cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Subsampling Radio Architecture for Ultrawideband Communications

An impulse radio architecture utilizing a simple analog front end along with digital complex signal processing is proposed to allow a low complexity implementation of a 3.1-10.6 GHz ultrawideband (UWB) radio. The proposed system transmits passband pulses using a pulser and antenna, and the receiver front-end downconverts the signal frequency via subsampling, thus, requiring substantially less hardware than the existing direct conversion approach. After the analog-to-digital converter (ADC), the signal is projected into complex signal domain to perform matched filtering to not only mitigate the timing sensitivity induced by analog circuit impairment, but also extract the fine time resolution provided by the wideband nature of a UWB signal. The performance and potential usages of these complex signal processing blocks are solved and compared with different complex signal transformations. Based on the proposed architecture, the system specifications and implementation issues are further analyzed and emulated by system-level simulations with measured signal and noise. The subsampling ADC is considered as the most challenging circuit block and has recently been proven with a low-power low-cost fully integrated CMOS solution. Finally, a radio prototype built with discrete components is used for proof of concept.
An attribution model of public discrimination towards persons with mental illness

In this study, we build on previous work by developing and estimating a model of the relationships between causal attributions (e.g., controllability, responsibility), familiarity with mental illness, dangerousness, emotional responses (e.g., pity, anger, fear), and helping and rejecting responses. Using survey data containing responses to hypothetical vignettes, we examine these relationships in a sample of 518 community college students. Consistent with attribution theory, causal attributions affect beliefs about persons' responsibility for causing their condition, beliefs which in turn lead to affective reactions, resulting in rejecting responses such as avoidance, coercion, segregation, and withholding help. However, consistent with a danger appraisal hypothesis, the effects of perceptions of dangerousness on helping and rejecting responses are unmediated by responsibility beliefs. Much of the dangerousness effects operate by increasing fear, a particularly strong predictor of support for coercive treatment. The results from this study also suggest that familiarity with mental illness reduces discriminatory responses.
Social Media Foreign Policy: Examining the Political Use of Social Media by Ethnic Identity Groups in the United States:

Several scholars have noted intergenerational differences between members of diasporic communities in the United States as a potential source of weakening strength among identity-based interest gro...
Effect of hand hygiene on infectious disease risk in the community setting: a meta-analysis

To quantify the effect of hand-hygiene interventions on rates of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses and to identify interventions that provide the greatest efficacy, we searched 4 electronic databases for hand-hygiene trials published from January 1960 through May 2007 and conducted meta-analyses to generate pooled rate ratios across interventions (N=30 studies). Improvements in hand hygiene resulted in reductions in gastrointestinal illness of 31% (95% confidence intervals [CI]=19%, 42%) and reductions in respiratory illness of 21% (95% CI = 5%, 34%). The most beneficial intervention was hand-hygiene education with use of nonantibacterial soap. Use of antibacterial soap showed little added benefit compared with use of nonantibacterial soap. Hand hygiene is clearly effective against gastrointestinal and, to a lesser extent, respiratory infections. Studies examining hygiene practices during respiratory illness and interventions targeting aerosol transmission are needed. (Am J Public Health. 2008;98:1372‐1381. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.124610)
Slipstream execution mode for CMP-based multiprocessors

Scalability of applications on distributed shared-memory (DSM) multiprocessors is limited by communication overheads. At some point, using more processors to increase parallelism yields diminishing returns or even degrades performance. When increasing concurrency is futile, we propose an additional mode of execution, called slipstream mode, that instead enlists extra processors to assist parallel tasks by reducing perceived overheads. We consider DSM multiprocessors built from dual-processor chip multiprocessor (CMP) nodes with shared L2 cache. A task is allocated on one processor of each CMP node. The other processor of each node executes a reduced version of the same task. The reduced version skips shared-memory stores and synchronization, running ahead of the true task. Even with the skipped operations, the reduced task makes accurate forward progress and generates an accurate reference stream, because branches and addresses depend primarily on private data. Slipstream execution mode yields two benefits. First, the reduced task prefetches data on behalf of the true task. Second, reduced tasks provide a detailed picture of future reference behavior, enabling a number of optimizations aimed at accelerating coherence events, e.g., self-invalidation. For multiprocessor systems with up to 16 CMP nodes, slipstream mode outperforms running one or two conventional tasks per CMP in 7 out of 9 parallel scientific benchmarks. Slipstream mode is 12-19% faster with prefetching only and up to 29% faster with self-invalidation enabled.
Will either cap and trade or a carbon emissions tax be effective in monetizing carbon as an ecosystem service

