cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An expanded myeloid derived suppressor cell population does not play a role in gammaherpesvirus-exacerbated breast cancer metastases

Mice latently infected with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (HV-68) and transplanted with 4 T1 breast cancer cells developed exacerbated metastatic lesions when compared to controls. The mechanisms responsible for this viral-exacerbated disease were not clear. The ability of HV-68 infection to induce S100A8 and S100A9 production and to expand a population of CD11b+Gr-1+ cells suggested that increased numbers, or activity, of viral-expanded myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) might contribute to HV-68-associated metastatic breast cancer in this model. We questioned whether mock or HV-68 infected mice with significant breast cancer might have differences in the number and/or activity of MDSCs. Myeloid-derived macrophages and dendritic cells were isolated from normal mice and cultured in vitro with HV-68 to assess S100A8 and S100A9 mRNA and protein expression. In vivo studies were performed using groups of mice that were mock treated or infected with HV-68. After viral latency was established, 4 T1 breast cancer cells were transplanted in mice. When primary breast tumors were present mice were euthanized and cells isolated for phenotyping of myeloid cell populations using FACS, and for ex vivo analysis of suppressor activity. Serum from these animals was also collected to quantify S100A8 and S100A9 levels. In vitro studies demonstrated that direct exposure of myeloid cells to HV-68 did not induce increased expression of S100A8 or S100A9 mRNAs or secreted protein. HV-68 infected mice with metastatic breast cancer disease had no increases in S100A8/A9 levels and no significant increases in the numbers or activation of CD11b+Gr-1+MDSCs when compared to mock treated mice with breast cancer. Together these studies are consistent with the notion that expanded myeloid derived suppressor cells do not play a role in gammaherpesvirus-exacerbated breast cancer metastases. The mechanisms responsible for HV-68 induced exacerbation of metastatic breast cancer remain unclear.
Updraft and Downdraft Cores in TOGA COARE: Why So Many Buoyant Downdraft Cores?

Abstract An examination of the properties of updraft and downdraft cores using Electra data from TOGA COARE shows that they have diameters and vertical velocities similar to cores observed over other parts of the tropical and subtropical oceans. As in previous studies, a core is defined as having vertical velocity of the same sign and greater than an absolute value of 1 m s−1 for at least 500 m. A requirement that the core contain either cloud or precipitation throughout is added, but this should not affect the results significantly. Since the Electra was equipped with the Ophir III radiometric temperature sensor, it was also possible to make estimates of core buoyancies. As in TAMEX and EMEX, where core temperatures were estimated using the modified side-looking Barnes radiometer on the NOAA P3s, a significant fraction of both updraft and downdraft cores had apparent virtual temperatures greater than their environments. In fact, the average virtual temperature deviation from the environment for downdraft...
DNA Yield from Tissue Samples in Surgical Pathology and Minimum Tissue Requirements for Molecular Testing

Context.— Complex molecular assays are increasingly used to direct therapy and provide diagnostic and prognostic information but can require relatively large amounts of DNA. Objectives.— To provide data to pathologists to help them assess tissue adequacy and provide prospective guidance on the amount of tissue that should be procured. Design.— We used slide-based measurements to establish a relationship between processed tissue volume and DNA yield by A260 from 366 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples submitted for the 3 most common molecular assays performed in our laboratory (EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF). We determined the average DNA yield per unit of tissue volume, and we used the distribution of DNA yields to calculate the minimum volume of tissue that should yield sufficient DNA 99% of the time. Results.— All samples with a volume greater than 8 mm3 yielded at least 1 μg of DNA, and more than 80% of samples producing less than 1 μg were extracted from less than 4 mm3 of tissue. Nine square mill...
A composite model for the 750 GeV diphoton excess

We present composite models explaining the diphoton excess of mass around 750 GeV recently reported by the LHC experiments.
Analysis of Tritium Transport Mechanisms at the Surface of Lithium Ceramics

AbstractAn analysis was made of the surface fluxes of hydrogen species in order to determine the activation energies which affect the bulk and surface inventories in a lithium ceramic. It was found that in the absence of protium, Sievert Law is obeyed and the concentration depends on However, in the presence of protium, the concentration depends on PHT. The bulk and surface concentrations were found to depend on a combination of all four surface energies in the activation energy of solution and the heat of adsorption.
Meckelin guides orientation of basal bodies along the striated rootlet

