cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasma inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor-related urinary glycoprotein EDC1 inhibits the growth of a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line.

A homogeneous preparation of a urinary glycoprotein has been isolated from urine of patients with malignant melanoma and advanced adenocarcinomas of colon and lung. This molecule, Mr 30 kDa, is homologous to EDC1, a proteinase inhibitor antigenically related to plasma inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (IATI) originally isolated from the urine of a leukemic patient, E.D. The newly isolated EDC1 inhibits cellular proliferation of a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, Raji, growing in serum-free medium supplemented with insulin, transferrin, selenium, and linoleic acid. This concentration-dependent inhibitory effect was monitored in terms of change in cell number and 3H-thymidine incorporation. The growth of cells treated with approximately 3.3 pmol EDC1/ml was 50% that of the control group by both assays. EDC1 was not cytotoxic to the cells because the EDC1-treated cells excluded trypan blue and resumed normal growth after removal of EDC1. In addition, EDC1 treatment of Raji cells prelabeled with 3H-labeled DNA did not release more radioactivity into the conditioned medium than the untreated labeled cells. EDC1 did not affect the growth of Hs2B2, a B-lymphoblast cell line, and Hs294T, a human malignant melanoma cell line. Equimolar and larger quantities of other proteinase inhibitors with inhibitory profiles similar to that of EDC1 (alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor, soybean trypsin inhibitor, lima bean trypsin inhibitor, and turkey ovomucoid) did not affect the growth of Raji cells. Raji cells have an absolute requirement of transferrin as a nutrient and require insulin to modulate the expression of transferrin receptors. The cells also synthesize interleukin-1 as an autocrine growth stimulator. EDC1 did not form a detectable complex with transferrin, insulin, or any autocrine factor synthesized by the cells.
Diet and adenomatous polyp risk

Studies of risk factors for colonic adenomatous polyps have been reported in greater numbers in 1993 than in all previous years combined. This explosion in interest in polyps has not arisen because polyps themselves cause serious illness. They are in the vast majority of cases asymptomatic. However, adenomas have become the surrogate for colon cancer in a number of phase III dietary intervention trials. These trials were undertaken at a time when very little was known of adenoma risk factors. Data accumulated in the past 18 months in general demonstrate a similarity in risk factors for cancer and polyp. Since it has also been recently established that polypectomy diminishes colon cancer risk, the adenomatous polyp has been established as an ethical and convenient surrogate for cancer of the colon. Prevention of colorectal cancer is the goal of all the above studies, and it is hoped that the dietary intervention trials currently under way will generate the data that will make prevention possible. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Loss of Anterior Translation of the Distal Humeral Articular Surface Is Associated With Decreased Elbow Flexion

Purpose The normal anterior translation of the articular surface of the distal humerus with respect to the humeral diaphysis facilitates elbow flexion. We hypothesize that there is a correlation between anterior translation of the distal humeral articular surface and flexion after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of a fracture of the distal humerus. Methods Two independent observers evaluated 141 lateral radiographs of patients more than 6 months after fracture of the distal humerus and 155 lateral radiographs of patients without injury of the distal humerus. The distance between the most anterior point of the distal humerus articular surface, perpendicular to the humeral shaft, from the anterior border of the distal part of the humeral diaphysis, was measured on lateral radiographs as a percentage of the width of the humeral shaft. Results The technique of measuring anterior translation of the distal humeral articular surface had good intra- and interobserver reliability. The most anterior point of the distal humeral articular surface lies an average of 11.7 mm (range, 6.8 to 17.0 mm) in front of the most anterior border of the humeral shaft in normal distal humeri, which represents 62% of the humeral shaft diameter (range, 33% to 91%). There was a limited but significant correlation between flexion and anterior translation as a percentage of the humeral shaft diameter in distal humeri after fracture that was maintained in multivariable statistical models. Conclusions Using a reproducible technique for measuring anterior translation of the distal humerus, there was a correlation between anterior translation of the distal humeral articular surface and elbow flexion after ORIF. Although the weakness of the correlation emphasizes that limitation of elbow flexion after ORIF of a distal humerus fracture is multifactorial, reduced anterior translation of the distal humeral articular surface might be a contributing factor. Type of study/level of evidence Prognostic IV.
State Certification-Endorsement Requirements for Special Education Administrators

This study reviewed the certification-endorsement requirements for special education administrators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since the passage of PL 94-142 in 1975, only one similar study had been carried out, and results from that study were inconclusive. Results of this study indicated that 38 of the 51 respondents had increased their certification-endorsement requirements since 1975, though a causal relationship could not be established. The authors called for a substantial upgrading in the preparation of special education leadership personnel in an effort to meet the increasing demands placed on those administrators.
Buffered Steiner trees for difficult instances

