cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new species of Spauligodon (Nematoda: Oxyuroidea: Pharyngodonidae) in Cyrtodactylus bintangrendah (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Peninsular Malaysia.

Abstract: Spauligodon bintangensis n. sp. from the intestines of Cyrtodactylus bintangrendah (Gekkonidae) from Peninsular Malaysia is described and illustrated. Spauligodon bintangensis n. sp. represents the 51st species assigned to the genus and the first species from the Oriental Region. The new species is most similar to Spauligodon atlanticus, Spauligodon eremiasi, and Spauligodon occidentalis, but is easily separated by position of vulva, prebulbar in S. atlanticus and S. occidentalis, postbulbar in the new species, and location of lateral alae; in S. eremiasi, the lateral alae occur only in the fourth quarter of the body, whereas in the new species the lateral alae begin just posterior to lips.
Testing species boundaries in the Antrodiaetus unicolor complex (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Antrodiaetidae): "paraphyly" and cryptic diversity.

The inability to correctly identify species has far reaching implications in nearly all areas of biology, yet few studies investigate methods for delineating species boundaries. Moreover, once these boundaries have been hypothesized, little thought has been given to how these constructs can be further evaluated. We employ a molecular phylogenetic approach using nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I genes to test the general eYcacy of species boundaries in the Antrodiaetus unicolor spider species complex. Our analyses provide evidence that An. unicolor is “paraphyletic” with respect to An. microunicolor, indicating that morphological criteria used to delineate species boundaries undersplits actual species-level diversity in this group of spiders. These analyses also demonstrate that individuals from geographically proximate populations sometimes exhibit considerable molecular divergence, strongly suggesting that An. unicolor is a cryptic species complex. Finally, this molecular approach has provided the phylogenetic framework that is necessary to begin interpreting the vast amount of morphological variation observed in these spiders based upon Wndings from previous studies. Our approach using multiple genes appears to be a rigorous method to critically examine species boundaries originally based on traditional morphological approaches to spider taxonomy.
Prevalence and Health Impact of Developmental Disabilities in US Children

Objective. Data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey—Child Health Supplement were used to examine the prevalence of selected developmental disabilities and their impact among children ages 0 through 17 years. Design. The following conditions, identified through a structured in-person interview with a parent or other adult household member, were examined: deafness or trouble hearing, blindness, epilepsy or seizures, stammering and stuttering, other speech defects, cerebral palsy, delay in growth or development, learning disabilities, and emotional or behavioral problems. The impact was defined by measures of perceived health status, school performance and attendance, and health care utilization. Results. Seventeen percent of children in the United States were reported to have ever had a developmental disability. The prevalence of the individual disabilities ranged from 0.2% for cerebral palsy to 6.5% for learning disabilities. These conditions taken together had a substantial impact on the health and educational functioning of affected children: 1.5 times more doctor visits, 3.5 times more hospital-days, twice the number of school-days lost, and a 2.5-fold increase in the likelihood of repeating a grade in school compared with children without these conditions. The extent of this impact was much greater among children with multiple disabilities or with either cerebral palsy, epilepsy or seizures, delays in growth and development, or emotional or behavioral problems. The impact on school performance was most pronounced for children reported to have learning disabilities. Conclusions. Future research efforts should be focused on ways to reduce the impact of these developmental disabilities on quality of life.
1500-nm InP diode lasers optimized for use at 77K demonstrate 73% conversion efficiency

The power conversion efficiency of cryogenically-cooled InP diode lasers is limited by excess electrical voltage caused by carrier freeze-out. A laser design which specifically mitigates this effect demonstrates peak efficiency of 73% at 77K.
Using macromolecular-crystallography beamline and microfluidic platform for small-angle diffraction studies of lipidic matrices for membrane-protein crystallization.

