cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retinol, antioxidant vitamins, and cancers of the upper digestive tract in a prospective cohort study of postmenopausal women

Very few prospective studies have reported previously on the association of micronutrient intake and the risk of cancers of the upper digestive tract (mouth, pharynx, esophagus, and stomach) in western populations. During 7 years of follow-up in the Iowa Women's Health Study, from 1986-1992, 59 of the 34,691 at-risk cohort members developed cancers of the upper digestive tract. The association of retinol and antioxidant vitamins (carotene and vitamins C and E) were evaluated separately for cancers of the mouth/pharynx/esophagus (n = 33) and stomach (n = 26). After adjustment for age, smoking, and total energy intake, higher intakes of carotene and vitamins C and E were related to lower risks of both oral/pharyngeal/esophageal and gastric cancers, while retinol was associated with lower risk of gastric cancer only. The dose-response relation between gastric cancer risk and intake of carotene was clear and statistically significant, with relative risks of 0.6 and 0.3, respectively, observed among women in the upper two versus the lowest tertiles of intake. This study provides further evidence that higher intake of antioxidant vitamins may be important in the prevention of cancers of the upper digestive organs.
Anthropology! Distinguished Lecture—2000

The transformation of anthropology in the twenty-first century can be seen in new mixes between anthropology's subfields and between anthropology and our publics interested in theory, research, and the practical. For most of the twentieth century anthropology was marked by increasing specialization. Now there is a reassembling that is more inclusive of all humankind. There is a reconnection of the particular and the universal, the local and the global, nature and culture. Fragmentation and holism move us back and forth, yet an anthropological perspective on the new technologies affecting the nature of nature, the forms of globalization, the environment, and intellectual property requires the use of all the anthropologies. Each epistemology privileges different aspects of reality. Anthropology, among the first of the "new" sciences rather than the last of the "old," is exploring new ways to understand the human condition writ large, [nature, culture, holism, epistemologies, new mixes]
TEMPORAL GRAPHICAL MODELS FOR CROSS-SPECIES GENE REGULATORY NETWORK DISCOVERY

Many genes and biological processes function in similar ways across different species. Cross-species gene expression analysis, as a powerful tool to characterize the dynamical properties of the cell, has found a number of applications, such as identifying a conserved core set of cell cycle genes. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is limited effort on developing appropriate techniques to capture the causality relations between genes from time-series microarray data across species. In this paper, we present hidden Markov random field regression with L(1) penalty to uncover the regulatory network structure for different species. The algorithm provides a framework for sharing information across species via hidden component graphs and is able to incorporate domain knowledge across species easily. We demonstrate our method on two synthetic datasets and apply it to discover causal graphs from innate immune response data.
The bodily basis of thought

Classical cognitivist and connectionist models posit a Cartesian disembodiment of mind assuming that brain events can adequately explain thought and related notions such as intellect. Instead, we argue for the bodily basis of thought and its continuity beyond the sensorimotor stage. Indeed, there are no eternally "xed representations of the external world in the ‘motor systema, rather, it is under the guidance of both internal and external factors with important linkages to frontal, parietal, cerebellar, basal ganglionic, and cingulate gyrus areas that subserve cognitive and motivational activities. Indeed, the motor system, including related structures, is a self-organizing dynamical system contextualized among musculoskeletal, environmental (e.g., gravity), and social forces. We do not simply inhabit our bodies; we literally use them to think with. ‘The words of language, as they are written or spoken, do not seem to play any role in my mechanism of thought. The psychical entities which seem to serve as elements in thought are certain signs and more or less clear images which can be ‘voluntarilya reproduced and combined. . . . The above mentioned elements are, in my case, of visual and some of muscular typea (Einstein quoted in Hadamard, 1996, „he mathematician’s mind: „he psychology of invention in the mathematical ,eld. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press (original work published 1945).)
Effects of Tai Chi Chuan on Insulin and Cytokine Levels in a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study on Breast Cancer Survivors

Background-Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is an integrative medicine mind-body practice with a physical activity component that has positive effects on aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and quality of life among cancer survivors, similar to the effects elicited by other modes of moderate intensity exercise. Inflammatory cytokines, and insulin and insulin-related signaling molecules may contribute to weight gain and affect cancer recurrence rates and survival; exercise can curb cancer- and treatment-related weight gain, increase survival, and reduce levels of insulin and inflammatory cytokines. Despite knowing the beneficial effects of conventional exercise interventions on these mediators, little is known about the physiologic effects of TCC, a mind-body practice with a physical activity component, on these pathways in breast cancer survivors. Methods-We assessed the effects of a 12-week, moderately intense, TCC intervention (n=9) compared to a non-physical activity control (n=10) consisting of psychosocial support therapy (PST) on levels of insulin, IGF-1, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3 and cytokines IL-6, IL-2, and IFN-? in breast cancer survivors. Results-Levels of insulin are significantly different in TCC and PST groups; levels remained stable in the TCC group, but increased in the PST control group (p=0.099). Bivariate analysis revealed novel and significant correlations (all r >0.45, all p=0.05) of both decreased fat mass and increased fat-free mass with increased IL-6 and decreased IL-2 levels. Conclusions-This pilot study shows that TCC may be associated with maintenance of insulin levels and changes in cytokine levels that may be important for maintenance of lean body mass in breast cancer survivors.
The PpaA/AerR Regulators of Photosynthesis Gene Expression from Anoxygenic Phototrophic Proteobacteria Contain Heme-Binding SCHIC Domains

