cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence that angiogenesis lags behind neuron and astrocyte growth in experience-dependent plasticity

Bill Greenough's work on the cell biology of information storage suggests that we cannot understand the mechanism of long-term memory without understanding the series of cellular transactions that drive coordinated structural changes in neurons, glia, and blood vessels. Here, we show that after 4 days of differential housing, neuropil of EC cortex has expanded significantly, but the vasculature has not, resulting in a dilution of the blood supply. Significant growth of neurons and astrocytes has been reported within this time period, suggesting expression of synaptic plasticity might involve temporally coordinated genomic responses by both neurons and glia. Given that astrocytes appear to couple neuronal and vascular growth during development, we hypothesize that they may also mediate the onset of angiogenesis in response to neural demand in the EC brain. Further, these results may imply that a neuron's capacity for plasticity could be constrained by the rate of vascular expansion. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 53:435–442, 2011.
Asthma and influenza vaccination: findings from the 1999-2001 National Health Interview Surveys.

Study objectives: People with asthma are at high risk for complications from influenza; therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends an annual influenza vaccination for people with asthma. Because little is known about such vaccination rates among adults, especially those aged 18 to 49 years and 50 to 64 years, we sought to estimate influenza vaccination rates among US adults. Design: Cross-sectional analyses of the 1999 to 2001 National Health Interview Surveys. Setting: US population. Participants: Representative samples of US adults aged ≥ 18 years. Measurements and results: Asthma status and receipt of influenza vaccination during the past 12 months were self-reported. We found that 35.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 33.0 to 37.0%), 36.7% (95% CI, 34.7 to 38.6%), and 33.3% (95% CI, 31.6 to 35.0%) of participants with asthma reported having had an influenza vaccination in 1999 (n = 2,620), 2000 (n = 3,007), and 2001 (n = 3,582), respectively. Among participants aged 18 to 49 years, the vaccination rates were 20.9% (SE 1.2%), 22.7% (SE 1.2%), and 21.1% (SE 1.0%), respectively. Among participants aged 50 to 64 years, the vaccination rates were 46.2% (SE 2.6%), 47.8% (SE 2.3%), and 42.3% (SE 2.1%), respectively. Vaccination rates increased strongly with age and with education in each year. Associations with sex or with race or ethnicity were inconsistent during the 3 years. Conclusions: The suboptimal vaccination rates among people with asthma aged 18 to 64 years suggest the need to increase influenza vaccination rates in this age group.
A rugged free energy landscape separates multiple functional RNA folds throughout denaturation

The dynamic mechanisms by which RNAs acquire biologically functional structures are of increasing importance to the rapidly expanding fields of RNA therapeutics and biotechnology. Large energy barriers separating misfolded and functional states arising from alternate base pairing are a well-appreciated characteristic of RNA. In contrast, it is typically assumed that functionally folded RNA occupies a single native basin of attraction that is free of deeply dividing energy barriers (ergodic hypothesis). This assumption is widely used as an implicit basis to interpret experimental ensemble-averaged data. Here, we develop an experimental approach to isolate persistent sub-populations of a small RNA enzyme and show by single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET), biochemical probing and high-resolution mass spectrometry that commitment to one of several catalytically active folds occurs unexpectedly high on the RNA folding energy landscape, resulting in partially irreversible folding. Our experiments reveal the retention of molecular heterogeneity following the complete loss of all native secondary and tertiary structure. Our results demonstrate a surprising longevity of molecular heterogeneity and advance our current understanding beyond that of non-functional misfolds of RNA kinetically trapped on a rugged folding-free energy landscape.
Stability of solitons in birefringent optical fibers. II. Arbitrary amplitudes

Propagation of short pulses in birefringent single-mode fibers is considered. Initial pulses are assumed to be linearly polarized at an arbitrary angle with respect to the polarization axes. The Kerr nonlinearity leads to a substantial interaction between the partial pulses in each of the two polarizations. When the amplitudes of the partial pulses are equal, it is found that above a certain amplitude threshold, whose size increases with birefringence, the two partial pulses lock together and travel as one unit. This unit can be a single soliton or, at higher amplitudes, a breather. At the same time, the central frequencies of both polarizations shift just far enough so that, if a rapid oscillation is ignored, their group velocities become identical. When the initial amplitudes are unequal, it is found as before that above a certain threshold one or more solitons emerge from the initial pulse. However, the breathers that appeared when the amplitudes were equal are unstable; they break up into two distinct solitons moving at different velocities when the amplitudes become slightly unequal. It is further shown that realistic fiber attenuation has little effect on these results. The numerical method used to obtain these results is described in detail.
Evaluation of Tumor Cell Response to Hyperthermia with Bioluminescent Imaging.

