be robust against interference and therefore depend on consolidation. Further, skills must generalize beyond the learning experiences to be useful in novel but related situations. We review the role of sleep in the consolidation of skill learning, along with research findings that sleep: (1) reduces the effects of interference on skill learning, (2) protects against future interference with skill learning, (3) aids in the abstraction and generalization of skill learning. We discuss theories of sleep consolidation in terms of putative neural mechanisms and describe the key paradigms and questions in sleep research.
Conceptual Change in Science Teaching and Learning: Introducing the Dynamic Model of Conceptual Change

Conceptual change can be a challenging process, particularly in science education where many of the concepts are complex, controversial, or counter-intuitive. Yet, conceptual change is fundamental to science learning, which suggests science educators and science education researchers need models to effectively address and investigate conceptual change. Consideration of the current research and extant models of conceptual change reflect a need for a holistic, comprehensive, and dynamic model of conceptual change. In response, we developed the Dynamic Model of Conceptual Change (DMCC), which uses multiple lines of research that explore the variables influencing conceptual change and the dynamic interactions that take place during the conceptual change process in science teaching and learning. Unique to the DMCC is the potential for iterations, regression, enter and exit points at various stages of the conceptual change process, and the influences of message recognition, message engagement and processing, and the nature of the resulting conceptual change. The DMCC contains elements from extant models along with previously un-emphasized influential conceptual change variables such as culture, society, attitude, practices, and personal epistemology. We constructed the DMCC to provide science educators and researchers a more holistic framework for exploring conceptual change in science instruction and learning.
Changing Views of Symmetry

This is based on a talk given by videoconference to CERN on December 4, 2009. The history of particle physics since 1950 is reviewed, with special attention to the role of symmetry principles and to changes in our understanding of these principles
An Overview of Crop Improvement: Chairman’s Introduction

Plant breeding is really older than sedentary agriculture. This statement is based on the fact that non shattering plant types that produced quite well in single-crop stands must have been available to these early farmers. Such strains were selected from among the natural variants that nature provided. What is astound-ing, however, is the fact that the plant breeding technology used by those early farmers to select crop genotypes for sedentary agriculture 10,000 to 12,000 years ago was still in use with few refinements until 1900--i.e., just 80 years ago. A number of researchers such as Camerarius, Weissman, De Vries, etc. made many discoveries about sex and heredity in plants before 1900, but it was the rediscovery of Mendel’s Laws of Heredity in 1901 that ushered in the idea that humankind could recombine genes from natural sources into combinations that were desired for agricultural or horticultural production, but could not be found in natural populations.
Struggling for Educational Equity in Diverse Communities: School Reform as Social Movement

This paper argues that those seekingequity-focused educational reform have much tolearn from social movements and grassrootspolitical organizing. We explore how theknowledge, skills, strategies, and passionatenarratives emanating from suchnon-institutional change efforts can shed light onthe difficulty of equity-focused educationreform and provide equity reformers with anexpanded repertoire of change strategies. Wepursue our analysis using an ``exemplary'' caseof reform at Wilson High School. The case datawere collected as part of a four-year study documenting the college preparation experienceof students of color in diverse, comprehensivehigh schools. We conclude that the logic andstrategies employed in social and politicalmovements – in contrast to those found inorganizational change models – are more likelyto expose, challenge, and if successful,disrupt the prevailing norms and politics ofschooling inequality that frustrateequity-focused reforms. Without attention tothese dynamics, such reforms are abandonedentirely or implemented in ways that actuallyreplicate (perhaps in a different guise) thestratified status quo. We also conclude thatthose of us whose research focuses on equityreforms would be well advised to use social andpolitical movements as lenses to more clearlyview the course of these much advocated, butseldom achieved efforts.
Circulating Ghrelin Levels in Pathophysiological Conditions