Economists argue that if the cost of carbon emissions was bid into markets, consumers would effectively make purchases that would reduce emissions. Life-cycle inventory and assessment studies have identified how to make many environmental improvements such as reducing carbon emissions at every stage of processing. Most importantly, almost every change in building design, product selection alternative or forest management alternative results in changed levels of carbon emissions across many different stages of processing. These studies raise questions about the effectiveness of carbon registries, cap and trade systems or taxes to effectively monetize the reduction of carbon emissions. A three-tier credit system that accounts for carbon sequestration and storage in the forest sector including users of forest products can mimic many of the expected effects of an economy-wide carbon tax. Insight is provided on policies that are more likely to reflect the value of carbon emissions in purchasing and production systems and to avoid counterproductive results. The relationship between carbon emissions and other forest ecosystem services such as habitat is also examined.
Effect of prebiotics on biomarkers of colorectal cancer in humans: a systematic review

Prebiotics may prevent colorectal cancer (CRC) development in humans by modifying the composition or activity of the colorectal microflora. Epidemiologic and animal studies have shown a reduction in CRC or CRC biomarkers after the administration of prebiotics. Studies using indirect chemical biomarkers of CRC in humans, however, gave mixed results. Recently, human studies measuring direct physical indices of CRC risk after prebiotic consumption have been published. The purpose of this review is to summarize those studies to provide recommendations for the use of prebiotics in CRC risk reduction. A PubMed search was conducted, revealing nine studies. One tested lactulose, two evaluated a blend of oligofructose and inulin, and six measured resistant starch. Lactulose reduced adenoma recurrence, while resistant starch had no effect on adenoma or CRC development. Crypt mitotic location, gene expression, and DNA methylation were somewhat improved after resistant starch consumption. No changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis, crypt morphology, or aberrant crypt foci were found. More human studies measuring physical changes to the gut are needed.
Sexual Abuse in Latina Girls: Their Functioning and a Comparison with White and African American Girls:

This study was designed to help address the lack of research on sexual abuse in Latinas. This study evaluated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and self-concept in a racially mixed sample of sexually abused girls. Latinas had elevated levels of depression and anxiety and lower levels of self-concept than children in standardization samples. Their symptom levels did not differfrom the sexually abused White and African American girls in the study. They were also very similar to the othersubjects in relationship to the identity of the perpetrator, the age when the abuse began, and the kind of abuse. The only racial/ethnic differencefound in the study was in duration of the abuse, with White girls experiencing longer abuse than the Latina orAfrican American subjects. Some possible explanations for thefindings are discusssed.
Organizational commitment and its outcomes: Differing effects of value commitment and continuance commitment on stress reactions, alienation and organization-serving behaviours

This study attempted to determine the differing effects of value commitment and continuance commitment on several outcome variables. Value commitment was predicted to show significantly stronger ne...
Stent-Induced Cholangitis Mimicking Biliary Dilatation on Sonography

This study describes the sonographic features of stent-induced cholangitis, which could be mistaken for biliary dilatation and obstruction. It involves six patients with a mean age of 71 years (ran...
An adolescent's refusal of medical treatment: implications of the Abraham Cheerix case.

Earlier this year lawmakers in Virginia passed what has come to be known as “Abraham's Law,” which was precipitated by the case of a 15-year-old boy with Hodgkin's disease named Starchild Abraham Cheerix. Pediatricians should be aware of the law, which other states may choose to emulate, and its potential implications for their practice. Abraham and his parents refused the additional chemotherapy recommended by his physicians at a children's hospital because of the adverse effects he had suffered previously. They chose instead to use prayer and an herbal remedy and, as a result, were threatened by the court with possible loss of custody. The family brought their story to the media, and a great deal of support arose for the family's right to make this decision without state interference. In the end, a compromise was reached. The parents retained custody, and Abraham underwent herbal treatments along with radiation therapy (but no chemotherapy) provided by a board-certified oncologist. At the time of this writing, he is 16 years old and, by his own report, feeling well. Largely as a result of this case, a law was passed that states that parents of a child at least 14 years old with a … Address correspondence to Mark R. Mercurio, MD, MA, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, PO Box 208064, New Haven, CT 06520. E-mail: mark.mercurio{at}yale.edu
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase signaling within cardiac myocytes targets phospholamban

Studies have shown that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS, NOS1) knockout mice (NOS1−/−) have increased or decreased contractility, but consistently have found a slowed rate of intracellular Ca2...
Sustainable People: Hypotheses and a Call for Publishable Research

Abstract In various theoretical and applied disciplines ranging from forestry and medicine to politics and ethics, emphasis is currently being placed on what is called sustainability. To achieve sustainability in these spheres of human activity, people who are directly or indirectly involved need to possess certain attributes, five of which are tentatively postulated as follows: (a) the ability and patience to renounce present gains for those in the future; (b) adequate and relevant knowledge concerning the problems at hand; (c) aesthetic and moral feelings regarding people and their environments; (d) an internal rather than an external orientation, indicating that to some degree human existence can be controlled; and (e) the organization of such attributes in perspective. The Journal of Social Psychology seeks to encourage other efforts to specify the attributes of sustainable people. Articles will be assessed that deal with the theme either by summarizing and coordinating existing studies or by providin...
Theory and simulation of the self-assembly of rod–coil block copolymer melts: recent progress

