cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Philosophy of Social Robotics: Abundance Economics

The aim of this paper is to present conceptual resources that address social robotics from a philosophical, social, and economic perspective. Since social robotics is an emerging and potentially high-impact area, it is necessary to consider the ethics and philosophy of social robotics and its potential impact on society. Philosophical, economic, and ethical issues are addressed first generally, revealing that social robotics is most-centrally a situation of human-machine collaboration. Second, economic issues are examined more specifically, positing that social robotics might figure prominently in both an automation economy that focuses on reduced requirements for human labor and an abundance economy that targets improved human quality of life. The stakes of social robotics are high and could mean both quantitative and qualitative benefits, and take advantage of the close connection with humans to help negotiate and buffer interactions between humans and a world with an increasing and expanding presence of technology.
Prediabetes: The Variation between HbA1c and Fasting Plasma Glucose.

Purpose The prevalence of Diabetes Type 2 is on the rise internationally. Currently, Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) and HbA1c are both used to determine if an individual is diabetic or prediabetic. We aimed to describe the prevalence of diabetes, prediabetes, and glycemic control in a population-based sample of elderly Hispanic and non-Hispanic White participants in New Mexico. Methods To do this, we compared HbA1c with FPG using Chi-Square analysis across gender and ethnicity to provide information for future health care policy. We also performed non-parametric regression using a locally weighted smoothing technique to investigate the relationship between FPG and HbA1c levels. Results Our analysis identifies a large variation between the sensitivity of HbA1c and FPG in the identification of both prediabetes and diabetes. Interestingly, 95% of diabetics defined by FPG are also defined by HbA1c, representing overlap between the two measures. When comparing the prevalence of prediabetes between the two measures, the overlap of FPG with HbA1c was only 30% and HbA1c identifies more individuals as prediabetic than FPG. Prevalence of diabetes was also higher when defined by HbA1c compared to FPG and the overall agreement between HbA1c and FPG appears to be poor particularly by sex and ethnicity (K=0.22-0.34). Glycemic control was poor overall with Hispanics displaying a larger amount of uncontrolled diabetes. Conclusion We compared HbA1c and FPG by gender and ethnicity and showed both measures of diabetes differ in their sensitivity across ethnic groups. Our results suggest that using HbA1c, rather than FPG, results in higher rates of prediabetes and diabetes, a finding with numerous implications for health care practice.
Crystal Structure and Thermoelectric Properties of the 7,7L Lillianite Homologue Pb6Bi2Se9

Pb6Bi2Se9, the selenium analogue of heyrovsyite, crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm (#63) with a = 4.257(1) A, b = 14.105(3) A, and c = 32.412(7) A at 300 K. Its crystal structure consists of two NaCl-type layers, A and B, with equal thickness, N1 = N2 = 7, where N is the number of edge-sharing [Pb/Bi]Se6 octahedra along the central diagonal. In the crystal structure, adjacent layers are arranged along the c-axis such that bridging bicapped trigonal prisms, PbSe8, are located on a pseudomirror plane parallel to (001). Therefore, Pb6Bi2Se9 corresponds to a 7,7L member of the lillianite homologous series. Electronic transport measurements indicate that the compound is a heavily doped narrow band gap n-type semiconductor, with electrical conductivity and thermopower values of 350 S/cm and −53 μV/K at 300 K. Interestingly, the compound exhibits a moderately low thermal conductivity, ∼1.1 W/mK, in the whole temperature range, owing to its complex crystal structure, which enables strong phonon sc...
Detection of Subtle Context-Dependent Model Inaccuracies in High-Dimensional Robot Domains.

Abstract Autonomous robots often rely on models of their sensing and actions for intelligent decision making. However, when operating in unconstrained environments, the complexity of the world makes it infeasible to create models that are accurate in every situation. This article addresses the problem of using potentially large and high-dimensional sets of robot execution data to detect situations in which a robot model is inaccurate—that is, detecting context-dependent model inaccuracies in a high-dimensional context space. To find inaccuracies tractably, the robot conducts an informed search through low-dimensional projections of execution data to find parametric Regions of Inaccurate Modeling (RIMs). Empirical evidence from two robot domains shows that this approach significantly enhances the detection power of existing RIM-detection algorithms in high-dimensional spaces.
Monitoring of live cell cultures during apoptosis by phase imaging and Raman spectroscopy

