cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advances in Particle Swarm Optimization for Antenna Designs: Real-Number, Binary, Single-Objective and Multiobjective Implementations

The particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a recently developed evolutionary algorithm (EA) based on the swarm behavior in the nature. This paper presents recent advances in applying a versatile PSO engine to real-number, binary, single-objective and multiobjective optimizations for antenna designs, with a randomized Newtonian mechanics model developed to describe the swarm behavior. The design of aperiodic (nonuniform and thinned) antenna arrays is presented as an example for the application of the PSO engine. In particular, in order to achieve an improved peak sidelobe level (SLL), element positions in a nonuniform array are optimized by real-number PSO (RPSO). On the other hand, in a thinned array, the on/off state of each element is determined by binary PSO (BPSO). Optimizations for both nonuniform arrays and thinned arrays are also expanded to multiobjective cases. As a result, nondominated designs on the Pareto front enable one to achieve other design factors than the peak SLL. Optimized antenna arrays are compared with periodic arrays and previously presented aperiodic arrays. Selected designs fabricated and measured to validate the effectiveness of PSO in practical electromagnetic problems
A Hero or Sissy? Exploring Media Framing of NFL Quarterbacks Injury Decisions

There has been growing attention on health and safety issues in sport, most notably football. Consequently, it is important that communication scholars attend to this topic. This research explored print media framing in response to two injury situations involving National Football League quarterbacks—Jay Cutler and Robert Griffin III. An analysis of 177 newspaper articles revealed 11 frames that were used to discuss these injuries. The most prominent frame for Cutler was support while shifting the blame was most prominent for Griffin. The results suggest that sports journalists framing of injuries could potentially be a catalyst to shift football cultural norms towards valuing players who put their health first. The results also reveal that organizations may shoulder most of the blame for players’ injuries, which suggests a short-term setback may be more beneficial in the long-term interest of the organization.
Evaluating CHARMM Additive and Drude Polarizable Force Fields Through QM/MM Computations of the Vibrational Stark Effect

The proper description of the electric environment of macromolecules is a critical challenge for force field methods. To test and validate the CHARMM force field's ability to describe this electric environment combined QM/MM calculations have been used to calculate the vibrational Stark effect (VSE). The Stark effect refers to the characteristic shift of a specific vibrational frequency upon the introduction of an electric field. In this work, we develop a first principles methodology to compute Stark shifts using correlated electronic structure techniques and validate this approach by computing the Stark shift of a model VSE probe, acetonitrile, in several solvents. The solvent environment around the probe is sampled through 20 ns molecular dynamics simulations of each molecule surrounded by several hundred explicit solvent molecules. From these simulations, two hundred snapshots of the probe with the solvent environment are collected for the QM/MM analysis. Several QM/MM computational schemes are compared for calculating the vibrational spectrum of the VSE probe in the field created by the solvent molecules, which are treated as MM atoms with the CHARMM force field. From these computations, an average Stark shift is determined for each probe molecule and compared to experimental measurements. This information can be directly related to the electric field surrounding the probe molecule, and therefore may be used as a direct test of the ability of a force field to reproduce the electric field around those functional groups. Information from these calculations will act as the basis for additional optimization of the force field to more accurately represent the electric fields in macromolecules.
Relationship between Toll-Like Receptor 2 Polymorphism and Cytomegalovirus Disease after Liver Transplantation

Background. Experimental data suggest that cytomegalovirus (CMV) initiates innate immunity through the activation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). To assess the clinical relevance of this experimental observation, we assessed the association between the specific single-nucleotide polymorphism that results in the substitution of arginine for glutamine in position 753 of TLR2 (the TLR2 Arg753Gln polymorphism) and CMV replication and disease after liver transplantation. Methods. Ninety-two liver transplant recipients with chronic hepatitis C were screened for the presence of the TLR2 Arg753Gln polymorphism. CMV load was determined in serially collected blood samples using CMV DNA polymerase chain reaction. Kaplan-Meier estimation and univariable and multivariable stepwise Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess associations. Results. The degree of CMV replication, as measured by CMV load, was significantly higher in patients who were homozygous (mean maximum viral load, 37,059 copies/mL) and heterozygous (mean maximum viral load, 29,718 copies/mL) for this polymorphism, compared with patients without the TLR2 Arg753Gln polymorphism (mean maximum viral load, 3252 copies/mL; P =.003). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated an association between being homozygous for the TLR2 Arg753Gln polymorphism and CMV disease (P =.04). A multivariate Cox proportional hazard model demonstrated a trend towards a higher risk of CMV disease among patients who were homozygous for the TLR2 Arg753Gln polymorphism (hazard ratio, 1.91 [95% confidence interval, 0.91-3.40]; P =.08) after adjusting for patient age, CMV serostatus, and allograft rejection. Conclusions. TLR2 Arg753Gln polymorphism is possibly associated with CMV replication and disease after liver transplantation. This novel clinical observation supports the potential role of TLR2 in the immunologic control of CMV infection in humans.
Suárez and the Problem of External Sensation

