cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selective in vivo radiosensitization by 5-fluorocytosine of human colorectal carcinoma cells transduced with the E. coli cytosine deaminase (CD) gene

Purpose: The E. coli cytosine deaminase (CD) gene encodes an enzyme capable of converting the nontoxic prodrug 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a known radiosensitizer. Having previously shown that combined CD suicide gene therapy and radiation (RT) results in pronounced radiosensitization in vitro, we progressed to in vivo studies of combined therapy. Methods and Materials: WiDr human colon cancer cells were transduced in vitro with the CD gene and cells expressing CD were selected for use as xenografts in a nude mouse model. After administration of 5-FC, tumors received 10 ‐30 Gy local field radiation (RT) and tumor growth delay was compared to control animals receiving either 5-FU, 5-FC, or RT alone. Results: Maximal growth delay was seen in mice treated with 5-FC for 6 consecutive days prior to RT. Combined treatment with 15 Gy radiation resulted in a dose-modifying factor (DMF) of 1.50, and a greater DMF was observed with higher doses of radiation. There was no appreciable toxicity using this new approach. In contrast, a similar treatment of combined 5-FU and radiation resulted in considerable toxicity and no appreciable radiosensitization. Conclusion: The present results show that combined suicide gene therapy and RT results in pronounced antitumor effect without any notable toxicity. This indicates that the CD gene may be useful in the development of novel treatment strategies combining radiation and gene therapy in the treatment of locally advanced cancers. © 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. Cancer gene therapy, Cytosine deaminase, Radiosensitization.
Tamper-Resistant, Application-Aware Blocking of Malicious Network Connections

Application-level firewalls block traffic based on the process that is sending or receiving the network flow. They help detect bots, worms, and backdoors that send or receive malicious packets without the knowledge of users. Recent attacks show that these firewalls can be disabled by knowledgeable attackers. To counter this threat, we develop VMwall, a fine-grained tamper-resistant process-oriented firewall. VMwall's design blends the process knowledge of application-level firewalls with the isolation of traditional stand-alone firewalls. VMwall uses the Xen hypervisor to provide protection from malware, and it correlates TCP or UDP traffic with process information using virtual machine introspection. Experiments show that VMwall successfully blocks numerous real attacks--bots, worms, and backdoors--against a Linux system while allowing all legitimate network flows. VMwall is performant, imposing only a 0---1 millisecond delay on TCP connection establishment, less than a millisecond delay on UDP connections, and a 1---7% slowdown on network-bound applications. Our attack analysis argues that with the use of appropriate external protection of guest kernels, VMwall's introspection remains robust and helps identify malicious traffic.
Effect of Intensive Lipid Lowering, With or Without Antioxidant Vitamins, Compared With Moderate Lipid Lowering on Myocardial Ischemia in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease The Vascular Basis for the Treatment of Myocardial Ischemia Study

Background— Lipid lowering with statins prevents adverse cardiac events. Both lipid-lowering and antioxidant therapies may favorably affect vasomotor function and thereby improve ischemia. Methods and Results— In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 300 patients with stable coronary disease, a positive exercise treadmill test, 48-hour ambulatory ECG with ≥1 episode of ischemia, and fasting total cholesterol of 180 to 250 mg/dL were assigned to 1-year treatment with intensive atorvastatin to reduce LDL to <80 mg/dL (n=96), intensive atorvastatin to reduce LDL to <80 mg/dL plus antioxidant vitamins C (1000 mg/d) and E (800 mg/d) (n=101), or diet and low-dose lovastatin, if needed, to reduce LDL to <130 mg/dL (n=103; control group). Ischemia end points, including ambulatory ECG monitoring and exercise treadmill testing, and endothelial assessment using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation were obtained at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Baseline characteristics were similar in all groups....
Spectrum control procedures for the national radio astronomy observatory

The Green Bank site for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the Sugar Grove site for the Naval Radio Research Laboratory (NRRL) were located fairly close together with the hope that both could share in the locally relatively low radio noise environment that existed when the installations were first built. The procederes which have been followed to maintain, as far as possible, the scientific value of this environment are described, and some examples of the degree to which this effort is succeeding are given. Similar problems will arise at the site chosen for the very large array (VLA) in New Mexico and these are discussed briefly.
Both CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells Respond to Antigens Fused to Anthrax Lethal Toxin

