cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intelligent planning and control for multirobot coordination: An event-based approach

A new planning and control scheme for multirobot coordination is presented. First, the event-based planning and control theory is introduced. The most important step is the design of an event-based motion reference for the multirobot system. It drives the system to achieve the best possible coordination. Hybrid position/force controllers which are able to perform a large class of tasks are designed based on the combination of general task space with the well-known nonlinear feedback linearization technique. To improve the force control performance, the dynamics of joint motors have been considered in the force control. For a given task, a task projection operator can be found for each robot with the consideration of redundancy management. It projects the feedback linearized model to the actual task space. A distributed computing architecture is proposed to implement this scheme in a parallel computation. The event-based coordination scheme was experimentally implemented and tested for the coordinated control of two 6 DOF PUMA 560 robots with very good results.
Auxin promotes susceptibility to Pseudomonas syringae via a mechanism independent of suppression of salicylic acid-mediated defenses.

SUMMARY Auxin is a key plant growth regulator that also impacts plant–pathogen interactions. Several lines of evidence suggest that the bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae manipulates auxin physiology in Arabidopsis thaliana to promote pathogenesis. Pseudomonas syringae strategies to alter host auxin biology include synthesis of the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and production of virulence factors that alter auxin responses in host cells. The application of exogenous auxin enhances disease caused by P. syringae strain DC3000. This is hypothesized to result from antagonism between auxin and salicylic acid (SA), a major regulator of plant defenses, but this hypothesis has not been tested in the context of infected plants. We further investigated the role of auxin during pathogenesis by examining the interaction of auxin and SA in the context of infection in plants with elevated endogenous levels of auxin. We demonstrated that elevated IAA biosynthesis in transgenic plants overexpressing the YUCCA 1 (YUC1) auxin biosynthesis gene led to enhanced susceptibility to DC3000. Elevated IAA levels did not interfere significantly with host defenses, as effector-triggered immunity was active in YUC1-overexpressing plants, and we observed only minor effects on SA levels and SA-mediated responses. Furthermore, a plant line carrying both the YUC1-overexpression transgene and the salicylic acid induction deficient 2 (sid2) mutation, which impairs SA synthesis, exhibited additive effects of enhanced susceptibility from both elevated auxin levels and impaired SA-mediated defenses. Thus, in IAA overproducing plants, the promotion of pathogen growth occurs independently of suppression of SA-mediated defenses.
Dynamics of Short-Term Gene Expression Profiling in Liver Following Thermal Injury

Background Severe trauma, including burns, triggers a systemic response that significantly impacts on the liver, which plays a key role in the metabolic and immune responses aimed at restoring homeostasis. While many of these changes are likely regulated at the gene expression level, there is a need to better understand the dynamics and expression patterns of burn injury-induced genes in order to identify potential regulatory targets in the liver. Herein we characterized the response within the first 24 h in a standard animal model of burn injury using a time series of microarray gene expression data. Methods Rats were subjected to a full thickness dorsal scald burn injury covering 20% of their total body surface area while under general anesthesia. Animals were saline resuscitated and sacrificed at defined time points (0, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 h). Liver tissues were explanted and analyzed for their gene expression profiles using microarray technology. Sham controls consisted of animals handled similarly but not burned. After identifying differentially expressed probe sets between sham and burn conditions over time, the concatenated data sets corresponding to these differentially expressed probe sets in burn and sham groups were combined and analyzed using a “consensus clustering” approach. Results The clustering method of expression data identified 621 burn-responsive probe sets in four different co-expressed clusters. Functional characterization revealed that these four clusters are mainly associated with pro-inflammatory response, anti-inflammatory response, lipid biosynthesis, and insulin-regulated metabolism. Cluster 1 pro-inflammatory response is rapidly up-regulated (within the first 2 h) following burn injury, while Cluster 2 anti-inflammatory response is activated later on (around 8 h post-burn). Cluster 3 lipid biosynthesis is down-regulated rapidly following burn, possibly indicating a shift in the utilization of energy sources to produce acute phase proteins, which serve the anti-inflammatory response. Cluster 4 insulin-regulated metabolism was down-regulated late in the observation window (around 16 h post-burn), which suggests a potential mechanism to explain the onset of hypermetabolism, a delayed but well-known response that is characteristic of severe burns and trauma with potential adverse outcome. Conclusions Simultaneous analysis and comparison of gene expression profiles for both burn and sham control groups provided a more accurate estimation of the activation time, expression patterns, and characteristics of a certain burn-induced response based on which the cause–effect relationships among responses were revealed.
Exceptions to the Rule? Exploring the Use of Overrides in Detention Risk Assessment

