cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequency-Weighted Model Reduction with Applications to Structured Models

In this paper, a frequency-weighted extension of a recently proposed model reduction method for linear systems is presented. The method uses convex optimization and can be used both with sample data and exact models. We also obtain bounds on the frequency-weighted error. The method is combined with a rank-minimization heuristic to approximate multi- input-multi-output systems. We also present two applications - environment compensation and simplification of interconnected models - where we argue the proposed methods are useful.
Optimal filter design for fixed delay tree search with decision feedback

Fixed delay tree search with decision feedback (FDTS/DF) is a hybrid detection scheme which incorporates a sequence detector into the decision feedback equalizer (DFE). It has been shown previously that the relatively simple FDTS/DF provides a near optimal detection performance for runlength-constrained data storage channels. This paper introduces a design criterion for choosing tap weights for the constrained-complexity FDTS/DF, which assumes the finite impulse response (FIR) structure for its forward and feedback filters. A method to compute optimal tap weights for the forward and feedback filters is then presented for a magnetic recording channel subject to the popular minimum runlength constraint d=1. Results show that under the d=1 constraint, FDTS/DF with one-bit decision delay achieves a large performance improvement over DFE. >
Lyme Arthritis Presenting as Transient Synovitis of the Hip

Transient synovitis of the hip is a common cause of hip pain in children. The etiology of transient synovitis of the hip is unknown. Lyme arthritis is characterized by brief, often recurrent episodes of oligoarthritis. Lyme arthritis most often affects a single knee, but hip involvement is uncommon. This report describes 2 children with Lyme arthritis who presented with features of transient synovitis of the hip. Lyme arthritis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of transient synovitis of the hip in children.
Real Options in Resource Economics

In the real options approach to capital budgeting, plans that allow for flexibility in the design or timing of an investment or economic action are valuable. Real options naturally arise in decisions to develop, extract, or harvest natural resources. We (a) review the existing literature in the economics of forestry, fishery, water, and nonrenewable resources; (b) illustrate the real options approach in resource economics through a series of simple models; and (c) suggest open questions and new areas of application when taking a real options approach to the development and management of natural resources.
Oral treatment of rodents with ivermectin for the control of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) under laboratory conditions

The macrocyclic lactone ivermectin was evaluated as a rodent systemic and feed-through insecticide for control of adult and immature sand flies (Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli). Syrian hamsters were fed diets containing 0 or 20 mg/kg ivermectin for 9 days, and sand flies were allowed to take bloodmeals from the hamsters 0, 3, 7, and 14 days after they were withdrawn from their diets. Ivermectin treatment of hamsters was 100% effective against bloodfeeding sand flies for up to 7 days after hamsters were withdrawn from ivermectin-treated diets. The survival and fecundity of sand flies that took bloodmeals from hamsters 14 days after they had been withdrawn from their ivermectin-treated diets were not significantly different from sand flies that took bloodmeals from control hamsters. Feces of the hamsters were collected 0, 3, 7, and 14 days after the hamsters had been withdrawn from their diets, and the feces were fed to 2nd instars of P. papatasi. All larvae that were fed feces of ivermectin-treated hamsters voided 0 days after being withdrawn from their diets died before pupation; larvae fed feces voided by ivermectin-treated hamsters 3 and 7 days after being withdrawn from their treated diets had significantly reduced survival. The results of this study suggest that oral ivermectin treatment of rodents could control immature and adult female sand flies that are closely associated with rodents.
Viruses and collapsing glomerulopathy: a brief critical review

Background. Collapsing glomerulopathy may occur in an idiopathic (primary) form and in association with a wide spectrum of infectious and inflammatory conditions and medications. The association of collapsing glomerulopathy with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection is well established; less certain is the association with other viral infections. Methods. We searched PubMed for articles in all languages that addressed glomerulopathies associated with parvovirus B19, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and simian virus 40 (SV40). Results. Case reports and small-case series link infection with these common viruses and glomerular injury. The evidence for a pathogenic role is generally stronger for glomerulonephritis than for collapsing glomerulopathy. Conclusions. The evidence linking collapsing glomerulopathy with CMV is relatively strong but not yet conclusive, while the evidence for a pathogenic role for EBV and parvovirus B19 is weaker.
Performance optimizations for scalable implicit RANS calculations with SU2

Abstract In this paper, we present single- and multi-node optimizations of SU2, a widely-used, open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics application, aimed at improving performance and scalability for implicit Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes calculations on unstructured grids. Typical industry-standard implementations are currently limited by unstructured accesses, variable degrees of parallelism, as well as the global synchronizations inherent in traditionally used Krylov linear solvers. Therefore, we rely on aggressive single-node optimizations, such as hierarchical parallelism, dynamic threading, compacted memory layout, and vectorization, along with a communication-friendly agglomeration (geometric) linear multigrid solver. Based on results with the well-known ONERA M6 geometry, our single core and shared memory optimizations result in a speedup of 2.6X on the latest 14-core Intel® Xeon™ 1 E5-2697v3 processor when compared to the baseline SU2 implementation with 14 MPI ranks. In multi-node settings, the hybrid OpenMP+MPI multigrid implementation achieves 2X higher parallel efficiency on 256 nodes over conventional Krylov-based (GMRES) methods.
Amino Acid Composition of Mycobacterial Cell Wall.

