cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of temperature on germination of sporangia, infection and protein secretion by Phytophthora kernoviae.

Phytophthora kernoviae is reported to be a pathogen on a wide range of plants, but there is little knowledge of the optimal infection conditions. Rhododendron ponticum leaves were inoculated with six different isolates of P. kernoviae sporangia and set at different temperatures from 10-28°C. After 1 week, lesion development and pathogen recovery were only observed from all isolates at 15 and 20°C and a few isolates at 10°C. In an experiment with a more narrow temperature range of 20-25°C, lesion development and pathogen recovery on R. ponticum, Magnolia stellata, and Viburnum tinus occurred consistently at 20 and 21°C, was limited at 22°C, and did not occur at all at 23°C and above. There was no difference in sporangia and zoospore germination at 20-25°C. In a temperature fluctuation experiment, the necrotic area of inoculated R. ponticum leaves was larger the longer leaves were stored at 20°C and smaller the longer leaves were stored at 24°C. To determine if temperature affects secreted proteins that are involved in pathogenicity, crude purifications of secreted proteins from P. kernoviae cultures grown at 20 and 24°C were compared. When spot tested on R. ponticum leaves, the crude protein suspension isolated from cultures grown at 20°C induced necrosis while the proteins secreted from a culture grown at 24°C did not. Proteomic analysis confirmed a 10 kDa protein secreted at both 20 and 24°C shared sequence homology to the conserved domains of known elicitins of other Phytophthora spp. The protein secreted at 20°C that was responsible for the necrosis has not been identified. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Adjustment to Divorce (Children)

Scholarly research on children's adjustment to divorce has concentrated on the outcomes of divorce on children, the explanations for these outcomes, and policies/interventions to mitigate the negative effects. Empirically, divorce is linked to a number of negative consequences for children, and many of these last into adulthood. However, other research has challenged the notion that all consequences of divorce are negative, emphasizing children's resiliency in the face of family stress. Much research about children and divorce has explored whether there are characteristics that predispose children to negative effects. Other explanations for children's outcomes adopt divorce–stress–adjustment or multiple transition explanations. Research on interventions and policies suggests that children benefit from social and institutional supports provided directly to them or to their custodial parent. Keywords: child; children; custody; divorce; single-parent families; stepfamilies
Mobile and Fixed-Site Measurements to Identify Spatial Distributions of Traffic-Related Pollution Sources in Los Angeles

Mobile monitoring and fixed-site monitoring using passive sampling devices (PSD) are popular air pollutant measurement techniques with complementary strengths and weaknesses. This study investigates the utility of combining data from concurrent 2-week mobile monitoring and fixed-site PSD campaigns in Los Angeles in the summer and early spring to identify sources of traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) and their spatial distributions. There were strong to moderate correlations between mobile and fixed-site PSD measurements of both NO2 and NOx in the summer and spring (Pearson’s r between 0.43 and 0.79), suggesting that the two data sets can be reliably combined for source apportionment. PCA identified the major TRAP sources as light-duty vehicle emissions, diesel exhaust, crankcase vent emissions, and an independent source of combustion-derived ultrafine particle emissions. The component scores of those four sources at each site were significantly correlated across the two seasons (Pearson’s r between 0.5...
Factors Associated With Pediatric Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to identify associations among pediatric patient characteristics (age and gender), hospital characteristics, inpatient unit characteristics (unit type, pressure injury prevention practices, and nurse staffing measures), and hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) in a group of pediatric patients and in those determined to be at risk for pressure injury. DESIGN A descriptive, correlational analysis of data from a large dataset. SUBJECTS AND SETTING The sample comprised 39,984 children aged 1 day to 18 years of age from 678 pediatric units in 271 participating hospitals across the United States. METHODS Data related to pressure injuries and prevention among pediatric patients from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) were analyzed. All data were collected during the year 2012. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the study sample. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to analyze patient age and gender, unit type, pressure injury risk, prevention and staffing measures, and hospital characteristics associated with HAPI. RESULTS The likelihood of a HAPI was more than 9 times higher among patients who were determined to be at risk for pressure injuries (odds ratio [OR]: 9.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.28-12.17, P < .001) compared to patients deemed not at risk. Hospital-acquired pressure injury was more likely to occur on pediatric critical care units (OR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.28-5.26, P = .009) and rehabilitation units (OR: 4.05, 95% CI: 1.21-13.55, P = .02). Patients from hospitals that only provided care for children (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.42-4.78, P = .002) were also more likely to be associated with HAPI compared to hospitals that provided care for adults and children. Among the 11,203 pediatric patients deemed at risk for pressure injuries, 95.8% received one or more prevention interventions. There were no prevention interventions associated with a lower occurrence of HAPI. CONCLUSIONS Study findings support pressure injury risk assessment among pediatric patients and elucidates important information regarding pediatric unit and hospital characteristics associated with HAPI.
John Grisham and the New Economy Thriller

