cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE REPRESENTATION OF MULTIMODAL USER INTERFACE DIALOGUES USING DISCOURSE PEGS

The three-tiered discourse representation defined in (Luperfoy, 1991) is applied to multimodal human-computer interface (HCI) dialogues. In the applied system the three tiers are (1) a linguistic analysis (morphological, syntactic, sentential semantic) of input and output communicative events including keyboard-entered command language atoms, NL strings, mouse clicks, output text strings, and output graphical events; (2) a discourse model representation containing one discourse object, called a peg, for each construct (each guise of an individual) under discussion; and (3) the knowledge base (KB) representation of the computer agent's 'belief' system which is used to support its interpretation procedures. I present evidence to justify the added complexity of this three-tiered system over standard two-tiered representations, based on (A) cognitive processes that must be supported for any non-idealized dialogue environment (e.g., the agents can discuss constructs not present in their current belief systems), including information decay, and the need for a distinction between understanding a discourse and believing the information content of a discourse; (B) linguistic phenomena, in particular, context-dependent NPs, which can be partially or totally anaphoric; and (C) observed requirements of three implemented HCI dialogue systems that have employed this three-tiered discourse representation.
Enzymatic activity of poliovirus RNA polymerases with mutations at the tyrosine residue of the conserved YGDD motif: isolation and characterization of polioviruses containing RNA polymerases with FGDD and MGDD sequences.

Abstract The poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (3Dpol) shares a region of homology with all RNA polymerases, centered around the amino acid motif YGDD, which has been postulated to be involved in the catalytic activity of the enzyme. Using oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis, we substituted the tyrosine at this motif of the poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase with cysteine, histidine, isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, or serine. The enzymes were expressed in Escherichia coli, and in vitro enzyme activity was tested. The phenylalanine and methionine substitutions resulted in enzymes with activity equal to that of the wild-type enzyme. The cysteine substitution resulted in an enzyme with approximately 50% of the wild-type activity, while the serine substitution resulted in an enzyme with approximately 10% of the wild-type activity; the isoleucine and histidine substitutions resulted in background levels of enzyme activity. To assess the effects of the mutants in viral replication, the mutant polymerase genes were subcloned into the infectious cDNA clone of poliovirus. Transfection of poliovirus cDNA containing the phenylalanine mutation in 3Dpol gave rise to virus in all of the transfection trials, while cDNA containing the methionine mutation resulted in virus in only 3 of 40 transfections. Transfection of cDNAs containing the other substitutions at the tyrosine residue did not result in infectious virus. The recovered viruses demonstrated kinetics of replication similar to those of the wild-type virus, as measured by [3H]uridine incorporation at either 37 or 39 degrees C. RNA sequence analysis of the 3Dpol gene of both viruses demonstrated that the tyrosine-to-phenylalanine or tyrosine-to-methionine mutation was still present. No other differences in the 3Dpol gene between the wild-type and phenylalanine-containing virus were found. The virus containing the methionine mutation also contained two other nucleotide changes from the wild-type 3Dpol sequence; one resulted in a glutamic acid-to-aspartic acid change at amino acid 108 of the polymerase, and the other resulted in a C-to-T base change at nucleotide 6724, which did not result in an amino acid change. To confirm that the second amino acid mutation found in the 3Dpol gene of the methionine-substituted virus allowed for replication ability, a mutation corresponding to the glutamic acid-to-aspartic acid change was made in the polymerase containing the methionine substitution, and this double-mutant polymerase was expressed in E. coli. The double-mutant enzyme was as active as the wild-type enzyme under in vitro assay conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Adsorbate-to-Si(100) bonding coordination numbers and structural determinations from synchrotron photoemission studies

The initial stages of interface formation between In, Sb, Sn, and Ag adsorbates and the Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface have been examined with high resolution core-level photoemission spectroscopy. In each case, the Si 2p surface-shifted core-level component is seen to be converted into a component which is indistinguishable from the bulk component through adsorption. The average number of Si surface dimer atoms modified in the presence of an adatom, which is referred to as the adsorbate-to-Si bonding coordination number (BCN), is obtained for various coverages. The relative homogeneity of the adsorbate site bonding is evaluated by examining the line shapes of the adsorbate core-level spectra. The In-to-Si BCN is 3 for very low coverages and decreases to 2 for 1/2-monolayer coverage. The results are consistent with an In/%( 100)-(2 x 2) structural model which involves sp2 hybrid bonding of In dimers. The Sn 4d core levels reveal the existence of two different Sn bonding sites which form sp’ and s2p2 hybrid bonding configurations; a structural model for the Sn/Si(IOO)-c(4 x 4) is presented. The Ag-to-Si BCN measurement indicates that adsorbed Ag forms linear sp hybrid bonds between two neighboring Si dimers along the direction of dimerization at low coverages. Sb chemisorption is found to yield a BCN behavior similar to that of In.
TERRI: A CALL Lesson Simulating Conversational Interaction.