Buffer insertion has become an increasingly critical optimization in high performance design. The problem of finding a delay-optimal buffered Steiner tree has been an active area of research, and excellent solutions exist for most instances. However, current approaches fail to adequately solve a particular class of real-world “difficult” instances which are characterized by a large number of sinks, variations in sink criticalities, and varying polarity requirements. We propose a new Steiner tree construction called C-Tree for these instance types. When combined with van Ginneken style buffer insertion, C-Tree achieves higher quality solutions with fewer resources compared to traditional approaches.
Directional effects on bound quantum states for trench oxide quantum wires on (1 0 0)-silicon

Abstract We examine the influence of channel axis orientation on bound electron states for trench oxide quantum wires built on (1 0 0)-silicon surfaces. We describe these structures by solving the coupled system of Schrodinger’s and Poisson’s equation selfconsistently using a realistic mass tensor for all six conductions band valleys. We find that for the structure examined aligning the channel axis with a (1 0 0)-direction has only a small influence on the spectrum of bound electron states and practically none on total channel occupation.
Interplay Between Lipid Modulators of Kir2 Channels: Cholesterol and PIP2

We have shown earlier that Kir2 channels are suppressed by the elevation of membrane cholesterol. Moreover, it is also well known that activation of Kir channels is critically dependent on a regulatory phospholipid, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). In this study we examined the cross-talk between cholesterol and PIP2 in the regulation of Kir2 channels. The strength of Kir2–PIP2 interactions was assessed by acute sequestering of PIP2 with neomycin dialyzed into cells through a patch pipette while simultaneously recording whole cell currents. Consistent with a reduction in PIP2 levels, dialysis of neomycin resulted in a decrease in Kir2.1 and Kir2.3 current amplitudes (current rundown), however, this effect was significantly delayed by cholesterol depletion for both types of channels suggesting that cholesterol depletion strengthens the interaction between Kir2 channels and PIP2. Furthermore, mutation of Kir2.1 that renders the channels' cholesterol insensitive abrogated cholesterol depletion-induced delay in the current rundown whereas reverse mutation in Kir2.3 has the opposite effect. These observations provide further support for the functional cross-talk between cholesterol and PIP2 in regulating Kir2 channels. Consistent with these observations, there is a significant structural overlap between cytosolic residues that are critical for the sensitivity of Kir2 channels to the two lipid modulators but based on recent studies, there is little or no overlap between cholesterol and PIP2 binding sites. Taken together, these observations suggest that cholesterol and PIP2 regulate the channels through distinct binding sites but that the signals generated by the binding of the two modulators converge.
Hardware annealing for fast retrieval of optimal solutions in Hopfield neural networks

Due to the feedback characteristics of Hopfield networks, the solutions often get stuck at local minima where the objective functions have surrounding barriers. The theory and procedure of hardware annealing, which can retrieve the optimal solution in parallel, have been developed. In hardware annealing, voltage gains of output neurons in asynchronous VLSI neural chips are increased from an initial low value to a final high value in a continuous fashion. Hardware annealing can be applied to pure analog and mixed analog-digital neurocomputing systems. It achieves a speed-up factor of more than 10000 times over simulated annealing on a SUN-3/60 workstation. >
Nanostructured titanium: the ideal material for improving orthopedic implant efficacy?

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys have been widely used as implant materials for orthopedic applications owing to their excellent wear, corrosion resistance, light weight but strong mechanical and acceptable biocompatibility properties. However, such implants still widely experience lifetimes of less than 20 years owing to a variety of reasons eventually leading to implant separation from bone. In 1999, Webster et al. provided the first evidence that osteoblast (bone-forming cells) adhesion and bone formation significantly increases on nanostructured titania compared with conventional titania [1]. Since then, nanotechnology (or the use of materials with dimensions less than 100 nm in at least 1D) have been proposed to improve the quality of orthopedic implants by better mimicking the nanoscale properties of native bone tissue.
On damage theory of a cohesive medium

Abstract A micro-mechanics damage model is proposed based on homogenization of penny-shaped cohesive micro-cracks (Barenblatt–Dugdale type) in a three dimensional representative volume element. By assuming that macro-hydrostatic stress state has dominant effect on permanent crack opening, a class of pressure sensitive yielding potentials and corresponding damage evolution laws have been derived. The merits of this class of damage models are: (1) Its ability to model and predict material failure and degradation due to cohesive micro-crack growth; (2) its ability to estimate the influence of Poisson's ratio on material's damage. One of the distinguished features of the new damage model is at macro-level the reversible part of effective constitutive relation is characterized as a nonlinear elasticity, whereas the irreversible part of effective constitutive relation is a form of pressure-sensitive plasticity, both of which are significantly different from material's behaviors at micro-level before homogenization.
The BtpA Protein Stabilizes the Reaction Center Proteins of Photosystem I in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 at Low Temperature