This chapter explores a shift from bureaucratic managerialism to the so-called gig economy. Grisham’s New Economy thrillers manifest an ambivalent attitude toward corporate governance. His readers are simultaneously asked to celebrate rogue actors and mourn the loss of communal ties within a given firm. While critics tend to pan Grisham for his flat writing style, this chapter reflects upon the hidden contours of his novels. By extension, it reflects upon the unsettled qualities of contemporary American liberalism.
Downlink resource allocation and packet scheduling in multi-numerology wireless systems

5G New Radio (NR) is moving towards flexibility and adaptability and is expected to provide optimized support for diverse 5G use case categories. With the introduction of flexible waveforms and numerologies in 5G, there is a need for new scheduling and resource allocation techniques. Using different non-orthogonal numerologies in the network complicates the resource allocation process since it introduces numerology multi-plexing. In this paper, we propose a channel quality and Quality of Service (QoS) aware resource allocation scheme for multi-numerology 5G networks. We implement a frequency domain packet scheduler which allocates packets to Resource Blocks to achieve higher spectral efficiency, maintain fairness, and satisfying the QoS requirements of users with different non-orthogonal numerologies. The results show that our algorithm achieves high throughput in different traffic mixes with different numerology QoS requirements over varying number of users.
ModelTester: a tool for teaching model-based testing

Model-based testing is an increasingly important software-testing technique that CS and IS students must become familiar with. With ModelTester, students write an extended finite-state machine model for the software under test (SUT). ModelTester then uses the model to generate test cases for the SUT. The SUT language can be nearly anything; Java and Python back ends are currently available, and other back ends can be created easily. Previous versions of ModelTester have been used successfully for four years in an upper-level software-testing course.
Real arguments about a virtual epidemic: conversations and contestations in a tween gaming club

Recent studies have examined how argumentation around science is positioned and used in everyday interactions. Our research extends these investigations into a virtual world called Whyville.net and its annual outbreak of Whypox, a virtual epidemic. We observed and recorded players' conversations and contestations about Whypox in an after school gaming club. We found that club members' argumentation involved the use of warrants, rebuttals, and data as found in other studies of everyday argumentation. Players also developed different theories, some unwarranted, about the causes and spread of Whypox, and used the epidemic to position themselves as insiders. In our discussion, we address ways in which virtual epidemics connect to on-going research on everyday argumentation and provide starting points for students' learning about infectious diseases.
Socioeconomic Status and Computer Science Achievement: Spatial Ability as a Mediating Variable in a Novel Model of Understanding

Socioeconomic status (SES) has a measurable impact on many educational outcomes and likely also influences computer science (CS) achievement. We present a novel model to account for the observed connections between SES and CS achievement. We examined possible mediating variables between SES and CS achievement, including spatial ability and access to computing. We define access as comprised of measurements of prior learning opportunities for computing, perceptions of computer science, and encouragement to pursue computing. The factors (SES, spatial ability, access to computing, and CS achievement) were measured through surveys completed by 163 students in introductory computing courses at a college level. Through the use of exploratory structural equation modeling, we found that these variables do impact each other, though not as we originally hypothesized. For our sample of students, we found spatial ability was a mediating variable for SES and CS achievement, but access to computing was not. Neither model explained all the variance, and our subject pool of US college students had higher than average SES. Our findings suggest that SES does influence success in computer science, but that relationship may not be due to access to computing education opportunities. Rather, SES might be influencing variables such as spatial ability which in turn influence CS performance.
Phonation Quotient Using Three Aerodynamic Instruments in the Disordered Voice.

Summary Objective The purpose of this study was to examine measures of phonation quotient (PQ) in two groups of persons with voice disorders using three different aerodynamic instruments representing low-tech and high-tech options. Study Design Prospective, repeated measures design. Methods Two groups of patients with a diagnosis of vocal fold paralysis/paresis (n = 9) or benign vocal fold lesions (n = 8) were assessed for maximum phonation time and vital capacity obtained from three aerodynamic instruments: a hand-held analog windmill-type spirometer; a hand-held digital spirometer; and the Phonatory Aerodynamic System (PAS), Model 6600. PQ was calculated using vital capacity from each instrument along with maximum phonation time. Univariate ANOVAs were performed to test for the main effects of disorder and instrument on derived PQ. Paired samples t tests were performed post hoc to investigate any significant main effects. Pearson product-moment correlation was performed to assess measurement reliability (parallel forms) between the instruments. Results Statistically significant differences were found for measures of PQ as a function of disorder but not instrument type. There was not a significant interaction effect between disorder and instrument type. Strong positive correlations were present between all three instruments for measures of PQ. Conclusions PQ was sensitive to differences in airflow as a function of disorder etiology (paralysis/paresis vs benign lesions). This clinical measure of laryngeal function can be used as a low-cost substitute in the absence of a pneumotachograph. These results are consistent with previous literature reporting data from adult male and female speakers with normal voice quality, and support the use of low-tech options for measurement of basic aerodynamic variables associated with voice production.
First Drug Approved for Metastatic or Locally Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) is the first drug approved to treat metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.Immune-mediated adverse effects can be serious and can affect any organ or tissue. Infusion rea
Earlier music biases subsequent musical instrument categorization