The SCHIC domain of the B12-binding domain family present in the Rhodobacter sphaeroides AppA protein binds heme and senses oxygen. Here we show that the predicted SCHIC domain PpaA/AerR regulators also bind heme and respond to oxygen in vitro, despite their low sequence identity with AppA.
Human dendritic cell mediated cytotoxicity against breast carcinoma cells in vitro

Dendritic cells (DC) are an important subset of antigen-presenting cells characterized by their potent capacity to activate immunologically naive T cells. However, their role in effector func- tion in tumor resistance is less well characterized. We report here that activated human peripheral blood DC acquire a potent antitumor effect against breast cancer cell lines in vitro, leading to growth inhibition and apoptosis of the tumor cell. The antitumor effect of DC was augmented by proin- flammatory stimuli induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-) produced after DC activation was responsible for the antitumor activity of DC. Interferon-, inter- leukin-15, or LPS treatment of DC markedly aug- mented the effector function of DC against most of the breast cells, indicating heterogeneity of the tumor and its susceptibility to cytokine-mediated damage. Treatment of LPS-activated DC or cell- free supernatant with anti-human TNF- signifi- cantly reduces the antitumor effect against the tu- mor cells tested. These results suggest that in ad- dition to their predominant role as immune regulatory cells, DC could serve as innate effector cells in tumor immunity. J. Leukoc. Biol. 72: 312-320; 2002.
Internal Structure of Coulomb System in One Dimension

It is generally recognized that one dimensional systems have rather special features. Frequently, a one dimensional model is exactly soluble; alas, its properties differ significantly from those of the corresponding models in spaces of more realistic dimensions. In this respect, the one dimensional Coulomb systems are no exception. Nevertheless, I consider them interesting and worth our attention for a number of pedagogical reasons.
Stare Decisis in Antitrust: Continuity, Economics, and the Common Law Statute

Despite the strong judicial policy in favor of stare decisis-the norm of adhering to past precedent when approaching newer cases-the Supreme Court, in past decades, has not hesitated to overturn antitrust doctrines that were, in its view, no longer consistent with the goals of antitrust law and sound economic theory. Even after widespread acknowledgement of this trend by both the Court and commentators, the trend of a modified stare decisis in the realm of antitrust finds contradictory expression in the cases and leaves open serious jurisprudential questions. This Article addresses that void by analyzing the major relevant Supreme Court antitrust cases and isolating and critiquing the justifications given for departures from stare decisis. The Article argues that while it is undesirable to abruptly overrule antitrust precedent on the basis of contemporary economic trends, gradually departing from precedent is justified as part of the evolution of antitrust principles in much the same way as it occurs in other common law fields. Finally, this Article suggests three ways in which courts-including the Supreme Court-can continue to develop antitrust law while avoiding sharp doctrinal breaks with stare decisis and the detriments associated with a lack thereof
A critique of law’s violence yet (never) to come: United Nations’ transitional justice policy and the (fore)closure of reconciliation

'Today,' writes Doxtader, 'there are signs that transitional justice aims to convert - with disturbing fervor - the constitutive and agonistic quality of reconciliation into a demand (if not a command) for the adversarial, a commitment to the (prior) definition and application of a rule of law.' Doxtader's basic aim is to reflect on this turn against reconciliation's 'turning right about,' and, in his own terms, - to plot at least one of the ways in which reconciliation's place has been largely closed and then foreclosed from the premises and promises of transitional justice. Taking the United Nations as his case study, and especially a number of its policy documents and debates that have appeared over the last decade, Doxtader traces the UN's erasure and expressed aversion to reconciliations - unaccountable-ambiguity. In concluding, Doxtader turns to the question of how the institution's case for standardizing the language of transitional justice recognizes the rule of law at the expense of misrecognizing the law's rule of recognition, 'that is, the fully transitional problem of how to constitute the grounds of the law's power in the wake of violence, including legal violence.' More than simple oversight, for Doxtader, the UN's presumption against reconciliation points directly to its importance - a potential for words that stand before the law and compose a critique of how the law's violence may preclude precisely the claiming of human rights that transitional justice policy presents as it ultimate warrant.
Effects of heating on noise radiation from turbulent mixing layers with initially laminar and turbulent boundary layers