Circulating levels of ghrelin, are regulated by short-term factors pertaining to food ingestion and longer-term factors pertaining to body weight. The short-term, or prandial, regulation is manifest as marked increases in ghrelin levels before each meal and decreases after food is consumed. This temporal pattern, implicates ghrelin as a contributor to pre-meal hunger and the initiation of individual meals. Long-term, body weight-related regulation of ghrelin results in a negative relationship between ghrelin levels and numerous measures of body size. This association and several other findings suggest that ghrelin may participate not only in the short-term control of meal patterns but also in overall body-weight regulation. Ghrelin fulfills all of the established criteria to be an “adiposity signal” that senses the status of body-fat stores and communicates this information to the brain, which activates compensatory changes in appetite and energy expenditure designed to maintain homeostasis. Ghrelin levels vary in response to alterations in energy balance, increasing with weight loss and thus potentially contributing to the compensatory hyperphagia triggered by negative energy balance. The opposite is true for weight gain. Most of the alterations of circulating ghrelin levels in pathophysiological conditions can be viewed as adaptive responses to the body-weight perturbations in these disorders. The only known exception is Prader-Willi syndrome, a condition in which hyperghrelinemia may play a primary, causal role driving hyperphagia and obesity. These patients represent logical subjects in whom first to test the efficacy of ghrelin-blocking agents to treat obesity. Low fat diets promote modest weight loss without triggering the normal compensatory increase in ghrelin levels, and gastric bypass surgery can suppress (or at least constrain) ghrelin levels in most cases. The impact of these interventions on circulating ghrelin may contribute to their weightreducing effects.
Preventing Risk for “Deaths of Despair” Among American Indian Youths: Unanswered Questions for Future Research

The author discusses risk control for deaths caused by drug overdoses, suicide, and alcohol-related liver disease mortality among Native American youth. It comments on a collaboration between tribal leaders from nine rural Indian reservations in California, prevention scientists, and clinicians in reducing alcohol use among underage youths on the reservations. It talks about prioritizing the use of community intervention trials and recommends the use of multidisciplinary research collaboratives.
Conducted Vasomotion in Isolated Arterioles: Evidence for Multiple Cellular Mechanisms

Many vasoactive agents, when applied to a discrete region of an arteriole, induce responses that spread bidirectionally along the vessel for distances that exceed those that can be accounted for by simple diffusion (6, 8, 17, 18). In the microcirculation, responses to agonists such as acetylcholine and phenylephrine conduct over distances of 2 mm or more (17). Based on the evidence summarized in Table 1, we have initiated a series of experiments designed to explore the hypothesis that conduction is an intrinsic property of the vessel wall and that it is likely an electrotonic spread of membrane potential change through gap junctions. The process of conduction thus represents a form of communication within the arteriolar wall that requires both inter- and intracellular signalling and that is thought to promote homogeneous flow regulation (5, 18). However, neither the intracellular signalling pathways that initiate the conducted signal nor the cell types that propagate the response have been elucidated.
Evidenced-Based Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This paper reviews evidenced-based interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the disciplines of psychology, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and developmental pediatrics. Background: rates of ASD diagnoses have been steadily rising over the past 2 decades. There are a wide range of therapies and interventions, of varying levels of evidence, across disciplines that are now available to treat children with ASD. The field has moved toward a greater emphasis on the identification and utilization of evidenced-based treatments. Methods: a review and summary of recent literature was conducted by professionals in an interdisciplinary autism center. An emphasis was placed on results of the National Autism Center's National Standards Project. Results and Conclusions: within each discipline, interventions exist that vary in level of evidenced-based support. Although disciplines may differ in their definitions of evidence-based treatments, it is important for each discipline to strive to offer and promote practices with the best evidenced-based support according to each field's standards.
On variability & human consciousness

Abstract The topic of consciousness remains central across numerous academic fields ranging from philosophy to cognitive neuroscience. Scholars in all of these fields continue to debate the origins of conscious experiences. More recently, scientists have applied advanced imaging techniques to illuminate brain regions that are at least associated with our subjective feelings of conscious experience. Though much disagreement remains, one point that is generally accepted across fields is that consciousness is not the product of an immaterial substance, but rather is produced by functioning across physical substrates in the brain. This point of agreement is enough to suggest that genetically and environmentally underpinned individual variation in brain structure may contribute to individual variation in consciousness. To the extent that this is correct, it may provide insight on a host of important questions across various academic fields. Equally important, understanding sources of variability in consciousness may be a key piece of the puzzle for understanding not only how consciousness evolved but also how selection pressures might continue to act on the human experience of consciousness across subsequent generations.
Priming of grasping muscles when viewing a safety handle is diminished with age.

