cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Tale of Two Teachers’ Use of Prompts in Mathematical Discussions

Facilitating mathematical discussions has consistently been identified as beneficial to students’ mathematical learning, with teachers’ use of questioning a primary identifier of appropriate facilitation. Although many teachers report familiarity with appropriate questioning techniques, we hypothesized that some teachers may not work in contexts where they can implement what they understand as best practices in their classroom. To explore this potential interaction, two primary teachers with similar dispositions towards mathematics pedagogy, but dissimilar institutional obligations were observed over a 10-week period. The types and frequencies of teachers’ questioning and their students’ responses during whole class mathematical discussions were observed. Despite both teachers holding similar conceptions of and dispositions towards facilitating mathematical discussion, the effectiveness of teachers’ various prompts in eliciting students’ mathematical descriptions was substantially different. Findings suggest that differences in the respective teachers’ institutional obligations may have affected the effectiveness of one teacher’s probing questions.
Development of a Computerized 4-D MRI Phantom for Liver Motion Study.

Purpose:To develop a 4-dimensional computerized magnetic resonance imaging phantom with image textures extracted from real patient scans for liver motion studies.Methods:The proposed phantom was de...
Carcinocythemia (carcinoma cell leukemia)

![Figure][1] A 33-year-old woman with widely metastatic breast cancer was admitted with hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Review of the Wright-stained peripheral blood smear showed leukoerythroblastosis, thrombocytopenia, and large atypical cells (∼50 µm)
Nonlinear Model-Algorithmic Control: A Review and New Developments

This paper presents “a review of Nonlinear Model-Algorithmic Control (MAC), and introduces a new generalized formulation, which incorporates nonminimum-phase compensation. In addition, new nonlinear multirate Model-Algorithmic Control methods are developed. The handling of input constraints within a MAC framework is also discussed. Several chemical engineering examples illustrate the methods throughout the paper.
Microplastic hotspots in the Snake and Lower Columbia rivers: A journey from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to the Pacific Ocean.

Abstract It is widely understood that microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the marine environment yet less is known about MP abundance in freshwater rivers, particularly those of the western United States. This study documents MP pollution along the Snake River (∼1735 km) and from its confluence with the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. Grab and plankton net samples (mesh size 100 μm) were collected from the top 25 cm of surface water every 80.5 river km. MPs were identified if they met visual criteria and were verified with the hot needle test. A small representative subset of MPs from the net samples (16.7%) were selected based on appearance for micro-Raman spectroscopy in effort to provide examples of polymer types found in this study. Seventy-five percent of grab samples and 92.8% of net samples contained MPs, with concentrations ranging from 0 to 5.405 MP L−1 and 0 to 0.014 MP L−1 (0 to 13.7 MP m−3), respectively. The majority of fragments, films and beads were between 100 μm and 333 μm. This study identifies potential hotspots of MP pollution along the Snake and Lower Columbia rivers and prioritizes areas where more intensive sampling is needed. Sites with low flow or those further down river had higher numbers and the top two hotspots were located in areas with low population density but high agricultural use. Monitoring MP abundance in freshwater systems is important for establishing baseline levels of MP pollution and can direct laboratory toxicology studies in using more environmentally relevant concentrations for a better indication of how MP pollution affects ecosystems.
Multistage prostate carcinogenesis: the role of hormones.

Prostate cancer is the most frequently occurring non-skin cancer in men in the U.S.A. and other Western countries, but its etiology is poorly understood. Human prostate carcinogenesis has been viewed as a multi-step process involving progression from low histologic grade, small latent carcinoma, to large, higher grade, metastasizing carcinoma. However, recent data suggest that a variety of pathogenetic pathways exist. The precise role of hormones in the genesis of human prostate cancer remains largely undefined. It is difficult to investigate stages in the development of human prostate cancer, but some animal models provide opportunities in this regard. Short-term treatment of rats with chemical carcinogens will produce a low incidence (5-15%) of prostate cancer, provided that prostatic cell proliferation is enhanced during carcinogen exposure. A high carcinoma incidence can only be produced by chronic treatment with testosterone following administration of carcinogens such as N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Testosterone markedly enhances prostate carcinogenesis even at doses that do not measurably increase circulating testosterone. Thus, testosterone is a strong tumor promoter for the rat prostate. All such MNU-initiated, testosterone-promoted tumors are adenocarcinomas mostly originating from the dorsolateral and anterior, but not ventral, prostate lobes. A high frequency (70%) of activation of the K-ras gene by a G35 to A mutation occurs in these carcinomas. A variable frequency of activation of H-ras and K-ras genes occurs in human prostate carcinomas. Another rat model, representing a different pathogenetic pathway, involves chronic administration of estradiol-17 beta in combination with low-dose testosterone. The resulting carcinomas are low-grade and originate exclusively from periurethral ducts of the dorsolateral and anterior prostate. We recently found a major adduct by 32P postlabeling analysis in the tissue region that includes these ducts, but not in, e.g., the ventral prostate, of rats treated for 16-24 weeks. While it is unknown whether testosterone is a tumor promoter in this system, the presence of a DNA adduct suggests that estradiol-17 beta acts as a tumor-initiating agent in this system.
Monolithic Design and Fabrication of a 2-DOF Bio-Inspired Leg Transmission

