cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization, Expression and Function of c‐MET in Canine Spontaneous Cancers

Aberrant expression of the proto-oncogene c-Met has been noted in a variety of human cancers. To better define the potential role of Met dysregulation in canine cancer, the canine Met, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and HGF activator were cloned. Inappropriate expression of Met was present in canine tumour cell lines derived from a wide variety of cancers. Furthermore, both HGF and HGF activator were also expressed in several of these cell lines, providing evidence of a possible autocrine loop of Met activation. Stimulation of tumour cell lines with recombinant human HGF induced Met autophosphorylation, as well as activation of the downstream signalling elements Gab-1, Akt and Erk1/2. Scattering of tumour cells and migration across a defect occurred in response to HGF stimulation. The Met inhibitor PHA665752 blocked both HGF-induced phosphorylation of canine Met and HGF-mediated cell cycling, scattering and migration. These studies provide evidence that Met dysregulation may play a role in the biology of canine cancer and lay the groundwork for future studies employing Met inhibitors.
Home is Where the Heart is: Facebook and the Negotiation of “Old” and “New” During the Transition to College

This study adopts a dialectical perspective to explore how students transitioning to college communicatively negotiate the web of old and new relationships in the age of Facebook. Interpretive thematic analysis of 30 interviews revealed three discursive struggles: preservation and (re)invention, uniqueness and conformity, and openness and closedness. With time and space no longer inhibiting a connection to all the people in our relational lives, college students must make sense of the possibility for new senses of self when connected to “home” in a way previous generations never experienced. The contradictions present in the participants' voices illuminate the ways in which wider cultural discourses that construct college as a time of separation and independence enable and constrain students' understandings of their own emerging adulthood.
Wolverine Confirmation in California after Nearly a Century: Native or Long-Distance Immigrant?

Abstract We photo-verified the presence of a wolverine (Gulo gulo) in California for the first time in 86 years during February 2008. Herein we document the process of determining the origin of this wolverine using genetic, stable carbon (δ13C) and stable nitrogen (δ15N) isotope information. The wolverine's origin was significant because it is a state-threatened species and California represents a historically unique genotype of wolverines in North America. We obtained both photographs and noninvasively-collected genetic evidence (scat and hair). DNA analysis revealed the animal was a male and not a remnant of a historical California population. Comparison with available data revealed the individual was most closely related to populations from the western edge of the Rocky Mountains. This represents the first evidence of connectivity between wolverine populations of the Rocky and Sierra Nevada Mountain Ranges.
Locating landmarks on human body scan data

Software for locating anthropometric landmarks from a cloud of more than 100000 three dimensional data points, captured from a human subject, is presented. The software is part of an incremental approach that progressively refines the identification of data points. The first phase of identification is to orient and segment the human body data points. Algorithms for these tasks are presented, with a description of their use. One of the algorithms, a discrete point cusp detector is believed to be unique. The software has been tested on twenty different body scan data sets and shown to be robust.
Choice and Emotion in Comparison Theory

This article examines the part played by choice and emotion in comparison processes, processes that lead to such phenomena as happiness, self-esteem, relative deprivation, and distributive justice....
Integration by logic of database constraints with query filters

The filter concept is broadened to include database integrity constraints. The constraints are viewed as the selection and projection operations which control the data flow between the storage devices and a host system. They are formalized in canonical forms. Several filter simplification techniques are described. >
Fixed versus correlation-adaptive LMS acoustic narrowband arrays for hearing enhancement

The authors compare the performance of two-element and four-element correlation-adaptive least-mean-square (LMS) narrowband arrays versus fixed array designs in the presence of spatially separated noise sources. These arrays are designed to fit on the human head in an unobtrusive manner. Head shadow (acoustic occlusion) modeling is included. The directionality of the fixed beamformers is shown to be superior to the directionality of the adaptive beamformers, and additional processing techniques which can 'directionalize' these few-element arrays are proposed. >
‘Get Up. Stand Up.’ Riding to resilience on a surfboard

Government policies sanctioning the systematic removal of Australian Aboriginal children from their families ended in the 1970s. However, trauma associated with removal remains active in the present day for those removed and their offspring, contributing to the pernicious interlinked set of health and social problems afflicting most Aboriginal communities. Child abuse and neglect are an important avenue of inter-generational transmission of trauma leaving many Aboriginal children challenge-averse and vulnerable to social disadvantage, substance abuse and mental health problems in later life. Child protection and health services have a poor record engaging and providing effective interventions to Aboriginal Australians. Sunset Surfers is a learn-to-surf programme targeting a disadvantaged urban neighbourhood with a high proportion of Aboriginal families. Qualitative evaluation shows that participants experienced positive effect associated with the challenging activity of learning to surf, allowing for reframing of children’s negative beliefs about challenge. By providing an appropriate balance of challenge and support, and encouraging physical activity, Sunset Surfers represents a holistic, preventative approach to a pernicious array of social and health problems.
Updatable reduced order models for the finite element method