The present work focusses on large-eddy simulations of spatially developing, turbulent, compressible mixing layers. The splitter plate, which separates the two streams initially, is included inside the computational domain. Dierent inflow condition cases with initially laminar boundary layers (abbreviated as LBL) and turbulent boundary layers (abbreviated as TBL) are considered. The eect of heating on the near-field hydrodynamics and far-field noise radiation is analyzed for both keeping the velocity ratio fixed. It is observed that with heating, the initial instability is accelerated but the saturation self-similar amplitude of Reynolds stress components do not vary. The saturation amplitudes of density fluctuations were found to increase proportionally to dierence in free-stream densities whereas near-field pressure fluctuations were found to decrease with heating. A simple scaling is suggested for the near-field pressure fluctuation amplitude. For LBL, sound radiation is observed in downstream direction peaked roughly at 30 degrees. The vortex pairing and breakdown to turbulence contribute significantly to the radiated sound. For TBL, the acoustic field near the shear layer is significantly weaker and noise due to passage of boundary layer eddies over the trailing edge is observed. For both the cases, a reduction in overall sound pressure levels in the far-field is observed with heating. The analysis of relative importance of Reynolds stress and enthalpy flux covariance tensor components, that is, the acoustic source terms in Goldstein’s generalized acoustic analogy, is presented to explain the eects of heating. The Reynolds stress auto-covariance amplitudes at zero spatial separation and time-delay were found to decrease due to reduction in mean density with heating. The enthalpy flux auto-covariance and enthalpy flux-momentum flux cross-covariance were also found to have significant amplitudes with heating. But they cancel each other’s eect leading to an overall reduction in far-field sound.
Anterior tibiotalar impingement syndromes in dancers.

A common ankle problem among dancers is impingement of the tibia on the talar neck. Two syndromes are described. One results in the development of exostoses on the anterior tibia and talus. The oth...
Progress in the development of exchange-correlation functionals

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses progress in constructing practical exchange-correlation approximations of Kohn–Sham density functional theory. The emphasis is on the general techniques of density functional design that have been particularly successful in quantum chemistry. Back in the 1960s, hopes for future progress in electronic structure theory were associated with correlated wave function techniques and the tantalizing possibility of variational calculations based on the two-electron reduced density matrix. Density functional theory (DFT) was not on the quantum chemistry agenda at that time. Meanwhile, approximate DFT has become the most widely used method of quantum chemistry, offering an unprecedented accuracy-to-cost ratio. Nearly all density functionals embraced nowadays by computational chemists are discussed. Persistent misconceptions about several widely used functionals are clarified.
A Method for Operationalizing Market Heterogeneity with Nominally Scaled Data

The concept of the hetrogeneous market as presented by Alderson has not been operationalized when nominally scaled data are being used to represent the relevant attributes of heterogeneity.
Development of Layout Factor for Mechanical Shear Joints Using Finite Element Analysis

Analysis of the mechanical shear joints involves many variables like bolt size, number of bolts and their arrangement, flange thickness, number of members and loading condition. The work presented in this paper is concerned with the effect of fastener layout on the joint behavior. Different configurations having varying number of fasteners were analyzed using finite element analysis. The numerical simulation results were used to develop a layout effect prediction tool and to compare the load sharing by the critical bolt in the fastener arrangement. The idea to develop a tool in terms of geometric parameters for design optimization and quick calculation is not new. The proposed prediction was found to be quite effective in comparing various layouts for the same number of bolts having equal spacing with non-eccentric loading.
Efficacy of Intravenous Magnesium in Facilitating Cardioversion of Atrial Fibrillation

Background— Low serum magnesium (Mg) levels are associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation. Some studies have shown a benefit of Mg in facilitating pharmacological cardioversion. The role of an intravenous infusion of Mg alone in facilitating electric cardioversion is not clear. Methods and Results— In a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we enrolled patients with atrial fibrillation who were scheduled for electric cardioversion. Patients were randomized to receive Mg or placebo before cardioversion using a step-up protocol with 75, 100, 150, and 200 J biphasic shocks. Patients with hypokalemia, hypermagnesemia, or postcardiac surgery atrial fibrillation were excluded. Patients on antiarrhythmic drugs were included as long as they were at steady state. All patients were monitored for 1 hour post procedure for the maintenance of sinus rhythm. A total of 261 patients (69% male, mean age 65.5±11.1 years) were randomized (132 and 129 patients receiving Mg and placebo, respectively). Baseline characteristics were similar between both the groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the success rate of cardioversion between the 2 groups (86.4% versus 86.0%; P =0.94), cumulative amount of energy required for successful cardioversion (123.3±55.5 versus 129.5±52.6 J; P =0.40), or the number of shocks required to convert to sinus rhythm (2.25±1.24 versus 2.41±1.22, P =0.31). No adverse events were noted in either group. Conclusions— In patients undergoing electric cardioversion for persistent atrial fibrillation, Mg infusion does not increase the rate of successful cardioversion. Clinical Trial Information— URL: . Unique identifier: [NCT01597557][1]. [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01597557&atom=%2Fcircae%2F9%2F9%2Fe003968.atom
Factors Associated With Left Atrial Remodeling in the General Population.