Objective Meckelin (MKS3) functions in ciliogenesis and ciliary gating. MKS3 appears to have similar functions in Paramecium tetraurelia, i.e. FLAG-MKS3 is found associated slightly above each basal body and RNAi for MKS3 leads to loss of cilia. RNAi for MKS3 also leads to the disorganization of rows of basal bodies that run from anterior to posterior. In areas of misalignments, basal bodies with their post ciliary and transverse rootlets are found out of their expected rows. However, the rootlets are attached to the basal bodies at the expected angles relative to each other. We propose that MKS3 guides new basal bodies as they move toward the anterior of the cell along the striated rootlet (SR) of the parent basal body. Basal bodies without MKS3 lose their interactions with the parent’s SR. Without this guide to maintain orientation, new basal bodies migrate off the expected line and, when they form their SRs, these too cannot project toward the anterior as expected.
The Social Construction of Authority Among Peers and Its Implications for Collaborative Mathematics Problem Solving

ABSTRACTThis article describes a study of how students construct relations of authority during dyadic mathematical work and how teachers’ interactions with students during small group conferences affect subsequent student dynamics. Drawing on the influence framework (Engle, Langer-Osuna, & McKinney de Royston, 2014), I examined interactions when students appropriated their peers’ ideas during collaborative mathematical problem solving and noted that each moment tended to follow particular interactions around authority. Notably, social and intellectual forms of authority became linked in ways that were directly related to how students’ ideas and behaviors were evaluated by the teacher. I close by discussing how the study of authority and influence offers fertile analytic ground to generate new understandings about collaborative student work in mathematics classrooms.
Analysis on the development trend of reactive power compensation in power grid

Describes the function of the reactive power for voltage stability and restraining harmonic,according to the practical situation and development trend of reactive power compensation in Ningxia Power Grid,analyzes the principle of three kinds of static var compensator(SVC),introduces the development trend and direction of reactive power compensation mode.
The Population Distribution of Hypertension and the Risk Factors in the Countryside of Shenyang

Objective:To describe the epidemiological characteristics,prevalence rate and risk factor of adults with hypertension in the countryside of Shenyang.Method:The cluster sampling method was adopted to select 18 yr and above adults in the countryside of Dongling district of Shenyang.These people were asked to fill in the questionnaire and complete physical examinations.The level of blood pressure,prevalence rate of hypertension and etc were statistically analyzed.The risk factor of hypertension with chisquare test was found.Result:Among 724 people who were selected,there were 205 hypertension cases and the general prevalence rate of hypertension was 28.31%.Cross tabs showed that vocation,marital status,culture level,BMI,high cholesterol,high triglyceride were relative factors to hypertension prevalence(P0.01).Logistic regression analysis showed that culture,BMI were relative factors to hypertension prevalence(P0.05).Conclusion:With the high hypertension prevalence rates in the countryside,the measures of health education and health promotion should be strengthened to promote the health level.
Hydrogen ion transfer andpH control in bowfin brainin vitro

Abstract Bowfin brains were incubated for up to 45 min in artificial CSF of pH values ranging from 6.5 to 8.4. Determinations of the pH of the meningeal tissue fluids at the surface of the brain during incubation — and the pH of the tissue homogenates — evidenced the passage of hydrogen ions across cell membranes. The tissue pH was stable during incubations of up to 30 min, but the Cl− content changed inversely with the pH of the incubation fluid. The data evidenced control of tissue pH ny intrinsic active acid-base regulating mechanisms, including an active control of hydrogen ion transport. Damage to the layer of glial footplates at the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata of bowfin brain impaired the tissue's capacity for acid-base regulation. The effects were demonstrable for up to 30 min of incubationin vitro; thereafter, the footplate layer deteriorated in nondamaged brains and there were no differences between damaged and nondamaged preparations.
Sequential Testing Theory and Stochastic Optimization Over Time

The first seven sections of this chapter give an overview of the theory of fully sequential tests, starting with simple hypotheses involving likelihood ratio statistics and then extending the theory to composite hypotheses via generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) statistics. This theory is of particular relevance to Sect. 5.2 on vaccine clinical trials. The theory is modified in Sect. 3.5 for group sequential designs and later for adaptive designs in Sect. 8.2.3. The classic result of Wald and Wolfowitz on the optimality of the sequential probability ratio test is derived in Sect. 3.6 by using dynamic programming that is also introduced in that section for general stochastic optimization over time. Dynamic programming is often difficult to implement directly for nonlinear models and approximate dynamic programming (ADP) methods have been developed to overcome the computational and analytical difficulties.
Preoperative mental health status may not be predictive of improvements in patient-reported outcomes following an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