The self-assembly of rod–coil block copolymers (BCPs), i.e., BCPs containing rigid or semi-flexible blocks (rods), has been much less studied and understood than that of flexible (coil) BCPs. Both the conformational asymmetry between rod and coil blocks and the orientational interaction between anisotropic rods can radically change their self-assembly from that of coil BCPs, leading to new physics, new morphologies, and new applications. In view of the emerging applications of rod–coil BCPs with π-conjugated blocks in organic optoelectronic devices, here we briefly review recent theoretical and simulation studies on the self-assembly of rod–coil BCP melts both in bulk and under thin-film confinement, and give some perspectives on future research needs in this area.
A rewriting semantics for type inference

When students first learn programming, they often rely on a simple operational model of a program's behavior to explain how particular features work. Because such models build on their earlier training in algebra, students find them intuitive, even obvious. Students learning type systems, however, have to confront an entirely different notation with a different semantics that many find difficult to understand. In this work, we begin to build the theoretical underpinnings for treating type checking in a manner like the operational semantics of execution. Intuitively, each term is incrementally rewritten to its type. For example, each basic constant rewrites directly to its type and each lambda expression rewrites to an arrow type whose domain is the type of the lambda's formal parameter and whose range is the body of the lambda expression which, in turn, rewrites to the range type.
Adrenocortical and Adipose Responses to High-Altitude-Induced, Long-Term Hypoxia in the Ovine Fetus

By late gestation, the maturing hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis aids the fetus in responding to stress. Hypoxia represents a significant threat to the fetus accompanying situations such as preeclampsia, smoking, high altitude, and preterm labor. We developed a model of high-altitude (3,820 m), long-term hypoxia (LTH) in pregnant sheep. We describe the impact of LTH on the fetal HPA axis at the level of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), anterior pituitary corticotrope, and adrenal cortex. At the PVN and anterior pituitary, the responses to LTH are consistent with hypoxia being a potent activator of the HPA axis and potentially maladaptive, while the adrenocortical response to LTH appears to be primarily adaptive. We discuss mechanisms involved in the delicate balance between these seemingly opposing responses that preserve the normal ontogenic rise in fetal plasma cortisol essential for organ maturation and in this species, birth. Further, we examine the response to, and ramifications of, an acute secondary stressor in the LTH fetus. We provide an integrative model on the potential role of adipose in modulating these responses to LTH. Integration of these adaptive responses to LTH plays a key role in promoting normal fetal growth and development under conditions of a chronic stress.
On the presence of serotonin in the gut lumen and possible release mechanisms.

The possible presence of a luminal release of serotonin (5-HT) from gut enterochromaffin cells (EC) of the rat, was studied after the injection of the tritiated 5-HT precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (3H]-5-HTP by electron microscopic autoradiography. The uptake of 5-HTP into gut epithelial cells was also studied by fluorescence histochemistry according to the Hillarp-Falck technique at the same post-injection interval as in the autoradiography experiments. 3 h after the injections of 5-HTP (100 mg/kg i.v.) the fluorescence intensity of EC was increased and numerous, probably enteroendocrine, cells had an increased yellow tryptamine induced fluorescence due to an uptake of 5-HTP and probably decarboxylation to 5-HT. However, the labelled precursor [3H]-5-HTP was taken up not only into granules of enteroendocrine cells but also incorporated into the cytoplasm and nucleus of nonendocrine cells when studied by autoradiography. After 10 min of efferent electrical stimulation of the vagal nerve much of the label was found in the gut lumen suggesting a release of the amine. The hypothesis of a luminal release of 5-HT was further corroborated in starved cats, where considerable amounts of 5-HT were detected by fluorimetric assays in the lumen of isolated jejunal loops under resting conditions. The experiments demonstrate that :(i) 5-HTP is taken up not only into typical EC but also into other enteroendocrine cells, and most probably decarboxylated to 5-HT. (ii) Also intestinocytes take up [3H]-5-HTP and incorporate the amino acid into peptides to a certain extent. (iii) Following vagal nerve stimulation labelled material, probably 5-HT, is secreted into the gut lumen. (iv) 5-HT normally occurs in the gut lumen.
Arctic Cloud–Radiation–Temperature Associations in Observational Data and Atmospheric Reanalyses