Specific inhibition of photosystem I (PSI) was observed under low-temperature conditions in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. Growth at 20°C caused inhibition of PSI activity and increased degradation of the PSI reaction center proteins PsaA and PsaB, while no significant changes were found in the level and activity of photosystem II (PSII). BtpA, a recently identified extrinsic thylakoid membrane protein, was found to be a necessary regulatory factor for stabilization of the PsaA and PsaB proteins under such low-temperature conditions. At normal growth temperature (30°C), the BtpA protein was present in the cell, and its genetic deletion caused an increase in the degradation of the PSI reaction center proteins. However, growth of Synechocystis cells at 20°C or shifting of cultures grown at 30°C to 20°C led to a rapid accumulation of the BtpA protein, presumably to stabilize the PSI complex, by lowering the rates of degradation of the PsaA and PsaB proteins. A btpA deletion mutant strain could not grow photoautotrophically at low temperature, and exhibited rapid degradation of the PSI complex after transfer of the cells from normal to low temperature.
Introduction: The Laetoli Hominins and Associated Fauna

Laetoli in northern Tanzania is one of the most important paleontological and paleoanthropological localities in Africa. In addition to fossil hominins, there is a diverse associated fauna. The Laetoli fauna is important because it serves as a key comparative reference for other Plio-Pleistocene sites in Africa, it samples several time periods that are generally poorly represented at other paleontological sites in East Africa, and it provides key insights into the faunal and floral diversity during the Pliocene. As a result of renewed fieldwork at Laetoli (1998–2005) more than 25,000 fossils have been collected, of which more than half are fossil mammals. Most of the fossils were recovered from the Upper Laetolil Beds (3.6–3.85 Ma), but smaller samples came from the Lower Laetolil Beds (3.85–4.4 Ma) and Upper Ndolanya Beds (2.66 Ma). These include new specimens of Australopithecus afarensis from the Upper Laetolil Beds and the first finds of fossil hominins from the Upper Ndolanya Beds, attributable to Paranthropus aethiopicus. Inferences about the paleoecology at Laetoli are important for understanding the possible range of hominin habitat preferences and ecological change in East Africa during the Pliocene. The evidence from a wide range of analyses indicates that a mosaic of closed woodland, open woodland, shrubland and grassland dominated the paleoecology of the Upper Laetolil Beds. The region would have been dry for most of the year, except for the possible occurrence of permanent springs along the margin of the Eyasi Plateau and ephemeral pools and rivers during the rainy season. The paleoecological reconstruction of the Upper Ndolanya Beds is more problematic because of conflicting lines of evidence, but it is very likely that conditions were drier than in the Upper Laetolil Beds with a greater proportion of grassland, but that closed and open woodlands were still a major part of the ecosystem.
Effects of prestrain on the ductile-to-brittle transition of ice

Abstract The ductile-to-brittle transition was investigated in prestrained columnar ice at −10 °C. Laboratory-grown specimens of freshwater and saline ice were prestrained under uniaxial across-column compression (to levels from ep = 0.003 to ep = 0.20, at constant strain rates in the ductile regime) and likewise reloaded (at rates from 1 × 10−6s−1 to 3 × 10−2s−1). Prestrain caused solid-state recrystallization as well as damage in the form of non-propagating microcracks. The ductile-to-brittle transition strain rate e ˙ D / B increased by a factor of 3–10 after prestrain of ep = 0.035 in both freshwater and saline ice, compared to that of initially undamaged ice of the same type. Additional prestrain had little further effect on e ˙ D / B . The results are interpreted within the framework of a model (proposed by Schulson, 1990, and Renshaw and Schulson, 2001) that predicts the transition strain rate based on the micromechanical boundary between creep and fracture processes. Model parameters primarily affected by prestrain were the power-law creep coefficient B (more so than the creep exponent n), Young's modulus E and, by extension, the fracture toughness KIc.
Advance in Research on Brittleness Mutant of Rice

The strength of a rice stem is an important property that affects not only the plant's ability to resist lodging,but also its yield and quality.Commonly found,the rice's brittleness mutant could be used in breeding new grain-and-straw dual-purpose rice varieties.Since it can introduce cellulose-decrase,lignin-increase and/or nutrition-modification on rice plants,it is also important in the studies involving breeding rice for paper-making and forage.The source,formation mechanism,gene-mapping,cloning,functional research of the mutant,as well as its applications in breeding conventional transgenic and grain-and-straw dual-purpose rice are reviewed and discussed in this article.
Measles control strategy and effect evaluation in Tengchong County,2009-2013

Objective To evaluate the effect of measles control in Tengchong County from 2009 to 2013, and to provide basis for measles further control and elimination. Methods The data about vaccination rates, measles antibody level and part data from measles surveillance system were collected, respectively. Descriptive epidemiology was adopted to evaluate the effect of measles control and prevention. Results From 2009 to 2013, the reported vaccination rate and investigation rate of MCV1, MCV2 was98.92%, 99.21%, 99.41%, 97.89%, respectively. The reported vaccination rate and investigation rate of SIA was 98.41%, 99.19%.The mumps and rubella combined attenuated live Vaccine rate was 71.13%. The average measles antibody positive rate was96.77%, and the protective antibody positive rate was 83.61%. Measles incidence rate was ten million percent 0.16 in 2009. There was no local report case from 2010 to 2013. But there were 5 imported case in 2012 and 1 imported case in 2013. Conclusion The conventional immune rate should be maintained at a high level. We should improve the vaccination quality and rate. Also, we should conduct vaccine supplementary immunization and surveillance for measles control and elimination.
Analysis on Hygienic Quality of Drinking Water in Zhongshan City during 2009-2010