Background: Hyperthermia is used in combination with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy in the treatment of various types of cancer. Currently, the tumor cell response to hyperthermia is determined largely based on the size reduction of tumor mass, which is insensitive. Methods: We tested the feasibility of bioluminescent imaging (BLI) in evaluation of the tumor cell response to hyperthermia by exposing luciferase-expressing MDA-MB-231-luc human breast cancer cells to high temperature (43 o C) for 10 minutes to 2 hours. The tumor cells were the imaged and the light signal generated by the tumor cells was quantified with BLI. To validate its usefulness, the light signal intensity was comparatively analyzed with the tumor cell clonogenicity and cell viability, which were measured with classic clonogenic and MTT assays. Results: The light signal intensity determined by BLI was closely correlated with the absolute number of viable cells as well as the cell viability measured with the traditional MTT assay under normal culture condition. Relative to the clonogenicity of tumor cells after exposure to hyperthermia, however, BLI underestimated, while MTT assay overestimated the cell viability. Difference in the interpretation of tumor cell clonogenic ability following hyperthermia with BLI, MTT dye, and clonogenic assay may be due to the different mechanisms of the three measurements as well as the fact that hyperthermia can induce cell damage at levels of both transient and permanent. Conclusions: BLI is sensitive, convenient, and potentially valuable in the evaluation and monitoring of tumor cell response to treatments including hyperthermia.
A malaria vaccine candidate based on an epitope of the Plasmodium falciparum RH5 protein

The Plasmodium falciparum protein RH5 is an adhesin molecule essential for parasite invasion of erythrocytes. Recent studies show that anti-PfRH5 sera have potent invasion-inhibiting activities, supporting the idea that the PfRH5 antigen could form the basis of a vaccine. Therefore, epitopes recognized by neutralizing anti-PfRH5 antibodies could themselves be effective vaccine immunogens if presented in a sufficiently immunogenic fashion. However, the exact regions within PfRH5 that are targets of this invasion-inhibitory activity have yet to be identified. A battery of anti-RH5 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced and screened for their potency by inhibition of invasion assays in vitro. Using an anti-RH5 mAb that completely inhibited invasion as the selecting mAb, affinity-selection using random sequence peptide libraries displayed on virus-like particles of bacteriophage MS2 (MS2 VLPs) was performed. VLPs were sequenced to identify the specific peptide epitopes they encoded and used to raise specific antisera that was in turn tested for inhibition of invasion. Three anti-RH5 monoclonals (0.1 mg/mL) were able to inhibit invasion in vitro by >95%. Affinity-selection with one of these mAbs yielded a VLP which yielded a peptide whose sequence is identical to a portion of PfRH5 itself. The VLP displaying the peptide binds strongly to the antibody, and in immunized animals elicits an anti-PfRH5 antibody response. The resulting antisera against the specific VLP inhibit parasite invasion of erythrocytes more than 90% in vitro. Here, data is presented from an anti-PfRH5 mAb that completely inhibits erythrocyte invasion by parasites in vitro, one of the few anti-malarial monoclonal antibodies reported to date that completely inhibits invasion with such potency, adding to other studies that highlight the potential of PfRH5 as a vaccine antigen. The specific neutralization sensitive epitope within RH5 has been identified, and antibodies against this epitope also elicit high anti-invasion activity, suggesting this epitope could form the basis of an effective vaccine against malaria.
Robust Perturbation Guidance For The Advanced Launch System

Real-Time optimal trajectory generation for constructing guidance laws seems feasible. However, these deterministic guidance schemes maybe sensitive to system and environmental uncertainties. To overcome this deficiecy, it is suggested that the accessory problem about an optimal path, which generates a quadratic cost criterion in the perturbed states and control away from the optimal trajectory, be used as the cost criterion. A modified quadratic cost is to be minimized with respect to the perturbed control but maximized with respect to addive uncertainties in the linearized dynamics and the uncertainty in the linearized measurements. In this way, a robust neighboring optimum scheme is constructed. A perturbed guidance scheme is stated here. To illustrate the theory the second stage of a launch vehicle is considered. An optimal path is generated, and about this path a robust neighboring optimum guidance law is constructed and tested.
Change in Forced Expiratory Time and Spirometric Performance During a Single Pulmonary Function Testing Session