To best understand the key problem facing any Aristotelian theory of sensation, one would be wise to turn to the words of Jonathan Lear: The task is to show how some part of the world—ourselves and other animals—can become conscious of the rest of the world. The danger is that we make the account of the transition from world to mind either too material or too spiritual. If, on the one hand, we give a purely material account of, say, the physical change that a certain visual scene (a tree) forms in the eye of the perceiver, we seem to leave consciousness out of the account. It remains unclear how, by such a physical change, one is meant to get out of the nonconscious physical world. On the other hand, if we give a totally spiritual account, it is not clear that we have given an account of a transition, for it is not clear that we have begun in a thoroughly nonconscious world. Jonathan Lear, Aristotle: The Desire to Understand (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), p. 108.
DNA Repair Gene Variants Associated with Benign Breast Disease in High Cancer Risk Women

Benign breast disease (BBD) is a risk factor for breast cancer and may have a heritable component. Deficient DNA repair has been implicated in breast cancer etiology and may exert its effect before BBD, a known precursor. The association between allelic variants in DNA repair genes and BBD was examined in a cohort of women in Washington County, Maryland. BBD was defined by two criteria: ( a ) a physician diagnosis of BBD or fibrocystic disease and/or ( b ) a benign breast biopsy. 3,212 women without BBD at baseline were genotyped for 12 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms in seven DNA repair genes. Of these women, 482 subsequently reported a diagnosis of BBD. The Cox model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR). Variant alleles of XRCC1 Arg194Trp (rs1799782) and ERCC4 Arg415Gln (rs1800067) were significantly associated with BBD [HR, 1.36; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.06-1.74 and HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.09-1.76, respectively]. Similar estimates were also observed for each of the BBD criterion used. The BBD association for ERCC4 was even stronger among women with a family history of breast cancer (HR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.52-4.66; P interaction = 0.02). This study suggests that variant alleles in DNA repair genes may modify BBD risk, a potential intermediate marker of breast cancer risk, particularly among high-risk subgroups. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(1):346–50)
Symposium†: The social context of infant feeding in the murik lakes of Papua New Guinea‡

Among the Murik people of Papua New Guinea, food and feeding are central to nearly all social activities. Giving and receiving food are the means for acquiring prestige, paying debts, resolving quarrels and humiliating rivals. The problem of providing for dependent infants and their mothers is closely bound up with these social gestures involving food. Because the need for special care goes on for many months, the requirements of infant care and feeding compete with other activities and force individuals and families to adjust to changing circumstances and priorities. The ideals of infant care and feeding are well‐formulated and often‐expressed. The actual arrangements represent compromises between high expectations and real possibilities. The negotiation of actual caretaking and parenting responsibilities is most visible in cases where there are adoption claims on a new baby. Adoptive parents must demonstrate their claims through willingness to work for and feed the child and its natural mother. This pap...
A novel approach for identifying and synthesizing highdielectric materials

Modern telecommunications require materials with high dielectric constants (κ). The number of suitable elements ultimately limits one approach to the discovery of new materials, targeting compositions with high atomic polarizabilities (α). By decreasing the molar volume of compositions with high α, however, we anticipated dramatic increases in κ and demonstrated that this approach works. The quenched high-pressure perovskite polymorph of Na2MTeO6 (M = Ti, Sn) showed a twofold increase in κ, compared to the ilmenite form. This result suggested the highest values of κ occur for compositions with high α, which form quenchable compounds at high pressures and temperatures.
Involvement of a Broccoli COQ5 Methyltransferase in the Production of Volatile Selenium Compounds

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for animals and humans but becomes toxic at high dosage. Biologically based Se volatilization, which converts Se into volatile compounds, provides an important means for cleanup of Se-polluted environments. To identify novel genes whose products are involved in Se volatilization from plants, a broccoli (Brassica oleracea var italica) cDNA encoding COQ5 methyltransferase (BoCOQ5-2) in the ubiquinone biosynthetic pathway was isolated. Its function was authenticated by complementing a yeast coq5 mutant and by detecting increased cellular ubiquinone levels in the BoCOQ5-2-transformed bacteria. BoCOQ5-2 was found to promote Se volatilization in both bacteria and transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants. Bacteria expressing BoCOQ5-2 produced an over 160-fold increase in volatile Se compounds when they were exposed to selenate. Consequently, the BoCOQ5-2-transformed bacteria had dramatically enhanced tolerance to selenate and a reduced level of Se accumulation. Transgenic Arabidopsis expressing BoCOQ5-2 volatilized three times more Se than the vector-only control plants when treated with selenite and exhibited an increased tolerance to Se. In addition, the BoCOQ5-2 transgenic plants suppressed the generation of reactive oxygen species induced by selenite. BoCOQ5-2 represents, to our knowledge, the first plant enzyme that is not known to be directly involved in sulfur/Se metabolism yet was found to mediate Se volatilization. This discovery opens up new prospects regarding our understanding of the complete metabolism of Se and may lead to ways to modify Se-accumulator plants with increased efficiency for phytoremediation of Se-contaminated environments.
WATER QUALITY TRENDS AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS FROM A FIVE-YEAR STUDY OF A EUTROPHIC ESTUARY