Macromolecular-crystallography (MX) beamlines routinely provide a possibility to change X-ray beam energy, focus the beam to a size of tens of microns, align a sample on a microdiffractometer using on-axis video microscope, and collect data with an area-detector positioned in three dimensions. These capabilities allow for running complementary measurements of small-angle X-ray scattering and diffraction (SAXS) at the same beamline with such additions to the standard MX setup as a vacuum path between the sample and the detector, a modified beam stop, and a custom sample cell. On the 21-ID-D MX beamline at the Advanced Photon Source we attach a vacuum flight tube to the area detector support and use the support motion for aligning a beam stop built into the rear end of the flight tube. At 8 KeV energy and 1 m sample-to-detector distance we can achieve a small-angle resolution of 0.01A−1 in the reciprocal space. Measuring SAXS with this setup, we have studied phase diagrams of lipidic mesophases used as matrices for membrane-protein crystallization. The outcome of crystallization trials is significantly affected by the structure of the lipidic mesophases, which is determined by the composition of the crystallization mixture. We use a microfluidic chip for the mesophase formulation and in situ SAXS data collection. Using the MX beamline and the microfluidic platform we have demonstrated the viability of the high-throughput SAXS studies facilitating screening of lipidic matrices for membrane-protein crystallization.
Another View of Corporate Capitalism

Peterson's three major propositions, 41. — Margins between revenues and costs and discretion of management to depart from goal of profit maximization, 42. — Imperfect product, labor, and capital markets and management choices, 44. — Decisions of management on the distribution of corporate income, 46. — Importance of the nature of the decision mechanism, 48.
Bi-Objective Hydroelectric Optimal Dispatch under Electricity Deregulated Environment

Hydroelectric units play important roles within the power system security due to their fast response characteristics. Within the present operation strategy of the Taipower, both hydro and thermal units are concurrently dispatched under the Power Dispatch Center in order to raise the system security. However, after the power industry deregulation in Taiwan, many independent power producers (IPPs) join the power market. The operation strategy of IPPs is mainly concerned with electricity pricing competition rather than system security consideration. Therefore, with the increasing of IPPs, the conventional hydro-thermal coordination of Taipower faces a new challenge of increased security risk. This paper proposes a bi-objective hydroelectric optimal dispatch approach to improve system security under electricity deregulated environment. In the work, the bi-objective functions take system security risk minimization as well as thermal costs minimization into account to enhance system security
Human Driver Model and Driver Decision Making for Intersection Driving

In this paper, a general architecture of human driver model at intersections is proposed. One of the key modules in the architecture, driver decision making module, is discussed in details under various traffic scenarios. Process flow diagrams that are built in the decision making module for various decision making processes at both unsignalized and signalized intersections are also presented. This human driver model can be used not only for simulating human driver response, but also for autonomous vehicle's decision making in the intersection area. A left-turning scenario at an unsignalized intersection was simulated by applying the proposed driver decision process flow diagram. Driver's behavior was mimicked and safe vehicle operations were demonstrated.
Global‐basis two‐level method for indefinite systems. Part 1: convergence studies

A robust two-level solver for high indefinite system of equations arising from the finite element discretization is developed. It is shown that the optimal coarse model is spanned by the spectrum of the highest eigenmodes of the smoothing iteration matrix. Convergence studies conducted on a model prolongation operator reveal pathological sensitivity to any deviation from the optimal coarse model. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Layered orientation graph modeling method for the assembly of complex products

On account of the large number of component parts in complex products,there will be rather big difficulty in the sequence planning of following-up assembling.Using the traditional method to build up models will cause explosive increase of amount of cut-set along with the growth of number of the component parts.Aiming at this kind of problem a method utilizing the division of assembly unit was put forward to carrying out division of layers;the layered orientation graph model of the information of assembling positioning relationship was expressed in every layer by the use of embedded orientation graph.The establishment of layered orientation graph model and its expressing method were studied in this paper and application verification was made by taking certain typed airplane wing box as an example.
Effect of Distributed Resources on Power Loss of Distribution Network

Distributed resources(DR)have important impacts on power loss of distribution network system,including the location,capacity and power factor of DR.Based on radial single circuit network and uniform distribution constant power load model,the mathematical relations between reduction of power loss and location,capacity and power factor of DR were deduced for single DR inserting,and generalized for multiple DR inserting.The optimum location and capacity of DR were obtained.The influence of DR inserting on the power loss of distribution network was simulated and analyzed.The conclusions investigated in this paper provided theoretical references to optimal operation mode and power network planning of DR.
The Uneven Realization of the Grammatical Meaning of the Ba-construction among Ba-Sentences