[Objective]To learn the hygienic quality of drinking water in Zhongshan city,provide the scientific basis for improving the drinking water quality.[Methods]With periodic sampling,drinking water in urban area and every town of Zhongshan city were sampled and analyzed every season.The types of analysis items included toxicological parameters(arsenic,cadmium,hexavalent chromium,lead,mercury,selenium,cyanide,fluoride,nitrate,trichlormethane,carbon tetrachloride,chlorylene,tetrachloroethylene,malathion,parathion,methyl parathion,dimethoate,dichlorvos,benzene,toluene,xylene,ethyl benzene,styrene,chlorpyrifos,etc.),organoleptic and general chemical parameters(color,turbidity,odor and taste,macroscopic substance,pH value,aluminum,iron,manganese,zinc,copper,chloride,sulphate,total soluble solid,total hardness,oxygen consumption,volatile phenols,anionic detergents,etc.),radioactivity parameters(general alpha radioactivity,general beta radioactivity,etc.),microbiological parameters(total bacteria count,total coliform bacteria,thermotolerant coliform bacteria,escherichia coli,etc.) and disinfectants parameters(free chlorine,total chlorine,etc.).[Results]309 samples of drinking water were evaluated,and 289 samples met the requirements of the Drinking water sanitary standard(GB 5749-2006) for all items,with the standard-reaching rate of 93.5%.[Conclusion]The hygienic quality of drinking water in urban area and every town of Zhongshan city is good.However,the relevant departments should pay great attention to drinking water quality,in order to ensure the health and safety of drinking water.
Mechanistic study of substrate-based galvanic replacement reactions

The sacrificial templates used in galvanic replacement reactions dictate the properties of the hollow metal nanostructures formed. Here, we demonstrate that substrate-based Au-Ag nanoshells with radically altered properties are obtained by merely coating silver templates with an ultrathin layer of gold prior to their insertion into the reaction vessel. The so-formed nanoshells exhibit much smoother surfaces, a higher degree of crystallinity and are far more robust. Dealloying the nanoshells results in the first demonstration of substrate-based nanocages. Such cages exhibit a well-defined pattern of geometric openings in directions corresponding to the {111}-facets of the starting template material. The ability to engineer the cage geometry through adjustments to the orientational relationship between the crystal structure of the starting template and that of underlying substrate is demonstrated. Together these discoveries provide the framework to advance our understanding of the mechanisms governing substratebased galvanic replacement reactions. Open image in new window
Rapid, automated, parallel quantitative immunoassays using highly integrated microfluidics and AlphaLISA

Immunoassays represent one of the most popular analytical methods for detection and quantification of biomolecules. However, conventional immunoassays such as ELISA and flow cytometry, even though providing high sensitivity and specificity and multiplexing capability, can be labor-intensive and prone to human error, making them unsuitable for standardized clinical diagnoses. Using a commercialized no-wash, homogeneous immunoassay technology ('AlphaLISA') in conjunction with integrated microfluidics, herein we developed a microfluidic immunoassay chip capable of rapid, automated, parallel immunoassays of microliter quantities of samples. Operation of the microfluidic immunoassay chip entailed rapid mixing and conjugation of AlphaLISA components with target analytes before quantitative imaging for analyte detections in up to eight samples simultaneously. Aspects such as fluid handling and operation, surface passivation, imaging uniformity, and detection sensitivity of the microfluidic immunoassay chip using AlphaLISA were investigated. The microfluidic immunoassay chip could detect one target analyte simultaneously for up to eight samples in 45 min with a limit of detection down to 10 pg mL(-1). The microfluidic immunoassay chip was further utilized for functional immunophenotyping to examine cytokine secretion from human immune cells stimulated ex vivo. Together, the microfluidic immunoassay chip provides a promising high-throughput, high-content platform for rapid, automated, parallel quantitative immunosensing applications.
Staphylococcus aureus Exploits Epidermal Barrier Defects in Atopic Dermatitis to Trigger Cytokine Expression

Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have an abnormal skin barrier and are frequently colonized by S. aureus. In this study we investigated if S. aureus penetrates the epidermal barrier of subjects with AD and sought to understand the mechanism and functional significance of this entry. S. aureus was observed to be more abundant in the dermis of lesional skin from AD patients. Bacterial entry past the epidermis was observed in cultured human skin equivalents and in mice but was found to be increased in the skin of cathelicidin knockout and ovalbumin-sensitized filaggrin mutant mice. S. aureus penetration through the epidermis was dependent on bacterial viability and protease activity, because killed bacteria and a protease-null mutant strain of S. aureus were unable to penetrate. Entry of S. aureus directly correlated with increased expression of IL-4, IL-13, IL-22, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and other cytokines associated with AD and with decreased expression of cathelicidin. These data illustrate how abnormalities of the epidermal barrier in AD can alter the balance of S. aureus entry into the dermis and provide an explanation for how such dermal dysbiosis results in increased inflammatory cytokines and exacerbation of disease.
Essays on the impact of digital information on innovation