The Neuse River and Estuary, a major tributary of the second largest estuary on the United States mainland, historically has sustained excessive blooms of algae and toxic dinoflagellates, hypoxia, and fish kills. Previous attempts have been made to use short-term databases of 2–3 years, or data sets from infrequent (monthly) sampling, to assess whether nutrient inputs to the Neuse are increasing and supporting higher algal production. These previous efforts also have relied on single-point-determined flow velocity data, at upstream sites remote from the estuary, to estimate the volume of flow in quantifying nutrient loading to the estuary. We completed a five-year study of the Neuse, including a comparative inventory of nutrients to the watershed from point sources and from concentrated animal operations (CAOs) as recent nonpoint sources, as well as an intensive assessment of water quality over time in the mesohaline estuary. Estimates of nutrient loads were based on volume of flow data from shore-to-shor...
When zero picoseconds edge placement accuracy is not enough

In the last ten years, test equipment suppliers have driven improvements in edge placement accuracy taking it from /spl plusmn/225ps to sub-100ps through a combination of architectural improvements and new calibration technology. However with the adoption of high speed source synchronous buses such as HyperTransport and RapidIO on high performance devices, it is no longer sufficient to just look at the tester EPA component in the overall timing budget. Although test system accuracy is still very important, error terms from the DUT must also be considered. The proposed methodology of device strobed comparators addresses both test system and device error terms.
Differences between preschool children with ODD, ADHD, and ODD+ADHD symptoms

Background: This study examines differences between children (ages 3 to 6 years) who have the symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) with or without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADHD alone, and a nonODD/ADHD comparison group. Parent (N=595) and teacher (N=538) ratings were obtained for children attending the same community early childhood programs and for youngsters evaluated in an outpatient clinic (N=224) using a DSM-IV-referenced rating scale. Results: Differences between symptom groups varied depending on how they were configured (teacher versus parent ratings) and setting (clinic versus community). In general, the ODD+ADHD group received the highest (and the comparison group the lowest) ratings of severity for the symptoms of other disorders, difficulties with peers, and developmental deficits. Moreover, the clinical impact of comorbidity was largely additive. Differences between youngsters with ODD versus ADHD symptoms were most apparent for teacher-defined groups in the community sample and parent-defined groups in the clinic sample. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings provide preliminary evidence for the notion that ODD and ADHD may constitute distinct clinical entities in preschool-aged children and suggest that informant may be an important consideration in the formulation of diagnostic criteria.
The Effect of Pressure, Temperature, and Loading Rate on the Mechanical Properties of Rocks

The influence of confining pressure, pore-fluid pressure, temperature, and rate of loading on the strength and ductility of rocks is reviewed in this paper. Effects of pressure and temperature on the mechanical behavior of a large variety of rock types have been studied by means of triaxial compression tests, and indentation experiments have been used to evaluate the influence of loading rates at ambient temperature and pressure. Data relating the combined effects of all of these variables over a wide range of values are not available; therefore. the effects of independent variations of pressure, temperature, and loading rate are considered in detail and interactions between these parameters are evaluated under limited conditions.
Flow-Related Aneurysm within Glioblastoma: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults, with a median survival of 13 months despite surgery and chemoradiation. GBMs are often hypervascular tumors caused by abnormal oversecretion of growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor. These angiogenic factors are hypothesized to promote increased blood flow and possibly secondary changes to arterial walls, thus facilitating the formation of flow-related aneurysms. Case Description A 59-year-old woman presented with headaches, confusion, nausea and emesis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hypervascular lesion, likely high-grade glioma, in the right frontal lobe, with a dilated vessel within the tumor. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a flow-related aneurysm on the right frontopolar artery supplying the tumor. The aneurysm was embolized with coils and the patient later underwent craniotomy for near total resection of the lesion without complications. Final pathology returned GBM with dilated vessels noted. Conclusions Hypervascular lesions, such as GBMs, may be associated with flow-related aneurysms on feeding arteries, but aneurysms within the gross tumor are unusual. Although rare, this finding needs to be recognized on preoperative imaging before tumor resection to prevent potentially catastrophic intraoperative complications.
Sub-Aperture Position Estimation in Transverse-Translation Diversity Wavefront Sensing

