cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized Hand Gesture Recognition for Wearable Devices in IoT: Application and Implementation Challenges

The proliferation of low power and low cost continuous sensing technology is enabling new and innovative applications in wearables and Internet of Things (IoT). At the same time, new applications are creating challenges to maintain real-time response in a resource-constrained device, while maintaining an acceptable performance. In this paper, we describe an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor-based generalized hand gesture recognition system, its applications, and the challenges involved in implementing the algorithm in a resource-constrained device. We have implemented a simple algorithm for gesture spotting that substantially reduces the false positives. The gesture recognition model was built using the data collected from 52 unique subjects. The model was mapped onto Intel® QuarkTM SE Pattern Matching Engine, and field-tested using 8 additional subjects achieving 92% performance.
Wild bee community change over a 26-year chronosequence of restored tallgrass prairie

Restoration efforts often focus on plants, but additionally require the establishment and long-term persistence of diverse groups of nontarget organisms, such as bees, for important ecosystem functions and meeting restoration goals. We investigated long-term patterns in the response of bees to habitat restoration by sampling bee communities along a 26-year chronosequence of restored tallgrass prairie in north-central Illinois, U.S.A. Specifically, we examined how bee communities changed over time since restoration in terms of (1) abundance and richness, (2) community composition, and (3) the two components of beta diversity, one-to-one species replacement, and changes in species richness. Bee abundance and raw richness increased with restoration age from the low level of the pre-restoration (agricultural) sites to the target level of the remnant prairie within the first 2–3 years after restoration, and these high levels were maintained throughout the entire restoration chronosequence. Bee community composition of the youngest restored sites differed from that of prairie remnants, but 5–7 years post-restoration the community composition of restored prairie converged with that of remnants. Landscape context, particularly nearby wooded land, was found to affect abundance, rarefied richness, and community composition. Partitioning overall beta diversity between sites into species replacement and richness effects revealed that the main driver of community change over time was the gradual accumulation of species, rather than one-to-one species replacement. At the spatial and temporal scales we studied, we conclude that prairie restoration efforts targeting plants also successfully restore bee communities.
Miniaturized RF components

Summary form only given. This talk presents several miniaturized RF components. The components reviewed are organized in two main categories, multi-band antennas and novel structures based on carbon nanotubes. Modern personal communication systems provide many services over several bands. They require antennas that are capable of operating over the desired frequencies. System designers may use any combination of conventional narrowband, wideband, multiband, and reconfigurable antennas. The antennas must meet stringent size and cost requirements. Multiband antennas are designed to meet an expansive range of services spanning over a wide spectrum, from about 800 MHz up to 6 GHz, and beyond, which is a challenging task. Several miniaturized antennas will be reviewed. Other miniaturized structures reviewed in this talk are envisioned to be based on carbon nanotubes. Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes in 1991, the material has been investigated in many applications. There are efforts to characterize all properties of material, which is a necessary step for exploring new potential applications. New interesting properties are reviewed, leading to miniaturization of devices such as filters and antennas which are important components in every RF front end. This talk reviews results of carbon nanotubes and assesses their potential for RF and microwave applications.
Landscape for a planet with two dwarf suns

AbstractC.H.Z. (Continually Habitable Zones) is an astrogeological term for planets that may be able to support life similar to that on earth. It is also the title of a 2011 film by French artist Philippe Parreno, created using a site designed, reshaped, and planted by Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets. Imagined as the product of a hyper-photosynthesis produced by the pair of dwarf suns, Smets cast the C.H.Z. landscape as dark, approaching black. This essay traces the planning and implementation of the site outside Porto, Portugal, the conception and making of the film, and what has happened to the site in the three years since filming. These are set against a broader discussion of landscape in relation to cinema.
Stochastic planning in large search spaces

Multi-agent planning approaches are employed for many problems including task allocation, surveillance and video games. In the first part of my thesis, we study two multi-robot planning problems, i.e. patrolling and task allocation. For the patrolling problem, we present a novel stochastic search technique, Monte Carlo Tree Search with Useful Cycles, that can generate optimal cyclic patrol policies with theoretical convergence guarantees. For the multi-robot task allocation problem, we propose an Monte Carlo Tree Search based satisficing method using branch and bound paradigm along with a novel search parallelization technique. In the second part of my thesis, we develop a stochastic multi-agent narrative planner employing MCTS along with new heuristic and pruning methods applicable for other planning domains as well.
Cardiovascular Health and Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Among Medicare Beneficiaries: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study