BACKGROUND: Among patients with obstructive lung disease, the correlation between clinical improvement and bronchodilator response is poor. Forced expiratory time (FET) may explain some discrepancy, but FET has received little attention. METHODS: We analyzed change in FET during the 3 initial satisfactory flow-volume loops in 102 consecutive patients, 37 with normal spirometry and 65 with airflow obstruction referred to a Veterans Administration pulmonary function testing (PFT) laboratory over 5 months. Patients included both PFT-naive and PFT-experienced individuals. We also evaluated the relationship between FET and spirometric performance (sum of forced expiratory volume in the first second and forced vital capacity) and the effect of inhaled bronchodilator on FET among patients with airflow obstruction. RESULTS: Normals and patients with airflow obstruction showed significant increments in FET and in spirometric performance during the 3 initial successive pre-bronchodilator attempts (p CONCLUSIONS: Patients with normal pulmonary function and those with obstruction develop longer FET during the initial phases of spirometric testing, regardless of previous PFT experience. Longer FET is associated with better spirometric performance. Bronchodilator administration is associated with modest prolongation of FET, but change in FET did not help identify bronchodilator responders.
An enforceable indoor air quality standard for environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has recently been determined by U.S. environmental and occupational health authorities to be a human carcinogen. We develop a model which permits using atmospheric nicotine measurements to estimate nonsmokers' ETS lung cancer risks in individual workplaces for the first time. We estimate that during the 1980s, the U.S. nonsmoking adult population's median nicotine lung exposure (homes and workplaces combined) was 143 micrograms (micrograms) of nicotine daily, and that most-exposed adult nonsmokers inhaled 1430 micrograms/day. These exposure estimates are validated by pharmacokinetic modeling which yields the corresponding steady-state dose of the nicotine metabolite, cotinine. For U.S. adult nonsmokers of working age, we estimate median cotinine values of about 1.0 nanogram per milliliter (ng/ml) in plasma, and 6.2 ng/ml in urine; for most-exposed nonsmokers, we estimate cotinine concentrations of about 10 ng/ml in plasma and 62 ng/ml in urine. These values are consistent to within 15% of the cotinine values observed in contemporaneous clinical epidemiological studies. Corresponding median risk from ETS exposure in U.S. nonsmokers during the 1980s is estimated at about two lung cancer deaths (LCDs) per 1000 at risk, and for most-exposed nonsmokers, about two LCDs per 100. Risks abroad appear similar. Modeling of the lung cancer mortality risk from passive smoking suggests that de minimis [i.e., "acceptable" (10(-6))], risk occurs at an 8-hr time-weighted-average exposure concentration of 7.5 nanograms of ETS nicotine per cubic meter of workplace air for a working lifetime of 40 years. This model is based upon a linear exposure-response relationship validated by physical, clinical, and epidemiological data. From available data, it appears that workplaces without effective smoking policies considerably exceed this de minimis risk standard. For a substantial fraction of the 59 million nonsmoking workers in the U.S., current workplace exposure to ETS also appears to pose risks exceeding the de manifestis risk level above which carcinogens are strictly regulated by the federal government.
Ethnic Conflict and Minority Refugee Flight from Post-Soviet Ukraine, 1991–2001

Until the tumultuous events of the ‘Orange Revolution’ surrounding the presidential elections in Ukraine in late 2004, western experts almost without exception had celebrated the Ukrainian post-Soviet transition as a huge success, lauding its apparent political stability and ethnic amity. This article challenges those assumptions, and offers a new look at the first decade of Ukrainian independence. Drawing from demographic data and witness affidavits from refugees who left Ukraine and requested asylum in the United States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and the European Union, the author argues that the first decade of Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union corresponded with widespread and serious harassment of Ukraine's religious and ethnic minorities. Economic crisis in post-Soviet Ukraine bred scapegoating and marginalisation of Ukraine's minorities, driving hundreds of thousands to seek sanctuary in the West.
REVISION OF THE ORTHOTYLINE PLANT BUG GENUS HYALOCHLORIA, WITH A KEY AND DESCRIPTIONS OF FOUR NEW SPECIES (HEMIPTERA: HETEROPTERA: MIRIDAE)

Abstract The four new species Hyalochloria apicata, H. bispina, and H. marginatus from Brazil, and H. baranowskii from Panama and Trinidad, are described; H. rondoniensis Carvalho is synonymized under H. scutellata Henry; males of H. antilleana Carvalho and H. araripensis Carvalho are described for the first time; confusion pertaining to the identity of H. caviceps and H. unicolor is clarified; a lectotype for H. caviceps Reuter is redesignated; and numerous new distribution records are given. Photographs of adults, illustrations of male antennae, and a revised identification key to the 20 known species are provided to facilitate recognition.
3D echocardiographic quantification in functional mitral regurgitation.

Functional mitral regurgitation typically occurs in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and is independently associated with excessive morbidity and mortality ([1–8][1]). In functional mitral regurgitation, it has been demonstrated that abnormal mitral valve
The payment structure of securitisation: a signalling device of quality

This paper develops a signalling model of asset-backed security issuance to analyse the role of the principal paydown structure as a signal of the value of the securities offered to investors. A securitising firm has an information advantage over an investor about asset value. It is shown that a high-type firm can separate from a low-type counterpart with a sequential paydown structure that repays principal based on the priority of the securities rather than in proportion to the amount invested in the securities under a pro rata paydown structure. The model offers an explanation for how many securitisation deals in consumer markets are structured, and the predictions from the model offer suggestions for the design of future securitisation transactions given the recent experience in credit markets.
Differential Market Responses to Alternative Implementation Methods of Mandated Accounting Changes