OBJECTIVE Prior studies have correlated preoperative depression and poor mental health status with inferior patient-reported outcomes following lumbar spinal procedures. However, literature regarding the effect of mental health on outcomes following cervical spinal surgery is limited. As such, the purpose of this study is to test for the association of preoperative SF-12 Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores with improvements in Neck Disability Index (NDI), SF-12 Physical Component Summary (PCS), and neck and arm pain following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS A prospectively maintained surgical database of patients who underwent a primary 1- or 2-level ACDF during 2014-2015 was reviewed. Patients were excluded if they did not have complete patient-reported outcome data for the preoperative or 6-week, 12-week, or 6-month postoperative visits. At baseline, preoperative SF-12 MCS score was assessed for association with preoperative NDI, neck visual analog scale (VAS) score, arm VAS score, and SF-12 PCS score. The preoperative MCS score was then tested for association with changes in NDI, neck VAS, arm VAS, and SF-12 PCS scores from the preoperative visit to postoperative visits. These tests were conducted using multivariate regression controlling for baseline characteristics as well as for the preoperative score for the patient-reported outcome being assessed. RESULTS A total of 52 patients were included in the analysis. At baseline, a higher preoperative MCS score was negatively associated with a lower preoperative NDI (coefficient: -0.74, p 0.05 for each). The percentage of patients achieving a minimum clinically important difference at 6 months did not differ between the bottom and top MCS score halves (p > 0.05 for each). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that better preoperative mental health status is associated with lower perceived preoperative disability but is not associated with severity of preoperative neck or arm pain. In contrast to other studies, the present study was unable to demonstrate that preoperative mental health is predictive of improvement in patient-reported outcomes at any postoperative time point following an ACDF.
Language and Discourse Analysis with Coh-Metrix: Applications from Educational Material to Learning Environments at Scale

The goal of this article is to preserve and distribute the information presented at the LASI (2014) workshop on Coh-Metrix, a theoretically grounded, computational linguistics facility that analyzes texts on multiple levels of language and discourse. The workshop focused on the utility of Coh-Metrix in discourse theory and educational practice. We discuss some of the motivating factors that led to the development of Coh-Metrix, situated within the context of multilevel theoretical frameworks of discourse comprehension and learning. A review of published studies will highlight the applications of Coh-Metrix, ranging from the scaling and selection of educational material to learning environments at scale. The examples illustrate the relationship between discourse and cognitive, affective, and social processes. We walk through the pedagogical guidelines that should be followed when analyzing texts using Coh-Metrix. Finally, we conclude the paper with a general discussion of the future directions for Coh-Metrix including methodological and practical implications for the learning analytics (LA) and educational data mining (EDM) community.
Management of Isolated Atherosclerotic Stenosis of the Common Femoral Artery: A Review of the Literature.

Objective:Common femoral endarterectomy (CFE) remains the standard of care for treatment of atherosclerotic stenosis of the common femoral artery (CFA). Endovascular interventions have become the f...
Comparing Optical Coherence Tomography Radial and Cube Scan Patterns for Measuring Bruch’s Membrane Opening Minimum Rim Width (BMO-MRW) in Glaucoma and Healthy Eyes: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Analysis

Aim To compare the cube and radial scan patterns of the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for quantifying the Bruch’s membrane opening minimum rim width (BMO-MRW). Methods Sixty healthy eyes and 189 glaucomatous eyes were included. The optic nerve head cube and radial pattern scans were acquired using Spectralis SD-OCT. BMO-MRWs were automatically delineated using the San Diego Automated Layer Segmentation Algorithm. The BMO-MRW diagnostic accuracy for glaucoma detection and rates of change derived from the two scan patterns were compared. Results There was a significant difference between the baseline global BMO-MRW measurements of cube and radial scans for healthy (301.9±57.8 µm and 334.7±61.8 µm, respectively, p Conclusion Although the cube scan-based BMO-MRW was significantly smaller than the radial scan-based BMO-MRW, we found no significant difference between the two scan patterns for detecting glaucoma, identifying BMO location and measuring the rate of BMO-MRW change. These results suggest that although BMO-MRW estimates are not interchangeable, both scan patterns can be used for monitoring BMO-MRW changes over time.
Cancer Genetic Counseling Services (GCS) at Saint Francis Cancer Treatment Center (SFCTC).

e12506 Background: Approach to cancer prevention, detection, and therapy has been revolutionized by rapid progress in genetic/genomic technology making GCS a crucial component of cancer care. Major...
The Future of Ground Magnetometer Arrays in Support of Space Weather Monitoring and Research

A community workshop was held in Greenbelt, Maryland, on 5-6 May 2016 to discussrecommendations for the future of ground magnetometer array research in space physics. The community reviewed findings contained in the 2016 Geospace Portfolio Review of the Geospace Section of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Science of the National Science Foundation and discussed the present state of ground magnetometer arrays and possible pathways for a more optimal, robust, and effective organization and scientific use of these ground arrays. This paper summarizes the report of that workshop to the National Science Foundation (Engebretson & Zesta, 2017) as well as conclusions from two follow-up meetings. It describes the current state of U.S.-funded ground magnetometer arrays and summarizes community recommendations for changes in both organizational and funding structures. It also outlines a variety of new and/or augmented regional and global data products and visualizations that can be facilitated by increased collaboration among arrays. Such products will enhance the value of ground-based magnetometer data to the community's effort for understanding of Earth's space environment and space weather effects.
Comprehensive Examination of the Athlete's Shoulder.