Background Better cardiovascular health is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk. Methods and Results We determined the association between cardiovascular health and healthcare utilization and expenditures in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. We included 6262 participants ≥65 years with Medicare fee‐for‐service coverage for the year after their baseline study visit in 2003‐2007. Cardiovascular health at baseline was assessed using the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metric, which includes 7 factors: cigarette smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. Healthcare utilization and expenditures were ascertained using Medicare claims in the year following baseline. Overall, 17.2%, 31.1%, 29.0%, 16.4% and 6.4% of participants had 0 to 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to 7 ideal LS7 factors, respectively. The multivariable‐adjusted relative risk (95% confidence interval [CI]) for having any inpatient and outpatient encounters comparing participants with 5 to 7 versus 0 to 1 ideal LS7 factors were 0.55 (0.39, 0.76) and 1.00 (0.98, 1.02), respectively. Among participants with 0 to 1 and 5 to 7 ideal LS7 factors, mean inpatient expenditures were $3995 and $1250, respectively, mean outpatient expenditures were $5166 and $2853, respectively, and mean total expenditures were $9147 and $4111, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, the mean (95% CI) cost difference comparing participants with 5 to 7 versus 0 to 1 ideal LS7 factors was −$2551 (−$3667, −$1435) for inpatient, −$2410 (−$3089, −$1731) for outpatient, and −$5016 (−$6577, −$3454) for total expenditures. Conclusions Better cardiovascular health is associated with lower risk for inpatient encounters and lower inpatient and outpatient healthcare expenditures.
Transport velocity of droplets on ratchet conveyors is determined by quantized step probability

We report the first characterization of the transport velocity for droplets driven on ratchet conveyors. Through this study, we determined that the minimum vibration amplitude to initiate droplet transport does not occur at the largest movement of the droplet edges and is thus not simply a resonance effect. We have also discovered that the transport velocity is correlated with the vibration amplitude, but ultimately determined by the probability of the droplet edges advancing by a discrete number of steps.
A Theory for RF and Microwave Scalar Reflectometer Errors

Scalar reflectometers afford a relatively inexpensive means to measure reflection coefficient magnitudes at RF and microwave frequencies. Unfortunately, the measurements include errors that arise f...
Finite impulse response estimator (FIRE)

An attempt is made to combine a deterministic digital filter and a stochastic filter. The state equation is the standard form used for a Kalman filter deriva— tion and the output equation is of the finite impulse response filter. An optimal estimator is derived for this combined structure, called a finite impulse response estimator (FIRE) which permits processing of a signal contaminated by deterministic and random noises. Derivation of the FIRE utilizes the state augmentation technique and the innovation technique. The proposed method is straight forward and easy to implement and it can be applied to areas such as time varying signal processing or target tracking where radar 'returns are contaminated by low frequency noises. Full derivation and a tracking application are presented.
THE PHARMACOLOGY OF STRIATAL PTERINS AND THE REGULATION OF DOPAMINERGIC FUNCTION

d-Amphetamine (d-AMP) decreases rat striatal reduced pterins (PH 4 ), and the change exhibits complex dose-time-effect relationships. Of 27 other drugs, none affects striatal PH 4 but some alter the d-AMP effect. Loss in PH 4 is due to oxidation yielding non-quinoid dihydropterin (PH 2 ), and we have identified in the striatum a non-quinoid dihydropterin reductase (DPR) that is implicated in PH 4 restoration. Data are interpreted in terms of a model wherein two distinct PH 4 regenerating systems serve two dopamine (DA) synthetic pathways, defining a discrete primary action of d-AMP.
F-MStorm: Feedback-Based Online Distributed Mobile Stream Processing

A distributed mobile stream processing system allows mobile devices to process stream data that exceeds any single device's computation capability without the help of infrastructure. It is paramount to have such a system in many critical application scenarios, such as military operations and disaster response, yet an efficient online mobile stream processing system is still missing. In this paper, we make the key observation that the unique characteristics of mobile stream processing call for a feedback-based system design, which is in sharp contrast with the static configuration and scheduling of the current mobile stream processing system, "MStorm". At first, we demonstrate the inefficiencies of MStorm through several real-world experiments. Then, we propose F-MStorm, a feedback-based online distributed mobile stream processing system, which adopts the feedback-based approach in the configuration, scheduling and execution levels of system design. We implement F-MStorm on Android phones and evaluate its performance through benchmark applications. We show that it achieves up to 3x lower response time, 10% higher throughput and consumes 23% less communication energy than the state-of-the-art systems.
Computational Study of Methane Activation on γ-Al2O3

The C–H activation of methane remains a longstanding challenge in the chemical industry. Metal oxides are attractive catalysts for the C–H activation of methane due to their surface Lewis acid–base properties. In this work, we applied density functional theory calculations to investigate the C–H activation mechanism of methane on various sites of low-index facets of γ-Al2O3. The feasibility of C–H activation on different metal–oxygen (acid–base) site pairs was assessed through two potential mechanisms, namely, the radical and polar. The effect of surface hydroxylation on C–H activation was also investigated to examine the activity of γ-Al2O3 under realistic catalytic surface conditions (hydration). On the basis of our calculations, it was demonstrated that the C–H activation barriers for polar pathways are significantly lower than those of the radical pathways on γ-Al2O3. We showed that the electronic structure (s- and p-band center) for unoccupied and occupied bands can be used to probe site-dependent Le...
Making Local Sourcing Standard Practice: Lessons From Michigan