We present the design of a new two degree-of-freedom transmission intended for micro / meso-scale crawling robots which is compatible both with laminate manufacturing techniques and monolithic,“pop-up” assembly methods. This is enabled through a new design suite called “popupCAD”, a computer-aided design tool which anticipates laminate manufacturing methods with a suite of operations which simplify the existing design workflow. The design has been prototyped at three times the anticpated scale to better understand the assembly and motion kinematics, and simulated to establish the basic relationships between the actuator and end-effector transmission ratios.
Mitochondrial DNA Depletion due to Mutations in the TK2 Gene

Thymidine kinase 2 (TK2), encoded by the TK2 gene, is an essential component of the mitochondrial nucleotide salvage pathway responsible for the maintenance of mitochondrial deoxyribonucleotide pools. TK2 mutations lead to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion syndrome. Although the myopathic type of mtDNA depletion syndrome seemed to be the main associated clinical phenotype, other clinical features such as central nervous system and liver involvement have been described, expanding the clinical spectrum of clinical spectrum of this condition. Cellular compensatory mechanisms leading to normal activities of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and even reversion of mtDNA depletion have been observed. Mouse models of this disease have revealed altered neuronal bioenergetics and neurodegeneration with high relevance for the mechanisms of neurological involvement in mtDNA depletion syndromes.
Subcellular Time Series Modeling of Heterogeneous Cell Protrusion

In this paper, a new biological modeling approach is proposed for predicting complex heterogeneous subcellular behaviors. Cell protrusion which initiates cell migration has a significant amount of subcellular heterogeneity in micrometer length and minute time scales. It is driven by actin polymerization, e.g., pushing the plasma membrane forward, and then regulated by a multitude of actin regulators. While mathematical modeling is central to system-level understandings of cell protrusion, most of the modeling is based on the ensemble average of actin regulator dynamics at the cellular or population levels, preventing from capturing the heterogeneous cellular activities. With these in mind, a systematic modeling framework is proposed in this paper for predicting velocities of heterogeneous protrusion of migrating cells driven by multiple molecular mechanisms. The modeling framework is developed through the integration of the multiple AutoRegressive eXogenous (ARX) models employing probability density input variables. Unlike conventional ARX models, it provides an effective framework for modeling heterogeneous subcellular behaviors with complex nonlinearities and uncertainties of dynamic systems. To train and validate the proposed model, numerous subcellular time series are extracted from time-lapse movies of migrating PtK1 cells using spinning disk confocal microscope: The current edge velocities and fluorescent intensities of mDia1, actin at the leading edge are used as the input while the future cell edge velocities are selected as an output. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach is highly effective in predicting the future trends of heterogeneous cell protrusion. In particular, by capturing the various multiple activities from the dataset, it is expected that it would improve the understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying cellular and subcellular heterogeneity.
Machine Learning Reveals Protein Signatures in CSF and Plasma Fluids of Clinical Value for ALS

We use shotgun proteomics to identify biomarkers of diagnostic and prognostic value in individuals diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Matched cerebrospinal and plasma fluids were subjected to abundant protein depletion and analyzed by nano-flow liquid chromatography high resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Label free quantitation was used to identify differential proteins between individuals with ALS (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 30) in both fluids. In CSF, 118 (p-value < 0.05) and 27 proteins (q-value < 0.05) were identified as significantly altered between ALS and controls. In plasma, 20 (p-value < 0.05) and 0 (q-value < 0.05) proteins were identified as significantly altered between ALS and controls. Proteins involved in complement activation, acute phase response and retinoid signaling pathways were significantly enriched in the CSF from ALS patients. Subsequently various machine learning methods were evaluated for disease classification using a repeated Monte Carlo cross-validation approach. A linear discriminant analysis model achieved a median area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.94 with an interquartile range of 0.88–1.0. Three proteins composed a prognostic model (p = 5e-4) that explained 49% of the variation in the ALS-FRS scores. Finally we investigated the specificity of two promising proteins from our discovery data set, chitinase-3 like 1 protein and alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, using targeted proteomics in a separate set of CSF samples derived from individuals diagnosed with ALS (n = 11) and other neurological diseases (n = 15). These results demonstrate the potential of a panel of targeted proteins for objective measurements of clinical value in ALS.
Waking up every day in a body that is not yours: a qualitative research inquiry into the intersection between eating disorders and pregnancy