Non-invasive live cell measurements are an important tool in biomedical research. We present a combined digital holography/Raman spectroscopy technique to study live cell cultures during apoptosis. Digital holographic microscopy records an interference pattern between object and reference waves, so that the computationally reconstructed holographic image contains both amplitude and phase information about the sample. When the phase is mapped across the sample and converted into height information for each pixel, a three dimensional image is obtained. The measurement of live cell cultures by digital holographic microscopy yields information about cell shape and volume, changes to which are reflective of alterations in cell cycle and initiation of cell death mechanisms. Raman spectroscopy, on the other hand, is sensitive to rotational and vibrational molecular transitions, as well as intermolecular vibrations. Therefore, Raman spectroscopy provides complementary information about cells, such as protein, lipid and nucleic acid content, and, particularly, the spectral signatures associated with structural changes in molecules. The cell cultures are kept in the temperature-controlled environmental chamber during the experiment, which allows monitoring over multiple cell cycles. The DHM system combines a visible (red) laser source with conventional microscope base, and LabVIEW-run data processing. We analyzed and compared cell culture information obtained by these two methods.
Chikungunya Disease Awareness Among U.S. Travelers to Caribbean Destinations

Introduction: This study investigated chikungunya disease awareness and its predictors, the level of adoption of recommended personal protective behaviors against chikungunya, and the health information-seeking behavior of U.S. travelers to Caribbean destinations.Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective online survey of 653 adult U.S. international travelers who visited any one of 34 Caribbean destinations was conducted in October 2015. Study participants were recruited through Amazon® Mechanical Turk. Travelers who met the inclusion criteria and gave informed consent were subsequently redirected to complete the survey which was domiciled in Qualtrics®.Results: Results regarding health information-seeking behavior indicated that 51% of study participants had never sought information about chikungunya or any vector-borne illnesses. Only thirty percent of study participants reported having heard of chikungunya disease before participating in this study. After adjusting for the presence of other variables in a logistic regression model, gender of female, higher levels of education, more time spent at the destination, and a higher number of hours spent engaging in outdoor activities were factors significantly associated with chikungunya disease awareness. Study results also showed that twenty-two percent of study participants did not engage in any of the three recommended personal protective behaviors under investigation.Conclusion: Study findings highlighted a gap in existing approaches to health information dissemination vis-a-vis adoption of recommended personal protective behaviors, especially for U.S. travelers at risk for chikungunya and other emerging mosquito-borne infectious diseases in Caribbean destinations.
Spike Frequency Adaptation

Many neurons, in particular the excitatory pyramidal cells, have spike frequency adaptation currents. These are hyperpolarizing currents, activated when the membrane potential is high, and de-activated, typically slowly, when the membrane potential is low. As a consequence, many neurons cannot sustain rapid firing over a long time; spike frequency adaptation currents act as “brakes,” preventing hyper-activity. In this chapter, we discuss two kinds of adaptation currents, called M-currents (Section 9.1) and calcium-dependent afterhyperpolarization (AHP) currents (Section 9.2). Both kinds are found in many neurons in the brain. They have different properties. In particular, M-currents are active even before the neuron fires, while calcium-dependent AHP currents are firing-activated. As a result, the two kinds of currents affect the dynamics of neurons and neuronal network in different ways; see, for instance, exercises 17.3 and 17.4.
Reconstruction of Face and Scalp Defects with Local Flaps

With increasing incidence of cutaneous malignancies of the face and scalp, the need for reconstructive surgery is steadily increasing. Aesthetics is a major requirement of facial defect reconstruction. Because of the reliability, convenience, and aesthetic outcome, local flaps are often the reconstructive choice for facial and scalp skin defects.
Auto-generating real-time capable robotics control software for highly reconfigurable robot platforms

This paper presents a novel implementation of the CASAH (Control Autonomy for Sampling and Handling) robotics software system used in research and technology development testbeds at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Our implementation divides control software into decoupled behavior, user-interface, and hardware-level bus modules. This decoupling at the module level is accomplished by auto-generating human-readable message types that are tailored to the exact hardware topology of whatever system is currently in use. These message types provide modules with a common framework for exchanging state information and relaying commands to devices while being agnostic to the communication protocol itself. We also detail how to structure behavior and bus modules to facilitate modularity and flexibility with third-party software. This software package has been used with success on multiple technology development testbeds at JPL, an example of which is given in this paper, and has proven to provide developers a lightweight and highly reconfigurable system for efficient debugging and practical code sharing.
OxymiRs in Regenerative Medicine

Abstract Oxygen is vital for the survival of aerobic organisms, and the level of oxygen saturation across tissues in a multicellular organism is the key to maintaining homeostasis. Tissue insults—pathological conditions like cerebral stroke or myocardial infarction—alter the normal supply of oxygen and result in hypoxic and/or oxidative stress. Various stages of fetal development also witness different levels of oxygen saturation. Moreover, gene expression, including that of microRNAs (miRNAs), is dependent on the state of tissue oxygenation. Alterations in expression because of changes in oxygen levels in various pathophysiological conditions and their subsequent effects are reviewed in this chapter.
Resource Constrained Project Scheduling: a Hybrid Neural Approach