Abstract The Michigan Farm to Institution Network, co-coordinated by Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and Ecology Center, has brought together a learning community of hundreds of people that includes buyers, farmers, suppliers, vendors, advocates, and scholars. The Network’s Cultivate Michigan campaign has engaged more than sixty institutions in committing to purchasing twenty percent of their food from Michigan by 2020. This chapter discusses three key aspects of Network efforts that have been instrumental in advancing farm-to-institution activity across Michigan: state government policy; non-profit and extension facilitation; and supply chain partnerships. Following these keys to progress are three case studies of institutions weaving local food sourcing into their organizational culture: a child development center, a juvenile detention facility, and a hospital. We conclude by reflecting on these collective efforts and the challenges on the horizon.
One dimensional effervescence modeling of an extraterrestrial submarine in the Saturn Titan Seas

Abstract An extraterrestrial submarine has been proposed to explore Saturn's moon Titan. A major design concern is the effect of effervescence on submarine operation. Because nitrogen gas has a relatively high solubility in the liquid ethane and methane seas, waste heat generated by the submarine power system may cause dissolved nitrogen gas to come out of solution. In a non-moving case, bubbles that form may interfere with science measurements. In a moving case, bubbles that form along the body may coalesce at the aft end of the craft and cause cavitation in the propellers. This paper presents a concise effervescence model as a function of the waste heat, location of submarine within the seas (liquid temperature and pressure), and contact angle between bubbles and submarine skin. Based on results, effervescence is a strong function of heat flux into the liquid as well as contact angle, possibly requiring limits on the power system or a redesign of the thermal management system. The current submarine operating waste heat flux is 370 W/m2, which when compared to recent bubble incipience data suggests a small margin in safety factor, however.
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis infection and disease in children: a review of new and repurposed drugs.

The World Health Organization estimates that 10 million new cases of tuberculosis (TB) occurred worldwide in 2017, of which 600,000 were rifampicin or multidrug-resistant (RR/MDR) TB. Modelling est...
The Productive Heimat : Territorial Loss and Rurality in German Identity at the Stunde Null

Fojtik explores connections between hunger, territorial loss and identity in postwar Germany by examining the documents and correspondence of the food administrations in the western zones of occupation. She argues that Germans’ understanding of “home” (Heimat) was critically tied to agricultural productivity since the early years of German nationhood. Accordingly, hungry Germans after 1945 understood food shortage as a direct consequence of territorial division and land loss to Poland—the Heimat had nourished them, both spiritually and nutritionally. Shortage signaled, moreover, that the German future would not be an agricultural one, a change that had been a long time coming but that the Nazis postponed with their elevation of the farmer and their rhetoric about “the soil.”
Precision Cardio-Oncology: a Systems-Based Perspective on Cardiotoxicity of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Cancer therapies have been evolving from conventional chemotherapeutics to targeted agents. This has fulfilled the hope of greater efficacy but unfortunately not of greater safety. In fact, a broad spectrum of toxicities can be seen with targeted therapies, including cardiovascular toxicities. Among these, cardiomyopathy and heart failure have received greatest attention, given their profound implications for continuation of cancer therapies and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Prediction of risk has always posed a challenge and even more so with the newer targeted agents. The merits of accurate risk prediction, however, are very evident, e.g. facilitating treatment decisions even before the first dose is given. This is important for agents with a long half-life and high potential to induced life-threatening cardiac complications, such as myocarditis with immune checkpoint inhibitors. An opportunity to address these needs in the field of cardio-oncology is provided by the expanding repertoire of “-omics” and other tools in precision medicine and their integration in a systems biology approach. This may allow for new insights into patho-mechanisms and the creation of more precise and cost-effective risk prediction tools with the ultimate goals of improved therapy decisions and prevention of cardiovascular complications. Herein, we explore this topic as a future approach to translating the complexity of cardio-oncology to the reality of patient care.
Factors Associated With Intubation and Prolonged Intubation in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19.

ObjectiveTo identify risk factors associated with intubation and time to extubation in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Study DesignRetrospective observational study.S...
The Impact of Sanctions against North Korea on Humanitarian Aid

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) has been a recipient of international humanitarian aid from international organisations (IOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) since 1995. In recent years, multilateral and unilateral sanctions in response to the DPRK’s nuclear programme have created a new layer of difficulty for humanitarians looking to engage with the authoritarian state. This paper explores how sanctions are affecting humanitarian work in practice, utilising interviews with practitioners. The research first surveys documentation, particularly from IOs, to establish how humanitarians understand contemporary need inside the country. Next, this paper examines the impacts of sanctions on aid efforts, with a particular focus on multilateral United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions and unilateral American measures. Unpacking humanitarian challenges and potential ways to navigate the sanctions regime provides a foundation for academics and humanitarian practitioners to better understand both the DPRK and possible avenues for principled, effective aid.
Fires and Building Safety

Fires are widespread during the recent past and wildland fires and building fires have been reported. A building is computer modeled using Zone Modeling concept to study the temperature and smoke distribution of a one-story building due to a fire based on conservation of mass and energy. The results documented have smoke distribution as well as oxygen and carbon dioxide levels at different targets of the building and correlate to the levels of human exposure to the products of combustion.
Stress testing before abdominal aortic aneurysm repair does not lead to a reduction in perioperative cardiac events.