SummaryThe amino acid composition of cell walls from 4 strains of mycobacteria has been determined by quantitative column chromatography. Glutamic acid, alanine and diaminopimelic acid were major components in each of the cell wall preparations. Aspartic acid, serine, threonine, glycine, isoleucine, leucine and valine were present at probably significant levels in cell walls of one or more, but not all of the mycobacteria. chromatographically detectable amounts of arginine, cystine, histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline and tyrosine were absent from all cell wall preparations.
Parental Understanding of an in-Toeing Gait

Parents often bring their children to an orthopaedic surgeon to evaluate an in-toeing gait. During these visits, some parents may have difficulty understanding that in-toeing is part of typical development, and that the vast majority of children do not require treatment. In addition to causing parental distress, poor parental understanding of in-toeing may lead parents to seek additional care. This may subject the child to unnecessary treatment and put additional stress on an already overburdened healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to investigate parental understanding …
Abstract C32: Native American genetic ancestry is protective against prostate cancer in African Americans and European Americans

Prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and mortality varies by racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. African American (AA) men have a 60% higher incidence and twice the mortality rate of European America (EA) men, while Hispanic Americans and Native Americans have lower incidence rates than EA men. Several genetic admixture studies have examined the role of west African ancestry on prostate cancer risk in AA men, however the influence of Native American ancestry on PCa risk has not been explored. Here we evaluated the relationship between individual genetic ancestry proportions and the likelihood of PCa diagnosis and aggressiveness. Methods: We recruited 40-79 year old men who were undergoing prostate biopsy or routine PSA screening at outpatient urology clinics in Chicago, IL. Blood was drawn at the time of enrollment for genotyping of 105 ancestry informative markers. West African, European, and Native American genetic ancestry was estimated using the Bayesian Markov Chain-Monte Carlo method implemented in the program STRUCTURE. Unconditional binary logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios for the likelihood of PCa diagnosis and for the likelihood of having high-risk PCa relative to controls, adjusting for age and family history of PCa. Results: In AAs, NAA ranged from 0.4% to 28.8%. Mean NAA was 4.6% in AA cases, while controls had mean NAA of 6.6%. NAA ranged from 0.5% to 17.4% in EAs. Mean NAA was 5.1% in cases and 6.8% in controls. NAA was negatively associated with PCa diagnosis. AA men in the highest quartile of NAA had significantly reduced odds of PCa diagnosis compared to men in the lowest quartile of NAA (OR 0.47, 95% C.I.: 0.29-0.77). Similarly, EA men in the highest quartile of NAA had significantly reduced odds of PCa diagnosis compared men in the lowest NAA quartile (OR 0.36, 95% C.I.: 0.21-0.61). Additional adjustment of body mass index, education, smoking, alcohol use, and marital status did not change the results. NAA was also negatively associated with diagnosis of high risk PCa in EAs (P=0.04) and also trending in the same direction in AAs however not significant. Conclusions: Our study reveals that NAA is protective against PCa diagnosis and high-risk PCa. Hispanic Americans and Native Americans have lower PCa incidence rates than AAs and EAs, and the identification of inherited genetic or environmental factors that are associated with high NAA may improve PCa risk prediction and/or help to develop prevention strategies. Citation Format: Adam Murphy, Ken Batai, Ebony Shah, Rick A. Kittles. Native American genetic ancestry is protective against prostate cancer in African Americans and European Americans. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr C32.
Variability in conditioned pain modulation predicts response to NSAID treatment in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Patients with painful knee osteoarthritis (OA) demonstrate hyperalgesia and altered pain-modulatory responses. While some prior work has demonstrated cross-sectional associations between laboratory and clinical pain measures, it is unknown whether individual variability in quantitative sensory testing (QST) responses at baseline can prospectively predict analgesic treatment responses. Patients with knee OA (n = 35) were compared on QST responses to a demographically-matched pain-free control group (n = 39), after which patients completed a month-long treatment study of diclofenac sodium topical gel (1 %), applied up to 4 times daily. OA patients demonstrated reduced pain thresholds at multiple anatomic sites, as well as reduced conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and enhanced temporal summation of pain. The most pain-sensitive patients tended to report the most intense and neuropathic OA pain. Following diclofenac treatment, the knee OA cohort showed a roughly 30 % improvement in pain, regardless of the presence or absence of neuropathic symptoms. Baseline CPM scores, an index of endogenous pain-inhibitory capacity, were prospectively associated with treatment-related changes in clinical pain. Specifically, participants with higher CPM at baseline (i.e., better functioning endogenous pain-inhibitory systems) showed more reduction in pain at the end of treatment (p < .05). These results support prior findings of amplified pain sensitivity and reduced pain-inhibition in OA patients. Moreover, the moderate to strong associations between laboratory-based measures of pain sensitivity and indices of clinical pain highlight the clinical relevance of QST in this sample. Finally, the prospective association between CPM and diclofenac response suggests that QST-based phenotyping may have utility in explaining inter-patient variability in long-term analgesic treatment outcomes. ClinicalTrials.Gov Identifier: NCT01383954 . Registered June 22, 2011.
Perceived Managerial (Remote Leader) Trustworthiness as a Moderator for the Relationship between Overall Fairness and Perceived Supervisory (Direct Leader) Trustworthiness