Perception of sounds occurs in the context of surrounding sounds. When spectral properties differ between earlier (context) and later (target) sounds, categorization of later sounds becomes biased through spectral contrast effects (SCEs). Past research has shown SCEs to bias categorization of speech and music alike. Additionally, the magnitudes of SCEs are not all-or-none but vary continuously in both speech and music categorization. Recently, the natural spectral composition of (unfiltered) sentences biased speech categorization via SCEs (Stilp and Assgari, under review). Here, we tested whether natural (unfiltered) music would similarly bias categorization of French horn and tenor saxophone targets. Preceding contexts were either solo performances of the French horn or tenor saxophone (unfiltered) or a string quintet processed to emphasize frequencies in the horn or saxophone (filtered). Categorization was influenced by SCEs in both unfiltered and filtered conditions, with more “saxophone” responses following horn / horn-like contexts and vice versa. Since unfiltered music produced SCEs in musical instrument categorization, this extends their influence to everyday listening conditions. Perception of sounds occurs in the context of surrounding sounds. When spectral properties differ between earlier (context) and later (target) sounds, categorization of later sounds becomes biased through spectral contrast effects (SCEs). Past research has shown SCEs to bias categorization of speech and music alike. Additionally, the magnitudes of SCEs are not all-or-none but vary continuously in both speech and music categorization. Recently, the natural spectral composition of (unfiltered) sentences biased speech categorization via SCEs (Stilp and Assgari, under review). Here, we tested whether natural (unfiltered) music would similarly bias categorization of French horn and tenor saxophone targets. Preceding contexts were either solo performances of the French horn or tenor saxophone (unfiltered) or a string quintet processed to emphasize frequencies in the horn or saxophone (filtered). Categorization was influenced by SCEs in both unfiltered and filtered conditions, with more “saxophone” responses fo...
Alignment of a wavefront-guided scleral lens correction in the presence of a lens capsulotomy.

Abstract Purpose To demonstrate the necessity of aligning a wavefront-guided scleral lens (WGSL) optical correction to the eye’s effective pupil, with misalignments leading to reduced performance. Case report A 34 year old subject with a history of failed LASIK in the left eye, leading to penetrating keratoplasty, extracapsular extraction of the crystalline lens and neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser posterior capsulotomy, enrolled in a study examining WGSL performance. Habitual logMAR acuity OS (aided with a scleral lens) was +0.04. Residual higher order root mean square (HORMS) wavefront error (WFE) was 0.28 μm (Φ =4.75 mm, mean age-matched norm =0.17 μm), and objective over-refraction was –0.30 –0.54 × 008. When a WGSL (targeting aberrations up to the 5 th radial order) was manufactured with the wavefront-guided optics aligned to the center of the dilated pupil, logMAR acuity worsened to +0.15, residual HORMS WFE worsened to 0.44 μm (Φ =4.75 mm), and objective over-refraction increased to +1.19 –0.30 × 122. Slit lamp imagery revealed that the effective pupil was no longer defined by the iris of the eye, but rather the capsular opening created by the capsulotomy. When the WGSL was redesigned to align the wavefront-guided optics to the center of the capsular opening, logMAR acuity improved to –0.14, residual HORMS WFE reduced to 0.17 μm (Φ =4.75 mm) and objective over-refraction reduced to +0.20 –0.15 × 111. Conclusion WGSLs are an emerging option for patients with highly aberrated, ectatic and post-surgical corneas whose visual symptoms cannot be alleviated with conventional corrections. However, alignment of the optics of the WGSL to the underlying optics of the eye over the effective pupil is critical in achieving good optical and visual performance.
Energy-aware Dynamic Computation Offloading for Video Analytics in Multi-UAV Systems

Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems with high-resolution cameras have been found to be useful for operations such as disaster management and smart farming. These systems feature Flying Ad-Hoc Networks (FANETs) that connect the computation edge with UAVs and a Ground Control Station (GCS) through air-to-ground network links. Leveraging the edge computation resources effectively with energy-awareness, and dealing with intermittent failures of FANET links are the major challenges in supporting video processing applications. In this paper, we propose a novel energy-aware dynamic computation offloading scheme for UAV systems, which provides the ability to intelligently share tasks among individual UAVs and allows for parallel execution of tasks while evenly distributing energy consumption. Intelligence gathering is performed using machine learning to create resource consumption profiles for a given set of video processing tasks prior to scheduling. Our scheme handles the problem of computation offloading tasks as a job-shop scheduling problem where we aim to minimize the total energy consumption in the edge resources while minimizing video processing times to meet application requirements. Our experimental results show our energy-aware dynamic offloading scheme enables lower processing time for low drone-to-ground server ratios and consumes less energy when compared to other offloading schemes. Notably, these results also hold in various other multi-UAV scenarios involving largely different number of detected objects.
Combination Chemohormonal Therapy in Metastatic Salivary Duct Carcinoma