Matrix factorization and inversion methods based on overlapped localizing local global solution (OL-LOGOS) modes have been shown to have approximately O(N log N) or better complexity for low frequency electromagnetic problems. This efficiency of the OL-LOGOS factorization method makes it a good candidate for developing reduced order models (ROMs) for specific analysis and design tasks. This paper discusses how to build a reduced order model using the OL-LOGOS factorization for the finite element method (FEM). It is also shown that the resulting ROM can be rapidly updated when local changes are made to the underlying geometry. In some cases, the ROM update can be performed at a cost which scales as o(N).
Influence of Iron and Aeration on Staphylococcus aureus Growth, Metabolism, and Transcription

Staphylococcus aureus is a prominent nosocomial pathogen and a major cause of biomaterial-associated infections. The success of S. aureus as a pathogen is due in part to its ability to adapt to stressful environments. As an example, the transition from residing in the nares to residing in the blood or deeper tissues is accompanied by changes in the availability of nutrients and elements such as oxygen and iron. As such, nutrients, oxygen, and iron are important determinants of virulence factor synthesis in S. aureus. In addition to influencing virulence factor synthesis, oxygen and iron are critical cofactors in enzymatic and electron transfer reactions; thus, a change in iron or oxygen availability alters the bacterial metabolome. Changes in metabolism create intracellular signals that alter the activity of metabolite-responsive regulators such as CodY, RpiRc, and CcpA. To assess the extent of metabolomic changes associated with oxygen and iron limitation, S. aureus cells were cultivated in iron-limited medium and/or with decreasing aeration, and the metabolomes were examined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. As expected, oxygen and iron limitation dramatically decreased tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity, creating a metabolic block and significantly altering the metabolome. These changes were most prominent during post-exponential-phase growth, when TCA cycle activity was maximal. Importantly, many of the effects of iron limitation were obscured by aeration limitation. Aeration limitation not only obscured the metabolic effects of iron limitation but also overrode the transcription of iron-regulated genes. Finally, in contrast to previous speculation, we confirmed that acidification of the culture medium occurs independent of the availability of iron.
Antibody-mediated immunomodulation: a strategy to improve host responses against microbial antigens.

The immunoregulatory properties of antibody have been recognized since the earliest passive immunization experiments, and the potential to modulate an immune response by deliberate immunization with antigen bound by antibody has been demonstrated in numerous instances over the decades ([2][1], [6][2
Reducing signaling traffic in wireless ATM networks through handoff scheme improvement

We propose a new handoff call management scheme which reduces signaling traffic in wireless ATM networks and improves the efficiency of the virtual channel. Chaining followed by a make-break algorithm is a suitable handoff scheme for various situations. In the chaining part of the scheme, a chain routing algorithm is studied and compared with the hop-limiting scheme. When the algorithm is implemented in our scheme, it improves the performance of the existing scheme in call drop rates so as to reduce the signaling traffic in wireless ATM networks.
THE EFFECT OF PRESSURE ON THE REDUCTION OF PORE VOLUME OF CONSOLIDATED SANDSTONES

The changes in pore volume of jacketed dry sandstone samples have been measured under hydrostatic pressures over the range 50 to 1,000 bars (14,504 psi). The percent change in pore volume at each pressure and the pressure coefficient of change of pore volume have been computed. All measurements were made at room temperature. The total change in pore volume when the hydrostatic pressure was increased from 50 to 1,000 bars was found to be about 7.5 percent of the pore volume for a sample of Steven sandstone (porosity 18.5 percent) and approximately 3.0 percent of the pore volume for a sample of Berea sandstone (porosity 19.4 percent). The coefficient of change of pore volume with pressure is found to decrease rather rapidly with increasing pressure up to around 500 bars. Thus pressure changes applied to rock become much more important when the original geostatic load on the rock is small.
The Administration of Wagina Resettlement Scheme

As a result of one of the more capricious exigiencies of Government service, in 1964 I found myself in charge of the largest Government-sponsored resettlement scheme ever undertaken in the Pacific. The resettlement was the result of prolonged drought which eventually forced the Western Pacific High Commission to move islanders from the Phoenix group of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (GEIC) to the Western Solomons. This difficult decision was influenced by the severity of the drought and by the fact that people had been living in the Phoenix group for only about thirty years. The decision was taken initially by the Resident Commissioner and endorsed by the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific; the British Solomon Island Protectorate (BSIP) Government agreed to accept the refugees. Due to the emergency nature of the move, planning was necessarily ad hoc; and the only firm intentions of the High Commission were that the resettlement should contribute economically to the Protectorate in order to j...
Significance of reverse orientation of the ductus arteriosus in neonates with pulmonary outflow tract obstruction for early intervention.