The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) aims to reduce the use of predispositional detention for juveniles. One core strategy of JDAI is the use of risk assessment instruments to ensure that detention decisions are made objectively. These instruments allow for mandatory and discretionary overrides based on statutory guidelines, aggravating factors, or mitigating factors. This study investigates the use of overrides in a jurisdiction that utilizes the JDAI model. Offense seriousness, prior record, history of escape/runaway, and age were consistent predictors of overrides. African Americans were less likely to receive mitigating overrides, and females were less likely to receive mandatory overrides. Language: en
Modified-Symbol Digit Modalities Test for African Americans, Caribbean Black Americans, and non-Latino Whites : Nationally representative normative data from the National Survey of American Life

Normative neuropsychological data for U.S. racial/ethnic minorities are limited. Extant norms are based on small, regional groups that may not be nationally representative. The objectives of this study were to (1) provide norms for a modified Symbol Digit Modalities Test (M-SDMT) based on a nationally representative sample of African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and non-Latino Whites (NLW) living in areas with large populations of Blacks; and (2) determine significant correlates of M-SDMT performance. The M-SDMT was administered to a subset of respondents from the National Survey of American Life in standard face-to-face interviews. M-SDMT performance was influenced by race/ethnicity, age, education, and gender. African Americans and NLW groups had similar M-SDMT performances, which differed from Caribbean Blacks. The Black ethnic differences in M-SDMT were not explained by the sociodemographic factors considered in this study. Unlike previous work, this study supports the consideration of Black ethnicity when evaluating Black neuropsychological test performance.
Modulation of CaV1.2 Channels by Mg2+ Acting at an EF-hand Motif in the COOH-terminal Domain

Magnesium levels in cardiac myocytes change in cardiovascular diseases. Intracellular free magnesium (Mgi) inhibits L-type Ca2+ currents through CaV1.2 channels in cardiac myocytes, but the mechanism of this effect is unknown. We hypothesized that Mgi acts through the COOH-terminal EF-hand of CaV1.2. EF-hand mutants were engineered to have either decreased (D1546A/N/S/K) or increased (K1543D and K1539D) Mg2+ affinity. In whole-cell patch clamp experiments, increased Mgi reduced both Ba2+ and Ca2+ currents conducted by wild type (WT) CaV1.2 channels expressed in tsA-201 cells with similar affinity. Exposure of WT CaV1.2 to lower Mgi (0.26 mM) increased the amplitudes of Ba2+ currents 2.6 ± 0.4–fold without effects on the voltage dependence of activation and inactivation. In contrast, increasing Mgi to 2.4 or 7.2 mM reduced current amplitude to 0.5 ± 0.1 and 0.26 ± 0.05 of the control level at 0.8 mM Mgi. The effects of Mgi on peak Ba2+ currents were approximately fit by a single binding site model with an apparent Kd of 0.65 mM. The apparent Kd for this effect of Mgi was shifted ∼3.3- to 16.5-fold to higher concentration in D1546A/N/S mutants, with only small effects on the voltage dependence of activation and inactivation. Moreover, mutant D1546K was insensitive to Mgi up to 7.2 mM. In contrast to these results, peak Ba2+ currents through the K1543D mutant were inhibited by lower concentrations of Mgi compared with WT, consistent with approximately fourfold reduction in apparent Kd for Mgi, and inhibition of mutant K1539D by Mgi was also increased comparably. In addition to these effects, voltage-dependent inactivation of K1543D and K1539D was incomplete at positive membrane potentials when Mgi was reduced to 0.26 or 0.1 mM, respectively. These results support a novel mechanism linking the COOH-terminal EF-hand with modulation of CaV1.2 channels by Mgi. Our findings expand the repertoire of modulatory interactions taking place at the COOH terminus of CaV1.2 channels, and reveal a potentially important role of Mgi binding to the COOH-terminal EF-hand in regulating Ca2+ influx in physiological and pathophysiological states.
Service Learning and Business Education: Distinctions between Undergraduate and Graduate Business Students.

Research on service learning in business education often enumerates its efficacy and overall value. The focus on business students attitudes toward service learning offers insight into program design and implementation of service learning into business curricula. This study investigates the distinctions between undergraduate and graduate business students attitudes related to service learning in the business college of a Midwestern liberal arts university. A survey was distributed to a total of 210 students in three of the colleges undergraduate and graduate business courses respectively. Students assessed their motivation, preparation, and skills to meet and fulfill service learning projects. Results of this study reflected that graduate business students possessed greater levels of commitment and skill sets to perform service learning projects. These data support an ideology that undergraduate business students may need more social development and academic preparation to gain the maximum benefit from service- learning projects. Traditional-age undergraduate business students were surveyed; thus responses to survey questions could have differed greatly if the undergraduate business students surveyed were non-traditional-aged or returning adult students.
Hormonal, blood pressure, and peritoneal transport response to short-term ACE inhibition