Abstract Objective Stress testing is often used before abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Whether stress testing leads to a reduction in cardiac events after AAA repair has remained unclear. Our objective was to study the national stress test usage rates and compare the perioperative outcomes between centers with high and low usage of stress testing. Methods We used the Vascular Quality Initiative to study patients who had undergone elective endovascular AAA repair (EVAR) or open AAA repair (OAR). We measured the usage rates of stress testing across centers and compared the Vascular Study Group of New England cardiac risk index (VSG-CRI) among patients who had and had not undergone preoperative stress testing. We determined the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of perioperative myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure exacerbation, and death across the centers. We compared the MACE and 1-year mortality between the centers in the highest quintile of stress test usage and the lowest quintile. Results We studied 43,396 EVAR patients and 8935 OAR patients across 324 centers. The median proportion of stress test usage across centers before EVAR was 35.9% and varied from 10.2% (5th percentile) to 73.7% (95th percentile), with similar variability for OAR (median, 57.9%; 5th percentile, 13.0%; 95th percentile, 86.0%). The mean VSG-CRI for the EVAR group with preoperative stress testing was 5.6 ± 2.1 compared with 5.4 ± 2.1 (P Conclusions Stress test usage before AAA repair varied widely across Vascular Quality Initiative centers despite similar patient risk profiles. No reduction was observed in MACE or 1-year mortality among centers with high stress test usage. The value of routine stress testing before AAA repair should be reconsidered, and stress testing should be used more selectively, given these findings and the associated costs of widespread testing.
Infectious Complications of Hemodialysis in Children

Infections significantly complicate the care of children on hemodialysis and usually are associated with the use of a hemodialysis catheter for dialysis access. Infections of arteriovenous fistulae and arteriovenous grafts are uncommon, but many children on hemodialysis rely on a catheter, either while permanent access is being created or for long-term access. Catheter exit site infections most often occur independently of catheter-related bloodstream infections and are usually amenable to treatment with increased skin antisepsis and oral antibiotic provision. Tunnel infections can be more complicated and sometimes require surgical intervention and lead to catheter replacement. Catheter-related bloodstream infections are generally caused by skin flora and are often related to contamination of an open dialysis catheter hub during a dialysis treatment. Bacterial colonization of catheters and the development of biofilm also predispose to bloodstream infections. Broad-spectrum antibiotics such as vancomycin and ceftazidime are typically used for empiric antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic locks have been shown to reduce catheter infections and also augment cure rates. Catheter replacement or removal may be necessary, especially with infection with difficult-to-treat organisms or with persistent or recurrent infection.
Optimal "Low" Pedicle Screw Stimulation Threshold to Predict New Postoperative Lower-Extremity Neurologic Deficits During Lumbar Spinal Fusions

Objective Previous studies have shown that pedicle screw stimulation thresholds ≤6−8 mA yield a high diagnostic accuracy of detecting misplaced screws. Our objective was to determine the optimal “low” stimulation threshold to predict new postoperative neurologic deficits and identify additional risk factors associated with deficits. Methods We included patients with complete pedicle screw stimulation testing who underwent posterior lumbar spinal fusion surgeries from 2010−2012. We calculated the diagnostic accuracy of pedicle screw responses of ≤4 mA, ≤6 mA, ≤8 mA, ≤10 mA, ≤12 mA, and ≤20 mA to predict new postoperative lower-extremity (LE) neurologic deficits. We used multivariate modeling to determine the best logistic regression model to predict LE deficits and identify additional risk factors. Statistics software packages used were Python3.8.5, NumPy 1.19.1, Pandas 1.1.1, and SPSS26. Results We studied 1179 patients who underwent 8584 pedicle screw stimulations with somatosensory evoked potential and free-run electromyographic monitoring for posterior lumbar spinal fusion. Twenty-five (2.1%) patients had new LE neurologic deficits. A stimulation threshold of ≤8 mA had a sensitivity/specificity of 32%/90% and a diagnostic odds ratio/area under the curve of 4.34 [95% confidence interval: 1.83, 10.27]/0.61 [0.49, 0.74] in predicting postoperative deficit. Multivariate analysis showed that patients who had pedicle screws with stimulation thresholds ≤8 mA are 3.15 [1.26, 7.83]× more likely to have postoperative LE deficits while patients who have undergone a revision lumbar spinal fusion surgery are 3.64 [1.38, 9.61]× more likely. Conclusions Our results show that low thresholds are indicative of not only screw proximity to the nerve but also an increased likelihood of postoperative neurologic deficit. Thresholds ≤8 mA prove to be the optimal “low” threshold to help guide a correctly positioned pedicle screw placement and detect postoperative deficits.
Association of Health Insurance Literacy with Health Care Utilization: a Systematic Review

