cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic potential of blocking HIV entry into cells: focus on membrane fusion inhibitors.

Despite a number of recent therapeutic advancements, there remains an urgent need to develop a new class of therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This review summarises attempts at blocking HIV binding and entry into host cells, an approach that would provide theoretical advantages over the currently available drugs targeting enzymes (reverse transcriptase and protease), brought into play in the later stages of the viral life cycle. The multi-step process of HIV entry into cells, binding of the surface glycoprotein (gp120) to the CD4 receptor and one of the chemokine receptors, followed by the membrane fusion step mediated by the transmembrane glycoprotein (gp41), has recently been understood with greater clarity. The importance of the chemokine co-receptors, such as CCR5 and CXCR4, for HIV entry may help to explain the limitations of earlier approaches using recombinant soluble CD4 or polyanionic compounds to interfere non-specifically with HIV glycoprotein function. Conversely, previous invest...
Indo-Caribbean Music Enters the New Millennium

Peter Manuel, professor at John Jay College (CUNY), is author of the book East Indian Music in the West Indies: Tan-singing, Chutney, and the Making of Indo-Caribbean Culture, and the video Tan-Sin...
Revisiting the definition of animal tool use

Benjamin Beck's definition of tool use has served the field of animal cognition well for over 25 years (Beck 1980, Animal Tool Behavior: the Use and Manufacture of Tools, New York, Garland STPM). This article proposes a new, more explanatory definition that accounts for tool use in terms of two complementary subcategories of behaviours: behaviours aimed at altering a target object by mechanical means and behaviours that mediate the flow of information between the tool user and the environment or other organisms in the environment. The conceptual foundation and implications of the new definition are contrasted with those of existing definitions, particularly Beck's. The new definition is informally evaluated with respect to a set of scenarios that highlights differences from Beck's definition as well as those of others in the literature.
The drug lag: An update of new drug introductions in the United States and in the United Kingdom, 1977 through 1987

This report updates previous studies that documented the existence of a significant lag between new drug introductions in the United Kingdom and in the United States. During the 11-year period from 1977 through 1987, the United Kingdom led the United States in the number of first introductions of new drugs (114 versus 41), in average lead time for mutually available drugs (60.7 versus 28.9 months), and in the number of exclusively available drugs (70 versus 54). Analysis by therapeutic category indicated large United Kingdom leads in the introduction of respiratory (5.1 years), cardiovascular (3.2 years), central nervous system (3.2 years), and anti-cancer (2.9 years) agents, and shorter leads for anesthetic and analgesic (2.0 years), gastrointestinal (2.0 years), endocrine (1.4 years), and anti-infective (0.8 years) agents. A comparison of the 5-year period from 1983 through 1987 with the previous 5-year period (1978 through 1982) showed no change in the length of the lag time (1.9 years for each period). These results indicate that the United States continues to lag behind the United Kingdom in the availability of new drugs. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1989) 46, 121–138; doi:10.1038/clpt.1989.116
Pancytopenia due to iron deficiency worsened by iron infusion: a case report.

Introduction Iron deficiency anemia is commonly associated with thrombocytosis, although thrombocytopenia has been reported in occasional patients with iron-deficiency anemia. Much less common is the development of thrombocytopenia following replenishment of iron stores.
An Analytic Trajectory Planner for Aircraft with Severe Damage or Failures

This paper describes an analytic real-time emergency landing trajectory planner applicable in situations where an aircraft experiences severe damage or failure(s) that contract the feasible lateral plane ight envelope. Solutions are constructed as sequences of spirals that follow a reference arc, extending a traditional Dubins path solver to handle cases in which an aircraft cannot y straight. A comprehensive Turning Dubins Vehicle (TDV) solver is presented to handle the spectrum of relative distances and headings between aircraft initial state and the landing runway approach end. This solver is shown to generate minimum-distance landing paths. Example solutions are presented with future work aimed at assessing the impact of transitions and disturbances as well as application to specic damage/failure scenarios.
Assessing theories, Bayes style