We investigate the moderating effect of perceived managerial (remote leader) trustworthiness on the relationship between overall fairness and perceived supervisory (direct leader) trustworthiness by integrating fairness heuristic theory and attribution theory. By conducting a field study (Study 1) and an experimental study (Study 2), we found that perceived managerial trustworthiness attenuated the relationship between overall fairness and perceived supervisory trustworthiness. Additionally, pay-for-performance system functions, as a control variable, were positively related to both forms of perceived trustworthiness (Study 2). Our findings advance leader trust/trustworthiness research by proffering a novel view of perceived managerial trustworthiness as a moderator for a psychological process leading to perceived supervisory trustworthiness, rather than merely operating as a factor in parallel to perceived supervisory trustworthiness. Our findings advance fairness research by being the first to identify perceived managerial trustworthiness as a moderator for the fairness heuristic process. The current research also provides practical implications for managing perceived leader trustworthiness.
Rapid Development of a Gunfire Detection Algorithm Using an Imagery Database

Over the past few years, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has been developing gunfire detection systems using infrared sensors. During the past year, the primary focus of this effort has been on algorithm performance improvements for gunfire detection from infrared imagery. A database of recordings of small arms fire and background clutter is being developed to allow lab testing of new algorithms. As the amount of data continues to grow, the testing analysis becomes lengthier. New tools and methods are being developed to reduce the post analysis time. Results of algorithm improvements for probability of detection and false alarm reduction through use of the database and tools will be presented.
Harnessing TGF-β and BMP signaling for expansion of p63-positive epithelial stem cells.

p63-expressing stem cells characterize many epithelial cell-lined structures including the epidermis, thymus, mammary gland, lung and prostate. Within these compartments, the p63-postive (p63+) cells proliferate and differentiate to generate a p63-negative population of specialized epithelial cells, while maintaining a basal population of stem cells (1). Research in regional stem cells of epithelial cell origin in human disease, such as breast cancer and genetic lung diseases, has been intensified by recent therapeutic successes and the possibility to personalize therapy by testing individual tissue samples. In a recent report, Mou et al . describe a facile method using inhibitors of TGF-β and BMP signaling to expand p63+ cells from multiple different tissues, with the capacity to induce in vitro proliferation of even single cells, thus providing a new tool to potentially speed the discovery of new treatments (2).
My Risky Opportunities but Our Investment: An Experiment on Trust-Over-Risk

Trust is a key factor affecting investors’ decisions to invest in other agents. These “trustee-agents” use an investor’s funds to engage in unique risky opportunities. However, little is known about trustee reciprocity in such environments. Our experimental environment is the first to combine a trust game with a risk taking game to explore both investors’ trust and financial trustees’ reciprocation in such trust-over-risk environments. We find widespread Reciprocity-over-risk, whereby trustee-agents deviate from their own preferred risk choices in both shared and non-shared risk environments. Further, punishment threats push trustees to systematically choose risk opportunities that have lower expected monetary values.
Impact of the Addition of Rituximab to Initial CHOP Chemotherapy Compared with CHOP Alone in Patients with Relapsed Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Who Underwent Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation.