ObjectivesTo evaluate the hormonal, blood pressure, and peritoneal transport effects of intraperitoneal enalaprilat and oral enalapril.DesignA nonrandomized, nonblinded, prospective clinical trial ...
Evaluation and Treatment of Soft Tissue Lesions of the Ankle and Forefoot Using the Cyriax Approach

Soft tissue lesions are frequently treated by the physical therapist. Two major problems in treating these types of lesions are identifying the tissue causing the pain and selecting the appropriate modality to diminish the pain. In recent years, physicians and physical therapists have become interested in the evaluation and treatment methods of soft tissue lesions developed by Cyriax.1 Cyriax uses a systematic approach for identifying the exact location of a soft tissue lesion. He advocates using manipulation, deep friction massage, and the injection of various drugs in treating soft tissue lesions. This case report describes the application of the Cyriax approach in treating a patient referred to physical therapy with multiple soft tissue lesions at both ankles. This particular case was selected because it demonstrates the effectiveness of the Cyriax approach for a patient with multiple lesions about one joint.…
Properties of A-(Si,Ge) Materials and Devices grown using Chemical Annealing

Chemical annealing is a powerful technique for controlling H bonding and optical absorption in amorphous semiconductors. We have shown previously that the use of careful chemical annealing by Argon can lower the bandgap of a-Si:H while maintaining electronic properties in both films and devices. In this work, we describe new work on chemical annealing of A-(Si,Ge):H films and devices. The technique consists in growing very thin layers (1-3 nm) of A-(Si,Ge) from mixtures of hydrogen, Silane and Germane, and then subjecting this thin layer to ion bombardment by Ar. The cycle is repeated many times to achieve the desired thickness of the intrinsic layer. The resulting film and device were measured for their composition using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. We discovered that the composition itself, namely the Ge:Si ratio in the film, could be varied by changing the ion bombardment conditions. Lower energy bombardment led to a higher Ge:Si ratio for the same germane/Silane ratio in the gas phase. By controlling ion bombardment during the Ar annealing cycle, we were able to reduce the H content of the film and achieve good electronic properties. It will be shown that by appropriate control over ion energies, one can obtain films and devices which are of good quality and low bandgap as well.
Laboratory Diagnosis of von Willebrand’s Disease

The diagnosis of von Willebrand’s disease is becoming complex as more is understood about the disease. Clinical information and laboratory data are necessary for the diagnosis because of the overlap of normal and abnormal laboratory values. A complete evaluation including von Willebrand factor multimers, ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation, factor VIII activity level, and a template bleeding time is necessary to correctly classify the patient so that optimal treatment may be given.
Statistical Uncertainty Analysis for Stochastic Simulation

When we use simulation to evaluate the performance of a stochastic system, the simulation often contains input distributions estimated from real-world data; therefore, there is both simulation and input uncertainty in the performance estimates. Ignoring either source of uncertainty underestimates the overall statistical error. Simulation uncertainty can be reduced by additional computation (e.g., more replications). Input uncertainty can be reduced by collecting more real-world data, when feasible. This paper proposes an approach to quantify overall statistical uncertainty when the simulation is driven by independent parametric input distributions; specifically, we produce a confidence interval that accounts for both simulation and input uncertainty by using a metamodel-assisted bootstrapping approach. The input uncertainty is measured via bootstrapping, an equation-based stochastic kriging metamodel propagates the input uncertainty to the output mean, and both simulation and metamodel uncertainty are derived using properties of the metamodel. A variance decomposition is proposed to estimate the relative contribution of input to overall uncertainty; this information indicates whether the overall uncertainty can be significantly reduced through additional simulation alone. Asymptotic analysis provides theoretical support for our approach, while an empirical study demonstrates that it has good finite-sample performance.
The Fortunes of War and Aircraft Manufacturer Stock Returns: The Case of the Korean War

We examine the profitability of U.S. aircraft manufacturers, their stock returns over the sample period, and their stock reaction to important events during the Korean War. Aircraft stocks responded favorably to events implying a continuation of the war and negatively to events implying a cessation of hostilities. Furthermore, their accounting profits improved substantially relative to pre-war years and to the median of the largest 500 U.S. corporations. This increase may explain why annualized returns for aircraft firms were greater than the overall market during the war. However, these higher returns were not “excessive” based on the Carhart four-factor alpha.
All MOSCAP Based Continuously Tunable Filter

This chapter presents an inverter based filter design that uses only MOSCAP as filter capacitors. Further in the design the load capacitance compensates the negative feedback network allowing the majority of current to flow into the load. This results in an increase in the overall power efficiency. As a proof of concept, a third order inverter based 34–314 MHz tunable continuous time channel select filter for software-defined radios is fabricated in TSMC’s 65 nm technology. By using the high density tunable MOSCAPs at a low swing node, the filter achieves an OIP3 of +25.24 dBm while drawing 4.2 mA from a 1.1 V supply and occupies an area of 0.007 mm2. The measured intermodulation distortion varies by 5 dB across a 120∘ variation in temperature and 6.5 dB across a 200 mV variation in power supply. Further, the filter presents a high impedance node at the input and a low impedance node at the output easing system integration.
Quality of End-of-Life Care for the Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Findings from a Large National Database