The problem addressed in this paper is ``the main epistemic problem concerning science'', viz. ``the explication of how we compare and evaluate theories [...] in the light of the available evidence'' (van Fraassen 1983: 27). Sections 1-3 contain the general plausibility-informativeness theory of theory assessment. In a nutshell, the message is (1) that there are two values a theory should exhibit: truth and informativeness -- measured respectively by a truth indicator and a strength indicator; (2) that these two values are conflicting in the sense that the former is a decreasing and the latter an increasing function of the logical strength of the theory to be assessed; and (3) that in assessing a given theory by the available data one should weigh between these two conflicting aspects in such a way that any surplus in informativeness succeeds, if the shortfall in plausibility is small enough. Particular accounts of this general theory arise by inserting particular strength indicators and truth indicators. In section 4 the theory is spelt out for the Bayesian paradigm of subjective probabilities. It is then compared to incremental Bayesian confirmation theory. Section 4 closes by asking whether it is likely to be lovely. Section 5 discusses a few problems of confirmation theory in the light of the present approach. In particular, it is briefly indicated how the present account gives rise to a new analysis of Hempel's conditions of adequacy for any relation of confirmation (Hempel 1945), differing from the one Carnap gave in §87 of his (1962). Section 6 addresses the question of justification any theory of theory assessment has to face: why should one stick to theories given high assessment values rather than to any other theories? The answer given by the Bayesian version of the account presented in section 4 is that one should accept theories given high assessment values, because, in the medium run, theory assessment almost surely takes one to the most informative among all true theories when presented separating data. The concluding section 8 continues the comparison between the present account and incremental Bayesian confirmation theory.
Quality of Nursing Doctoral Education and Scholarly Performance in U.S. Schools of Nursing: Strategic Areas for Improvement

Comprehensive evaluation of quality of nursing doctoral education (QNDE) in research-intensive universities has not been reported since 1980s. This study aimed to examine the QNDE from the perspectives of faculty and students/graduates and their relations to school characteristics, identify factors of the four domains of the QNDE that influence the QNDE, and analyze the relationship of QNDE to scholarly performance of nursing schools in the Unites States. Seventy-two nursing schools offering research-focused nursing doctoral programs with National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding during 2004–2007 participated, and they responded to the questionnaire (see http://gknf.or.kr/research/). Twenty-nine deans/schools, 179 faculties, and 461 students/graduates responded. Both faculty and students/graduates groups rated quality positively. Schools in the top quartile group per NIH funding amounts showed significant differences in QNDE from the bottom quartile group. Program and faculty domains were identified as most important by the top quartile group, and items that were significantly associated with the quality were supportive environment for students' learning, faculty mentorship, and assistance to students in understanding the value of programs of research and scholarship. Percentage of faculty member with research grants was significant predictors for all domains of QNDE, and time to degree was significant in explaining overall quality.
Role of force-sensitive amyloid-like interactions in fungal catch bonding and biofilms.

ABSTRACT The Candida albicans Als adhesin Als5p has an amyloid-forming sequence that is required for aggregation and formation of model biofilms on polystyrene. Because amyloid formation can be triggered by force, we investigated whether laminar flow could activate amyloid formation and increase binding to surfaces. Shearing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells expressing Als5p or C. albicans at 0.8 dyne/cm2 increased the quantity and strength of cell-to-surface and cell-to-cell binding compared to that at 0.02 dyne/cm2. Thioflavin T fluorescence showed that the laminar flow also induced adhesin aggregation into surface amyloid nanodomains in Als5p-expressing cells. Inhibitory concentrations of the amyloid dyes thioflavin S and Congo red or a sequence-specific anti-amyloid peptide decreased binding and biofilm formation under flow. Shear-induced binding also led to formation of robust biofilms. There was less shear-activated increase in adhesion, thioflavin fluorescence, and biofilm formation in cells expressing the amyloid-impaired V326N-substituted Als5p. Similarly, S. cerevisiae cells expressing Flo1p or Flo11p flocculins also showed shear-dependent binding, amyloid formation, biofilm formation, and inhibition by anti-amyloid compounds. Together, these results show that laminar flow activated amyloid formation and led to enhanced adhesion of yeast cells to surfaces and to biofilm formation.
Pleiotrophin regulates the expansion and regeneration of hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal is regulated by both intrinsic and extrinsic signals. Although some of the pathways that regulate HSC self-renewal have been uncovered, it remains largely unknown whether these pathways can be triggered by deliverable growth factors to induce HSC growth or regeneration. Here we show that pleiotrophin, a neurite outgrowth factor with no known function in hematopoiesis, efficiently promotes HSC expansion in vitro and HSC regeneration in vivo. Treatment of mouse bone marrow HSCs with pleiotrophin caused a marked increase in long-term repopulating HSC numbers in culture, as measured in competitive repopulating assays. Treatment of human cord blood CD34(+)CDCD38(-)Lin(-) cells with pleiotrophin also substantially increased severe combined immunodeficient (SCID)-repopulating cell counts in culture, compared to input and cytokine-treated cultures. Systemic administration of pleiotrophin to irradiated mice caused a pronounced expansion of bone marrow stem and progenitor cells in vivo, indicating that pleiotrophin is a regenerative growth factor for HSCs. Mechanistically, pleiotrophin activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling in HSCs; antagonism of PI3K or Notch signaling inhibited pleiotrophin-mediated expansion of HSCs in culture. We identify the secreted growth factor pleiotrophin as a new regulator of both HSC expansion and regeneration.
Failure mechanisms in alloy of polyamide 6,6/polyphenylene oxide under severe conditions