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and in what way adopting firms benefited from the pattern documented by Balsam et al. (1995) of reporting owners' equity increasing (decreasing) effects of mandated accounting changes in the income statement (balance sheet directly). If the market pays adequate attention to effects of accounting changes only when they are reported in the income statement and if managers wish to maximize firm value then the cost of adopting a new pronouncement is reduced when negative effects are reported directly on the balance sheet bypassing the income statement. We test this explanation on a sample of firms adopting major promulgations of the FASB over a seventeen year period from 1973 the year of FASB inception through the end of 1989. Consistent with our hypothesis we document significantly positive correlation between abnormal returns for a twelve month period around the end of the fiscal year in which the adoption of the mandated accounting change occurred and the income effects of mandated accounting changes when the adoption effects are reported in the income statement. Conversely we fail to find association between these twelve month abnormal returns and the effects of mandated accounting changes when the latter bypass the income statement and are reported directly in the balance sheet as a prior year adjustment to owners' equity.These results support the explanation that one reason that the FASB systematically deviates from APB No. 20 -- by not using the catch-up method for reporting the effects of mandated accounting changes -- is to reduce adopting firms' costs of implementation. They do so by allowing adopting firms to "bury" owners' equity decreasing effects in the owners' equity section of the balance sheet and thereby avoid any stock price decreases. An alternate explanation is that FASB does a good job by requiring only value relevant disclosure be reported in the income statement. This explanation however is doubtful because the amounts bypassing the income statement are predominately negative and because the underlying adoption effects whether reported in the income statement or in balance sheet directly have the same economic consequences.
CoA protects against the deleterious effects of caloric overload in Drosophila

We developed a Drosophila model of T2D in which high sugar (HS) feeding leads to insulin resistance. In this model, adipose TG storage is protective against fatty acid toxicity and diabetes. Initial biochemical and gene expression studies suggested that deficiency in CoA might underlie reduced TG synthesis in animals during chronic HS feeding. Focusing on the Drosophila fat body (FB), which is specialized for TG storage and lipolysis, we undertook a series of experiments to test the hypothesis that CoA could protect against the deleterious effects of caloric overload. Quantitative metabolomics revealed a reduction in substrate availability for CoA synthesis in the face of an HS diet. Further reducing CoA synthetic capacity by expressing FB-specific RNAi targeting pantothenate kinase (PK orfumble) or phosphopantothenoylcysteine synthase (PPCS) exacerbated HS-diet-induced accumulation of FFAs. Dietary supplementation with pantothenic acid (vitamin B5, a precursor of CoA) was able to ameliorate HS-diet-induced FFA accumulation and hyperglycemia while increasing TG synthesis. Taken together, our data support a model where free CoA is required to support fatty acid esterification and to protect against the toxicity of HS diets.
SP0161 Functional Consequences of Anti-Pad-Antibodies in RA

Peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes have emerged as key participants in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) due to their expression in inflamed RA synovium and generation of citrullinated autoantigens, hallmark targets of the immune response in RA. Autoantibodies to PAD4, a nuclear member of this enzyme family, are present in 35% of RA patients and are associated with more erosive joint disease. Interestingly, soluble PAD4 has been detected in the synovial fluid of inflamed joints, and has been postulated to possess extracellular citrullination activity. However, the calcium availability in the joint is estimated to be 0.5-1.0mM, far less than the 5-10mM calcium required for PAD4 activity in vitro . Functional studies of PAD4 enzymatic activity have revealed heterogeneous effects of autoantibody binding on the citrullination of small molecule and protein substrates at supraphysiologic calcium concentrations. Results We have recently described a subset of PAD4 autoantibodies, present in 12-18% of RA patients, that cross-react with the related enzyme PAD3, and have unique biochemical and clinical properties. In functional assays measuring citrullination of the PAD4 substrate, histone H3, cross-reactive antibodies had the striking ability to enhance PAD4 enzymatic activity up to 400-fold at physiologic calcium concentrations (0.2-1.0mM). Cross-reactive antibodies lowered the amount of calcium required for half maximal PAD4 activity from 3.3 to 0.5mM, well into the physiologic range. This effect was mediated by autoantibody binding to a region of PAD4 which normally undergoes calcium-induced structural changes necessary for citrullination of target proteins. A pathogenic role for these PAD4-activating antibodies was suggested by the finding that RA patients with cross-reactive antibodies had the most severe and progressive joint disease compared to patients who lacked this subset. In addition, cross-reactive antibody positive patients were at the highest risk for the development of RA-associated interstitial lung disease, an effect augmented by cigarette smoking. Conclusions Taken together, this work describes a potentially pathogenic subset of PAD4 autoantibodies with the capacity to drive the production of autoantigens in RA and identifies patients who may benefit from the addition of novel PAD-inhibitor therapies. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.6169
A Nuclear Reaction Analysis Technique to Determine The Penetration of Hydrogenic Species into Glasses Exposed to Leaching Solutions

Nuclear reaction analysis is discussed as a method for determining the distribution of deuterium beneath the surfaces of glasses exposed to heavy water solutions for various times and temperatures. Limited examples of both conventional depth profiling for deuterium and a new technique for deuterium mapping are presented. The possible use of deuterium mapping for investigating the kinetics and mechanisms of the leaching of glasses is discussed.
Performance of automatic early warning system of communicable diseases in Shaanxi,2008-2012