Image-based wavefront sensing involving a sub-aperture translating in an unknown fashion in a pupil plane is demonstrated experimentally in the case that the target is also translating in an unknown fashion
BENEFIT OF SACUBITRIL/VALSARTAN THERAPY IN CLINICALLY STABLE PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE AND REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION

Clinical instability has been suggested as a potential criteria to determine which patients should be considered for ACE/ARB replacement therapy with LCZ696 (sacubitril/valsartan). We identified patients who were clinically stable, defined as NYHA Class II with no history of prior heart failure
Thermodynamic Properties of Arsenic Compounds and the Heat of Formation of the As Atom from High Level Electronic Structure Calculations

Structures, vibrational frequencies, atomization energies at 0 K, and heats of formation at 0 and 298 K are predicted for the compounds As2, AsH, AsH2, AsH3, AsF, AsF2, and AsF3 from frozen core co...
Pharmacists' Impact on Glycemic Control Among Surgical Patients at a Large Academic Institution.

Hyperglycemia has been associated with poor outcomes in several large studies. Repeated or prolonged hyperglycemia has been linked to an increased risk of adverse outcomes, including limb amputation, acute myocardial infarction, prolonged length of hospital stay, and increased mortality, in various populations (1–4). Suspension of oral antidiabetic agents in anticipation of procedures for which oral nutritional intake is contraindicated, along with insulin resistance resulting from acute illness, often leaves patients without proper glucose control when admitted to the hospital. The National Quality Forum (NQF), a not-for-profit organization, supports evidence-based consensus standards to achieve better health outcomes. NQF endorses many Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measures, which often affect reimbursement. This attempts to hold institutions accountable for providing quality patient care. Among these measures are standards focusing on patients presenting with heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia. Currently, serum glucose–related CMS measures have been developed but are not yet implemented; these measures include the average percentage of hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic hospital days. More information about these measures can be found on the NQF’s website (http://www.qualityforum.org). With an increasing focus on quality and outcomes measures, the need exists to quickly identify hyperglycemic patients and initiate appropriate interventions. Optimization of insulin therapy requires careful assessment of multiple patient-specific factors, including nutritional intake, prior insulin requirements, and concomitant medications (5). With knowledge of drug therapy, drug preparation, and dispensing, pharmacists are well situated to be involved in many aspects of glycemic management in the inpatient setting (6). Clinical pharmacist participation in rounds and surveillance of prescribing patterns can optimize serum glucose management (5–7). This single-center, prospective, observational cohort study aimed to evaluate the impact of dedicated clinical pharmacy services on serum glucose management among high-risk surgical inpatients. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) …
The Estimation of the Diffusion Constant and Solubility of O2in Tissue Using Kinetics

Abstract The diffusion of a gas through a substance in which it is soluble is analogous to the passage of electric current through a circuit with both capacitance and resistance. We model steady-state diffusion employing this analogy, and extend the model to include a description of the kinetics of systems under circumstances of changing partial pressure, applying two physical constants from electrical circuitry to gas diffusion: capacitance ( ζ ) and resistance ( R ). We represent the substrate of the diffusion as a capacitor being charged through a resistor after the rapid imposition of a voltage change. Using the insight derived from this model we have devised an experimental system that allows us to approximate both D , the diffusion coefficient, and α , solubility, directly from the kinetic data. We do this by recording the exponential change in P O 2 on one side of a sheet of material both with and without the addition of a purely resistive barrier of known resistivity. The method was used to estimate D and α for distilled water at a number of temperatures, olive oil, and the belly skin of Rana catesbeiana .
Evaluation and management of infection stones.

SUMMARY In summary, all patients with infection stones should undergo a preoperative diagnostic evaluation in order to identify any underlying metabolic abnormalities. All organisms infecting the urinary tract should be identified and appropriate antibacterial therapy instituted 48 to 72 hours preoperatively. Surgery should be undertaken not only to remove all stones but to correct any anatomic abnormalities within the kidney in order to improve urinary drainage and to diminish urinary stasis and infection. Postoperatively, all recurrent urinary tract infections should be treated vigorously. Continual efforts should be made to maintain a sterile urinary tract. All identified metabolic abnormalities will require appropriate treatment.
Expanding the Utility of FUCCI Reporters Using FACS-Based Omics Analysis

The FUCCI indicator system is a powerful tool for spatio-temporal analysis of the cell cycle, but its utility has been restricted so far to a limited range of applications. Here, we describe how to establish and validate the FUCCI system in murine pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and describe the utility of transgenic FUCCI mice. We then describe how the FUCCI system can be used to generate material for a wide-range of omics-based applications in conjunction with FACS isolation of cells. This significantly broadens the potential applications of FUCCI reporters for studying the molecular basis of development and disease.
Biomarkers for immune therapy in colorectal cancer: mismatch-repair deficiency and others