Women with eating disorders are more likely to negatively react to finding out they are pregnant, although this difference in attitudes between women with eating disorders and controls disappears at 18-weeks’ gestation. Those with anorexia also are twice as likely to have an unplanned pregnancy and those with bulimia have a 30-fold increased chance compared with healthy controls. Therefore, due to these considerations, pregnancy and the transition to motherhood can be an extremely challenging time for these women both psychologically and physically. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand the intersection between eating disorders and pregnancy from the lived experience of women who have been pregnant or want to or do not want to become pregnant. A total of 15 women with a current or past history of an eating disorder were recruited, including nine women who have had previous pregnancies as well as six nonparous women. Interviews were the primary unit of data collection, in addition to document analysis of diaries or blogs. Data analysis was based on verbatim transcripts from audio recordings. NVIVO 11© was used to manage the data from these interviews and thematic analysis was then conducted for emergence of major and sub themes. A total of six themes emerged from the iterative process of coding and categorizing. They were: Control, Disclosure to Others, Battle between Mothering & Eating Disorder, Fear of Intergenerational Transmission, Weight and Body Image Concerns, and Coping Strategies. One theme, Battle between Mothering & Eating Disorder also had three sub-themes: Decision to Have Child, Emotions Towards Pregnancy, and Focus on Child/Greater Good. It is hoped that quotes and themes derived from this study will help inform both prenatal and postnatal care and interventions, as well as addressing intergenerational transmission concerns among mothers with eating disorders.
Sickle Cell Disease: Advances in Treatment

Background Sickle cell disease causes significant morbidity and mortality and affects the economic and healthcare status of many countries. Yet historically, the disease has not had commensurate outlays of funds that have been aimed at research and development of drugs and treatment procedures for other diseases. Methods This review examines several treatment modalities and new drugs developed since the late 1990s that have been used to improve outcomes for patients with sickle cell disease. Results Targeted therapies based upon the pathophysiologic mechanisms of sickle cell disease that result in organ dysfunction and painful episodes include hydroxyurea, L-glutamine, crizanlizumab, and other drugs that are currently on the market or are on the verge of becoming available. These agents have the potential to improve survival and quality of life for individuals with sickle cell disease. Also discussed is stem cell transplantation that, to date, is the only curative approach for this disease, as well as the current status of gene therapy. Conclusion These examples demonstrate how the current knowledge of sickle cell disease pathophysiology and treatment approaches intersect. Although interest in sickle cell research has blossomed, many more clinical trials need to be initiated and subjected to more strenuous examination and analysis than have been used in the past.
Motives and legacies behind 2008-2009 Hungarian Roma murders and apologies

This research analyzes as hate crimes the 2008–9 Hungarian Roma mass-murders by extreme nationalists. Pertinent questions are: ‘What motivated the Roma Murders?’ and ‘How do these motives intertwin...
Sleep and circadian defects in a Drosophila model of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy.

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathies (ME) are complex, incurable diseases characterized by severe bioenergetic distress that can affect the function of all major organ systems but is especially taxing to neuromuscular tissues. Animal models of MEs are rare, but the Drosophila ATP61 mutant is a stable, well-characterized genetic line that accurately models progressive human mitochondrial diseases such as Maternally-Inherited Leigh Syndrome (MILS), Neuropathy, Ataxia, and Retinitis Pigmentosa (NARP), and Familial Bilateral Striatal Necrosis (FBSN). While it is established that this model exhibits important hallmarks of ME, including excess cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, shortened lifespan, muscle degeneration, and stress-induced seizures, it is unknown whether it exhibits defects in sleep or circadian function. This is a clinically relevant question, as many neurological and neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by such disturbances, which can exacerbate other symptoms and worsen quality of life. Since Drosophila is highly amenable to sleep and circadian studies, we asked whether we could detect disease phenotypes in the circadian behaviors of ATP61 . Indeed, we found that day-time and night-time activity and sleep are altered through disease progression, and that circadian patterns are disrupted at both the behavioral and neuronal levels. These results establish ATP61 as an important model of sleep and circadian disruption in ME that can be studied mechanistically at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral level to uncover underlying pathophysiology and test novel therapies.
Parent and peer relationships as longitudinal predictors of adolescent non-suicidal self-injury onset