This study proposes, develops and tests a hybrid neural approach (HNA) for the resource constrained project scheduling problem. The approach is a hybrid of the adaptive-learning approach (ALA) for serial schedule generation and the augmented neural network (AugNN) approach for parallel schedule generation. Both these approaches are based on the principles of neural networks and are very different from Hopfield networks. In the ALA approach, weighted processing times are used instead of the original processing times and a learning approach is used to adjust weights. In the AugNN approach, traditional neural networks are augmented in a manner that allows embedding of domain and problem-specific knowledge. The network architecture is problem specific and a set of complex neural functions are used to (i) capture the constraints of the problem and (ii) apply a priority rule-based heuristic. We further show how forward-backward improvement can be integrated within the HNA framework to improve results. We empirically test our approach on benchmark problems of size J30, J60 and J120 from PSPLIB. Our results are extremely competitive with existing techniques such as genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, tabu search and sampling.
Biracial Americans: The Advantages of White Blood

Similar to that of Native Americans, the genesis of victim-group discrimination for biracial Americans is rooted in traditions of slavery and the antebellum South. Biracial Americans during the antebellum period more often than not were the sons and daughters of the slave master class and having light skin on occasion may also have been of Native American ancestry. Whether biracial Americans were mixed blood by having white or Native ancestry their phenotype, light skin set them apart from the darker-skinned African-American populations whose bloodline had not yet been mixed.
Valuation for Portfolio Analysis: Incorporating Risk and Uncertainty Measurement Into the Appraisal Process

James A. Graaskamp developed a philosophy for the analysis and study of real estate as a distinct discipline that is absent in much of the academic literature. His philosophy of land economics and real estate are founded in the Wisconsin tradition of institutional economics as influenced by Ely, Commons, Ratcliff and Andrews as they focused on the behavior of economic agents relative to broad economic decisions. The focus of this approach is on the elements of transactions as opposed to exchange ratios and indirect economic motives that is addressed as agency effects in the financial literature.
Radiology Coming Soon

Radiology, as we have alluded to many times in this text, is a fast moving field. It is likely that the three “coming soon” areas in radiology described in this chapter will be relatively common in practice by the time you read about them here. Moving at the “speed of light” is what makes this field so exciting.
Data for building a national suicide prevention strategy: what we have and what we need

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. As both the rate and number of suicides continue to climb, the country struggles with how to reverse this alarming trend. Using population-based data from publically available sources including the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the authors identified patterns of suicide that can be used to steer a public health–based suicide prevention strategy. That most suicide deaths occur upon the first attempt, for example, suggests that a greater investment in primary prevention is needed. The fact that definable subgroups receiving care through identifiable service systems, such as individuals in specialty substance use treatment, exhibit greater concentrations of suicide risk than the general public suggests that integrating suicide prevention strategies into those service system platforms is an efficient way to deliver care to those with heightened need. The data sets that reveal these patterns have both strengths (e.g., population-level) and weaknesses (e.g., lack of longitudinal data linking changing health status, intervention encounters, suicidal behavior, and death records). Some of the data needed for crafting a comprehensive, public health–based approach for dramatically reducing suicide are currently available or may be available in the near term. Other resources will have to be built, perhaps by enhancing existing federal surveillance systems or constructing new ones. The article concludes with suggestions for immediate and longer-term actions that can strengthen public data resources in the service of reducing suicide in the U.S.
Selection Index Applications

In this chapter, selection index principles are illustrated through the use of some numerical examples. Initially we consider selection index as classically applied: with an assumption of balanced data with homogeneous second moments. We first examine a simple case of index selection for a single trait in an open-pollinated progeny test, and then consider selection index for a single trait applied over a number of openpollinated tests. This is followed by an application in a single cross-pollinated test. Finally, we present an application of selection index for multiple traits, and consider how to examine sensitivity to economic weights. For each case, the objectives are two fold: 1) to illustrate how to set up the vectors and matrices necessary to apply a selection index, and 2) to demonstrate a few interesting principles about how selection indices operate. We then discuss selection index in cases where the assumptions of balanced data and homogeneous second moments may be inappropriate, and conclude by presenting approximate approaches to the selection of individuals which should be nearly optimum (and may be substantially easier to apply operationally). This chapter contains fairly detailed algebraic manipulations with linear models containing several subscripts. The reader is referred to Chapter 2 and the excellent paper by Comstock and Moll (1963) for further discussion and examples of this type of algebra.
Integrating Urban Schools in a Modern Context: Roadblocks and Challenges With the Use of Magnet Schools:

It has been 50 years since magnet schools were first used to address segregation in public schools. The context of magnet schools has changed dramatically during this time, raising questions about ...
Techniques for Assessing and Mitigating Longwall Subsidence Effects on Interstate Highways

Surface subsidence induced by underground coal mining activities, especially longwall mining operations, can cause various problems to interstate highways ranging from structural integrity, drivability to safety. Accurate subsidence prediction, correct influence assessments, and effective mitigation measures are the keys to ensure the safety of highway traffic. The surface subsidence prediction program, called comprehensive and integrated subsidence prediction model (CISPM), was developed based on the principle of influence function method and has been validated with a large number of subsidence measurements. In this paper, the techniques to use the predicted final surface movements and deformations for assessing their influence on the integrity and functionality of highway structures (e.g., road surface pavements, concrete slabs, transverse joints, etc.), vehicle dynamics, comfort level, and drivability are presented. A number of mitigation measures to protect the highway structures and to ensure traffic safety are proposed along with an application case.
A-B Hemolytic disease of the newborn; analysis of 1480 cord blood specimens, with special reference to the direct antiglobulin test and to the group O mother.

