cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metagenomics and its connection to microbial community organization.

Microbes dominate most global biogeochemical cycles, and microbial metagenomics (studying the collective microbial genomes) provides invaluable new insights into microbial systems, independent of cultivation. Metagenomic approaches targeting specific genes, e.g. small subunit (ssu) ribosomal RNA (rRNA), can be used to investigate microbial community organization by efficiently showing which taxa of organisms are present, while shotgun approaches show all genes and can indicate what functions the organisms are capable of. But collecting and organizing comprehensive shotgun data is extremely challenging and costly, and, in theory, predicting functionalities from microbial identities alone would save immense effort. However, we don’t yet know to what extent such predictions are applicable.
Abnormalities of parathyroid hormone secretion in elderly women that are reversible by short term therapy with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

Serum PTH concentrations increase with aging and may play an important causal role in age-related bone loss. To better define possible PTH secretory abnormalities with aging, we studied 10 young (aged 27-34 yr) and 10 elderly (aged 71-77 yr) women using sequential infusions of calcium and EDTA. To assess possible age-related resistance of PTH secretion to modulation by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25-(OH)2D], the infusions were repeated after 1 week of oral 1,25-(OH)2D3 therapy (1 microgram/day). Baseline serum intact PTH concentrations were higher in the elderly compared to the young women (mean +/- SEM, 3.8 +/- 0.5 vs. 2.7 +/- 0.4 pmol/L; P = 0.03). In addition, the elderly women had a significantly higher maximal PTH response to hypocalcemia compared to the young women (16.6 +/- 1.1 vs. 12.8 +/- 1.0 pmol/L; P = 0.03). The elderly women also had a greater nonsuppressible component of PTH secretion (0.8 +/- 0.1 vs. 0.4 +/- 0.1 pmol/L; P < 0.001). The set-point for PTH secretion, however, was identical in t...
The stream–lake ecotone: potential habitat for juvenile endangered June suckers ( Chasmistes liorus )

Potamodromous fish are poorly studied even though they are threatened often by human activities. The June sucker (Chasmistes liorus) is an endangered potamodromous species endemic to Utah Lake. Larval June suckers have not been collected from Utah Lake for at least 3 decades. Recruitment appears to be limited by low temperatures and scarce food, resulting in mass starvation of larval June suckers in the stream environment. We compared water tem- perature, zooplankton food availability, and small fish abundance in the stream and in 3 habitats along the stream-lake ecotone (dense emergent vegetation, sparse emergent vegetation, and open lake) to test the hypothesis that all 3 factors would reach a maximum in the dense emergent vegetation of the stream-lake ecotone. We used the abundance of fat- head minnows in each habitat type as a surrogate for small fish like juvenile June suckers. We found that temperature, food, and fathead minnows reached their maximums in the open lake rather than in vegetated habitats of the stream- lake ecotone. The stream had the lowest average temperatures (15.1 °C) and the lowest zooplankton concentrations (61 ⋅ L-1) over the growing season. Contrary to expectations, low temperatures (16.9 °C) and low food abundance (505 ⋅ L-1) also characterized the densely vegetated habitat, whereas the open lake had the highest temperatures (20.4° C) and highest concentrations of zooplankton (2353 ⋅ L-1). Restoration should include a mechanism to transport larval fish through the densely vegetated portion of the stream-lake ecotone, which can be hundreds of meters wide, to the warm productive waters of the open lake. The braided planform of the terminal reaches of Hobble Creek should be replaced with shallow riffles to increase mean stream velocity and decrease the transport time of larval June suckers.
The effects of ions on magneto-ionic characteristic polarization

There is some evidence for the presence of large numbers of ions in the E-region. Considering the recent increase in the precision with which sky-wave polarization measurements can be made, it seems desirable to flu a gap in the usual magneto-ionic theory by investigating the effect on the theoretical characteristic polarizations of introducing a mixture of ions and electrons into the calculations. A general formula is derived as an extension of the magneto-ionic polarization expression of Goubau. The 100 kc and 300 kc polarizations predicted by this formula have been plotted for a neutral mixture of oxygen ions, nitrogen ions, and electrons. The plots show that polarizations are possible in a mixture that cannot occur when only electrons are present. They also show that characteristic polarizations in a mixture do not define the medium parameters as completely as they do with electrons only. Another interesting feature is that the polarizations in a mixture depend on the relative numbers of each type of charged particle but seem not to depend on the actual charge density when the proportion of electrons is small.
Multi-attribute coalitional games

We study coalitional games where the value of cooperation among the agents are solely determined by the attributes the agents possess, with no assumption as to how these attributes jointly determine this value. This framework allows us to model diverse economic interactions by picking the right attributes. We study the computational complexity of two coalitional solution concepts for these games -- the Shapley value and the core. We show how the positive results obtained in this paper imply comparable results for other games studied in the literature.
A historical outline of the development of cancer cytogenetics

For decades, biologists have suspected that cancer may be ini t ia ted by a change in the genetic composi t ion of the somatic cell. In pathologic preparat ions, cancer tissues often exhibit a high frequency of abnormal cell d ivis ion figures; so the chromosomes, hence, the genetic const i tut ion, of the cancer cells must be abnormal. However, no one knew whether the abnormal i t ies were the cause or the consequence of neoplasia , and if the abnormali t ies were the cause of cancer, whether or not they were specific. The earliest hypothes is regarding the origin of cancer in relation to cel lular genetics was proposed by Boveri in 1914 [1]. The Boveri hypothesis can be briefly paraphrased as follows.
Sugars and Organic Acids of Vitis vinifera.

Glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, melibiose, raffinose, and stachyose were identified in the leaves, bark, roots, and berries of Vitis vinifera L. var. Thompson Seedless. In addition to these sugars, verbascose and manninotriose were found in the leaves and bark. Malic, tartaric, citric, isocitric, ascorbic, cis -aconitic, oxalic, glycolic, glyoxylic, succinic, lactic, glutaric, fumaric, pyrrolidone carboxylic, α-ketoglutaric, pyruvic, oxaloacetic, galacturonic, glucuronic, shikimic, quinic, chlorogenic, and caffeic acids were identified in the leaves, bark, roots, and berries. Glucose, fructose, sucrose, malate, tartrate, and citrate were determined quantitatively in the leaf, petiole, xylem, bark, tendril, bud, puduncle pedicel, berry, lateral roots, and main roots at 4 separate physiological stages of growth. In addition, changes in the concentrations of fructose, glucose, malate, and tartrate in leaves were measured during a 36-day period starting from budburst.
Invertible canopy reflectance modeling of vegetation structure in semiarid woodland

The Li-Strahler canopy reflectance model, driven by Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data, provided regional estimates of tree size and density in two bioclimatic zones in West Africa. This model exploits tree geometry in an inversion technique to predict average tree size and density from reflectance data using a few simple parameters measured in the field (spatial pattern, shape, and size distribution of trees) and in the imagery (spectral signatures of scene components). The model was tested in sparse woodland and wooded grassland in the Sahelian and Sudanian bioclimatic zones in West Africa. >
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Mediates the Estrogen-Induced Breakdown of Tight Junctions between and Increase in Proliferation of Microvessel Endothelial Cells in the Baboon Endometrium

To assess whether there is a link between estrogen, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and early aspects of uterine angiogenesis, an acute temporal study was conducted in which ovariectomized baboons were pretreated with VEGF Trap, which sequesters endogenous VEGF, and administered estradiol at time 0 h. Serum estradiol levels approximated 500 pg/ml 4–6 h after estradiol administration. VEGF mRNA levels in endometrial glandular epithelial and stromal cells were increased to values 6 h after estradiol that were 3.74 ± 0.99-fold (mean ± se) and 5.70 ± 1.60-fold greater (P < 0.05), respectively, than at 0 h. Microvessel interendothelial cell tight junctions, which control paracellular permeability, were present in the endometrium at time 0 h, but not evident 6 h after estradiol administration. Thus, microvessel paracellular cleft width increased (P < 0.01, ANOVA) from 5.03 ± 0.22 nm at 0 h to 7.27 ± 0.48 nm 6 h after estrogen. In contrast, tight junctions remained intact, and paracellular cleft widths were unaltered in estradiol/VEGF Trap and vehicle-treated animals. Endometrial microvessel endothelial cell mitosis, i.e. percent Ki67+/Ki67− immunolabeled endothelial cells, increased (P < 0.05) from 2.9 ± 0.3% at 0 h to 21.4 ± 7.0% 6 h after estrogen treatment but was unchanged in estradiol/VEGF Trap and vehicle-treated animals. In summary, the estrogen-induced disruption of endometrial microvessel endothelial tight junctions and increase in endothelial cell proliferation were prevented by VEGF Trap. Therefore, we propose that VEGF mediates the estrogen-induced increase in microvessel permeability and endothelial cell proliferation as early steps in angiogenesis in the primate endometrium.
The Locomotor Behavior of Pan paniscus in the Lomako Forest

Studies of free-ranging apes date to the 1930s and 1940s [Nissen (1931) on the common chimpanzee; Bingham (1932) on the gorilla; Carpenter (1940) on the white handed gibbon], and long-term field studies on great apes have been in progress since the 1960s (Fossey, 1972; Nishida, 1968; Rodman, 1973; Goodall, 1968). We have come to understand much about the ecology, social behavior, diet, and life histories of our closest living relatives, the Pongidae. As we have learned more about the great apes, our definition of both ape and human has changed. Whereas it was once thought that among primates only humans (and our fossil forebears) made and used tools, hunted and ate meat, and possessed the capacity for symbolic communication, studies of the great apes have revealed the subtlety of these definitions of humankind. With the advance in our understanding of the fossil record, the subtle transition in brain size and dental reduction from ape to human has been revealed. It is now widely agreed that the initial morphological and behavioral change from ape to human came in the locomotor apparatus and bipedalism. The shift from four- to two-legged progression may well have been the one that initiated the hominid trajectory. In spite of the importance of locomotion in the homidid career, relatively little is known of the locomotion of free-ranging primates, particelarly the great apes.
Hidden Code Extraction