Background— Although contributors to remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) have been well studied in general population cohorts, few data are available describing factors influencing changes in left atrial (LA) structure. Methods and Results— Maximum LA volume was determined by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging among 748 participants in the Dallas Heart Study at 2 visits a mean of 8 years apart. Associations of changes in LA volume (ΔLAV) with traditional risk factors, biomarkers, LV geometry, and remodeling by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and detailed measurements of global and regional adiposity (by magnetic resonance imaging and dual-energy x ray absorptiometry) were assessed using multivariable linear regression. Greater ΔLAV was independently associated with black and Hispanic race/ethnicity, change in systolic blood pressure, LV mass and ΔLV mass, N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide and change in N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide, and body mass index ( P P P =0.21). Associations of ΔLAV with body mass index were explained exclusively by associations with visceral fat mass ( P =0.002), with no association seen between ΔLAV and subcutaneous abdominal fat ( P =0.47) or lower body fat ( P =0.30). Conclusions— Left atrial dilatation in the population is more common in black and Hispanic than in white individuals and is associated with parallel changes in the LV. LA dilatation may be mediated by blood pressure control and the development of visceral adiposity.
Mastering the Spark of Life: Between Aristotle & Heidegger on Artificial Conception

This chapter enlists the Heideggerian concept of enframing along with Aristotle’s distinction between nature and art, in order to attempt to discern where control over the spark of life lies in human reproduction through in vitro fertilization (IVF): with nature or with medical technology? I argue that if we continue to think of IVF technologies as giving us a piece of nature, as we currently do, the truly technological and revolutionary dimensions of the machinery and of the cultural outlook remain submerged and invisible. Finally, the chapter questions the patriarchal attachment to parenthood as biological ownership that is presupposed by the proliferation of human conception through IVF.
Peer victimization and changes in physical and relational aggression: The moderating role of executive functioning abilities.

This study is the first to examine whether executive functioning (EF) abilities moderate longitudinal associations between peer victimization and engagement in physically and relationally aggressive behavior. Participants were 61 children (9-13 years, M = 10.68, SD = 1.28; 48% male) drawn from a partially clinical sample who were assessed at two time points, approximately 12 months apart. At time 1, children were administered a battery of EF tests; adult reports of children's relational and physical victimization and use of relational and physical aggression were collected. At time 2, adult-reported aggression was re-collected. Regression analyses tested whether EF ability moderated the association between peer victimization and increased engagement in aggression. Form-specific (e.g., physical victimization predicting physical aggression) and cross-form (e.g., physical victimization predicting relational aggression) models were tested. EF moderated the association between physical victimization and increases in physical aggression over time and between relational victimization and increases in relational aggression over time. Physical victimization predicted increases in physical aggression only among children with poor EF. However, relational victimization predicted increases in relational aggression for children with good EF skills but decreases in relational aggression for children with poor EF skills. Interaction effects for cross-form models were not significant. Results suggest that there are distinct risk factors implicated in children's engagement in physical and relational aggression. Established cognitive vulnerability models for engagement in physical aggression should not be assumed to apply to engagement in relational aggression.
Becoming a language teacher: Exploring the transformative potential of blogs

Abstract Over the last two decades, Internet and advances in technology more generally have allowed to support and enhance teacher learning in both school and university contexts. Computers and other technological innovations have created more collaborative learning environments, expanded the contexts of teacher communication, and facilitated teacher engagement with digital literacy such as blogging. This paper presents case studies of two pre-service language teachers involving analysis of the teachers’ blogs and interviews. Developmental trajectories of the participating pre-service teachers during one academic semester (15 weeks) are analyzed through the lens of transformative learning theory. The transformative learning theory allows to investigate the ways in which teachers change (or, transform) through the activity of writing. The analysis reveals that some pre-service teachers may not always react positively to the requirement to maintain a teacher blog and such lack of involvement prohibits teacher transformation. The study suggests that teacher educators provide more guidelines regarding blogging to more reluctant participants or even offer alternative arrangements such as, for example, face-to-face meetings. Lastly, the paper argues for greater consideration of adult learning and adult development theories as a basis for furthering our understanding of and fostering teacher learning. (193 words).
Package-level multiphysics simulation of Cu-Al WB corrosion under high temperature/humidity environmental conditions