Abstract Associations between cloudiness, radiative fluxes, and surface air temperature in the central Arctic are evaluated from 1) measurements made at Russian drifting ice stations, and 2) atmospheric reanalyses of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). In the ice station data, cloudiness is associated with an increase of downward longwave radiation in all months and an increase of net (downward minus upward) total radiation from September through March. The surface air temperatures under overcast skies are 6°–9°C higher than under clear skies during September–March, and the differences are even larger when the observations are stratified by wind as well as cloudiness. The warming by the radiative flux enhancement after a transition from clear skies to overcast has a 1–2-day timescale, while the cooling after the transition to clear skies has a somewhat shorter timescale. The NCEP reanalysis exaggerates slightly the as...
Development of an Attractant for the Scarab Pest Macrodactylus subspinosus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Abstract Field trials were conducted over several seasons to determine the attractant most successful in luring adult rose chafers, Macrodactylus subspinosus (F.), to traps. During the first season, 20 compounds were compared with the standard lure, valeric acid + hexanoic acid + octyl butyrate (1:1:1). The two new standards established that season were: valeric acid + 1-nonanol (1:1); and valeric acid + hexanoic acid + octyl butyrate + 1-nonanol (1:1:1:1). The following season, 36 compounds were evaluated, comparing them to the new standards. The performance of the standard binary lure valeric acid + 1-nonanol was improved when the alcohol 1-nonanol was replaced by its analog trans-2-nonenol and this was confirmed during the third season. At the same time, a second test was conducted with 29 new candidates, which were combined with valeric acid and compared with the standard: valeric acid + hexanoic acid + octyl butyrate + 1-nonanol (1:1:1:1). A control and the single compound alpha-ionone were included,...
Heart failure risk prediction models: what have we learned?

Physicians are becoming enamored of risk prediction models. Cox proportional hazards, logistic regression, and classification and regression tree methods are being widely used to create a wide variety of prediction models. We should be cognizant of the following quote:“ Prediction is very
Easy Solutions for the K–Center Problem or the Dominating Set Problem on Random Graphs

This paper is concerned with the probabilistic behavior of three NP-complete problems: the K-center, the dominating set, and the set covering problem. There are two main contributions: one is the asymptotic values of the optimal solutions and the probability expressions for the interval of values where the optimal solution value lies for every finite problem size. The other contribution is the proof that any random feasible solution is asymptotically optimal with probability that is asymptotically 1.
0217 The NIEHS GuLF STUDY: Mental Health Symptoms Among Participants Involved in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Clean-up

Objectives Workers and communities impacted by previous oil spills have shown increases in adverse mental health outcomes. The GuLF STUDY is investigating potential health effects among workers involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill clean-up response. Participants confronted physical and psychosocial stressors including exposures to oil and dispersants, income uncertainties, and challenges of family and community disruption. Method Information on demographics, health, and clean-up experience was collected by telephone. Standardised surveys administered to 11 210 participants during home visits captured mental health outcomes including depression, anxiety, PTSD, resiliency, and perceived stress. A summary measure of adverse mental health was defined as having a poor outcome on at least one of the five standardised scales. Mental health outcomes were evaluated in relation to clean-up jobs in models that excluded individuals with pre-existing doctor-diagnosed mental health conditions and controlled for socioeconomic and other factors that contribute to mental well-being. Results Preliminary analysis using the summary mental health measure indicate that persons who worked on oil-spill cleanup were more likely to report adverse mental health outcomes than those who did not, with ORs of 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1–1.9) for rig and barge workers who worked closer to the source of the oil spill and 1.3 (95% CI: 1.1–1.5) for those with land-based clean-up jobs compared to those who did not actively work on the clean-up effort. Conclusions Adverse mental health outcomes were found among individuals in the GuLF STUDY population but further work is necessary to clarify the factors leading to these outcomes.
The Reason of Study Abroad to Japan in the End of Qing Dynasty

In the end of Qing Dynasty,the success of Japan in Ming Zhi Reform and Jawu War,made the Qing government begin to study Japan. Actuated by its ulterior motives,Japan was willing to help Qing to foster students.Qing government carried out education reform to encourage and rewarded the students to study in Japan.On the other hand,the early abroad students in Japan conducted propaganda and agitation,which also brought many students to go to Japan.On the influence of above elments,it appeared a high tide of study abroad to Japan in the end of Qing Dynasty.
Melphalan 200 mg/m 2 in patients with renal impairment is associated with increased short-term toxicity but improved response and longer treatment-free survival

Data on the effectiveness and toxicity of high-dose melphalan in patients with renal impairment (RI) are lacking. We evaluated the impact of RI on outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma treated with melphalan 200 mg/m2 (Mel200) and autologous stem cell transplantation. Similar baseline characteristics were seen among 46 patients with creatinine clearance (CrCl) <60 mL/min (median 50 mL/min, range 20-59) and 103 patients with CrCl ⩾60 mL/min (median 83 mL/min, range 60-128). Patients with CrCl <60 mL/min had longer time to neutrophil (P=0.008) and platelet engraftment (P<0.001). Diarrhea, duration of total parenteral nutrition use and infection were significantly higher in the CrCl <60 mL/min group. With a median follow-up of 35 months (range 2-132) in the CrCl <60 mL/min group and 47 months (range 1-45) in the CrCl ⩾60 mL/min group, overall survival was comparable between the two groups. Median treatment-free survival was longer in the RI group (37 vs 17 months, P=0.0025). Multivariate analysis showed CrCl <60 mL/min (hazard ratio (HR) 3.5), and prior proteasome inhibitor therapy (HR 2.441) both predicted longer treatment-free survival. We consider Mel200 safe and effective in patients with CrCl between 30 and 60 mL/min.
Identification of Bifurcations from Observations of Noisy Biological Oscillators