As reverse engineering becomes a prevalent technique to analyze malware, malware writers leverage various anti-reverse engineering techniques to hide their code. One technique commonly used is code packing as packed executables hinder code analysis. While this problem has been previously researched, the existing solutions are either unable to handle novel samples, or vulnerable to various evasion techniques. In this chapter, we propose a fully dynamic approach that captures an intrinsic nature of hidden code execution that the original code should be present in memory and executed at some point at run-time. Thus, this approach monitors program execution and memory writes at run-time, determines if the code under execution is newly generated, and then extracts the hidden code of the executable. To demonstrate its effectiveness, we implement a system, Renovo, and evaluate it with a large number of real-world malware samples. The experiments show that Renovo is accurate compared to previous work, yet practical in terms of performance.
In situ determination of alveolar septal strain, stress and effective Young's modulus: an experimental/computational approach.

Alveolar septa, which have often been modeled as linear elements, may distend due to inflation-induced reduction in slack or increase in tissue stretch. The distended septum supports tissue elastic...
Micelle stabilization via entropic repulsion: balance of force directionality and geometric packing of subunit.

Nanoparticles, 10–30 nm in size, have shown great prospects as nanocarriers for drug delivery. We designed amphiphiles based on 3-helix peptide-PEG conjugate forming 15 nm micelles (defined as “3-helix micelles”) with good in vivo stability. Here, we investigated the effect of the site of PEG conjugation on the kinetic stability and showed that the conjugation site affects the PEG chain conformation and the overall molecular architecture of the subunit. Compared to the original design where the PEG chain is located in the middle of the 3-helix bundle, micelle kinetic stability was reduced when the PEG chain was attached near the N-terminus (t1/2 = 35 h) but was enhanced when the PEG chain was attached near the C-terminus (t1/2 = 80 h). Quantitative structural and kinetic analysis suggest that the kinetic stability was largely dictated by the combined effects of entropic repulsion associated with PEG chain conformation and the geometric packing of the trimeric subunits. The modular design approach coupled ...
Impact of molt-disrupting BDE-47 on epidermal ecdysteroid signaling in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, in vitro.

Abstract Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are environmentally pervasive flame retardants that have been linked with endocrine disruption in a variety of organisms. BDE-47, one of the most prevalent congeners found in aquatic environments, has recently been shown to inhibit crustacean molting, but little is known about the specific mechanism through which molt-inhibition occurs. This study examined whether the inhibitory effect on molting arises from the disruption of hormone signaling in the epidermis using the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus , as the model crustacean. First, we partially sequenced cDNA of N -acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (NAG) from the epidermis, a terminal enzyme in the molting hormone-signaling cascades that is commonly used as the biomarker for ecdysteroid signaling. This partial cDNA sequence was then used to create primers for quantification of NAG gene expression. Then, a new tissue culture technique was developed and dubbed the epidermis-with-exoskeleton (EWE) method, wherein epidermal tissue, along with the overlying exoskeleton, is immersed in a medium of physiologically relevant osmolarity. Using this EWE tissue culture method, we assessed the inducibility of NAG mRNA by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE) in vitro. Exposures to 1 μM 20-HE were found to induce NAG mRNA at a significantly higher level than the control. Using NAG expression as a biomarker for ecdysteroid signaling, the effects of BDE-47 were measured. BDE-47 alone at 100 nM and a combination of 1 μM BDE-47 and 1 μM 20-HE were found to significantly increase NAG mRNA. A trend of increasing NAG gene expression in the binary BDE-47 exposure as compared to 1 μM BDE-47 and 1 μM 20-HE alone is suggestive of a synergistic effect of these two chemicals on ecdysteroid signaling in the cultured epidermis. Discussion on the mechanism for inhibition of crustacean molting by BDE-47 is presented.
Homing in on the Home-Rule Rules: Researching Kentucky Municipal and County Law

Specialized legal research skills for examining county and municipal law in Kentucky are discussed, with a particular emphasis on laws and ordinances applicable to Louisville Metro Government.
Disciplinary Resources and the Role of Aims: Teaching Our Subjects To What End?

Over the last 30 years, important scholarship has been conducted around the role of content knowledge for teaching, pedagogical content knowledge, and the role of teacher preparation in helping novice teachers develop in these disciplinary realms (e.g., Shulman, Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4, 1986; Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1–22, 1987; Ball, et al., Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher Education, 59(5), 389–407 2008; Grossman, The making of a teacher: Teacher knowledge and teacher education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press 1990; Holt-Reynolds, Good readers, good teachers? Subject matter expertise as a challenge in learning to teach. Harvard Educational Review, 69(1), 29, 1999). It is important to note, however, the historical context from which this focus on content knowledge in and for teaching came. As I discussed briefly in Chap. 2, the publication of two reports in 1986—Holmes Group of Education Deans report and the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy—served as a wake-up call to university teacher preparation and catalyzed wide-ranging reforms.
First results from the Thomson scattering diagnostic on proto-MPEX.

A Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic has been successfully implemented on the prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The diagnostic collects the light scattered by plasma electrons and spectroscopically resolves the Doppler shift imparted to the light by the velocity of the electrons. The spread in velocities is proportional to the electron temperature, while the total number of photons is proportional to the electron density. TS is a technique used on many devices to measure the electron temperature (Te) and electron density (ne) of the plasma. A challenging aspect of the technique is to discriminate the small number of Thomson scattered photons against the large peak of background photons from the high-power laser used to probe the plasma. A variety of methods are used to mitigate the background photons in Proto-MPEX, including Brewster angled windows, viewing dumps, and light baffles. With these methods, first results were measured from argon plasmas in Proto-MPEX, indicating Te ∼ 2 eV and ne ∼ 1 × 1019 m−3. The configuration of the Proto-MPEX TS diagnostic will be described and plans for improvement will be given.
Definitely Not Moralistic: State Political Culture and Support for Donald Trump in the Race for the 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination

This study analyzes the important role state political culture played in the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Donald Trump appealed to demographically distinct types of voters in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries and caucuses that varied considerably from previous Republican presidential nominees. Relative to the demographics of the primary electorates, however, this study finds that state political culture played an outsized role in determining Donald Trump’s relative level of support in a particular state. When state demographics are utilized in ordinary least squares regression models as independent variables with state partisanship and Daniel Elazar’s state political culture typology, political culture proves to be a significant determinant of the level of support given to Trump in a state. States that are characterized by a more moralistic political culture are considerably more likely to have given Trump a lower share of the vote while voters in states that are characterized by a more traditionalistic or individualistic culture were more likely to support Trump.
Should You Use the App for That?: Comparing the Privacy Implications of App- and Web-based Online Services

Many popular, free online services provide cross-platform interfaces via Web browsers as well as apps on iOS and Android. To monetize these services, many additionally include tracking and advertising libraries that gather information about users with significant privacy implications. Given that the Web-based and mobile-app-based ecosystems evolve independently, an important open question is how these platforms compare with respect to user privacy. In this paper, we conduct the first head-to-head study of 50 popular, free online services to understand which is better for privacy---Web or app? We conduct manual tests, extract personally identifiable information (PII) shared over plaintext and encrypted connections, and analyze the data to understand differences in user-data collection across platforms for the same service. While we find that all platforms expose users' data, there are still opportunities to significantly limit how much information is shared with other parties by selectively using the app or Web version of a service.
ZKSCAN3, a Novel Zinc Finger Transcription Factor, Regulates Cyclin D2 Expression in Multiple Myeloma (MM) Cells

Abstract Background: Dysregulation of cyclin D has been proposed to represent an early oncogenic event in MM, and often occurs as a result of chromosomal translocations. Cyclin D2 can be induced as a result of translocations involving c-maf, mafB, and FGFR3/MMSET, but its expression is also increased in hyperdiploid and nonhyperdiploid cells without these translocations through unknown mechanisms. We previously identified a novel zinc finger transcription factor, ZKSCAN3, as a new “driver” of colon cancer progression, and found that the cyclin D2 promoter harbored several ZKSCAN3 binding sites, prompting us to investigate a possible role of ZKSCAN3 in MM pathogenesis. Methods: ZKSCAN3 expression was studied in patient-derived primary tumors and normal cells, as well as in human MM cell lines. Results: Tissue microarray studies showed that ZKSCAN3 was strongly expressed in the neoplastic cells of 7/10 MM patients by immunohistochemistry, while in all samples the surrounding normal bone marrow cells showed only background staining. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis revealed some level of ZKSCAN mRNA expression in 5/5 MM cell lines studied (RPMI 8226, U266, KAS-6/1, INA-6, ANBL-6), but not in pooled CD19+ normal B-cells. By Western blotting, ZKSCAN3 was most highly expressed in RPMI 8226 and KAS-6/1 cells, which notably do not bear cyclin D dysregulating translocations, while U266 and ANBL-6, which have such translocations, showed the lowest levels of ZKSCAN3 expression. In RPMI 8226 cells, but not the other MM lines, six copies of the ZKSCAN3 gene were detected, suggesting the presence of a previous amplification event. cisRED analysis predicted that ZKSCAN3 may be transcriptionally regulated by paired box gene 5 (Pax5), an essential factor for maintaining the commitment of the B cell lineage which is inactivated during plasma cell differentiation. Consistent with a role for Pax5 in controlling ZKSCAN3 level, a reporter assay showed that Pax5 inhibited ZKSCAN3 promoter activity, and Pax5 expression negatively correlated with ZKSCAN3 expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed direct binding of ZKSCAN3 to the endogenous cyclin D2 promoter in these MM cell lines. Knockdown of ZKSCAN3 using short hairpin RNAs reduced Cyclin D2 mRNA and protein expression in RPMI 8226 and KAS-6/1 cells, and also decreased their proliferative rates. Conclusions: These findings support the possibility that ZKSCAN3 contributes to myeloma pathogenesis by dysregulation of cyclin D2, and that events impacting upon ZKSCAN3 may provide MM cells with an alternative pathway for induction of Cyclin D2 in the absence of an activating translocation. ZKSCAN3 may therefore be an attractive candidate for MM therapy.
Hyper-modulation of brain networks by the amygdala among women with Borderline Personality Disorder: Network signatures of affective interference during cognitive processing.