A study was made of oxalated umbilical vein blood of nearly every infant born at The Mount Sinai Hospital in a nine month period. A specimen of maternal blood was available for intragroup antibody screening and six cases of Rh-Hr hemolytic disease were eliminated from the data. The umbilical vein blood was tested, where possible, for: (1) group and Rh, (2) direct antiglobulin test, (3) hemoglobin, (4) reticulocyte count and examination of red cell morphology, (5) plasma bilirubin, and (6) osmotic fragility in 0.52 per cent NaCl. From the mothers’ blood groups, the infants were classified into group compatible and group incompatible, and the arithmetic means of the hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, and plasma bilirubin obtained for each class. A third class of infants, those with positive direct antiglobulin test, were analysed separately for comparison. 1. A weakly positive direct antiglobulin test was obtained on the umbilical vein blood of over 11 per cent of group incompatible infants but in none of the group compatible infants. 2. It appears that the weakly positive direct antiglobulin test detects an abnormal class of group incompatible infants, since their mean hemoglobin is low, their mean reticulocyte count is high, and their mean bilirubin is high, when these means are compared with those of the other group incompatible infants. 3. Thirty-eight of thirty-nine mothers of incompatible infants with positive direct antiglobulin test were group O. In comparison with the distribution of the blood groups of the mothers of other incompatible infants, this disproportion is of significance. 4. The mean reticulocyte count of incompatible infants with negative direct antiglobulin test is slightly (but with statistical significance) higher than the mean reticulocyte count of compatible infants. This difference was found to be associated almost entirely with group O mothers. 5. Thirty-one out of thirty-eight infants with positive direct antiglobulin test had increased osmotic fragility in hypotonic NaCl. Two of the negative cases appeared to have slight spherocytosis on blood smear.
Mapping Miscanthus Using Multi-Temporal Convolutional Neural Network and Google Earth Engine

Grasslands play an essential role in ecology and agriculture. Accurately mapping the grasslands at a large scale is essential for productivity monitoring, policymaking, and environmental assessment. The advancements in remote sensing and machine learning technologies have enabled the generation of high accuracy national level crop layers. Although the national crop layer for the US includes grasslands, it does not differentiate them well at the species level. To fill the gap of mapping grassland at the national scale with high accuracy, we used a Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (Convolutional-LSTM) neural network model for grass identification using multi-temporal Sentinel-2 images. Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) is used as a case study for this short paper. The classification of Miscanthus using the Convolutional-LSTM model yielded a 98.8% accuracy, which is significantly higher than the 92% accuracy produced by a benchmark model 3-layer fully connected neural network. Additionally, we demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of cloud computing practices by implementing the entire analytical process in a cloud-based environment.
E-205 Clip ligation of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm with delayed rupture after web embolization: a case report

Introduction The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) aneurysm embolization system has emerged as a new and effective endovascular treatment option for broad necked cerebral aneurysms located at bifurcations. Intra-procedural hemorrhage is a known complication of the device, but we report aneurysmal rupture two days after WEB treatment of an unruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm. Additionally, instances of surgical clip ligation of aneurysms previously treated with WEB are scarce in the literature. We describe our experience of successful clip ligation of an aneurysm previously treated with WEB. Methods A 62 year-old female underwent an uneventful WEB embolization of an unruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm, which measured 3 mm x 4 mm in maximal diameter. The WEB device used measured 4 mm x 3 mm. Final angiogram demonstrated decreased opacification of the aneurysm dome. The patient was discharged home on post-procedure day 1 on Aspirin 81 mg daily, but returned the following evening with worsening headache. Head CT revealed an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) centered on the treated aneurysm. She remained neurologically intact. Formal angiogram after rupture exhibited increased intrasaccular opacification of the aneurysm. Results The patient was monitored in the ICU and placed on our institution’s SAH management protocol including levetiracetam, nimodipine, atorvastatin, intravenous fluids and early DVT prophylaxis. She developed one episode of symptomatic vasospasm requiring intra-arterial milrinone therapy on post-hemorrhage day 6. Follow-up angiogram demonstrated continued filling of aneurysm through the WEB device. The device itself appeared to still be under compression, but due to the delayed hemorrhage, further treatment was thought to be appropriate. The patient was subsequently taken to the operating room on post-hemorrhage day 21 for clip ligation of the aneurysm. A standard pterional approach was used. Clip placement was performed without issue and there were no significant challenges faced due to the presence of the WEB device. Post-operative angiogram confirmed aneurysm occlusion. The patient was discharged home on post-operative day 4, and remained neurologically intact. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a delayed aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage after WEB embolization. Additionally, clip ligation of an aneurysm previously treated with WEB can be done safely, and in our patient, did not result in a more challenging operation. Disclosures N. Villelli: None. B. Bohnstedt: None.
Pericarditis in Systemic Rheumatologic Diseases.