The lethal toxin produced by Bacillus anthracis is a bipartite toxin in which the first protein, protective antigen (PA), transports the second protein, lethal factor, across the host cell membrane. We have previously shown that CD8+ T-cell epitopes fused to a nontoxic derivative of lethal factor (LFn) are delivered into the host cell cytosol in a PA-dependent manner. Delivery of these antigens targets them to the intracellular major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I processing and presentation pathway and leads to the stimulation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in vivo. In this report, we describe the generation and characterization of LFn fusion proteins that include not only a CD8+ T-cell epitope but also a CD4+ T-cell epitope. We first show that these fusion proteins induce antigen-specific CD4+ T-cell responses following incubation with dendritic cells in vitro or injection into mice. Stimulation of CD4+ T cells by LFn fusion proteins does not require PA but is enhanced by PA in vitro. We also show that a single LFn fusion protein and PA can deliver antigen to both the MHC class II and the MHC class I pathways, resulting in the simultaneous induction of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells and antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the same mouse. These results suggest that this toxin delivery system is capable of stimulating protective immune responses where effective immunization requires stimulation of both classes of T cells.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in women: exploring gender differences

Purpose of reviewChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. This major public health threat is ranked twelfth as a worldwide burden of disease and is projected to rank fifth by the year 2020 as a cause of lost quantity and quality o
On the Performance of Selection Cooperation ARQ

We extend current Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) protocols by proposing a cross-layer communication system, which relies on selection cooperation at the physical layer. We argue that selection cooperation is a better alternative to Distributed Space-Time Block Coding (DTSBC) when coupled with non-cooperative ARQ protocols. The Selection Cooperation ARQ (SCARQ) system proposed in this paper performs better than competing alternatives, such as the DSTBC ARQ or the non-cooperative ARQ schemes, and has the added benefit of being simple to implement. To facilitate comparisons with cooperative and non-cooperative approaches, we develop a formula to calculate the throughput of the SCARQ system. The accuracy of the throughput formula is verified through Monte Carlo simulations. Using the proposed formula, we determine that a significant improvement in the performance of the retransmission process is achieved by using selection cooperation only among a small number of nodes.
Generalization of hierarchical retinotopic networks using stochastic distortion models

The generalization of hierarchical retinotopic networks is modeled as a type of probability measure called "tail probability" with a stochastic distortion field. Learning in the network memorizes the exemplars in terms of the distribution. Generalization in a hierarchical retinotopic network is characterized by the probability measure of multilevel events and decision making at each abstraction level. The concept is applied to automatically generating a hierarchical retinotopic network during the leaning of exemplars. This approach is called Cresceptron and it has been tested on learning, recognizing and segmenting a variety of real-world objects based on their 2-D images. >
Robust and gain-scheduling control of LFT systems through duality and conjugate Lyapunov functions

In this paper, we study stability and performance properties of linear fractional transformation (LFT) parameter-dependent systems using duality theory and tools from convex analysis. A pair of conjugate functions, the convex hull and the maximum of a family of quadratic functions, are used for analysis and synthesis of LFT systems. Sufficient synthesis conditions for both robust state feedback and gain-scheduling output feedback control problems are formulated as a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) with linear search over scalar variables. Finally, a numerical example is used to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed approaches.
P-76: Numerical Simulations of Nematic Liquid Crystal by Finite Difference Method

In spite of the fact that many simulation programs have already been commercialized, this article provides a reliable methodology for the simulation of the director field of liquid crystal. The present method is easier to be applied than ref. [1,2], especially in various asymmetric pretilt orientations and twists angles. Through this technique, ITRI/OES is developing a series of spreadsheets. Present work is simple and easy to be extended to dynamics and two/three dimensional simulations. The giving grid test also shows that for small discrete numbers the errors will become serious while position is near the rubbing surface. Some of the published simulation works do not mention about this.
Plasma thrombosis markers following cerebral infarction in African Americans.

Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 541 Clinical Drive, Room 292, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5111, USA Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, OH, USA University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, 541 Clinical Drive, Room 292, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5111, USA
Using CogTool to model programming tasks

In this paper, we describe the use of CogTool, a tool that enables non-psychologists to create cognitive models of user tasks from which reliable estimates of skilled user task times can be derived. We show how CogTool was used to compare a new parallel programming toolkit built on Eclipse, with Vim, a programming editor typically used in command line environments. This comparison was conducted to evaluate new parallel/scientific systems as part of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's High Productivity Computing Systems initiative. Our models indicate that for the four tasks analyzed, the new Eclipse tools are faster than the command line environments. Surprisingly, our models also reveal that despite programmers' preference for keyboard interaction in command line environments, mouse-based interaction is sometimes faster.
Programming heterogeneous clusters with accelerators using object-based programming