Emotion dysregulation is a core characteristic of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and is often attributed to an imbalance in fronto-limbic network function. Hyperarousal of amygdala, especially in response to negative affective stimuli, results in affective interference with cognitive processing of executive functions. Clinical consequences include the impulsive-aggression, suicidal and self-injurious behaviors which characterize BPD. Dysfunctional interactions between amygdala and its network targets have not been well characterized during cognitive task performance. Using psychophysiological interaction analysis (PPI), we mapped network profiles of amygdala interaction with key regulatory regions during a Go No-Go task, modified to use negative, positive and neutral Ekman faces as targets. Fifty-six female subjects, 31 BPD and 25 healthy controls (HC), completed the affectively valenced Go No-Go task during fMRI scanning. In the negative affective condition, the amygdala exerted greater modulation of its targets in BPD compared to HC subjects in Rt. OFC, Rt. dACC, Rt. Parietal cortex, Rt. Basal Ganglia, and Rt. dlPFC. Across the spectrum of affective contrasts, hypermodulation in BPD subjects observed the following ordering: Negative > Neutral > Positive contrast. The amygdala seed exerted modulatory effects on specific target regions important in processing response inhibition and motor impulsiveness. The vulnerability of BPD subjects to affective interference with impulse control may be due to specific network dysfunction related to amygdala hyper-arousal and its effects on prefrontal regulatory regions such as the OFC and dACC.
Hurrah for Mrs White

Your obituary of Rudolf Mossbauer (November 2011 p9) reminded me of a story he once told me when I had the pleasure of sitting next to him at a conference dinner. My somewhat simplistic question was on the lines of "How did you manage to get a Nobel prize?", and Mossbauer's response was that it was all down to luck.
Pegylated interferon alpha-2B (PEG-Intron) for metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC): Results of a phase II clinical trial and biologic correlates of response

4528 Background: PEG-Intron (PEG-I) is a pegylated derivative of interferon alpha-2b (IFN), recombinant, with a single molecule of mono methoxy polyethylene glycol which increases serum half-life. ...
Predation by Hunting Spiders on Citrus Leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)

Feeding efficiency of the three species of hunting spiders, Chiracanthium inclusum Hentz, Hibana velox (Becker), and Trachelas volutus (Gertsch), was investigated in laboratory, greenhouse, and fie...
Genetic risk factors for perception of symptoms in GERD: an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND Genetic polymorphisms in G-protein beta-3 subunit (GNβ3) and beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) are associated with pain and gut hypersensitivity, which can overlap with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). AIM To evaluate relationships between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within GNβ3 and ADRB2 systems, and reflux symptom burden, GERD phenotypes from ambulatory reflux monitoring, and quality of life. METHODS Symptomatic adults undergoing ambulatory reflux testing were recruited and phenotyped based on acid burden and symptom reflux association; major oesophageal motor disorders and prior foregut surgery were exclusions. A comparison asymptomatic control cohort was also identified. Subjects and controls completed questionnaires assessing symptom burden on visual analog scales, short-form health survey-36 (SF-36), and Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories (BAI and BDI). Genotyping was performed from saliva samples; 6 SNPs selected from each of the two genes of interest were compared. RESULTS Saliva from 151 study subjects (55.3 ± 1.2 years, 63.6% F) and 60 control subjects (50.9 ± 2.2 years, 66.7%) had sufficient genetic material for genotyping. Study subjects had higher symptom burden, worse total and physical health, and higher anxiety scores compared to controls (P ≤ .002). Tested SNPs within ADRB2 were similar between study subjects and controls (P > .09). Study subjects with recessive alleles in 3 GNβ3 SNPs (Rs2301339, Rs5443, and Rs5446) had worse symptom severity (P = .011), worse mental health (P = .03), and higher depression scores (P = .005) despite no associations with GERD phenotypes or reflux metrics. CONCLUSIONS Genetic variation within GNβ3 predicts oesophageal symptom burden and affect, but not oesophageal acid burden or symptom association with reflux episodes.
Long-term outcomes of rituximab, temozolomide and high-dose methotrexate without consolidation therapy for lymphoma involving the CNS.