Context:Shoulder pain and dysfunction are common, with patients presenting complaints to both primary and orthopaedic physicians. History and physical examination remain essential to creating a differential diagnosis, even as noninvasive imaging has improved.Evidence Acquisition:Literature was obtained through keyword searches based on the pathology in question (eg, rotator cuff) and the keywords physical examination using PubMed from January 1, 1980, through September 20, 2017. Additional evidence was obtained through screening references from articles identified through the PubMed searches.Study Design:Clinical review.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Results:A total of 7817 articles were screened for relevance. Several physical examination maneuvers have been described for each specific pathology. The Neer sign has a 75% sensitivity for subacromial impingement (SAI), while the Hawkins-Kennedy test has an 80% sensitivity. The painful arc test has an 80% specificity for SAI. The apprehension test has a hazard ra...
Macroautophagy and Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Heart Failure: The Known and the Unknown

Cardiac diseases including hypertrophic and ischemic cardiomyopathies are increasingly being reported to accumulate misfolded proteins and damaged organelles. These findings have led to an increasing interest in protein degradation pathways, like autophagy, which are essential not only for normal protein turnover but also in the removal of misfolded and damaged proteins. Emerging evidence suggests a previously unprecedented role for autophagic processes in cardiac physiology and pathology. This review focuses on the major types of autophagic processes, the genes and protein complexes involved, and their regulation. It discusses the key similarities and differences between macroautophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy, and selective mitophagy structures and functions. The genetic models available to study loss and gain of macroautophagy, mitophagy, and CMA are discussed. It defines the markers of autophagic processes, methods for measuring autophagic activities, and their interpretations. This review then summarizes the major studies of autophagy in the heart and their contribution to cardiac pathology. Some reports suggest macroautophagy imparts cardioprotection from heart failure pathology. Meanwhile, other studies find macroautophagy activation may be detrimental in cardiac pathology. An improved understanding of autophagic processes and their regulation may lead to a new genre of treatments for cardiac diseases.
A phase I dose escalation trial of nab-paclitaxel and fixed dose radiation in patients with unresectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer

Patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer typically have poor outcomes, with a median survival of approximately 16 months. Novel methods to improve outcomes are needed. Nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) has shown efficacy in pancreatic cancer and is FDA-approved for metastatic disease in combination with gemcitabine. Nab-paclitaxel is also a promising radiosensitizer based on laboratory studies, but it has never been clinically tested with definitive radiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma. We performed a phase 1 study using a 3 + 3 dose escalation strategy to determine the safety and tolerability of dose-escalated nab-paclitaxel with fractionated radiotherapy for patients with unresectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. Following induction chemotherapy with two cycles of nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine, patients were treated with weekly nab-paclitaxel and daily radiotherapy to a dose of 52.5 Gy in 25 fractions. Final dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) determination was performed at day 65 after the start of radiotherapy. Nine patients received nab-paclitaxel at a dose level of either 100 mg/m2 (n = 3) or 125 mg/m2 (n = 6). There were no observed grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicities. One DLT (grade 3 neuropathy) was observed in a patient who received 125 mg/m2 of nab-paclitaxel. Other grade 3 toxicities included fatigue (11%), anemia (11%) and neutropenia (11%). No grade 4 toxicities were observed. Following chemoradiotherapy, four patients (borderline resectable, n = 2 and unresectable, n = 2) underwent surgical resection, all with negative margins and with significant treatment effect with limited tumor viability. The combination of fractionated radiation and weekly full dose nab-paclitaxel was safe and well-tolerated.
“Fake News” and Emerging Online Media Ecosystem: An Integrated Intermedia Agenda-Setting Analysis of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election:

This study examined how fake news, misinformation, and satire, affected the emerging media ecosystem during the 2016 U.S. presidential election through an integrated intermedia agenda-setting analy...
A Massively Multi-user Online Game Framework for Agent-Based Spatial Simulation

Agent-based models (ABMs) (also referred to as multi-agent systems, or MAS, in literature) are widely used to model complex adaptive systems (CAS) through representing dynamic non-linear interactions amongst a large number of heterogeneous agents and their environments. However, these models often oversimplify real-life decisions and lack the cognitive authenticity present in real-world interactions. In this paper we argue that although role-playing games (RPGs) and massive multi-player online games were developed separately from ABMs, both exhibit high levels of spatially situated participation or collaboration, social interaction, and knowledge construction. We describe an online map-based gaming platform which simulates spatial scenarios as MAS using human participants as the decision agents. We use our prototype to demonstrate and discuss challenges that cyberGIS faces towards the facilitation of massively multi-user computational resources and methods along with the opportunities for a cyberGIS framework to provide improved understanding of complex systems.
The Potential Use of Glutaraldehyde-Fixed Liver Cells in the Study of Hepatic Reticuloendothelial and Parenchymal Cell Metabolism