Abstract This paper describes TERRI, a CALL simulation lesson on English imperatives for students of English as a Foreign Language. The simulation was suggested by Winograd's (1976), which used a display with a table, a box, blocks, pyramids, and a ‘robot hand’. His program responded to questions about the objects and to commands to move them (using the ‘robot hand’). TERRI is a much-simplified adaptation of Winograd's simulation. The scene with several objects remains. The program sets a goal (in terms of object locations) for the student. The student gives commands in English, ordering TERRI to relocate individual objects. The program checks the student's grammar, vocabulary, and ‘sense’, requesting corrections and/or more information if needed. The lesson continues until the student achieves the goal or quits. As TERRI demonstrates, small-scale natural language processing permits the creation of CALL simulations of actual language use.
Pleiotropic drug resistance in hepatocytes induced by carcinogens administered to rats.

Abstract The effect of hepatocarcinogen administration in vivo on the induction of pleiotropic drug resistance was studied in primary monolayer cultures of adult rat hepatocytes using a cytotoxicity assay in vitro . Dietary 2-acetylaminofluorene, 3′-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, aflatoxin B 1 , ethionine, and diethylnitrosamine rapidly induced resistance to doses of Adriamycin, methotrexate, cycloheximide, and aflatoxin B 1 which were cytocidal to normal hepatocytes from untreated rats. Up to 95% of some hepatocyte preparations became drug resistant before any new hepatocyte phenotypes could proliferate. Drug resistance was measured at 24 h after initiation of 2-acetylaminofluorene feeding and remained stable throughout the 16 wk of carcinogen exposure. When limited carcinogen exposure was followed by a return to a basal non-carcinogen-containing diet for many months, the hepatocytes in the resultant hepatocellular carcinomas also displayed pleiotropic drug resistance, and the cells of the peritumorous liver did so to a lesser extent. Drug resistance was not induced by chronic administration of the tumor promoters phenobarbital, cholinedeficient diet, phorbol, nor with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin, but was induced to a variable extent by three hepatotoxins (ethanol, methotrexate, carbon tetrachloride). Whereas the early appearing drug resistance appears to be an adaptation of the liver to the presence of a toxic carcinogen, the late resistance which does not disappear after withdrawal of the inducing carcinogen may be a constitutive characteristic of chemically induced hepatocellular carcinomas.
Residual Stress Determination Using Strain Gage Measurements

A strain gage technique, which relates the prior residual stress state in a material to the strain data obtained by fixing a strain gage on one surface and grinding off the other, has been proposed previously. In the current work, a generalized solution for obtaining an arbitrary residual stress profile from strain gage data is presented. Numerical analysis using the solution indicates that the formulation is insensitive to random errors of 10% or less in the experimental data. Based on the results of the analysis, a procedure for determining stress profiles from strain gage data is outlined. Experimental data for tempered glass was analyzed using the technique proposed. The stress profiles predicted are in good agreement with independent observations using indentation and strength data.
The expression of the pituitary growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor and its splice variants in normal and neoplastic human tissues

Abstract Various attempts to detect human pituitary growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (pGHRH-R) in neoplastic extrapituitary tissues have thus far failed. Recently, four splice variants (SVs) of GHRH-R have been described, of which SV1 has the highest structural homology to pGHRH-R and likely plays a role in tumor growth. The aim of this study was to reinvestigate whether human tumors and normal human extrapituitary tissues express the pGHRH-R and to corroborate our previous findings on its SVs. Thus, we developed a real-time PCR method for the detection of the mRNA for the pGHRH-R, its SVs, and the GHRH peptide. Using real-time PCR, Western blotting, and radioligand-binding assays, we detected the mRNA for pGHRH-R and pGHRH-R protein in various human cancer cell lines grown in nude mice and in surgical specimens of human lung cancers. The expression of mRNA for SVs of pGHRH-R and GHRH was likewise found in xenografts of human non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, small-cell lung carcinomas, and in human nonmalignant prostate, liver, lung, kidney, and pituitary. Western blots showed that these normal and malignant human tissues contain SV1 protein and immunoreactive GHRH. Our results demonstrate that some normal human tissues and tumors express mRNA and protein for the pGHRH-R and its splice variants. These findings confirm and extend the concept that GHRH and its receptors play an important role in the pathophysiology of human cancers.
Temafloxacin Syndrome: Review of 95 Cases

Four months after its approval in the United States, temafloxacin was withdrawn from the market worldwide because of frequent reports of serious hemolysis with or without other organ system dysfunction. We describe this "temafloxacin syndrome" on the basis of a review of 95 spontaneous reports of hemolysis sent to the Food and Drug Administration. Patients typically presented with fever, chills, and jaundice a mean of 6.4 days after starting therapy. A moderate degree of hemolysis was reflected by the mean drop in hemoglobin level (by 42 g/L) and by the mean lowest concentration of hemoglobin (97 g/L). New-onset renal dysfunction was noted in 54 cases (57%), and dialysis was required in 34 cases (63%). Coagulopathy was noted in 33 cases (35%), and 48 cases (51%) met the criteria for hepatic dysfunction. Four patients developed central nervous system complications, and two patients died. Prior quinolone use was more common among patients who developed hemolysis after only one dose as opposed to two or more doses (P < .001). These data suggest that temafloxacin causes immune hemolytic anemia, most likely secondary to immune complex formation.
Pemphigus foliaceus masquerading as postoperative wound infection: report of a case and review of the Koebner and related phenomenon following surgical procedures.

