cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Secreted by Activated Stroma Enhances Angiogenesis and Hormone-Independent Growth of Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer

"Reactive" or activated stroma characterizes many malignancies including breast cancers. Recently, we isolated a reactive mouse mammary gland stromal cell line called BJ3Z. These cells express alpha-smooth muscle actin and stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) and are tumorigenic when injected into mice. Here we show that, in vivo, BJ3Z cells influence the angiogenesis and proliferation of xenografted estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 human breast cancer cell-derived solid tumors. The growth-promoting effects of BJ3Z cells are equivalent to those of estradiol (E(2)). BJ3Z cells also increase the proliferation of normal mouse mammary luminal cells adjacent to tumors. In vitro, BJ3Z cells reorganize and increase the proliferation of cocultured malignant MCF-7 and normal human breast MCF10A cells grown as organoids in three-dimensional culture. The effects of BJ3Z cells on MCF-7 cells are equivalent to those of E(2). In contrast, BJ3Z cells do not alter the growth of highly aggressive ER-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. We show that BJ3Z cells secrete vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The growth of MCF-7 organoids induced by BJ3Z can be inhibited by antagonists of VEGF and SDF-1. Conversely, recombinant VEGF stimulates the proliferation of MCF-7, but not MDA-MB-231, organoids. We conclude that, in addition to angiogenesis, VEGF released by activated stroma increases the growth of ER-positive malignant epithelial cells and of adjacent normal epithelium. Because activated stroma can substitute for E(2) and fosters hormone-independent growth of ER-positive tumors, we suggest that breast cancers exhibiting intrinsic hormone resistance may respond to antiangiogenic therapies.
Mesoscale Structure in the Megalopolitan Snowstorm of 11–12 February 1983. Part I: Frontogenetical Forcing and Symmetric Instability

Abstract A cyclone moving northeastward off the coast of the northeastern United States on 11–12 February 1983 was accompanied by a band of heavy snow across all the major cities of this region from Washington to Boston. Frontegenetical forcing and symmetric instability are discussed as possible explanations of the intense precipitation. Rawinsonde data were analyzed to investigate the roles of these effects in this case. We found that intense ascent was part of a thermally direct transverse circulation, to be expected in response to frontogenetical forcing when the symmetric stability in the warmer air is small. Symmetric instability per se in the saturated major cloud mass may have been responsible for pulselike oscillations in its top. These were men in satellite imagery, elongated in the direction of the tropospheric thermal wind.
Specimens of the billfish Xiphiorhynchus van Beneden, 1871, from the Yazoo Clay Formation (late Eocene), Louisiana

In 1974, Fiersline and Applegate described a new species of billfish, Xiphiorhynchus kimblalocki, based on a rostrum, two vertebrae, and two partial fin spines, from the Yazoo Clay For­ mation, late Eoccne, Mississippi, U.S.A. This was the first sub­ stantiated record of Xiphiorhynchus van Beneden, 1871, outside of western Europe. Since this initial discovery, there have been three other records of Xiphiorhynchus in the United States. Based on four rostral fragments, Breard and Stringer (1995) listed Xiphiorhynchus among the numerous marine vertebrates they collected in the Yazoo Clay Formation, late Eocene, Loui­ siana. There was no formal description and identification was restricted to the generic level. Fierstine and Starnes (2005) iden­ tified X. cf. X. eocaenicus (Woodward, 1901), in the Moodys Branch Formation, middle Eocene, Mississippi, based on com­ parison with X. eocaenicus (Woodward, 1901), from the Brack­ lesham Beds, middle Eocene, England. Monsch and colleagues (2005) confirmed that the holotype of X. rotundus (Woodward, 1901), a featureless, phosphate impregnated rostrum with a vague provenance, was collected in the late Oligocene or early Miocene of the Charleston region, Soulh Carolina. Here we report new specimens (three partial rostra) of Xi­ phiorhynchus that were collected in the Yazoo Clay Formation, late Eocene, Louisiana, U.S.A. Two of the better preserved specimens are identified as X. kimblalocki, and although the third specimen is poorly preserved and only identified to genus, il belongs to a species distinct from X. kimblalocki. We compare all three specimens to other species of Xiphiorhynchus and discuss the difficulty in confirming the identity of rostra that have been referred to X. priscus (Agassiz, 1844) because the holotype of X. priscus is a poorly preserved skull without a ros­ trum.
Teaching Exponential and Logistic Growth in a Variety of Classroom and Laboratory Settings