Adolescence is characterized by developmental changes in social relationships, which may contribute to, or protect against, psychopathology and risky behaviors. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is one type of risky behavior that typically begins during adolescence and is associated with problems in relationships with family members and peers. Prior research on social factors in adolescent NSSI has been limited, however, by a narrow focus on specific interpersonal domains, cross-sectional methods, retrospective self-report of childhood experiences, and a failure to predict NSSI onset among as-yet-unaffected youth. We investigated these relationships in 2127 urban-living adolescent girls with no NSSI history at age 13, who were participating in a longitudinal cohort study (Pittsburgh Girls Study). We used discrete-time survival analyses to examine the contribution of time-varying interpersonal risk factors, assessed yearly at ages 13–16, to NSSI onset assessed in the following year (ages 14–17), controlling for relevant covariates, such as depression and race. We considered both behavioral indicators (parental discipline, positive parenting, parental monitoring, peer victimization), and cognitive/affective indicators (quality of attachment to parent, perceptions of peers, and perceptions of one’s own social competence and worth in relation to peers) of interpersonal difficulties. Parental harsh punishment, low parental monitoring, and poor quality of attachment to parent predicted increased odds of subsequent adolescent NSSI onset, whereas positive parenting behaviors reduced the odds of next year NSSI onset. Youth who reported more frequent peer victimization, poorer social self-worth and self-competence, and more negative perceptions of peers were also at increased risk of NSSI onset in the following year. When tested simultaneously, no single parenting variable showed a unique association with later NSSI onset; in contrast, peer victimization and poor social self-worth each predicted increased odds of later NSSI onset in an omnibus model of peer and parent relationship characteristics. In this urban sample of adolescent girls, both peer and parent factors predicted new onset NSSI, although only peer factors were associated with subsequent NSSI in combined multivariate models. Results further suggest that both behavioral and cognitive/affective indicators of interpersonal problems predict NSSI onset. These findings highlight the relevance of family and peer relationships to NSSI onset, with implications for prevention of NSSI onset among at-risk youth.
Field Demonstration of a Nanophotonics-Enabled Solar Membrane Distillation Reactor for Desalination

Nanophotonics-enhanced solar membrane distillation (NESMD) is a highly innovative process that overcomes the intrinsic limitation of membrane distillation (MD) in energy consumption, thermal efficiency, and scalability. It applies a nanophotonic-materials-based photothermal coating on a commercial PTFE membrane surface. The coating serves as a solar-thermal collector, absorbs sunlight, and generates highly localized heat, while the rest of the membrane performs the MD function. In the current work, an original pilot-scale NESMD reactor was designed, developed, built, and tested at 29.7174° N, 95.4018° W to investigate the capability of NESMD reactor to desalinate 40 g/L NaCl solution under different intensities of solar irradiance. The preliminary experimental data showed a 99.8% salt removal with a water flux ranging between 0.12 LMH (where the acronym LMH stands for L/(m2 h)) at 88 W/m2 (cloudy conditions) and 0.77 LMH at 1012 W/m2 with an average water flux of 0.55 LMH without energy recovery. Further ...
LGB + Moms and Dads: “My Primary Identity… is Being a Parent”

Decades of empirical research has demonstrated that same-sex parenting can produce outcomes that are, at least, comparable to hetero-normative parenting. Less research, however, has examined the co...
Multimodal Therapy as an Effective and Bloodless Treatment for Cervical Pregnancy

Background: Cervical pregnancy (CP) is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy. Profuse and uncontrolled bleeding remains a concern when treating CP. Although many therapeutic approaches have been propose...
Damage detection in laminated composites using pure SH guided wave excited by angle beam transducer

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have been widely used in aerospace structures due to their high specific strength and stiffness, resistance to corrosion, and lightweight. However, it has posed new challenges for implementing guided wave-based structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques due to the general anisotropic behavior and complicated wave-damage interaction scenarios in composites. This paper presents a new methodology for detecting various types of composite damage such as simulated delamination and actual impact damage using pure shear horizontal (SH) wave generated by adjustable angle beam transducers. For the first time, angle beam transducers were successfully applied to excite pure SH0 wave in a 2-mm quasi-isotropic composite plate. The pure SH0 wave excitation was verified by a three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) simulation. SH0 wave propagation and interaction with the delamination were further investigated numerically and strong trapped waves within the delamination region were observed. Experimental validations were conducted to detect simulated delamination by Teflon insert using pure SH0 wave. A good match between the FE simulation and the experiment was achieved. Pure SH0 wave was also utilized to detect actual impact damage in the quasi-isotropic CFRP composite plate. It can be found that the SH0 wave is sensitive to both delamination and impact damage, and a significant amplitude drop is observed due to the presence of different types of damage. Both numerical and experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of pure SH0-wave detection of various damage types in composites using angle beam transducers.
Chapter 5 – Bézier surfaces

Publisher Summary Bezier surfaces and their description play a critical role in design and manufacturing. They also play an important role in the representation of data obtained from medical, geological, physical, and other natural phenomena. In design and engineering, the traditional way of representing a surface is to use multiple orthogonal projections. The methods of parametric surface description are most conveniently described in terms of the mapping of a two-parameter planar surface in parametric space into three-dimensional object space. It is necessary to transform a Bezier surface into an alternate surface description, such as a Coons surface. The chapter explains the relationship between a bicubic Bezier and a bicubic Coons surface.
Liver Transplantation Following Yttrium-90 Radioembolization: 15-year Experience in 207-Patient Cohort