Objective To evaluate the performance of the automatic early warning system of communicable diseases in Shaanxi province during 2008-2012 and provide scientific evidence for the improvement of the system.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the results generated by the automatic early warning system during this period.Results Totally 51245 warning signals of disease outbreaks in Shaanxi were generated,involving 30 kinds of communicable diseases,the positive rate of early warning was 0.05%.A positive correlation between the number of signals and the case numbers of notifiable communicable diseases was observed in all areas in Shaanxi.The generation of signals had obvious seasonality,the peaks were during at summer and winter.The major diseases involved included other infectious diarrhea diseases,mumps,hand foot and mouth disease,dysentery and measles,accounting for 81.77% of total signals( 41 905/51 245).The annual response rate was 86.11%,84.44%,83.17%,99.97% and 99.97%respectively.The verifying of the signals was mainly through surveillance data analysis,accounting for 57.39%.The response time ranged from 0.84 hours to 2.27 hours.Conclusion The performance of the communicable disease automatic early warning system was stable,which played an important role in the early detection of the index case and disease outbreaks.However,further improvement should be made on the early warning system,including choosing more appropriate early warning thresholds.
Expression and Clinical Significance of Leukotriene E_4 and B_4 Levels in Children with Recurrent Pneumonia Complicated with Bronchial Asthma

Objective To measure the levels of urinary leukotriene E4 (LTE4) and serum leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in children with recurrent pneumonia complicated with bronchial asthma; and to explore the relationship of LTE4, LTB4 between recurrent pneumonia and bronchial asthma. Methods Urine and serum samples consisted of 30 children with complicated with bronchial asthma (group A), 21 children with recurrent pneumonia (group B), and 22 healthy controls; and the collected samples were sent to blood count and classification. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of urine LTE4, serum LTB4 and interleukin-8 (IL-8), and analyze the correlation between LTE4 and LTB4, IL-8, neutrophils, and the correlation between LTB4 and LTE4, IL-8, neutrophils. Results ①The expression of urinary LTE4 varied among these groups; urinary LTE4 was expressed in group A at high levels (385 ± 43 pg/ml), and in group B at low level (232 ± 66 pg/ml), while in healthy controls' group at low levels (153 ± 51 pg/ml), with significant difference between the former two groups and healthy controls group (all P0.05); the same as group A and group B (P0.05). ②The serum LTB4 level of group A, group B and healthy controls were (151 ± 28) pg/ml, (86 ± 32) pg/ml and (65 ± 25) pg/ml, respectively (P0.05). The level of group A and group B were both significantly higher than healthy controls (P 0.05), while the level of group A was significantly higher than group B (P0.05). ③The expression of IL-8, which was (124 ± 13) pg/ml in group A, (85 ± 13) pg/ml in group B, were both significantly higher than healthy controls' group (153 ± 51 pg/ml, P0.05). Group A's level was significantly higher than group B's (P0.05). ④The neutrophils' level of the three groups were respectively 0.58 ± 0.07 (group A), 0.52 ± 0.04 (group B), 0.28 ± 0.08 (healthy controls). Both group A and group B excelled healthy controls group with statistical significance (P 0.05), and group A excelled group B (P0.05). ⑤Expression level of urinary LTE4 was positively correlated with expression levels of serum LTB4, IL-8 and neutrophils' percentage(P0.05), the same as serum LTB4 with urine LTE4, serum IL-8 and neutrophils' percentage (P0.05). Conclusion LTB4 and LTE4 play bridging roles between recurrent pneumonia and bronchial asthma. Lowering LTB4 and LTE4 levels may be able to cut off vicious circle between them.
Automated test generation for detection of leaks in Android applications

Android devices have limited hardware resources (e.g., memory). Excessive consumption of such resources may lead to crashes, poor responsiveness, battery drain, and negative user experience. We propose an approach for systematic automated test generation to expose resource leak defects in Android applications. We first define the notion of a neutral sequence of GUI events. Intuitively, such a sequence can be expected to have "neutral" effects on resource consumption, and repeated executions of this sequence should not exhibit resource growth. Using a state-of-the-art static control-flow model of an Android application, we demonstrate how to achieve automated generation of such sequences. We then define test generation algorithms for two important categories of neutral sequences, based on common leak patterns specific to Android. Our experimental evaluation compares this approach with a non-automated approach from prior work. The results from this evaluation strongly indicate that it is possible to achieve effective, general, and automated test generation for resource leaks in Android applications using the proposed techniques.
Some Remarks on Statistical Explanations

There are many persons so far apart philosophically that it is difficult for them to establish a common frame of reference and a common vocabulary as a basis for discussion. Other individuals can differ but operate within a common framework of concepts and a generally accepted approach to philosophical topics. Professor Stegmuller and I are of the latter kind. I have several criticisms of his views on statistical explanation and I want to make those criticisms in as sharp and definite a form as I can, but I also want to emphasize how much we agree in general philosophical approach. My many points of disagreement are evidence, I would take it, that the foundations of statistics and the foundations of the theory of belief involving partial or incomplete knowledge are still very far from a satisfactory formulation.
Scattering by Orthotropic Media