Ecology and conservation biology contain numerous examples of populations growing without bounds or shrinking towards extinction. For these populations, the change in the number of individuals generally follows an exponential curve. On the other hand, limited resources may keep population numbers in check and help maintain the population at the environment's carrying capacity. These density-dependent constraints on population growth can be described by the logistic growth equation. The logistic growth equation provides a clear extension of the density-independent process described by exponential growth. In general, exponential growth and decline along with logistic growth can be conceptually challenging for students when presented in a traditional lecture setting. Establishing a solid understanding of exponential and logistic growth, core concepts in population and community ecology, provides a foundation on which students can build on in future studies. The module described here, employed in either a laboratory or classroom setting is designed to actively engage students in building their understanding of exponential and logistic processes. The module includes components that address a variety of learning styles (visual and tactile, for example). The module consists of pre-module assessments of students’ prior knowledge, three short “chalk talks” on exponential and logistic growth, the activities, and post-module assessments.
Reflections on Andes' Goal-free User Interface

Although the Andes project produced many results over its 18 years of activity, this commentary focuses on its contributions to understanding how a goal-free user interface impacts the overall design and performance of a step-based tutoring system. Whereas a goal-aligned user interface displays relevant goals as blank boxes or empty locations that the student needs to fill with specific content, a goal-free user interface is essentially a blank canvas, with no visual indications of the goals that should be attempted next. This commentary also briefly mentions work that occurred after the “final” report on Andes appeared in this journal in 2005. The newer work focused on getting students to ask for hints when they need them.
Optotype recognition under degradation: comparison of size, contrast, blur, noise and contour‐perturbation effects

Visual acuity is measured by diminishing letter size till recognition threshold is reached, letters varying in legibility. In this experiment, size reduction was compared with other means of handicapping letter legibility.In five normal observers, discrimination thresholds for 13 sans-serif capital letters in a 5 × 4 format were obtained by a staircase procedure for size reduction, as well as for 20 minutes of arc (logMAR = 0.6) letters subjected to four kinds of image degradation: reducing contrast, convolving with blurring spread, embedding in noise and perturbing contour smoothness.Threshold correlation and distribution of response errors show prominent differences and indicate the degree to which the visual processing of the various modes of image degradation is distinct.The validation of four other ways of impairing the recognition of optotypes in addition to size diminution reveals their potential in the differential diagnosis of defects in pattern detection, in evaluating therapeutic regimens and in developing concepts of form perception.
Understanding platelet generation from megakaryocytes: implications for in vitro–derived platelets

Platelets are anucleate cytoplasmic discs derived from megakaryocytes that circulate in the blood and have major roles in hemostasis, thrombosis, inflammation, and vascular biology. Platelet transfusions are required to prevent the potentially life-threatening complications of severe thrombocytopenia seen in a variety of medical settings including cancer therapy, trauma, and sepsis. Platelets used in the clinic are currently donor-derived which is associated with concerns over sufficient availability, quality, and complications due to immunologic and/or infectious issues. To overcome our dependence on donor-derived platelets for transfusion, efforts have been made to generate in vitro-based platelets. Work in this area has advanced our understanding of the complex processes that megakaryocytes must undergo to generate platelets both in vivo and in vitro. This knowledge has also defined the challenges that must be overcome to bring in vitro-based platelet manufacturing to a clinical reality. This review will focus on our understanding of committed megakaryocytes and platelet release in vivo and in vitro, and how this knowledge can guide the development of in vitro-derived platelets for clinical application.
Annamae Palmer Crite and Allan Rohan Crite: Mother and Artist Son — An Interview

Allan Rohan Crite, Afro-American, is an artist of extraordinary achievement. He was born in North Plainfield, New Jersey, on March 20, 1910, and has lived in the South End neighborhood of Boston since he was six months old. He is a graduate of Boston schools, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and Harvard University. He has produced a vast amount of work in oils and watercolors as well as drawings, prints, and church murals. He has exhibited widely in the eastern United States and is represented in many institutional and private collections, including Boston Atheneum, Museum of Fine Arts, National Center for Afro-American Artists, Boston; Fogg Museum, Harvard University; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts; Museum of Modem Art, New York; AfroAmerican Historical and Cultural Museum, Philadelphia; National Collection of Fine Arts, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; Art Institute of Chicago; International Business Machines Corporation; and a number of churches. Harvard University Press has published two books of his illustrations based on spirituals: Were You There (1944) and Three Spirituals from Earth to Heaven (1948). He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by Suffolk University, Boston, in 1979.
Geospatial Analysis of Depressional Wetlands near Peace River Watershed Phosphate Mines, Florida, USADepressional Wetlands Analysis