Aim To describe the long-term outcomes of patients with lymphoma in the CNS treated with rituximab, temozolomide and high-dose methotrexate without consolidation therapy. Patients & methods A retrospective cohort study of 46 consecutive patients with primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL, 27 patients) or secondary CNS involvement of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, 19 patients) who were treated with rituximab on day 1 in combination with high-dose methotrexate (days 1 and 15) and temozolomide (days 1-5) in 28-day cycles without further consolidation. Results Median follow-up was 21.2 months. Patients received a median of five cycles (range 1-15). Median overall survival (OS) was 26 months and median progression-free survival was 8.6 months. At 3 years, 37% of patients were alive and without evidence of disease. The patients with PCNSL had a significantly higher response rates (ORR 81 vs 47%; p = 0.015) and longer median OS (55.3 vs 4.8 months; p < 0.01) than those with secondary CNS DLBCL. Toxicities were mild and manageable. Conclusion The rituximab, temozolomide and methotrexate regimen is an effective therapy for patients with PCNSL without the toxicities typically associated with consolidation therapy.
Investigating and reducing the effects of confounding factors for robust T1 and T2 mapping with cardiac MR fingerprinting.

Abstract This study aims to improve the accuracy and consistency of T1 and T2 measurements using cardiac MR Fingerprinting (cMRF) by investigating and accounting for the effects of confounding factors including slice profile, inversion and T2 preparation pulse efficiency, and B1+. The goal is to understand how measurements with different pulse sequences are affected by these factors. This can be used to determine which factors must be taken into account for accurate measurements, and which may be mitigated by the selection of an appropriate pulse sequence. Simulations were performed using a numerical cardiac phantom to assess the accuracy of over 600 cMRF sequences with different flip angles, TRs, and preparation pulses. A subset of sequences, including one with the lowest errors in T1 and T2 maps, was used in subsequent analyses. Errors due to non-ideal slice profile, preparation pulse efficiency, and B1+ were quantified in Bloch simulations. Corrections for these effects were included in the dictionary generation and demonstrated in phantom and in vivo cardiac imaging at 3 T. Neglecting to model slice profile and preparation pulse efficiency led to underestimated T1 and overestimated T2 for most cMRF sequences. Sequences with smaller maximum flip angles were less affected by slice profile and B1+. Simulating all corrections in the dictionary improved the accuracy of T1 and T2 phantom measurements, regardless of acquisition pattern. More consistent myocardial T1 and T2 values were measured using different sequences after corrections. Based on these results, a pulse sequence which is minimally affected by confounding factors can be selected, and the appropriate residual corrections included for robust T1 and T2 mapping.
Transcendental Phenomenological Building up of Quasi-Objective Space in Primary Passivity

The last chapter made thematic some of the ways in which several prespatial sensum-fields are intended to and posited as continuously spread out wholes with differentiated parts. Objectivation of those spreads provides a basis for distinguishing between a broad and a narrow meaning of the term, “prespace.” The former consists of positing the spreadoutness of a sensum-field as undergoing changes in sensa meant and intended to as identical in correlation with co-intendings to flows of kinaesthetic sensa-sequences; it is the phenomenological residuum attendant upon discriminative refraining from positings of the quasi-objective unities that function as quasi-objective appearances of the phantom organism, phantom tactual, visual and auditory appearances. The latter consists of positing the spreadoutness of a sensum-field as undergoing changes that do not include co-intendings to correlative flows of kinaesthetic sensa-sequences; it is the phenomenological residuum attendant upon still further discriminative refraining designated by the phrase, “setting kinaesthesia at zero.” And just this last refraining is a clue to the building up analysis of the oriented constitution of the real, objective world and its spatio-temporal form.
Can Psychoanalysis Be Taught

I have been a teacher, seminar leader, and supervisor of psychoanalysis for the last three decades or longer. It may be argued successfully that a person who has done this kind of work and is doing it with some conviction would be an outright hypocrite if he taught something that basically cannot be taught. At the same time, I fully appreciate the fact that what I have been taught by some and what I have been teaching to others in the name of psychoanalysis will not find a consensus of opinion as to whether the content of my teaching fulfills the requirement of what one or the other would consider psychoanalysis to be.
The First Picosecond in Vision

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the techniques that permit measurement of fluorescence emission on the picosecond time scale. Some biological processes are extremely fast. One such process is the photochemical event by which visual pigments absorb a photon of light and convert this energy to chemical energy. Rhodopsin, the name given to visual pigment rod proteins, is photochemically converted to the high-energy species, called bathorhodopsin, within a picosecond. Most molecular decay routes take place in the order of tens of picoseconds or longer. Chromophore photoisomerization plays a central role in the primary photophysics of rhodopsin. Quite different fluorescence kinetics and quantum yields are obtained for analogs where the C-l 1–C-12 double bond is rotationally hindered.
The Taming of Chance

In the dim recesses of ancient history the idea of chance was intertwined with that of fate. What was destined to be, would be. Chance was personified, in the Roman Empire at least, by the Goddess Fortuna, who reigned as the sovereign of cynicism and fickleness. As Howard Patch puts it in his study of this Roman deity, “to men who felt that life shows no signs of fairness, and that what lies beyond is at best dubious, that the most you can do is take what comes your way, Fortuna represented a useful, if at times flippant, summary of the way things go.”
Embedding Sustainability in Lean Six Sigma Efforts