Heterogeneous clusters that include accelerators have become more common in the realm of high performance computing because of the high GFlop/s rates such clusters are capable of achieving. However, heterogeneous clusters are typically considered hard to program as they usually require programmers to interleave architecture-specific code within application code. We have extended the Charm++ programming model and runtime system to support heterogeneous clusters (with host cores that differ in their architecture) that include accelerators. We are currently focusing on clusters that include commodity processors, Cell processors, and Larrabee devices. When our extensions are used to develop code, the resulting code is portable between various homogeneous and heterogeneous clusters that may or may not include accelerators. Using a simple example molecular dynamics (MD) code, we demonstrate our programming model extensions and runtime system modifications on a heterogeneous cluster comprised of Xeon and Cell processors. Even though there is no architecture-specific code in the example MD program, it is able to successfully make use of three core types, each with a different ISA (Xeon, PPE, SPE), three SIMD instruction extensions (SSE, AltiVec/VMX and the SPE's SIMD instructions), and two memory models (cache hierarchies and scratchpad memories) in a single execution. Our programming model extensions abstract away hardware complexities while our runtime system modifications automatically adjust application data to account for architectural differences between the various cores.
Comparative analysis of teleseismic P coda and Lg waves from underground nuclear explosions in Eurasia

This study has investigated the characteristics of P coda and Lg waves recorded at the NORSAR and Graefenberg arrays from presumed nuclear explosions in western Russia. Lg waves were found to be more energetic, relative to the preceding coda, in the mid-band frequency range (0.2 to 1.0 Hz) recorded on the broadband Graefenberg instruments than in the high-frequency band (0.6 to 3.0 Hz) at either array. Comparison of the log-rms coda envelopes at the two arrays revealed that the early high-frequency P coda at NORSAR is stronger, relative to Lg , than at Graefenberg. Also, the amplitudes of P waves and early P -coda waves, within 55 sec after P , recorded at the centers of the NORSAR subarrays, are positively correlated indicating the effect of focusing-defocusing on the P and coda waves. However, for subarrays which cluster spatially, there is an inverse correlation which seems to be due to scattering attenuation, suggesting that much of the early P coda is generated by local P -wave scattering beneath the NORSAR array. Also, the NORSAR coda envelopes flatten between about 219 and 352 sec after P , whereas the Graefenberg coda decays monitonically from the P wave out to the Sn and Lg arrival times. The standard deviation across the NORSAR array of the log-rms amplitudes of Lg and S -coda phases are higher by about 0.05 to 0.06 magnitude units than those of P -coda phases. These differences are probably related to differential site and propagation path effects on P , S , and Lg waves in the P coda. The flattening of the NORSAR coda envelopes appears to be a burst of energy not associated with any known regional phases. The burst may be caused by forward scattering of Lg to P waves along the path between the source and NORSAR. Based on a regional travel-time curve for western Russia, the start and end time of the coda flattening is consistent with Lg -to- P scattering in the distance range of 23° to 29° from NORSAR, which brackets the Ural Mountains. The Lg propagation path from the source region to Graefenberg does not appear to traverse the Ural Mountains which may explain why the coda flattening is not observed at Graefenberg.
Steady-State Response of Yielding Shear Structure

An approximate analytic technique is used to investigate the steady-state response of a continuous shear beam including both yielding and viscous dissipation. The yield model is one which gives a general class of systems having continuously rounded hysteresis loops. Two different effective damping parameters are defined for such a system; one based on observations of peak resopnse and the other based on bandwidth measurements. It is shown that the effective damping in each mode of the yielding system is strongly dependent on the excitation amplitude, and that the two different damping definitions can give results which differ by as much as 40%. The effective damping in the lowest several modes of the system may either decrease, remain nearly constant, or increase with increasing mode number depending on the parameters describing the system and the level of excitation.
Transmetalation of Alkyl Ligands from Cp*(PMe3)IrR1R2 to (cod)PtR3X

Transmetalation of alkyl and carboxylate ligands between Cp*(PMe3)Ir complexes and d8 Pt and Pd complexes is described. Studies on the scope and kinetics of this reaction support a mechanism in which carboxylate dissociation from the Pt or Pd center precedes alkyl transfer from Ir. Subsequent reaction of the resulting Pt or Pd alkyl complex enables functionalization of the hydrocarbyl ligands and suggests new opportunities for catalytic, nondirected C–C and C–H bond functionalization reactions.
In the Eye of the Beholder: A Reply to Ilgen and Moore

In this article the authors reply to criticism levied at a paper they published. They note that the main issues that the criticism focused on were the reliability of their Women as Managers Scale a...
A Technic for Appraising Ability to Resist Gravitational Shock in the Rabbit