Background The Koebner phenomenon, also known as the isomorphic response, is the development of preexisting skin disease following trauma to uninvolved skin. Various cutaneous disorders have been described to arise at surgical wounds and scars. Moreover, dermatologic procedures, such as cold-steel and laser surgery, can evoke koebnerization. Objective To describe a case of pemphigus foliaceus arising in postoperative wounds and to present a review of dermatologic disorders triggered by surgical procedures. Methods We report a case of pemphigus foliaceus initially presenting at sites of Mohs' micrographic surgery, shave biopsy, and cryotherapy and, subsequently, at a nonsurgical site. We reviewed the English literature in MEDLINE from November 1955 to April 2004 for reports of Koebner and related phenomenon following surgical procedures. Results To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of pemphigus foliaceus erupting at surgical and cryotherapy wounds. The clinical appearance can mimic wound infection. In addition to inducing preexisting disease, cutaneous procedures can also trigger the onset of new disease, which can either be limited only to the surgical site or subsequently become generalized. Conclusion Postoperative Koebner or related responses should be included in the differential diagnosis of poorly healing surgical wounds. Skin biopsies for histopathology and immunologic studies may be necessary for definitive diagnosis and optimal management. ADAM M. ROTUNDA, MD, ANAND R. BHUPATHY, DO, ROBERT DYE, MD, AND TERESA T. SORIANO, MD, HAVE INDICATED NO SIGNIFICANT INTEREST WITH COMMERCIAL SUPPORTERS.
Effect of particle size on modulating turbulent intensity

On propose un modele physique simple pour expliquer l'augmentation et la diminution de l'intensite turbulente provoquee par l'addition de particules
Theory, simulation, and measurements for new model of spectral hole burning in EDFA

A new model of spectral hole burning effect in EDFA is suggested. Experiments were conducted to identify the hole burning mechanism. The shape and the depth of the spectral hole are in accordance with the suggested approach.
Direct Charged-Particle Imaging System Using an Ultra-Thin Phosphor: Physical Characterization and Dynamic Applications

Imaging beta rays in vivo will help to advance microdosimetry and radiopharmaceutical development. In an earlier paper , we reported a newly developed system capable of directly imaging high-energy electron emissions in small animals in vivo. In this paper, we have thoroughly characterized the performance of the system. We have measured the sensitivity and detectability and the spatial resolution at various magnifications, as well as the linearity of the system. The system has also demonstrated the capability of directly detecting conversion electrons and positrons as well as beta rays. The system has been applied to dynamically image spatiotemporal 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake distributions in xenograft small tumors in dorsal window chambers on mice in vivo. Heterogeneity in FDG uptake in millimeter-sized tumors has been observed.
Kaolin-induced chronic hydrocephalus accelerates amyloid deposition and vascular disease in transgenic rats expressing high levels of human APP

Background Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is most common in the elderly and has a high co-morbidity with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD). To understand the relationship between NPH, AD and CVD, we investigated how chronic hydrocephalus impacts brain amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) accumulation and vascular pathology in an AD transgenic rodent model. Previously we showed that the altered CSF physiology produced by kaolin-hydrocephalus in older wild-type Sprague–Dawley rats increased Aβ and hyperphosphorylated Tau (Silverberg et. al. Brain Res. 2010, 1317:286–296). We postulated that hydrocephalus would similarly affect an AD rat model.
Geostreaming at IBM: infosphere streams and intelligent traffic systems

Based on a system developed at IBM Research over eight years, and in production in one of the most demanding environments imaginable for the last three, IBM has introduced InfoSphere Streams, an advanced, commercial stream processing platform. With an innovative, distributed-processing runtime and a graph-based, extensible programming paradigm, it is well suited to extreme performance requirements and highly sophisticated processing and analytics on all kinds of data, from structured business records to text, audio, imagery, time-series and geospatial data. It is already being used in numerous scientific applications and academic projects. In this talk, I will give an overview of the Streams product and then highlight one such project, a collaboration with the KTH University in Stockholm. The ultimate aim of the project is to build an intelligent route planning and travel time prediction system based on instantaneous information about speeds and travel times from GPS-instrumented vehicles as well as historical data collected by the same vehicles. I will discuss the design and implementation of the application as well as performance results from initial simulations.
A Music Information Retrieval Approach Based on Power Laws