Glutaraldehyde has been widely used to fix tissue for electron microscopic, histochemical, and biochemical studies [1–3]. This dialdehyde not only has the capacity to stabilize subcellular structures, but it does so without completely inhibiting certain enzymes. These are properties which make glutaraldehyde a desirable tool in tissue structure-function studies.
Evolution of collaboration and optimization of impact: self-organization in multinational research

The expanding presence of multinational research teams highlights the importance of characterizing the outcomes of international collaboration. Herein, we characterize the organization of international collaborations over four decades and report several advances which may be instructive of strategies to promote effective multinational teams. First, we uncover immutable and scale-dependent collaborative behaviors of countries governing the degree of foreign interactions and distribution of ties in multinational research. Second, we show an increased likelihood over time for countries to collaborate with nations of unequal scientific, economic, and social stature. Third, we demonstrate that temporal changes in foreign interactions result in the optimization of citation gains globally despite a lack of an association between the incidence of ties and impact in scientific relationships. These findings suggest that the assembly of multinational teams is naturally bounded and a self-organizing process. We propose that competing altruistic and egocentric citation priorities may influence partner selection resulting in modern multinational teams engendering greater absolute citation measures. Central to self-organizing systems such as market economies is the preservation of autonomy and easy diffusion of information, suggesting that enforcing these elements in science may enhance multinational teams.
Squamous cell carcinoma of gallbladder: A Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database review of demographics and survival.

4069Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder (SCCGB) is a rare subtype of gallbladder cancer (GBC) with its distinct biological behavior, different from gall bladder adenocarcinoma (A...
Probing Hydrogen Bonding Interactions to Iron‐Oxido/Hydroxido Units by 57 Fe Nuclear Resonance Vibrational Spectroscopy

Hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) have been shown to modulate the chemical reactivities of iron centers in iron-containing dioxygen-activating enzymes and model complexes. However, few examples are available that investigate how systematic changes in intramolecular H-bonds within the secondary coordination sphere influence specific properties of iron intermediates, such as iron-oxido/hydroxido species. Here, we used 57 Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to probe the Fe-O/OH vibrations in a series of FeIII -hydroxido and FeIV/III -oxido complexes with varying H-bonding networks but having similar trigonal bipyramidal primary coordination spheres. The data show that even subtle changes in the H-bonds to the Fe-O/OH units result in significant changes in their vibrational frequencies, thus demonstrating the utility of NRVS in studying the effect of the secondary coordination sphere to the reactivities of iron complexes.
Sport in the aspirational corporate university: a genealogy of athletic programming development at Towson University.

This project will specifically focus on the symbiotic relationship between the intercollegiate athletics program and corporatization of educational functions and leadership at Towson University as emblematic of the influence that neoliberal corporate capitalism has had on institutions of higher education and its stakeholders. We offer a genealogy of Towson University athletics to interrogate how the athletics program is a byproduct of, and vehicle for, the ascent of commercial imperatives and growing the consumer experience at the corporate university through authoritarian leadership and centralized governance. We conclude by making the argument that the corporate university lacks any real semblance of shared governance and that it has been to the very real detriment of the many stakeholders administrators suggest they are beholden to.
Age‐Dependent Increasing Risk Aversion and the Equity Premium Puzzle

We introduce a new preference structure—age‐dependent increasing risk aversion (IRA)—in a three‐period overlapping generations model with borrowing constraints, and examine the behavior of equity premium in this framework. We find that IRA preferences generate results that are more consistent with U.S. data for the equity premium, level of savings and portfolio shares, without assuming unreasonable levels of risk aversion. We find that the relative difference between the two risk aversions (how much more risk‐averse old agents are relative to the middle‐aged) matters more than the average risk aversion in the economy (how much more risk‐averse both cohorts are). Our findings are robust with respect to a number of model generalizations.
Congenital Coronary Artery Anomalies in the Adult

Clearly, the most common obstructive disease resulting in myocardial ischemia in adults is atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, which often requires coronary artery bypass surgery or transcatheter stenting. A number of congenital lesions can also cause ischemic syndromes that can result in myocardial infarction and sudden death. The treatment options for these anatomic coronary variations are rarely coronary artery bypass, so they deserve our attention and review.
NCAA Expenditure and Efficiency: Analyzing Generated and Allocated Revenue in the Football Bowl Subdivision:

Using a stochastic production function approach and a dynamic panel data estimator, this study creates estimates of time-varying efficiency in the production of generated revenues for NCAA Division...
Far Infrared Spectroscopy Applications