Toughening mechanisms of a polyamide 6,6/polyphenylene oxide alloy containing an elastomer tested under a slow rate, an impact rate, and a low temperature have been investigated using various microscopy techniques. It is found that the toughening mechanisms of the alloy may change from crazing/shear yielding, to crack bridging/crazing, and to transparticle failure, depending on the testing conditions. Except for the low temperature high strain rate testing condition and in the plane stress region of the crack, the crazing mechanism has been observed in all the conditions we studied. When the testing rate is high, the shear yielding mechanism is suppressed; multiple crazing and particle bridging mechanisms appear to dominate.
The fusidic acid stimulon of Staphylococcus aureus

Objectives: Fusidic acid interferes with the release of elongation factor G (EF-G) after the translocation step of protein synthesis. The objective of this study was to characterize the fusidic acid stimulon of a fusidic acid-susceptible strain of Staphylococcus aureus (SH1000). Methods: S. aureus microarrays and real-time PCR determined transcriptome alterations occurring in SH1000 grown with fusidic acid. The Staphylococcus aureus microarray meta-database (SAMMD) compared and contrasted the SH1000 fusidic stimulon with 89 other S. aureus transcriptional datasets. Fusidic acid gradient analyses with mutant-parent strain pairs were used to identify genes required for intrinsic fusidic acid susceptibility identified during transcriptional analysis. Results: Many genes altered by fusidic acid challenge are associated with protein synthesis. SAMMD analysis determined that the fusidic acid stimulon has the greatest overlap with the S. aureus cold shock and stringent responses. Six out of nine peptidoglycan hydrolase genes making up the two component YycFG regulon were also up-regulated by fusidic acid, as were a carboxylesterase gene (est) and two putative drug efflux pump genes (emr-qac1 and macA). Genes down-regulated by fusidic acid induction encoded a putative secreted acid phosphatase and a number of protease genes. Roles for the agr operon, the peptidoglycan hydrolase gene isaA and two proteases (htrA1 and htrA2) in the expression of fusidic acid susceptibility were revealed. Conclusions: The SH1000 fusidic acid stimulon includes genes involved with two stress responses, YycFG-regulated cell wall metabolism, drug efflux, and protein synthesis and turnover.
The first wave

This series on neuroeconomics only scratches the surface – it is an area that is growing rapidly and is built upon areas of neuroscience and behavioral and experimental economics with a rich experimental history. Merely touching upon all the relevant areas in this short overview is impossible. However, for neuroeconomics to mature and contribute in an important way to our understanding of mind and brain it must reach up and reach down. It must reach up to provide new insights into how the human brain builds and sustains a representation of itself [27xThe Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness. Damasio, A.R. See all References[27]. It must also reach down to inform and motivate new animal experiments where the full range of neurobiological techniques can be exploited. Such efforts are already underway [28xPrefrontal cortex and decision making in a mixed-strategy game. Barraclough, D.J. et al. Nat. Neurosci. 2004; 7: 404–410Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (360)See all References, 29xMatching behavior and the representation of value in parietal cortex. Sugrue, L.P. et al. Science. 2004; 304: 1782–1787Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (590)See all References, 30xActivity in posterior parietal cortex is correlated with the relative subjective desirability of action. Dorris, M.C. and Glimcher, P.W. Neuron. 2004; 44: 365–378Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (272)See all References], but these kinds of approaches must multiply to connect the underlying neurobiology to the important economic algorithms it supports.Further installments are planned, covering the issue of preferences and utilities, the neural signals related to internal currencies used by the nervous system to rate outcomes, choices and contemplated behaviors, and finally ideas about how specific brain regions represent and simulate outcomes about the world and other humans.
The use of simple model systems to study spliceosomal catalysis

Since direct analysis of many aspects of spliceosomal function is greatly hindered by the daunting complexity of the spliceosome, the development of functionally validated simple model systems can be of great value. The critical role played by a base-paired complex of U6 and U2 snRNAs in splicing in vivo suggests that this complex could be a suitable starting point for the development of such a simple model system. However, several criteria must be satisfied before such a snRNA-based in vitro system can be considered a valid model for the spliceosomal catalytic core, including similarities at the level of reaction chemistry and cationic and sequence requirements. Previous functional analyses of in vitro assembled base-paired complexes of human U2 and U6 snRNAs have been promising, providing insight into catalysis. Furthermore, they strongly suggest that with further optimization, these RNAs might indeed be able to recapitulate the function of the spliceosomal catalytic core, thus opening the door to several lines of study not previously possible.
Application of singular value decomposition and functional clustering to analyzing gene expression profiles of renal cell carcinoma