Given increasing numbers of people experiencing transitions in health insurance due to declines in employer-sponsored insurance and changes in health policy, the understanding and application of health insurance terms and concepts (health insurance literacy) may be important for navigating use of health care. The study objective was to systematically review evidence on the relationship between health insurance literacy and health care utilization. Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Cochrane Library, and reference lists of published literature were searched in August 2019. Quantitative, qualitative, and intervention studies that assessed the association of health insurance literacy as the exposure and health care utilization as the outcome were identified, without language or date restrictions. Outcomes were independently assessed by 2–3 reviewers. Twenty-one studies including a total of 62,416 subjects met inclusion criteria: three interventional trials, two mixed-methods studies, and sixteen cross-sectional studies. Ten of thirteen preventive care studies suggested that higher health insurance literacy was associated with greater utilization of primary care and other preventive services. Eight of nine studies of care avoidance demonstrated that individuals with lower health insurance literacy were more likely to delay or avoid care. A few studies had mixed results regarding the utilization of emergency department, inpatient, and surgical care. The emerging literature in this area suggests that health insurance literacy is an important factor that can enable effective utilization of health care, including primary care and preventive services. However, the literature is limited by a paucity of studies using validated tools that broadly measure health insurance literacy (rather than testing knowledge of specific covered services). Improving health insurance literacy of the general public and increasing plain language communication of health insurance plan features at the point of health care navigation may encourage more effective and cost-conscious utilization.
KL Divergence Regularized Learning Model for Multi-Agent Decision Making

This paper investigates a multi-agent decision making model in large population games. We consider a population of agents that select strategies of interaction with one another. Agents repeatedly revise their strategy choices using revisions defined by the decision-making model. We examine the scenario in which the agents' strategy revision is subject to time delay. This is specified in the problem formulation by requiring the decision-making model to depend on delayed information of the agents' strategy choices. The main goal of this work is to find a multi-agent decision-making model under which the agents' strategy revision converges to equilibrium states, which in our population game formalism coincide with the Nash equilibrium set of underlying games. As key contributions, we propose a new decision-making model called the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence regularized learning model, and we establish stability of the Nash equilibrium set under the new model. Using a numerical example and simulations, we illustrate strong convergence properties of our new model.
Predictive value of chart-based frailty evaluation for lung transplant candidates

Frailty, defined as a state of decreased physiologic reserve, has been correlated with poorer outcomes after hospitalization or surgery. Studies in lung transplant patients have associated frailty with an increased risk of post-transplant mortality; however, a unified approach is lacking. The identification of frail patients can help clinicians pre-emptively target modifiable risk factors and may facilitate risk stratification. The Frailty Risk Score (FRS) is a chart review-based approach based on eight symptoms and four laboratory biomarkers. We applied this method in a retrospective study to investigate its utility in predicting post-transplant lung outcomes. Eighty-four lung transplant recipients were evaluated, including 51 older (≥ 60) and 33 younger (< 60) patients. Median FRS score was 3.9, with 63 categorized as frail (75%) and 21 as non-frail (25%), using a previously published cut-off of ≥3 to define frailty. A high FRS was associated with readmission in the first year after transplantation and with the number of readmissions. There was also an association between FRS score and death (p = .047). FRS may be a viable tool in the assessment of lung transplant candidates. Frail patients may benefit from earlier referral and targeted therapy prior to transplant, as well as close post-transplant follow-up.
Pharmacokinetic assessment of the tau radiotracer [18F]MK6240

408 Objectives: [18F]MK6240 was developed for PET imaging of tau protein aggregates which are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. The goal of this work was to provide an initial characterization of [18F]MK6240 pharmacokinetics in control and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects using metabolite corrected arterial input functions. Methods: Four subjects (3 control, 1 MCI) underwent [18F]MK6240 PET scans. Dynamic PET data were measured for 135 min after bolus injection of [18F]MK6240. Samples drawn from a radial artery catheter were processed to measure whole blood and plasma concentrations. Radiometabolite analysis was performed on selected plasma samples (drawn 3, 5, 8, 15, 30, 60, and 90 min post-injection) using column-switching radio-HPLC with eluent fractions measured in a well-counter. Dynamic PET images were warped to a standardized space using the subject’s T1-weighted structural MRI to allow delineation of regions of interest for extraction of time activity curves. Total volume of distribution (VT) was estimated using the Logan graphical method and various one- (1T) and two- (2T) tissue compartment models. Results: Whole blood:plasma ratio stabilized to 0.67 by 20 minutes (range: 0.58-0.8). Percent parent in plasma (%PP) followed a single exponential (T1/2: 5.8±0.4 min) and primarily polar metabolites were observed on HPLC. At 90 minutes, %PP ranged from 0-10% across individuals. Metabolite corrected plasma activity fit a single exponential after 5 minutes (T1/2: 4.8±0.4 min). [18F]MK6240 in gray matter peaked quickly (3-5 SUV at ~5 minutes). The preferred compartmental model was 2Tv where ‘v’ denotes that the vascular fraction was included as a parameter. Regional VT (ml×cm-3) in gray matter of controls ranged from 4.6-8.7 and 3.5-6.2 in white matter, and the cerebellum ranged from 5.8-8.6. In the MCI subject, VT in gray matter was 34, 16 in white matter, and 9.6 in the cerebellum. Highest regional VT was found in the precuneus of the MCI subject with a VT of 68. Microparameters were relatively stable where regional average of K1 ranged 0.23-0.34 ml/min/cm3 among subjects. Regionally averaged k3 (min-1) was 0.016±0.003 (S1), 0.0145±0.002 (S2) 0.009±0.002 (S3) and 0.037±0.02 (S4[MCI]); k4 (min-1) by subject was 0.008±0.003, 0.008±0.003, 0.012±0.005, and 0.004±0.002. Logan plots did not reach linearity within the 135 minute scanning period. In the four subjects examined here, no evidence of skull uptake was observed. Conclusions: [18F]MK6240 exhibited rapid clearance from plasma with little to no radioactivity in the parent form at 90 minutes. 2Tv was the preferred compartmental model, yielding good fits and stable microparameters across regions and subjects. Logan blood-based graphical methods did not linearize within the 135-minute scanning period. Future [18F]MK6240 scans with arterial sampling are scheduled and will provide a more thorough assessment of [18F]MK6240 kinetics.
Label-free Raman imaging to monitor breast tumor signatures