Reverse orientation of the ductus arteriosus (RDA), defined as an inferior angle at the aortic junction of
Gleaning Information From Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting

Mandatory livestock price reporting has changed how prices are reported and used by analysts and market participants. Reporting has affected the availablity of many reports and has added new reports and information. The new information often needs to be put into a meaningful form for direct use by analysts and participants. A brief overview of the evolution and implementation of mandatory price reporting is given. The new price reports are then discussed and compared to voluntary reports. Special attention is given to new reports that give insights into the short- and medium-run cattle supply situation. As South Dakota had State-level reporting in place prior to the Federal law, there is additional data and insights that put national observations into perspective. While the focus is on cattle reports, swine reports are also briefly discussed.
Toward an Understanding of Nucleotide Excision Repair in Yeast: A Summary of Recent Progress

With its established classical and molecular genetics, and emerging biochemistry, the yeast Saccharoamyyces cerevisiae is an ideal organism in which to study eukaryotic DNA metabolism. The excision repair of DNA damage in yeast is a complex process, controlled by a number of different genes in the so-called RAD3 epistasis group. Mutations at any of approximately 12 independent loci in this epistasis group cause cells to become abnormally sensitive to killing by ultraviolet light on or DNA damaging chemicals (for recent reviews on DNA repair in yeast see Haynes and Kunz, 1981 and Friedberg, 1988). For 5 of these loci (RAD1, RAD2, RAD3, RAD4 and RAD10) mutations completely block the ability of cells to incise DNA in response to damage (Reynolds and Friedberg, 1981; Wilcox and Prakash, 1981). In the other 7 genes (RAD7, RAD14, RAD16, RAD23, RAD24, CDC8 and MMS19) mutations impair, but do not completely block this process. It is the goal of this and of other laboratories to clone the yeast genes involved in excision repair, with particular emphasis on the 5 genes which appear to be absolutely required for this process. The cloned genes can then be used to overexpress and purify specific Rad proteins, and hence to attempt to understand the biochemistry of eukaryotic nucleotide excision repair.
In The Mirror of Creation: A Muslim Mystic's View of the Individual in the Cosmos

In the encyclopedic poetry of one of Islam's most prominent mystics, Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī (1207-73), one can discover a great deal about the main lines of classical Islamic cosmology and psychology. Conceiving of all of creation as a mirror with two sides, both of which have their reflective values, Rūmī describes both the macrocosm and the microcosm as theaters of divine revelation. In the end, one must come to know God's reflection in the intimacy of the solitary heart; but the cosmos will do for a start. Through his classic understandings of space, time, causality, the evolution of consciousness, and the attractive power of like beings in creation, Rūmī tells of Creation's potential for making known the Creator. And in his images of body, spirit, intellect, and heart, the poet limns the outlines of the essentially human. In the process, he proceeds from macrocosm to microcosm and back; for just as the heart of the individual is the locus of God's reflection in the person, His prophets are as Heart to the Body of the cosmos, in their function of revealing the divine presence and word.
Cp*(PiPr3)RuOTf: A Reagent for Access to Ruthenium Silylene Complexes

The ruthenium triflate complex Cp*(PiPr3)RuOTf (1) was generated from the reaction of Cp*(PiPr3)RuCl with Me3SiOTf in dibutyl ether. Complex 1 reacted with primary and secondary silanes to produce a family of Ru(IV) silyl dihydride complexes of the type Cp*(PiPr3)Ru(H)2(SiRR′OTf) (3–12). Structural analyses of complexes 8 (R = R′ = Ph) and 12 (R = R′ = fluorenyl) revealed the presence of a tetrahedral silicon center and a four-legged piano stool geometry about ruthenium. Anion abstraction from Cp*(PiPr3)Ru(H)2(SiHROTf) by [Et3Si·toluene][B(C6F5)4] afforded hydrogen-substituted cationic ruthenium silylene complexes [Cp*(PiPr3)Ru(H)2(═SiHR)][B(C6F5)4] (R = Mes (13), R = Si(SiMe3) (14)) that display a significant Ru–H···Si interaction, as indicated by relatively large 2JSiH coupling constants (2JSiH = 58.2 Hz (13), 2JSiH = 37.1 Hz (14)). The syntheses of secondary silylene complexes [Cp*(PiPr3)Ru(H)2(═SiRR′)][B(C6F5)4] (R = R′ = Ph (15); R = Ph, R′ = Me (16), R = R′ = fluorenyl (17)) were also achieved by an...
Analysis of algorithms in learning theory and network analysis of knowledge bases