We present a music information retrieval approach based on power laws. Research in cognitive science and neuroscience reveals connections between power laws, human cognition, and human physiology. Empirical studies also demonstrate connections between power laws and human aesthetics. We utilize 250+ power-law metrics to extract statistical proportions of music-theoretic and other attributes of music pieces. We discuss an experiment where artificial neural networks classify 2,000 music pieces, based on aesthetic preferences of human listeners, with 90. 70% accuracy. Also, we present audio results from a music information retrieval experiment, in which a music search engine prototype retrieves music based on "aesthetic" similarity from a corpus of 15,200+ pieces. These results suggest that power-law metrics are a promising model of music aesthetics, as they may be capturing statistical properties of the human hearing apparatus.
MEMESTAR: A Simulation Framework for Reliability Evaluation over Multiple Environments

The paper presents a methodology for the simulation of soft errors targeting future nano-technological devices. This approach efficiently scales the failure rate of individual devices according to cell area and considers the effect of multiple faults within a circuit. Furthermore this methodology measures circuit operation over a range of environments and consequently provides a means of targeting designs to the expected operating environment rather than worst case. The authors demonstrate the effect area has on circuit reliability and fault tolerance
Best achievable decentralized performance

In this paper, a novel parameterization of all decentralized stabilizing controllers is employed in mathematically formulating the best achievable decentralized performance problem as an infinite dimensional optimization problem, Finite dimensional optimization problems are then constructed that have values arbitrarily close to this infinite dimensional problem. An algorithm which identifies the best achievable performance over all linear time-invariant decentralized controllers is then presented. It employs a global optimization approach to the solution of these finite dimensional approximating problems. >
Other Mormon Histories: Lamanite Subjectivity in Mexico

Other Mormon Histories, narratives in which formerly passive objects of history become active subjects, draw attention to the power relationships in the production of Mormon history. The Book of Mormon and traditional Mormon history imagine and then subjugate American Indians as Lamanites in a story of Christian triumphalism. Nahua authors, Margarito Bautista Valencia and Agricol Lozano Herrera, adopt the label of a Lamanite other and then domesticate Mormonism through narratives of Mexican peculiarity. Bautista's domestication of Mormon theology and his deployments of a Lamanite identity in the 1930s provoked hostility from Church leaders but that of Lozano fifty years later did not. Bautista's writings threatened power relations within the LDS Church because the other not only became a self, but the original subject also became a stigmatized object. Lozano did not stimatize Anglo-Americans in the same manner as Bautista. He moved them from subjects of their own accounts to romanticized objects of his account. While romanticizing Anglo-Americans Lozano internalized negative characterizations of Lamanites and used this imagery to warn Mexicans to avoid strident challenges to the Church hierarchy.
STAT1 and NF-κB Inhibitors Diminish Basal Interferon-Stimulated Gene Expression and Improve the Productive Infection of Oncolytic HSV in MPNST Cells

Interferon-stimulated genes (ISG) encode diverse proteins that mediate intrinsic antiviral resistance in infected cells. Here it was hypothesized that malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) cells resist the productive infection of oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) through activation of the JAK/STAT1 pathway and resultant upregulation of ISGs. Multiple human and mouse MPNST cells were used to explore the relationship between STAT1 activation and the productive infection of Δγ134.5 oHSVs. STAT1 activation in response to oHSV infection was found to associate with diminished Δγ134.5 oHSVs replication and spread. Multiday pretreatment, but not cotreatment, with a JAK inhibitor significantly improved viral titer and spread. ISG expression was found to be elevated prior to infection and downregulated when treated with the inhibitor, suggesting that the JAK/STAT1 pathway is active prior to infection. Conversely, upregulation of ISG expression in normally permissive cells significantly decreased oHSV productivity. Finally, a possible link between NF-κB pathway activation and ISG expression was established through the expression of inhibitor of kB (IκB) which decreased basal STAT1 transcription and ISG expression. These results demonstrate that basal ISG expression prior to infection contributes to the resistance of Δγ134.5 oHSVs in MPNST cells. Implications: Although cancer-associated ISG expression has been previously reported to impart resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, these data show that basal ISG expression also contributes to oncolytic HSV resistance. Mol Cancer Res; 14(5); 482–92. ©2016 AACR .
Identification and characterization of small-molecule inhibitors of lysine acetyltransferases.

Lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) acetylate various proteins including histones, transcription factors, metabolic enzymes, and other cellular substrates. Protein acetylation signifi cantly impacts protein stability and function. Certain KATs such as p300 (KAT3B) are overexpressed in cancer cells and are linked to tumor progression and drug resistance. Thus, pharmacologic inhibition of KATs represents a new strategy for cancer therapy. Quantitative biochemical assays of KAT enzymatic activity have been developed and adapted for high-throughput screens of small-molecule compounds to discover specifi c KAT inhibitors. Such compounds are useful probes for understanding the cellular functions of these critical enzymes and importantly, they may be further developed as anticancer therapeutics. Here we describe a fl uorescencebased KAT activity assay and cell-based validation of KAT inhibition by small-molecule compounds.
States Can Retain Their Estate Taxes Even as the Federal Estate Tax is Phased Out