Mining throughout the Floridan aquifer system alters groundwater conditions. Determination of magnitude and extent of groundwater alterations in this regional karst aquifer system is difficult due to preferential flow paths, blasting, and widespread aquifer withdrawals and injections. Additionally, hydrologic models do not reveal subsurface impacts to the biotic environment, such as destruction of vegetative buffers, which are essential habitat for endangered and threatened species and other wildlife, and degradation from invasive species responding to hydroperiod disruptions. Our case study uses remote sensing and a geographic information system (GIS) to evaluate near-infrared (NIR) data for natural herbaceous depressional (wet prairie) wetlands in a central Florida phosphate mining area. These wetlands characteristically are dominated by graminoids, which have lower NIR reflectance and consequent digital numbers (DNs) in remotely sensed imagery than invasive species associated with hydroperiod alterations. Maximum aquifer withdrawals of 76,457 m 3 /d were permitted in November 1977 and remain active for study-area mines, which are surrounded primarily by un-irrigated pasture. Digital color infrared aerial imagery acquired in winter 2003–04 (1-m ground resolution) was used to extract NIR values within depressional wetlands. Digital historic (mid-1950s) U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle maps (1:24,000 scale) were selected to delineate baseline wetland boundaries using ESRI ArcGIS 9.2. The study area included 567 of these wetlands, totaling 1,367 hectares. High mean NIR values (≥100 DN) consistent with hydroperiod-altered wetlands dominated by invasive plant species characterized 284 wetlands (50 and 60 percent total number and area, respectively), including some >5 km from study-area mines. Only 108 wetlands (20 and 10 percent total number and area, respectively) had low mean NIR values (≤80 DN) indicative of natural wet prairies without invasive species. Shallow ditches were not a statistically significant factor influencing NIR signatures in these wetlands. The spatial distribution of wetlands with high NIR DNs was inconsistent with conical groundwater drawdown predicted by groundwater models but suggests more linear fluid movement via subsurface preferential NW-SE flow paths.
Band gaps and lattice solitons for the higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a periodic potential

Localization and dynamics of the one-dimensional biharmonic nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) equation in the presence of an external periodic potential is studied. The band-gap structure is determined using the Floquet-Bloch theory and the shape of its dispersion curves as a function of the fourth-order dispersion coupling constant $\ensuremath{\beta}$ is discussed. Contrary to the classical NLS equation ($\ensuremath{\beta}=0$) with an external periodic potential for which a gap in the spectrum opens for any nonzero potential, here it is found that for certain negative $\ensuremath{\beta},$ there exists a nonzero threshold value of potential strength below which there is no gap. For increasing values of potential amplitudes, the shape of the dispersion curves change drastically leading to the formation of localized nonlinear modes that have no counterpart in the classical NLS limit. A higher-order two-band tight-binding model is introduced that captures and intuitively explains most of the numerical results related to the spectral bands. Lattice solitons corresponding to spectral eigenvalues lying in the semi-infinite and first band gaps are constructed. In the anomalous dispersion case, i.e., $\ensuremath{\beta}l0$ (where for the self-focusing nonlinearity no localized nonradiating solitons exist in the absence of an external potential), nonlinear finite-energy stationary modes with eigenvalues residing in the first band gap are found and their properties are discussed. The stability of various localized lattice modes is studied via linear stability analysis and direct numerical simulation.
Analysis of emergency public health events in Baiyun district of Guangzhou during 2008-2012

Objective To study the epidemiological characteristics emergency public health events in Baiyun district and provide scientific reference for effective prevention and control.Methods The epidemiological date of public health emergencies in Baiyun district in 2008-2012 were analyzed by descriptive epidemiological method.Results During 2008-2012,a total of 54 public health emergencies were reported,there were 1 194 patients and 7 death cases.Forty-eight were caused by infectious diseases,twenty-nine were caused by HIN1 influenza.A total of 34 cases the largest number of reporting events in 2009.The events mainly occurred in June,September,and December,a total of 36 cases(57.41%) in schools.Average time for the initial case report was 5.60 days.Conclusion Respiratory infectious disease class occupies the first place of Baiyun district in public health emergencies.Emergency prevention and control work is focused on infectious diseases and food poisoning in the school.Timeliness of reporting is conducive to control.
Differential megakaryocytic desensitization to platelet agonists

Platelets are released into the peripheral circulation from the bone marrow where they arise as fragments of megakaryocyte cytoplasm. To characterize the effects of platelet agonists on megakaryocytes, we examined calcium signaling and desensitization to thrombin, the thromboxane A2 (TxA2) mimetic (15S)-hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5Z,13E-dienoic acid (U46619), and platelet-activating factor (PAF) in cultured CHRF-288-11 megakaryocytic cells. Initially, we compared agonist-stimulated calcium transients in fura-2-loaded CHRF-288-11 cells and human platelets. The 50% effective concentration values for the agonists to increase free cytosolic calcium were as follows: thrombin (0.11 +/- 0.02 U/ml in CHRF, 0.19 +/- 0.03 U/ml in platelets), U46619 (147 +/- 33 nM in CHRF, 157 +/- 5 nM in platelets), and PAF [15 +/- 2 nM in CHRF, 16 +/- 2 nM in platelets (n = 4 each)]. CHRF-288-11 thrombin, TxA2, and PAF receptors were demonstrated to be coupled to phospholipase C because each of the agonists stimulated phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis in myo-[3H]inositol-loaded CHRF-288-11 cells and pharmacological inhibition of phospholipase C-blunted agonist-stimulated calcium signaling. CHRF-288-11 cells exposed to the three agonists for 1 h showed different patterns and extent of homologous and heterologous desensitization. Protein kinase C activation appeared to be necessary but not sufficient for desensitization because 1) activation of protein kinase C with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate inhibited the calcium responses to all three agonists, 2) inhibition of protein kinase C with staurosporine attenuated subsequent desensitization to each agonist, and 3) each agonist increased protein kinase C activity in CHRF-288-11 cell homogenates.
Quantifying soluble carbohydrates in tropical leaves using a portable mid‐infrared sensor: Implications for primate feeding ecology