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease for which the treatment backbone has primarily been cytotoxic chemotherapy. With better understanding of the involved molecular mechanisms, it is now known that there are a number of epigenetic and genetic events, which are involved in CRC pathogenesis. Specific biomarkers have been identified which can be used to determine the clinical outcome of patients beyond tumor staging and predict for treatment efficacy. Molecular testing is now routinely performed to select for patients that will benefit the most from targeted agents and immunotherapy. In addition to KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF mutation (MT), analysis of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) status, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, and checkpoint protein expression may be helpful to determine whether patients are eligible for certain therapies. The focus of this article is to discuss present and upcoming biomarkers for immunotherapy in CRC.
Optimization frameworks for discrete composite laminate stacking sequences

Composite panel structure optimization is commonly decomposed into panel optimization subproblems, with specified local loads, resulting in manufacturing incompatibilities between adjacent panel designs. Using genetic algorithms to optimize local panel stacking sequences allows panel populations of stacking sequences to evolve in parallel and send migrants to adjacent panels, so as to blend the local panel designs globally. The blending process is accomplished using the edit distance between individuals of a population and the set of migrants from adjacent panels. The objective function evaluating the fitness of designs is modified according to the severity of mismatches detected between neighboring populations. This lays the ground work for natural evolution to a blended global solution without leaving the paradigm of genetic algorithms. An additional method applied here for constructing globally blended panel designs uses a parallel decomposition antithetical to that of earlier work. Rather than performing concurrent panel genetic optimizations, a single genetic optimization is conducted for the entire structure with the parallelism solely within the fitness evaluations. A guide based genetic algorithm approach is introduced to exclusively generate and evaluate valid globally blended designs, utilizing a simple master-slave parallel implementation, implicitly reducing the size of the problem design space and increasing the quality of discovered local optima.
Connected Components and Separable Algebras

The introduction of Spec A has given us a general definition of connected components, but a more subtle problem remains. Take for example µ3, represented by A = k[X]/(X3 − 1). Over the reals there are two points in Spec A, reflecting the decomposition X3 − 1 = (X – 1)(X2 + X + 1). But over the complex numbers the group is isomorphic to ℤ/3ℤ, and we get three components. Thus base extension can create additional idempotents. To have a complete theory of connected components, we need a fancier version that will detect these “potential idempotents.” Over fields—and for the rest of this part we assume k is a field—the question can be handled using separable algebras.
Building a Launchpad for Youth Impact and Organizational Change

A recent report, 4-H Critical Indicators of Youth Development Outcomes for Mission Mandates, outlines a nationwide evaluation of youth program quality and impact of three new programming initiatives. The plan is presented as a model for youth development impact and organizational change. Discussion focuses on the three components of the plan, including evaluation context, framework for assessing program quality and outcomes, and implementation issues critical to successful evaluation.
Results of combined resection-recession on a single rectus muscle for incomitant deviations—an alternative to the posterior fixation suture

Purpose To compare outcomes of combined resection and recession on previously unoperated single horizontal or vertical rectus muscles in consecutive adult patients with acquired incomitant deviations minimal in primary gaze and maximal in an eccentric gaze position. Methods The surgical goal was to decrease the incomitance by 50%, expand the field of binocular single vision, and relieve diplopia. Recessions for the maximal deviations were combined with smaller resections using hang-back, nonadjustable sutures. Pre- and postoperative incomitance was compared using the paired t test. Results A total of 16 adults were studied (mean age at surgery, 49.3 ± 17.5 years), 12 with incomitant vertical deviations and 4 with incomitant horizontal deviations. Eight patients had preoperative deviations of Δ in primary gaze (mean, 9.2 Δ ± 10.5 Δ ; range, 1 Δ -35 Δ ). The mean maximum eccentric gaze deviation was 21.4 Δ ± 9.9 Δ (range, 10 Δ -48 Δ ). Postoperatively, 12 patients (75%) had a decrease in incomitance of >50%, and all had expansion of the field of binocular single vision. Improvement in postoperative incomitance was highly statistically significant in the vertical incomitant group ( P P = 0.39). The technique corrected downgaze deviations in 4 patients with canine tooth syndrome (93% ± 3.3, P Conclusions Combined resection-recession single muscle surgery significantly reduces incomitance with minimal effect on primary gaze. It is most effective for treating vertical deviations worse on downgaze with primary gaze deviations of Δ and for canine tooth syndrome; the technique was less successful in reducing horizontal incomitance and in cases involving gaze palsies and nystagmus.
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) multifocal vasculopathy in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus — a diagnostic and treatment dilemma