Elizabeth C. McNichol, Iris J. Lav, and Daniel Tenny of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, suggest that states should continue to tax estates. To prevent a large revenue loss, states have to break the automatic connection that many states have between the amount of the state estate tax credit in the federal law and the amount of tax an estate owes to the state, the authors say. If the states continue to tax estates after the phaseout of the federal credit for estate taxes, taxpayers may see an increase in taxes, but that will not be an increase in state taxes, the authors say. Elimination of the estate tax would make state tax systems more regressive, the authors say.
Competition or exhibition? The Olympic arts and cultural policy rhetoric

Though they are widely forgotten today, the modern Olympic Games once offered competitive medals for art. This tradition, which lasted through the seven summer Games held from 1912 to 1948, found artists competing for gold much as athletes do now. These artists represented their nation in judged competitive events showcasing artistic works. In its initial form, the ‘pentathlon of the muses,’ as it was called, included competitive events in Architecture, Musical Composition, Sculpture, Painting, and Literature. This paper considers the history of these arts competitions and their eventual demise as a study in cultural policy, arguing that no understanding of cultural policy is sufficient unless it considers the rhetorical factors that contribute to its formation. Without abandoning the Foucauldian backbone of cultural-policy studies, this argument makes an interdisciplinary plea to open cultural policy studies to the field of rhetorical scholarship, which it has almost wholly neglected to date.
Acoustic Source Localization and the Echo Problem

In this paper, we explore the use of decentralized control techniques to perform acoustic source localization in the presence of walls and buildings. The control follows a proven second-order, function-maximization method; however, the problem becomes more dicult with the introduction of physical barriers and the associated echo eects. Echo adds complexity to the system via superficial sources. This complication is analyzed, and a possible solution to the echo problem is presented. The objective of this research is to apply the solution method to urban search and rescue scenarios. Simulation results are given at the conclusion of the paper.
Case Report: Neonatal Herpes Infections: A Case Study

A case of neonatal herpes simplex virus (NHS) infection occurred in a 14-day-old black male. The signs and symptoms of NHS infections include progressive encephalitis and negative cerebrospinal fluid cultures. The laboratory procedures used in the diagnosis of NHS include the Tzanck and Papanicoloau smears, viral culture procedures, immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase procedures, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and DNA restriction endonuclease mapping. Early diagnosis and treatment can substantially decrease mortality and morbidity of NHS. As a result, laboratories must provide some means of herpes simplex virus detection.
Plasma Phosphorus at 0, 6, and 21 Hours Postoviposition in Hens Laying in the Morning or Afternoon

Abstract Two experiments were conducted using White Leghorn hens. Blood samples were collected immediately following oviposition (0 hr) or 6 or 21 hr postoviposition from hens laying in the morning or afternoon. Plasma phosphorus was determined at each time period. In Experiment 1, plasma phosphorus at oviposition was essentially the same for hens laying in the morning or afternoon (3.95 and 4.10 mg/dl, respectively). At 6 hr postoviposition plasma phosphorus was lower than that observed at 0 hr (3.22 and 3.15 mg/dl, respectively). When comparing plasma phosphorus levels at 21 hr postoviposition of hens laying in the morning or afternoon a higher (P≤.05) phosphorus level was observed for hens that laid in the morning (5.90 vs. 4.91, respectively). In Experiment 2, plasma phosphorus levels at 0 and 6 hr postoviposition were 3.32 vs. 3.18 and 2.81 vs. 2.74 mg/dl for hens laying in the morning and afternoon, respectively. At 21 hr postoviposition, phosphorus values of 5.30 vs. 3.65 mg/dl were reported for hens laying in the morning and afternoon, respectively. Data also indicated that on the day a hen does not lay an egg, plasma phosphorus does not rise. An hypothesis is offered to explain the difference in egg shell quality between eggs laid in the morning or afternoon.
Is There Really a Problem?: The Challenge of Neo-Cartesianism

The problem of animal pain, as I have formulated it, entails that there are a significant number of animals that suffer in a morally significant way. Though that suffering was defined quite broadly, physical pain has for most constituted the crux of animal suffering. But, of course, purely physical pain is very rare. When you are in “physical” pain, it is how much you don’t like it that is the real problem, and that is a psychological state. The two may come apart in theory, but rarely in practice. Some theorists would deny the very existence of a significant portion of the data the problem of animal pain stems from. If there is no problem worth considering, then there is no sense in strenuously seeking a solution. If there are not data crying out for an explanation, it is a waste of time to carefully craft one. In this chapter, after some epistemological prolegomena, I consider a prominent attempt to deny the data.
Impact of BMI on genetic variation in ovarian cancer.

e17090Background: We examined the effect of body mass index (BMI) on genetic mutations in ovarian cancer (OC) patients enrolled on UNCseq. Methods: Snap-frozen and FFPE tissue samples were collecte...
Lung cancer: therapeutic options for stage IV and recurrent NSCLC.