Abstract Standard therapy for chemosensitive relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) based on the results of the Parma study (NEJM 1995; 333:1540–5). However, the addition of rituximab to initial chemotherapy has improved progression-free and overall survival compared with CHOP alone. Patients who relapse after R-CHOP may have disease which is less sensitive to second line therapy or, alternatively, the benefit of ASCT may be independent of the impact of rituxuimab, and, therefore, the true benefit of ASCT in current patients with relapsed DLBCL is unclear. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of patients who received ASCT for DLBCL during the period of 1997–2006. Our goal was to evaluate the benefit of ASCT for patients with relapsed DLBCL who received R-CHOP as initial chemotherapy compared to those who were treated with CHOP alone. A total of 145 patients at first relapse with chemotherapy sensitive disease who underwent ASCT were identified. 111 received a CHOP-like regimen, and 34 received R-CHOP as their initial chemotherapy regimen. All patients received salvage chemotherapy prior to ASCT. 86.5% of CHOP patients and 88.2% of R-CHOP patients achieved a CR/CRu with their initial chemotherapy (p=0.99). At initial diagnosis, Ann Arbor stage and ECOG performance status (PS) between the two groups were also similar. The two groups of patients had significant differences in the following characteristics: median age at ASCT (51 for CHOP vs 57 for R-CHOP, p=0.002), Ann Arbor stage of disease at relapse (22.5% localized disease for CHOP vs 55.9% localized disease for R-CHOP, p=0.001), and percentage of patients who underwent nuclear imaging to evaluate response to salvage chemotherapy (37.8% in CHOP vs 79.4% in R-CHOP, p Download : Download high-res image (94KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure
Structural analysis of pulsed laser deposited FeSi2 films

This study focuses on the characterization of iron suicide grown, for the first time, by pulsed laser deposition on Si(111). Silicide growth was attempted both by deposition of pure Fe followed by annealing, and congruent deposition of Fe and Si from a stoichiometric FeSi2 target. The films formed by deposition of pure Fe and annealing did not grow epitaxially on Si(111) and contained a number of phases including β-FeSi2. Films grown by congruent deposition of Fe and Si did grow epitaxially on Si(111) and contained either pure β-FeSi2 or a mixture of both FeSi and β-FeSi2, depending on deposition conditions. The following epitaxial orientations were observed: β-FeSi2(001)//Si(111), β-FeSi2[010]//Si with three variants, and FeSi(111)//Si(111), FeSi[110]//Si[112]. Films of various thicknesses were analyzed with conventional transmission electron diffraction and microscopy.
School Engagement of Inner-City Students During Middle Childhood.

Educators, psychologists, and sociologists are increasingly focused on enhancing children’s engagement in school as a way to ameliorate problems of low achievement, student disruptions, and high dropout rates (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2004). One body of literature examines the relation between disengagement from school and dropping out (Finn & Rock, 1997; Wehlage, Rutter, Smith, Lesko, & Fernandez, 1989). Another examines the role of classroom instruction and instructional tasks in promoting intellectual engagement (Newmann, 1992; Newmann, Wehlage, & Lamborn, 1992). A third body of work has examined how wider school contexts interact with individual needs to promote or underminePhyllis Blumenfeld University of MichiganJeanne Friedel University of MichiganAllison Paris Claremont McKenna Collegeengagement (Connell, 1990; Eccles & Midgley, 1989; Skinner & Belmont, 1993). Each body of literature presumes that engaged students are more likely to prosper as they move through school and that schools are organizations that reward engagement by providing incentives and niches that promote further engagement.
Temperature Measurement and Damage Detection in Concrete Beams Exposed to Fire Using PPP-BOTDA Based Fiber Optic Sensors

In this study, distributed fiber optic sensors based on pulse pre-pump Brillouin optical time domain analysis (PPP-BODTA) are characterized and deployed to measure spatially-distributed temperatures in reinforced concrete specimens exposed to fire. Four beams were tested to failure in a natural gas fueled compartment fire, each instrumented with one fused silica, single-mode optical fiber as a distributed sensor and four thermocouples. Prior to concrete cracking, the distributed temperature was validated at locations of the thermocouples by a relative difference of less than 9 %. The cracks in concrete can be identified as sharp peaks in the temperature distribution since the cracks are locally filled with hot air. Concrete cracking did not affect the sensitivity of the distributed sensor but concrete spalling broke the optical fiber loop required for PPP-BOTDA measurements.
Cuba and Angola: Fighting for Africa's Freedom and Our Own by Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, and Nelson Mandela

Castro, Fidel, Raul Castro, and Nelson Mandela. Cuba and Angola: Fighting for Africa's Freedom and Our Own . Atlanta, GA: Pathfinder Press, 2013. Review by Mario Fenyo.
An Efficient Implementation of Semi-numerical Computation of the Hartree-Fock Exchange on the Intel Phi Processor

Abstract Unique technical challenges and their solutions for implementing semi-numerical Hartree-Fock exchange on the Phil Processor are discussed, especially concerning the single- instruction-multiple-data type of processing and small cache size. Benchmark calculations on a series of buckyball molecules with various Gaussian basis sets on a Phi processor and a six-core CPU show that the Phi processor provides as much as 12 times of speedup with large basis sets compared with the conventional four-center electron repulsion integration approach performed on the CPU. The accuracy of the semi-numerical scheme is also evaluated and found to be comparable to that of the resolution-of-identity approach.
Effect of surface physico-chemico-biological modifications of titanium on critical and theoretical surface free energy