We review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of pericarditis most commonly complicating autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions. Typically, pericarditis occurs in the context of a systemic flare of the underlying disease but infrequently, it is the presenting manifestation requiring a high index of suspicion to unravel the indolent cause. Pericardial involvement in rheumatic diseases encompasses a clinical spectrum to include acute, recurrent and incessant pericarditis, constrictive pericarditis, asymptomatic pericardial effusion, and pericardial tamponade. Direct evidence on the pathophysiology of pericarditis in the context of rheumatic diseases is scant. It is theorized that immune perturbations within pericardial tissue result from the underlying central immunopathology of the respective autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease. Pericarditis management depends on acuity, the underlying cause and epidemiological features such as patient’s immune status and geographic prevalence of infections such as tuberculosis. Immunosuppressive medications including biologics such as interleukin 1 blockers emerge as possible steroid sparing agents for pericarditis treatment.
Compensating for the end-plate effect on heat transfer in brazed plate heat exchangers

Abstract The two end plates in plate heat exchangers transfer heat through contact with the corrugated surface of the adjacent thermal plate. This phenomenon effectively increases the active heat transfer area and significantly affects the heat transfer when the heat exchanger has a very small number of plates. That is especially important when such a heat exchanger is used for the determination of the heat transfer coefficient in the development of heat transfer correlations. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the effect of the end plate on heat transfer in brazed plate heat exchangers. The governing equations are derived through the energy balance analysis for a small element of the end plate. Numerical and analytical models are developed to solve the governing equations. The predictions by the two models agree well with each other. The heat transfer data for single-phase water in the BPHEs with different numbers of plates are used to validate the developed models. Both experiments and theoretical analyses show that the influence of the end plate is more significant in a heat exchanger with a small number of plates and a lower convective heat transfer coefficient. An iteration algorithm is developed to compensate for the end-plate effect in the development of heat transfer correlations.
How Coordinated Visual Attention on a Target Area of Interest is Impacted by a Change in Workload Over Time

Data-rich environments rely on operators to collaborate, especially in light of workload changes. This work explores the relationship between the operators’ shared visual attention patterns on a ta...
Myosin Heavy Chain 9 (MYH9)-Related Congenital Macrothrombocytopenia.

Myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9)-related hereditary macrothrombocytopenia is caused by mutation of the MYH9 gene encoding the heavy chain A of non-muscle myosin of class II. We present a case that emphasizes the importance of awareness of rare disorders which could potentially avoid over-investigation, especially in benign conditions. A 72-year-old Caucasian female presented for preoperative evaluation for cataract extraction. She was noted to have thrombocytopenia of 30 K/uL along with elevated creatinine. She denied any acute symptoms except for a prolonged history of easy bruising. Physical exam revealed bruising over the extremities. Upon further questioning, she was previously investigated for thrombocytopenia and had multiple diagnostic as well as therapeutic interventions including bone marrow biopsies, steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins with no improvement. Her family history is consistent with low platelet counts for at least three generations. Peripheral blood smear showed large platelets, normal red and white blood cells with Dohle bodies. Further genetic testing revealed an inherited MYH9 mutation which is autosomal dominant. MYH9-related disorders are characterized by macrothrombocytopenia, often associated with glomerulonephritis, sensorineural deafness, cataracts, and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies within leukocytes. Management is mainly conservative and directed towards the prevention of iron deficiency anemia in young females. The use of desmopressin, in combination with tranexamic acid, is recommended in a perioperative setting. Our case emphasizes the importance of history-taking skills that could potentially minimize further diagnostic or therapeutic interventions in this benign genetic disorder.
Immunocytochemical and Neuro-Chemical Aspects of Sympathetic Ganglion Chemosensitivity