This dissertation consists of three essays studying the impact of new, digital information on innovation in different markets. The first essay sheds light on the impact of intellectual property in affecting the impact of new information on innovation, while the second and third essays identify the role of maps as a novel form of information and estimate their impact on innovation in different markets.
Issues in Multimedia Computer-Based Message System Design and Standardization

Computer-based message systems are increasingly being used for formal and informal communication, supporting the exchange of textual messages. However such nontext media as voice and graphics are very important for human communication. As a result, there is a growing need for the support of media other than text in such systems.
Introduction: The Evolution of Minimally Invasive Surgery

Perhaps the most invigorating and daunting challenge to the modern day surgeon is the continual drive to push the envelope of what is innovative, fast, and cost effective. Likewise, surgeons must at all times maintain patient safety and provide treatments that are as efficacious as the current standard of care. As surgery began forming into a cogent specialty in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, foundational strides were made in advancing antisepsis and sterility along with updating the current body of anatomic knowledge. Around this same time, the developing interest in the basic sciences lead to the birth of the surgeon scientist who formally set to define the pathological basis for surgical disease. William Stewart Halsted was one of the key figures in removing the general surgeon from the paradigm of the surgeon barber of the 1800s into the surgeon scientist of the twentieth century. This was part and parcel to his pursuit of the scientific basis of surgical diseases, and in many respects set the tone of translational research from the laboratory bench to the operating room. Of course, his achievements were built upon meticulous and often tireless efforts of the great surgeons that came before him. Physicians who explored nearly every cavity, crevice, and orifice of the human body and for whom so many eponyms exist.
A computationally effcient moment-preserving Monte Carlo proton transport method in Geant4

The moment-preserving method, demonstrated as a viable alternative to condensed history for electrons, is extended to protons. Given the generality and the flexibility of the method, a discrete Coulomb scattering and discrete impactionization differential cross-section library for protons was readily developed and existing Geant4 electron discrete process and model classes were extended to make use of the new proton library. It is shown that levels of effciency and accuracy similar to those demonstrated for electrons are obtainable for protons in straight-ahead, energy-loss problems. However, in problems with deflection, agreement is strongly dependent on the proton energy. That is, good agreement was observed in the few MeV range, while unsatisfactory agreement was observed in problems with proton energies above 100-MeV.
Genome Editing in hPSCs Reveals GATA6 Haploinsufficiency and a Genetic Interaction with GATA4 in Human Pancreatic Development

Human disease phenotypes associated with haploinsufficient gene requirements are often not recapitulated well in animal models. Here, we have investigated the association between human GATA6 haploinsufficiency and a wide range of clinical phenotypes that include neonatal and adult-onset diabetes using CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)/Cas9-mediated genome editing coupled with human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) directed differentiation. We found that loss of one GATA6 allele specifically affects the differentiation of human pancreatic progenitors from the early PDX1+ stage to the more mature PDX1+NKX6.1+ stage, leading to impaired formation of glucose-responsive β-like cells. In addition to this GATA6 haploinsufficiency, we also identified dosage-sensitive requirements for GATA6 and GATA4 in the formation of both definitive endoderm and pancreatic progenitor cells. Our work expands the application of hPSCs from studying the impact of individual gene loci to investigation of multigenic human traits, and it establishes an approach for identifying genetic modifiers of human disease.
Future Directions in Imaging Neurodegeneration

Neuroimaging comprises a powerful set of instruments to diagnose various neurodegenerative disorders, clarifies their neurobiology, and monitors their treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging depicts volume changes, as well as abnormalities in functional and structural connectivity. Positron emission tomography (PET) allows for the quantification of regional cerebral metabolism, characteristically altered in Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, diffuse Lewy-body disease, and the frontotemporal dementias. PET is also used to measure several neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which is abnormal in Parkinson's disease, and to determine the abnormal brain deposition of amyloid-β and tau, as well as brain inflammation. These instruments allow for the quantification in vivo and the longitudinal follow-up of key neurobiological events in neurodegeneration. For instance, amyloid imaging is being used not only to determine who has excess amyloid in the brain but also to investigate whether removing it may slow the deposition of tau and delay cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease.
Constrained Inclusion: Access and Persistence Among Undocumented Community College Students in California's Central Valley.

This article examines the ways in which citizenship status uniquely shapes both the access and persistence of undocumented community college students in the Central Valley of California. Drawing on...
Extra Soil Fertilization of Mother Plants Increases Botanical Seed Yield But Not Long-Term Germination in Wild Solanum (potato) Species

Potato has about 100 wild species relatives that are multiplied in the form of botanical seed populations by genebanks, and distributed for use in research and breeding, so factors that affect long term seed germination are of interest. In 1987 the US Potato Genebank conducted routine seed multiplication on 127 populations of 31 species as greenhouse-grown potted plants. Half of the parent plants in each population were given two doses of liquid fertilizer in addition to the standard slow-release granular fertilizer which had been mixed into the medium for all plants. Plants with this extra liquid fertilizer application grew larger, and produced significantly more fruit and seeds. However, seeds from parents fertilized extra did not have improved seed weight or germination after 26 years of storage. We conclude that optimizing the fertilizer regime used on parent plants, while doubling the average seed yield, does not result in higher quality seeds.
Sequence to Sequence Modeling for User Simulation in Dialog Systems.