Microarray gene expression profiles of both renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tissues and a RCC cell line were analyzed using singular value decomposition (SVD) and functional clustering. The SVD projections of the expression profiles revealed significant differences between the profiles of RCC tissues and a RCC cell line. Based on the biological processes, selected genes were annotated and clustered into functional groups. The analysis of each functional group revealed remarkable gene expression alterations in the biological pathways in RCC and provided insights into understanding the molecular mechanism of renal cell carcinogenesis.
A technique for moving large data sets over high-performance long distance networks

In this paper we look at the performance characteristics of three tools used to move large data sets over dedicated long distance networking infrastructure. Although performance studies of wide area networks have been a frequent topic of interest, performance analyses have tended to focus on network latency characteristics and peak throughput using network traffic generators. In this study we instead perform an end-to-end long distance networking analysis that includes reading large data sets from a source file system and committing the data to a remote destination file system. An evaluation of end-to-end data movement is also an evaluation of the system configurations employed and the tools used to move the data. For this paper, we have built several storage platforms and connected them with a high performance long distance network configuration. We use these systems to analyze the capabilities of three data movement tools: BBcp, GridFTP, and XDD. Our studies demonstrate that existing data movement tools do not provide efficient performance levels or exercise the storage devices in their highest performance modes.
Relics, oaths and politics in thirteenth-century Siam

Recent efforts have re-dated the Wat Bang Sanuk inscription to 1219, long before the Ram Khamhaeng inscription of 1292. Attempts to assess the implications force a re-thinking of Thai rebellion against Angkor by linking rebellion to religious thought, including especially the discovery and public show of relics of the Buddha.
Genetic variation in geographical populations of western and Mexican corn rootworm.

Genetic variation in the nuclear rDNA ITS1 region of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (WCR), and Mexican corn rootworm, D. v. zeae (MCR) was studied. Two sites were detected which differentiated WCR and MCR in the 642-base sequence. Polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the first internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1) sequence revealed no variation within or among the twelve WCR and two MCR populations. PCR-RFLP of 75% of the mitochondrial DNA genome detected one significant polymorphic site out of the approximately 190 restriction sizes observed in WCR. The polymorphism did not differentiate geographical populations of WCR and is not diagnostic for the subspecies. The low levels of variation observed in WCR suggests either high levels of gene flow or a recent geographical expansion from a relatively small base. Gene flow would facilitate the rapid spread of traits that could compromise control programmes, such as insecticide resistance or behavioural modifications. The minimal genetic differentiation between WCR and MCR raises questions about the evolutionary history of these subspecies and how the distinct phenotypes are maintained.
Sensor Fusion and Autonomy as a Powerful Combination for Biological Assessment in the Marine Environment

The ocean environment and the physical and biological processes that govern dynamics are complex. Sampling the ocean to better understand these processes is difficult given the temporal and spatial domains and sampling tools available. Biological systems are especially difficult as organisms possess behavior, operate at horizontal scales smaller than traditional shipboard sampling allows, and are often disturbed by the sampling platforms themselves. Sensors that measure biological processes have also generally not kept pace with the development of physical counterparts as their requirements are as complex as the target organisms. Here, we attempt to address this challenge by advocating the need for sensor-platform combinations to integrate and process data in real-time and develop data products that are useful in increasing sampling efficiencies. Too often, the data of interest is only garnered after post-processing after a sampling effort and the opportunity to use that information to guide sampling is lost. Here we demonstrate a new autonomous platform, where data are collected, analyzed, and data products are output in real-time to inform autonomous decision-making. This integrated capability allows for enhanced and informed sampling towards improving our understanding of the marine environment.
Exploring the Retention of Sustainable Design Principles in Engineering Practice Through Design Education

The School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University is home to one of the largest academic Mechanical Design groups in the country. As a leader in undergraduate design education, we have been able to keep in touch with a large group of mechanical design graduates, and as such are capable of assessing how students retain information learned in undergraduate coursework to see how this understanding is employed in real-world engineering practice. However, the principles governing the design of sustainable products and processes are relatively novel and are only now being integrated into the undergraduate and graduate mechanical design curriculum. It is our hypothesis that particular means of learning and understanding sustainable design — via lectures, homework assignments, design projects, and the use of various sustainability-related LCA tools — will enable the highest retention of sustainable design understanding, and a higher likelihood that this sustainable design knowledge will be propagated into design practice in industry. Multiple curricular studies that explore dissemination and retention of sustainable design skills are being explored, including a junior-level introductory mechanical design course and a graduate level sustainable product development course. In the junior-level course, baseline sustainability knowledge is tested by allowing students to make sustainable design decisions by applying varied skill sets, including general principles, a list of sustainable design guidelines, and an innovative online survey (The GREEn Quiz). The graduate-level course, which employs sustainable design principles within a larger product development architecture, will capitalize on more “expert” knowledge. Future work will also be discussed, including planned validation studies and curriculum improvements, as well as the means of quantifying the retention of sustainable design information.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Using genomic databases for sequence-based biological discovery.