Abstract Hair bundles are biological oscillators that actively transduce mechanical stimuli into electrical signals in the auditory, vestibular, and lateral-line systems of vertebrates. A bundle's function can be explained in part by its operation near a particular type of bifurcation, a qualitative change in behavior. By operating near different varieties of bifurcation, the bundle responds best to disparate classes of stimuli. We show how to determine the identity of and proximity to distinct bifurcations despite the presence of substantial environmental noise. Using an improved mechanical-load clamp to coerce a hair bundle to traverse different bifurcations, we find that a bundle operates within at least two functional regimes. When coupled to a high-stiffness load, a bundle functions near a supercritical Hopf bifurcation, in which case it responds best to sinusoidal stimuli such as those detected by an auditory organ. When the load stiffness is low, a bundle instead resides close to a subcritical Hopf bifurcation and achieves a graded frequency response—a continuous change in the rate, but not the amplitude, of spiking in response to changes in the offset force—a behavior that is useful in a vestibular organ. The mechanical load in vivo might therefore control a hair bundle's responsiveness for effective operation in a particular receptor organ. Our results provide direct experimental evidence for the existence of distinct bifurcations associated with a noisy biological oscillator, and demonstrate a general strategy for bifurcation analysis based on observations of any noisy system.
Multi-camera Fruit Localization in Robotic Harvesting

Abstract: Motivated by an effort to study layered vision systems for robotic harvesting, this paper investigates the problem of fruit localization using multiple cameras in the fruit detection layer of the vision system. A pseudo stereo-vision approach is presented where fruit matching is accomplished by loosely holding the epipolar constraint to reduce computation time. In the presence of noise, heuristics are presented to identify the greatest subset of cameras with matched fruits. Subsequently, the fruit depth is obtained by minimizing the summation of the image reprojection error in cameras with matching fruit. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to establish localization efficiency of the proposed approach under varying design parameters and image noise.
VizMap: Accessible Visual Information Through Crowdsourced Map Reconstruction

When navigating indoors, blind people are often unaware of key visual information, such as posters, signs, and exit doors. Our VizMap system uses computer vision and crowdsourcing to collect this information and make it available non-visually. VizMap starts with videos taken by on-site sighted volunteers and uses these to create a 3D spatial model. These video frames are semantically labeled by remote crowd workers with key visual information. These semantic labels are located within and embedded into the reconstructed 3D model, forming a query-able spatial representation of the environment. VizMap can then localize the user with a photo from their smartphone, and enable them to explore the visual elements that are nearby. We explore a range of example applications enabled by our reconstructed spatial representation. With VizMap, we move towards integrating the strengths of the end user, on-site crowd, online crowd, and computer vision to solve a long-standing challenge in indoor blind exploration.
Recent results from dual-layer array transducers for 3-D imaging

The difficulties associated with fabricating and connecting 2-D arrays with large numbers of elements have limited the development of arrays with more than 5000 elements. In order to simplify transducer design and system requirements, we proposed a 5 MHz PZT-P[VDF-TrFE] dual-layer transducer array design before which used perpendicular 1-D arrays for 3-D imaging of targets near the transducer. This transducer design reduces the fabrication complexity and the channel count. As higher frequencies (> 5 MHz) are more commonly used clinically, in this paper, we present an 8 MHz planar dual-layer transducer array for 3-D rectilinear imaging. Meanwhile, regarding the clinical needs for 3-D transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), we also present a 5 MHz cylindrical dual-layer transducer array here, which would be used for visualizing the prostate, guidance of biopsies, and monitoring therapeutic procedures. The flexibility of the copolymer material used in dual-layer scheme also makes it easy to mold around a cylindrical form. Performance of both arrays is verified through simulations and experiments.
Rebellion, war aims & the laws of war

Most wars today are civil wars, but we have little understanding of the conditions under which rebel groups might comply with the laws of war. i ask three questions in this essay: What do the laws of war require of rebels, or armed nonstate actors (ansas)? To what extent are rebels aware of the laws of war? Under what conditions do rebel groups comply with international humanitarian law? i argue that the war aims of rebel groups are key to understanding their relationship with the laws of war. In particular, secessionist rebel groups – those that seek a new, independent state – are especially likely to comply with the laws of war as a means to signal their capacity and willingness to be good citizens of the international community to which they seek admission.
Opening Windows on Surveillance: the Scholarship of Gary Marx