Although not yet ready for clinical application, methods based on Raman spectroscopy have shown significant potential in identifying, characterizing, and discriminating between noncancerous and can...
Malignant pleural mesothelioma-targeted CRI1 promoter system for gene therapy and virotherapy

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 1348 Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor of mesenchymal origin and is increasing worldwide as a result of widespread exposure to asbestos that was widely used in industrialized countries until approximately 1970. The median survival of patients with mesothelioma from time of diagnosis ranges between 1 and 2 years. Despite considerable advances in the understanding of its pathogenesis and etiology, malignant mesothelioma remains largely unresponsive to standard modalities of cancer therapy. In order to design a system for specific gene therapy and virotherapy to treat malignant mesothelioma, we evaluated the specificity of the promoters of four different mesothelioma-specific genes: Calretinin, WT1 (Wilms' tumor suppressor gene), Mesothelin and CRI1 (CREBBP/EP300 inhibitory protein 1). Transient transfection assay demonstrated that the CRI1 promoter is highly active in malignant pleural mesothelioma cells (H2452, MSTO-211H, H2052, H28) but much less active in normal mesothelial cells and pleural cells. However, the other three promoters of mesothelioma-specific genes (Calretinin, WT1 and Mesothelin) showed high promoter activity not only in the mesothelioma cells but also in normal cells. Four tandem repeats of the CRI1 promoter (CRI1-138 4x) caused significantly high promoter activity in malignant pleural mesothelioma cells but little promoter activity in normal mesothelial cells and normal fibroblasts. The recombinant adenoviral vector expressing pro-apoptotic BID (BH3 interacting death agonist) driven by the CRI1-138 4x promoter induced apoptosis in malignant mesothelioma cells but not in normal cells. Moreover, the conditionally replicating adenovirus (CRAd) expressing E1A driven by the CRI1-138 4x promoter induced cell death in mesothelioma cells and demonstrated anti-tumor effects in a mesothelioma xeno-graft mouse model. Here, we describe a novel strategy to target malignant mesothelioma using the CRI1-138 4x promoter system.
The Impact of Scale Transformations on National Subjective Well-Being Scores

Nation-level subjective well-being (SWB) indicators (e.g., happiness and life satisfaction) have received increased interest among researchers and policy makers. This increased interest has led to questions about the measurement and comparability of SWB scores. In this paper, we examined the comparability of scores derived from scale transformations (e.g., the “linear stretch method”): a procedure that places SWB scales with different scale points (e.g., 3-points, 4-points) on a common metric. Controlling for nation-level and temporal trends, our results reveal that scale transformations potentially lead to biases for both happiness and life satisfaction scales. Moreover, these potential biases may affect substantive research. This is illustrated when we demonstrate that scale transformations may substantially attenuate the relation between national Gross Domestic Product per capita and happiness. Implications of these findings and limitations of the current study are discussed.
Portal-Systemic Shunting and the Hemodynamic Effects of Nitroglycerin in the Rat