BACKGROUND Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is a rare, aggressive head and neck cancer with frequent metastases. Current treatment options for recurrent or metastatic SDC include targeted anti-androgen therapy, HER2-targeted therapy, or systemic chemotherapy. We report the first use of a combination chemohormonal strategy. CASE REPORT A 68-year-old male who had never smoked with a past medical history of two-vessel coronary artery disease and systolic heart failure presented with a parotid mass and underwent surgical resection. Biopsy of the mass revealed high-grade, androgen receptor-positive and Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase-2 (ERBB2)-amplified positive SDC. He subsequently received adjuvant radiation therapy. Four months after completion of adjuvant radiation therapy, recurrence with symptomatic pleural effusion and nodes, hepatic metastases, and boney metastases occurred. Due to significant symptomatic tumor, a rapid treatment response was desired. Combination chemohormonal therapy (CHT) was initiated with carboplatin area under the curve 4 and paclitaxel, 200 mg/m² in 21-day cycles along with combined androgen blockade using leuprolide, 45 mg subcutaneously every 6 months and bicalutamide, 50 mg daily. The treatment was well tolerated with fatigue as the main adverse event. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography at 3 and 6 months after treatment initiation showed good partial response. The patient experienced uveal progression after 8 months and alternate treatment was started. CONCLUSIONS Combination CHT with carboplatin, paclitaxel, and combined androgen deprivation may be a good treatment option in androgen receptor-positive recurrent or metastatic SDC if rapid treatment response is desired. Combination chemotherapy with androgen deprivation for validation through clinical trials.
A modern take on facilitating transition into the academic nurse educator role

Abstract With the nurse educator shortage, the importance of recruiting and retaining faculty is paramount. Often times, nurses transition into a novice academic nurse educator role from a clinical position in which they are experienced and knowledgeable. Therefore, this change can be challenging and requires support. A successful transition involves an extensive orientation, mentorship, and ongoing faculty development. The authors discuss modern academic advances, such as the expanding role of the online environment and incorporation of simulation pedagogy.
U.S. State Variation in Frequency and Prevalence of Nursing Home Complaints

Consumers play a key role in the U.S. nursing home (NH) oversight through a federally established complaint process. However, past variation by state in complaint numbers and rates raised questions about the uniformity of the process. We examined state variation in numbers of complaints at intake and substantiated complaints, percentages of NHs with at least one complaint and one substantiated complaint, number of allegations per complaint, and complaint substantiation rates. We found state variation most prominently at the intake level, ranging from 0.4 to 30.4 complaints per NH. The investigation process appears to reduce this variation: however, variation remains among states in frequency and prevalence of substantiated complaints. Further work is needed to ensure federal standards concerning the handling of consumer complaints are applied equally across the states. This includes policies affecting how complaints are initially filed, in addition to how complaints are investigated.
Zeolite-based catalysts for the removal of trace olefins from aromatic streams

Removal of trace olefins from aromatic liquids was investigated on UZM-8 and MCM-22, which are the family of MWW zeolites. Both these zeolites were synthesized with similar Si/Al ratio and characterized by various techniques such as XRD, SEM, ICP, N2 adsorption, Ammonia TPD and solid-state MAS-NMR. Olefin conversion activity over UZM-8 was found to be significantly higher than that of MCM-22. In addition to this, deactivation of UZM-8 was slower than the MCM-22. UZM-8 with irregular stacking of MWW layers possess high external surface area and exposes more number of active sites to the reactant molecules. Mesopores generated due to the disordered layers of UZM-8 allows the fast diffusion of the substrate molecules in which pore clogging does not occur, thus making it more active and slow deactivation than that of MCM-22.
Benefits of Methotrexate Use on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Initiating Biologic Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs.