Cerebral vasculopathy due to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection is well-documented. We report a fatal case of VZV multifocal vasculopathy in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who presented with subacute changes in mental status and had multiple areas of hemorrhagic infarcts on brain imaging. However, the correct diagnosis was delayed by several confounding factors including the absence of zoster rash, normal cerebral angiography, persistently low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose and negative initial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for VZV DNA in the CSF. Our case and literature review suggests that the sensitivity of PCR for VZV DNA in the CSF is low in VZV vasculopathy and clinical suspicion of this disease in the setting of characteristic imaging findings could be crucial to timely diagnosis.
Five Thoughts About the Repeal of Denmark's Blasphemy Ban

In June 2017, Denmark repealed Article 140, its blasphemy ban. This came after a Danish prosecutor sought to charge a 42-year-old man under the blasphemy law for burning the Quran. The prosecution and repeal led to first shock and then rejoicing in the global community as another country abolished its blasphemy ban. The dominant narrative, however, is too simple. n this essay, I suggest five additional issues raised by the Danish blasphemy debate. First, blasphemy ban opponents emphasized the impact of Denmark’s ban on the majority Muslim world. Is this concern empirically accurate? Even if there is a connection, should Denmark have to repeal its own ban because of outside pressure? Second, those celebrating repeal have not asked why the previous arrangement – a rarely used blasphemy ban – unraveled in 2017, a question worth asking if one wants to plot out the future of the movement against blasphemy bans. Third, some American critics of the prosecution pointed to a double standard because in 1997 Denmark refused to prosecute a TV show that burned a Bible on air. Are Bible and Quran burning really the same thing? Fourth, the Danes largely rejected the anti-appeasement language of the Danish cartoon controversy, instead asking whether repeal would enhance or hinder the likelihood of terrorist attacks in Denmark. What accounts for the change? Finally, repeal comes at the time many countries across Europe are using anti-terror laws to restrict speech (including, in one instance, Quran burning). Are Europeans, in abolishing blasphemy bans, simply trading one speech restriction for another?
A Case of mistaken identity: Rhabdomyosarcoma development from endothelial progenitor cells

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) histologically resembles developing skeletal muscle and is thought to solely originate from a differentiation block in muscle progenitors. We demonstrate that RMS can arise from endothelial progenitor cells following reprogramming and myogenic transdifferentiation. These results highlight how tumors with identical morphological features can arise from different cell types and offer insight into RMS formation in non-myogenic tissue.
Recognition and Signal Transduction Associated with R Gene-mediated Resistance

Plants are constantly challenged by a wide array of pathogens, including viruses. For any specific plant species most viruses cannot surmount basal defenses that include physical barriers like a waxy layer covering the plant and post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). However, in those instances when a virus is able to infect a plant, host survival relies on quick recognition of the invading virus and rapid signaling of a defense response. One form of resistance termed gene-for-gene type of resistance relies on the interaction of a plant R gene and a pathogen-encoded avirulence (Avr) gene. If a plant has a specific R protein that can recognize a pathogen Avr product, the plant will mount a defense response and thwart an infection. Therefore, plant R proteins have a dual role. Not only must they recognize a pathogen directly or indirectly, they must also initiate signaling that leads to a defense response. One of the earliest defense responses is the hypersensitive response (HR), a type of programmed cell death (PCD) that occurs at the pathogen’s infection site. HR is correlated with the signaling of an R-gene-mediated disease resistance response and containment of the pathogen at the infection site (For details, see Chapter A5). Following HR, a systemic acquired resistance (SAR) response results in an enhanced resistance to further infection by a variety of pathogens. In this chapter we will discuss the major advances in understanding how R proteins recognize different viruses and the intricacies of the defense-signaling network that leads to HR and SAR.
Paratransgenic Strategies for the Control of Chagas Disease

The use of insecticides in the elimination of Chagas disease vectors and therefore in the control of Chagas disease has limitations that have prompted the development of new control approaches. Paratransgenesis utilizes the genetic modification of symbiotic actinomycete bacteria found in the gut of triatomine bugs as a means to modify the gut environment of the bug, rendering it unfavorable to trypanosome development. Paratransgenic control, which has been developed for potential use in conjunction with insecticide programs, shows much promise: stable methods of transformation have been developed, antitrypanosomal genes have been tested, and a means of dispersal has been developed in the form the artificial feces, CRUZIGUARD, which mimics the natural coprophagic transfer of symbionts. Nevertheless, before a pilot field release, gene constructs will need to be optimized and questions concerning the health and environmental risks, as well as political issues, associated with the release of a genetically modified organism must be addressed.
Stem Cells and Liver Repopulation: Current Reality and Prospects for the Future