Hu (2005) argues that "instead of "execution" (Wang 1945), "disposal" (Li and Thompson 1981)[11], or "topic-comment" (Hsueh 1989), the grammatical meaning of the Ba-construction, "A Ba B+C" is that of causation in a sense that in relation with A, B is rendered in a resultative state described by C with the marker Ba indicating the direction of causation. The current study is a sequel to Hu’s previous(2005) study, and argues that there is an unbalanced realization of the grammatical meaning as characterized by Hu among different types of Ba-sentences structured on the basis of the Ba-construction, and that there is a continuum in terms of the degree of manifestation of this causative meaning, from the typical to the non-typical, among Ba-sentences from the view point of the prototype theory(Rosch 1973) in cognitive grammar. The author considers that this analysis is closer to the native speakers’ intuition about the linguistic reality of the grammatical meaning of the Ba-construction and Ba-sentences in Chinese.
Leiomyosarcoma of the superior vena cava. A first case with resection.

Leiomyosarcomas, rare malignant tumors of the veins, are located predominantly in the inferior vena cava. We report our experience with a leiomyosarcoma in the superior vena cava of a 44-year-old white man. The lesion had been locally excised and then recurred 2 1/2 years later. The recurrent tumor was widely excised and the superior vena cava was repaired with a saphenous vein patch graft. The area of the recurrence was treated with cobalt 60 therapy. Four years later, 6 1/2 years after initial treatment, the patient is alive and well without evidence of recurrence.
Noise-Induced Loss of Hair Cells and Cochlear Synaptopathy Are Mediated by the Activation of AMPK.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a major unresolved public health problem. Here, we investigate pathomechanisms of sensory hair cell death and suggest a novel target for protective intervention. Cellular survival depends upon maintenance of energy homeostasis, largely by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). In response to a noise exposure in CBA/J mice, the levels of phosphorylated AMPKα increased in hair cells in a noise intensity-dependent manner. Inhibition of AMPK via siRNA or the pharmacological inhibitor compound C attenuated noise-induced loss of outer hair cells (OHCs) and synaptic ribbons, and preserved auditory function. Additionally, noise exposure increased the activity of the upstream AMPK kinase liver kinase B1 (LKB1) in cochlear tissues. The inhibition of LKB1 by siRNA attenuated the noise-increased phosphorylation of AMPKα in OHCs, reduced the loss of inner hair cell synaptic ribbons and OHCs, and protected against NIHL. These results indicate that noise exposure induces hair cell death and synaptopathy by activating AMPK via LKB1-mediated pathways. Targeting these pathways may provide a novel route to prevent NIHL. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our results demonstrate for the first time that the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) α in sensory hair cells is noise intensity dependent and contributes to noise-induced hearing loss by mediating the loss of inner hair cell synaptic ribbons and outer hair cells. Noise induces the phosphorylation of AMPKα1 by liver kinase B1 (LKB1), triggered by changes in intracellular ATP levels. The inhibition of AMPK activation by silencing AMPK or LKB1, or with the pharmacological inhibitor compound C, reduced outer hair cell and synaptic ribbon loss as well as noise-induced hearing loss. This study provides new insights into mechanisms of noise-induced hearing loss and suggests novel interventions for the prevention of the loss of sensory hair cells and cochlear synaptopathy.
Surgical correction of foot deformity in the older patient with myelomeningocele.

Summary 1. One hundred twenty-two surgical procedures were performed on 54 feet in patients with myelomeningocele. These operations were undertaken to prevent ulceration and to allow the foot to be braced. 2. Soft tissue release and appropriate tendon transfer in the supple foot appear to be all that is necessary in the majority of cases. 3. Patients with a flail foot were more responsive to surgical intervention than those with deformity secondary to muscle imbalance. 4. Triple arthrodesis in fixed bone deformities was a beneficial definitive procedure. Nonunion, when present, did not ultimately rule out a clinically satisfactory result. 5. Pantalar or tibiotalar arthrodesis appears to be contraindicated because of significant occurrence of Charcot-like changes.
Effect of Mo insertion layers on the magnetoresistance and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Ta/CoFeB/MgO junctions

C-SPIN, one of six centers of STARnet, a Semiconductor Research Corporation program - MARCO; DARPA; National Science Foundation [ECCS-1310338]
Whom I Stent

Carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is a common and increasingly selected option for treating cervical carotid atherosclerotic disease. It is essential that the neurointerventionalist is familiar with the indications for selecting patients for this therapy. This section aims to serve as a review of the current literature to help guide clinicians to determine which patients are likely to have a favorable outcome with CAS. As with any interventional procedure, reducing morbidity is possible only with careful consideration of each patient’s risk factor profile.
Emerging issues and future prospects

Despite the strong identification of community policing with foot patrols, some proponents and observers still prefer a loose definition of community policing which assumes reciprocity between officers and citizens, area decentralization of command (but not necessarily of the wider police organizational structure) and increased civilianization of the police force, all having in common the rationale that the police must involve the community in its activities (see Skolnick and Bayley, 1986). This loose definition is further articulated in an even more elusive way in the ten principles of community policing as developed by Trojanowicz and Bucqueroux (1990a: xiii–xv) or those developed by Alderson (1979: ix). They see community policing as leading to the greater involvement of officers with citizens, preventing apathy and restraining vigilantism, and resulting in what may be viewed as (more) humane policing.
A Different Type of Supervision: Training Clinical Mental Health Counseling Interns in Dialectical Behavior Therapy

A basic qualitative study examined the role of supervision in learning dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Ten master's-level clinical mental health counseling interns completed in-depth interviews regarding their experiences of supervision when providing DBT skills training groups to adolescents in an inpatient psychiatric setting. Supervision was described as an activity in tandem with observation and shadowing, with the supervisor functioning as a consultant and teacher. Themes highlighted the importance of structure in mitigating trainee performance anxiety, and a focus on skills training during supervision. Implications for supervising counseling interns in evidence-based practices such as DBT are discussed.
Joint estimation and detection of UWB signals with timing offset error and unknown channel

An ultra-wideband (UWB) receiver that jointly estimates and detects the received signal when the channel is unknown and the transmitter and receiver clocks are not synchronized is presented. Instead of using a RAKE receiver, which requires knowledge of the received monocycle, the entire receiver pulse is estimated directly. By formulating the time-varying pulse samples in each frame as the interpolated versions of a fixed template pulse, an extended Kalman filter (EKF) can be used to estimate the channel and the timing off-set. Because the EKF is computationally demanding, a simplified EKF with negligible loss in performance is also proposed. The EKF operates jointly with a per-survivor processing (PSP) unit to detect the received signal.
Genetics: Implications for Prevention and Management of Coronary Artery Disease.

An exciting new era has dawned for the prevention and management of coronary artery disease (CAD) utilizing genetic risk variants. The recent identification of over 60 susceptibility loci for CAD confirms not only the importance of established risk factors, but also the existence of many novel causal pathways that are expected to improve our understanding of the genetic basis of CAD and facilitate the development of new therapeutic agents over time. Concurrently, Mendelian randomization studies have provided intriguing insights on the causal relationship between CAD-related traits, and highlight the potential benefits of long-term modifications of risk factors. Last, genetic risk scores of CAD may serve not only as prognostic, but also as predictive markers, and carry the potential to considerably improve the delivery of established prevention strategies. This review will summarize the evolution and discovery of genetic risk variants for CAD and their current and future clinical applications.
The Role of Internal Health Locus of Control in Relation to Self-Rated Health in Older Adults

ABSTRACTThe present study examined how internal health locus of control is associated with older adults’ self-rated health. Multivariate analyses with older participants (aged ≥ 60) in the MIDUS II (n = 1,533) showed that internal health locus of control was not only directly associated with positive ratings of health but also interacted with gender and race. The positive impact of internal health locus of control on self-rated health was particularly greater in females and Whites than their counterparts. Findings highlight the important role of internal health locus of control in the psychological mechanism of health and call attention to group-specific strategies for health promotion.
Elephants and Kings: An Environmental History, by Thomas R. Trautmann

Wild Asian elephants, which once ranged across China, West Asia, mainland Southeast Asia, and South Asia, have been reduced in their habitat to only a few pockets in the latter two regions. Thomas ...
Computational methods to dissect gene regulatory networks in cancer