Abstract Merely viewing objects within reachable space can activate motor cortical networks and potentiate movement. This holds potential value for smooth interaction with objects in our surroundings, and could offer an advantage for quickly generating targeted hand movements (e.g. grasping a support rail to maintain stability). The present study investigated if viewing a wall-mounted safety handle resulted in automatic activation of motor cortical networks, and if this effect changes with age. Twenty-five young adults (18–30 years) and seventeen older adults (65+ years) were included in this study. Single-pulse, transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied over the motor cortical hand representation of young and older adults shortly after they viewed a safety handle within reaching distance. Between trials, vision was occluded and the environment was unpredictably altered to reveal either a safety handle, or no handle (i.e. covered). Modulation of intrinsic hand muscle activity was evident in young adults when viewing a handle, and this was selective in terms of both the muscles activated and the time at which it emerged. By contrast, older adults failed to show any changes when viewing the safety handle. Specifically, the presence of a handle increased corticospinal activity in hand muscles of young adults when TMS was applied 120 ms after opening the goggles (p = .014), but not in the older adults (p > .954). The fact that the visual priming observed in younger adults was absent in older adults suggests that aging may diminish the ability to quickly put our visual world into automatic motor terms.
POWER4 system microarchitecture

The IBM POWER4 is a new microprocessor organized in a system structure that includes new technology to form systems. The name POWER4 as used in this context refers not only to a chip, but also to the structure used to interconnect chips to form systems. In this paper we describe the processor microarchitecture as well as the interconnection architecture employed to form systems up to a 32-way symmetric multiprocessor.
Improving Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children 12 through 36 months of age.

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Pediatrics has concluded that universal screening for anemia should be at approximately 1 year of age. Selective screening can be performed at any age when the risk factors for iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) have been identified. Many of our pediatric clinic patients have multiple known risk factors for ID and IDA (Mexican-American descent, low socioeconomic status, Medicaid insurance). Therefore, we recommend a Complete Blood Count (CBC) at age 1 and 2 years. The goal of this study is to improve …
Validation of the Icare® TONOVET plus rebound tonometer in normal rabbit eyes

Abstract To determine the accuracy and precision of the Icare® TONOVET Plus rebound tonometer for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) in normal rabbit eyes, as well as compare it to three other commercially available tonometers: the Icare® TONOVET (TV01), Tono-Pen Vet™, and Tono-Pen AVIA Vet™. The anterior chambers of both eyes of three New Zealand White rabbits were cannulated, post-mortem. IOP was measured using each of the above four tonometers at manometric pressures ranging between 5 mmHg and 70 mmHg. Data were analyzed by linear regression, ANOVA, and Bland-Altman plots. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant for all statistical tests. IOP values obtained with the TONOVET Plus (in ‘lapine’ mode) were significantly closer to manometric IOP than those obtained with the other tonometers tested. The TV01 (in ‘d’ dog setting) and Tono-Pen AVIA Vet™ were significantly more accurate compared to the Tono-Pen Vet™. All tonometers had high levels of precision, though the TONOVET Plus and TV01 were significantly more precise compared to the Tono-Pen AVIA Vet™. All tonometers tended to underestimate IOP, particularly at high pressures, however the TONOVET Plus was highly correlated with manometric IOP in the clinically relevant range of 5–50 mmHg. The TONOVET Plus is an appropriate choice of instrument for measuring IOP in rabbit eyes in both research and clinical settings.
Micro-affirmations in Academic Advising: Small Acts, Big Impact

Rowe (2008) defined micro-affirmations as small acts in the workplace fostering inclusion, listening, comfort, and support for people who may feel unwelcome or invisible in an environment. Within the context of higher education, micro-affirmations can communicate to students that they are welcome, visible, and capable of performing well in the college environment. Micro-affirmations have the potential to fuel optimal student development and thriving in college. Academic advising offers an opportunity to apply micro-affirmations to the college context and to student, faculty, and staff dynamics. This article expands upon Rowe’s ideas to suggest that micro-affirmations can become frequent, intentional practice within academic advising to positively impact student engagement and, ultimately, enhance retention and graduation outcomes. This article will also suggest ways to communicate and apply micro-affirmations in academic advising.
Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of 1,4‑Keto‑Alkenylboronate Esters and 1,4‑Dicarbonyls