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Radioembolization (yttrium-90 [Y90]) is used in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a bridging as well as downstaging liver-directed therapy to curative liver transplantation (LT). In this study, we report long-term outcomes of LT for patients with HCC who were bridged/downstaged by Y90. APPROACH AND RESULTS Patients undergoing LT following Y90 between 2004 and 2018 were included, with staging by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) tumor-node-metastasis criteria at baseline pre-Y90 and pre-LT. Post-Y90 toxicities were recorded. Histopathological data of HCC at explant were recorded. Long-term outcomes, including overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), disease-specific mortality (DSM), and time-to-recurrence, were reported. Time-to-endpoint analyses were estimated using Kaplan-Meier. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a log-rank test and Cox proportional-hazards model, respectively. During the 15-year period, 207 patients underwent LT after Y90. OS from LT was 12.5 years, with a median time to LT of 7.5 months [interquartile range, 4.4-10.3]. A total of 169 patients were bridged, whereas 38 were downstaged to LT. Respectively, 94 (45%), 60 (29%), and 53 (26%) patients showed complete, extensive, and partial tumor necrosis on histopathology. Three-year, 5-year, and 10-year OS rates were 84%, 77%, and 60%, respectively. Twenty-four patients developed recurrence, with a median RFS of 120 (95% confidence interval, 69-150) months. DSM at 3, 5, and 10 years was 6%, 11%, and 16%, respectively. There were no differences in OS/RFS for patients who were bridged or downstaged. RFS was higher in patients with complete/extensive versus partial tumor necrosis (P < 0.0001). For patients with UNOS T2 treated during the study period, 5.2% dropped out because of disease progression. CONCLUSIONS Y90 is an effective treatment for HCC in the setting of bridging/downstaging to LT. Patients who achieved extensive or complete necrosis had better RFS, supporting the practice of neoadjuvant treatment before LT.
The Developmental Chronnecto-Genomics (Dev-CoG) study: A multimodal study on the developing brain

Brain development has largely been studied through unimodal analysis of neuroimaging data, providing independent results for structural and functional data. However, structure clearly impacts function and vice versa, pointing to the need for performing multimodal data collection and analysis to improve our understanding of brain development, and to further inform models of typical and atypical brain development across the lifespan. Ultimately, such models should also incorporate genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying brain structure and function, although currently this area is poorly specified. To this end, we are reporting here a multi-site, multi-modal dataset that captures cognitive function, brain structure and function, and genetic and epigenetic measures to better quantify the factors that influence brain development in children originally aged 9-14 years. Data collection for the Developmental Chronnecto-Genomics (Dev-CoG) study (http://devcog.mrn.org/) includes cognitive, emotional, and social performance scales, structural and functional MRI, diffusion MRI, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and saliva collection for DNA analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and DNA methylation patterns. Across two sites (The Mind Research Network and the University of Nebraska Medical Center), data from over 200 participants were collected and these children were re-tested annually for at least 3 years. The data collection protocol, sample demographics, and data quality measures for the dataset are presented here. The sample will be made freely available through the collaborative informatics and neuroimaging suite (COINS) database at the conclusion of the study.
Structures of two novel crystal forms of Aspergillus oryzae alpha amylase (taka-amylase).

The structures of Aspergillus oryzae α-amylase were determined in a tetragonal crystal, having one molecule as asymmetric unit, and a monoclinic crystal with two molecules as asymmetric unit. Both crystal forms were obtained from trace contaminants of an old commercial lipase preparation. Structures were determined and refined to 1.65 A and 1.43 A resolution respectively. The latter crystal has a non-crystallographic (NCS) twofold axis within the asymmetric unit. Glycosylation at Asn197 is evident, and in the tetragonal crystal can be seen to include three, partially disordered sugar residues following the initial N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG). Superposition of the tetragonal crystal model on the α-amylases from Bacillus subtilis (PDB: 1BAG ), pig pancreas (PDB: 3L2L ), and barley (PDB: 1AMY ), show a high degree of coincidence, particularly for the (β/α)8-barrel domains, and especially within the active site. Using this structural agreement between amylases, we extrapolated the binding model of a six residue, limit dextrin found in pig pancreas α-amylase to the A. oryzae enzyme model, which predicts substrate interacting amino acid residues.
Robust matching-integrated vehicle rebalancing in ride-hailing system with uncertain demand

Abstract With the rapid growth of the mobility-on-demand (MoD) market in recent years, ride-hailing companies have become an important element of the urban mobility system. There are two critical components in the operations of ride-hailing companies: driver–customer matching and vehicle rebalancing. In most previous literature, each component is considered separately, and performances of vehicle rebalancing models rely on the accuracy of future demand predictions. To better immunize rebalancing decisions against demand uncertainty, a novel approach, the matching-integrated vehicle rebalancing (MIVR) model, is proposed in this paper to incorporate driver–customer matching into vehicle rebalancing problems to produce better rebalancing strategies. The MIVR model treats the driver–customer matching component at an aggregate level and minimizes a generalized cost including the total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and the number of unsatisfied requests. For further protection against uncertainty, robust optimization (RO) techniques are introduced to construct a robust version of the MIVR model. Problem-specific uncertainty sets are designed for the robust MIVR model. The proposed MIVR model is tested against two benchmark vehicle rebalancing models using real ride-hailing demand and travel time data from New York City (NYC). The MIVR model is shown to have better performances by reducing customer wait times compared to benchmark models under most scenarios. In addition, the robust MIVR model produces better solutions by planning for demand uncertainty compared to the non-robust (nominal) MIVR model.
Systemic delivery of AAVrh74.tMCK.hCAPN3 rescues the phenotype in a mouse model for LGMD2A/R1

Limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) 2A/R1, caused by mutations in the CAPN3 gene and CAPN3 loss of function, is known to play a role in disease pathogenicity. In this study, AAVrh74.tMCK.CAPN3 was delivered systemically to two different age groups of CAPN3 knockout (KO) mice; each group included two treatment cohorts receiving low (1.17 × 1014 vg/kg) and high (2.35 × 1014 vg/kg) doses of the vector and untreated controls. Treatment efficacy was tested 20 weeks after gene delivery using functional (treadmill), physiological (in vivo muscle contractility assay), and histopathological outcomes. AAV.CAPN3 gene therapy resulted in significant, robust improvements in functional outcomes and muscle physiology at low and high doses in both age groups. Histological analyses of skeletal muscle showed remodeling of muscle, a switch to fatigue-resistant oxidative fibers in females, and fiber size increases in both sexes. Safety studies revealed no organ tissue abnormalities; specifically, there was no histopathological evidence of cardiotoxicity. These results show that CAPN3 gene replacement therapy improved the phenotype in the CAPN3 KO mouse model at both doses independent of age at the time of vector administration. The improvements were supported by an absence of cardiotoxicity, showing the efficacy and safety of the AAV.CAPN3 vector as a potential gene therapy for LGMDR1.
Shape-Independent Limits to Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer.

We derive shape-independent limits to the spectral radiative heat transfer rate between two closely spaced bodies, generalizing the concept of a blackbody to the case of near-field energy transfer. Through conservation of energy and reciprocity, we show that each body of susceptibility χ can emit and absorb radiation at enhanced rates bounded by |χ|(2)/Im χ, optimally mediated by near-field photon transfer proportional to 1/d(2) across a separation distance d. Dipole-dipole and dipole-plate structures approach restricted versions of the limit, but common large-area structures do not exhibit the material enhancement factor and thus fall short of the general limit. By contrast, we find that particle arrays interacting in an idealized Born approximation (i.e., neglecting multiple scattering) exhibit both enhancement factors, suggesting the possibility of orders-of-magnitude improvement beyond previous designs and the potential for radiative heat transfer to be comparable to conductive heat transfer through air at room temperature, and significantly greater at higher temperatures.
Adolescents' information‐creating behavior embedded in digital Media practice using scratch

This study explores the ways adolescents create information collaboratively in the digital environment. In spite of the current widespread practice of information creation by young people, little research exists to illuminate how youth are engaged in creative information behavior or how they make participatory contributions to the changing information world. The purposefully selected sample includes teenagers who actively produce and share information projects, such as online school magazines, an information-sharing website in Wiki, and a digital media library, using Scratch—a graphical programming language developed by MIT Media Lab. Qualitative data were collected through group and individual interviews informed by Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The data analysis technique included directed qualitative content analysis with Atlas.ti. Findings reveal the process of information creation, including content development, organization, and presentation of information, as well as noticeable patterns by youth such as visualizing, remixing, tinkering, and gaining a sense of empowerment. This study extends our knowledge of the creative aspects of information behavior.
Arithmetic circuit for the first solution of distributed CSPs with cryptographic multi-party computations

A large class of problems like meeting scheduling, negotiation, or different types of coordination, can be formulated in terms of agents, variables, and constraints (i.e. predicates) on those variables. Distributed Constraint Satisfaction (DisCSP) is a framework addressing such general problems, namely defined in terms of a set of agents, variables, and constraints that the different agents enforce. Developing general algorithms for DisCSPs yield a basic solution for each of those problems. Each participant has its own constraint satisfaction problem, private concerns that should remain as secret as possible. Resources may be shared and cause the need for cooperation. We consider the case where privacy is an overwhelming requirement and we assume that any majority of the participants are incorruptible. Namely, given n participants, at least an n/2 unknown subset of them are trustworthy and not corrupted by attackers. This is a common assumption in cryptographic multi-party-computations, known as one of the threshold schemes. This work shows how a solution of a general DisCSP can be found securely by the owners of the problem without appealing to any trusted servers. The constraints are shared with Shamir's secret sharing scheme, transforming the DisCSP into a shared constraint satisfaction problem. An algorithm for such problems is developed.
Female gene flow stratifies Hindu castes