User simulators are a principal offline method for training and evaluating human-computer dialog systems. In this paper, we examine simple sequence-to-sequence neural network architectures for training end-to-end, natural language to natural language, user simulators, using only raw logs of previous interactions without any additional human labelling. We compare the neural network-based simulators with a language model (LM)-based approach for creating natural language user simulators. Using both an automatic evaluation using LM perplexity and a human evaluation, we demonstrate that the sequence-to-sequence approaches outperform the LM-based method. We show correlation between LM perplexity and the human evaluation on this task, and discuss the benefits of different neural network architecture variations. — Example sessions that were generated when running the seq2seq user simulator models with Cortana.
Degenerate Sensors in Source Localization and Sensor Placement Problems

In this chapter we will consider a so-called source localization problem arising in an environmental monitoring when one needs to find an unknown source of “unexpected contamination,” based on observations obtained from available sensor(s). We will try to find an answer to the following question: Where should we place a sensor (or sensors) that can guarantee a unique solution of the aforementioned problem? In our study we will apply the ideas and results of controllability theory within the framework of degenerate sensors and actuators developed in previous chapters.
Learning by Parametric Modeling: Hydrologic Investigations of Utah Mountain Catchments

As a hydrologic study finds answers to problems, the learning experience builds human capital. This “learning by doing” is illustrated in studies of flood risks below Utah canyons. Aversion of the Stanford Watershed Model (SWM) with five principal parameters was applied to several heterogeneous catchments. The Wasatch Front rises 1600 meters above the Great Salt Lake and is drained by many parallel mountain canyons whose side slopes average about 35 percent. Since most precipitation is snow, the modeling covered snow accumulation, solar radiation, melt runoff, soil moisture, landslides, debris flows, routing, and sediment transport. The poor explanation of certain physical processes suggested use of a stochastic parametric model that can be segmented into progressively smaller units to find a scale of best fit. Critical thinking can then examine the identified problem conditions with a physical model at that scale.
The Weierstrass mean

Theorem.Let the sequences {e i (n) },i=1, 2, 3,n=0, 1, 2, ...be defined by[Figure not available: see fulltext.]where the e (0)? s satisfy[Figure not available: see fulltext.]and where all square roots are taken positive. Then[Figure not available: see fulltext.]where the convergence is quadratic and monotone and where[Figure not available: see fulltext.] The discussions of convergence are entirely elementary. However, although the determination of the limits can be made in an elementary way, an acquaintance with elliptic objects is desirable for real understanding. In fact thee i (0) 's will be interpreted as the values of a ?-function at its half periods and the successive e i (n)? s will be the corresponding values for a ?-function with the same real period and with the imaginary period doubled at each stage-this is the Landen transformation. Ultimately the ?-function will degenerate into a trigonometrical function. The subtitle is explained by the fact that the real half-period, ?, of the ?-function defined by $$y^{'2} = 4(y - e_1^{(0)} )(y - e_2^{(0)} )(y - e_3^{(0)} ) if found from W = \frac{1}{{12}}\left( {\frac{\pi }{\omega }} \right)^2 $$ .
GP and the Predictive Power of Internet Message Traffic

This paper investigates the predictive power of the volume of messages produced on internet stock-related measure boards. We introduce a specialized GP learner and demonstrate that it produces trading rules that outperform appropriate buy and hold strategy benchmarks in measures of risk adjusted returns. We compare the results to those attained by using other relevant variables, lags of price and volume, and find that the the message board volume produces cleraly superior results. We experiment with alternative representations for the GP trading rule learner. Finally, we find a potential regime shift in the market reaction to the message volume data, and speculate about future trends.
Dying with AIDS

Consider the following scenarios (names have been altered except where people have expressly requested that their actual names be used): 1. Sally, a youthful-looking grandmother of 36, whose 18-year-old daughter contracted AIDS through a drug-using husband who “snorted,” rather than injected, heroin and cocaine, describes her relationship to her 9-month-old granddaughter Meegan who has tested HIV positive. She relates that she barely interacts with her daughter (who currently resides with her and the baby) and that she has distanced herself, half-consciously, from her beloved Meegan. The infant has tested seropositive three times and it may not be known for another year whether the child will ultimately test “negative.” 2. At Starcross Monastery in northern California, the Starcross Community members prepare to bury Aaron with his toys in the handmade coffin Brother Tolly has fashioned from native wood. The year-old infant died of respiratory complications from his AIDS. Emergency firefighters had refused to answer the distress dispatch, having decided in advance that they were unprepared for such emergencies. At the last moment before interment, the child’s teenage mother, who had rendered the care of her child to Starcross, recanted, and requested that Aaron be buried in her town. Tolly and the others buried his toys anyway, and marked the grave with a cross (McCarroll, 1988).
The carpal-tunnel syndrome. Seventeen years' experience in diagnosis and treatment of six hundred fifty-four hands.