Copper wire has found extensive applications in microelectronics packaging industry due to its low material cost, advanced electrical, mechanical and thermal properties compared to gold wire. Studies have shown that copper wire performs better than gold wire under high temperature operational conditions as there is little or no kirkendall void formation at Cu-Al wire bond interfacial area. However, when functioning under high humidity conditions, Cu-Al wire bond is more susceptible to bond interfacial corrosion compared to Au-Al wire bond. Experimental results on high humidity reliability of Cu-Al wire bond show that galvanic corrosion at ball bond interface is one of the main causes of failure. Despite reliability performance of wire bond being a constant research subject for decades, there is no time-to-failure model available to describe progression of corrosion. In this paper, a COMSOL multiphysics package level of Cu-Al wire bond corrosion model is developed. The package level model focus on capturing the progression of corrosion as a result of mold compound degradation, chlorine transport and micro-galvanic corrosion. The model is characterized by Nernst-Planck equation and interfacial electrolytic corrosion. Three-electrode electrochemical polarizations are performed to quantify the corrosion rate of wire bond. Diffusion cell experiment and molding compound degradation experiments are performed to quantify the diffusion rate of chlorine and the release rate of chlorine in a particular type of molding compound. Those experimental results are then incorporated into COMSOL multiphysics software to simulate the corrosion process and calculate lifetime of Cu-Al wire bond. The simulation results are then verified by the experimental results.
Client and Partner Violence Among Urban Female Exotic Dancers and Intentions for Seeking Support and Justice

Urban female exotic dancers are thought to experience unique risk for violence and barriers to care, though limited research has focused on this aspect of urban sex industries. We characterize recent client-perpetrated and intimate partner violence (IPV) and their correlates, and describe women’s intentions for violence-related help-seeking, among venue-based exotic dancers in a high-risk urban environment. We conducted a cross-sectional study with new female exotic dancers (n = 117) in Baltimore, MD. Over one third (36%) reported intimate partner violence (IPV), and 16% reported client physical or sexual violence, in the six months prior to the survey. Both forms of violence were correlated with arrest, sex trade, substance use, and childhood abuse. Violence-related help-seeking intentions were highest for club management. Intentions to seek help from police and violence-related support hotlines were lowest among those with recent experiences of violence. Recent violence, particularly from intimate partners, was pervasive in this sample of female exotic dancers, and enabled by substance use, criminal history, and sex trade. Preferences for help within venues, rather than the justice sector and publicly funded support services, indicate the need for systems reform to meet the needs of this high-risk group of women.
An exploration of Asian Americans in the state vocational rehabilitation system by disability type.

Background The limited amount of information available on Asian Americans with different types of disability in vocational rehabilitation (VR) system has been a major obstacle to developing appropriate policies and practices. Objective Using the Rehabilitation Service Administration data (RSA-911), this study investigated the associations between demographic characteristics, VR service patterns, and employment outcomes of Asian Americans. Whether the relationships differed by type of disabilities (i.e., sensory/communicative, physical, cognitive, and psychiatric disabilities) among Asian Americans was also examined. Methods A series of chi-squared tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression were conducted to examine the associations and differences among demographic characteristics, service patterns, and employment outcomes across four major disability groups. Results Each disability group showed different service patterns that indicate unique consumer needs, individualized services and supports to be delivered in a culturally sensitive manner. Along with the demographic profiles of Asian Americans, factors significantly associated with competitive employment in each group were identified. Conclusions This explorative study's finding implies VR practitioners' need to understand individual needs by disability type as well as characteristics of Asian culture, and need to develop and implement effective strategies and services to assist this population.
The potential role of actively open-minded thinking in preventing motivated reasoning about controversial science

Abstract Ideologically motivated rejection of scientific evidence can be harmful to individuals and society, especially regarding consequential issues like climate change. A growing base of evidence suggests a cognitive style known as Actively Open-Minded Thinking (AOT) may reduce ideological rejection of scientific findings. In this article, we test the association between AOT and Americans' beliefs that global warming is mostly human-caused, a position supported by scientific consensus. We hypothesized that political conservatives with high AOT would be more likely than those with low AOT to acknowledge human-caused global warming. We predicted no such effect for liberals. Contrary to expectations, there was an unmoderated relationship between AOT and human causation belief. Higher levels of AOT were associated with increased likelihood of belief in human-caused global warming, regardless of participants' political ideology, scientific knowledge, or scientific media use. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
ORGANIZATION OF MYOSIN LIGHT CHAIN KINASE FROM RABBIT SKELETAL MUSCLE