Abstract Cancer is a disease of gene dysregulation, where cells acquire genetic alterations that drive aberrant signaling. These alterations adversely impact transcriptional programs and cause profound changes in gene expression. Large international consortia have generated massive tumor profiling data sets across many cancer types, collecting mutation and copy number variation, mRNA expression, and in some cases epigenomic and proteomic profiles. An overarching goal of these tumor-profiling efforts is to identify genes that are essential drivers of cellular processes in cancer. Here we review diverse computational methodologies that have sought to interpret somatic alterations and gene expression data through models of gene regulatory networks. Early work in the field used expression data alone to infer regulatory networks, and expression-only network inference continues to be an active area of research. Once catalogs of somatic mutations and copy number variations became available, another class of methods tried to interpret these alterations either in terms of a prior interaction network or an inferred regulatory network. More recently, the tools of regulatory genomics have been applied to cancer data sets, integrating regulatory sequence information and epigenomic data with gene expression, often through supervised methods. Finally, newer cross-cutting algorithms link upstream signaling changes – through a prior network or proteomics data – to downstream transcriptional programs and interpret somatic alterations in terms an integrative model. Currently, clinical trials use specific somatic alterations alone to direct patients towards pathway-targeted therapies. Ultimately, methods that interpret patient mutations profiles through the lens of gene regulatory networks may be better able to identify patient populations who will benefit from therapy.
Comparing shapes of genus-zero surfaces

We present a new method to compare the shapes of genus-zero surfaces by introducing a measure of mutual stretching, the symmetric distortion energy. Given a pair of genus-zero surfaces, we establish the existence of a conformal diffeomorphism that minimizes this energy. We then prove that the energies of the minimizing diffeomorphisms produce a metric on the space of genus-zero Riemannian surfaces. This metric and the corresponding optimal diffeomorphisms are shown to have properties that are highly desirable for applications.
Salvage brachytherapy for recurrent prostate cancer after definitive radiation therapy: A comparison of low-dose-rate and high-dose-rate brachytherapy and the importance of prostate-specific antigen doubling time.

Abstract Background Salvage brachytherapy is a treatment option for patients with locally recurrent prostate cancer after primary radiation therapy. We reviewed our experience using low-dose-rate (LDR) or high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy to compare the outcome and toxicity profiles of each approach in the salvage brachytherapy setting. Methods and Materials Ninety-eight patients with biopsy-proven locally recurrent prostate cancer who underwent salvage brachytherapy (LDR = 37; HDR = 61) following an initial course of definitive radiotherapy between 4/2003 and 4/2015 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent salvage brachytherapy using LDR or HDR. Androgen deprivation therapy was used in 45% of the patients. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure was determined using the Phoenix (nadir+2) definition. Toxicity was graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4 and patient-reported questionnaires. Results Median followup was 31 months. The 3-year PSA relapse-free survival (RFS) was 60.1% (95% CI, 49.6–72.5%). There was no difference between LDR and HDR brachytherapy in terms of PSA RFS ( p = 0.84 by log-rank test). On multivariate analysis, only prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) p = 0.002 by long-rank test). There were no statistically significant differences in toxicity between LDR and HDR brachytherapy. There was a higher peak in urinary symptoms in LDR patients; however by 24–36 months, most patients in both groups returned to baseline. Conclusions Both LDR and HDR salvage brachytherapy are an excellent treatment options for appropriately selected patients with comparable outcome and toxicity. Patients with a PSADT
“Leftover Women” and “Kings of the Candy Shop”: Gendering Chinese American Ancestral Homeland Migration to China:

A growing body of research examines the experiences of highly skilled individuals who “return” to work in their ancestral homeland, but has tended to overlook the gendered dynamics that shape their...
Alcohol and Dyslipidemia

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the world’s largest killers, claiming 17.1 million lives a year [1]. Dyslipidemia is a major cause of cardiovascular disease [2–4]. An unhealthy diet and physical inactivity increase the risk of dyslipidemia and promote CVDs including heart attack and stroke. Alcohol is widely used as a part of our diet/daily life as low or empty calories drink without beneficial nutrients such as vitamins and minerals except red wine. Chronic alcohol abuse primarily affects almost every organ system resulting in serious illness such as neurological problems, liver disease, impaired heart function, and inflammation of the pancreas [5, 6]. Alcohol liver disease remains one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease worldwide and is usually accompanied by hepatitis, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocellular cancer [7]. Moreover, alcohol induces severe hypertriglyceridemia (HT) alone or in combination with other defects such as a genetic disturbance in lipid metabolism. We reviewed recent literatures to provide readers a better understanding of the alcohol and lipid metabolism and their regulatory pathways.
Magnesium Intake, Quality of Carbohydrates, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Results From Three U.S. Cohorts.