Background: End-of-life (EOL) care has been shown to be more intensive for blood cancers compared to solid tumors (e.g. Hui, Cancer , 2014); however, data are sparse regarding predictors of intensive care unit (ICU) use in the last 30 days of life and hospice enrollment among patients with specific hematologic malignancies. Moreover, little is known about EOL care specifically for the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), which are distinguished among the blood cancers by their relative indolence in many patients and high rate of transfusion dependence. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database. Patients ≥ 65 years of age who had a primary diagnosis of MDS between 2006 and 2011, lived for at least 30 days after their diagnosis, and died prior to December 31, 2012 were eligible for inclusion. Outcomes were two well-established quality measures for EOL care in oncology (Earle, JCO , 2003; Keating, Cancer , 2010): ICU admission within the last 30 days of life (an indicator of poor quality), and enrollment in hospice for any length of time (an indicator of good quality). After determining their overall prevalence, we fit multivariable logistic regression models to investigate sociodemographic and clinical associations (see table) with each outcome. Results: A total of 6,955 MDS patients were eligible. Overall, 28% were admitted to the ICU in the last month of life, and 49% had enrolled in hospice. In multivariable analyses, transfusion-dependent patients were more likely to be admitted to the ICU and less likely to enroll in hospice (both p *Adjusted for all variables listed as well as marital status and time from diagnosis to death Conclusions: Only about half of the MDS patients in our cohort were enrolled in hospice; however, the odds of enrollment increased over time. Interestingly, the odds of ICU admission within the last 30 days of life also increased over time, a trend that has been seen in solid tumors (e.g. Wright, JCO , 2014). As bone marrow failure in MDS can lead to reversible sepsis and the need for temporary blood pressure support, it is difficult to determine if this trend truly represents a worsening in quality of EOL care. Finally, our finding that transfusion-dependent MDS patients were less likely to receive hospice suggests that one reason for suboptimal enrollment is that the current hospice model-which largely disallows transfusions-is not meeting the specific palliative needs of this population. Disclosures Gore: Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Davidoff: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding. Steensma: Incyte: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Onconova: Consultancy.
116 : No significant re-directed CD8 nTreg developed in Helper deficient mice

Natural T regulatory cells (nTreg) are an important subpopulation of CD4+ T cells generated in thymus, and essential in preventing autoimmune diseases. However, the role of MHC-class-II-mediated TCR signaling in nTreg development remains unclear, since nTreg still presents in MHC-class-II gene knock-out mice. We examined nTreg development in Helper Deficient (HD) mice, in which the majority of MHC-class-II-restricted, CD4 lineage designated T cells is mis-directed to the CD8 lineage due to a mutated zbtb7b/ThPOK, a key regulator of CD4+ cell development, gene. In HD, both percentage and number of conventional CD4+ T cells were reduced 10 folds, compared to wild-type littermates, but the total T cell number remained unchanged since >90% of MHC-class-II restricted CD4 T cells were mis-directed to develop as CD8+ cells. Unexpectedly, the percentage of FoxP3+ cells within the residual CD4+ T cells in HD was increased to >50% in spleen and lymph nodes, compared to 5–10% of CD4+ T cells in control mice, but the absolute numbers of FoxP3+CD4+ T cells was decreased by >50% in HD. In contrast, FoxP3+CD8+ cells, both percentage and numbers, were not significantly changed in HD. Similarly, there was no increase of re-directed FoxP3+CD8+ T cells in Beta-2-microglobulin KO x HD double mutants. Furthermore, after crossing HD with a FoxP3-EGFP reporter line, >90% EGFP+ T cells were CD4+ cells, with 1% detected EGFP+CD8+ cells. Functionally, the CD4+EGFP+ T cells isolated from HD inhibited TCR-triggered IL-2 production and CD69 up-regulation of CD4+EGFP− T cells. In summary, we demonstrated that, in contrast to MHC-class-II-restricted, conventional CD4 designated T cells are mis-directed to CD8 lineage, there is no re-directed CD8 nTreg developed in HD. Our data indicates that either commitment of MHC-class-II-restricted nTreg is earlier than conventional MHC-class-II-restricted CD4+ cells or selection/expansion of MHC-class-II-restricted nTreg is not supported in CD8+ T cells.
On Efficient Decoding of Polar Codes with Large Kernels