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates the organization of myosin light chain kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle. The myosin light chain kinases comprise a family of tissue-specific isozymes whose function is to phosphorylate one of the light chain components, the P- or DTNB-light chain, of myosin. Distinct isozyme forms of Myosin Light Chain Kinase (MLCK) have been identified in skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle. In addition, MLCK has been detected in nonmuscle tisues such as brain, T-cells, platelets and cultured fibroblasts. All of the isozymes share several properties in common. All are monomers whose sole physiological function appears to be phosphorylating the P-light chain of myosin. Skeletal MLCK transfers the gamma phosphoryl group of ATP onto a serine residue located at position 15 in the rabbit skeletal P-light chain. This reaction requires the presence of Mg 2+ . MLCK is viewed as being very substrate specific, as the only substrate that it will phosphorylate with high efficiency is myosin P-light chains. It is found that unlike its smooth muscle counterpart, skeletal muscle MLCK phosphorylates not only the P-light chain indigenous to skeletal muscle myosin but also those from cardiac and smooth muscles.
2-dimensional singular value decomposition for 2D maps and images

For a set of 1D vectors, standard singular value decomposition (SVD) is frequently applied. For a set of 2D objects such as images or weather maps, we form 2dSVD, which computes principal eigenvectors of rowrow and column-column covariance matrices, exactly as in the standard SVD. We study optimality properties of 2dSVD as low-rank approximation and show that it provides a framework unifying two recent approaches. Experiments on images and weather maps illustrate the usefulness of 2dSVD.
The Polyhedron Kingdom Tomorrow

Now you’ve reached the kingdom’s wild frontier: polyhedron theory at the research level. The natives in these parts speak a slightly different dialect from the artists and scientists you’ve met already, so listen carefully. (If you only grasp a phrase here and there, or even nothing at all, read on anyway: the sights—the chapters that follow—are not to be missed.)
Chapter 42 - Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition of skeletal fragility due to decreased bone mass and to micro architectural deterioration of bone tissue, with consequent increased risk of fracture. Many nutrients and lifestyle interact to determine bone density and risk for osteoporosis. Knowledge of bone acquisition during childhood and adolescents has assumed a key role in predicting age-related bone loss in later years. There are also unique issues of bone metabolism that occur with pregnancy and lactation that help determine nutrient intake recommendations for women during those years. Although dietary adequacy of calcium is primarily associated with bone density, many other vitamins and minerals play important roles in the development and maintenance of normal bone. Vitamin D adequacy and its metabolites play a key role, especially with advancing age.
Controlled Delivery of Signaling Molecules Using Magnetic Microrobots

_Magnetically-actuated microrobots have many potential applications in biological environments. Microrobots have many uses in cellular environments since they can be remotely actuated and precisely manipulated in biochemical fluids. Most cellular phenomena depend on biochemical signals. Therefore, various techniques have been developed for encapsulation and release of drugs, nutrients or other cargo using microrobots. However, localized targeting without payload leakage during transport is challenging. In this work, we present a light-controlled delivery system integrated with magnetic microrobots which overcomes this challenge. We synthesize a photolabile linker which releases a cell-to-cell signaling molecule when exposed to light. This system is integrated with magnetic micro-robots, which can be steered to target locations in the cell culture. We demonstrate that gene expression in engineered bacterial cells is successfully activated when the signaling molecule is cleaved. This proposed method can be used for wide-ranging applications in the fields of engineering, biology, and medicine, in which the ability to target and release molecules on-demand to a particular location is important.
Multimodal Imaging Aids in the Diagnosis of Perineural Spread of Prostate Cancer

Background The perineural spread of prostate cancer into pelvic peripheral nerves is a rare, but increasingly recognized, entity. This form of metastasis invades the lumbosacral plexus via the splanchnic nerves innervating the prostate. The prevalence of perineural spread is likely underappreciated, and further imaging-based studies are needed to elucidate its true frequency. Methods A retrospective review was performed using an institutional radiology database. Medical reports from patients with prostate cancer who had undergone positron emission tomography (PET) imaging were queried for terms suggestive of perineural spread. PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from the identified patients were blindly reviewed for peripheral nerve involvement by 2 nuclear medicine and 2 musculoskeletal radiologists. Results A total of 22 patients were identified. After review by the radiologists, 16 patients had positive findings of perineural spread found on PET and 15 had abnormalities found on MRI involving lumbosacral plexus neural elements. All patients with biopsy-proven neoplastic perineural spread (including 1 patient with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor) had positive findings on both PET and MRI. All patients with biopsy-proven inflammatory lesions had negative PET and variable MRI findings. Conclusions The perineural spread of prostate cancer might be more common than previously thought. The use of multimodal imaging for patients suspected of having perineural spread should be a part of the treatment algorithm. Targeted fascicular biopsy might be indicated for patients with progressive neurological deficit and an unclear diagnosis.
Crosstalk between Estrogen Withdrawal and NFκB Signaling following Penetrating Brain Injury.