This thesis is concerned with problems that arise in learning theory as well as with an investigation, using the tools of network analysis, of a popular commonsense knowledge base that is publicly available online and reasoning with the knowledge that is available in the database. We study the evolvability of monotone conjunctions through an intuitive neighborhood under the uniform distribution, give a structure theorem of best approximations, and improve the previous known results. We show the existence of local optima under nondegenerate product distributions for the same algorithm. Using covariance as the fitness metric we prove a similar structure theorem as well as the evolvability of short monotone conjunctions under these distributions. Using points from the moment curve we show that the VC dimension of halfspaces is under the multiple-instance learning framework, matching the previous known upper bound. This result is also shown to hold over any large point set in general position. Further, it is shown that the hypothesis finding problem is NP-complete. The disagreement coefficient of a concept class for a fixed distribution can be used to give bounds for the label complexity of active learning. We study the disagreement coefficient of monotone conjunctions under the uniform distribution and compute tight, or almost tight, asymptotic lower and upper bounds for every target. This is the first time that the disagreement coefficient is studied for Boolean concept classes. We are investigating the commonsense knowledge base ConceptNet 4 using the tools of network analysis. We identify missing links, spurious links, as well as provide additional knowledge to be added in ConceptNet. Using variants of spreading activation techniques we use the database for question answering and explain, as well as improve, candidate answers for the same questions from a previous study that relied in a low-rank approximation of the adjacency matrix. Aiming to add general rules for further reasoning we mine frequent triples from ConceptNet. This mining approach also identifies incorrect assertions already in ConceptNet. Finally, we also identify rules that may make sense as factual statements about the world but not in terms of natural language usage.
Dynamic hysteresis modeling and H-infinity robust control of piezoelectric actuators

Piezoelectric actuators(PEAs) have rate-dependent hysteretic nonlinearities,which pose challenges to the traditional modeling and control techniques.A Hammerstein-based rate-dependent hysteresis model with a Bouc-Wen nonlinearity is proposed in this paper for the piezoelectric actuators.The Bouc-Wen model and a linear dynamic block are used to describe the static hysteresis nonlinearity and rate-dependent properties,respectively.Further,a hysteretic compensator based on the Bouc-Wen model is constructed and connected in cascade with the plant to linearize the system.Next,an uncertainty system model is built and a H-infinity robust control scheme is proposed to track the reference signals with either single frequencies or compound frequencies in the given frequency range.Experimental results show that the dynamic model proposed has good generalization ability and the encouraging tracking performances have been achieved with the relative error less than 8%.
Geometric Properties of Heights

Throughout this chapter, F is a field with a proper set of absolute values M F satisfying the product formula. We denote by K some finite extension of F, so that the set M K satisfies the product formula with multiplicities N v , v ∈ M K .
A prediction of deposition of contaminants on insulator surface with and without grading rings

The deposition of contaminants on a HVDC insulator is primarily governed by the inwardly-directed component of the electric field at the insulator surface. This component is calculated for a string-type insulator with and without grading rings. The results seem to explain satisfactorily the formation of a clean (“contaminant-free”) ring surrounding the insulator pin as well as around the insulator edge. An optimum ratio of the diameter of the grading ring to the insulator disc occurs for various insulator lengths. The contamination pattern on the surface of the insulator in the absence of wind forces can therefore be predicted to a certain degree of accuracy. The results are presented and discussed in the light of theoretical models.
PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE NUTRITIONAL LABELING OF FOOD PRODUCTS1

Current interest in the nutritional quality of the U. S. food supply, its improvement, and means of communicating meaningful nutritional information to consumers has reached an unprecedented level. Attempts by governmental agencies to draft guidelines for fortification or enrichment practices for various classes of foods and for meaningful nutritional labeling are being frustrated by a variety of complex factors. In addition to numerous gaps in the state of present nutritional knowledge, these include political and economic considerations as well as the problems of educating the public in matters of nutritional relevance. This paper cites numerous examples of areas where up-to-date data on nutritional compositions of raw and processed foods are lacking, methods of analysis need refinement, and expressions of nutrient content in terms understandable to the consumer require attention. Problems that must be faced by food processors with regard to raw material selection, manufacturing operations, and overall ...
The Impact of Cuban Economic Reform on Older Persons.