A catalytic enantioselective method for the synthesis of 1,4-keto-alkenylboronate esters by a rhodium-catalyzed conjugate addition pathway is disclosed. A variety of novel, bench-stable alkenyl gem-diboronate esters are synthesized. These easily accessible reagents react smoothly with a collection of cyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones, generating a new C-C bond and stereocenter. Products are isolated in up to 99 % yield with greater than 20:1 E/Z and greater than 99:1 e.r. Mechanistic studies show the site-selectivity of transmetalation and reactivity is ligand dependent. The utility of the approach is highlighted by gram-scale synthesis of enantioenriched cyclic 1,4-diketones, and stereoselective transformations of the products by hydrogenation, allylation, and isomerization.
Outcomes of Pancreas Transplant Recipients With De Novo Donor-specific Antibodies.

BACKGROUND Development of de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA) has detrimental effects on graft survival in several types of solid organ transplants. However, limited information exists about the effect of dnDSA on pancreas transplant graft survival. METHODS We report our experience with pancreas recipients transplanted between January 01, 2005, and August 31, 2017. RESULTS We identified 541 pancreas transplant recipients, of which 121 developed dnDSA and 420 did not. Thirty-two percent developed dnDSA against HLA class I antigens, 56% developed against class II antigens, and 12% developed against both. Fifty-two percent of the patients in the dnDSA+ and 24% in the dnDSA- group underwent pancreas biopsy, mainly due to a rise in pancreatic enzymes. Rejection was found in 42% of the dnDSA+ group, and 20% of the dnDSA- group(P < 0.001). There were 36% uncensored graft failures in the dnDSA+ group and 17% uncensored failures in the dnDSA- group (P < 0.001). A similar trend was seen in death-censored graft failure between the groups. In univariate Cox regression analyses, male sex, older age, and recipients of simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant were found to be protective for death-censored graft failure; multiple transplants, dnDSA, requirement for pancreas biopsy and presence of pancreas rejection were associated with increased risk of graft failure. In multivariate analysis, only older age and dnDSA were significantly associated with death-censored graft failure. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that dnDSA in pancreas transplant recipients are associated with increased rates of rejection and graft failure. Timely detection of dnDSA through regular screening and early treatment of pancreas rejection may ultimately improve graft outcomes.
Patients with schizophrenia and breast cancer: Adjuvant radiation treatment.

e17506 Background: Schizophrenia affects about 1% of subjects in all populations studied so far. It impairs medical care delivery. We sought to evaluate how patients with schizophrenia who are late...
A Comparison of Standardized Letters of Evaluation for Emergency Medicine Residency Applicants.

Author(s): Wilson, David; Laoteppitaks, Chaiya; Chandra, Shruti | Abstract: Introduction: Medical students pursuing an emergency medicine (EM) residency are advised to obtain at least two Standardized Letters of Evaluation (SLOE). Students often complete one rotation at their home institution and at least one “away” rotation at a program separate from their home institution. The SLOE was introduced as an objective evaluation tool. The aim of this study was to determine whether there was a difference in scores between home rotation and away rotation SLOEs.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the SLOEs of all applicants to an urban, academic EM residency program. For each SLOE, we calculated a composite score from rankings in seven “Qualifications for EM” (CS7), and converted comparative rank score (CRS) and estimated rank list position (ERP) to percentile scores. The CS7, CRS, and ERP on the home rotation SLOE were compared to those of the away SLOE using a paired t-test.Results: An evaluation of 721 applicants with at least one home SLOE and one away SLOE demonstrated a significant increase in the ERP of home rotators (P = 0.003). The data did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the CS7 (P = 0.69), or CRS (P = 0.97).Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the only difference in SLOEs is that students are likely to be given a slightly higher estimated placement on the rank order list on a home SLOE. We hope this will help residency leadership with reviewing applications.
Are We Ready for Video Recognition and Computer Vision in the Intensive Care Unit? A Survey