The inherent potential underlying the sequence data produced by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium and other systematic sequencing projects is, obviously, tremendous. As such, it becomes increasingly important that all biologists have the ability to navigate through and cull important information from key publicly available databases. The continued rapid rise in available sequence information, particularly as model organism data is generated at breakneck speed, also underscores the necessity for all biologists to learn how to effectively make their way through the expanding “sequence information space.” This review discusses some of the more commonly used tools for sequence discovery; tools have been developed for the effective and efficient mining of sequence information. These include LocusLink, which provides a gene-centric view of sequence-based information, as well as the 3 major genome browsers: the National Center for Biotechnology Information Map Viewer, the University of California Santa Cruz Genome Browser, and the European Bioinformatics Institute’s Ensembl system. An overview of the types of information available through each of these front-ends is given, as well as information on tutorials and other documentation intended to increase the reader’s familiarity with these tools.
Cartesian-space time delay compensation in leader-follower coordination of two manipulators using exponential time functions

Coordinated control of two manipulators carrying a common object using discrete position feedback is developed and tested using a multiprocessor architecture and two PUMA robot arms. Leader-follower coordination is used because of its computational efficiency. Computation and other timing delays incur the loss of two sampling intervals. A class of predictive filters is designed to compensate for these delays. These filters are developed using the desired positions of the delayed follower arm to estimate a model of its desired trajectory using exponential time functions. Both exact and least square spline fitting are carried out and the performances of the resulting estimators are compared. >
Lipid Phase Heterogeneity and Size Dependence in Quarternary Lipid Bilayer System: A Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Study

The spatial organization of phospholipids and sterols in cellular membranes is believed to play an important role in membrane function and cell activities. Both recent experimental and simulation studies have suggested various possible heterogeneous spatial distributions of lipids and cholesterol, including the formation of nanoscale lipid domains, in multi-component bilayer systems. In this study, we use coarse-grained Molecular Dynamics simulations to study the phase behavior of quarternary lipid mixtures as a function of membrane composition. We focus on quantifying the phase composition of heterogeneous membranes using model facilitated tatistical approaches, as well as identifying the nature of lipid heterogeneity by measuring signatures in observables such as partial density correlation functions, as well as local lipid density distributions and their dependence on system size.
Methyl-dependent and spatial-specific DNA recognition by the orthologous transcription factors human AP-1 and Epstein-Barr virus Zta

Activator protein 1 (AP-1) is a transcription factor that recognizes two versions of a 7-base pair response element, either 5΄- GAG CA-3΄ or 5΄- GAG CA-3΄ (where M = 5-methylcytosine). These two elements share the feature that 5-methylcytosine and thymine both have a methyl group in the same position, 5-carbon of the pyrimidine, so each of them has two methyl groups at nucleotide positions 1 and 5 from the 5΄ end, resulting in four methyl groups symmetrically positioned in duplex DNA. Epstein-Barr Virus Zta is a key transcriptional regulator of the viral lytic cycle that is homologous to AP-1. Zta recognizes several methylated Zta-response elements, including meZRE1 (5΄- GAG C A-3΄) and meZRE2 (5΄- GAG G A-3΄), where a methylated cytosine occupies one of the inner thymine residues corresponding to the AP-1 element, resulting in the four spatially equivalent methyl groups. Here, we study how AP-1 and Zta recognize these methyl groups within their cognate response elements. These methyl groups are in van der Waals contact with a conserved di-alanine in AP-1 dimer (Ala265 and Ala266 in Jun), or with the corresponding Zta residues Ala185 and Ser186 (via its side chain carbon Cβ atom). Furthermore, the two ZRE elements differ at base pair 6 (C:G versus G:C), forming a pseudo-symmetric sequence (meZRE1) or an asymmetric sequence (meZRE2). In vitro DNA binding assays suggest that Zta has high affinity for all four sequences examined, whereas AP-1 has considerably reduced affinity for the asymmetric sequence (meZRE2). We ascribe this difference to Zta Ser186 (a unique residue for Zta) whose side chain hydroxyl oxygen atom interacts with the two half sites differently, whereas the corresponding Ala266 of AP-1 Jun protein lacks such flexibility. Our analyses demonstrate a novel mechanism of 5mC/T recognition in a methylation-dependent, spatial and sequence-specific approach by basic leucine-zipper transcriptional factors.
A wolf in another wolf’s clothing