Previous studies by Hanson et a1.8 demonstrated that acute hypoxic stress in vivo reduced the content of the neuropeptides, substance P and met-enkephalin, in decentralized superior cervical ganglia (SCG), and elevated glucose utilization in SCG exposed to hypoxia in vitro. Because similar changes were observed in the chemosensory tissue of the carotid body and not in nonchemosensory control tissue, these authors suggested that SCG contain intrinsic chemosensory mechanisms8.The subsequent studies of Cheng et al.2 and Dalmaz et a1.3 added further support to this hypothesis. Dalmaz, Pequignot and their colleagues3,15 showed that the turnover of dopamine (DA) was significantly increased in both the superior cervical ganglia (SCG) and carotid bodies from rats chronically (2 to 28 days) exposed to hypoxic gas mixtures. Their experiments also demonstrated that the turnover of norepinephrine (NE), the dominant biogenic amine contained in postganglionic SCG neurons, was not altered by chronic hypoxia, while its turnover in the carotid body was elevated between days 7 and 28 of the chronic exposure3,15. A critical observation in these studies was that DA turnover in SCG remained elevated in hypoxic animals treated with guanethidine, an agent known to destroy primarily NE containing neuronal cell bodies 3.. Because nearly one-half of the DA in SCG is presumed to be contained in small intensely fluorescent (SIF) cells 12, which remain intact following guanethidine treatment, it was suggested that these peculiar cells were acting as chemosensory in sympathetic ganglia. However, despite the fact that increased DA turnover persisted in the SCG following chronic carotid sinus nerve transection and preganglionectomy3, Dalmaz et a1.3
Acidophiles: Mechanisms To Tolerate Metal and Acid Toxicity

Acidophiles are microorganisms belonging to eubacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes that need to grow in environments of low pH (<3). Other microorganisms are highly tolerant to extremely acidic conditions but can also grow at neutral pH. Ecological success in any given environment is termed fitness, a measure of the ability of one genotype to reproduce in comparison with another. Hot, acidic, and metal-rich environments are often dominated by archaeal members of the Thermoplasmales family. Volcanic activities contributed to a constant supply of arsenic that was mainly in the form of arsenite under the prevailing reducing conditions. Acidophiles are not intrinsically arsenic or metal resistant but often achieve high levels of resistance through plasmids and/or transposons. Mercury resistance in acidophiles has been studied extensively in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. In various strains of A. ferrooxidans, an additional mercury volatilization system that is dependent on iron oxidation can be found. The mechanisms characterized to date are very similar to those found in organisms that grow at neutral pH, and their genes are often found to be located on either plasmids or transposons that would facilitate their spread by interspecies gene transfer.
Reduction Transformations in ORM

This paper proposes extensions to the Object-Role Modeling approach to support schema transformations that eliminate unneeded columns that may arise from standard relational mapping procedures. A "unique where true" variant of the external uniqueness constraint is introduced to allow roles spanned by such constraints to occur in unary fact types. This constraint is exploited to enable graphic portrayal of a new corollary to a schema transformation pattern that occurs in many business domains. An alternative transformation is introduced to optimize the same pattern, and then generalized to cater for more complex cases. The relational mapping algorithm is extended to cater for the new results, with the option of retaining the original patterns for conceptual discussion, with the transforms being applied internally in a preprocessing phase. The procedures are being implemented in NORMA, an open-source tool supporting the ORM 2 version of fact-oriented modeling.
Changes in the Microflora of Haddock Fillets and Shucked Soft-Shelled Clams After Irradiation with Co60 Gamma Rays and Storage at 0 C and 6 C

Frequency distribution patterns of aerobic-facultative microflora, obtained by random selection of macrocolonies from samples of haddock fillets and shucked soft-shelled clams before and after treatment with doses of from 50,000 to 800,000 rad of Co60 gamma rays, are presented, with analyses and interpretation. The data showed that a decided change occurred in the constitution of the microbial populations of both products: from a mixed gram-negative—gram-positive flora to a predominantly gram-positive flora immediately after irradiation. The great majority of these surviving microorganisms were micrococci, sporeforming bacilli, and certain yeasts, molds, and actinomyces. During storage at refrigeration temperatures above freezing, the microflora changed from the descendants of the more radioresistant gram-positive species to the more prolific gram-negative psychrophilic species that flourish at these low temperatures. Micrococci and gram-positive rods declined somewhat during the rise of the actively proteolytic-lipolytic pseudomonads and related species, but still remained at high enough levels to contribute significantly to the spoilage observed at different times in storage. The eventual spoilage of haddock fillets was characterized by discoloration of the cream-white tissue with water-soluble yellow, green, and red bacterial pigments; degradation of the tissue, by proteolytic and other microbial enzymes, to a watery, flaccid mass; and formation of volatile compounds that smelled putrid, rancid, and generally foul and pungent. Shucked soft-shelled clams displayed a different spoilage pattern, changing to a variegated brown-gray and forming a matted or loose gelatinous mass from which arose stale, acrid, putrid, sulfurous odors. These differences are believed to be attributable to the varied biochemical nature of the tissues involved, the Eh potential within the tissues, the time sequence of microfloral change, and the species and types of microorganisms associated with each product. Staphylococci were present in small numbers in some of the samples tested, but did not appear to be species of public health significance. Gram-negative enteric rods were also encountered, but were considered to be of doubtful public health importance. More detailed investigations, designed to study the effects of Co60 gamma radiations on such microbes in sea foods, would be useful in assessing the problem further.
Reconciling scratch space consumption, exposure, and volatility to achieve timely staging of job input data