Objectives Characterized by neuroinflammation, traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces neuropathological changes and cognitive deficits. Estrogens are neuroprotective by increasing cell survival and this increase is mediated by a decrease in neuroinflammation. To further explore the relationship between estrogens, brain injury, and neuroinflammation, we examined the expression of the IKK/NFκB complex. The IKK/NFκB complex is a pleiotropic regulator of many cellular signaling pathways linked to inflammation, as well as three major cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α). We hypothesized that NFκB expression would be upregulated following injury and that this increase would be exacerbated when circulating estrogens were decreased with fadrozole (aromatase inhibitor). Methods Using adult zebra finches, we first determined the expression of major components of the NFκB complex (NFκB, IκB-α, and IκB-β) following injury using qPCR. Next, male and female finches were collected at 2 time points (2 or 24 h after injury) and brain tissue was analyzed to determine whether NFκB expression was differentially expressed in males and females at either time point. Finally, we examined how the expression of NFκB changed when estrogen levels were decreased immediately after injury. Results Our study documented an increase in the expression of the major components of the NFκB complex (NFκB, IκB-α, and IκB-β) following injury. Decreasing estrogen levels resulted in a surprising decrease in the NFκB complex studied here. Discussion These data further expand the model of how estrogens and other steroid hormones interact with the inflammatory pathways following injury and may prove beneficial when developing therapies for treatment of TBI.
Abstract MP61: Preterm Delivery and Patterns of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Pre- and Post-Childbearing: Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

Introduction: Women with preterm delivery (PTD) have excess CVD risk and unfavorable risk factors before, during and after pregnancy, but few studies compare the pre- and post-childbearing eras. Hy...
21 Surgical care and perioperative nursing management of LVADs

The perioperative management of patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) presents a whole set of challenges to the nurses at the bedside and outpatient settings.1 Despite the remarkable advancements in technology, the care of patients following LVAD implant remains complex for the multidisciplinary healthcare team. This presentation provides a brief overview of the currently used durable LVAD designs worldwide. These include axial (HeartMate IITM) and magnetic flow levitation (HeartMate 3TM and HeartWare HVAD®) LVADs.2 Discussion of the nursing management of patients post-LVAD implant in the critical care, progressive care, and in the outpatient care settings will be approached at conceptual level. This approach will equip the participant with a ‘thinking framework’ guiding his/her actions in caring for LVAD patients. Salient nursing actions include early detection and management of post-surgical complications, device-related complications, heart failure symptom exacerbations, infection, among others. The nurse’s role in helping patients attain an optimum level of functioning post-implantation during hospitalisation and the impact of the nurse in supporting patients (and caregivers) to attain an increase in quality of life are highlighted. References Chmielinski A, Koons B. Nursing care for the patient with a left ventricular assist device. Nursing 2018. 2017;47:34–40. Montalto A, Loforte A, Musumeci F, Krabatsch T, Slaughter M (Eds.). Mechanical circulatory support in end-stage heart failure: a practical manual. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing; 2017. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-43383-7
Deciding between Angioplasty and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

This chapter is an effort to create a decision process for patients and physicians to decide between open-heart bypass surgery or the less intrusive angioplasty procedure. The model was developed with “Expert Choice for Windows vs. 9.0,” including pairwise comparisons of benefits, of risks and of both procedures. The overall result slightly favors angioplasty because it indicates a lower risk potential and in addition seems to be more beneficial for the patient. The results that we determined with the AHP model, support some of the research in the medical community, but not all evidence favors angioplasty.
Measuring the Effects of Caffeine and L-Theanine on Cognitive Performance: A Protocol for Self-Directed, Mobile N-of-1 Studies

Background: The growing consumer digital tools market has made using individual health data to inform lifestyle changes more accessible than ever. The n-of-1 trial -- a single participant, multiple crossover, comparative effectiveness trial -- offers methodological tools that link interventions directly with personalized outcomes to determine the best treatment for an individual. We have developed a complete digital platform to support self-directed n-of-1 trials, comprised of virtual study on-boarding, visual informed consent, device integrations, in-app assessments, and automated data analysis. Objective: To evaluate the n-of-1 platform, a pilot study was launched to investigate the effects of commonly consumed substances on cognition. The purpose of the study is to allow an individual to measure the effect of 2 treatments (caffeine alone vs. caffeine + L-theanine) on 3 measures of cognitive performance: creative thinking, processing speed, and visual attention. Upon completion of the study, individuals receive personalized results that compare the impact of the two treatments on each of the cognitive performance measures. Methods: After the onboarding process, participants are randomized to a study length (5, 15, or 27 days), starting treatment (caffeine or caffeine + L-theanine), and app notification frequency (light, moderate). Each trial begins with a baseline period, during which participants abstain from either treatment, followed by 2 randomized counterbalanced treatment sequences (either ABBA or BAAB). Throughout the trial, daily tests assess participant cognitive performance. These tests are digital versions of the Remote Associates Test, Stroop Test, and Trail Making Test, and are implemented directly in the n-of-1 mobile application (“N1”). Assessments are completed at a fixed time, defined by the individual during study setup. Treatments are taken daily within a fixed time window prior to the user-defined assessment time. Cognitive assessment results are analyzed using a linear model with factors for treatment and block, and each treatment is compared to baseline. Results: We launched our N1 app on the Apple App Store in mid-October 2019 and recruited over 40 participants within the first month. Conclusion: This platform provides individuals the opportunity to investigate their response to treatments through n-of-1 methods, empowering them to make data-driven, personalized lifestyle choices.
Energy-efficient unmanned aerial vehicle scanning approach with node clustering in opportunistic networks