OBJECTIVE Magnesium intake is inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes in many observational studies, but few have assessed this association in the context of the carbohydrate quality of the diet. We hypothesized that higher magnesium intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in the context of a poor-carbohydrate-quality diet characterized by low cereal fiber or high glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1984–2012, n = 69,176), NHS2 (1991–2013, n = 91,471), and the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study (1986–2012, n = 42,096), dietary intake was assessed from food frequency questionnaires every 4 years. Type 2 diabetes was ascertained by biennial and supplementary questionnaires. We calculated multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) of magnesium intake and incident diabetes, adjusted for age, BMI, family history of diabetes, physical activity, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, GL, energy intake, alcohol, cereal fiber, polyunsaturated fats, trans fatty acids, and processed meat, and we considered the joint associations of magnesium and carbohydrate quality on diabetes risk. RESULTS We documented 17,130 incident cases of type 2 diabetes over 28 years of follow-up. In pooled analyses across the three cohorts, those with the highest magnesium intake had 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those with the lowest intake (pooled multivariate HR in quintile 5 vs. 1: 0.85 [95% CI 0.80–0.91], P P interaction CONCLUSIONS Higher magnesium intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in the context of lower-carbohydrate-quality diets.
Prevalence of multimorbidity among U.S. adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

BackgroundChronic diseases have common modifiable risk factors, among them poor nutrition. Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more chronic diseases in an individual, and its associated risk fac...
Post-Translational Backbone Engineering through Selenomethionine-Mediated Incorporation of Freidinger Lactams.

Amino-γ-lactam (Agl) bridged dipeptides, commonly known as Freidinger lactams, have been shown to constrain peptide backbone topology and stabilize type II' β-turns. The utility of these links as peptide constraints has inspired new approaches to their incorporation into complex peptides and peptoids, all of which require harsh reaction conditions or protecting groups that limit their use on unprotected peptides and proteins. Herein, we employ a mild and selective alkylation of selenomethionine in acidic aqueous solution, followed by immobilization of the alkylated peptide on to bulk reverse-phase C18 silica and base-induced lactamization in DMSO. The utilization of selenomethionine, which is readily introduced by synthesis or expression, and the mild conditions enable selective backbone engineering in complex peptide and protein systems.
Growth of Innovation: Saturday Academies:

The article presents a mixed-methods assessment of an educational intervention proposed by a partnership between Pulaski County Special School District, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, P...
Exploring Aural Navigation by Screenless Access

When people who are blind or visually impaired navigate the mobile web, they have to hold a phone in their hands at all times. Such continuous, two-handed interaction on a small screen hampers the user's ability to keep hands free to control aiding devices (e.g., cane) or touch objects nearby, especially on-the-go. In this paper, we introduce screenless access: a browsing approach that enables users to interact touch-free with aural navigation architectures using one-handed, in-air gestures recognized by an off-the-shelf armband. In a study with ten participants who are blind or visually impaired, we observed proficient navigation performance, users conceptual fit with a screen-free paradigm, and low levels of cognitive load. Our findings model the errors users made due to limits of the design and system proposed, uncover navigation styles that participants used, and illustrate unprompted adaptations of gestures that were enacted effectively to appropriate the technology. User feedback revealed insights into the potential and limitations of screenless navigation to support convenience in traveling, work contexts and privacy-preserving scenarios, as well as concerns about gestures that may become socially conspicuous.
Inhibition of ezrin causes PKCα-mediated internalization of erbb2/HER2 tyrosine kinase in breast cancer cells.