SummaryA technic is proposed through which changes in degree of tolerance for the upright position can be followed in the rabbit. Through use of the technic, a minimum tolerance is demonstrated in rabbits harboring depleting infections, and in rabbits softened by maintenance for a week or more in cages too small to permit exercise, and a heightened tolerance following subjection to either a preliminary chilling sequence, a single preliminary chilling followed by ascorbic acid administration, or a sequence of feedings of desiccated thyroid.
Simultaneous Determination of Four Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites in Urine by Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction-HPLC

A dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction-HPLC method was established for the simultaneous determination of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites(1-hydroxypyrene,naphthalene,1-naphthol and 2-naphthol)in urine samples.The chromatographic conditions were optimized and the experimental conditions such as extraction solvent and volume,dispersive solvent and volume,extraction time,amount of salt,pH and temperature were optimized.Under the optimal conditions,the working curves of the four components were established,the correlation coefficients were 0.9999,and the linear ranges of the four components were up to 103.The detection limits ranged from 0.06to 0.3ng/mL(S/N =3).The average recoveries of urine samples were from 95.4% to 105% and the relative standard deviations were between 2.4%and 3.5%.
Hyperbolic Stress-Strain Response: Cohesive Soils

The divergent concepts of a stability analysis, as compared with a load-deformation approach to soil mechanics, are shown to be compatible within the framework of a hyperbolic stress-strain relation. The two-constant hyperbolic form of the stress-strain response is such that the ultimate shear strength of the soil is contained within the general formulation and appears in the mathematical limit of the stress as the strain becomes excessive. This is quantiatively demonstrated for a remolded cohesive soil tested in consolidated-undrained triaxial compression. The variables contained in the hyperbolic stress-strain relation include the preconsolidation pressure, rebound stress, lateral pressure during the test, vertical normal stress, strain, and rate of strain. History effects are included in terms of the overconsolidation ratio. The general formulations obtained for the consolidated-undrained triaxial tests are compared with the results reported in the literature by other investigators for both drained and undrained consolidated triaxial tests under various conditions.
Computer-Aided Discovery: Toward Scientific Insight Generation with Machine Support

The process of scientific discovery is traditionally assumed to be entirely executed by humans. This article highlights how increasing data volumes and human cognitive limits are challenging this traditional assumption. Relevant examples are found in observational astronomy and geoscience, disciplines that are undergoing transformation due to growing networks of space-based and ground-based sensors. The authors outline how intelligent systems for computer-aided discovery can routinely complement and integrate human scientists in the insight generation loop in scalable ways for next-generation science. The pragmatics of model-based computer-aided discovery systems go beyond feature detection in empirical data to answer fundamental questions, such as how empirical detections fit into hypothesized models and model variants to ease the scientist's work of placing large ensembles of detections into a theoretical context. The authors demonstrate successful applications of this paradigm in several areas, including ionospheric studies, volcanics, astronomy, and planetary landing site identification for spacecraft and robotic missions.
Moving women's health forward: Mainstreaming gender into global women's health programming.

Health and well-being for women and girls is linked to their social circumstances, which are strongly mediated by gender norms and roles. Sex differences are recognized to be important in moderatin...
Environmental Justice and Pedestrianism: Sidewalk Continuity, Race, and Poverty in New Orleans, Louisiana

Extensive research documents the unequal distribution of benefits and harms from automobiles and transit, but little transportation research on environmental justice considers differing access to and quality of pedestrian infrastructure by race and income. This study uses an audit of sidewalk continuity adjacent to bus stops in New Orleans, Louisiana, to determine whether sidewalk continuity had a relationship to census tract-level poverty and racial composition. The analysis shows that minority populations and, to some extent, populations living in poverty are significantly associated with worse sidewalk connectivity. Disparities in the quality of pedestrian infrastructure warrant more attention, and future research could examine potential disparities in differing locations, as well as the role of governmental and nongovernmental actors in sidewalk provision.
Long-term Outcomes of Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation in Adolescent Patients

Background:Treating symptomatic articular cartilage lesions is challenging, especially in adolescent patients, because of longer life expectancies and higher levels of functional activity. For this...
Section 21 of the 1992 Rehabilitation Act Amendments and diversity articles

This study explores whether the passage of Section 21 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 is associated with an increased publication of articles on diversity topics in four mainstream rehabilitation journals to understand the correlation between the passage of this legislation and publication behavior among rehabilitation academics. The findings revealed that twice as many diversity-related articles were published after the passage of Section 21 of the 1992 Rehabilitation Act Amendments as before. Diversity themes among articles published before Section 21 differed from those published after its passage.
Non-epithelial Tumors of the Colorectum