Until now the reader has been introduced only to the scattering of time-harmonic electromagnetic waves by an imperfect conductor. We will now consider the scattering of electromagnetic waves by a penetrable orthotropic inhomogeneity embedded in a homogeneous background. As in the previous chapter, we will confine ourselves to the scalar case that corresponds to the scattering of electromagnetic waves by an orthotropic infinite cylinder. The direct scattering problem is now modeled by a transmission problem for the Helmholtz equation outside the scatterer and an equation with nonconstant coefficients inside the scatterer. This chapter is devoted to the analysis of the solution to the direct problem.
The Convex Hull of Two Circles in \(\mathbb{R}^{3}\)

We describe convex hulls of the simplest compact space curves, reducible quartics consisting of two circles. When the circles do not meet in complex projective space, their algebraic boundary contains an irrational ruled surface of degree eight whose ruling forms a genus one curve. We classify which curves arise, classify the face lattices of the convex hulls, and determine which are spectrahedra. We also discuss an approach to these convex hulls using projective duality.
Efficient video collection association using geometry-aware Bag-of-Iconics representations

Recent years have witnessed the dramatic evolution in visual data volume and processing capabilities. For example, technical advances have enabled 3D modeling from large-scale crowdsourced photo collections. Compared to static image datasets, exploration and exploitation of Internet video collections are still largely unsolved. To address this challenge, we first propose to represent video contents using a histogram representation of iconic imagery attained from relevant visual datasets. We then develop a data-driven framework for a fully unsupervised extraction of such representations. Our novel Bag-of-Iconics (BoI) representation efficiently analyzes individual videos within a large-scale video collection. We demonstrate our proposed BoI representation with two novel applications: (1) finding video sequences connecting adjacent landmarks and aligning reconstructed 3D models and (2) retrieving geometrically relevant clips from video collections. Results on crowdsourced datasets illustrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed Bag-of-Iconics representation.
Does Happiness Promote Career Success? Revisiting the Evidence:

Empirical research demonstrates a relationship between happiness and career success. For example, happy people receive higher earnings, exhibit better performance, and obtain more favorable supervisor evaluations than their less happy peers. Researchers have posited that success leads to happiness, but Boehm and Lyubomirsky reviewed the relevant research in 2008 and argued that the alternative hypothesis—that happiness causes success—may be equally plausible. A decade later, we return to the literature to supplement studies we previously cited with new research and to determine whether the results of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental investigations provide additional support for this hypothesis. We conclude that the evidence continues to persuasively suggest that happiness is correlated with and often precedes career success and that experimentally enhancing positive emotions leads to improved outcomes in the workplace.
Towards non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging using regularized neural networks

We present a new data-driven technique for non-invasive electronic imaging of cardiovascular tissues using routinely-measured body-surface electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. While traditional ECG imaging and 3D reconstruction algorithms typically rely on a combination of linear Fourier theory, geometric and parametric modeling, and invasive measurements via catheters, we show in this work that it is possible to learn the complicated inverse map, from body-surface potentials to epicardial or endocardial potentials, by exploiting the powerful approximation properties of neural networks. The key contribution here is a formulation of the inverse problem that allows historical data to be leveraged as ground-truth for training the inverse operator. We provide some initial experiments, and outline a path for extending this technique for real-time diagnostic applications.
The antioxidant effects of melatonin after intracerebral hemorrhage in rats.

Free radical mechanisms are involved in secondary brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Since melatonin is a potent free radical scavenger and indirect antioxidant, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether melatonin administration would attenuate oxidative stress, brain edema, and neurological deficits in a rat model of ICH. Animals were assigned into groups consisting of sham (needle trauma), vehicle, and melatonin (15 or 150mg=kg). All injections occurred through the intraperitoneal route, at either 15 min or 3 h after collagenase ICH induction. Then, lipid peroxidation, neurological scoring (18-point system), and brain water content were evaluated at 24 h post-ICH. Results demonstrated dramatically increased lipid peroxidation after collagenase-induced ICH; however, melatonin treatment effectively attenuated this lipid peroxidation. Nonetheless, neurological scoring and brain water content in the right basal ganglia was without significant difference between any treatment regimens (15 or 150mg=kg of melatonin) or time points of drug administration (15 min or 3 h post-ICH). Therefore, melatonin reduced oxidative stress but did not change extent of brain edema or neurologic deficits.
High-Spin Properties of Doubly-Odd Nuclei of Mass ≈130