Unlike other ErbB family members, HER2 levels are maintained on the cell surface when the receptor is activated, allowing prolonged signaling and contributing to its transforming ability. Interactions between HER2, HSP90, PMCA2, and NHERF1 within specialized plasma membrane domains contribute to the membrane retention of HER2. We hypothesized that the scaffolding protein ezrin, which has been shown to interact with NHERF1, might also help stabilize the HER2–PMCA2–NHERF1 complex at the plasma membrane. Therefore, we examined ezrin expression and its relationship with HER2, NHERF1, and PMCA2 levels in murine and human breast cancers. We also used genetic knockdown and/or pharmacologic inhibition of ezrin, HSP90, NHERF1, PMCA2, and HER2 to examine the functional relationships between these factors and membrane retention of HER2. We found ezrin to be expressed at low levels at the apical surface of normal mammary epithelial cells, but its expression is up-regulated and correlates with HER2 expression in hyperplasia and tumors in murine mammary tumor virus-Neu mice, in human HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines, and in ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancers from human patients. In breast cancer cells, ezrin co-localizes and interacts with HER2, NHERF1, PMCA2, and HSP90 in specialized membrane domains, and inhibiting ezrin disrupts interactions between HER2, PMCA2, NHERF1, and HSP90, inhibiting HER2 signaling and causing PKCα-mediated internalization and degradation of HER2. Inhibition of ezrin synergizes with lapatinib in a PKCα-dependent fashion to inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis in HER2-positive breast cancer cells. We conclude that ezrin stabilizes a multiprotein complex that maintains active HER2 at the cell surface.
The Potential for a GIC-inclusive State Estimator

Power system state estimation is a key component of real-time monitoring, enabling extensive analysis and decision making for grid security and efficiency. One challenge that has seen recent interest involves the monitoring and mitigation of geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). These quasi-dc currents are the result of solar activity and can cause additional reactive power losses in transformers. The subsequent loss of reactive power support may result in voltage deviation at many buses. In a traditional state estimator, these voltage deviations may be masked by or attributed to incorrect estimations of generator reactive power output. Alternatively, the voltage state estimate may accumulate additional error, due to trying to match measurements to equations that do not represent the actual physical system and condition. This paper presents a case study that shows the need for state estimation models that consider GIC effects and analyzes the required increase in GIC-related measurements and models incurred therein.
The Vindication of the Verification Principle

For reasons I shall endeavor to make clear in this chapter, I do not go along with the opinion that the verification principle is altogether to be abandoned. I admit that for many years I have been struggling with the puzzle of verificationism. On the one hand it always seemed to me that some very liberal version, which only demands that there be a minimal connection between a cognitively meaningful non-analytic sentence and experience, must be correct. After all, a sentence which has absolutely no observational footings, even in the remotest sense of that term, cannot be expressing a statement about the world. As Herbert Feigl is fond of saying, ‘a difference must make a difference’, and if any state of the world is compatible with a given sentence then how can it make any difference whether we affirm or deny that sentence; and if indeed we say that it makes no difference then that amounts to saying that the sentence is devoid of meaning. On the other hand, so many attempts to set up a verification criterion have failed that even many former adherents of verificationism are now prepared to entertain second thoughts about the matter.
Architectural Advocacy: The Bullitt Center and Environmental Design

In order to better understand the intersections of environmental communication, advocacy and materiality, this project analyzes how Seattle’s Bullitt Center embodies and enacts messages that offer ...
EVALUATION OF MONITOR PERFORMANCE IN CARIES DETECTION

Background Digital imaging has become a staple of dentistry for diagnosis and treatment planning. Off-the-shelf displays are most commonly used to view acquired images in bright light compared with medical radiology, which almost exclusively uses autocalibrating high-resolution medical grade displays. Objective(s) This study aimed to assess whether medical-grade displays perform better in the detection of confirmed caries on extracted teeth compared with off-the-shelf monitors. The null hypothesis stated that there is no significant difference between medical-grade and off-the-shelf displays. Study Design Thirty noncarious premolars and 31 carious premolars that were extracted for therapeutic reasons were examined independently by 2 evaluators, who visually (with magnification) verified the presence/absence of caries. Teeth were placed in the second premolar area of a model with 2 noncarious molars and a noncarious premolar with standardized distance and positioning from the x-ray source. Teeth were imaged with a Dexis (DEXIS. LLC, Hatfield, PA) sensor using standardized exposure parameters (7 mA, 0.08 seconds, 65 kVp). Images were randomized. Two independent, calibrated, and masked evaluators scored the images on a 5-point Likert scale for the presence or absence of caries on 4 different monitors under standardized ambient light conditions: BARCO 3 MP medical grade, a prototype BARCO 2 MP, DELL Ultrasharp, and WIDE 5 MP monochrome. Results Barco 3 MP and Wide 5 MP monitors led to greater accuracy compared with Barco 2 MP and Dell Ultrasharp monitors with a difference of at least 10%. Barco 3 MP was most sensitive, followed by Barco 2 MP and Wide 5 MP. Specificity was highest for Barco 3 MP and Dell, followed by Barco 2 MP and Wide 5 MP. The interobserver agreement was highest for the Barco 2 MP and Dell displays. None of the findings was statistically significant. Discussion/Conclusions Although there seems to be more information available on higher-resolution monitors with better accuracy in identifying carious lesions, these differences are not statistically significant.
Sensitivity of ventrolateral posterior thalamic nucleus to back pain in alcoholism and CD4 nadir in HIV