The far infrared region, which is defined from 200 to 10 cm − 1 , is the region where large amplitude anharmonic vibrations are found. A relatively large amount of data has been reported for molecules in the gaseous state from which internal rotational barriers have been determined, conformational stabilities obtained, and large amounts of information on anharmonicities were discovered. A large amount of data was obtained on solid state materials in the earlier spectroscopic studies but the quantity of these studies was significantly reduced until recently. New applications of far infrared (Terahertz) have been reported which may invigorate this spectral region.
StateLock: State Transition Based Logic Locking for Sequential Circuits

Logic locking is a promising design-for-trust solution to the hardware IP piracy problem. Early logic locking methods for combinational circuits were susceptible to Boolean satisfiability (SAT) based attacks. Recently proposed SAT-based attack methods have shown success in unlocking locked sequential logic circuits without scan chain access. This paper introduces a new logic locking scheme that locks a sequential circuit on the occurrence of a chosen rare state transition. A novel approach to selecting suitable states for the ‘locking’ transition using the gate-level netlist of the design is proposed. Two unique methods to estimate the rarity of occurrence of the chosen states are discussed. Additionally, techniques to increase the error rate of the locked design are presented. The attack resiliency of the proposed technique against the Sequential SAT attack is demonstrated using several standard benchmark circuits.
Misconceptions of probabilities and independence: A study of college students’ understanding of gambling and chance

We investigate the level of understanding of probability as related to games and gambling, and the concept of independence of events using a convenience sample of college undergraduates taking an i...
Are Nutrition Standards for Beverages in Schools Associated with Healthier Beverage Intakes among Adolescents in the US

Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Smart Snacks in School standards, beverages sold in schools are restricted to water, flavored or unflavored non-fat milk or unflavored low-fat milk (and milk alternatives), and 100% fruit and vegetable juices; and, at the high school level, diet (≤10 kcal), low-calorie (≤60 kcal), and caffeinated beverages may also be sold. Using data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, this study examined whether secondary school student beverage consumption was associated with school-level a la carte and vending machine beverage availability, controlling for district, school, and student characteristics. On average, most beverages sold in middle schools (84.54%) and high schools (74.11%) were Smart Snacks compliant; while 24.06 percent of middle school students and 14.64 percent of high school students reported consuming non-compliant beverages, including non-compliant milk, fruit drinks, and sports or energy drinks. School beverage availability was not related to consumption among middle school students; however, high school students were less likely to consume non-compliant beverages when enrolled in schools that sold a higher proportion of compliant beverages (Range: OR = 0.97-0.98, 95% CI = 0.95, 1.00). Findings from this study build upon prior research illustrating the role that schools can play in influencing student dietary intake.
The earth mover's distance as the symmetric difference of Young diagrams

Classically, the earth mover's distance is the solution to an optimal transport problem given two input vectors (supply and demand); in the discrete setting, the input vectors are tuples of integers and therefore can be regarded as histograms. In this paper, we express the earth mover's distance between two histograms as the symmetric difference of a pair of Young diagrams. Using this combinatorial approach, we prove a result (which extends even to the continuous setting) relating the earth mover's distance to the difference of the histograms' averages. Generalizing the notion of "difference" to an arbitrary number of histograms, we show that the distribution of these differences (on tuples of histograms) is encoded in the character of a certain virtual representation of the special linear group. We therefore visualize this distribution as a single weight diagram with support in the Type A root lattice.
Building A Sustainable Shelf: The Role of Firm Sustainability Reputation

Abstract The reputation of firms for being environmentally friendly and socially responsible is a key purchase driver for sustainable products. However, the commitment of firms to sustainability varies – some firms are founded on strong environmental and social principles; other more traditional firms are built on strong product/brand focus and are not known for sustainability. In response to market trends, many traditional firms are introducing sustainable products to their portfolios. We argue that the firm’s sustainability reputation (FSR) will influence consumer purchase with respect to equally sustainable products from different firms. Two choice studies demonstrate that FSR favors sustainable product choice when the consumer decides between equally sustainable products. However, FSR affects the choice only for sustainable products and not regular products and does so only for consumers that construe sustainability at a high (abstract) level. Retailers should pay attention to the role that FSR plays in consumer response when they select sustainable products to sell.
All for one, though not one for all: team players in normal tissue radiobiology.

PURPOSE As part of the special issue on 'Women in Science', this review offers a perspective on past and ongoing work in the field of normal (non-cancer) tissue radiation biology, highlighting the work of many of the leading contributors to this field of research. We discuss some of the hypotheses that have guided investigations, with a focus on some of the critical organs considered dose-limiting with respect to radiation therapy, and speculate on where the field needs to go in the future. CONCLUSIONS The scope of work that makes up normal tissue radiation biology has and continues to play a pivotal role in the radiation sciences, ensuring the most effective application of radiation in imaging and therapy, as well as contributing to radiation protection efforts. However, despite the proven historical value of preclinical findings, recent decades have seen clinical practice move ahead with altered fractionation scheduling based on empirical observations, with little to no (or even negative) supporting scientific data. Given our current appreciation of the complexity of normal tissue radiation responses and their temporal variability, with tissue- and/or organ-specific mechanisms that include intra-, inter- and extracellular messaging, as well as contributions from systemic compartments, such as the immune system, the need to maintain a positive therapeutic ratio has never been more urgent. Importantly, mitigation and treatment strategies, whether for the clinic, emergency use following accidental or deliberate releases, or reducing occupational risk, will likely require multi-targeted approaches that involve both local and systemic intervention. From our personal perspective as five 'Women in Science', we would like to acknowledge and applaud the role that many female scientists have played in this field. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, some of whom are fellow contributors to this special issue.
Assessment of Operational Effectiveness of SynchroGreen Adaptive Signal Control System in South Carolina