This case of infective endocarditis masquerading as mixed cryoglobulinemia in a man with a history of intravenous drug use (IVDU) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential and continually re-evaluating the working diagnosis as new information presents itself. The patient presented to an outside hospital and was treated for presumptive mixed cryoglobulinemia with corticosteroid therapy. When the patient did not improve, he was transferred to a tertiary care center for possible Rituximab and/or plasmapheresis. Further investigation revealed Enterococcus bacteremia with subsequent workup consistent with infective endocarditis (IE). This case highlights a diagnostic dilemma and demonstrates the importance of a thorough evaluation as it pertains to overlapping features of IE and mixed cryoglobulinemia.
Abstract IA36: Caught in the middle: Viewing adolescent/young adult oncology patients as the medically underserved

Traditionally cancer has been thought to arise in two distinct age groups, pediatrics and adults. In the United States, pediatric patients range in age from newborn up to 21 years old while adult patients are considered to be older than 21. Recently a new patient population has begun to emerge, collectively known as the adolescent-young adult (AYA) population. In the United States, AYA patients span the age range from 15-39 years old. Much is known about a variety of “adult” cancers and our understanding of “pediatric” cancers is steadily growing. Despite these advances, there is very little data regarding AYA-specific cancers. Furthermore, the differences in normal human development and/or maturation that are encompassed within the AYA age range is extremely dynamic thus leading to the hypothesis that the molecular and clinical characteristics of malignancies in AYA patients may be inherently different than those which are observed in patients outside of this age range. This talk will highlight some of the unique challenges faced by this medically underserved population as it pertains to cancer care, treatment, and outcome. This talk will also focus on the importance of the AYA oncology population to cancer research and our biological understanding of different malignancies as it pertains to precision medicine and subsequent therapeutic strategies. Citation Format: Troy A. McEachron. Caught in the middle: Viewing adolescent/young adult oncology patients as the medically underserved. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr IA36.
Sleep and Preteen Delinquency: Is the Association Robust to ADHD Symptomatology and ADHD Diagnosis?

Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of sleep have been linked to multiple dimensions of well-being. An emerging body of research has also revealed that poor sleep during adolescence can increase the likelihood of delinquent involvement. The contribution of early sleep difficulties to later delinquency, however, is often overlooked. Furthermore, the role that ADHD symptomatology and/or diagnosis might play in this association has not been adequately addressed, despite findings suggesting that both sleep disturbances and delinquent involvement are more common among children with ADHD symptomatology or an ADHD diagnosis. The current study examines the associations between sleep behaviors and preteen delinquency, and the extent to which ADHD symptomatology and/or diagnosis might inform these associations. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) were employed to explore these associations and logistic regression techniques were utilized to analyze the data. The findings reveal that both sleep problems and sleep duration are associated with the odds of ADHD symptomatology, an ADHD diagnosis, and preteen delinquency. Even so, the results also suggest that persistent sleep problems are not significantly associated with the odds of preteen delinquency once ADHD symptomatology and diagnosis are taken into account. The influence of sleep duration on preteen delinquency, however, is robust to the association between ADHD measures and preteen delinquency. Poor sleep, therefore, appears to be an important modifiable risk factor for preteen delinquency. Even so, future investigations into the link between sleep and delinquency should account for developmental risks and/or disorders that commonly co-occur with sleep problems.
Major Trends in Interbehavioral Psychology from Articles Published in The Psychological Record (1937–1983)

Major trends in interbehavioraI psychology are examined retrospectively through articles published in the 33-volume history of The Psychological Record. Proposed is that interbehaviorism evolves over a period of history in theoretical and experimental disciplines of science. Comparisons shown between interbehavioral and noninterbehavioral articles reveal that, by far, “interdisciplinary philosophy” (historical and synthetical) is present in more volumes than experimental interbehavioral research. However, examinations of articles from The Psychological Record and articles and books published elsewhere during the last 10 years indicate that systems analysis and clinical treatment abound in the research potential of interbehaviorism. Annotations of all the experimental and theoretical articles with interbehavioral content are provided in the analysis.
How to Exploit Relationships to Improve Predictions

The popularity of social networks and social media has increased the amount of information available about users' behavior online--including current activities, and interactions with followers, friends, and family. This rich relational information can be used to improve predictions even when individual data is sparse, since the characteristics of friends are often correlated. Although this type of network data offer several opportunities to improve predictions about users, the characteristics of online social network data also present a number of challenges to accurately incorporate the network information into machine learning systems. This talk will outline some of the algorithmic and statistical challenges that arise due to partially-observed, large-scale networks, and describe methods for semi-supervised learning, latent-variable modeling, and active sampling to address the challenges.
Signaling Across Markets and Performance