A hemodynamic response to oral nitroglycerin has been used recently to estimate the extent of portalsystemic shunts in humans. We studied the hemodynamic effects of this drug in the rat with partial portal vein ligation, a model in which portal hypertension develops and the extent of portal-systemic collaterals can be measured. Two to ten days after the initial procedure, shunted and sham-operated controls received a continuous infusion of nitroglycerin into a jugular vein, the ileocolic vein, or intrajejunally. The response of systolic arterial pressure to intravenous nitroglycerin was similar in shunted and sham animals. The cumulative dose-response curve showed an earlier and more pronounced response in shunted rats receiving nitroglycerin intraportally, suggesting a marked increase in bioavailability. When the arterial response to nitroglycerin, infused intraportally at 1 μg/kg - min, was compared to the extent of ileocolic shunting, measured with radioactive microspheres, a close correlation (r = 0.84) was seen; shunting values ranged from 0% (sham) to 97%. Additionally, in shunted rats a more pronounced response to intraportal, compared to intrajejunal, infusion suggested a contribution of the intestine to the first-pass elimination of the drug. The bioavailability of intraportal and intrajejunal nitroglycerin is influenced by the extent of portalsystemic collaterals. A significant reduction in por tal vein pressure in response to nitroglycerin seen in this animal model supports its testing as a therapeutic agent in portal hypertension.
Retinoic acid-producing, ex-vivo-generated human tolerogenic dendritic cells induce the proliferation of immunosuppressive B lymphocytes

While much is known about tolerogenic dendritic cell effects on forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3)⁺ regulatory T cells, virtually nothing is known about their effects on another arm of immunoregulation that is mediated by a subpopulation of immunosuppressive B cells. These cells suppress rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease in mice, and functional defects have been reported in human lupus. We show that co-stimulation-impaired tolerogenic dendritic cells that prevent and reverse type 1 diabetes mellitus induce the proliferation of human immunosuppressive B cells in vitro. We also show that the suppressive properties of these B cells concentrate inside the CD19⁺ CD24⁺ B cell population and more specifically inside the CD19⁺ CD24⁺ CD38⁺ regulatory B cell population. We discovered that B cell conversion into suppressive cells in vitro is partially dependent on dendritic cell production of retinoic acid and also that CD19⁺ CD24⁺ CD38⁺ B regulatory cells express retinoic acid receptors. Taken together, our data suggest a model whereby part of the immunosuppressive properties of human tolerogenic dendritic cells could be mediated by retinoic acid which, in addition to its known role in favouring T cell differentiation to FoxP3⁺ regulatory T cells, acts to convert B cells into immunosuppressive cells.
Toward Ultrafast Optical Waveform Synthesis with a Stabilized Ti:Sapphire Frequency Comb

We have developed a system for line-by-line control of a stabilized Ti:Sapphire optical frequency comb. We show individually-addressed 20 GHz comb modes around 960 nm and apply simple masks to demonstrate individual mode control.
Orbiviruses: A North American Perspective.

Abstract Orbiviruses are members of the Reoviridae family and include bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). These viruses are the cause of significant regional disease outbreaks among livestock and wildlife in the United States, some of which have been characterized by significant morbidity and mortality. Competent vectors are clearly present in most regions of the globe; therefore, all segments of production livestock are at risk for serious disease outbreaks. Animals with subclinical infections also serve as reservoirs of infection and often result in significant trade restrictions. The economic and explicit impacts of BTV and EHDV infections are difficult to measure, but infections are a cause of economic loss for producers and loss of natural resources (wildlife). In response to United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) Resolution 16, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the Department of the Interior (DOI), organized a gap analysis work...
Kinetics of Iron Oxidation by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

A statistical relationship between the rate of ferric ion production by a strain of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and various levels of cell concentration, Fe2+ concentration, Na+ concentration, and temperature was studied by a direct colorimetric method at 304 nm. The relationship was linear (90 to 93%), cross-product (3 to 4%), and quadratic (1 to 2%). The levels of cell concentration and Fe2+ concentration and their respective interactions with one another and the other factors had the most significant effects on the regression models. The solution of the quadratic response surface for optimum oxidation was a saddle point, and the predicted critical levels of temperature, cell concentration, Fe2+ concentration, and Na+ concentration ranged between −6 and 2°C, 0.43 and 0.62 mg/ml, 72 and 233 mM, and 29.6 mM, respectively.
Chapter 2 Jump-Diffusion Models for Asset Pricing in Financial Engineering

Abstract In this survey we shall focus on the following issues related to jump-diffusion models for asset pricing in financial engineering. (1) The controversy over tailweight of distributions. (2) Identifying a risk-neutral pricing measure by using the rational expectations equilibrium. (3) Using Laplace transforms to pricing options, including European call/put options, path-dependent options, such as barrier and lookback options. (4) Difficulties associated with the partial integro-differential equations related to barrier-crossing problems. (5) Analytical approximations for finite-horizon American options with jump risk. (6) Multivariate jump-diffusion models.
Cutting Edge: Impaired Glycosphingolipid Trafficking and NKT Cell Development in Mice Lacking Niemann-Pick Type C1 Protein

Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) is a late endosomal/lysosomal transmembrane protein involved in the cellular transport of glycosphingolipids and cholesterol that is mutated in a majority of patients with Niemann-Pick C neurodegenerative disease. We found that NPC1-deficient mice lacked Valpha14-Jalpha18 NKT cells, a major population of CD1d-restricted T cells that is conserved in humans. NPC1-deficient mice also exhibited marked defects in the presentation of Sphingomonas cell wall Ags to NKT cells and in bacterial clearance in vivo. A synthetic fluorescent alpha-glycosylceramide analog of the Sphingomonas Ag trafficked to the lysosome of wild-type cells but accumulated in the late endosome of NPC1-deficient cells. These findings reveal a blockade of lipid trafficking between endosome and lysosome as a consequence of NPC1 deficiency and suggest a common mechanism for the defects in lipid presentation and development of Valpha14-Jalpha18 NKT cells.
Supporting Iterative Cohort Construction with Visual Temporal Queries

Many researchers across diverse disciplines aim to analyze the behavior of cohorts whose behaviors are recorded in large event databases. However, extracting cohorts from databases is a difficult yet important step, often overlooked in many analytical solutions. This is especially true when researchers wish to restrict their cohorts to exhibit a particular temporal pattern of interest. In order to fill this gap, we designed COQUITO , a visual interface that assists users defining cohorts with temporal constraints. COQUITO was designed to be comprehensible to domain experts with no preknowledge of database queries and also to encourage exploration. We then demonstrate the utility of COQUITO via two case studies, involving medical and social media researchers.
Porosity dependence of the elastic modulus of lithophysae-rich tuff: numerical and experimental investigations

Abstract The influence of porosity on the mechanical properties of rock has received much research attention. Portions of the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository may be placed in tuff units containing lithophysal cavities, which are large, generally noninterconnected cavities that can be considered a form of macroscopic porosity. This paper presents the results of numerical modeling and uniaxial compression testing of analog models and tuff rock, in order to assess the relationships between elastic modulus and porosity. The first part of the paper presents numerical simulation of uniaxial compression testing to calculate the elastic modulus of two-dimensional models containing randomly distributed circular holes in plane strain. The range of porosities investigated is approximately 5–40%. In the second part, the elastic modulus determined from the uniaxial compression testing of analog models and tuff specimens is presented. The analog specimens were made of plaster of Paris containing varying amounts of spherical shaped Styrofoam® inclusions to simulate a cavity structure similar to tuff. The results from the numerical analysis and analog material testing show an exponential decrease in elastic modulus with increasing porosity, whereas the elastic moduli of tuff show a linear decrease. The difference in the two behaviors can be attributed to the nonuniform cavity shapes in the tuff specimens.
Effects of a slow-release urea product on performance, carcass characteristics, and nitrogen balance of steers fed steam-flaked corn

Two experiments were conducted to examine the impact of source, urea (U) or Optigen II (OP), and level of dietary NPN on performance (Exp.1) and N balance (Exp. 2) of growing cattle. Sixty Angus crossbred steers (initial BW = 353 ± 13.9 kg) were used to evaluate performance, and fed 1 of 3 steam-flaked corn based diets: U (U(1.2), 1.2% NPN), OP (OP(1.3), 1.3% NPN), or OP without cottonseed meal (OP(3.1), 3.1% NPN). U(1.2)and OP(1.3) contained cottonseed meal and NPN as CP sources, whereas OP(3.1) contained only NPN. For Exp. 1, steers were blocked by postweaning BW and assigned to treatment (TRT) and pen within block. Body weight was collected every 14 d during the 105-d trial. Six steers from each TRT were selected based on residual feed intake (RFI) and harvested. Carcass and organ measurements were obtained. Cumulative animal performance was evaluated in 3 periods (0 to 35, 0 to 70, and 0 to 105 d) using a mixed coefficient model with initial BW as a covariate. For Exp. 2, 5 ruminally cannulated Holstein steers in a 5 × 5 Latin square design were used to evaluate N balance. Steers were fed a steam-flaked corn based diet with either no NPN, 0.75% U or N equivalent OP, or 1.5% U or N equivalent OP. Intake was measured, and feed, orts, urine, and fecal samples were obtained and composited for each steer by period. Data were analyzed using a mixed coefficient model. Orthogonal contrasts were used to evaluate differences between OP and U, and high and low level of NPN. For Exp. 1, there were no differences (P > 0.10) in initial BW, final BW, ADG, or DMI among TRT for any of the periods. However, for period 1 steers on OP(3.1) had reduced F:G than U(1.2) (5.71 kg/kg vs. 7.39 kg/kg; P = 0.03), and steers fed OP(1.3) tended to have less F:G than those fed U(1.2) (6.07 kg/kg vs. 7.39 kg/kg; P = 0.07). In period 2, OP(3.1) had reduced F:G than U(1.2) (5.58 kg/kg vs. 6.56 kg/kg; P = 0.03), but did not differ from OP(1.3) (5.97). For Exp. 2, steers fed OP tended (P = 0.09) to have less apparent N absorption than those fed U. Apparent N absorption differed (P 0.10) in intake or digestibility among source or level of NPN. No major differences (P > 0.10) on performance and carcass composition were observed between U and OP diets. Steers had better initial F:G (Period 1 and 2) when OP was used as the only source of feed N (OP(3.1)), suggesting that OP may replace true protein feeds in finishing cattle diets, minimizing feed use with no impact on carcass quality.