An adaptive signal control system (ASCS) can adjust signal timings in real time based on traffic demands. The operational benefits of ASCS vary depending on the type of ASCS, corridor characteristi...
Validity Evidence Supporting the Comunicación y Habilidades Interpersonales (CAI) Scale for Medical Spanish Communication and Interpersonal Skills Assessment.

Purpose While many schools teach medical Spanish to improve communication with the growing Spanish-speaking population, a standardized assessment methodology is lacking. This study evaluates validity evidence for a newly developed Spanish Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS) scale. Method The authors developed the Comunicacion y Habilidades Interpersonales (CAI, pronounced /kī/) scale by culturally and linguistically adapting a 14-item validated English CIS scale. Sources of validity evidence were gathered targeting content, response process, internal structure, relations to other variables, and consequences. The CAI was administered as part of an objective structured clinical examination at 2 medical schools from April to June 2020. Results The authors mapped CAI items onto USMLE Step 2 CIS behavioral functions and medical Spanish learner competencies to examine content validity. The mean item difficulty and item discrimination estimates are 2.86 (SD = .34) and .81 (SD = .08), respectively, demonstrating good psychometric properties at the item level. Internal-consistency reliability for a single case was .96. Learner variance accounted for 12% of total variance, demonstrating ability to differentiate higher and lower performing learners; the person-case interaction accounted for 44% of total variance, indicating strong case specificity. Conclusions The CAI has higher case specificity than previously reported in English, suggesting that the nuanced contextual elements of individual cases may matter even more when learners are using limited language skills. Implementing the CAI more widely may promote inclusion of patient-centered communication skills as part of curricular content and activities. This study's validity evidence may inform the development of a future medical Spanish certification examination.
Reforming the US Social Security: Wage Indexing or Price Indexing: An Option Theory

Using an option pricing framework, we extend Stock and Wise (1990)’s and Fraser, Jennings, and King (2000)’s into a new model that shows how different forms of price indexing alter the calculation of the present values of Social Security benefits. We find that, under the current method (wage indexing), the Social Security Trust Fund will quickly deteriorate and eventually go bankrupt. We use present values of monthly Social Security benefits to establish that the PIA factor indexing will least likely affect the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund. Using our results, we propose that a swift action be taken to implement the PIA factor indexing as recommended by the 2001 Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Our results demonstrate that without changes to the Social Security program, the program could quickly default by 2048. In view of the foregoing, we advocate a hurried action by Congress to confront the upcoming Social Security insolvency.
Glycitein induces cellular differentiation in nontumorigenic prostate epithelial cells

that increased consumption of soy is associated with a reduced risk for prostate cancer. Soy isoflavones are thought to be responsible, in part, for this anticancer activity. Soy isoflavones have been shown to induce cellular differentiation in a number of tissues. However, isoflavone-induced differentiation in the prostate has not been examined. The present study examined the effects of the soy isoflavone, glycitein, on luminal and basal cell differentiation in a nontumorigenic prostate epithelial cell line (RWPE-1). Differentiation was characterized by inhibition of cellular proliferation, cell cycle arrest, and cytokeratin expression. Cytokeratins are differentially expressed among epithelial cell types with luminal prostate epithelial cells expressing cytokeratins 8/18 while basal epithelial cells express cytokeratins 5/14. Treatment of RWPE-1 cells with the soy isoflavones genistein, daidzein, equol, and glycitein (0-50μM) significantly inhibited cellular proliferation at 50μM and glycitein inhibited cellular proliferation at 5 and 50μM. Expression cytokeratin 18 was increased upon treatment of RWPE-1 cells with with N-(4hydroxyphenyl) retinamide (4-HPR, 1μM), while glycitein treatment (50μM, 8 d) significantly reduced expression of this luminal marker. These data suggest that glycitein may induce basal cell differentiation in the RWPE-1 cell line. Maintaining the basal cell population within the prostate may represent a novel mechanism by which soy isoflavones reduce prostate cancer risk. ABSTRACT Elizabeth A. Clubbs and Joshua A. Bomser OSU Interdisciplinary PhD program in Nutrition, The Ohio State University, Columbus OH 43210, USA
View‐angle dependent AIRS cloud radiances: Implications for tropical anvil structures