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to determine the effect of surface physico-chemico-biological modifications of titanium on critical and theoretical surface free energy. Materials and Methods Cylindrical commercially pure titanium rods (99.9%) 1.27 cm in diameter were sectioned into 2 mm thick disks and polished on silicon carbide paper from 240 to 600 grit. Discs were divided into 3 treatment groups as follows, (a) Chemical treatment group which were treated with HNO3, HF/HNO3, or H2O2/HCL; (b) Physical treatment group, which were treated with autoclaving, autoclaving + Plasma treatment, and HNO3 + Plasma Cleaning and (c) Biological treatment group which were treated with H2O2/HCl followed by attachment of Collagen II or Soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF) Kokubo recipe to form hydroxyapatite. Contact angles of three investigational liquids (20 μl), distilled water, formamide and diiodomethane on the disks were measured using a single-lens reflex camera. Six measurements were made for each treatment. Surface free energies (SFE) were determined using the Zisman method for critical surface energy, the geometric mean method and acid-base theory. Data were compared using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test (α = 0.05). Results/Conclusion Chemical treatment with HNO3 and H2O2/HCl and physical treatment by plasma cleaning of Ti surfaces resulted in significantly higher SFE compared to untreated Ti in all the different approaches for surface free energy determination. The geometric mean method and acid-base theory revealed that increases in SFE were due to increases in the polar and base components of surface energy. Biologically treated surface showed consistent increases in the acid component of surface energy although not statistically significantly different from controls. Information about the effect of surface treatments on SFE and its components provide insights into the preferred surface characteristics for facilitation of cellular activities on implant materials for osseo- and chondro- integration.
Exploring Regular Expression Evolution

Although there are tools to help developers understand the matching behaviors between a regular expression and a string, regular-expression related faults are still common. Learning developers’ behavior through the change history of regular expressions can identify common edit patterns, which can inform the creation of mutation and repair operators to assist with testing and fixing regular expressions. In this work, we explore how regular expressions evolve over time, focusing on the characteristics of regular expression edits, the syntactic and semantic difference of the edits, and the feature changes of edits. Our exploration uses two datasets. First, we look at GitHub projects that have a regular expression in their current version and look back through the commit logs to collect the regular expressions’ edit history. Second, we collect regular expressions composed by study participants during problem-solving tasks. Our results show that 1) 95% of the regular expressions from GitHub are not edited, 2) most edited regular expressions have a syntactic distance of 4-6 characters from their predecessors, 3) over 50% of the edits in GitHub tend to expand the scope of regular expression, and 4) the number of features used indicates the regular expression language usage increases over time. This work has implications for supporting regular expression repair and mutation to ensure test suite quality.
Uplink Coverage in Heterogeneous mmWave Cellular Networks with User-Centric Small Cell Deployments

A $K$ -tier heterogeneous mmWave uplink cellular network with user-centric small cell deployments is considered in this paper. In particular, the user equipments (UEs) are assumed to be clustered around small-cell base stations (BSs) according to the Thomas cluster process. Practical line-of-sight (LOS) and none-line-of-sight (NLOS) models are adopted with different parameters for different tiers. In this setting, we consider a coupled association probability model, and derive the probability that the BSs of each tier are associated with UEs from each cluster. Following the identification of the association probabilities, we characterize the Laplace transforms of the inter-cell interferences in closed-form. Using tools from stochastic geometry, we provide a general expression of the SINR coverage probability in each tier. Via numerical and simulation results, we confirm the analysis and the derived expressions, and investigate the impact of important system parameters.
Nucleus reuniens mediates the extinction of contextual fear conditioning.

Abstract Learning and remembering the context in which events occur requires interactions between the hippocampus (HPC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The nucleus reuniens (RE) is a ventral midline thalamic nucleus that coordinates activity in the mPFC and HPC and is involved in spatial and contextual memory. We recently found that the RE is critical for contextual fear conditioning in rats, a form of learning that involves interactions between the HPC and mPFC. Here we examined whether the RE mediates the extinction of contextual fear. After contextual fear conditioning, rats underwent an extinction procedure in which they were merely exposed to the conditioning context; freezing behavior during the extinction procedure and during a retrieval test 24 h later served as an index of conditioned fear. Muscimol inactivation of the RE prior to extinction impaired the acquisition of both short- and long-term extinction memories. Similarly, inactivation of the RE prior to the extinction retrieval test also impaired the expression of extinction; this effect was not state-dependent. Taken together, these results reveal that the extinction of contextual fear memories requires the RE, which is consistent with a broader role for the RE in forms of learning that require HPC-mPFC interactions.
Long-term delivery of protein and peptide therapeutics for cancer therapies.