This paper discusses the economic reforms initiated by Cuban President Raul Castro in 2008 and its effect on the country’s fast-growing, vulnerable population of older persons 60+ years of age. Cubans are living longer and the country has a very low birthrate. These two factors combined have reduced the proportion of the population in the work force. This adversely affects the economy. Population aging is a major reason why the government has introduced structural reforms and reduced social spending, which have weakened the welfare state on which older persons depend. Many older persons have become critical of the reforms over time. Policy makers need to address the impact the reforms are having on older Cubans and consider them as active participants in economic reform. Data for this paper come from qualitative, case study research carried out in Havana between the years 2008–15 and from a review of the literature on aging and economic reforms in Cuba. Two case studies illustrate the impact of the economic reforms on older persons.
NCAA Bylaw 12: The Double Standard of Promotion and Suppression of Black Athlete Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

A primary objective of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) legislation is to prevent activities that compromise the amateur status of the participants. Bylaw Article 12—Amateurism and Athletics Eligibility—outlines permissible and impermissible promotional activities in which athletes and institutions can engage. Images of collegiate athletes grace the covers of sports magazines and are featured in sports television programming, but when it comes to athletes’ ability to use their image for their own enterprising endeavors, their athletic eligibility is jeopardized. Policy analysis was utilized to examine the double standard imposed on the use of college athlete likeness. The analysis ignites a greater discussion of how the oppressive promotional policies penalize Black male athletes disproportionately. Using critical race theory as a lens, this chapter illustrates how the institutionalized practice of requiring athletes to waive the rights to their images has greater implications on the career development, entrepreneurship, and financial independence of Black athletes.
Improving Orthopedic Resident Knowledge of Documentation, Coding, and Medicare Fraud.

Background Most residency programs still lack formal education and training on the basic clinical documentation and coding principles. Today’s physicians are continuously being held to increasing standards for correct coding and documentation, yet little has changed in the residency training curricula to keep pace with these increasing standards. Although there are many barriers to implementing these topics formally, the main concern has been the lack of time and resources. Thus, simple models may have the best chance for success at widespread implementation. Purpose The first goal of the study was to assess a group of orthopedic residents’ fund of knowledge regarding basic clinical documentation guidelines, coding principles, and their ability to appropriately identify cases of Medicare fraud. The second goal was to analyze a single, high-yield educational session’s effect on overall resident knowledge acquisition and awareness of these concepts. Subject Selection and Study Protocol Orthopedic residents belonging to 1 of 2 separate residency programs voluntarily and anonymously participated. All were asked to complete a baseline assessment examination, followed by attending a 45-minute lecture given by the same orthopedic faculty member who remained blinded to the test questions. Each resident then completed a postsession examination. Each resident was also asked to self-rate his or her documentation and coding level of comfort on a Likert scale (1-5). Statistical significance was set at p Main Findings A total of 32 orthopedic residents were participated. Increasing postgraduate year-level of training correlated with higher Likert-scale ratings for self-perceived comfort levels with documentation and coding. However, the baseline examination scores were no different between senior and junior residents (p > 0.20). The high-yield teaching session significantly improved the average total examination scores at both sites (p 0.10). Principal Conclusions The current healthcare environment necessitates better physician awareness regarding clinical documentation guidelines and coding principles. Very few adjustments to incorporate these teachings have been made to most residency training curricula, and the lack of time and resources remains the concern of many surgical programs. We have demonstrated that orthopedic resident knowledge in these important areas drastically improves after a single, high-yield 45-minute teaching session.
Uncharted but not Uninfluenced: Influence Maximization with an Uncertain Network

This paper focuses on new challenges in influence maximization inspired by non-profits' use of social networks to effect behavioral change in their target populations. Influence maximization is a multiagent problem where the challenge is to select the most influential agents from a population connected by a social network. Specifically, our work is motivated by the problem of spreading messages about HIV prevention among homeless youth using their social network. We show how to compute solutions which are provably close to optimal when the parameters of the influence process are unknown. We then extend our algorithm to a dynamic setting where information about the network is revealed at each stage. Simulation experiments using real world networks collected by the homeless shelter show the advantages of our approach.
Cord Blood Transplants for Myeloid Malignancies in Adults

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the only potentially curative therapy for the majority of myeloid malignancies. Donor options beyond siblings are expanding and outcomes with these donor sources are improving. The current book chapter investigates the cord blood transplant outcomes for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and myelofibrosis. Topics of cord blood transplant in elderly patients and a comparison of cord blood and haploidentical donors are also discussed.
Effect of lubricant bonding fraction at the head–disk interface

Tribochemical studies of the effect of lubricant bonding on the tribology of the head–disk interface (HDI) were conducted using hydrogenated (CHx) carbon disk samples coated with perfluoropolyether ZDOL lubricant. The studies involved drag tests with uncoated and carbon-coated Al2O3–TiC sliders and also thermal desorption experiments in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) tribochamber. The friction and catalytic decomposition mechanisms as well as the thermal behavior of ZDOL are described. We observed that a larger mobile lubricant portion significantly enhances the wear durability of the HDI by providing a reservoir to constantly replenish the lubricant displaced in the wear track during drag tests. In the thermal desorption tests we observed two distinct temperatures of desorption. The mobile ZDOL layer is desorbed at the lower thermal desorption temperature and the residual bonded ZDOL layer is desorbed at the higher thermal desorption temperature.
Histochemical Demonstration of Glycogen in Neurons of the Cat Retina