Innovative scientific applications and emerging dense data sources are creating a data deluge for highend computing systems. Processing such large input data typically involves copying (or staging) onto the supercomputer's specialized high-speed storage, scratch space, for sustained high I/O throughput. The current practice of conservatively staging data as early as possible makes the data vulnerable to storage failures, which may entail re-staging and consequently reduced job throughput. To address this, we present a timely staging framework that uses a combination of job startup time predictions, user-specified intermediate nodes, and decentralized data delivery to coincide input data staging with job start-up. By delaying staging to when it is necessary, the exposure to failures and its effects can be reduced. Evaluation using both PlanetLab and simulations based on three years of Jaguar (No. 1 in Top500) job logs show as much as 85.9% reduction in staging times compared to direct transfers, 75.2% reduction in wait time on scratch, and 2.4% reduction in usage/hour.
Abstract P4-04-16: Obesity-associated systemic interleukin-6 promotes pre-adipocyte aromatase expression via increased breast cancer cell prostaglandin E2 production

Introduction: Obesity is associated with a worse breast cancer prognosis, particularly in estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) positive, postmenopausal patients. Resistance to aromatase inhibitor treatment may be one mechanism mediating this effect, as obese patients have a lower response rate to this class of drugs and higher breast tissue aromatase expression. We hypothesized that obesity-associated circulating factors promote breast cancer cell cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, resulting in an elevation in pre-adipocyte aromatase expression that enhances breast cancer cell estrogen receptor activity and proliferation. Methods: We utilized an in vitro model of the obese patient’s tumor microenvironment in which cultured MCF-7 breast cancer cells and pre-adipocytes were exposed to pooled serum from obese (OB; BMI≥30.0 kg/m2) or normal weight (N; BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2) postmenopausal women. Results: Exposure to OB versus N patient sera significantly increased MCF-7 cell COX-2 expression and PGE2 production. This was coupled with 89% greater pre-adipocyte aromatase expression following culture in conditioned media (CM) from MCF-7 cells exposed to OB versus N patient sera, a difference nullified by treatment of the MCF-7 cells with the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib during CM generation. Previous analysis of the sera revealed significantly higher interleukin 6 (IL-6) concentrations in the OB versus N patient samples. Depletion of IL-6 from the sera resulted in neutralization of the difference between OB and N CM-stimulated aromatase expression. N CM generated with the addition of IL-6 treatment at the time of N patient sera exposure also induced pre-adipocyte aromatase expression that was statistically equivalent to the OB CM condition. Finally, CM from pre-adipocyte/MCF-7 cell co-cultures exposed to OB patient sera stimulated greater MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cell ERα activity and proliferation in comparison to N. Conclusions: This study indicates that obesity-associated systemic IL-6 indirectly enhances pre-adipocyte aromatase expression via increased breast cancer cell PGE2 production, thereby promoting greater cancer cell ERα activity and proliferation. Investigation regarding the efficacy of a COX-2 inhibitor/aromatase inhibitor combination therapy in the obese postmenopausal patient population is warranted. Citation Format: Laura W Bowers, Andrew J Brenner, Stephen D Hursting, Rajeshwar R Tekmal, Linda A deGraffenried. Obesity-associated systemic interleukin-6 promotes pre-adipocyte aromatase expression via increased breast cancer cell prostaglandin E2 production [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-04-16.
Modulation of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors by synaptic and tonic zinc

Many excitatory synapses contain high levels of mobile zinc within glutamatergic vesicles. Although synaptic zinc and glutamate are coreleased, it is controversial whether zinc diffuses away from the release site or whether it remains bound to presynaptic membranes or proteins after its release. To study zinc transmission and quantify zinc levels, we required a high-affinity rapid zinc chelator as well as an extracellular ratiometric fluorescent zinc sensor. We demonstrate that tricine, considered a preferred chelator for studying the role of synaptic zinc, is unable to efficiently prevent zinc from binding low-nanomolar zinc-binding sites, such as the high-affinity zinc-binding site found in NMDA receptors (NMDARs). Here, we used ZX1, which has a 1 nM zinc dissociation constant and second-order rate constant for binding zinc that is 200-fold higher than those for tricine and CaEDTA. We find that synaptic zinc is phasically released during action potentials. In response to short trains of presynaptic stimulation, synaptic zinc diffuses beyond the synaptic cleft where it inhibits extrasynaptic NMDARs. During higher rates of presynaptic stimulation, released glutamate activates additional extrasynaptic NMDARs that are not reached by synaptically released zinc, but which are inhibited by ambient, tonic levels of nonsynaptic zinc. By performing a ratiometric evaluation of extracellular zinc levels in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, we determined the tonic zinc levels to be low nanomolar. These results demonstrate a physiological role for endogenous synaptic as well as tonic zinc in inhibiting extrasynaptic NMDARs and thereby fine tuning neuronal excitability and signaling.
Bridging theory and practice: occupational justice and service learning.