Abstract The opportunistic networks are challenging due to their inherent characteristics of intermittent and unreliable communication between nodes. In order to alleviate the communication issues, the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used for delivering packets within the opportunistic networks. This paper investigates how to leverage the UAVs in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle aided Opportunistic Networks (UAON). The UAVs are considered responsible for relaying the messages generated by the nodes on the ground. The simulation study is conducted on the real-world datasets of the nodes moving around Orlando and Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST). Our proposed approach, State-based Campus Routing (SCR) with Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN), meander, random, and random spiral scanning approaches, as well as SCR and Epidemic protocols without UAV usage, have been evaluated on both datasets. The simulation metrics included the success rate, the message delay, the number of packets sent, and the distance traveled by the UAVs. SCR with DBSCAN and meander scan approaches were also tested with two UAVs using the Orlando dataset. Furthermore, spiral density and message creation frequency parameters were evaluated for SCR with DBSCAN protocol on North Carolina State University (NCSU) dataset. The simulation results showed improvements in terms of message delay and success rate when the UAVs were used in an opportunistic network setting. The proposed approach showed around 12% less total number of packets sent by the UAVs and the nodes. Similarly, the message delay distributions of the SCR with the DBSCAN achieve 90% of the message delay results, whereas the message delay distributions of random scanning form only 70% in less than an hour.
FireBERT: Hardening BERT-based classifiers against adversarial attack

We present FireBERT, a set of three proof-of-concept NLP classifiers hardened against TextFooler-style word-perturbation by producing diverse alternatives to original samples. In one approach, we co-tune BERT against the training data and synthetic adversarial samples. In a second approach, we generate the synthetic samples at evaluation time through substitution of words and perturbation of embedding vectors. The diversified evaluation results are then combined by voting. A third approach replaces evaluation-time word substitution with perturbation of embedding vectors. We evaluate FireBERT for MNLI and IMDB Movie Review datasets, in the original and on adversarial examples generated by TextFooler. We also test whether TextFooler is less successful in creating new adversarial samples when manipulating FireBERT, compared to working on unhardened classifiers. We show that it is possible to improve the accuracy of BERT-based models in the face of adversarial attacks without significantly reducing the accuracy for regular benchmark samples. We present co-tuning with a synthetic data generator as a highly effective method to protect against 95% of pre-manufactured adversarial samples while maintaining 98% of original benchmark performance. We also demonstrate evaluation-time perturbation as a promising direction for further research, restoring accuracy up to 75% of benchmark performance for pre-made adversarials, and up to 65% (from a baseline of 75% orig. / 12% attack) under active attack by TextFooler.
Outcomes for Somali immigrant kidney transplant recipients in a large-volume transplant center

Abstract Introduction Kidney transplantation (KT) demands that patients navigate a complex healthcare system and adhere to lifelong therapy and surveillance. Cultural and linguistic discordance between patients and providers has been identified as a barrier to successful KT. We studied KT outcomes and disparities among a native Somali population living in Minnesota. Methods Between 1995 and 2015, 2,385 patients underwent KT at our institution; 22 were self-designated Somali nationals. Patient and graft survival and time to first rejection were analyzed. Utilization of interpreter services was evaluated. Results Patient survival for the Somali cohort at 1 year was 100% and 95.5% at 5 years; compared to 97.2% at 1 year and 89.1% at 5 years for the Caucasian cohort (p = 0.40). Graft survival for the Somali cohort at 1 year was 100% and 95.5% at 5 years; for the Caucasian cohort 94.8% and 81.6% (p = 0.35). Rejection-free survival in the Somali cohort was 100% at 1 and 5 years, for the Caucasian cohort 86.2% and 82.1 (p = 0.41). Among 22 adult Somali KT recipients, 15 (68%) patients frequently utilized interpreter services in their KT-related clinical encounters. Conclusion Immigrant Somali KT recipients, appear to have comparable KT outcomes compared to a contemporaneous Caucasian cohort.