Light rare-earth nuclei of mass A ≈ 130 are predicted to possess relatively flat potential-energy surfaces with respect to γ, the asymmetry parameter in the polar representation of rotating quadrupole shapes. Because of this γ softness, valence nucleons in high-j orbitals can greatly modify the nuclear shape. Whereas protons from the bottom of the h 11/2 subshell maintain the nuclear core near the collective prolate shape, γ = 0°, valence neutrons from the top of the h 11/2 subshell drive the nuclear core towards the collective oblate shape, γ = 60°. Such competition between the shape-driving forces of the valence nucleons makes the study of doubly-odd nuclei most interesting. Triaxial yrast bands built on the πh 11/2 ⊗ vh 11/2 configuration have systematically been observed in isotopes ranging from Cs to Eu (55 ≤ Z ≤ 63). The characteristic features of these bands will be discussed and their properties compared to theoretical expectations.
Assisting High-Level Synthesis Improve SpMV Benchmark Through Dynamic Dependence Analysis

Recent advances in high-level synthesis (HLS) have enabled an automatic means of generating register-transfer level from high-level specifications without compromising performance. HLS provides substantial improvements to productivity and is a promising solution to designing future heterogeneous chips consisting of dozens of unique IP blocks (i.e., hardware accelerators). Despite their impressive capabilities, HLS tools today are commonly used to target a small subset of workloads, i.e., ones with inordinately regular control flow and memory access patterns. The challenges of achieving high-quality hardware for irregular workloads stems from HLS relying on static analysis. Static analysis is overly conservative when dealing with non-uniform memory access and imbalanced workloads, and identifying the most appropriate parallelizing strategy. In this brief, we propose the use of dynamic analysis to generate higher quality designs using commercial HLS tools. Our evaluations show that with dynamic dependence analysis, HLS designs achieve $3.3\boldsymbol \times $ performance improvement for the sparse matrix-vector multiply benchmark.
Cloning and characterization of a chitinase from Thermobifida fusca reveals Tfu_0580 as a thermostable and acidic endochitinase.

Abstract Being capable of hydrolyzing chitin, chitinases have various applications such as production of N-acetylchitooligosaccharides (COSs) and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), degrading chitin as a consolidated bioprocessing, and bio-control of fungal phytopathogens. Here, a putative chitinase in Thermobifida fusca, Tfu_0580, is characterized. Tfu_0580 was purified by homogeneity with a molecular weight of 44.9 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. Tfu_0580 displayed a clear activity against colloidal chitin, which is comparable to a commercial Streptomyces griseus chitinase. Enzyme activities against p-nitrophenyl β-D-N,N′,N′′-triacetylchitotriose (p-NP-(GlcNAc)3), N,N′-diacetyl-β-D-chitobioside (p-NP-(GlcNAc)2) and p-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide (p-NP-(GlcNAc)) showed that Tfu_0580 exhibited highest activity against p-NP-(GlcNAc)3. Further optimization of the enzyme activity conditions showed: 1) an optimum catalytic activity at pH 6.0 and 30 °C; 2) activity over broad pH (4.8–7.5) and temperature (20–55 °C); 3) stimulation of activity by the metallic ions Ca2+ and Mn2+.
Detrimental Association of Hypogammaglobulinemia With Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction and Death Is Not Mitigated by On-Demand Immunoglobulin G Replacement After Lung Transplantation.

Background:Hypogammaglobulinemia (HGG), immunoglobulin G (IgG) <700 mg/dL, is associated with infections, chronic lung allograft dysfunction, and death following lung transplantation. This study ev...
Can Bats Serve as Reservoirs for Arboviruses

Bats are known to harbor and transmit many emerging and re-emerging viruses, many of which are extremely pathogenic in humans but do not cause overt pathology in their bat reservoir hosts: henipaviruses (Nipah and Hendra), filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), and coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV). Direct transmission cycles are often implicated in these outbreaks, with virus shed in bat feces, urine, and saliva. An additional mode of virus transmission between bats and humans requiring further exploration is the spread of disease via arthropod vectors. Despite the shared ecological niches that bats fill with many hematophagous arthropods (e.g., mosquitoes, ticks, biting midges, etc.) known to play a role in the transmission of medically important arboviruses, knowledge surrounding the potential for bats to act as reservoirs for arboviruses is limited. To this end, a comprehensive literature review was undertaken examining the current understanding and potential for bats to act as reservoirs for viruses transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods. Serosurveillance and viral isolation from either free-ranging or captive bats are described in relation to four arboviral groups (Bunyavirales, Flaviviridae, Reoviridae, Togaviridae). Further, ecological associations between bats and hematophagous viral vectors are characterized (e.g., bat bloodmeals in mosquitoes, ingestion of mosquitoes by bats, etc). Lastly, knowledge gaps related to hematophagous ectoparasites (bat bugs and bed bugs (Cimicidae) and bat flies (Nycteribiidae and Streblidae)), in addition to future directions for characterization of bat-vector-virus relationships are described.
Physiological complexity of gait between regular and non-exercisers with Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Background Physiological complexity represents overall health of a system and its underlying capacity to adapt to stresses. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if physiological complexity of gait both ON and OFF anti-Parkinson medication differed between regular and non-exercisers with Parkinson's disease. Methods Twenty participants with idiopathic Parkinson's disease were enrolled in this cross-sectional study (regular exercisers n = 10, non-exercisers n = 10). Two data collection sessions were completed during a single visit, first after a 12-hour overnight withdrawal from anti-Parkinson medications (OFF), and again one-hour after taking anti-Parkinson medications (ON). During each session participants completed a 2-minute walking task at their preferred pace while wearing wireless inertial measurement units on each lower extremity segment (thigh, shank, foot). Multivariate multiscale entropy was calculated from the tri-axial accelerometer signals and converted to a complexity index for analysis. Findings Regular exercisers demonstrated significantly higher complexity indices ON and OFF anti-Parkinson medications compared to non-exercisers (ON F = 3.84 P = 0.02; OFF F = 3.61, P Interpretation Enhanced gait complexity in the regular exercisers may indicate that ongoing exercise is a key ingredient contributing to health in persons with Parkinson's disease. Exercising on a regular basis with Parkinson's disease may augment one's ability to adapt to barriers encountered during gait regardless of medication state.
Density Propagation with Characteristics-based Deep Learning