Gary Marx’s work on surveillance is important to those concerned about the causes and implications of modern surveillance technologies. This essay addresses the themes of reality, complexity, and transdisciplinarity that are prominent in all of Marx’s work including his 2016 book, Windows into the Soul: Surveillance and Society in an Age of High Technology.
Local Excision of Early-Stage Rectal Cancer

Early-stage rectal cancer, defined as T1–T2, N0, M0, is a curable disease, and the standard-of-care treatment is radical surgical resection (low anterior resection or abdominoperineal resection). Radical resection is associated with significant morbidity, prolonged recovery and compromised bowel, urological and sexual function, and risk of creation of a permanent colostomy, especially in patients with distal rectal cancer. Local excision is a “rectum-preserving,” functioning-maintaining procedure that is associated with low morbidity and mortality in highly selected patients. Local excision has evolved from “simple disc excision” of small tumors within reach performed under direct vision into a complex transanal excision of larger and more advanced proximal cancers. The indications for local excision have expanded to include patients with advanced rectal cancer for which significant response to neoadjuvant therapy has occurred. However, because of oncologic concern, such expansive inclusion must be viewed as investigational at this time. There are no randomized trials comparing oncologic outcomes between local excision and radical resection. Careful patient selection and possibly the use of adjuvant therapy may improve the results of local excision, although there are no phase III trials to support the role of adjuvant therapy. Local excision is reserved for highly select patients with T1 cancer or those whose comorbid conditions preclude a major operation.
Abstract 913: Wnt signaling promotes mouse and human gastric stem cell proliferation

Background: The Wnt signaling pathway is required for proliferation of intestinal stem cells and activating mutations in the Wnt pathway can promote colorectal cancer. The requirement for Wnt to support gastric stem cell function is much less clear, despite recent reports showing that activating Wnt pathway mutations occur in human gastric cancer. Here we tested the role of Wnt to support stem cell proliferation in the mouse stomach and in human stem cells cultured from control or gastric cancer tissues. Methods: Wnt signaling in the mouse stomach was detected using TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP reporter mice, and Wnt + gastric cells were identified via GFP immunostaining. Wnt function in SOX2 + gastric stem cells was tested with Sox2-CreER; Apc fl/+ mice, 1-month post-Apc deletion. Wnt regulation of human gastric stem cells was tested in organoid cultures derived from paired control (non-cancer) and gastric cancer tissues. Established organoids were treated with the Wnt inhibitor IWR-1-endo and growth was assessed by quantification of organoid size. Results: GFP + cells were observed in the gastric epithelium of TCF/Lef:H2B-GFP mice, located throughout corpus glands and at the gland base in antral glands. Interestingly, GFP + epithelial cells were largely post-mitotic although in the antrum, a subset of GFP + cells at the gland base co-localized with the antral stem cell marker LGR5. In both corpus and antrum, a subset of GFP + epithelial cells co-stained with the pan-endocrine marker Chromogranin A and in the antrum, a subset also co-stained with the deep mucous cell marker GSII, suggesting Wnt may regulate gastric cell fate. Analysis of Sox2-CreER; Apc fl/+ mice revealed that Wnt pathway activation in SOX2 + gastric stem cells led to increased epithelial cell proliferation in both corpus and antrum. In the antrum, this incease in proliferation was also accompanied by increased expression of the cancer stem cell marker CD44 at the gland base. Wnt activation also perturbed epithelial cell differentiation in the gastric antrum, with expansion of GSII + deep mucous cells. Wnt inhibition reduced growth of human gastric organoids derived from non-cancer and gastric cancer tissues. Interestingly, organoids derived from gastric cancer tissue were significantly larger than control organoids and required a 5-fold increase in IWR-1-endo to achieve significant growth inhibition, implying that gastric cancer organoids are somewhat resistant to Wnt inhibition to slow growth. Conclusion: Wnt signaling is a critical pathway for regulation of mouse and human gastric stem cell homeostasis, promoting cellular proliferation. Thus, Wnt may represent an effective therapeutic target for gastric cancers with Wnt-activating mutations. Citation Format: Elise Susan Demitrack, Linda C. Samuelson. Wnt signaling promotes mouse and human gastric stem cell proliferation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 913. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-913
Special Considerations for Using Functional Behavior Assessment and Functionally-Indicated Interventions With Students in Alternative Educational Settings

Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is the process of collecting data to determine the function of an individual’s behavior to develop a functionally-indicated behavioral intervention (BIP). Special adaptations may be needed to conduct FBA and implement BIPs in alternative educational settings. In this article, we highlight suggestions for adaptation centered around data, systems, and practices.
Chronic Belching and Chronic Hiccups