Identifying the nutritional composition of food items has significant ramifications for primate feeding ecology, which, in turn, influences investigations of primate sociality, cognition, and conservation. The aim of our study was to analyze water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations in the leaves of trees common to the Diani Forest of Kenya. Many of these leaves are consumed by black and white colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis palliatus). We assessed whether the infrared spectral data collected using a portable spectrometer can be used to accurately predict WSC concentrations. WSC content was first quantified using the phenol-sulfuric acid method for young and mature leaves of 24 species and ranged from 1.15% to 9.16% dry weight. Spectral data were recorded with a spectrometer equipped with an attenuated total reflectance accessory (Agilent Cary 630) and analyzed using partial least squares regression. The spectral region from 1600 cm(-1) to 1000 cm(-1) gave unique polysaccharide bands associated with carboxyl, acetyl, and glycosidic linkages of sugar residues. The multivariate analysis gave excellent performance parameters with correlation coefficient (r(2) ) of 0.95 and standard error of cross-validation of 0.6% WSC. We found that IR spectroscopy provides a rapid and accurate technique for analyzing WSC concentrations and offers primatologists many advantages over wet chemistry methods for analyzing nutritional composition. Am. J. Primatol. 78:701-706, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Security Goals and Evolving Standards

With security standards, as with software, we cannot expect to eliminate all security flaws prior to publication. Protocol standards are often updated because flaws are discovered after deployment. The constraints of the deployments, and variety of independent stakeholders, mean that different ways to mitigate a flaw may be proposed and debated.
Reactions to Dissatisfaction in Marketplace: Complaint Styles of Optimist and Pessimist Consumers

A conceptual analysis indicates that the learned helplessness paradigm is a promising explanatory framework to study consumer complaint behavior. The major proposition of this model is that consumers with pessimistic attributional styles choose passive means of dealing with dissatisfaction experiences in the marketplace. In addition, the study investigates differences in reactions to dissatisfaction with services versus tangible products. Initial empirical findings generally support the learned helplessness proposition. Results also identify significant differences between complaint actions of those who are dissatisfied with a service versus a product. Practical implications and future research needs are discussed.
Classifying the Radical Right

This chapter starts by clarifying the comparative framework and the primary sources of survey data employed in this study. The book is based upon the ‘most different’ research design, including thirty-nine countries with contrasting democratic histories, patterns of industrial development, and political institutions, as well as divergent electoral fortunes for the radical right. Countries are compared if included in either of the primary survey data sources: the European Social Survey 2002 and the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems 1996–2001. The national variations are important since they provide insights into the underlying conditions facilitating electoral support for these parties. The chapter then discusses the best way to conceptualize and define parties such as the French Front National, the Austrian FPO, and the Belgian Vlaams Blok, and explains the party typology used in this study. For a consistent classification, this book uses both ‘expert’ and ‘voter’ judgments to identify the location of parties across the ideological spectrum. This chapter draws upon the most recent expert survey, conducted in 2000 by Marcel Lubbers, supplemented by those contained in the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems and by similar sources. Careful classification is an important preliminary step before examining whether parties within the radical right family share certain similar social and ideological characteristics, as so often assumed. On this basis, Chapter 3 then goes on to briefly summarize the electoral fortunes of the most significant contemporary radical right parties studied in depth throughout the rest of the book.
SELECTION OF BASE TEXT

The base text is the source of the entries in the concordance as it is eventually published. The base text is the authority for what the concordance contains and the ultimate recourse of the concordance user for information not to be found in the concordance. The base text is ontos and telos, alpha and omega, the beginning and end of the common concern of the concordancer and the reader. The editor takes the text as content and gives it another form in the concordance; the user studies the rearranged material and returns finally to the original literary text. Therefore, the selection of the base text is of paramount importance. In his choice, the concordancer is guided by various considerations such as authority, comprehensiveness, accessibility, cheapness, and copyright. When there is no comprehensive edition prepared according to sound modern principles and generally accepted as “standard,” the would-be concordancer has problems. In such an event, it sometimes occurs that much of the impetus for a concordance derives from dissatisfaction with existing editions. Work may already be in progress towards a definitive edition for which a concordance would supply an invaluable working tool.
Consumer knowledge affects valuation of product attributes: Experimental results for wine

Abstract While a substantial literature on the effect of professional expertise in markets exists, consumers’ “homegrown” knowledge has received little attention in economics. We combine data from a novel valuation experiment, in which participants received information about and bid on wines sequentially, with data on participants’ wine knowledge to examine knowledge and bid updating. High knowledge participants did not value wines differently, but did update bids more with objective information, such as appellation and expert rating, than did low knowledge participants. Both low and high knowledge participants updated their bids significantly after taste-testing the wines. Our findings provide evidence that knowledge and preference are separable, and that knowledge captures a factor giving consumers the ability to process information to form expectations of product quality. Though both low and high knowledge consumers use sensory information, we find differences in preference for wines based on sensory information between low and high knowledge consumers. Our results suggest that knowledge is an important variable to consider in markets for complex, multi-attribute products.
Publishing Trends in the Field of Pediatric Emergency Medicine From 2004 to 2013.