Objective Methotrexate has been associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients not exposed to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD). The effect of concomitant methotrexate on CVD risk among RA patients initiating bDMARDs remains unknown. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess the effect of methotrexate on CVD risk using 2006–2015 Medicare claims data for RA patients initiating bDMARDS. The main exposure was current use of methotrexate, updated in a time varying fashion. The primary outcome was a composite of incident myocardial infarction, stroke, and fatal CVD. Secondary outcomes were each event that comprised the primary outcome. Incidence rates (IR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Poisson regression. Associations between methotrexate and risk of CVD were assessed using Cox regression. Results A total of 88,255 bDMARD initiations and 1,861 CVD events were included in this study. Mean age was 64.6 (12.3) years, 84.0% female, 68.2% non-Hispanic white. The crude IRs for CVD were 17.9 (16.9–18.8) and 12.1 (95%CI: 11.1–13.2) per 1,000 patient-years among methotrexate unexposed and exposed, respectively. The multivariable adjusted HR for CVD events associated with methotrexate was 0.76 (0.68– 0.85). Multivariable adjusted HRs were 0.78 (0.66, 0.91), 0.74 (0.62, 0.88), 0.77 (0.68, 0.86), and 0.82 (0.73, 0.93) for MI, stroke, MI or stroke, and a composite CVD outcome. Results were robust in sensitivity and subgroup analyses. Conclusion Among RA patients receiving biologics, concomitant methotrexate use was associated with a 24% lower risk for CVD events.
Recognition of Upper-limb Movement Using Electroencephalogram Signals with Deep Learning

The recognition of electroencephalogram (EEG) based motion intention is usually performed using features that are extracted from different frequency bands including delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma waves. However, such an approach of feature extraction requires rigorous analysis and validation to develop an efficient machine-learning algorithm. The aim of this study is to classify rest and hand movements using the raw EEG signals and deep learning (DL) network. Healthy adult subjects age ranging 18-25 years performed hand movement four times each. The DL network was trained using subject-specifically with window sizes varying between 300ms and 1500ms. In the post-processing step, the majority voting scheme was employed. The results showed that the DL algorithm can predict the hand movement with more than 80% accuracy using 600ms or greater window size. The prediction accuracy is improved to more than 90% using the majority voting scheme. However, the window size of greater than 600ms did not significantly improve the accuracy values. When comparing between 300ms and 600ms window sizes, the accuracy increases from 77.5% to 82.7% (p<0.05). Such improvement was also reflected in both ROC curves and ranking analysis, where 600ms window size yielded higher AUC values and scores compared to the 300ms window size. The results of this study is valuable in human-computer interaction as well as in controlling devices including prosthesis, exoskeleton, virtual objects, computer typing, and wheelchair.
A method for measuring investigative journalism in local newspapers.

Major changes to the operation of local newsrooms—ownership restructuring, layoffs, and a reorientation away from print advertising—have become commonplace in the last few decades. However, there have been few systematic attempts to characterize the impact of these changes on the types of reporting that local newsrooms produce. In this paper, we propose a method to measure the investigative content of news articles based on article text and influence on subsequent articles. We use our method to examine over-time and cross-sectional patterns in news production by local newspapers in the United States over the past decade. We find surprising stability in the quantity of investigative articles produced over most of the time period examined, but a notable decline in the last 2 y of the decade, corresponding to a recent wave of newsroom layoffs.
Precision Clocks in Space and α-Variations

Important developments of both in theoretical and observational cosmology have fueled considerable interest in searches for variations of the fine structure constant. Experimentally, Webb et. al. have found evidence for a cosmological variation of the fine structure constant through an analysis of the absorption lines in galactic halos from quasar-emitted light. Recently developed small ion atomic clocks enable Solar System tests for equivalence principle (EP) violating (alpha)-variations by way of rate-comparisons of three ultra-stable atomic clocks near-to and far-from the sun where gravitational red-shift changes are more than 10(exp 4) larger than in low Earth orbit. No space tests of the EP have been made in nearly 30 years, since the GP-A hydrogen maser reached a 10,000 km apogee confirming EP red-shift predictions ~1 part in 10(exp 4). Today's small ion clocks, nearly 100x more stable and 100x smaller then the GP-A H-maser, could probe for EP violating scalar fields near the sun for mission costs comparable to low Earth orbiters and improve the GP-A sensitivity by 5 to 6 orders of magnitude.
Singular perturbation methods for ordinary differential equations

This accessible work is intended to be used as a textbook and as a reference on singular perturbation methods and their uses in applications. It offers a constructive approach which is primarily analytical, but which is also related to current work in numerical computation. The applications discussed in the book are intended to provide the basis for the reader to go on to solve new problems. This monograph on applications of mathematics is intended for students of mathematics, engineering and the sciences.
Abstract 1457: Development of miRNA-loaded polymeric nanoformulation for pancreatic cancer therapy