Objective Video recording and video recognition (VR) with computer vision have become widely used in many aspects of modern life. Hospitals have employed VR technology for security purposes, however, despite the growing number of studies showing the feasibility of VR software for physiologic monitoring or detection of patient movement, its use in the intensive care unit (ICU) in real-time is sparse and the perception of this novel technology is unknown. The objective of this study is to understand the attitudes of providers, patients, and patient's families toward using VR in the ICU. Design A 10-question survey instrument was used and distributed into two groups of participants: clinicians (MDs, advance practice providers, registered nurses), patients and families (adult patients and patients' relatives). Questions were specifically worded and section for free text-comments created to elicit respondents' thoughts and attitudes on potential issues and barriers toward implementation of VR in the ICU. Setting The survey was conducted at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Florida. Results A total of 233 clinicians' and 50 patients' surveys were collected. Both cohorts favored VR under specific circumstances (e.g., invasive intervention and diagnostic manipulation). Acceptable reasons for VR usage according to clinicians were anticipated positive impact on patient safety (70%), and diagnostic suggestions and decision support (51%). A minority of providers was concerned that artificial intelligence (AI) would replace their job (14%) or erode professional skills (28%). The potential use of VR in lawsuits (81% clinicians) and privacy breaches (59% patients) were major areas of concern. Further identified barriers were lack of trust for AI, deterioration of the patient–clinician rapport. Patients agreed with VR unless it does not reduce nursing care or record sensitive scenarios. Conclusion The survey provides valuable information on the acceptance of VR cameras in the critical care setting including an overview of real concerns and attitudes toward the use of VR technology in the ICU.
The utility of 2-[ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT maximum SUV versus CT attenuation for directing bone biopsies

This study aimed to compare the accuracy of PET/CT parameters with CT parameters for directing bone biopsies. The study was an IRB-approved retrospective study of 388 patients who underwent both 2-[18F] FDG PET/CT and CT within 6 weeks before a bone biopsy. Age, sex, cancer type, lesion length, SUVmax, tumor to liver (T/L) ratio, CT attenuation, difference in CT attenuation between the lesion and normal bone (delta CT attenuation), and the absolute delta CT attenuation were used as predictors. T tests and chi-squared tests were used to compare variables. DeLong’s test was used to compare receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. We reviewed the data from 388 patients. Of these, 295 patients had bone lesion biopsies, and 93 patients had bone marrow aspirations/biopsies. Biopsies of larger bone lesions (p = 0.033) and bone lesions with higher SUVmax (p = 0.005) were more likely to show malignancy. For bone lesions, the ROC curve for the SUVmax (AUC = 0.6827) was better than the ROC curves for delta CT attenuation (AUC = 0.5766, p = 0.032) and absolute delta CT attenuation (AUC = 0.5491, p = 0.006), but not significantly better than the ROC curves for CT attenuation (AUC = 0.5894, p = 0.061) and T/L ratio (AUC = 0.6778, p = 0.774). A threshold SUVmax of 5.25 had an accuracy of 0.713, sensitivity of 0.766, and specificity of 0.549 to predict malignancy in bone lesion biopsies. None of these variables predicted malignancy in bone marrow biopsies (p > 0.05 for all). Metabolic 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT parameters have more clinical impact for planning bone biopsies as compared to CT parameters. • The 2-[ 18 F]FDG PET/CT measurement (SUVmax) has more clinical impact for planning bone biopsies as compared to CT measurements. • Neither the change in CT attenuation of the lesion relative to normal bone nor the absolute value of this change was a significant predictor of malignancy. • 2-[ 18 F]FDG PET/CT may have clinical benefit and an additional role in directing bone biopsies.
Engineering microenvironments for manufacturing therapeutic cells.