Objective To identify publishing trends within the field of pediatric emergency medicine between 2004 and 2013. Methods We conducted a MEDLINE search of pediatric emergency medicine articles, filtered by clinical trial, published between 2004 and 2013 in ten journals from the fields of pediatrics, emergency medicine, general medicine, and pediatric emergency medicine. Each article was classified by journal type, study design, results (positive or negative/equivocal), age/type of subjects, and major topic (based on the objective of the study). Articles were stratified by publication period (2004-2008 or 2009-2013) to analyze trends. Results A total of 464 articles were analyzed. The majority of articles were described as randomized-controlled trials (47%) with negative/equivocal findings (70%). The most common major topics were pain management, asthma, sedation, bronchiolitis, resuscitation, simulation, and ultrasound. Over time, the percentage of articles published in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine journals increased (P = 0.0499) and the percentage for all study designs increased except for randomized controlled trials (P = 0.0089). There were no differences between the 2 publication periods when stratified by results, age/type of subjects, and major topic. Conclusions By identifying these trends, we hope to encourage researchers to perform studies in the field of pediatric emergency medicine where deficiencies lie and to guide pediatric health care professionals to where published, evidence-based studies can be found in the medical literature.
Natural History of AML / MDS Relapsing after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Using Reduced Intensity (RIC) Preparative Regimens.

Abstract Patients relapsing after HSCT preceded by myeloablative preparative regimens have in general a poor prognosis. Less is known of the natural history of relapses after RIC for AML/MDS. Here we analyzed the outcomes of patients relapsing after RIC. Patients and Methods: 208 patients with a diagnosis of AML/MDS treated from August 1996 to December 2003 with fludarabine 100–150mg/m2 combined to IV busulfan 6.4–11.2mg/Kg (FluBu; n=53), to melphalan 100–180mg/m2 (FM; n=122), or to AraC 4 g/m2 and idarubicin 36 mg/m2 (Flagida; n=34) and unmanipulated HSCT. Donors were HLA matched related (MRD; n=111), unrelated (MUD; n=78) or mismatched related (MMRD; n=19). Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis was tacrolimus based in all but 8 pts that received cyclosporin-based regimens. Anti-thymocyte globulin was used in 61 MUD or MMRD HSCT. Results: 64 of 176 patients in complete remission (CR) 30 days post HSCT relapsed (FM, n=29; FluBu, n=17; Flagida, n=18) with one-year relapse-free survival (RFS) of 65%. Among the 64 relapsed patients, disease status at first HSCT was CR (n=13), relapsed/refractory (n=31), primary induction failure (PIF) (n=18) or untreated (n=2). Median time to relapse was 110 days (95% CI 89–131 days). Initial treatment was immunossupression withdrawal in 51 pts who had no ongoing GVHD; two achieved a transient CR for 1.3 and 8 months. 39 patients received further salvage therapy, 18 patients preferred palliative care, and in 7 cases no data was available. Median overall survival (OS) after relapse was 34 days (range, 12–246) on palliative care. Among pts that received salvage therapy, those achieving a CR had an OS of 27 months (range 2.6–68.2). OS was 94 days (range, 22–290) after failing any type of salvage therapy. Although one patient survived more than one year in CR after DLI +/− chemo salvage, all other long-term survivors received a second HSCT (Table). Conclusion: The likelihood of achieving a CR after failure of the first HSCT was greater among patients treated in CR at the time of the first HSCT. In this high-risk population, only a second HSCT provided prolonged relapse-free survival. Overall and relapse-free survival (RFS) after salvage therapy Disease status at first HSCT (number of responders/number treated) CR rate 1 yr OS 1 yr RFS for responders Salvage therapy CR Relapsed PIF Untreated Chemotherapy alone (n=12) 0 / 1 2 / 8 0 / 3 16% 0% 0% Allogeneic HSCT alone (n=7) 2 / 2 1 / 3 0 / 2 43% 28% 67% Allogeneic HSCT+/− chemotherapy/DLI (n=11) 5 / 6 3 / 3 1 / 1 0 / 1 82% 73% 67% DLI+/− chemotherapy (n=9) 0 / 1 1 / 5 0 / 3 11% 13% NA* CR rate 70% 37% 11% 0% 1 yr OS 60% 23% 11% NA** 1 yr RFS for responders 58% 58% NA* NA* : Not applicable; 1 patient alive in CR; NA**: Not applicable, n =1
The Value of Natural and Social Capital in Our Current Full World and in a Sustainable and Desirable Future

Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include provisioning services, such as food and water; regulating services, such as regulation of floods, drought, and disease; supporting services, such as soil formation and nutrient cycling; and cultural services, such as recreational, spiritual, and other nonmaterial benefits. These benefits may or may not be fully perceived by people. Most are outside the market exchange system and are best thought of and managed as public goods (the commons). Ecosystems are experiencing serious degradation in regard to their capability of providing services. At the same time, the demand for ecosystem services is rapidly increasing as populations and standards of living increase.
Paradoxes of Online Teaching

While much attention is paid to students’ experiences in online courses, there is sparse information regarding the experiences of faculty who teach online. Two university instructors address this gap in the literature and present an analysis of their experiences teaching graduate and undergraduate teacher-education classes at a university in the Midwestern United States. In this collaborative self-study, the authors analyze data consisting of their reflections and discussions, anonymous student surveys, anonymous course evaluations, and online observations by other faculty. They argue that online instruction poses several paradoxes. These paradoxical experiences illuminate the need for additional research about faculty experiences with online teaching. Based on their experiences and research, the authors recommend faculty development in online pedagogy.
The multiple effects of practice: skill, habit and reduced cognitive load

When learning a new skill, even if we have been instructed exactly what to do, it is often necessary to practice for hours or even weeks before we achieve proficient and fluid performance. Practice has a multitude of effects on behavior, including increasing the speed of performance, rendering the practiced behavior habitual and reducing the cognitive load required to perform the task. These effects are often collectively referred to as automaticity. Here, we argue that these effects can be explained as multiple consequences of a single principle: caching of the outcome of frequently occuring computations. We further argue that, in the context of more complex task representations, caching different intermediate computations can give rise to more nuanced behavioral signatures, including dissociation between skill, habit and cognitive load.
Simultaneous Imaging and Energy Harvesting in CMOS Image Sensor Pixels

We present a prototype CMOS active pixel that is capable of simultaneous imaging and energy harvesting without introducing additional in-plane p-n junctions. The prototype pixel uses a vertical ${p}^{+}/{n}_{\text {well}}/{p}_{\text {sub}}$ junction that is available in standard CMOS processes. Unlike the conventional CMOS electron-based imaging pixels, where the ${n}_{\text {well}}$ region is used as a sensing node for image capture, we adopted a hole-based imaging technique, while exploiting the ${n}_{\text {well}}$ region for energy harvesting at a high fill-factor of >94%. To verify the feasibility, CMOS image sensors are fabricated and characterized. We successfully demonstrated that the energy harvesting can be achieved with a power density of 998 pW/klux/mm2, while capturing images at 74.67 pJ/pixel. The fabricated prototype device has achieved the highest power density among the recent state-of-the-art works and can self-sustain its image capturing operation at 15 fps without external power sources above ~60 klux of illumination.
Electoral Systems, Regional Resentment and the Surprising Success of Anglo-American Populism

As populist movements, partly fuelled by voters in excluded regions, drive national electoral backlashes to globalisation, why have their only outright successes come in the USA and UK? Synthesising urban/regional development theory with comparative politics, this article examines a previously unconsidered contributing factor: the interaction of globalisation’s rising inter-regional disparities with majoritarian electoral systems. Majoritarianism’s distinct internal dynamics and imperfect representation mechanisms yield insufficient state responses to rising inter-regional inequality, stoking populist discontent. Global integration may thus be less stable today under majoritarian than proportional electoral rules. This has implications for urban/regional development scholarship, globalisation’s durability and electoral reform.
Establishing a publicly available national database of US news articles reporting agriculture-related injuries and fatalities.

Background The AgInjuryNews system and dataset are a news report repository and information source for agricultural safety professionals, policymakers, journalists, and law enforcement officials. Methods AgInjuryNews was designed as a primary storage and retrieval system that allows users to: identify agricultural injury/fatality events; identify injury agents and emerging issues; provide safety messages for media in anticipation of trends; and raise awareness and knowledge of agricultural injuries and prevention strategies. Data are primarily collected through Google Alerts and a digital media subscription service. Articles are screened, reviewed, coded, and entered into the system. Results As of January 1, 2018, the system contained 3028 unique incidents. Of those, 650 involved youth, and 1807 were fatalities. The system also had registered 329 users from 39 countries. Conclusions AgInjuryNews combines injury reports into one dataset and may be the most current and comprehensive publicly available collection of news reports on agricultural injuries and deaths.
Subsidized Housing and Adult Asthma in Boston, 2010-2015.