Purpose. To demonstrate histochemically the cellular distribution of particulate glycogen inthe cat retina and to correlate it with glucose sensitivity of neuronal electrical activities.Methods. Free-floating, ultrathin sections of cat eyes (without glucose challenges) were stainedby the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate procedure and examined by elec-tron microscopy.Results. Miiller cells were filled uniformly wit fine-grainh glycogen throughout all retinal layers.Particle density was higher in Muller cells of the peripheral retina than in those of centralretina. Astrocytes contained little any, if, particulat e glycogen. Alpha and beta ganglion cellshad a heavy content of clumped glycogen granules. Rod bipolar and A17 amacrine cells ofthe rod pathway were stained intensely with particulate glycogen. No glycogen was seen inphotoreceptor cells, cone bipolar cells, and the majority of amacrine cells, including All cellsof the rod pathway. However, one type of cone bipolar-driven amacrine cell was intenselyglycogen positive. Its ultrastructural morphology, stratification pattern, and synaptology sug-gest that it is a wide-field, axon-bearing type called A22.Conclusions. Except for the cone bipolar-driven ON-OFF A22 amacrine cell, it appears thatglycogen staining preferentially labels neurons of the rod pathway. These observations arecompatible with the reported sensitivity of the rod-driven electroretinogram and optic nerveresponse to glucose in the cat retina. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1996;37:702-715,A he dark-adapted function of the mammalian retinais accompanied by an increase in oxygen consump-tion
Abstract WP253: CaMKII Inhibition Protects Against Purkinje Cell Damage Following Global Cerebral Ischemia

Introduction: Ischemic damage triggers glutamate excitotoxicity, resulting in neuronal cell death. Previous research has demonstrated that NMDA receptor activity triggers downstream calcium-dependent signaling pathways, specifically Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). We hypothesize that Death Associated Protein Kinase I (DAPKI) and receptor interacting protein (RIP) are downstream of CaMKII, contributing to necroptosis. Focal and global ischemia studies have shown that inhibiting CaMKII is protective against hippocampal damage, but there is little known about cerebellar cell death mechanisms. The aim of this study is to examine the neuroprotective potential of inhibiting CaMKII in Purkinje cells using a global ischemia model. Methods: C57BL/6 male adult mice were subjected to 8 minutes of cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR). Mice were randomized to tat-CN19o or control peptide (tat-SCR), administered 30 minutes after CA/CPR, and cerebellar injury analyzed 7 days af...
Perceived Barriers and Sources of Support for Undergraduate Female Students’ Persistence in the Sport Management Major

Male undergraduate sport management majors substantially outnumber females, suggesting that the path to a career in the sport industry is male dominated and gender stereotypes may exist. Simultaneo...
Tackling Complex Queries to Relational Databases

Most people who want to get an answer from a structured repository, such as a database, are agnostic of both the formal language requested by database Structured Query Language (SQL), and of the particular structure of specific databases. On the other hand, processing arbitrary queries in natural language to automatically get the SQL is very challenging, especially due to the fact that most of the most frequent queries lead to Nested Logic Queries (NLQs). While most of the Natural Language Interface to Databases systems (NLIDB) may put severe restrictions on the form of the acceptable input queries, QUEST can deal with large variability in input. QUEST is a semi-supervised system which can encode the information about any database and process complex queries via an unsupervised learning methodology which addresses the problem of NLQs. We report a significant improvement in accuracy over other approaches.
Investigating how faculty social networks and peer influence relate to knowledge and use of evidence-based teaching practices

Calls for science education reform have been made for decades in the USA. The recent call to produce one million new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates over 10 years highlights the need to employ evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) in undergraduate STEM classes to create engaging and effective learning environments. EBIPs are teaching strategies that have been empirically demonstrated to positively impact student learning, attitudes, and achievement in STEM disciplines. However, the mechanisms and processes by which faculty learn about and choose to implement EBIPs remain unclear. To explore this problem area, we used social network analysis to examine how an instructor’s knowledge and use of EBIPs may be influenced by their peers within a STEM department. We investigated teaching discussion networks in biology and chemistry departments at three public universities. We report that tie strength and tie diversity vary between departments, but that mean indegree is not correlated with organizational rank or tenure status. We also describe that teaching discussion ties can often be characterized as strong ties based on two measures of tie strength. Further, we compare peer influence models and find consistent evidence that peer influence in these departments follows a network disturbances model. Our findings with respect to tie strength and tie diversity indicate that the social network structures in these departments vary in how conducive they might be to change. The correlation in teaching practice between discussion partner and peer influence models suggest that change agents should consider local social network characteristics when developing change strategies. In particular, change agents can expect that faculty may serve as opinion leaders regardless of their academic rank and that faculty can increase their use of EBIPs even if those they speak to about teaching use EBIPs comparatively less.
Pneumonia Radiograph Diagnosis Utilizing Deep Learning Network