OBJECTIVE: This article presents a service learning pedagogy whereby students develop the skills of an evidence-based practice scholar committed to occupational justice as a means to transform occupational therapy practice, their clients, themselves and the world. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-four fourth year occupational therapy students in a five-year master’s program. METHODS: During a two-semester course in clinical reasoning, occupational therapy students participate in service learning with marginalized and vulnerable populations. During the fall semester, students spend time each week observing the population and staff, and conducting a needs assessment. At the end of the fall semester, students propose a ten-week evidence-based, occupation-focused program. During the spring semester, students carry out this project with an occupational justice lens. RESULTS: Through qualitative analysis of guided reflections and a final service-learning report students identify links between clinical reasoning and occupational justice theories and practicein acommunity context and carryout anadvocacy plan to promote justice. CONCLUSIONS: Given the opportunity to learn new skills in a natural context with a vulnerable population, students demonstrate an understanding of occupational injustices and advocate for the rights of those they serve, witnessing the resulting changes in policies and practice within the community agency and beyond.
A proposed mode of action for green island induction by the eremophilane phytotoxins produced by Drechslera gigantea

Drechslera gigantea , a phytopathogen of several graminaceous species, produces numerous phytotoxins belonging to the eremophilane family. When applied to detached leaves of Avena sativa cv. Park, several of these eremophilanes cause green islands, localized areas of chlorophyll retention. In experiments using a wheat germ in vitro protein translation assay system, gigantenone and petasol, two of these eremophilanes, inhibited protein synthesis at 1 m m concentrations. The same eremophilanes also inhibited incorporation of [ 14 C]-leucine into proteins during in vivo studies using detached oat leaves. Proteolytic enzyme activity levels were found to be lower in leaf tissue treated with gigantenone and petasol. 11,12-Epoxypetasol, an eremophilane which does not induce green islands, showed little inhibition of protein synthesis in either the in vitro or the in vivo studies. 11,12-Epoxypetasol-treated leaves had higher proteolytic enzyme activity levels than leaves treated with gigantenone and petasol. We conclude that green island formation by these eremophilanes proceeds through the inhibition of protein synthesis.
Clinical study of personalized therapeutics based on genomic/proteomic profiling

A118 Our therapeutic strategy is to identify signature molecular components comprising key, highly linked, functional nodes of dominant or co-dominant oncogenic pathways. Correlative genomic and proteomic profiling of laser microdissected tissue using cDNA microarray and 2-dimensional Difference Gel Electrophoresis coupled with mass-spectrometry (MS) was used "at the bedside" to detect differential expression between malignant and 9normal9 tissue. Ten cancer patients (5 melanoma; 2 breast; 1 lymphoma; 1 non-small-cell lung cancer; and 1 colon cancer) are undergoing analysis. Results of target prioritization are complete in patient 1 (melanoma) who demonstrated 45, 16 significantly, up-regulated proteins (≥2 fold) in malignant compared to non-malignant tissue. Six key signature proteins were chosen based on (1) analysis of functions and processes associated with cancer growth and robustness as defined by Hanahan and Weinberg, H&W (self sufficiency, immortality, immune escape, apoptosis, replication, angiogenesis, and invasion), (2) conservation of coupled DNA in eukaryotic completed genomes, and (3) coupled upregulation of mRNA and protein. Western blot analysis with known protein antibodies was used to confirm MS results and identify similar levels of protein expression in selected NCI 60 cell lines and patient malignant tumor samples at 2 different time points of disease from 2 different disease sites.Using our systems biology construct, these 6 proteins underwent gene expression analysis and pathway modeling to determine inter- and intra-pathway connectivity to proteins involved with functions identified by H&W identified involving the 6 key proteins. First order protein-protein interaction connectivity is shown below.GNB2L1, STMN1, and SDCBP are highly connected and are proposed as high priority targets of patient 1 (melanoma) for therapeutic modification testing. SiRNA and shRNA knockdown to validate phenotype and genotype effect in vitro and in vivo is under way. Vehicles to be tested for clinical delivery have completed toxicology. Compassionate treatment of all 10 patients, once individual priority targets are identified, using delivery-vectored single- and multiplexed-shRNA[s] will provide 9proof of principle9 in establishing the clinical feasibility of personalized therapeutics using genomic/proteomic profiling.
Nonlinear extremum seeking inspired on second order sliding modes

We present a new Extremum Seeking algorithm that uses Super-Twisting like nonlinear terms in order to improve its precision. In addition, the algorithm is combined with Second Order Sliding Mode observers to build an optimization framework for uncertain dynamic systems in which the variable to optimize is not measured and needs to be estimated. The relevance of the proposed framework is illustrated in the problem of biomass optimization of a biological reactor with uncertain kinetics.