At the Cleveland Clinic the diagnosis of carpal-tunnel syndrome has been made in 654 hands of 439 patients during the last seventeen years. The typical patient with this syndrome is a middle-aged housewife with numbness and tingling in the thumb and index, long, and ring fingers, which is worse at night and worse after excessive activity of the hands. The sensory disturbances, both objective and subjective, must be directly related to the sensory distribution of the median nerve distal to the wrist; but pain may be referred proximal to the wrist as high as the shoulder. There is usually a positive Tinel sign over the median nerve at the wrist, and the wrist-flexion test I described is also usually positive. About half of the patients also have some degree of thenar atrophy. If steroid injections into the carpal tunnel give only transient relief, treatment should be by complete section of the transverse carpal ligament. This procedure will almost always relieve the patient's pain and numbness in the hand, and in many cases will also cure the paralysis of the thenar muscles, which may be present.
Rapid Immobilization of Adult Aedes aegypti Caused By Plant Essential Oils At Sublethal Concentrations.

ABSTRACT Many synthetic insecticides cause immobilization in insect pests after they are exposed. This immobilization or knockdown is an important feature of intoxication that contributes to the ab...
Angiogenic Signaling Pathways and Anti-angiogenic Therapies in Human Cancer

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the principal regulator of tumor angiogenesis and is overexpressed in the majority of solid tumors. Therapeutic inhibition of VEGF and its main receptor (VEGFR2) has shown significant clinical efficacy in several human cancers. However, in unselected patient populations, often these agents have not offered sustainable clinical benefit. Some of the challenges with the clinical efficacy of anti-VEGF/VEGFR therapies may be explained by the heterogeneity of human tumor vessels and variation in their sensitivity to VEGF/VEGFR inhibition. However, the process of tumor angiogenesis is far more complex with frequent cross talk between VEGF/VEGFR and other signaling pathways. In addition to anti-angiogenic effects, anti-VEGF/VEGFR agents also cause “normalization” of tumor vessels and “pruning” of normal vessels. In order to achieve significant improvement in clinical efficacy of anti-VEGF/VEGFR therapies in the near future, it will be important to (1) better understand the complex biology of VEGF/VEGFR and non-VEGF/VEGFR signaling pathways in the context of pathologic (aberrant) angiogenesis in human cancer tissues, (2) translate such biologic concepts into a more comprehensive molecular profiling and pathologic disease state characterization, and (3) advance the much needed predictive biomarker science to drive rational patient-tailoring and combinatorial therapeutic strategies in next-generation clinical trials of anti-angiogenic therapies. It will also be critical to identify and address other clinical and scientific challenges, including various primary and acquired mechanisms of resistance to anti-angiogenic therapies.
Dermatophyte Immune Memory Is Only Skin-Deep.

A new report in this issue of Journal of Investigative Dermatology reveals a role for IL-17 and IFN-gamma, signature cytokines of T-helper 17 and T-helper 1 cells, in immunity to Trichophyton benhamiae (Heinen et al., 2018). While there have been many recent advances in understanding host defenses against common fungi, this work illuminates not only adaptive immunity, but also innate immune responses to dermatophytosis.
From Law to Policy and Practice: Lessons Learned From a Policy Discriminating Against English Learners:

This case illustrates the importance for school leaders and teachers to be knowledgeable about current legal precedent when creating district and school policies. We describe a legal battle that oc...
The relative accuracy of skinfolds compared to four-compartment estimates of body composition

Summary Background Body composition estimates using skinfold thickness are common in field settings and can provide a reasonably accurate measure when more advanced technology is unavailable. However, the observed error between skinfolds and criterion body composition measures may be influenced by the methodology used to derive the criterion measure. Aims The aim of this study was to examine the relative accuracy of body composition estimates derived from measures of skinfold thickness when compared to four-compartment (4C) models that utilize underwater weighing (UWW) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived body volume (BV). Methods The sample consisted of adult males (n = 96) and females (n = 91) who were apparently healthy (age = 21.85 ± 4.82 years; BMI = 24.45 ± 4.62 kg/m2). %Fat was assessed via skinfold using three common equations. BV assessed via UWW and DXA were used to estimate %Fat derived as part of a 4C model. Between group differences were assessed using a repeated measures analysis of variance. Results %Fat4C ranged from 4.7 to 39.7 %Fat (21.9 ± 8.1 %Fat). Estimated %FatSF using the SF7 Jackson, SF7 Evans, and SF4 Peterson were significantly lower than %Fat4C as measured via UWW (−4.8 ± 3.5 %Fat, −3.3 ± 3.9 %Fat,-3.1 ± 6.9 %Fat, respectively, all p Conclusions Skinfold prediction methods can provide reasonable accuracy when estimating %Fat in field settings when more advanced methods are unavailable or undesirable due to increased participant burden. In addition, clinicians and researchers should use caution when selecting a method of estimating body volume via DXA, as the methodology and equation used to derive body volume as part of the 4C model can introduce differences in error.
Error Disclosure and Apology in Radiology: The Case for Further Dialogue

Radiology’s leaders in peer review, patient-centered care, quality and safety, legal affairs, and institutional processes can help prepare radiologists to communicate openly with patients and famil...
A survival guide for generalist physicians in academic fellowships part 2: preparing for the transition to junior faculty.