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (18-22 nucleotide long) non-coding RNAs that play important roles in biological processes through post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Their aberrant expression and functional significance are reported in several human malignancies, including pancreatic cancer (PC). Recently, we identified miR-150 as a novel tumor suppressor microRNA in PC and demonstrated that its overexpression inhibits growth and malignant behavior of PC cells suggesting that restoration of miR-150 could serve as an effective therapeutic approach for pancreatic cancer. In the present study, we have developed a nanoparticle-based miR-150 delivery system and tested its therapeutic efficacy by in vitro assays. Using double emulsion solvent evaporation method, we developed a poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-based nanformulation (NF) of miR-150 (miR-150-NF). Polyethyleneimine (a cationic polymer) was incorporated in PLGA matrix to increase the encapsulation of miR-150. Physical characterization of miR-150-NF demonstrated that miR-150-loaded nanoparticles were spherical in shape, had high encapsulation efficiency (>75%), were stable at room temperature and exhibited sustained release profile. miR-150-NF efficiently delivered miR-150 mimics to PC cells and led to the downregulation of its target gene (MUC4) expression. Downregulation of MUC4 correlated with a concomitant decrease in the expression of its interacting partner, HER2, and repression of its downstream signaling. Furthermore, treatment of PC cells with miR-NF suppressed their growth, clonogenicity, motility and invasion. Together, these findings suggest that PLGA-based nanovector platform could be a potential candidate for systemic delivery of miR-150 to the pancreatic tumor cells and can be a step forward in miRNA-based cancer therapeutics. Citation Format: Sumit Arora, Suresh K. Swaminathan, Sanjeev K. Srivastava, Seema Singh, Jayanth Panyam, Ajay P. Singh. Development of miRNA-loaded polymeric nanoformulation for pancreatic cancer therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1457. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1457
'Socialized' is Not a Dirty Word: Why Socialized Cost Allocation for High-Voltage Interstate Transmission Facilities Should Be the Only Method the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Allows for Assigning Costs

Following the Federal government’s requirement that electric utilities allow other power generators to use their transmission lines, investment in the U.S. electric grid has faltered. The effects of underinvestment in the grid has limited the proper function of competitive energy markets, and stifled investment in renewable energy sources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the “FERC”) has allowed states belonging to planning regions that coordinate transmission development to create multiple methods for allocating the costs of new facilities crossing state lines. Many of these methods use models to forecast which customers in each state benefit from the facility, and then assign costs based on those determinations. This Note argues that the fluid nature of the modern grid defies attempts to assign costs so specifically, and that instead the only cost allocation method the FERC can allow that also complies with the 16 U.S.C. § 824d(a) requirement that rate determinations be “just and reasonable” is if it requires the costs of high-voltage interstate transmission facilities to be spread among all customers in a planning region.
Immunological Characterization of Asp f 2, a Major Allergen from Aspergillus fumigatus Associated with Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis

The 37-kDa recombinant protein Asp f 2, encoding an allergen of Aspergillus fumigatus, was expressed in a prokaryotic expression system and immunologically evaluated for its functional and structural properties. The open reading frame for a 310-amino-acid-long protein was shown to encode a signal peptide of 31 amino acids. A native 37-kDa culture filtrate protein and a 55-kDa mycelial glycoprotein (gp55) exhibited complete N-terminal sequence homology to Asp f 2. A GenBank search for homologous proteins revealed 60 and 44% sequence homologies to the cytosolic protein ASPND1 from Aspergillus nidulans and fibrinogen binding protein from Candida albicans, respectively. The glycosylation sites and cysteine molecules are conserved in all the three proteins. The extracellular matrix protein laminin showed a dose-dependent interaction with Asp f 2. This protein, expressed as a major cell-associated protein within 24 h of in vitro fungal culture, comprises 20 to 40% of total fungal protein. Furthermore, both native and recombinant Asp f 2 exhibited specific immunoglobulin (IgE) binding with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and cystic fibrosis-ABPA patients, whereas A. fumigatus-sensitized allergic asthma and normal control subjects failed to show IgE binding with Asp f 2. These results indicate that Asp f 2 is a major allergen of A. fumigatus exhibiting IgE antibody binding with sera from patients with ABPA. The antigen should be explored further for its potential role in the differential diagnosis of A. fumigatus-associated allergic diseases.
Design Considerations of a Low-Complexity, Low-Power Integer Turbo Decoder

In this paper we present an efficient Turbo decoder implementation with minimal performance loss. Based on the non-optimal Max-Log-MAP algorithm, we carefully manipulate the algorithm, through a-priori scaling to improve BER within only 0.25dB loss of Eb/N0 of the optimal decoder. All computations are performed as integers avoiding the complexity and logic requirements of fixed and floating-point arithmetic. By combining integer computations with a design based on a single “sliding-window” decoder and a zero-delay interleaver, the final FPGA implementation achieves 1Mbps while consuming less than 600mW.
Intelligent manufacturing systems

As manufacturing complexity increases, and as factory yields, equipment reliability and equipment utilization each approach 100%, one must look for alternative improvement programs to help reduce manufacturing costs and assist in managing increasing factory complexity. There are a number of possibilities, such as automating routine decision-making processes involved in manufacturing, resulting in faster or more cost-effective decisions, or capturing and applying manufacturing knowledge to reduce the time necessary to detect, analyze and solve manufacturing problems. Either possibility can result in significant savings in productivity improvement or cost reduction, or in avoidance of significant losses. Such strategic programs are in addition to the current automation programs which help manage factory performance, i.e., physical automation to replace human physical activity, and information automation to replace routine human data gathering or data analyses procedures. >
Construct and Dimensions of Authenticity in Strategic Communication Research