Several types of mesenchymal and hematopoetic neoplasm may involve the colorectum. Although a definitive diagnosis is rarely made at the time of frozen section analysis, it is important for the pathologist to be familiar with common mesenchymal and hematopoetic tumors so that they may facilitate surgical management and appropriately triage tissue for ancillary studies. The most common mesenchymal tumors of the colon are gastrointestinal stromal tumors, but neoplasms that recapitulate the phenotypes of smooth muscle cells, Schwann cells, and fibroblasts also develop in this location. Most hematopoetic neoplasms that involve the colon are B-cell lymphomas, and they may affect either immunocompetent or immunocompromised individuals.
Testing the library

The Cody/Waite book, Software Manual for the Elementary Functions [CW80], made two extremely important contributions to the quality of elementary-function libraries, which were frankly dismal on many computing systems until the mid to late 1980s.
Assessment of Death Notification Skills Among Emergency Medicine Residents Using GRIEV_ING in High-Fidelity Patient Simulation

Death notification, the verbal communication to a next-of-kin survivor after a patient has died, is a stressful and high-stakes procedure. Trainees in emergency medicine should achieve competency in death notification delivery by the completion of residency, but this has not been previously demonstrated. GRIEV_ING is a validated assessment tool for death notification skills. This study utilized the GRIEV_ING checklist in a high-fidelity simulation environment to assess the performance of emergency medicine residents compared to a minimum passing standard. Post-graduate year 1–4 residents participated in a simulation case in which the patient died. Residents were asked to deliver a death notification to a standardized patient playing the role of the patient’s next-of-kin. Resident performance on the GRIEV_ING checklist was scored by the standardized patient and by a faculty member. A minimum passing standard was determined using the Ebel and Hofstee methods. Resident performance was compared to the minimum passing standard. Agreement between standardized patient and faculty physician raters was good (K = 0.6572; 95% CI 0.6121–0.7024). The minimum passing standard as determined by the Ebel and Hofstee methods was 56.2 and 54%, respectively. Residents did not uniformly meet or exceed the minimum passing standard. There was no statistically significant difference in faculty rated resident performance by post-graduate year on any of the 28 checklist items. Workplace-based instruction alone is insufficient for all emergency medicine residents to achieve mastery of death notification skills. Future efforts should focus on ensuring resident competency in this critical domain.
From Writer to Technician to Programmer: A Comment on

That Agnew and Palmer's paper should be selected as the best paper of SIGDOC 92 suggests how much the field of documentation has changed in the last ten years. Our concerns fare increasingly centered on the technology of text, rather than on paper texts that support the user of technology. Text has become part of the machine itself, and writers are themselves not so much writers as technicians.
A Systematic Review of Economic Evidence on Community Hypertension Interventions.

Context Effective community-based interventions are available to control hypertension. It is important to determine the economics of these interventions. Evidence acquisition Peer-reviewed studies from January 1995 through December 2015 were screened. Interventions were categorized into educational interventions, self-monitoring interventions, and screening interventions. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were summarized by types of interventions. The review was conducted in 2016. Evidence synthesis Thirty-four articles were included in the review (16 from the U.S., 18 from other countries), including 25 on educational interventions, three on self-monitoring interventions, and six on screening interventions. In the U.S., five (31.3%) studies on educational interventions were cost saving. Among the studies that found the interventions cost effective, the median incremental costs were $62 (range, $40–$114) for 1-mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and $13,986 (range, $6,683–$58,610) for 1 life-year gained. Outside the U.S., educational interventions cost from $0.62 (China) to $29 (Pakistan) for 1-mmHg reduction in SBP. Self-monitoring interventions, evaluated in the U.S. only, cost $727 for 1-mmHg reduction in SBP and $41,927 for 1 life-year gained. For 1 quality-adjusted life-year, screening interventions cost from $21,734 to $56,750 in the U.S., $613 to $5,637 in Australia, and $7,000 to $18,000 in China. Intervention costs to reduce 1 mmHg blood pressure or 1 quality-adjusted life-year were higher in the U.S. than in other countries. Conclusions Most studies found that the three types of interventions were either cost effective or cost saving. Quality of economic studies should be improved to confirm the findings.
Some Hamiltonian Cayley Graphs

No negative example or positive proof is known for the conjecture that every Cayley graph is hamiltonian. Trivalent Cayley graphs are especially interesting, being at the same time the simplest nontrivial Cayley graphs and those most likely to be nonhamiltonian, because of the small number of edges. In this note, we use the eulerian or hamiltonian structure of one graph to find a hamiltonian cycle in another. This technique is then used to expand certain trivalent Cayley graphs into hamiltonian Cayley graphs at the expense of higher valency.
Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in California: A Critical Evaluation