Pneumonia is a life-threatening respiratory disease caused by bacterial infection. The goal of this study is to develop an algorithm using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to detect visual signals for pneumonia in medical images and make a diagnosis. Although Pneumonia is prevalent, detection and diagnosis are challenging. The deep learning network AlexNet was utilized through transfer learning. A dataset consisting of 5659 images was used for training, and a preliminary diagnosis accuracy of 72% was achieved.
Reduced left amygdala volume in patients with dissociative seizures (psychogenic nonepileptic seizures).

Abstract Purpose This study specifically investigated differences of amygdalar and hippocampal volumes between patients with dissociative seizures (DS), mesial temporal lobe sclerosis (MTS), and normal controls (NC). Methods Between 2003 and 2018, 127 patients diagnosed with DS and 278 with MTS were recruited. An additional 52 NC subjects were recruited between 2015 and 2018. We retrospectively selected 29 patients with DS (male:female, 6:23) with absence of structural confounding factors and obtained sex- and age-matched MTS and NC. We used Neuroreader to assess the volume of the amygdala and hippocampus as a percentage of total intracranial volume based on thin-slice (0.9–1.2 mm) T1-weighted images. Statistical analyses controlled for psychiatric comorbidity and logistic regression were used to evaluate efficacy of these values for individual-level diagnosis. Results The left amygdala and right hippocampus were significantly smaller in DS compared to NC (both p = 0.04), which was not explained by differences in psychiatric comorbidity. When controlling for ipsilateral hippocampal or amygdala volume, which was seen equally in all groups (Spearman, p Conclusion Volumetric analysis demonstrates smaller left amygdalar and right hippocampal volumes in patients with DS compared to NC, which may mirror abnormalities in functional networks seen in conversion disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Using deep learning techniques and genetic-based feature extraction for presentation attack mitigation

Abstract— Biometric authentication systems are becoming more prevalent for commercial use with computers and smart devices. Biometric systems also have several vulnerable points that can be exploited by a hacker to gain unauthorized access to a system. Replay attacks focus on capturing feature extractors (FEs) during transmission, decrypting, and replaying for illegal access. The Genetic and Evolutionary Feature Extraction (GEFE) technique, developed at North Carolina A&T State University, recently showed promising results in mitigating replay attacks in combination with a feature selection algorithm. Biometric-based presentation attacks, the focus of this work, is another biometric system vulnerability primarily focused on presenting a biometric sample of quality to illegally gain access to secured data. Recently, deep learning techniques to mitigate presentation attacks have shown promising results. However, the accuracy of deep learning-based biometric presentation attack detection (PAD) methods are limited by the quality of the samples provided. In absence of large sets of original biometric sample data, data augmentation has been shown to be successful in generating synthetic biometric image data and improving the performance of deep learning techniques applied. The novelty of this paper lies in the following two aspects: First, a data augmentation technique with Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) is used to generate comparative synthetic (spoofing) dataset. With the proliferation of deep fakes in media, this technique should provide insight on the GAN technique often used. Once properly trained, the synthetic images are used to create spoofing datasets. Second, the GEFE technique is used in combination with the GANs to generate improved anti-spoofing feature extractors optimized to mitigate presentation attacks. The combination of GEFE and GANs is used to identify those discriminative biometric features used to mitigate synthetic presentation attacks. The GEFE ​+ ​GAN technique outperforms the LBP and GEFE techniques alone in overall identification and verification results on spoofing datasets.
Step Therapy: Legal, Ethical and Policy Implications of a Cost-Cutting Measure

The very high and ever-increasing costs of medical care in the United States are well-recognized and much discussed. Health insurers have employed a variety of strategies in an effort to control their expenditures, including one that is common but has received relatively little attention: step therapy. Step therapy programs require patients to try less expensive treatments and find them to be ineffective or otherwise problematic before the insurer will approve a more high-priced option. This Article is the first law journal piece dedicated to analyzing this important cost control measure. The Article explores the strengths and weaknesses of step therapy and its legal and ethical implications. It argues that in some cases, step therapy reduces insurers’ drug costs in the short term but causes significant harm to patients that ultimately results in both human suffering and increased long-term health care costs. Some insurers are also less than transparent with patients about their programs, adhere to one-size-fits all approaches that ignore nuanced clinical and economic evidence, and implement their policies in a discriminatory way. The Article examines how several states have responded to step therapy through legislation and discusses review mechanisms that federal law provides for adverse insurance decisions. The Article concludes with a detailed set of recommendations. These include legislative interventions to ensure that step therapy programs are sufficiently flexible and responsive to patients’ individual needs and measures to enhance transparency and expeditiously address emerging scientific and economic evidence.
Exploring the NK cell platform for cancer immunotherapy

Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes of the innate immune system that are capable of killing virally infected and/or cancerous cells. Nearly 20 years ago, NK cell-mediated immunotherapy emerged as a safe and effective treatment approach for patients with advanced-stage leukaemia. Subsequently, the field of NK cell-based cancer therapy has grown exponentially and currently constitutes a major area of immunotherapy innovation. In general, the development of NK cell-directed therapies has two main focal points: optimizing the source of therapeutic NK cells for adoptive transfer and enhancing NK cell cytotoxicity and persistence in vivo. A wide variety of sources of therapeutic NK cells are currently being tested clinically, including haploidentical NK cells, umbilical cord blood NK cells, stem cell-derived NK cells, NK cell lines, adaptive NK cells, cytokine-induced memory-like NK cells and chimeric antigen receptor NK cells. A plethora of methods to augment the cytotoxicity and longevity of NK cells are also under clinical investigation, including cytokine-based agents, NK cell-engager molecules and immune-checkpoint inhibitors. In this Review, we highlight the variety of ways in which diverse NK cell products and their auxiliary therapeutics are being leveraged to target human cancers. We also identify future avenues for NK cell therapy research.
Continuous locomotion mode classification using a robotic hip exoskeleton

Human augmentation through robotic exoskeleton technology can enhance the user’s mobility for a wide range of ambulation tasks. This is done by providing assistance that is in line with the user’s movement during different locomotion modes (e.g., ramps and stairs). Several machine learning techniques have been applied to classify such tasks on lower limb prostheses, but these strategies have not been applied extensively to exoskeleton systems which often rely on similar control inputs. Additionally, conventional methods often identify modes at a discrete time during the gait cycle which can delay the corresponding assistance to the user and potentially reduce overall exoskeleton benefit. We developed a gait phase-based Bayesian classifier that can classify five ambulation modes continuously throughout the gait cycle using only mechanical sensors on the device. From our five ablebodied subject experiment with a robotic hip exoskeleton, we found that implementing multiple models within the gait cycle can reduce the classification error rate by 35% compared to using a single model $(p \lt 0.05)$. Furthermore, we found that utilizing bilateral sensor information can reduce the error by 43% compared to using a unilateral information $(p \lt 0.05)$. Our study findings provide valuable information for future exoskeleton developers to utilize different on-board mechanical sensors to enhance mode classification for a faster update rate in the controller and provide more natural and seamless exoskeleton assistance between locomotion modes.
First-Hand Accounts of Interoceptive Difficulties in Autistic Adults

Interoceptive awareness refers to one's ability to detect, discriminate, and regulate internal bodily and mental processes. Interoceptive challenges in ASD remain under researched and poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed texts of adults who self-identify as autistic describing their interoceptive challenges. Many individuals described limited awareness of hunger, satiation, or thirst, which contributed to eating disordered behavior in some instances. Others described limited awareness or difficulty understanding affective arousal, pain or illness, and difficulty differentiating benign body signals from signals that represent medical concerns. Findings from this study call for increased research attention on this topic, and a need for valid and objective measures for assessing interoception in ASD.
Feeling Good About Your Partners’ Relationships: Compersion in Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships

Compersion is a well-known term in polyamorous communities that connotes the positive emotion an individual may experience in relation to their partner’s relationship with another partner. We know little about this emotion or about the factors that facilitate or inhibit its expression. The lack of a standardized measure for compersion has likely contributed to its neglect in the empirical literature. We sought to remedy this gap by creating a reliable and valid quantitative scale, The COMPERSe (Classifying Our Metamour/Partner Emotional Response Scale), through a multi-stage, bottom-up process grounded in a qualitative understanding of consensually non-monogamous (CNM) individuals’ lived experience of compersion. This paper describes the thematic analysis of qualitative data (n = 44) which underpinned item generation, revision of the item pool based on researcher, practitioner, and community member feedback, exploratory (n = 310) and confirmatory factor analyses (n = 320) to ascertain the factor structure of the data, and examination of convergent and divergent validity. Results supported the use of a three-factor scale (Happiness about Partner/Metamour Relationship, Excitement for New Connections, and Sexual Arousal), which demonstrated excellent internal consistency as well as strong divergent and convergent validity.