Objectives. To examine whether subsidized housing, specifically public housing and rental assistance, is associated with asthma in the Boston, Massachusetts, adult population.Methods. We analyzed a...
The Problem with Condorcet

The beverage brouhaha, which initiated the season of dissent for the hypothetical department of the fable, started with the winer’s discovery that the department’s plurality ranking conflicts with their rankings of pairs of beverages. The radical disagreement raises interesting theoretical questions. How does a majority vote ranking of a pair relate to its relative ranking within a plurality outcome? Can anything go wrong with pairwise rankings?
Atherosclerosis, caveolae and caveolin-1

Atherosclerosis is a disease of the blood vessel characterized by the development of an arterial occlusion containing lipid and cellular deposits. Caveolae are 50-100 nm cell surface plasma membrane invaginations that are believed to play an important role in the regulation of cellular signaling and transport of molecules among others. These organelles are enriched in sphingolipids and cholesterol and are characterized by the presence of the protein caveolin-1. Caveolin-1 and caveolae are present in most of the cells involved in the development of atherosclerosis. The current literature suggests a rather complex role for caveolin-1 in this disease, with evidence of either pro- or anti-atherogenic functions depending on the cell type examined. In the present chapter, the various roles of caveolae and caveolin-1 in the development of atherosclerosis are examined.
Macroscopic whole-mounts of the developing human fetal urogenital-genital tract: Indifferent stage to male and female differentiation.

We present a detailed review of fetal development of the male and female human urogenital tract from 8 to 22 weeks gestation at the macroscopic and morphometric levels. Human fetal specimens were sexed based on macroscopic identification of fetal testes or ovaries, Wolffian or Mullerian structures and the presence of the SRY gene in the specimens at or near the indifferent stage (8-9 weeks). Specimens were photographed using a dissecting microscope with transmitted and reflected light. Morphometric measurements were taken of each urogenital organ. During this time period, development of the male and female urogenital tracts proceeded from the indifferent stage to differentiated organs. The kidneys, ureters, and bladder developed identically, irrespective of sex with the same physical dimensions and morphologic appearance. The penis, prostate and testis developed in males and the clitoris, uterus and ovary in females. Androgen-dependent growth certainly influenced size and morphology of the penile urethra and prostate, however, androgen-independent growth also accounted for substantial growth in the fetal urogenital tract including the clitoris.
Toxicity profile of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment of older metastatic melanoma patients from a single institution cohort.

e21005Background: Melanoma is an immunogenic tumor incidence of which is rising at a rapid rate in the aging population that harbors a weakened and dysregulated immune system. Success of immune che...
Development of a Multispectral Albedometer and Deployment on an Unmanned Aircraft for Evaluating Satellite Retrieved Surface Reflectance over Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

Bright surfaces across the western U.S. lead to uncertainties in satellite derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) where AOD is typically overestimated. With this in mind, a compact and portable instrument was developed to measure surface albedo on an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). This spectral albedometer uses two Hamamatsu micro-spectrometers (range: 340–780 nm) for measuring incident and reflected solar radiation at the surface. The instrument was deployed on 5 October 2017 in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert (BRD) to investigate a region of known high surface reflectance for comparison with albedo products from satellites. It was found that satellite retrievals underestimate surface reflectance compared to the UAS mounted albedometer. To highlight the importance of surface reflectance on the AOD from satellite retrieval algorithms, a 1-D radiative transfer model was used. The simple model was used to determine the sensitivity of AOD with respect to the change in albedo and indicates a large sensitivity of AOD retrievals to surface reflectance for certain combinations of surface albedo and aerosol optical properties. This demonstrates the need to increase the number of surface albedo measurements and an intensive evaluation of albedo satellite retrievals to improve satellite-derived AOD. The portable instrument is suitable for other applications as well.
The Butch Throat: A Roundtable: MoPop Conference, April 2018

E. GLASBERG This Field Notes offering has its origins in a 2010 blog post on Junebug vs. Hurricane on the Butch Throat, that, having lived the strange half-life of the internet, has been revived and enlivened as a Roundtable topic at the April 2018 Pop Conference. At the suggestion of the editors
Effect of Landscape Mulches and Drip Irrigation on Transplant Establishment and Growth of Three North American Desert Native Plants

Abstract A two-year experiment was conducted to determine growth responses of three North American desert native plants, brittle bush (Encelia farinosa), four wing salt bush (Atriplex canescens), a...
Skeletal geometry and niche transitions restore organ size and shape during zebrafish fin regeneration

Regenerating fish fins return to their original size and shape regardless of the nature or extent of injury. Prevailing models for this longstanding mystery of appendage regeneration speculate fin cells maintain uncharacterized positional identities that instruct outgrowth after injury. Using zebrafish, we show differential Wnt production by pools of progenitor-maintaining niche cells promotes the correct extent of regeneration across the fin. We identify Dachshund transcription factors as niche markers and show the niche derives from mesenchyme populating cylindrical and progressively tapered fin rays. The niche, and consequently Wnt, steadily dissipates as regeneration proceeds; once exhausted, ray and fin growth stops. Supported by mathematical modeling, we show longfint2 zebrafish regenerate exceptionally long fins due to a broken niche "countdown timer". We conclude regenerated fin size is dictated by the amount of niche formed upon damage -- which is simply dependent on the availability of intra-ray mesenchyme defined by skeletal girth at the injury site. This "transpositional scaling" model contends mesenchyme-niche state transitions and self-restoring skeletal geometry rather than cell memories determine a regenerated fin9s size and shape.
The efficiency of TiO2 nanotube photoanode with graphene nanoplatelets as counter electrode for a dye-sensitised solar cell

Dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) have been widely studied since their discovery; however, a number of problems should be solved to enhance their efficiency. We successfully fabricate Titanium oxi...
Domesticating Gertrude Stein, or, “banal queerness”: reading “Lifting Belly” alongside What Happened and A Play Called Not and Now

Reading Gertrude Stein’s long poem “Lifting Belly” alongside her plays What Happened and A Play Called Not and Now, this essay identifies banality and queerness as formal elements of Stein’s writin...
Browser-Based Applications: Positive or Negative Transference?

Applications that run on top of web browsers dominate the Internet today. Given the many similarities among these applications’ features, positive transference from one to another is often seen as an important source of ease-of-use for such applications. This paper examines the many differences in the way similar features are implemented in different browserbased applications, analyzing the way these inconsistencies can lead to negative transference (interference) that degrades rather than enhances usability.
Reinforcement corrosion and transport of water and chloride ions in shrinkage-compensating cement concretes

Abstract The transport properties obtained from the accelerated tests on the concrete mixtures that contain shrinkage-compensating cement have indicated that addressing the issue of shrinkage may come with the expense of increased permeability. This raised a fundamental question concerning the long-term durability of reinforced concrete structures made with this type of cement. In the absence of similar studies, a comprehensive experimental testing program was devised in the current study to understand the vulnerability of steel bars embedded in shrinkage-compensating cement concretes exposed to corrosive environments. This included a long-term corrosion monitoring of reinforced concrete specimens made with different dosages of shrinkage-compensating cement. In addition to finding the corrosion rate of embedded steel bars, air permeability, capillary absorption, and chloride diffusion tests were conducted to determine the transport properties of the concretes made with this type of cement. The experimental test results were then further supported and explained using mercury intrusion porosimetry analyses.
Evidence against a relation between bilingualism and creativity.

Are bilinguals more creative than monolinguals? Some prior research suggests bilinguals are more creative because the knowledge representations for their second language are similarly structured to those of highly creative people. However, there is contrasting research showing that the knowledge representations of bilinguals’ second language are actually structured like those of less creative people. Finally, there is growing skepticism about there being differences between bilinguals and monolinguals on non-language tasks (e.g., the bilingual advantage for executive control). We tested whether bilinguals tested in their second language are more or less creative than both monolinguals and bilinguals tested in their first language. Participants also took a repeated semantic fluency test that we used to estimate individual semantic networks for each participant. We analyzed our results with Bayesian statistics and found support for the null hypothesis that bilingualism offers no advantage for creativity. Further, using best practices for estimating semantic networks, we found support for the hypothesis that there is no association between an individual’s semantic network and their creativity. This is in contrast with published research, and suggests that some of those findings may have been the result of idiosyncrasies, outdated methods for estimating semantic networks, or statistical noise. Our results call into question reported relations between bilingualism and creativity, as well as semantic network structure as an explanatory mechanism for individual differences in creativity.
Near Field Wireless Power Transfer via Robotic Feedback Control

Unmanned rover application plays a key role in planetary exploration, where power and efficiency is paramount. The approach utilized in this work allows for near field wireless power transfer in remote locations with minimal support. The ability to establish a micro-grid power system connection autonomously using wireless power, eliminates the arduous task of designing a complex, multiple degrees of freedom (MDOF) robotic arm. The work presented in this paper, focuses on both the hardware and software within the micro-grid system. This particular near field wireless system consists of a primary and secondary set of modules, comprised of Litz wire coils, which are inductively coupled to complete the circuit. Both the primary and secondary modules contain a shunt resistor circuit, as well as a potential divider circuit and an Arduino controller (used to collect and analyze recorded data). The aforementioned hardware, allows for quantitative measurement of voltage, current, and power of the primary and secondary modules. Robot rover docking is accomplished using camera visualization, wheel odometry, and GPS data; all of which, are provided by the Robot Operating System (ROS). Various docking poses are used to characterize overall power transfer and efficiency at diverse alignments. Using collected data from the near field power modules' Arduino controllers and ROS, power from the coils is measured as functions of both the distance between coils and associated yaw angle. Power transfer efficiency is then evaluated using compiled power data. A dynamic feedback control system optimizes power transfer efficiency and docking alignment. The feedback control system acts as the driving force for re-docking the robot and further enhancing efficiency of the proposed near field power connection. In its entirety, the research paper explores the physical and mathematical relationships used to develop the dynamic feedback control system.