Belching and hiccups are normal phenomena. We all have them—occasionally. But when they become chronic and refractory, they can be psychologically exhausting and socially distressing. They can also be symptoms of more serious underlying disease. This chapter explores the causes and treatments for these unfortunate maladies.
Evaluation of four commercial quantitative real-time PCR kits with inhibited and degraded samples

DNA quantification is a vital step in forensic DNA analysis to determine the optimal input amount for DNA typing. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay that can predict DNA degradation or inhibitors present in the sample prior to DNA amplification could aid forensic laboratories in creating a more streamlined and efficient workflow. This study compares the results from four commercial qPCR kits: (1) Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro Kit, (2) Quantifiler® Trio DNA Quantification Kit, (3) PowerQuant® System, and (4) InnoQuant® HY with high molecular weight DNA, low template samples, degraded samples, and DNA spiked with various inhibitors.The results of this study indicate that all kits were comparable in accurately predicting quantities of high quality DNA down to the sub-picogram level. However, the InnoQuant(R) HY kit showed the highest precision across the DNA concentration range tested in this study. In addition, all kits performed similarly with low concentrations of forensically relevant PCR inhibitors. However, in general, the Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro Kit was the most tolerant kit to inhibitors and provided the most accurate quantification results with higher concentrations of inhibitors (except with salt). PowerQuant® and InnoQuant® HY were the most sensitive to inhibitors, but they did indicate significant levels of PCR inhibition. When quantifying degraded samples, each kit provided different degradation indices (DI), with Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro indicating the largest DI and Quantifiler® Trio indicating the smallest DI. When the qPCR kits were paired with their respective STR kit to genotype highly degraded samples, the Investigator® 24plex QS and GlobalFiler® kits generated more complete profiles when the small target concentrations were used for calculating input amount.
Regulatory role of arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl)transferase in muscle cells.

Earlier we demonstrated that meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), a specific inhibitor of arginine mono-ADP-ribosylation blocks proliferation and differentiation of chick skeletal myogenic cells in culture (Exp. Cell Res., 1992, 201: 33-42). Membrane fractions from 4-day, myotube cultures of embryonic chick muscle cells were incubated with 32P-NAD+. Several proteins were labeled, but labeling of two bands of about 53 and 36 kDa appeared to be due to arginyl ADP-ribosylation. Immunoprecipitation with D3 monoclonal antibody to the intermediate filament protein desmin, SDS-PAGE and autoradiography demonstrated that the 53 kDa band contained desmin, and that this desmin is ADP-ribosylated by the endogenous arginine-specific mono(ADP-ribosyl)transferase (Exp. Cell Res.,1996, in press). Desmin is the muscle-specific intermediate filament protein, and it appears to be one of the first muscle-specific proteins expressed during terminal myogenic differentiation. We have examined whether desmin can be ADP-ribosylated in muscle cells by use of polyclonal antibodies for ADP-ribosylated arginyl residues. We have found that soluble desmin is present in 5-6 day myogenic cell cultures and that this desmin contains ADP-ribose, demonstrating that desmin is ADP-ribosylated in skeletal muscle cells. We also found that purified avian desmin contains antigenic material that reacts with these antibodies. In both cases, NaCl had no effect on the reactivity, but NH2OH did, which is consistent with an arginine-ADPR linkage. In summary, these results suggest that ADP-ribosylation is an important regulatory mechanism in differentiating muscle cells, and that the intermediate filament protein desmin is an important substrate for modification in muscle cells.
Concurrent security and non-malleability

The Internet enables concurrent executions of cryptographic protocols. This concurrent setting, however, also brings forth new types of coordinated attacks in which an adversary controls many parties, interleaving the executions of the various protocol instances, and attempts to "maul" messages from one execution to use in another. In this talk, we will survey some recent methods for achieving concurrent security without relying on any trusted-set up (such as e.g., Common Reference Strings).
Lysophospholipids, long chain acylcarnitines and membrane dysfunction in the ischaemic heart

Several findings suggest that the accumulation of ions and metabolites contribute to the electrophysiological alterations and associated malignant arrhythmias in the ischaemic heart. Our studies have focused on two amphipathic metabolites, lysophosphoglycerides (LPGs) and long-chain acylcarnitines (LCA). In an attempt to implicate any metabolite as contributing to the early electrophysiological alterations or subsequent development of irreversible cell injury in the ischaemic heart, several methodological and interpretative issues must be addressed, including the time course of accumulation and subcellular distribution. Current findings include: (1) both LPGs and LCA increase in ischaemic myocardium within 3 min, although the precise subcellular distributions have yet to be clarified, (2) electrophysiological alterations, analogous to those seen during ischaemia, are induced in vitro by both LPGs and LCA when as little as 1 mol % is incorporated into the sarcolemma (SL) based on EM autoradiography, (3) electrophysiological effects of LPGs are dependent on extracellular delivery, based on studies using intracellular pressure microinjection, (4) LPGs increase in both cardiac lymph and venular effluents in vivo within minutes to concentrations sufficient to induce electrophysiological alterations, (5) LCA increases in rat myocytes in vitro during hypoxia with a 5-fold increase in the SL determined by quantitative EM autoradiography. Inhibition of carnitine acyltransferase I (CAT-I) during hypoxia prevents not only the SL accumulation of LCA but also the associated electrophysiological alterations. Since the two major catabolic enzymes for LPGs are inhibited by LCA, studies are currently underway to assess the effects of inhibition of CAT-I during ischaemia in vivo, on both LCA and LPG accumulation and the influence on regional electrophysiological alterations and arrhythmogenesis.
General Anesthesia: Intravenous Induction Agents, Inhalational Agents, and Neuromuscular Blockers