There are a growing number of globally approved products and clinical trials utilizing autologous and allogeneic therapeutic cells for applications in regenerative medicine and immunotherapies. How...
To be only human: Humanizing effect of lowering humanity

Introduction The derogation and violence associated with describing others as less than human is documented in a wide range of research (e.g., Bandura, 1992; Optow, 1990). However, this research has only explored one side of the social comparisons that humanity can evoke. Integrating dehumanization research and that of social comparison, which suggests the different effects of upward and downward targets, we explore social comparison which lowers human nature and therefore raises the target (Suls et al., 2002; Suls et al., 2018). Objectives While dehumanization places others below humanity, we explore hyper-humanization which places humanity below other comparison classes. When humanity is characterized as a low social comparison class, this should lead people to reintegrate transgressors, evoke forgiveness and reduce revenge motives. Methods To test this hypothesis 577 participants viewed a vignette about a social transgression and completed the benevolence and avoidance subscales of the TRIM (McCullough et al., 2006). We manipulated dehumanization and hyper-humanization using a conversational prompt which asked participants to elaborate on descriptions of the social transgressor. In the dehumanization condition the target was described as “barely human”, and in the hyper-humanization condition the target was described as “only human”. Results Using a mixed-model ANOVA, results indicate that in the rehumanization condition benevolence increased (F=5.30, p<.01) and avoidance decreased (F=4.75, p<.01) relative to dehumanization and controls. Conclusions While lower groups below humanity may facilitate genocide and other social ills, other forms of social comparison with humanity may act to restore relationships and facilitate forgiveness.
PGRMC1 acts as a size-selective cargo receptor to drive ER-phagic clearance of mutant prohormones

The reticulon-3 (RTN3)-driven targeting complex promotes clearance of misfolded prohormones from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for lysosomal destruction by ER-phagy. Because RTN3 resides in the cytosolic leaflet of the ER bilayer, the mechanism of selecting misfolded prohormones as ER-phagy cargo on the luminal side of the ER membrane remains unknown. Here we identify the ER transmembrane protein PGRMC1 as an RTN3-binding partner. Via its luminal domain, PGRMC1 captures misfolded prohormones, targeting them for RTN3-dependent ER-phagy. PGRMC1 selects cargos that are smaller than the large size of other reported ER-phagy substrates. Cargos for PGRMC1 include mutant proinsulins that block secretion of wildtype proinsulin through dominant-negative interactions within the ER, causing insulin-deficiency. Chemical perturbation of PGRMC1 partially restores WT insulin storage by preventing ER-phagic degradation of WT and mutant proinsulin. Thus, PGRMC1 acts as a size-selective cargo receptor during RTN3-dependent ER-phagy, and is a potential therapeutic target for diabetes. Degradation of misfolded proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is important for maintaining proper cellular protein homeostasis. Here, the authors discovered that the ER membrane protein PGRMC1 binds to misfolded prohormones for recruitment into the ER-phagy degradative pathway.
Herinneringen aan de Vrijzinnig Christelijke Jeugd Centrale

Op de Vondelschool raakte ik bevriend met Dicky Swaan, een klasgenoot en buurtgenoot. Toen ik tien jaar was zei Dicky op een mooie zaterdag: “Rob ga je vanmiddag mee naar het Geitenweitje bij de Eikenlaan, naar het Bosvolk van de VCJC.” Ik vond dit heel leuk. Deze stap heeft mijn leven volledig en voorgoed veranderd en bepaald. Op het weitje speelde een groepje jongetjes: het Bosvolk, onder leiding van Charles Geerts, de jeugdwerkleider. Ik werd lid en ging elke week naar de club. Ik kon toen nog niet beseffen wat voor gevolgen dit had voor mijn verdere leven.
Signaling protocol implementations on a burst-switched all-optical networking testbed

In summary, a burst-switched all-optical network, TBONE, has been demonstrated using a new signaling protocol, CC. A routing scheme is used that pro-actively prevents looping by dynamically selecting a path that avoids a loop. Future work includes the implementation of Tell-and-Go on TBONE, and examination of its performance in comparison to CC.
Incremental Orthogonal Graph Drawing in Three Dimensions

We present two algorithms for orthogonal graph drawing in three dimensional space. For graphs of maximum degree six, the 3-D drawing is produced in linear time, has volume at most 4.66n3 and each edge has at most three bends. If the degree of the graph is arbitrary, the vertices are represented by solid 3-D boxes whose surface is proportional to their degree. The produced drawing has two bends per edge. Both algorithms guarantee no crossings and can be used under an interactive setting (i.e., vertices arrive and enter the drawing on-line), as well.
Pre-operative immunotherapy with tumor cryoablation (cryo) plus ipilimumab (ipi) induces potentially favorable systemic and intratumoral immune effects in early stage breast cancer (ESBC) patients