This chapter provides an overview and evaluation of state and local finance in California. This evaluation may be timely, since national and state policy makers have again raised the issue of intergovernmental fiscal reform. Initiatives at the national level include the “New Federalism” of the Nixon and Reagan administrations, as well as more recent proposals by the Clinton administration and the Republican opposition to devolve the welfare function to state governments. The National Council of State Legislators has recommended that state governments reexamine the assignment of fiscal powers between state and local government. At the same time, policy makers in many other nations have expressed interest in governance reform, and particularly in decentralization of fiscal functions.
High-Pressure Habitats

The influence of pressure on biological systems attracted the interest of scientists at Accademia del Cimento in Florence and of Robert Boyle in England during the seventeenth century. Science historian Stephen G. Brush credits Boyle for introducing ‘a new dimension – pressure – into physics’. Euler provided the first mathematical definition of pressure in the eighteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, the concept of pressure had been developed into its present-day meaning. Pressure and temperature are today fundamental parameters for physical–chemical theory, for the description of environments, in industrial chemistry and biotechnology, and in both laboratory and ecological investigations of organisms. An indispensable aspect to the analysis of organisms inhabiting high-pressure environments is that temperature and pressure are coordinate variables.
Subject Pools and Deception in Agricultural and Resource Economics Experiments

The use of student subjects and deception in experiments are two controversial issues that often raise concerns among editors and reviewers, which might prevent quality research from being published in agricultural and resource economics (ARE) journals. We provide a self-contained methodological discussion of these issues. We argue that field professionals are the most appropriate subjects for questions related to policy or measurement, and students are the most appropriate subjects for scientific research questions closely tied to economic theory. Active deception, where subjects are provided with explicitly misleading information, has been avoided in the mainstream economics discipline because it can lead to a loss of experimental control, lead to subject selection bias, and impose negative externalities on other researchers. Disciplinary ARE journals may want to abide by these norms against deception to maintain credibility. Interdisciplinary ARE journals may have more flexibility, although it is important to provide guidelines to avoid too much reviewer-specific variation in standards. For ARE researchers, we suggest employing a deception-free experimental design whenever possible because we know of no field in which deception is encouraged.
Evaluation of weather-related freeway car-following behavior using the SHRP2 naturalistic driving study database

Abstract Adverse weather conditions negatively impact the safety, mobility, and reliability of the transportation network. Weather-responsive traffic management (WRTM) strategies have been developed to counteract the hazards of adverse weather on the transportation system. In order to secure investments into applications designed to mitigate adverse weather impacts, explicit evidence of the perceived benefits and challenges are required. Microsimulation modeling is a common tool used to anticipate these impacts and can be used in real-time operational strategies. To achieve reliable output results, realistic driving behavior must be represented in the models. The purpose of this paper is to present findings related to intra-driver heterogeneity as a function of weather: that is, the adjustment of drivers’ behavior to compensate for different adverse weather conditions. This study evaluates drivers’ car-following behavior in various adverse weather conditions—rain, snow, and fog—and calibrates the Gipps car-following model to identify the transferability of those behavioral nuances. The results produce conclusive evidence that intra-driver heterogeneity exists in different adverse weather conditions and indicate that this heterogeneity can be captured by calibrated Gipps parameters. This study supports the need for the inclusion of weather considerations in current microsimulation modeling practices and contributes a novel trajectory validation methodology that can be used to compare observed and modeled behaviors when correlation between model parameters exists.
The Body of the Collective and the Changing Fortunes of Utopia in the New Cuban Art

The ‘New Cuban Art’ counted among its practitioners collectives whose work enacted various forms of quasi-utopian schemes during the decades from the 1980s-2000s. this article discusses some of those projects.
Staging systems for gastric cancer: more complex than TNM.

Gastric cancer is an aggressive malignancy with varying incidences worldwide. Accurate staging systems are necessary in order to help determine prognosis and guide treatment. Given the rapidly evolving role of multi-modal systemic (chemotherapy, targeted therapy) and regional (chemoradiation) therapy in both the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting, there is an even greater need for comprehensive and accurate prognostic staging systems.
Actively-monitored periodic-poling in thin-film lithium niobate photonic waveguides with ultrahigh nonlinear conversion efficiency of 4600 %W-1cm-2.