Abstract The emphasis on the concept of sustainability in businesses and operations is growing either due to increasing public interest, regulatory pressures, or corporate social responsibility. However, where and how to integrate sustainability needs further development for broadening its applications. Using Lean and Six Sigma (LSS) principles in sustainability studies is becoming popular in research and practice. The common approach in these studies is to identify a sustainability project followed by current state sustainability performance assessment, and then work towards improving sustainability performance using LSS tools. The goal of this study was to develop a model framework to fully embed sustainability into any LSS project building on current practices. The wide coverage of LSS, its effectiveness record, and its overlap with sustainability goals establish the foundation for expanding LSS methodology to include sustainability concepts. The proposed framework is not specific to an industry, but is intended to be applicable to the wide spectrum of projects where LSS can be applied. Examples were provided from manufacturing and construction industries in the study. The existing methodologies are framed to target only sustainability initiatives while the presented framework aims to integrate sustainability into any type of improvement initiative. Furthermore, existing methodologies focus almost solely on environmental and economic sustainability, whereas the presented study includes social dimension too. Both academicians and professionals will benefit from the presented framework as it provides a different perspective than what is found in literature enabling broader applications, together with concrete steps and examples demonstrating its implementation, use, and potential benefits.
Partition of Random Items: Tradeoff between Binning Utility and Meta Information Leakage

In this paper, we propose a novel formulation to understand the tradeoff between binning utility and meta information leakage when we face the problems of partitioning random items. As an example, such problems could emerge when online users attempt to protect their browsing behavior patterns to certain extent by resorting to multiple proxy websites. Under the framework, we formulate a constrained optimization problem where the goal is to maximize binning utility while restraining a certain level of information leakage by properly dividing a set of $M$ random items into $N$ bins. By doing so, we formulate a new multi-agent multivariate optimization problem which is NP-complicated. We then utilize the submodular nature of the problem to find sufficient conditions to (1) secure the existence of a solution to our problem; (2) lower the complexity of the problem at the cost of accuracy. To do so, we exploit the dual nature of set functions in multi-agent multi-variate problems, a novel addition to the field. After proving sufficient conditions to secure the existence of a solution in more general cases, we offer algorithms and complexity orders to solve a simplified version of the problem where $N=2$ which helps signify the use of submodular properties.
Simulation of Integrated Transmitter with Enhanced Power for Analog RF Links

We present integrated transmitter architectures that overcome typical power limitations of silicon photonic modulators by relying on a silicon nitride bypass. Simulations demonstrate improvements in SFDR by ∼ 10dB, NF by ∼15 dB and Gain by ∼25dB.
Massive MIMO NOMA Downlink

The performance of multi-cell massive multiple- input multiple-output (MIMO) downlink (DL) with nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is investigated. A novel pilot assignment for NOMA users is proposed to mitigate intra-cluster pilot contamination and to alleviate the detrimental impact of inter-cluster in the useful operating regime. The user nodes grouped into the same cluster based on the spatial-direction information are assigned orthogonal pilots to mitigate intracluster pilot contamination. These pilots are shared among the clusters to reduce the training overhead. However, the intercluster pilot contamination is mitigated by exploiting the distinct spatial directions of clusters. This pilot assignment ensures that the number of NOMA users that can be served simultaneously in the same time-frequency-spatial resource block is not limited by the length of coherence interval. A max-min fairness optimal transmit power allocation algorithm is proposed to guarantee user-fairness. The achievable DL sum rates are derived, and thereby, the cumulative impact of channel estimation errors, imperfect successive interference cancellation, and statistical channel knowledge at users is quantified. Our analysis reveals that the proposed massive MIMO NOMA can support massive access without compromising the spectral efficiency gains.
Abstract 1480: A novel mechanism of immunosuppression via nanotube mediated mitochondrial trafficking between cancer cell and immune cell