In the year 2000 the American Cancer Society estimates there will be 164,100 new cases of lung cancer in the United States and approximately 157,000 deaths, making it the leader in cancer-related deaths (1). More than 50% of cases will be unresectable at diagnosis, a substantial number of these could be potential candidates for systemic chemotherapy at some time during the course of their disease (2,3).
The Effectiveness of Free Vascularized Fibular Flaps in Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head and Neck: A Systematic Review

Background Free vascularized fibular flaps (FVFFs) are accepted surgical options to treat osteonecrosis of the femoral head and neck (ONFHN) to prevent conversion to total hip replacement (THR), yet many studies are single institution cohorts, with little generalizability. Purpose The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review examining the comparative effectiveness of FVFF to treat ONFHN, particularly preventing conversion to a THR and improving hip function/symptoms. Methods We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases using femoral head, free fibula, and femoral neck keywords. Articles were excluded if not translated into English, n < 10 hips, article was a compilation/review, outcomes were not relevant, or prior to 1994. If from the same institution, we included the largest cohort and excluded others within the same timeline. Two investigators independently reviewed articles and reported number of patients/hips, average age/follow-up time/graft survival before THR, Harris hip score, THR rate, complications, and radiographic progression rates. Results We identified 128 and 157 articles from PubMed and EMBASE. After screening/duplicate removal, 21 studies were included from 14 institutions in 9 countries. Overall, 71% were level IV evidence. The average patient number was 129, number of hips was 166, age at surgery was 34 years, and follow-up time was 92 months. HHS improved on average 21.7 points, with the number of patients requiring THR being 19.4%. Graft survival before THR was 5.2 years, and 47.7% of hips had radiographic progression. Conclusions There is a significant amount of level IV evidence describing the favorable role of FVFF to treat ONFHN. Although efficacious, there is a need for higher level evidence. The level of evidence is 3.
Interactive Palliative and End-of-Life Care Modules for Pediatric Residents.

Background. There is a need for increased palliative care training during pediatric residency. Objective. In this pilot study, we created a comprehensive experiential model to teach palliative care skills to pediatric residents. Our Comfort Care Modules (CCMs) address pediatric palliative care (PPC) topics of breaking bad news, dyspnea, anxiety, pain management, and the dying child. We also evaluated a scoring system and gathered qualitative data. Methods. The CCMs are part of the University of California San Diego pediatric residency’s second-year curriculum. Comparisons were made for statistical trends between residents exposed to the modules and those not exposed . Results. Nineteen of 36 residents (52%) completed surveys to self-rate their preparedness, knowledge, and confidence about PPC before and after the intervention. Resident scores increased in all areas. All improvements reached statistical significance except confidence when breaking bad news. Overall, the resident feedback about the CCMs was positive. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that the CCMs can be performed effectively in an academic setting and can benefit residents’ self-perception of preparedness, confidence, and knowledge about pediatric palliative care. In the future, we plan to implement the modules on a larger scale. We encourage their use in interprofessional settings and across institutions.
‘I Always Felt I Was Black’: cannibalism, race, and desire in Tennessee Williams

ABSTRACTThis close reading of Tennessee Williams’ 1946 short story ‘Desire and the Black Masseur’ and 1958 play Suddenly Last Summer joins a trend in scholarship examining race in Williams’ work. Homosexuality and race are inextricably linked in these two texts, but scholarship often lacks a locus through which to discuss one issue without discounting the other. Therefore, I employ French psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche’s Essays on Otherness to draw out problematic ‘maternal figures’: characters or spaces that embody ‘ambivalence’. Such ambivalence refers to the condition of simultaneously nurturing and seducing (in this case) white, homosexual male bodies. I shall argue that homosexuality (cannibalistically extended) and race (‘I always felt I was black’) should be examined in relation to each other in ‘Desire’ and Suddenly. ‘Desire’ establishes ‘ambivalence’ by way of its theatre and bathhouse, locations taking human (and racial) form in the figure of the masseur. Hence, cannibalism not only constitutes th...
Significant role of organic sulfur in supporting sedimentary sulfate reduction in low-sulfate environments

Abstract Dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR) is a major carbon mineralization pathway in aquatic sediments, soils, and groundwater, which regulates the production of hydrogen sulfide and the mobilization rates of biologically important elements such as phosphorus and mercury. It has been widely assumed that water-column sulfate is the main sulfur source to fuel this reaction in sediments. While this assumption may be justified in high-sulfate environments such as modern seawater, we argue that in low-sulfate environments mineralization of organic sulfur compounds can be an important source of sulfate. Using a reaction-transport model, we investigate the production of sulfate from sulfur-containing organic matter for a range of environments. The results show that in low sulfate environments ( 50%) of sulfate reduction. In well-oxygenated systems, porewater sulfate profiles often exhibit sub-interface peaks so that sulfate fluxes are directed out of the sediment. Our measurements in Lake Superior, the world’s largest lake, corroborate this conclusion: offshore sediments act as sources rather than sinks of sulfate for the water column, and sediment DSR is supported entirely by the in-sediment production of sulfate. Sulfate reduction rates are correlated to the depth of oxygen penetration and strongly regulated by the supply of reactive organic matter; rate co-regulation by sulfate availability becomes appreciable below 500 μM level. The results indicate the need to consider the mineralization of organic sulfur in the biogeochemical cycling in low-sulfate environments, including several of the world’s largest freshwater bodies, deep subsurface, and possibly the sulfate-poor oceans of the Early Earth.
Music to Motion: Using Music Information to Create Expressive Robot Motion