With the purpose of going around the dilemma between evilness or apology of media,this article proposes the Popper analytics –conceptually elaborated by Michel Foucault,and more specifically the concept of Power Relations – as a perspective which allowsnoticing some of the characteristics of power analysis which results from the virtualinteraction. The arena of this reflection will be the concept of Control Corporations,as an own configuration of contemporaneous companies
Plausibility of the Ribonucleic Acid Code

RECENT experimental results indicate that there is a correspondence between RNA trinucleotides and amino-acids. Specifically, for each of the 20 amino-acids, published data list at least one trinucleotide believed to incorporate it in the protein synthesis machinery of E. coli. Surprisingly, in each of these published code-words, the symbol U (uracil) occurs in at least one of the three positions.
(Not) Getting Religion: Has Political Science Lost Sight of Islam?

In this analysis, we expand the debate on the place of religion in political science by using the predictions of Wald and Wilcox as our starting point. Following in their footsteps, we ask how political scientists have studied Islam since 2002 and identify the studies on Islam and Muslims at the flagship conference of the discipline, the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. We evaluate not only the quantity but also the approaches employed by these studies. In order to gauge the balancing of roles (or lack thereof) between the discipline and area studies, we also take a closer look at the Middle East Studies Association, the largest association focused on the Middle East, North Africa and the Islamic world and its annual meetings during the same period. Our findings suggest that, unless carefully addressed, the prevailing patterns are likely to result in a crippling knowledge gap among political scientists.
Healthcare outcomes assessed with observational study designs compared with those assessed in randomized trials

Researchers and organizations often use evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the efficacy of a treatment or intervention under ideal conditions, while studies of observational designs are used to measure the effectiveness of an intervention in non-experimental, 'real world' scenarios. Sometimes, the results of RCTs and observational studies addressing the same question may have different results. This review explores the questions of whether these differences in results are related to the study design itself, or other study characteristics. This review summarizes the results of methodological reviews that compare the outcomes of observational studies with randomized trials addressing the same question, as well as methodological reviews that compare the outcomes of different types of observational studies. The main objectives of the review are to assess the impact of study design--to include RCTs versus observational study designs (e.g. cohort versus case-control designs) on the effect measures estimated, and to explore methodological variables that might explain any differences. We searched multiple electronic databases and reference lists of relevant articles to identify systematic reviews that were designed as methodological reviews to compare quantitative effect size estimates measuring efficacy or effectiveness of interventions of trials with observational studies or different designs of observational studies. We assessed the risks of bias of the included reviews. Our results provide little evidence for significant effect estimate differences between observational studies and RCTs, regardless of specific observational study design, heterogeneity, inclusion of pharmacological studies, or use of propensity score adjustment. Factors other than study design per se need to be considered when exploring reasons for a lack of agreement between results of RCTs and observational studies.
Hemoglobin solution: is a normal [Hb] or P50 more important?

Abstract Although stroma-free hemoglobin solution (SFH) supports normal levels of oxygen consumption in baboons exchange transfused to zero hematocrit, a significant decrease occurs in the mixed venous oxygen tension ( P v O 2 ). The hemoglobin concentration (6–8 g%) and P 50 (12–17 Torr) are both low in the current SFH preparations, and it is likely that they contribute to the low P v O 2 values. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to quantitate the contribution of simultaneous changes in [Hb] and P 50 to the observed change in P v O 2 during total exchange transfusion with SFH. During the study the average P v O 2 decreased from 51.4 to 22.4 Torr; the [Hb] fell from 11.6 to 5.1 g%; and the P 50 decreased from 31 to 19.5 Torr. The resulting equation was P v O 2 = 4.0[ Hb ] + 0.33 P 50 - 4.2 . The equation calculates that the 6.5 g% decrease in [Hb] was responsible for a fall in P v O 2 of 26 Torr, while the fall in P 50 of 11.5 Torr decreased the P v O 2 only 3.8 Torr. The data suggest that an increased [Hb] should be more effective in raising P v O 2 than a higher P 50 . Since a low P v O 2 is an indication of a reduced oxygen reserve, future efforts should attempt to achieve a hemoglobin solution with a normal [Hb].
Student-Faculty Evaluation Forms in Marketing: A Review

This article reviews the background issues in student-faculty evaluations, drawing from literature in educational psychology as appropriate to marketing. The review indicates the need for research in instrument purpose, instrument construction, and reliability/validity issues. A preferred evaluation form is presented, along with a review of future research needs.
High-speed fluorescence microscopy of cell signaling