Defined through a certain 2&#x000D7;2 matrix called Arikan's kernel, polar codes are known to achieve the symmetric capacity of binary-input discrete memoryless channels under the successive cancellation (SC) decoder. Yet, for short blocklengths, polar codes fail to deliver a compelling performance under the low complexity SC decoding scheme. Recent studies provide evidence for improved performance when Arikan's kernel is replaced with larger kernels that have smaller scaling exponents. However, for l&#x000D7;l kernels the time complexity of the SC decoding increases by a factor of 2^l. In this paper we study a special type of kernels called permuted kernels. The advantage of these kernels is that the SC decoder for the corresponding polar codes can be viewed as a permuted version of the SC decoder for the conventional polar codes that are defined through Arikan's kernel. This permuted successive cancellation (PSC) decoder outputs its decisions on the input bits according to a permuted order of their indices. We introduce an efficient PSC decoding algorithm and show simulations for two 16&#x000D7;16 permuted kernels that have better scaling exponents than Arikan's kernel.
PP-51 Metamizole-induced agranulocytosis in an adolescent treated for chronic headache

Background Metamizole (dipyrone) is used in several European countries to treat pain. Its use has been asso-ciated with agranulocytosis and the incidence of this se-vere adverse drug reaction in adults varies between 1.1 in 1 million patients and 1 out of 1439 prescriptions. In adults the moment at which agranulocytosis is detected is quite variable and ranges from appearing after a sin-gle dose or several months after exposure. So far, these serious adverse drug reactions have been rarely seen in children. Two postauthorisation safety studies in about 1500 children did not report any case of paediatric met-amizole-induced agranulocytosis. However, two cases have been published in children who used metamizole for more than 21 days and 4 weeks, respectively. Case A 14 year old girl was treated with metamizole 2 g/d (26.8 mg/kg/d) for chronic headache which had been prescribed by her general practitioner (GP). Pre-existing atopic dermatitis deteriorated on day 7 of treat-ment, and a sore throat occurred on day 10. On day 12, she consulted her GP who initiated antibiotic treatment with penicillin due to infected and putrid skin lesions. Metamizole was discontinued, but no blood count was ordered. The patient was seen for follow-up two days lat-er since her condition had not improved. A blood count was performed revealing agranulocytosis (neutrophils 0.05 × 10^9/L), and the patient was admitted to hospital. Results Upon admission, treatment with meropenem and teicoplanin was initiated due to septic appearance and shortness of breath. In addition, acyclovir was started due to suspected eczema herpeticum which was later ruled out. Further diagnostic work-up revealed skin le-sions infected with Staphyloccus aureus and multifocal pneumonia. Bronchoalveolar lavage on day 19 to rule out fungal infection was negative for any microorganisms. The patient was treated with granulocyte-colony stimu-lating factor (G-CSF) 30 Million IU for 4 days, during which the neutrophil count recovered. The patient improved clinically and was discharged on day 23 after the initial exposure to metamizole. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report of metamizole-induced agranulocytosis in a paediatric pa-tient who used metamizole for only 12 days. In patients with atopic dermatitis, drug-induced agranulocytosis might show an atypical clinical course by causing skin in-fections as the first presenting symptom. Despite a lower incidence in children than in adults, this serious adverse drug reaction should be kept in mind when prescribing metamizole, and treatment duration should be kept as short (5–7 days) as possible.
Identifying Usage Expression Sentences in Consumer Product Reviews

In this paper we introduce the problem of identifying usage expression sentences in a consumer product review. We create a human-annotated gold standard dataset of 565 reviews spanning five distinct product categories. Our dataset consists of more than 3,000 annotated sentences. We further introduce a classification system to label sentences according to whether or not they describe some “usage”. The system combines lexical, syntactic, and semantic features in a product-agnostic fashion to yield good classification performance. We show the effectiveness of our approach using importance ranking of features, error analysis, and cross-product classification experiments.
Regenerative Cryogenic Refrigerators

The development of satellite communications in the 1950s led to the first commercial need for small cryogenic refrigerators to provide 4 K cooling for ground-based parametric amplifiers. The use of these refrigerators has increased significantly since that time with the evolution of several additional cryogenic applications. The most successful of these new applications are: Military infrared surveillance and target acquisition systems Vacuum cryopumps Superconducting magnets for medical and electrical power systems Superconducting electronic devices
A Human Genome-Wide RNAi Screen Reveals Diverse Modulators that Mediate IRE1α-XBP1 Activation

Activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathways is linked to multiple human diseases, including cancer. The inositol-requiring kinase 1α (IRE1α)-X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) pathway is the most evolutionarily conserved of the three major signaling branches of the UPR. Here, we performed a genome-wide siRNA screen to obtain a systematic assessment of genes integrated in the IRE1α-XBP1 axis. We monitored the expression of an XBP1-luciferase chimeric protein in which luciferase was fused in-frame with the spliced (active) form of XBP1. Using cells expressing this reporter construct, we identified 162 genes for which siRNA inhibition resulted in alteration in XBP1 splicing. These genes express diverse types of proteins modulating a wide range of cellular processes. Pathway analysis identified a set of genes implicated in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Several genes, including BCL10, GCLM, and IGF1R, correlated with worse relapse-free survival (RFS) in an analysis of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, in this cohort of 1,908 patients, only high GCLM expression correlated with worse RFS in both TNBC and non-TNBC patients. Altogether, our study revealed unidentified roles of novel pathways regulating the UPR, and these findings may serve as a paradigm for exploring novel therapeutic opportunities based on modulating the UPR.Implications: Genome-wide RNAi screen identifies novel genes/pathways that modulate IRE1α-XBP1 signaling in human tumor cells and leads to the development of improved therapeutic approaches targeting the UPR.Visual Overview: http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/molcanres/16/5/745/F1.large.jpg Mol Cancer Res; 16(5); 745-53. ©2018 AACR.
Evolution of Choroidal Neovascularization due to Presumed Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome on Multimodal Imaging including Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

A 37-year-old Caucasian woman presented with acute decrease in central vision in her right eye and was found to have subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS). Her visual acuity improved from 20/70 to 20/20 at her 6-month follow-up, after 3 consecutive monthly intravitreal bevacizumab injections were initiated at her first visit. Although no CNV activity was seen on fluorescein angiography (FA) or spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) at her 2-month, 4-month, and 6-month follow-up visits, persistent flow in the CNV lesion was detected on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). OCTA shows persistent vascular flow as well as changes in vascular flow in CNV lesions associated with POHS, indicating the continued presence of patent vessels and changes in these CNV lesions, even when traditional imaging of the lesion with OCT and FA indicates stability of the lesion with no disease activity. Additional cases with longitudinal follow-up are needed to assess how OCTA should be incorporated into clinical practice.
Home Hospitalization for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: Opportunities and Strategies for Improved Health Outcomes

Importance: Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospitalization among patients over the age of 65 in the United States and developed countries, posing a significant economic burden to the health care systems. More than half of the patients with HF will be readmitted to the hospital within 6 months from discharge, leading not only to increased health care related expenses but also functional decline, iatrogenic injuries and in-hospital infections. With the increasing prevalence of HF, there is a substantial need for innovative delivery care models that can provide hospital level of care at a patient’s home. Observations: Home hospitalization was originally used to safely manage chronically ill patients with general medical (stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, deep vein thrombosis, community acquired pneumonia) and surgical conditions and was associated with improved patient satisfaction and improvement in activity of daily living status. This had no clear effect on readmission or cost. When hospital at home care model was applied to HF patients it demonstrated increased time to readmission, reduced index costs and improved health related quality of life, with no significant differences in adverse events. Eligible patients should be selected based on multiple factors taking into consideration applicable limitations and comorbidities. Conclusions and Relevance: Providing in-hospital level care to the patient’s house presents a reliable alternative, yielding multiple benefits both for the patient, as well as the health care system. Formulating a well-defined model is necessary before wide implementation.
Bovine cerebral mucormycosis: report of a case.

The first case of bovine cerebral mucormycosis reported in South Dakota, U.S.A., is described. Mucor pusillus was associated with vasculitis, paravascular necrosis and septic thrombosis of the brain.
Developing an ANN Based Streamflow Forecast Model Utilizing Data-Mining Techniques to Improve Reservoir Streamflow Prediction Accuracy: A Case Study

This study illustrates the benefits of data pre-processing through supervised data-mining techniques and utilizing those processed data in an artificial neural networks (ANNs) for streamflow prediction. Two major categories of physical parameters such as snowpack data and time-dependent trend indices were utilized as predictors of streamflow values. Correlation analysis of different models indicate that, for the period of January to June, using fewer predictors led to simpler modeling with equivalent accuracy on daily prediction models. This did not hold in all periods. For monthly prediction models, accuracy was improved compared to earlier works done to predict monthly streamflow for the same case of Elephant Butte Reservoir (EB), NM. Overall, superior prediction performance was achieved by utilizing data-mining techniques for pre-processing historical data, extracting the most effective predictors, correlation analysis, extracting and utilizing combined climate variability indices, physical indices, and employing several developed ANNs for different prediction periods of the year.
MrBait: universal identification and design of targeted-enrichment capture probes