Does reputational signaling help firms in a global industry? Although the direct effects of a reputational signal on firm performance remain elusive, we examine how this signal can enhance the effectiveness of firm strategies and in turn firm performance. We focus on international and product market strategies as these are highly relevant in global industries. Examining the use of a common reputational signal, quality certification, on a unique sample of 792 firms, we find that it enables firms to more effectively target different international markets, across more geographic regions and product segments improving their survival.
High-stakes teacher evaluation policy: US principals’ perspectives and variations in practice

AbstractPrincipals’ implementation of new teacher evaluation policies in a suburban and rural southeastern area of the United States was examined over a five-year period. This study reports findings on two of eleven interview questions examining changes in principals’ perceptions over time regarding policy concerns and benefits. Findings indicate while initially overwhelmed, principals eventually managed implementation time challenges and later focused on the benefits of evaluation. Secondly, principals quickly integrated the instructional rubric criteria into classroom observations and professional development work. Third, increasing doubts emerged regarding the inconsistent application of the rubric criteria, the inclusion of student test scores in teacher evaluation, and the calculation of teacher effectiveness ratings. The authors conclude that mandating rigorous evaluation policy will not sufficiently address teacher effectiveness and may complicate principals’ instructional leadership. They assert t...
The characteristics and predictors of postpartum hepatitis flares in women with chronic hepatitis B.

We aimed to characterize postpartum disease flares among treatment-naive mothers with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). CHB mothers were enrolled and compared with non-infected mothers in terms of postpartum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) abnormalities. Demographic, virological, and biochemical parameters were collected up to postpartum week 16, with flares and exacerbations defined as ALT levels 5–10 and >10 times the upper limit of normal, respectively. Outcome assessments included ALT flares or exacerbation and their predictive parameters. Among 4236 patients enrolled, 869 and 3367 had no infection (group A) and had CHB (group B), respectively. Infected mothers were further stratified into two subgroups by the presence (B1, n = 1928) or absence (B2, n = 1439) of detectable serum levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA (lowest level of quantitation, 100 IU/mL). A significantly higher frequency of abnormal ALT levels was observed in group B vs. group A (28.27 vs. 20.37%, p < 0.001). ALT events mainly occurred in group B1 (flares, 115/1928, 5.96%; exacerbations, 57/1928, 2.96%). The ALT levels had a bimodal pattern, with peaks at postpartum weeks 3–4 and 9–12. On multivariate analysis, elevated ALT levels and detectable levels of HBV DNA at delivery were independent risk factors for postpartum disease flares. Further subgroup analysis in group B1 demonstrated that a cut-off HBV DNA level of 5 log10 IU/mL at delivery predicted ALT events (positive predictive value, 14.4%; negative predictive value, 98.2%). Postpartum ALT level elevation is common in CHB patients. ALT flares or exacerbations are mainly observed in mothers with elevated ALT or HBV DNA levels ≥5 log10 IU/mL at delivery.
The Structure of Labor Markets in the US and China: Social Capital and Guanxi

Despite the major cultural and political differences between the United States and China, in both countries access to jobs is supposed to be guided by fair and equitable procedures. In the US, there is a presumption of an open labor market in which potential employees compete on the basis of their qualifications, where the fairness of decisions is guided by anti-discrimination laws and normative organizational policies. In China, although there is a history of close relationships that guide the exchange of favors, following the 1949 revolution, Communist Party leaders were given the authority to allocate positions in ways that were supposed to eliminate special privileges of class and background. Yet recent research has suggested that social connections are an important part of getting a job in both the US and China for two-thirds to three-quarters of job seekers. In the US context, such connections are described as social capital. In the Chinese context, connections are defined as guanxi. In this article, we review research on labor market processes in both the US and China to address three important questions: (a) How can we understand the similar functioning of labor markets in such distinct cultural and political systems as the US and China? (b) What are the mechanisms or processes by which people find jobs in the US and China, and how are people able to access these mechanisms or processes in the context of constraining social structures and legal environments? and (c) What are the theoretical implications of the ‘generalized particularism’ that seems to shape labor markets in both the US and China.
Genetic Profiling and Manipulation

“NASA plans to genetically modify astronauts so they can survive the journey to Mars.” – Dr. Douglas Terrier, Acting Chief Technologist at NASA
Object Analysis in Organizational Design: A Solution for Matrix Organizations:

The introduction of the object-oriented paradigm in software development marked a radical change in the methodology and approach of large-scale application development. This paper investigates para...
Hierarchy, Control, and Oscillation