A high-speed fluorescence microscope was constructed to observe the spatio-temporal dynamics of chemical signals within living cells. Typically, the CCD is gated for <1 microsec. with an ~2 msec. duty cycle to create “stop-action” movies of cells. The fluorescence of endogenous substances and/or exogenous labels was observed. We found that chemical signals travel as waves within cells. These include waves of Ca2+, pH, membrane depolarization and metabolites, which were missed in previous studies because they traverse a cell (d~10 mm) in a time that is much shorter than a typical camera’s shutter speed. Not only are these dynamic chemical structures present in cells, but the initiation points, speeds, locations, and shapes vary. These waves underlie cellular processes such as chemotactic orientation, phagolysosome fusion, phagocytosis, transmembrane signaling, adherence, oxidant production, cell migration, and tumor cell killing. Studies of cell-cell interactions show that immune cells are capable of synchronizing their signaling apparatuses, thus cooperating to mediate target cell destruction. By combining high-speed imaging with conventional biological methods, we have identified novel sites for drug discovery based upon perturbations of chemical waves within cells. We propose that chemical waves in cells travel well-defined pathways at specific times to mediate information transduction, processing and distribution-much like a computer chip.
Evaluation of Catch Rate Estimators from Michigan Access Point Angler Surveys

Abstract Access point angler surveys are conducted at numerous ports on the Great Lakes and on inland waters each year in Michigan to estimate angling effort and catch. Estimated catch is the product of estimated angler-hours and catch rate. Catch rate has been determined by averaging angler party catch per hour by species, angling mode, and time period. Effects of bias on accuracy and precision of catch per hour estimates were measured by using Monte Carlo sampling techniques on 132 completed trip interview data sets from Michigan access point angler surveys. Estimated mean catch rate by angler party was significantly greater (P ∝ ≤ 0.05) than population catch rates in 82 data sets and significantly less in 49 others. Due to biases associated with trip length and angler party size, the sample confidence limits were incorrectly represented in 123 of 132 data sets. I concluded that averaging angler party catch rates of completed-trip interviews is inappropriate for Michigan access point angler surveys. Cal...
Dipole Davydov Splittings in Crystalline Anthracene, Tetracene, Naphthalene, and Phenanthrene

The contribution of dipole–dipole interactions to the Davydov splitting (i.e., the dipole Davydov splitting) of the moderately intense 1Ag → 1La transitions of anthracene, tetracene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene has been investigated. Unlike most previous calculations, the Bose character of molecular excitons has been taken fully into account by using the classical theory of exciton states. In the dipole approximation this treatment is equivalent to the second quantized formulation of Agranovitch. Formulas are also derived for coupling of Born–Oppenheimer separable states through the full interaction potential. Dipole sums are calculated for infinite crystals by Ewald's method. High‐energy π–π* transitions are shown to make sizeable contributions to the Davydov splittings and are responsible for increasing polarization ratios of the 0–0 transition. For anthracene these high‐energy states push the splittings of the 3800‐A system beyond the accepted values, implying that the residual intermolecular interactions due to higher multipole and exchange effects act in the opposite direction, thereby reducing the total splitting. In tetracene the dipole splittings, after including higher states, are in excellent agreement with experiment, thereby relegating multipoles, etc., to a minor role. The 1La states of naphthalene and phenanthrene are subject to a pinching effect, due to the proximity of levels above and below, which inhibits the development of a large dipole splitting.
Electric fields for the treatment of glioblastoma

Evaluation of: Stupp R, Wong ET, Kanner AA et al. NovoTTF-100A versus physician’s choice chemotherapy in recurrent glioblastoma: a randomised Phase III trial of a novel treatment modality. Eur. J. Cancer 48(14), 2192–2202 (2012).Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant cerebral tumor in adults, with a poor prognosis despite several therapeutic efforts. Electric fields (EFs) have shown promising results as a new anticancer treatment. Stupp et al. report on the first Phase III trial comparing EF versus chemotherapy in patients with recurrent GBM. The study was designed for superiority; although well conducted, it might not have shown it for a limited compliance in the EF group. Even with this limitation, the trial has shown at least equivalence of EF to chemotherapy, with a decreased toxicity and increased quality of life favoring EF. Further basic and clinical studies are warranted to increase knowledge, efficacy, compliance and cost–effectiveness. This trial has opened a new promising field...
Formulas for counting acyclic digraph Markov equivalence classes

Multivariate Markov dependencies between different variables often can be represented graphically using acyclic digraphs (ADGs). In certain cases, though, different ADGs represent the same statistical model, thus leading to a set of equivalence classes of ADGs that constitute the true universe of available graphical models. Building upon the previously known formulas for counting the number of acyclic digraphs and the number of equivalence classes of size 1, formulas are developed to count ADG equivalence classes of arbitrary size, based on the chordal graph configurations that produce a class of that size. Theorems to validate the formulas as well as to aid in determining the appropriate chordal graphs to use for a given class size are included.