Introduction: Proteins and peptides are prominent therapeutic agents, which are effective in number of ailments. Long-term delivery of protein and peptide therapeutics requires polymeric encapsulation to protect from degradation and for its sustained release. However, results from encapsulation of protein macromolecules in dynamic delivery systems report unreliable clinical outcome, indicating ease of degradation, low permeability, and serious immune responses. A specifically targeted delivery system as tumor or cancer theranostics may surpass these limitations. Areas covered: This review covers recent advancements in approaches involving conjugated protein nano-formulations as targeting delivery technology for various ailments encompassing mostly cancer treatment options. Progressions in targeted chemotherapeutics, protein nanoparticles, peptide nanoparticles, lipidation, and antibody drug-conjugates are discussed. Expert opinion: Significant expansions have been made in forming new generation of antitumor-recombinant proteins, which proves a milestone of advancements for more potent and explicit cancer therapies. However, transformation of biologics from laboratory to clinical trials is an immense challenge, because of drop in efficiency of drug-loading, poor reproducibility of nanoparticles, inadequate information regarding long-term toxicity and insufficient pharmacokinetics data. Hence, early stage tumor diagnosis with precised drug delivery to tumor site is crucial for protein- and peptide- based therapeutics for cancer.
α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors intrinsically influence body weight in mice

Desensitization of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) containing the β2 subunit is a potentially critical mechanism underlying the body weight (BW) reducing effects of nicotine. The purpose of this study was a) to determine the α subunit(s) that partners with the β2 subunit to form the nAChR subtype that endogenously regulates energy balance and b) to probe the extent to which nAChR desensitization could be involved in the regulation of BW. We demonstrate that deletion of either the α4 or the β2, but not the α5, subunit of the nAChR suppresses weight gain in a sex-dependent manner. Furthermore, chronic treatment with the β2-selective nAChR competitive antagonist dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE) in mice fed a high-fat diet suppresses weight gain. These results indicate that heteromeric α4β2 nAChRs play a role as intrinsic regulators of energy balance and that desensitizing or inhibiting this nAChR is likely a relevant mechanism and thus could be a strategy for weight loss.
An Introduction to the Art of Brasília

The first two sections of this chapter consider Brasilia’s reputation as a cultural wasteland and soulless city, arguing how contemporary artists have contested this image. These sections elaborate the book’s main argument that artists frame the capital as a vibrant city of the arts in which art asserts a creative right to the city. The third section defines my term creative right to the city, a concept that incorporates (yet seeks to overcome the ambiguities of) Lefebvre’s terms the right to the city and oeuvre. My term refers to citizens’ ability to represent their city publicly via the arts and have public space be a site where they can come together to enjoy and make art. A fourth section defines key terms, and a fifth section elaborates on my engagement with the concept of public space. The final section discusses my subject position and methodology.
Mastering the New APA Publication Manual: Teaching Techniques:

Since the new Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Publication Manual, Manual, 2020) can be confusing and sometimes overwhelming for students enrolled in and faculty te...
Absence of Excess Intra-Individual Variability in Retinal Function in People With Schizophrenia.

People with schizophrenia exhibit increased intra-individual variability in both behavioral and neural signatures of cognition. Examination of intra-individual variability may uncover a unique functionally relevant aspect of impairment that is not captured by typical between-group comparisons of mean or median values. We and others have observed that retinal activity measured using electroretinography (ERG) is significantly reduced in people with schizophrenia; however, it is currently unclear whether greater intra-individual variability in the retinal response can also be observed. To investigate this, we examined intra-individual variability from 25 individuals with schizophrenia and 24 healthy controls under two fERG conditions: (1) a light-adapted condition in which schizophrenia patients demonstrated reduced amplitudes; and (2) a dark-adapted condition in which the groups did not differ in amplitudes. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were generated to measure intra-individual variability for each subject, reflecting the consistency of activation values (in μv) across all sampling points (at a 2 kHz sampling rate) within all trials within a condition. Contrary to our predictions, results indicated that the schizophrenia and healthy control groups did not differ in intra-individual variability in fERG responses in either the light- or dark-adapted conditions. This finding remained consistent when variability was calculated as the standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of maximum positive and negative microvolt values within the a- and b-wave time windows. This suggests that although elevated variability in schizophrenia may be observed at perceptual and cognitive levels of processing, it is not present in the earliest stages of sensory processing in vision.
Unions of random trees and applications

Abstract In 1986, Janson showed that the number of edges in the union of k random spanning trees in the complete graph K n is a shifted Poisson distribution. Using results from the theory of electrical networks, we provide a new proof of this result, and we obtain an explicit rate of convergence. This rate of convergence allows us to show a new upper tail bound on the number of trees in G ( n , p ) , for p a constant not depending on n . The number of edges in the union of k random trees is related to moments of the number of spanning trees in G ( n , p ) . As an application, we prove the law of the iterated logarithm for the number of spanning trees in G ( n , p ) . More precisely, consider the infinite random graph G ( N , p ) , with vertex set N and where each edge appears independently with constant probability p . By restricting to { 1 , 2 , … , n } , we obtain a series of nested Erdős–Reyni random graphs G ( n , p ) . We show that a scaled version of the number of spanning trees satisfies the law of the iterated logarithm.
Two-Year Test-Retest Reliability of the Breastfeeding Duration Question Used By the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS): Implications for Research.