Intravenous medication has been the most common method of induction of general anesthesia for many decades, primarily due to the speed of onset, lack of patient discomfort as unconsciousness develops, and the ability to select a drug (or drugs) and dosages tailored to the patient’s medical status. As there is no single ideal induction agent, the relative advantages and disadvantages of each agent must be understood in order to make a rational choice, especially for the older patient whose organ systems demonstrate diminished reserve with greater sensitivity and more adverse effects than their younger counterparts.
Injection Port Derivatization for GC/MS–MS: Analysis of Hormones in Water

Abstract An on-column derivatization method was developed for the major hormones (17-α-ethinylestradiol, 17-β-estradiol, estrone, estriol, and mestranol) and the endocrine disruptor, bisphenol A, which is quite simple and takes the work out of derivatization. The method consists of concentrating the hormones by solid-phase extraction from water, elution of the hormones with methanol, evaporation to dryness, and addition of derivatization reagent. The extract is transferred to a vial, the reagent is added, and the sample is injected into the GC/MS injection port, where the derivatization occurs and the hormones are analyzed.
Comparison of PD‐L1 immunohistochemistry assays and response to PD‐1/L1 inhibitors in advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer in clinical practice

AIMS Several studies have demonstrated analytical comparability between different PD-L1 assays, but their clinical validity in non-small-cell lung cancer in terms of response to treatment outside clinical trials has not been established. The aim of our study is to assess the analytical performance of laboratory-developed tests for Ventana SP263 and Agilent/Dako 22C3, and to investigate the association between PD-L1 assays and response to PD-1/L1 inhibitors. METHODS AND RESULTS PD-L1 SP263 and 22C3 assays were performed on 302 consecutive non-small-cell lung carcinoma samples Both assays were optimised for use on the automated Ventana BenchMark Ultra platform. Scoring algorithms for staining of the tumour cells using the established cut-offs were applied to all samples. Best overall response (BOR) for 44 patients treated with either nivolumab, pembrolizumab or atezolizumab were assessed using recist version 1.1 and correlated with PD-L1 assay results. Assays showed good agreement, with a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.82-0.90)]. Comparing the assays using cut-offs of 1%, 5%, 10%, 1-49% and ≥50% showed an association between the two assays (P < 0.0001). The SP263 10% cut-off (P = 0.032) was associated with BOR, whereas the 1% (P = 0.087) and 5% (P = 0.051) cut-offs were not. In contrast 22C3, cut-offs of 1% (P = 0.019), 5% (P = 0.025) and 10% (P = 0.014) were all associated with BOR. CONCLUSIONS The SP263 and 22C3 LDTs demonstrated good analytical concordance, and correlation with response to PD-1/L1 inhibitors.
Understanding Variation–Part 2: The Control Chart

Both run and control charts can be used to answer the question "How will we know that a change is an improvement?". Run charts are advantageous at the start of an improvement effort, when little is known about the system and how it performs. Over time, transitioning to a control chart may provide more specific information and insight into the data being measured. The type of numeric data being collected helps guide the most appropriate choice of control chart. Control chart rules exist and should be used to determine if a change in the data represents common cause or special cause variation. Similar to run charts, it is important not to over- or under-react to a single point on a control chart. Control chart rules help quality improvers determine whether interventions being tested are having a meaningful impact on the system.
Graduate Studies in Information Systems Engineering and Management (ISEM) for Digital Enterprises

Digital Enterprises of today and tomorrow need to be properly planned, architected, engineered, integrated and managed to meet the location and customer specific demands. There is a need for academic programs that concentrate on systems engineering practices with special attention to management and technology issues for a global market, including developing countries. A quick study of extant systems engineering academic programs has revealed that most do not consider information systems and engineering management topics. This paper describes an innovative graduate studies program that prepares well rounded systems engineers whose knowledge cuts across information systems, systems engineering, and engineering management for different populations. Highly flexible concentrations and capstone projects allow the students to gain knowledge in diverse sectors such as health, education, public safety, public welfare, energy, environment, agriculture and manufacturing. The steady growth in enrollments testifies to the appeal of this program.