Scientists have long been interested in understanding how social processes modulate evolutionary forces1. A good example of this is the intensively studied Hindu caste system, which governs the mating practices of nearly one-sixth of the world's population2,3. However, there is controversy concerning the effect of social stratification on the genetic structure of caste communities. Here we show that differences in social rank between castes correspond to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) distances between castes but not genetic distances estimated from Y-chromosome data.
Ambidextrous Mandibles in the Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta

ABSTRACT The elongation and sharp teeth of ant mandibles are considered important adaptations that have contributed to ants successful colonization of terrestrial habitats worldwide. In extant ant species, mandibles function as hunting and defense weapons, as well as multipurpose tools for excavating soil, cutting leaves, capturing and butchering prey, harvesting seeds, and transporting brood. This article reports that the mandibles in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, are functionally ambidextrous. Individuals opened and closed each mandible in synchrony or independently depending on the requirement of the task at hand. Upon completion of a task, individuals were without a preference in the orientation of mandible overlap—right overlap or left overlap. Orientation of mandible overlap before and after performing a task was also examined in nine other ant species. No overlap orientation preference was observed in any of these ant species, suggesting that ambidextrous mandibles are a univ...
Ecological divergence and talar morphology in gorillas

Gorillas occupy a variety of habitats from the west coast to eastern central Africa. These habitats differ considerably in altitude, which has a pronounced effect on forest ecology. Although all gorillas are obligate terrestrial knuckle-walking quadrupeds, those that live in lowland habitats eat fruits and climb more often than do those living in highland habitats. Here we test the hypothesis that gorilla talus morphology falls along a morphocline that tracks locomotor function related to a more inverted or everted foot set. This proposed morphocline predicts that gorillas living in lowland habitats may have a talocrural joint configured to facilitate a more medially oriented foot during climbing, suggesting that they may be more adaptively committed to arboreality than gorillas living in highland habitats. To quantify the relative set of the foot in gorillas, we chose two three-dimensional measurements of the talocrural joint: mediolateral curvature of the trochlea and relative surface area of the lateral malleolus. Our results show that, in comparison to their eastern counterparts, western gorillas have talar features that reflect a more medially directed sole of the foot. This morphology likely facilitates foot placement in a wider range of positions and minimization of shearing stresses across the joint when the foot is loaded on more curved or vertically oriented substrates as occurs during climbing and other arboreal behaviors. In contrast, eastern gorilla talar morphology is consistent with habitual placement of the foot with the sole directed more inferiorly, suggesting more effective loading during plantigrade push-off on terrestrial substrates. Am J Phys Anthropol 153:526–541, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The International Human Right to Culture: Reclamation of the Cultural Identities of Indigenous Peoples Under International Law

Indigenous peoples across the globe have experienced a severe fragmentation of their cultural identity caused by the intentional exclusion and destruction of their cultural practices by colonizing forces that have sought to assimilate indigenous culture or to completely eliminate it from mainstream society. Taken over time, these acts of destruction have been characterized as cultural genocide, ethnocide and likened to acts of segregation, similar to apartheid.2 Denial of cultural rights continues into the present day and is said to be “[o]ne of the most
Wavelength optimization for in vivo multispectral photoacoustic/ultrasound tomography of hemoglobin oxygenation in ovarian cancer: clinical studies

ABSTRACT In this paper, wavelength selection for multispectral photoacoustic/ultrasound tomography was optimized to obtain accurate images of hemoglobin oxygen saturation (sO 2 ) in vivo . Although wavelengths can be selected by theoretical methods, in practice the accuracy of reconstructed images will be affected by wavelength-specific and system-specific factors such as laser source power and ultrasound transducer sensitivity. By performing photoacoustic spectroscopy of mouse tumor models using 14 different wavelengths between 710 and 840 nm, we were able to identify a wavelength set which most accurately reproduced the results obtained using all 14 wavelengths via selection criteria. In clinical studies, the optimal wavelength set was successfully used to image human ovaries in vivo and noninvasively. Although these results are specific to our co-registered photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system, the approach we developed can be applied to other functional photoacoustic and optical imaging systems.
The Local Baby and the Global Bathwater: Circumscribed Goals for the Future of the Multilevel Personality in Context Model

It may be a unique feature of personality psychology that every few years outstanding scholars present a new corrective vision of the field. Some scholars have argued that personality psychologists...
Ventricular arrhythmias after acute myocardial infarction: a 20-year community study.