A large literature exists on positive sequelae of breastfeeding, relying heavily on maternal self-reported infant feeding behaviors. Many such studies use PRAMS data, though estimates of reliability for the breastfeeding duration question on PRAMS have not been published. We used data from Oregon PRAMS (respondents are a median 3.5 months postpartum) and PRAMS-2 (median 25 months) to assess test-retest reliability of maternal self-reported breastfeeding duration, among women who had weaned prior to completing the PRAMS survey. The sample-wide kappa for the paired, self-reported breastfeeding duration was 0.014, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.17, both of which indicate poor agreement. More than 80% of women reported a longer duration on PRAMS-2; the median (interquartile range) difference was +1.0 (0.31 – 2.1) months. Recent literature on this topic from high-income countries falls into two categories: entirely retrospective versus “prospective” reliability assessments. Entirely retrospective assessments (both inquiries occur well after weaning) universally report exceedingly high reliability, whereas “prospective” assessments (women report infant feeding behavior during infancy, immediately after weaning, and some years later are asked to replicate their original answer) universally report poorer reliability. Interestingly, all “prospective” reliability studies, including ours, found that women over-report past breastfeeding durations by about 1 month upon the second inquiry. Researchers need not refrain from using maternal self-reported breastfeeding durations, because participants are largely still ranked correctly, relative to each other. However, such research efforts must avoid attempting to determine any optimal threshold duration.
Comparison of Door-to-Door Transit Travel Time Estimation Using Schedules, Real-Time Vehicle Arrivals, and Smartcard Inference Methods:

Estimating passengers’ door-to-door travel time, for journeys that combine walking and public transit, can be complex for large networks with many available path alternatives. Additional complicati...
12-lead Electrocardiogram in Hospitalized COVID 19 Patients

COVID-19 pandemic resulted in considerable morbidity and mortality. We analyzed 345 Electrocardiograms of 100 COVID-19 patients admitted to our tertiary care center in Detroit, during the initial month of Covid-19. Findings were correlated with mortality, cardiac injury and inflammatory markers. Our cohort included 61% males and 77% African Americans. The median age and BMI were 66 years (57-74) and 31 kg/m2 (26.1-39), respectively. We observed atrial arrhythmias in 29% of the patients (17% new onset), First degree heart block in 12%, ST-T segment changes in 17%, S1Q3T3 pattern in 19%, premature ventricular complexes in 23%, premature atrial complexes in 13%, Q waves in 27%, T wave inversion in 42% of the cases. While presence of premature atrial complexes or left atrial abnormality correlated with mortality (P = 0.02 & 0.03, respectively), other findings did not show significant correlation in this small cohort of patients.
The Frontier and the Middle Kingdom

The old woman wove across multiple lanes of stalled traffic hawking strings of fresh gardenias. My taxi driver rolled down her window, offered a few kuai, and looped a garland around the rearview mirror. The street was packed with people—businessmen in Armani, vendors selling peanuts and melons, women carrying kids on their backs, teenagers talking on cell phones. Bike lanes were crammed with hundreds of cyclists hauling chickens, ladders, boxes, and baggage. A chaos of cars and buses packed the center of the street.
Total electron content (TEC) variability at Los Alamos, New Mexico: A comparative study: FORTE‐derived TEC analysis

[1] Data collected from Fast On-Orbit Recording of Transient Events (FORTE) satellite–received Los Alamos Portable Pulser (LAPP) signals during 1997–2002 are used to derive the total electron content (TEC) at Los Alamos, New Mexico. The LAPP-derived TECs at Los Alamos are analyzed for diurnal, seasonal, interannual, and 27-day solar cycle variations. Several aspects in deriving TEC are analyzed, including slant to vertical TEC conversion, quartic effects on transionosperic signals, and geomagnetic storm effects on the TEC variance superimposed on the averaged TEC values.
Complexity transfer for modal logic

We prove general theorems about the relationship between the complexity of multi-modal logics and the complexity of their uni-modal fragments. Halpern and Moses (1985) show that the complexity of a multi-modal logic without any interaction between the modalities may be higher than the complexity of the individual fragments. We show that under reasonable assumptions the complexity can increase only if the complexity of all the uni-modal fragments is below PSPACE. In addition, we completely characterize what happens if the complexity of all fragments is below PSPACE. >
Multiparametric linear fractional functionals programming

In this paper a multiparametric linear fractional functionals program, with parameters appearing only in the objective function, is generated. The optimum solution of this parametric program is supposed to satisfy the constraints as equations only. It is also shown that the set of parameters forms a convex polyhedron.
Sexual reproduction and external brooding by the Caribbean gorgonian Briareum asbestinum