[1] Tropical anvil clouds play important roles in redistributing energy, water in the troposphere. Interacting with dynamics at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, they can become organized internally and form structured cells, transporting momentum vertically and laterally. To quantify small-scale structures inside cirrus and anvils, we study view-dependence of the cloud-induced radiance from Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) using channels near CO2 absorption line. The analysis of tropical eight-year (30°S–30°N, 2003–2010) data suggests that AIRS east-views observe 10% more anvil clouds than west-views during day (13:30 LST), whereas east-views and west-views observe equally amount of clouds at midnight (1:30 LST). For entire tropical averages, AIRS oblique views observe more anvils than the nadir views, while the opposite is true for deep convective clouds. The dominance of cloudiness in the east-view cannot be explained by AIRS sampling and cloud microphysical differences. Tilted and banded anvil structures from convective scale to mesoscale are likely the cause of the observed view-dependent cloudiness, and gravity wave-cloud interaction is a plausible explanation for the observed structures. Effects of the tilted and banded cloud features need to be further evaluated and taken into account potentially in large-scale model parameterizations because of the vertical momentum transport through cloud wave breaking.
Purification of A1 adenosine receptor from rat brain membranes.

Abstract The A1 adenosine receptor from rat brain membranes has been purified about 50,000-fold to apparent homogeneity by sequential use of affinity chromatography on immobilized xanthine amine congener-agarose, hydroxylapatite chromatography, and reaffinity chromatography. The overall yield starting from the membranes was approximately 4%. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified preparation gave a broad single band of an apparent molecular weight of 34,000 either by silver staining or autoradiogram after radioiodination. The purified receptor bound approximately 24 nmol of 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-[3H]dipropylxanthine/mg of protein with a dissociation constant of 1.4 nM. This maximum specific binding value is consistent with the expected theoretical specific activity (29.4 nmol/mg) for a protein with a molecular mass of 34,000 daltons if it is assumed that there is one ligand-binding site/receptor molecule. Affinity-labeling experiments using [3H]p-phenylenediisothiocyanate-xanthine amine congener showed that the Mr = 34,000 protein band contained the ligand-binding sites. The purified receptor gave a typical A1 adenosine receptor pharmacological specificity similar to that of unpurified receptor preparations.
High-Frequency TaO x -Based Compact Oscillators

In this paper, we demonstrate three key features of oxide-based nano-oscillators: 1) the observation of threshold switching and filamentary oscillations in TaO x ; 2) the highest frequency achieved by oxide-based oscillators; and 3) a study with linear (resistor) and nonlinear (transistor) ballasts to clearly understand the role of filament dynamics in scaling. These oscillators show frequency tunability over the range of 20 kHz–250 MHz, with 250 MHz being the highest reported frequency for this class of oscillators. Different types of ballasts show frequency tunability using two distinct methods: 1) by tuning the channel resistance of the transistor and 2) by increasing the rail voltage across the ballast–device pair. This sheds new light on the oscillator dynamics for dense oscillator arrays aimed at oscillatory neural networks and other applications.
The Tea Party's Constitution

Tea Party activists have declared that the central goal of their movement is to return the federal government to constitutional principles. The sudden prominence and power of the Tea Party movement calls for an examination of its constitutional vision. Describing that vision presents a challenge, however, because Tea Party supporters do not invoke the Constitution as a text in need of interpretation but instead as a repository of what they consider the nation’s fundamental and unchallengeable values. This essay examines the Tea Party’s vision of the Constitution in light of THE FIVE THOUSAND YEAR LEAP and THE MAKING OF AMERICA, two books written by W. Cleon Skousen in the 1980s that have been enthusiastically embraced by the Tea Party movement. Tea Party supporters have made the books best sellers, and Tea Party groups extensively use the books to educate their members about the Founding Fathers’ plan for the nation. The books, however, are decidedly strange sources to inspire a contemporary political movement. They are products of the paranoid edges of the radical right wing of the Cold War era, and their main thrust is that Founding Fathers were devout Christians who discovered certain ancient principles of government that provide the only hope to save the United States from international communism. The Tea Party movement has embraced Skousen’s books because the movement shares with Skousen what can best be characterized as a fundamentalist vision of the Constitution. Like religious fundamentalist movements, the Tea Party movement arises in opposition to modern developments that supporters believe conflict with foundational principles. Like fundamentalist movements, the Tea Party movement reaches back to a mythic past, the foundation of the nation, to identify the fundamental principles they espouse, principles that believers perceive to be under attack – belief in God, individualism, limited government, the free market, and the sanctity of private property. To Tea Party supporters, adherence to the fundamental principles they project onto the Constitution serves to divide true believers in the constitutional faith from “anti-Americans” who would compromise or subvert the nation’s fundamental principles.