Background Although myocardial infarction (MI) severity is declining, the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) after MI and its effect on outcome is unknown. This study was undertaken to examine the frequency and timing of VA and the effect of VA on mortality after MI. Methods Myocardial infarctions recorded between 1979 and 1998 were validated. Baseline characteristics, occurrence of VA, and survival were determined. Ventricular arrhythmias were categorized as primary ventricular fibrillation (VF), nonprimary VF, and ventricular tachycardia (VT). Logistic regression was used to analyze associations between VA and baseline characteristics. Temporal trends were assessed with the Mantel-Haenszel χ 2 . Survival was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association between death and occurrence of VA. Results Among 2317 persons with incident MI, 7.5% experienced VA (3.6% nonprimary VF, 2.1% primary VF, 1.8% VT). Ventricular arrhythmia–associated factors were younger age, female sex, higher Killip class, ST elevation, and atrial fibrillation. Ventricular arrhythmias were associated with increased risk of death at 30 days. Conclusion Ventricular arrhythmias after MI are relatively common, particularly among persons with more severe MI and no prior history of coronary disease. Over time, the incidence of VF declined, whereas VT did not change. Ventricular arrhythmia after MI was associated with a 6-fold increase in morality. Thus, identification of high-risk MI survivors and prevention of VA could markedly improve outcomes. Further studies are needed to determine the cause of the shift in distribution of VA subtype.
Application of continued fractions for fast evaluation of certain functions on a digital computer

The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for evaluation of certain elementary functions on a digital computer by the use of continued fractions. The time required for this evaluation is drastically reduced by using “short” operations like shift and add, instead of multiplications. Consistency is the most important factor that allows the expansion of a function into a continued fraction. Several cases are discussed and in particular the solution of the quadratic equation is discussed in more detail to demonstrate the convergence of the method.
The incidence and surgical management of paratubal cysts in a pediatric and adolescent population.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of paratubal cysts (PTCs) in a pediatric and adolescent population. Methods An institutional review board–approved retrospective chart review was performed between the years of 1998 and 2008 at a single children's hospital. Inclusion criteria were met if pathology reports demonstrated diagnosis of PTC, hydrosalpinx, or hydatid of morgagni. Results One hundred ten patients had confirmed diagnoses of hydatid of morgagni, hydrosalpinx, or PTC. The incidence of PTCs was 7.3%. Mean age of PTC diagnosis was 13.7 ± 2.82 years, with 12.6% diagnosed premenarchal. Mean age menarche was 11.7 ± 1.34 years among pubertal females. The age of menarche and diagnosis of PTC correlated (Pearson, 0.54) ( P r = 0.36; P ≤ .001). Conclusion The incidence of PTCs was 7.3% in this pediatric and adolescent population. In addition, this is the first study to confirm presence of PTCs in prepubertal females. Surgeon should be aware of these benign cysts because they are frequently a source of abdominal pain in young girls. As nonphysiologic cysts, these will not resolve spontaneously and may increase in size and/or be at risk for adnexal torsion. Ultimately, surgical management is required for definitive resolution.
The Political Economy of Consumer Behavior: Contesting Consumption

The Political Economy of Consumer Behavior: Contesting Consumption . By Bruce Pietrykowski. New York: Routledge, 2009, 183 pp., ISBN 978-0-415-77312-6, $104 (hardcover). One of the enduring enigmas...
Duchenne-like myopathy in double-mutant mdx mice expressing exaggerated mast cell activity

Dystrophin-deficient female mdx mice were bred with male Tsk+/+ pa mice to examine the role played by mast cells in the pathophysiology of dystrophin deficiency. Resultant mdx/Tsk double-mutant mice were then examined functionally, biochemically, and histologically. While mdx mice remained as strong as their normal counterparts, mdx/Tsk double-mutant mice became progressively weak with age. Serum creatine kinase activity was significantly elevated in both mdx and mdx/Tsk double-mutant mice over normal controls. However, mast cell-derived plasma tryptase activity was consistently higher in the double-mutant than in mdx mice. In addition, histological examination of gastrocnemius muscle revealed that while necrosis was persistent in both strains of mdx mice from 2 to 8 weeks of age, regeneration was significantly reduced in the double-mutant mice. Of particular interest was the fact that necrosis in the mdx/Tsk double mutant exceeded mdx values at 8 weeks of age, corresponding approximately with a second peak in tryptase activity. Therefore, heightened mast cell activity appears to elicit in the dystrophin-deficient mdx mouse a myopathy not unlike the human Duchenne disease.
Insulin Stimulates the Incorporation of 32Pi into Ribonucleic Acid in Cultured Sertoli Cells

Chronic treatment of cultured Sertoli cells with insulin, FSH, or testosterone does not affect the number of attached cells or the amount of total RNA or poly(A)+ RNA per culture dish. However, Sertoli cells cultured in the presence of insulin have a nearly 2-fold stimulated incorporation of 32Pi into poly(A)+ RNA. The other hormone treatments did not induce any stimulation over control values. The t½ of the total poly (A)+ RNA was determined in pulse-chase experiments. None of the hormone treatments affected the t½ (16 h) of the total poly(A)+ RNA. The incorporation of [3H]uridine and 32Pi into the total nucleotide pools and into some individual nucleotides was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography analysis of acidsoluble extracts. Insulin-treated cells had approximately a 1.5- fold increased specific activity of [3H]uridine or 32Pi into the total nucleotide pool and in ATP, GTP, and UTP pools. Insulin apparently stimulates the uptake or phosphorylation (or both) of free nucleosides.