The reproductive biology of the gonochoricBriareum asbestinum (Pallas), a common Caribbean gorgonian, was studied in the San Blas Islands (Panama), La Paguera (Puerto Rico) and the Bahamas. Of 721 colonies examined at the height of the reproductive season, during the summers of 1985 to 1988, all were either male or female. No hermaphroditic colonies or polyps were observed. The sexratio of Panama populations was significantly biased in favor of males (2.1:1,n=454) over all four years of the study. A significant male bias was also found in populations sampled in Puerto Rico (2.3:1,n=143) and in the Bahamas (2.5:1,n=124). The consistency of this geographically widespread skewed sex-ratio is unique among octocorals and scleractinians. Ooyctes appear annually in September and reach maximum diameter (600 to 900µm) in June and July of the following year. The 3 to 5 mo developmental cycle of spermaries is shorter than that of females and begins in March. Spawning in males is synchronous and occurs following the full moons of June and July. Fertilization is internal. Embryos are released from polyps very early in development, often whilst still in the process of cleaving. Embryos remain attached to the outside of the colony for 3 to 5 d, many becoming entrapped in mucous sheets secreted by the colonies. Larvae are negatively buoyant and settle rapidly once displaced from the colony. Males become reproductive at smaller branch sizes than females. Reproductive effort (gonads polyp−1 and total gonad volume polyp−1) for both males and females increased with increasing branch size and in polyps away from the tip and base of the branch.
How might contact with nature promote human health? Promising mechanisms and a possible central pathway.

How might contact with nature promote human health? Myriad studies have linked the two; at this time the task of identifying the mechanisms underlying this link is paramount. This article offers: (1) a compilation of plausible pathways between nature and health; (2) criteria for identifying a possible central pathway; and (3) one promising candidate for a central pathway. The 21 pathways identified here include environmental factors, physiological and psychological states, and behaviors or conditions, each of which has been empirically tied to nature and has implications for specific physical and mental health outcomes. While each is likely to contribute to nature’s impacts on health to some degree and under some circumstances, this paper explores the possibility of a central pathway by proposing criteria for identifying such a pathway and illustrating their use. A particular pathway is more likely to be central if it can account for the size of nature’s impacts on health, account for nature’s specific health outcomes, and subsume other pathways. By these criteria, enhanced immune functioning emerges as one promising candidate for a central pathway between nature and health. There may be others.
Deflagration of Secondary Explosives by Slowly Exploding Wires

Small wires, identical to those exploded rapidly to initiate detonation in secondary high explosives, have been slowly exploded to ignite self-sustaining deflagrations in PETN, RDX, HMX, and tetryl. Producing deflagrations required circuits with relatively larger inductances and capacitances and much lower voltages than those used for exploding wire detonators. Choice of electrical parameters allowed the slow explosion of the wire without ignition of the explosive, but provided sufficient energy storage in the inductance to effect an arc between the terminals subsequent to the wire vaporization, This arc supplied the heat to start the deflagration. While the wire characteristics and current configurations used differ markedly from those employed in hot-wire ignition of secondary explosives, the required conditions of explosive confinements and densities and the qualitative description of the ignition mechanism are quite similar for deflagrations produced by the two methods.
Environmental Burden of Diseases

Environmental exposures are associated with a large variety of human diseases ranging from headaches and annoyance to cancer and premature death. Comparison of such risks and prioritization of preventive measures therefore cannot be based on incidence or prevalence rates. Environmental burden of disease methodology, developed by World Health Organization, accounts for both years of life lost due to mortality as well as years lived with various disabilities. The latter are quantified using, besides the duration of the condition, a severity weight. Such weights are inherently value-loaded, but in practice the resulting environmental burden of disease estimates have been found very useful.
SYNTHESIS OF SOME DIALKYL ESTERS OF M-NITROBENZENEPHOSPHONIC ACID.

The dimethyl, di- n -propyl, diisopropyl, di- n -butyl, and diisobutyl esters of m -nitrobenzene-phosphonic acid were synthesized for pharmacological screening. Two of the derivatives displayed some anticancer activity.
Statistics of a random plus constant vector with application to acoustic and electromagnetic-wave scattering

A two-dimensional random-walk problem is investigated, where a vector fixed in amplitude (magnitude) is added to one that is random in phase (direction angle). This problem can arise from a study of the effect of multipath interference from an acoustic or electromagnetic-wave source, where an arrival of constant amplitude is combined with an incoherent background of randomly scattered components of the incident field. The source is considered to have harmonic time dependence. This study follows from an earlier paper, in which the required properties of the incoherent background were derived. In the present study, the joint distribution of the resultant amplitude and of the phase angle between the resultant and the fixed arrival is determined. Further, expressions are developed for the first and second moments of the resultant phase, amplitude, decibel-amplitude, and intensity. Many properties of these moments are described.