In a robot theater, developing high-quality motions for a humanoid robot requires significant time and effort. People with artistic and animation skills are required to create expressive gestures and movements on the robots. We observe that dancers can translate music into motions that are perceived as expressive by the audience. In this study, we developed a program to exploit melodic and dynamics information from music to create expressive robot motion. The program was used on two applications: producing motions strictly from the music information and controlling the execution a pre-programmed sequence of actions. Both applications are intended for a robot theater. The former was applied on an arm robot, while the latter on a humanoid KHR-1 robot. Two surveys were done to analyze the impact of our method. The results suggest that the robot motions produced by our program can be perceived as being more expressive and more dynamic than the motions created by a person or without music information.
Comparison of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy Before or After Artificial Urinary Sphincter Placement: A Multi-Institutional, Retrospective Analysis

Objective To determine if the timing of radiation therapy on artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) impacts complication rates, revision rates, and number of pads per day after placement. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of men with prostate cancer who underwent AUS placement and radiation therapy between 1987 and 2016. Results Of 306 men, 292 (95.4%) received radiation before AUS placement (group 1) and 14 (4.6%) received radiation after AUS placement (group 2). Median follow-up was 30 months after AUS placement. Group 1 had 32 of 292 (11.0%) patients suffer from erosion, compared with 0 of 14 (0.0%) patients in group 2 (P = .191). None of the patients in group 2 had infection or mechanical failure. The number of patients who received revision in group 1 was 91 of 292 (31.2%) and in group 2 was 2 of 14 (14.3%) (P = .180). The number of pads used per day in group 1 before and after AUS placement was 5.24 ± 3.12 and 1.13 ± 1.31, respectively (P Conclusion The timing of radiation therapy does not appear to significantly affect complication rates or urinary continence, as measured in pads used after AUS placement. This multi-institutional retrospective analysis showed similar erosion and revision rates when radiation occurred after AUS placement and demonstrates preliminary safety and feasibility of the administration of radiation after AUS placement.
Observation of Excitonic Effects in Excited Neutral Alkali Desorption from Alkali Halides

We report simultaneous measurements of excited state alkali desorption and photoelectron emission from NaCl irradiated by ultraviolet light from a synchrotron source. The excitation function shows structure near known exciton energies. Incident photons of energy sufficient for core-exciton production are seen to channel energy away from broad-band bulk luminescence and toward electron and excited alkali atom emission. This suggests that excitons can play a direct role in excited-atom, neutral desorption.
Chronic Hepatitis C and Direct Acting Antivirals

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States and is the most common cause of end-stage liver disease requiring liver transplant. Over the last 10 years, direct acting antiviral therapies have revolutionized HCV treatment, increasing the cure rates from less than 50% to more than 90% in those who reach access to care. This article is an overview for pathologists and clinicians covering the histologic findings of HCV as well as direct acting antiviral therapy.
Reactive metabolite screen for reducing candidate attrition in drug discovery.

Toxicity of drug candidates accounts for a significant portion of attrition during exploratory development. One common mode of toxicity is the formation of electrophilic reactive metabolites, which manifest their toxicity by covalent binding to nucleophilic groups present in vital cellular proteins and nucleic acids (1–2). Although not all toxicological manifestations are attributable to reactive metabolites, a vast body of literature suggests that inadequate detoxification of chemically reactive metabolites formed as a result of drug bioactivation is a pathogenic mechanism for tissue necrosis (3–4), carcinogenicity (5), teratogenicity (6) and immune-mediated toxicity (7).
Aristotle’s Critique

To dwell with the Sage is to become a student of learning, a student of the one who remains authentically seized by wonder. To dwell with the Sage is to be guided and directed along the path of silence where we take up the art of compassion. The Sage is the one who is remains steadfast in openness and thereby most active in the process of building, a creating meaning.
Current Issues in Understanding Acoustic Impedance of the Respiratory System