Cancer cells deploy multiple mechanisms for immune evasion. Here we report a novel mechanism of cancer cell-induced immune evasion via organelle trafficking between cancer cells and immune cells through physical nanotubes. Using high resolution scanning electron microscopy to analyze a co-culture assay of breast cancer cells and NKT cells revealed that the cancer cells and NKT cells form physical nanotube connections at early time points. Immunofluorescence imaging and quantification using flow cytometry revealed that the cancer cells rapidly hijack mitochondria from immune cells through these nanotubes. The transfer of mitochondria from immune cell to cancer cells imposes a metabolic impairment and results in a reduced population of immune cells. This is not observed in a control coculture using a Boyden chamber, where the two cell types are prevented from forming nanotubes. As the nanotubes are assembled via cytoskeletal rearrangement, we next tested whether the members of Rho-family of GTPases, Cdc42, Ral and Rac are involved in the actin polymerization. Indeed, an inhibitor for Cdc42/Rac1 GTPase inhibitor (ML141) and a geranylgeranyltransferase 1 inhibitor (L-778,123) significantly decreased mitochondrial transfer, and prevented the depletion of NKT cells in co-culture. Furthermore, treating 4T1 tumor-bearing animals with a combination of L-778,123 and a PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitor increased the anti-tumor efficacy compared to PD1 inhibition alone. Conclusion: Our study sheds insights on a novel mechanism of cancer immune suppression via nanotube-mediated intercellular organelle trafficking. The efficacy of GTPase- or geranylgeranyltransferase-inhibitors, in perturbing this process, and the increased efficacy of the combination with PD1 inhibitor, opens up the possibility of developing these as novel immunotherapy agents for cancer. Citation Format: Tanmoy Saha, Chinmayee Dash, Sachin Khiste, Shiladitya Sengupta. A novel mechanism of immunosuppression via nanotube mediated mitochondrial trafficking between cancer cell and immune cell [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1480.
Closure of Defects and Management of Complications.

Large and complex colon polyps are frequently referred to surgery for fear of perforation that may need emergency surgery. During the last 15 years, advances in clip and suturing devices allowed us to close perforations and avoid surgery. In addition, we have made substantial progress in our understanding of the lesions at risk for either immediate or delayed perforation. This article focuses on the colonoscopic closure of resection defects and perforations and the prevention and treatment of colon perforations after endoscopic resection.
Dialogues on Whiteness, Leisure and (Anti)Racism

This essay offers one response to recent calls for leisure studies scholars to more effectively integrate race into their analyses. Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship within ethnic studies,...
Resistance to Checkpoint Blockade Inhibitors and Immunomodulatory Drugs

Cancer therapy has evolved from surgery and radiation to multi-agent chemotherapy, and although we have seen decreased mortality and increased cure rates, most of this therapy has continued to focus on the tumor itself, and not on the tumor microenvironment. Various cells within the tumor microenvironment have been implicated in leading to resistance to immune therapy. Through a complex system of steps, T-cells become activated after presentation of a specific antigen. Because continuous T-cell activation can lead to lymphoproliferation and unwanted autoimmunity, the human T-cell immune system has evolved into a process of checks-and-balances, referred to as immune checkpoints, that allows for co-inhibitory receptors to inhibit T-cell activation. Through the use of check point inhibitors, we have seen patients with cancers refractory to multiple treatments have durable responses, and in some, long term remissions. Some of the most studied inhibitors include Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1) and Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte-Associated Antigen 4 (CTLA-4), although more have been identified. As we continue to explore possible treatment options for cancer, we must also be diligent in preemptively investigating how and why some patients will become resistant to these treatments, and what, if any, actions can be taken to circumvent this resistance.
40 – Nadsonia Sydow

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on Nadsonia genus and its member species. The cells in this genus are lemon-shaped, ovoidal, or elongate and the vegetative reproduction occurs by bud-fission at both poles, which involves the formation of a bud-like structure on a very wide neck. The bud is separated by the formation of a cross wall, followed by fission. Ascospore formation involves two mechanisms. In the first case, the contents of the zygote move into another bud formed at the opposite end of the parent cell after a heterogamic conjugation between the parent cell and a bud. This second bud is then delimited by a septum and becomes the ascus. In the second mechanism, the bud is normally delimited by a septum and the parent cell becomes the ascus, after a heterogamic conjugation between the parent cell and a bud. The member species of this genus include Nadsonia commutata and Nadsonia fulvescens, which again has two variants including Nadsonia fulvescens var. fulvescens and Nadsonia fulvescens var. elongata. Asci in Nadsonia commutata are formed by the second mechanism, following lysis of the wall separating a parent cell and a polar bud. The nucleus and other contents of the bud pass into the parent cell where karyogamy and meiosis take place.
Psychotherapists' attitudes toward online therapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people across the world have been advised to work from home in an effort to slow down the spreading of the virus. Within the field of psychotherapy, this meant that many psychotherapists who were used to seeing their patients in person transitioned to providing therapies online via videoconferencing, regardless of their previous experience or attitudes toward online psychotherapy. This survey study examined how psychotherapists' attitudes toward online psychotherapy is influenced by their characteristics and professional experiences during the sudden transition from face-to-face to online psychotherapy because of the pandemic. We collected real-time data from 145 psychotherapists from North America and Europe shortly after a pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization. Participants reported on their past experiences with online psychotherapy, their preparations of their online psychotherapy sessions during the pandemic, the challenges they encountered in online sessions, and their attitudes toward online psychotherapy more generally. Within the context of this forced transition because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, most psychotherapists identified a somewhat positive attitude toward online psychotherapy, suggesting they were likely to use online psychotherapy in the future. Our findings suggest that psychotherapists' attitudes toward online psychotherapy are influenced by their past experiences, such as psychotherapy modality, clinical experience, and previous online psychotherapy experience as well as their transition experience during the pandemic and their geographic location. Within the limitations of this survey study, implications and future directions for research are described.