Stem cells can be derived either from growing embryos or from certain somatic tissues with continuous proliferative activity and high turnover, such as bone marrow hematopoietic cells and epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa and skin. Whether such cells exist in other tissues and organs has been controversial for many years, but recent studies have clearly identified cells with stem-cell properties in muscle, brain, liver, and pancreas. This Chapter will review the general characteristics of stem cells, the evidence for progenitor or stem cells in the liver, the liver-cell transplantation models in which such cells have been studied, the differentiation of cells of hematopoietic and other origin into hepatocytes after transplantation into the liver, and liver repopulation by transplanted cells.
THE ROLE OF MEMBRANE CHANNELS IN IgG SECRETION BY PLASMA CELLS IN THE CHICKEN LACRIMAL GLAND

One of the more ubiquitous cell types within the parenchyma of the lacrimal gland is the plasma cell. It is solely responsible for the production of immunoglobulins which are secreted into tears. While it is true that immunoglobulins such as IgA are modified by epithelial cells, it is still the plasma cell which acts as the source. In the case of IgG there is no involvement of the epithelium other than to act as a passive filter via the lateral interstitial space1. In terminally differentiated B-lymphocytes or plasma cells the secretion of immunoglobulin has been thought of as a constitutive-like process. The plasma cells simply secrete at a constant rate2. The processes which cause differentiation into plasma cells and hence increased output of immunoglobulin have been major focal points. It is thought that alteration in immunoglobulin output is affected more by changes in cell number rather than dynamic changes within individual cells’ secretory ability.
Understanding the value of clinical survivorship programs.

86Background: Various models of care exist for the growing number of cancer survivors; yet little is known about the value or the difference in the models’ costs. We sought to assess the professional billing and reimbursements of 2 models of survivorship care; a) oncologist-led and b) advanced practice providers (APPs). Methods: Data were collected from 6 disease specific survivorship clinics, genitourinary, gynecology, head and neck, lymphoma, melanoma, and thyroid. Billing data was obtained to determine the professional billing and reimbursement amounts for these visits over one fiscal year. Comparisons were made between the APP and oncologists average salaries to determine costs per model. Clinic FTE salaries were based on the amount of time an APP devoted to a survivorship activities with 33% fringe benefits added to salaries. Oncologists’ salaries were based on the annual average faculty salary by department including fringe. Results: Billing data of 4,255 outpatient survivorship visits across the si...
The 50 American States in Space and Time: Applying Conditionally Autoregressive Models

Spatial conditionally autoregressive (CAR) models in a hierarchical Bayesian framework can be informative for understanding state politics, or any similar population of border-defined observations. This article explains how a hierarchical CAR model is specified and estimated and then uses Monte Carlo analyses to show when the CAR model offers efficiency gains. We apply this model to data structures common to state politics: A cross-sectional example replicates Erikson, Wright and McIver’s (1993) Statehouse Democracy model and a multilevel panel model example replicates Margalit’s (2013) study of social welfare policy preferences. The CAR model fits better in each case and some inferences differ from models that ignore geographic correlation.
Olfactory orientation responses by walking femaleIps paraconfusus bark beetles

Synthetic pheromone was released from a dispenser stretched across the width of a wind tunnel. Beetles in pheromone-free wind wandered in all directions and did not appear to orient to the wind. A dosage series showed that pheromone decreased the walking rate and deviations from the upwind direction, and it increased the turning rate. The tracks were composed of relatively straight or gently curving sections interspersed with more infrequent, larger course adjustments. Although pheromone clearly affected the average heading of beetles within a treatment, any given individual exposed to pheromone did not necessarily head directly upwind or maintain a fixed absolute angle with respect to the wind direction. The response appeared to be an inaccurate anemotaxis, rather than an anemomenotaxis.
Direct-Path Backscatter Measurements Along the Main Reverberation Track of TREX13

The primary goal of the Target and Reverberation Experiment in spring 2013 (TREX13) was to identify the major physical mechanisms responsible for midfrequency reverberation. While both the sea surface and seafloor can contribute to reverberation, the seafloor is typically dominant in shallow water environments. To determine the level of this contribution at the TREX13 site, the bottom backscatter sonar (BBS) was deployed from a dive boat at multiple locations around the site. The BBS consists of a source and a receiver mounted on a short bracket that is suspended above the seafloor to measure direct-path bottom backscatter at 3 kHz. Data near normal incidence were interpreted as bottom reflectivity, which was used to quantitatively explain the range-dependence of the sediment composition at the experiment site. Two factors restricted the estimates of the bottom backscatter strength to the minimum grazing angle of 21 $^\circ$ : the currents at the experiment site made it difficult to position the system close to the seafloor, and the shallow water depth resulted in sea surface scatter contaminating small angle bottom backscatter. From the measured backscatter strength and by utilizing available environmental data, initial models of scattering strength indicate that at the shallow grazing angles of importance to reverberation, the scattering on the sand ridges is dominated by roughness scattering while in the muddy areas of the ridge swales, volume scattering dominates. The volume scattering from these mud areas is significantly stronger than the roughness scattering on the ridges by as much as 10 dB and may explain the substantial fluctuations observed in the reverberation as a function of range.
Interband cascade (IC) lasers