Chip-scale implementations of second-order nonlinear optics benefit from increased optical confinement that can lead to nonlinear interaction strengths that are orders of magnitude higher than bulk free-space configurations. Here, we present thin-film-based ultraefficient periodically-poled lithium niobate nonlinear waveguides, leveraging actively-monitored ferroelectric domain reversal engineering and nanophotonic confinement. The devices exhibit up to 4600 %W−1cm−2 conversion efficiency for second-harmonic generation, pumped around 1540 nm. In addition, we measure broadband sum-frequency generation across multiple telecom bands, from 1460 to 1620 nm. As an immediate application of the devices, we use pulses of picojoule-level energy to demonstrate second-harmonic generation with over 10% conversion in a 0.6-mm-long waveguide. Our ultracompact and highly efficient devices address growing demands in integrated-photonic frequency conversion, frequency metrology, atomic physics, and quantum optics, while offering a coherent link between the telecom and visible bands.
Abstract 15: Trends in Atrial Fibrillation-related Cardiovascular Mortality Rates in The United States: 1999-2017

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia in adults and the prevalence is increasing due to the aging of the population and the growing burden of vascular risk fa...
Laser processing of dielectrics using spatiotemporally tuned ultrashort pulses

The authors report on the theoretical and experimental studies of laser-induced optical breakdown on the surface of fused silica to elucidate the influence of time delay and spatial separation between two ultrashort pulses on the position and size of the modification. Carriers involved in the damage formation including free electrons in the conduction band and self-trapped excitons (STEs) are investigated. The relationship between damage morphology and time delay shows that the seeding carriers (free electrons and STEs) generated from the first pulse are found to play a significant role for the second pulse—which is temporally and spatially separated from the first pulse—in creating the critical electron density needed for an optical breakdown. Consequently, processing outcomes, such as accuracy (position of the hole) and resolution (size of the hole), depend on the interplay of various laser-induced physics that can be tailored for specific goals. As a demonstration, laser lithography with resolution below the diffraction limit is achieved by exploiting multipulse induced physics. This work is a step toward repeatable laser processing of dielectrics beyond the diffraction limit and provides insights into ultrafast laser-matter interaction under the condition of an extremely high pulse repetition rate.
Propagation of Cannabis for Clinical Research: An Approach Towards a Modern Herbal Medicinal Products Development.

Cannabis (Cannabaceae) is one of the oldest cultivated plants for fiber, food and medicine. The plant has been reported to contain over 560 different compounds belonging to a diverse group of chemical classes, the most important of which is the cannabinoids. There are 120 cannabinoids reported so far. Among the cannabinoids, D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (D9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two major compounds with very different pharmacological profile and a tremendous therapeutic potential. Due to its medicinal properties, cannabis has gained a lot of popularity in the last few decades. However, there are many challenges in bringing cannabis from grow-farms to pharmaceuticals. Among many, one important challenge is to maintain the supply chain of biomass, which is consistent in its cannabinoids profile. Cannabis is a wind-pollinated species which is highly allogamous (cross fertilization) in nature. If grown from seeds, it is very difficult to maintain the consistency in cannabinoid profile of produced biomass. A high degree of plant to plant variation in the cannabinoid profile is also observed. The problem becomes worse when more than one variety are grown together. To avoid this process, male plants are removed from growing fields as they appear. Even with that practice, still there are fair chances of cross fertilization. Therefore, controlled indoor cultivation for screening, selection of high yielding female plants based on their cannabinoids profile and their conservation and multiplication using vegetative propagation and/or micropropagation is a suitable path to ensure consistency in biomass material. In this chapter, the botany and propagation of elite cannabis varieties will be discussed.
Murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru) meal as an additive to elephant grass silage

Background: Tropical grasses, such as elephant grass, have high moisture content during its ideal phenological state for silage. High moisture content hinders proper preservation and reduces the nutritive value of silage due to secondary fermentation and production of effluents. Adding feed materials with high dry matter content, such as murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru) meal, is a potential alternative to improve silage yield. Objective: To determine the effects of including murumuru meal (0, 7, 14, 21, and 28%) on the fermentative characteristics, microbiological activity, aerobic stability, and chemical composition of elephant grass silages. Methods: A completely randomized design with five treatments and five replicates was used. Elephant grass was collected at 60 d of age, minced, and homogenized with murumuru meal. The mass was placed in experimental 15-L silos. The silos were collected and analyzed 45 d later. Results: Effluent production decreased (p<0.05) as the proportions of murumuru meal in silage increased. A quadratic effect (p<0.05) was observed on dry matter recovery. An increase (p<0.05) was observed in dry matter content, a decrease (p<0.05) in the neutral detergent fiber content, and an increase (p<0.05) in the non-fibrous carbohydrate content with the inclusion of murumuru meal. Conclusions: Addition of murumuru meal improves chemical composition and does not affect the fermentative characteristics of elephant grass silage, while it reduces effluent losses. Nevertheless, the inclusion of murumuru meal in the elephant grass silage decreased the time of aerobic stability.
On the in vivo origin of human nasal mesenchymal stem cell cultures.