Successful transition from general medicine fellowship to junior faculty requires careful, strategic planning. Fellows should present their work at meetings and write manuscripts as early as possible, in order to demonstrate productivity. Mentors should help fellows decide whether or not to apply for grants during the training period. Finally, although securing a junior faculty position is an exciting process, it is also time-consuming; fellows should begin thinking about what type of job they want and searching for that job early during the final year of their program. We hope that a better understanding of these issues will aid fellows as they pursue their goals in academic general medicine.
Topical, Aqueous, Clear Cyclosporine Formulation Design for Anterior and Posterior Ocular Delivery

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to optimize cyclosporine (CsA) nanomicellar solution and study in vivo ocular CsA tissue distribution with a topical drop.
Comorbid neuropsychiatric and autonomic features in REM sleep behavior disorder.

Abstract Objective Our aim is to define the extent of comorbidities in order to improve clinical care of patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) utilizing the REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Associations with Parkinson's Disease Study (RAPiDS) cohort. Methods Consecutive adult study participants with iRBD confirmed on polysomnogram (PSG) were prospectively recruited from the Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine. Evaluations comprised multiple facets of sleep, neurological, autonomic, and psychiatric function. Results Participants evaluated included 30 individuals with iRBD, with mean 1.5 ± 2.3 years from PSG to neuropsychiatric evaluation. Mean age was 59.5 ± 16.0 years at time of PSG, and 6/30 were women. Urinary difficulties were reported in 14/30 (47%): slight 7 (23%), mild 4 (13%), moderate 2 (7%), and severe 1 (3.0%). Ten out of 29 (34%) had abnormal Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores and the mean was 26.5 ± 3.2. The distribution of MoCA scores was significantly associated with urinary problems insofar as the more severe urinary problems were, the lower the MoCA scores (p = 0.04). Conclusions In this RAPiDS cohort, we detected an unexpectedly high occurrence of non-motor dysfunction. Our results point to the need for screening patients with iRBD for complaints that are actionable, for example those affecting mood, cognition, urinary function, and bowel function. We propose the term RBD+ to be used to identify such individuals. For the quality of life in patients diagnosed with RBD, a closer look by the clinician should be enacted, with appropriate referrals and workup.
Acculturation, Cultural Self, and Identity of Japanese Children in U.S. Schools: Insights from Japanese Temporary Resident and Immigrant Parents

Relocation to a new culture has significant impacts on individuals’ “self” and identity. This qualitative study examines the perspectives of Japanese temporary resident and immigrant parents on the...
Association of baseline kidney disease with outcomes of transcatheter mitral valve repair by MitraClip.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine the impact of baseline chronic kidney disease (CKD) on in-hospital outcomes of transcatheter mitral valve repair with MitraClip (MC). BACKGROUND MC is now an established treatment in high surgical risk patients. However, limited data are available on outcomes of MC in patients with baseline renal dysfunction. METHODS The authors used data from January 2014 to December 2017 National Readmission Database to identify all patients ≥18 years of age who underwent MC. International classification of diseases (ICD)-9 and ICD-10 codes were used to identify patients with no-CKD, CKD (without chronic dialysis), or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed using generalized estimating equations to examine in-hospital outcomes. RESULTS Of 13,563 patients undergoing MC, 8,935 (65.8%) had no-CKD, 4,152 (30.6%) had CKD, and 476 (3.5%) had ESRD. ESRD patients compared to CKD and no-CKD had significantly higher mortality (7.2% vs. 2.5% vs. 2.0%; p < .001), higher incidence of bleeding, blood transfusions, and 30 day all cause readmission. CKD patients compared to no-CKD had significantly higher mortality (odds ratio-1.29; CI 1.01-1.65; p = .04), acute kidney injury (odds ratio-3.0; CI 2.69-3.34; p < .001), new in-hospital hemodialysis (odds ratio- 2.70; CI 1.57-4.62; p < .001), blood transfusions, 30 day all cause and congestive heart failure (CHF) readmissions. In-hospital stroke and cardiac tamponade did not differ between the three groups. Patients with baseline kidney disease undergoing MC had higher mortality at high volume centers compared to low volume centers. CHF was the most common cause of readmission postMC in patients with or without preprocedural kidney disease. CONCLUSION Patients with baseline kidney disease have worse outcomes after MC with higher readmission rates requiring careful patient selection and follow up in this population.