Most commonly used pulmonary function tests require patients to perform some sort of gymnastic respiratory maneuver such as a forced expiration. These tests are therefore restricted to conscious, cooperative adult humans. Measurements of mechanical, or input acoustic impedance of the respiratory system (Zin) can be made in animals, non-cooperative adults and children, and infants. The first measurements of Zin, made in normal human subjects were reported by Dubois et al. in 1956 [3]. There were certain characteristics of Zin that suggested that the normal respiratory system behaved as though all of the alveoli could be lumped into a single compartment. The single compartment model that they proposed consisted of 6-elements and is illustrated in Fig. 1. If this were the appropriate model and if we could make Zin measurements over the appropriate frequency range, there is the potential of estimates of at least two parameters that are of clinical importance, airway resistance (Raw) and thoracic gas volume which is directly related to alveolar gas compression compliance (Cg). At about the same time that DuBois’ work was published, Otis et al. [18] reported that Zin in patients with diseases of the lung did not behave like a single compartment system. Specifically, they found that the effective compliance of the system was frequency dependent. This implies that there would also be a frequency dependent drop in the real part of Zin (Re) for low frequencies; a characteristic not found in normals and one that is not consistent with the 6-element model. Otis et al. suggested that these phenomena were due to inhomogeneities in the parallel airway/tissue pathways.
GeoAI 2018 workshop report the 2nd ACM SIGSPATIAL international workshop on GeoAI: AI for geographic knowledge discovery seattle, WA, USA - November 6, 2018

In today's era of big data, advanced algorithms, and immense computational power, artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing tremendous opportunities and challenges to geospatial research. Big data enable computers to observe and learn the world from many different perspectives, while high performance machines support the developing, training, and applying of AI models within reasonable amount of time. Recent years have witnessed significant advances in the integration of geography and AI in both academia and industry. There have already been many successful studies. Focusing on modeling the physical nature, research has shown that deep learning can improve the representation of clouds that are smaller than the grid resolutions of climate models. Examining the human society, AI and natural language processing methods, such as word embeddings, are helping quantify changes in stereotypes and attitudes toward women and ethnic minorities over 100 years in the United States. There are also many other applications that effectively integrate AI with problems in geospatial studies, such as vehicle trajectory prediction, indoor navigation, historical map digitizing, gazetteer conflation, geographic feature extraction, geo-ontologies, and place understanding. The 2nd International Workshop on AI for Geographic Knowledge Discovery (GeoAI 2018) builds on the success of the previous workshop in 2017. GeoAI is bringing together geoscientists, computer scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and decision makers from academia, industry, and government to discuss the latest trends, successes, challenges, and opportunities in the field of artificial intelligence for data mining and geographic knowledge discovery.
Conceptual Dynamics of Student Reasoning during Interviews Involving Discrepant Embodied Experiences

Clinical interviews are a research instrument for STEM education that elicit a variety of conceptual dynamics. While some efforts have been made to document what conceptual dynamics take place in such interviews, more remains to be done. This article describes conceptual dynamics observed in two cases where high school students were interviewed and responded to discrepant embodied experiences where what they predicted would take place physically differed from what actually took place. One case involves discussing and enacting projectile motion. The other case involves discussing and trying different configurations of bicycle gearing. The cases illustrate a short-term conceptual change in response to the discrepant experiences in which the same explanatory elements remained in their explanations over time, but how various ideas and perceived attributes of the situation were organized changed. Together, these cases illustrate an additional trigger for conceptual dynamics that have been as yet undocumented in literature about interviews.
Technical Note: 3D localization of lung tumors on cone beam CT projections via a convolutional recurrent neural network

Purpose To design a convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN) that calculates three-dimensional (3D) positions of lung tumors from continuously acquired cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) projections, and facilitates the sorting and reconstruction of 4D-CBCT images. Method Under an IRB-approved clinical lung protocol, kilovoltage (kV) projections of the setup CBCT were collected in free-breathing. Concurrently, an electromagnetic signal-guided system recorded motion traces of three transponders implanted in or near the tumor. Convolutional recurrent neural network was designed to utilize a convolutional neural network (CNN) for extracting relevant features of the kV projections around the tumor, followed by a recurrent neural network for analyzing the temporal patterns of the moving features. Convolutional recurrent neural network was trained on the simultaneously collected kV projections and motion traces, subsequently utilized to calculate motion traces solely based on the continuous feed of kV projections. To enhance performance, CRNN was also facilitated by frequent calibrations (e.g., at 10° gantry rotation intervals) derived from cross-correlation-based registrations between kV projections and templates created from the planning 4DCT. Convolutional recurrent neural network was validated on a leave-one-out strategy using data from 11 lung patients, including 5500 kV images. The root-mean-square error between the CRNN and motion traces was calculated to evaluate the localization accuracy. Result Three-dimensional displacement around the simulation position shown in the Calypso traces was 3.4 ± 1.7 mm. Using motion traces as ground truth, the 3D localization error of CRNN with calibrations was 1.3 ± 1.4 mm. CRNN had a success rate of 86 ± 8% in determining whether the motion was within a 3D displacement window of 2 mm. The latency was 20 ms when CRNN ran on a high-performance computer cluster. Conclusions CRNN is able to provide accurate localization of lung tumors with aid from frequent recalibrations using the conventional cross-correlation-based registration approach, and has the potential to remove reliance on the implanted fiducials.