Uncertainty propagation in nonlinear dynamic systems remains an outstanding problem in scientific computing and control. Numerous approaches have been developed, but are limited in their capability to tackle problems with more than a few uncertain variables or require large amounts of simulation data. In this paper, we propose a data-driven method for approximating joint probability density functions (PDFs) of nonlinear dynamic systems with initial condition and parameter uncertainty. Our approach leverages on the power of deep learning to deal with high-dimensional inputs, but we overcome the need for huge quantities of training data by encoding PDF evolution equations directly into the optimization problem. We demonstrate the potential of the proposed method by applying it to evaluate the robustness of a feedback controller for a six-dimensional rigid body with parameter uncertainty.
Noninvasive Imaging for the Evaluation of Diastolic Function: Promises Fulfilled.

![Figure][1] “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”—Albert Einstein ![Figure][1] Left ventricular (LV) diastolic function determines LV filling and diastolic pressures. It is a complex process that depends on many factors, including LV end diastolic
Improved 3-year survival rates for glioblastoma multiforme are associated with trends in treatment: analysis of the national cancer database from 2004 to 2013

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a common and aggressive malignancy associated with poor prognosis. Characteristics and treatment of long-term survivors are of particular interest in efforts to improve outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine trends and prognostic factors for 3-year survival from a national database. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for patients diagnosed with cranial GBM from 2004 to 2013 and with 3-year follow-up. Trends in 3-year and overall survival, patient characteristics, tumor properties, and treatment modalities were examined. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to investigate the association of these factors with 3-year survival. Predictor importance analysis was conducted using a metric defined as Wald χ2 penalized by degrees of freedom. A total of 88,919 GBM patients with 3-year follow-up were identified. Overall, 8757 (9.8%) patients survived ≥ 3 years. Three-year survival significantly improved from 8.0 to 10.5% (p < 0.001) from 2004 to 2013. Trimodal treatment administration also significantly increased from 38.7 to 55.9% (p < 0.001). During this span, patients increasingly presented as older (p = 0.040), without private insurance (p < 0.001), and with a higher comorbidity index (p < 0.001). On multivariable regression, factors such as trimodal treatment (p < 0.001), younger age (p < 0.001), and MGMT methylation (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with increased odds of 3-year survival. Predictor importance analysis indicated that MGMT methylation, age, and treatment modality were the most significant relative determinants of 3-year survival. These findings illustrate an improved 3-year survival rate for GBM patients from 2004 to 2013 with a concurrent increase in trimodal treatment administration despite more adverse patient presenting characteristics.
P192-T On-Slide Chemical Modification as a Means to Improve Confidence in Protein Identifications Made by Peptide Mass Fingerprints

The identification of proteins from large protein databases such as NCBInr using peptide mass fingerprints (PMFs) obtained on a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer continues to be a challenge. A strategy that can be used to improve confidence in these identifications is to carry out some form of chemical modification reaction known to be specific for selected residues after the original analysis has been completed. The identification made by the original PMF is confirmed only if the mass shifts predicted by the putative identification are observed on reanalysis. To be most useful it would be necessary to carry out the chemical modification “on slide” in such a way as to not compromise the quality of the reanalysis. This requires that the chemical modification reagents be volatile or, at least, easy to remove. Oxidation with perfomic acid is a commonly applied chemical modification that appears to meet these requirements. Here, we demonstrate the usefulness of on-slide peracid oxidation as a means to confirm PMF identifications.
Discovering Maker Literacies: Tinkering with a Constructionist Approach and Maker Competencies

Abstract By shifting hybrid pedagogies to constructionism, multimodal and makerspace composition teachers can transform both student- and faculty-inquiry within the classroom. A constructionist stance guides students through a path of knowledge informed by their own socio-culturally situated practices and experiences. In a multimodal and makerspace undergraduate course, this results in students applying maker competencies—defined through a university taskforce of faculty across disciplines—to form maker literacies.