Ecosystems developing in microcosms, like the larger unconfined systems, soon develop hierarchical networks with many small organisms at one level converging support for fewer, larger organisms at another level (left to right in energy systems diagrams). The higher level units provide controls over the units at lower levels in the form of animal services and chemical substances (right to left in energy systems diagrams). With hierarchical population structure, “prey-predator” type oscillations appear. With higher energy levels, more complex “chaotic” oscillations may appear. In this chapter we consider the hierarchy of populations and processes, spatial aspects of hierarchical organization, population oscillations within microecosystems, and the effect of containers in isolating a system from large-scale influences. As elsewhere in this book, we keep in mind the compelling intuitive hypothesis that the observed hierarchies and oscillations occur because they reinforce maximum power.
DIRECTION OF ARRIVAL ESTIMATION UNDER PERTURBED CONDITIONS

This paper describes a new approach to estimate the directions of arrivals (DOAs) of uncorrelated, narrowband sources impinging on an antenna array. The DOAs estimate is based on finding a set of steering vectors which satisfies the well known signal subspace condition and an additional orthogonality condition established in this paper. Simulation results have demonstrated that the new method provides much better DOA estimates than the MUSIC algorithm when the array is imperfect.
Self-organizing behavior in a simple controlled dynamical system

A standard paradigm in control theory involves the use of feedback to change the dynamics of a system in some significant way. In the language of Willems ([9]), this paradigm prescribes the use of feedback to create desirable “behavior” in the system. There is growing interest (see e.g. [8]) in exploring an alternative paradigm applied to the control of systems in which there is a set of various behaviors pre-existing within the natural (uncontrolled) dynamics of the system, and wherein control acts in a minimalistic way to entrain a mode of behavior chosen from this set. We shall explore the latter in the context of some mechanical systems in which the control is only allowed to act intermittently. The systems we look at involve the controlled one dimensional scattering of a certain number of particles. In the absence of control, the systems are similar to the Toda lattices that have been considered by Moser ([7]) and others. We introduce boundary controls and confine our analysis to two classes of open loop controls—roughly corresponding to constant and periodic forcing. For the constant controls, the set of possible behaviors is easily described using fixed point analysis. For periodic forcing, on the other hand, the behavior set is very rich, and is modeled as the dynamics of an iterated 2-d mapping. Results on the stability and bifurcations of periodic orbits are given.
Camera-Based Peripheral Edema Measurement Using Machine Learning

Peripheral edema is the most common symptom of heart failure. Reliable measurement of edema and continuous monitoring of trends provide critical clinical information and can be used for averting episodes of acute decompensation and hospitalizations. Based on the edema pitting-test, new videobased methods for measurement of peripheral edema stages are presented. The methods use videos of skin during the pittingtest, which are processed by machine learning or deep learning techniques to provide classification into one of four edema stages. The proposed methods are implemented and evaluated on videos taken on edema simulators. Variations of the proposed models applied to edema simulators yield classification accuracies in the range between 87% and 98%.
374) Acceptability and Effects of Using Wearable Activity Trackers for Chronic Pain Management among Older African American Adults

Wearable activity trackers can help people with chronic musculoskeletal pain set and achieve goals for increasing daily walking as a pain self-management strategy. Yet older adults from vulnerable populations may face obstacles to using trackers that should be considered in intervention design. In a sample of 51 African American adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain ages 60-85 in an economically disadvantaged community, we evaluated the acceptability of the Fitbit ZipTM and three alternative modes of reporting daily steps. Our randomized design (28 in intervention group, 23 controls) also allowed us to assess whether using a Fitbit was associated with improvements in PROMIS pain interference and walking frequency, assessed during telephone surveys at baseline and eight weeks. Intervention participants wore a Fitbit for six weeks, and reported daily step counts via text messages, automated telephone calls, and syncing (two weeks each). Acceptability was measured by participant-identified facilitators, challenges, and satisfaction; and feasibility by the proportion of expected days in which step-counts were reported. More than 90% of participants reported that Fitbits were easy to use, but some experienced technical or dexterity-related difficulties with Fitbits and/or with reporting steps. Text reporting yielded 79% adherence, vs. 68% each for automated calls and automatic syncing. Participants’ preferences for reporting mode varied. Intervention participants did not show greater improvement in pain interference than controls. While 75% of intervention group participants reported that the Fitbit motivated them to walk more, pre-post change in walking frequency was not significantly different between intervention and control groups. With attention to specific needs and tailored support, wearable activity trackers and mHealth reporting for chronic pain self-care are feasible for use by vulnerable older adults. Future research should test how the effects of activity trackers on pain-related outcomes can be enhanced by incorporating behavior change strategies and training in evidence-based cognitive-behavioral techniques. Funding: This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, P30 AG015281, and the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research and by grants from the National Institute on Aging [K01 AG050706-01A1 to MRJ]; UM OAIC Pepper Center 2017 Pilot Grant (Janevic, PI).