Motivation It is a non-trivial task to identify and design capture probes ('baits') for the diverse array of targeted-enrichment methods now available (e.g. ultra-conserved elements, anchored hybrid enrichment, RAD-capture). This often involves parsing large genomic alignments, followed by multiple steps of curating candidate genomic regions to optimize targeted information content (e.g. genetic variation) and to minimize potential probe dimerization and non-target enrichment. Results In this context, we developed MrBait, a user-friendly, generalized software pipeline for identification, design and optimization of targeted-enrichment probes across a range of target-capture paradigms. MrBait is an open-source codebase that leverages native parallelization capabilities in Python and mitigates memory usage via a relational-database back-end. Numerous filtering methods allow comprehensive optimization of designed probes, including built-in functionality that employs BLAST, similarity-based clustering and a graph-based algorithm that 'rescues' failed probes. Availability and implementation Complete code for MrBait is available on GitHub (https://github.com/tkchafin/mrbait), and is also available with all dependencies via one-line installation using the conda package manager. Online documentation describing installation and runtime instructions can be found at: https://mrbait.readthedocs.io. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Multiplicative Speedup of Systems

This paper attempts to show that speedups of several orders of magnitude are possible in systems where a hierarchy of levels exists. Typical of these are large complex computer systems such as speech- and image-understanding systems. There are many levels of potential improvement in such systems. The levels range from device technology, computer architecture, and software architecture at the lower levels to system organization, algorithmic analysis, knowledge sources, and heuristics at the higher. Potential speedups at each of these levels can be estimated through a careful study of several specific examples that have resulted in speedup. Speedup of components combines additively in systems which are the usual assemblage of components. However, in hierarchical structures where the levels are relatively independent, improvements at various levels combine multiplicatively, resulting in very large total speedup.
The Dynamics of Voter Turnout and Party Choice

A considerable body of research focuses on why voter turnout changed - specically, why it declined - in the 1960s and 1970s. Most models of the change focus on factors such as a decline in civic involvement or a shift in the age distribution toward younger citizens who vote less frequently. While these approaches have taught us much about voter turnout, they are puzzling in that none actually focuses on the origins of change. That is, they explain changes in turnout with changes in other factors but never directly explain these other changes. Further- more, almost all existing models of voter turnout dynamics assume exogeneous party choices, although voters' party choices are not xed in general and this fact likely has consequences for voter turnout. I develop a model of turnout dynamics | one that directly explains changes in turnout | with endogeneous party choice. I show that this model explains voter turnout in U.S. presidential elections better than other models, and I reach similar results in the context of California voter registration data. While voter registration is of obvious importance to voter turnout, it receives little attention and its dynamics have never been studied.
Cognitive neuroeconomics: new solutions to old problems.

The current models of decision-making are limited in their ability to provide a comprehensive understanding of the field. We propose the cognitive neuroeconomics model, which, we have used to better understand the process of decision-making in the domain of mental health, namely, young adults’ risky sexual behavior. This model can have far reaching implications in developing adequate decision support tools.
“Farewell to Every White Cascade”: Ecological Protests Over Natural Resources

As with land, contemporary literature about Ireland’s natural resources continues to acknowledge the significance of fairy and folklore, and to use the realm of the fairies as cultural shorthand for that which has been lost to colonization and industrialization. Water is arguably as significant in the Irish cultural imagination as land is. By the end of the twentieth century, the ecological ramifications of the harnessing of water for electrical power have become increasingly clear. Virtually every nuclear power station depends on a natural body of water, which in this case would have been the Irish Sea. The most pivotal largescale grassroots movement arguably began in 1968, when a nuclear power plant was proposed, to be built during the 1970s at Carnsore Point in the southeast corner of County Wexford.
Outcomes of a Novel Penile Traction Device in Men with Peyronie's Disease: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Controlled Trial.

Purpose:Current penile traction therapy devices have significant limitations, including the need to use them for 3 to 8 hours per day. Given these issues, the novel RestoreX® penile traction therap...
Meta-Analysis of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation for the Prevention of Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Background Several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have evaluated whether pre-operative supplementation of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) protects against postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). However, the efficacy of this intervention remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to determine if PUFA supplementation prevents POAF. Methods A systematic literature search was performed (through December 20, 2018) using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify RCTs evaluating PUFA supplementation for post-CABG POAF prevention. The primary outcome was the incidence of POAF. For each study, the incidence of AF in the intervention and placebo groups was extracted to calculate odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mantel-Haenszel random effects model was used to summarize data across treatment arms. Heterogeneity between the studies was assessed using the chi square test and was considered significant if p values 50%. Results We identified 11 RCTs that included a total of 3,127 participants (1,557 in the PUFA group and 1,570 in the placebo group). Pooled analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in POAF in patients treated with PUFA as compared to placebo (OR 0.66; 95% CI, 0.48-0.90; p=0.008). The estimated number-needed-to-treat was 18 (95% CI 11.53-45.67). The test of heterogeneity was significant (I262%, p = 0.003). Conclusions Preoperative supplementation of omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids reduces the incidence of POAF in patients undergoing CABG surgery.
Identification and characterization of a Triton X-100 replacement for virus inactivation