Abstract: This chapter discusses relevant concepts, material systems, quantum well structures, and physical processes involved in interband cascade (IC) lasers, reviewing their development from original concept to practical devices. Recent progress and new developments are presented. Future prospects for IC lasers are also discussed.
Identity, Spirit and Freedom in the Atlantic World: The Gold Coast and the African Diaspora

This book applies oral, archival and other interdisciplinary evidence from West Africa and the Americas to analyses of new world Maroons, slaves and free blacks, examining a "Gold Coast" entrepot of Akan, Ga, Guan and other peoples in an Atlantic era of non-linear, mutable intersection of contested history and culture. Combining extant evidence with newer interdisciplinary insights to reconsider under-recognized histories and actors, Identity, Spirit and Freedom in the Atlantic World explores West African cosmologies, regional statecraft and socio-cultural practice, and the way they contributed to Atlantic ideas of freedom, identity and spirituality. Archival researches of British, Dutch and Danish Atlantic thoroughfares bring to light histories of royals, priests and others remade as captive laborers, Maroons and free blacks. Looking at Akwamu’s overtaking of Great Accra, Jamaica’s Maroon Wars, the 1712 Rebellion in New York and many other examples, this book explores the evolution of identity and spirituality in the diaspora of the Gold Coast and the Atlantic world. Identity, Spirit and Freedom in the Atlantic World will be of interest to scholars and students of African studies, the African diaspora, cultural studies and Atlantic and American history.
Defects in mating behavior and tail morphology are the primary cause of sterility in Caenorhabditis elegans males at high temperature

ABSTRACT Reproduction is a fundamental imperative of all forms of life. For all the advantages sexual reproduction confers, it has a deeply conserved flaw: it is temperature sensitive. As temperatures rise, fertility decreases. Across species, male fertility is particularly sensitive to elevated temperature. Previously, we have shown in the model nematode Caenorhabditiselegans that all males are fertile at 20°C, but almost all males have lost fertility at 27°C. Male fertility is dependent on the production of functional sperm, successful mating and transfer of sperm, and successful fertilization post-mating. To determine how male fertility is impacted by elevated temperature, we analyzed these aspects of male reproduction at 27°C in three wild-type strains of C. elegans: JU1171, LKC34 and N2. We found no effect of elevated temperature on the number of immature non-motile spermatids formed. There was only a weak effect of elevated temperature on sperm activation. In stark contrast, there was a strong effect of elevated temperature on male mating behavior, male tail morphology and sperm transfer such that males very rarely completed mating successfully when exposed to 27°C. Therefore, we propose a model where elevated temperature reduces male fertility as a result of the negative impacts of temperature on the somatic tissues necessary for mating. Loss of successful mating at elevated temperature overrides any effects that temperature may have on the germline or sperm cells.
Measuring the Reliability of Reinforcement Learning Algorithms

Lack of reliability is a well-known issue for reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms. This problem has gained increasing attention in recent years, and efforts to improve it have grown substantially. To aid RL researchers and production users with the evaluation and improvement of reliability, we propose a set of metrics that quantitatively measure different aspects of reliability. In this work, we focus on variability and risk, both during training and after learning (on a fixed policy). We designed these metrics to be general-purpose, and we also designed complementary statistical tests to enable rigorous comparisons on these metrics. In this paper, we first describe the desired properties of the metrics and their design, the aspects of reliability that they measure, and their applicability to different scenarios. We then describe the statistical tests and make additional practical recommendations for reporting results. The metrics and accompanying statistical tools have been made available as an open-source library at this https URL. We apply our metrics to a set of common RL algorithms and environments, compare them, and analyze the results.
Effect of Pre-existing Inclusions on the Size and Morphology of Al 2 O 3 : Single Stage Deoxidation with Varying Levels of Supersaturation

The effects of supersaturation and steel composition on the morphology of Al2O3 inclusions were investigated. Thermodynamic calculations with Factsage 7.0® were used to predict the degree of supersaturation and select the starting aluminum and oxygen amounts for the experiment. Deoxidation experiments were performed by melting the charge material and using specially designed samplers to study the local deoxidation reactions. The inclusions in the collected steel samples were analyzed on filter paper in 3D after extraction from the steel. The observed Al2O3 morphologies consisted of dendrites and clusters and results showed that increasing supersaturation had the strongest influence on the length of the dendrite. The observed clusters resulted from collision, heterogeneous nucleation and growth on existing Al2O3 inclusions, and possibly oxygen gradients and liquid steel convection during nucleation and growth of Al2O3.