Objectives Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), classically expanded in culture from bone marrow, are of broad interest to the regenerative medicine community. Human nasal turbinate mesenchymal-like stem cell cultures have also been described, defined by an in vitro phenotype similar to bone marrow MSCs. Nonetheless, the identity in vivo of the cells that give rise to nasal MSC-like cultures remains unclear, and these cells are often suggested to be related to olfactory lineages. Here, we sought to define the in vivo phenotype of human nasal MSC-like cells. Methods Human turbinate tissue samples were used for RNA and immunohistochemical analysis. We also analyzed a recently published single cell RNA-sequencing dataset from adult human olfactory and respiratory mucosa samples from our lab, to focus on cell populations expressing MSC markers. Immunochemistry was performed to stain turbinate sections and nasal MSC cultures for selected markers. Results While there is no single MSC-specific gene, we identified a human nasal mucosal cell population in vivo that uniquely expressed transcripts characteristic of typical MSC cultures, including ENG (CD105), NES, and CD34, and lacked expression of other transcripts associated with surface epithelia. The expression of transcription factors such as SOX17, EBF1, and FOXP1 suggests cells in the MSC-like cluster maintain an ability to direct cell fate, consistent with the behavior of nasal MSC-like cells in vitro. SOX17 was found to be uniformly expressed by nasal MSC cultures, consistent with the in vivo data. Immunohistochemistry of human nasal tissue samples indicated that ENG, CD34, and SOX17 expression localized selectively to cells surrounding blood vessels in the lamina propria. Conclusion Our findings provide evidence that the in vivo origin of nasal MSC-like cultures is likely a vascular or pericyte population, rather than cells related to the olfactory neuronal lineage. Level of evidence NA.
The Role of Angioplasty Alone in Intracranial Atherosclerosis: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Intracranial atherosclerosis disease (IAD) is the cause of stroke in up to 10% of cases. Symptomatic IAD results mainly from hypoperfusion, embolic phenomenon, and occlusion. Treatment consists of conservative management with aggressive medical treatment, surgery, and endovascular therapy.1,2 This video is about a 62-yr-old male who presented with left-sided hemiparesis and right gaze preference secondary to an acute ischemic stroke in the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory treated initially with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Head computed tomography (CT) angiography (CTA) revealed occlusion of the extracranial and cavernous segments of the internal carotid artery (ICA). CT perfusion (CTP) showed hypoperfusion in the MCA territory and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multifocal, wedge-shaped areas of restricted diffusion in the right hemisphere. During his hospitalization, he experienced worsening of his symptoms in the setting of hypoperfusion (hypotension). The patient underwent a cerebral angiogram with thrombectomy and submaximal angioplasty (SA). Successful revascularization of the right ICA was obtained. No procedure-related complications occurred, and the patient's neurological exam improved. SA can be as efficient and a safer option than conventional angioplasty or angioplasty and stenting for symptomatic IAD. The patient consented for the procedure and for the video production.
Instance-Optimized Data Layouts for Cloud Analytics Workloads

Today, businesses rely on efficiently running analytics on large amounts of operational and historical data to gain business insights and competitive advantage. Increasingly, such analytics are run using cloud-based data analytics services, such as Google BigQuery, Microsoft Azure Synapse, Amazon Redshift, and Snowflake. These services persist and process data in compressed, columnar formats, stored in large blocks, each of which contains thousands or millions of records. For these services, disk I/O from (remote) cloud storage is often one of the dominant costs for query processing. To reduce the amount of I/O, services often maintain per-block metadata, such as zone maps, which are used to skip blocks that are irrelevant to the query, leading to lower query execution times. However, the effectiveness of block skipping via zone maps is dependent on how the records are assigned to blocks. Recent work on instance-optimized data layouts aims to maximize block skipping by specializing the block assignment strategy to a specific dataset and workload. However, these existing approaches only optimize the layout for a single table. In this paper, we propose MTO, an instance-optimized data layout framework that determines the blocking strategy for all tables in a multi-table database in the presence of joins, such as in a star or snowflake schema common in real-world workloads. MTO takes advantage of sideways information passing through joins to jointly optimize the layout for all tables, which results in better block skipping and hence reduced query execution times. Experiments on a commercial cloud-based analytics service show that MTO achieves up to 93% reduction in blocks accessed and 75% reduction in end-to-end query times compared to alternative blocking strategies.