Triton X-100 detergent treatment is a robust enveloped virus inactivation unit operation included in biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes. However, the European Commission officially placed Triton X-100 on the Annex XIV authorization list in 2017 because a degradation product of Triton X-100, 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl) phenol (also known as 4-tert-octylphenol), is considered to have harmful endocrine disrupting activities. As a result, the use of Triton X-100 in the European Economic Area (EEA) would not be allowed unless an ECHA issued authorization was granted after the sunset date of January 4, 2021. This has prompted biopharmaceutical manufacturers to search for novel, environment-friendly alternative detergents for enveloped virus inactivation. In this study, we report the identification of such a novel detergent, Simulsol SL 11W. Simulsol SL 11W is an undecyl glycoside surfactant produced from glucose and C11 fatty alcohol. We report here that Simulsol SL 11W was able to effectively inactive enveloped viruses, such as xenotropic murine leukemia virus (XMuLV) and pseudorabies virus (PRV). By using XMuLV as a representative enveloped virus, the influence of various parameters on the effectiveness of virus inactivation was evaluated. Virus inactivation by Simulsol SL 11W was effective across different clarified bioreactor harvests at broad concentrations, pH, and temperature ranges. Simulsol SL 11W concentration, temperature of inactivation, and treatment time were identified as critical process parameters for virus inactivation. Removal of Simulsol SL 11W was readily achieved by Protein A chromatography and product quality was not affected by detergent treatment. Taken together, these results have shown the potential of Simulsol SL 11W as a desirable alternative to Triton X-100 for enveloped virus inactivation that could be readily implemented into biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
PERIODOGRAMS FOR MULTIBAND ASTRONOMICAL TIME SERIES

This paper introduces the multiband periodogram, a general extension of the well-known Lomb–Scargle approach for detecting periodic signals in time-domain data. In addition to advantages of the Lomb–Scargle method such as treatment of non-uniform sampling and heteroscedastic errors, the multiband periodogram significantly improves period finding for randomly sampled multiband light curves (e.g., Pan-STARRS, DES, and LSST). The light curves in each band are modeled as arbitrary truncated Fourier series, with the period and phase shared across all bands. The key aspect is the use of Tikhonov regularization which drives most of the variability into the so-called base model common to all bands, while fits for individual bands describe residuals relative to the base model and typically require lower-order Fourier series. This decrease in the effective model complexity is the main reason for improved performance. After a pedagogical development of the formalism of least-squares spectral analysis, which motivates the essential features of the multiband model, we use simulated light curves and randomly subsampled SDSS Stripe 82 data to demonstrate the superiority of this method compared to other methods from the literature and find that this method will be able to efficiently determine the correct period in the majority of LSST’s bright RR Lyrae stars with as little as six months of LSST data, a vast improvement over the years of data reported to be required by previous studies. A Python implementation of this method, along with code to fully reproduce the results reported here, is available on GitHub.
Loving is Affirmed: IRS Lacked Authority to Regulate Tax Preparers

This article examines the factual background of Loving v. IRS, the invalidated return preparer regulations, and the statute that the IRS relied on as authority. It reviews the district and circuit court opinions and discusses the options available to the IRS to regulate the tax return preparation industry in the wake of those decisions. The article concludes that both the district court and court of appeals correctly interpreted the statute and held that the IRS did not have authority to regulate the tax preparation industry. While regulation of unlicensed tax preparers may be worthwhile, the oversight of such a significant industry should be premised on a specific grant of Congressional authority.
An In-Situ SAXS Approach to Probe Stratification During Drying of Inorganic Nanoparticle Films

Abstract Understanding particle motion during drying of colloidal and nanoparticle mixtures can be of great significance to processes such as stratification during film formation. Much of the current research in this field focuses on theory and simulation; however, additional experimental approaches are needed to support these studies. Here, we report a novel way to study film structures by applying an in-situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) approach. We present studies of binary films containing two different sizes of silica particles. Our analysis allows us to probe the difference in particle packing in different layers and at different drying times. Furthermore, we can compare film samples consisting of particles with different initial concentrations and size ratios. Although the sample series presented here is limited, the data demonstrates proof-of-concept of the experimental technique. The method will be beneficial for future studies of structure formation in relatively thick films containing inorganic nanoparticles.
What Are Constructions, and What Else Is Out There? An Associationist Perspective

This paper argues that constructions are emergent networks of associations connecting meanings to forms and forms to each other. Settling on a new form is a complex process that involves meanings and forms clamoring for themselves and their associates to be incorporated into the production plan being constructed. Morphological evidence for productive arbitrary paradigmatic mappings suggests that in some languages constructions co-exist with second-order schemas and even conditioned operations (rules). However, negative associations between forms and meanings can extend the power of constructions-only approaches to account for such patterns. This paper discusses whether each kind of association forming the constructicon is bidirectional or unidirectional, and how it might be learned, and exemplifies the interaction between schematic and paradigmatic associations using a previously undescribed adjectival construction in Russian.