Meeting abstracts In mice, cryo plus checkpoint blockade facilitates tumor antigen release, T-cell priming, and improved survival [[1][1]]. Here, we assess immune response in ESBC patients using biomarkers that have been attributed to clinical benefit following checkpoint blockade [[2][2]–[5][3
Reading Qualitative Studies

In this article, the authors hope to shift the debate in the practice disciplines concerning quality in qualitative research from a preoccupation with epistemic criteria toward consideration of aesthetic and rhetorical concerns. They see epistemic criteria as inevitably including aesthetic and rhetorical concerns. The authors argue here for a reconceptualization of the research report as a literary technology that mediates between researcher/writer and reviewer/reader. The evaluation of these reports should thus be treated as occasions in which readers seek to make texts meaningful, rather than for the rigid application of standards and criteria. The authors draw from reader-response theories, literature on rhetoric and representation in science, and findings from an on-going methodological research project involving the appraisal of a set of qualitative studies.
Enabling Aequorin for Biotechnology Applications Through Genetic Engineering.

In recent years, luminescent proteins have been studied for their potential application in a variety of detection systems. Bioluminescent proteins, which do not require an external excitation source, are especially well-suited as reporters in analytical detection. The photoprotein aequorin is a bioluminescent protein that can be engineered for use as a molecular reporter under a wide range of conditions while maintaining its sensitivity. Herein, the characteristics of aequorin as well as the engineering and production of aequorin variants and their impact on signal detection in biological systems are presented. The structural features and activity of aequorin, its benefits as a label for sensing and applications in highly sensitive detection, as well as in gaining insight into biological processes are discussed. Among those, focus has been placed on the highly sensitive calcium detection in vivo, in vitro DNA and small molecule sensing, and development of in vivo imaging technologies. Open image in new window Graphical Abstract
Pneumomediastinum and pneumoperitoneum caused by tracheostomy displacement

A 20-year-old woman with a history of morbid obesity secondary to Prader-Willi syndrome and recent acute-on-chronic respiratory failure requiring tracheostomy placement presented to the emergency department of a regional hospital with respiratory distress and concern for tracheostomy obstruction. Her tracheostomy was exchanged, and mechanical ventilation was initiated prior to transfer to our hospital. She continued to experience respiratory distress; plain chest radiography demonstrated pneumomediastinum (figure 1A). Dedicated CT of the chest and abdomen demonstrated a left-sided pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and pneumoperitoneum, which appeared to track down from the thoracic cavity (figure 1B–D). At the time, the patient was in acute kidney failure and urine output was decreased. Bladder pressure …
Leader culpability, hopelessness, and learning during organizational crises

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate followers’ judgments of leader culpability and learning during a crisis, and the extent to which judgments of culpability create hopelessness and reduce crisis learning. The authors also study factors that moderate these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Using the survey method the authors collected data from 354 individuals from a nonprofit organization that filed for bankruptcy. Respondents’ comments also provided qualitative data that was used to triangulate the findings. Findings – The authors find that followers made judgments of leader culpability and reported crisis learning. However, followers’ judgments have no direct effect on their crisis learning, but have an indirect effect by increasing hopelessness. The authors also find that followers’ job satisfaction and perceptions of sufficient crisis communications moderate this relationship. The qualitative data provides insights into the areas on which leaders were judged, and what was...
Trace and Minor Elements in Coal

Coal will be a major energy source in the United States and in many other countries well into the 21st century. Although coal is composed predominantly of organic matter, inorganic constituents in coal commonly attract more attention and can ultimately determine how the coal will be used.
The Web Services Composition Testing Based on Extended Finite State Machine and UML Model

Web services are designed as software building blocks for Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). It provides an approach to software development that system and application can be constructed by assembling reusable software building blocks, called services. The industries have adopted web services composition to generate new business applications or mission critical services. One of the most popular integration languages for web services composition is Web Services Business Process Execution Language (WS-BPEL). Although the individual service is usually functional correctly, however, several unexpected faults may occur during execution of composite web service. It is difficult to detect the original failure service because the faults may propagate, accumulate and spread. In this paper, we present a technique of Model-Based Testing (MBT) to enhance testing of interactions among the web services. The technique combines Extended Finite State Machine (EFSM) and UML sequence diagram to generate a test model, called EFSM-SeTM. We also defined various coverage criteria to generate valid test paths from EFSM-SeTM model for a better test coverage of all possible scenarios.
Are transit trips symmetrical in time and space? Evidence from the Twin Cities

This study exploits electronic fare collection data to examine the symmetry of boardings and alightings along a transit route. The symmetry of boardings and alightings is arguably the most important concept in the estimation of travel distances such as average trip lengths and passenger miles from data from entry-only fare collection systems. The paper shows the ways such data can be used to examine the symmetry of boardings and alightings through travel patterns in spatial and temporal dimensions. A novel method for aggregating stops, especially for the nearest stops in the opposite direction, is used to compare boardings in one direction with alightings in the opposite direction. Spatially, the method allows examination of the characteristics of boardings and alightings in a spatial dimension. Temporally, the method examines whether a specific and symmetric passenger flow is observed between specific periods (e.g., between morning and afternoon peaks). A case study of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minneso...
Low-temperature cis to trans isomerization reaction-separation membranes using zeolite 13X polyethylacrylate

Abstract Zeolite–cobalt catalyst filled polyethylacrylate (PEA) reaction-separation membranes converted cis -piperylene to trans -piperylene in yields of more than 20% after 40 h. Pseudo-interpenetrating network (PIPN) membranes were tested by a single cell reactor at low temperatures (313–317 K). Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to analyze the composition of the throughput and the feed in our experiment. The trans product did not contaminate the feed even after 40 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results used to analyze the membrane after a 40 h use indicated no cracks on the scale found previously in blend membrane. We also found the pseudo-first-order rate constant and its activation energy for the isomerization reaction in the membrane by using a phenomenological diffusion-reaction model. The latter values are consistent with surface diffusion control of the kinetics.
Is the perfect the enemy of the good

Theuseofperformance-enhancingdrugsisrifeinamateurandpro - fessionalsports,andonecanonlywonderwhatthelevelofdrugusewouldbeifvig - oroustestingeffortswerenotinplace.Butperhapsthatisthewrongworry.Shouldwe trytoweedoutperformance-enhancingdrugsfromsportsoranyothervenueoflife? Aslongaswhatisbeingusedisrelativelysafeandusersarefreetodecide,arewesim - plydeludingourselvesthatusecaninanypracticalwaybebanned?Itmaymakemore sensetotrytoarticulateanethicofperformanceenhancementthantomaintainanil- lusionofabstinence.
A New, More Efficient Conduction Cooling Device for Low Temperature Phosphorimetry:

Conduction cooling has been shown to be a viable means of improving precision and convenience in low temperature phosphorimetry. A new conduction cooling device is presented and evaluated. With this new device, phosphorimetry can now more practically be applied to routine analysis situations. Analytical figures of merit are given for several compounds as a means of comparison of conduction-cooled phosphorescence with immersion-cooled phosphorescence.
Determination of the ellipsometric characteristics of optical surfaces using nanosecond laser pulses

Abstract The determination of the ellipsometric parameters, ψ and Δ, using pulsed optical sources is described by introducing the ellipsometry matrix. This matrix shows that for illumination of an optical surface with right circularly polarized light all four of the unknown matrix elements and consequently ψ and Δ can be determined with a single nanosecond optical pulse. An automated polarimeter to measure the ellipsometry matrix elements using nanosecond laser pulses in conjuction with a novel four channel optical analyzer is described.
Waveform stretching using time-varying memories: A sampling approach

Early practice in the use of tapped delay lines for altering the time structure (delay modulation) of waveforms is cited. The use of sampling with position-modulated pulses to achieve the same end, but with continuous delay variations and simpler requirements for the smoothing filter, is described. A certain awkwardness, traceable to the use of memories of finite capacity, is noted.
Preparation of single crystal films of gallium for resistance measurements at low temperatures

Abstract A method is described for preparing rectangular single crystal films of high purity gallium, 9 cm × 1 cm × 50 μ, suitable for resistivity measurements at low temperatures.