Volumes of thalamic nuclei are differentially affected by disease-related processes including alcoholism and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This MRI study included 41 individuals diagnosed with alcohol use disorders (AUD, 12 women), 17 individuals infected with HIV (eight women), and 49 healthy controls (24 women) aged 39 to 75 years. A specialized, high-resolution acquisition protocol enabled parcellation of five thalamic nuclei: anterior [anterior ventral (AV)], posterior [pulvinar (Pul)], medial [mediodorsal (MD)], and ventral [including ventral lateral posterior (VLp) and ventral posterior lateral (VPl)]. An omnibus mixed-model approach solving for volume considered the "fixed effects" of nuclei, diagnosis, and their interaction while covarying for hemisphere, sex, age, and supratentorial volume (svol). The volume by diagnosis interaction term was significant; the effects of hemisphere and sex were negligible. Follow-up mixed-model tests thus evaluated the combined (left + right) volume of each nucleus separately for effects of diagnosis while controlling for age and svol. Only the VLp showed diagnoses effects and was smaller in the AUD (p = .04) and HIV (p = .0003) groups relative to the control group. In the AUD group, chronic back pain (p = .008) and impaired deep tendon ankle reflex (p = .0005) were associated with smaller VLp volume. In the HIV group, lower CD4 nadir (p = .008) was associated with smaller VLp volume. These results suggest that the VLp is differentially sensitive to disease processes associated with AUD and HIV.
A Model of Group Prenatal Care for Patients with Prenatally Diagnosed Fetal Anomalies

The model of group prenatal care was initially developed to include peer support and to improve education and health-promoting behaviors during pregnancy. This model has since been adapted for populations with unique educational needs. Mama Care is an adaptation of the CenteringPregnancy Model of prenatal care. Mama Care is situated within a national and international referral center for families with prenatally diagnosed fetal anomalies. In December 2013, the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia began offering a model of group prenatal care to women whose pregnancies are affected by a prenatal diagnosis of a fetal anomaly. The model incorporates significant adaptations of CenteringPregnancy in order to accommodate these women, who typically transition their care from community-based settings to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment in the late second or early third trimester. Unique challenges associated with caring for families within a referral center include a condensed visit schedule, complex social needs such as housing and psychosocial support, as well as an increased need for antenatal surveillance and frequent preterm birth. Outcomes of the program are favorable and suggest group prenatal care models can be developed to support the needs of patients with prenatally diagnosed fetal anomalies.
Effects of Combined Ag and ZnO Nanoparticles on Microbial Communities from Crab Orchard Creek, Illinois, USA

AbstractThe widespread use of Ag and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) in commercial products has raised concern of their potential adverse impact on humans and the environment. These NPs most commonly enter...
Analysis of risk factors influencing nutritional status of infants with congenital heart disease

Objective To investigate the incidences and identify the risk factors of malnutrition 0in infants with congenital heart disease.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 354 consecutive infants with congenital heart disease (aging 1 to 12 months) that underwent operation between August 2010 and August 2011 in our institution.Detailed anthropometry was performed and zscores were calculated.Malnutrition was defined as weight,height and weight/height z-score＜ -2.Chisquaretest square test and logistic regression analysis were used to identify the risk factors to malnutrition.Results 354 consecutive patients were included.Predictors of malnutrition at presentation are as summarized:weight z-score ＜ - 2 (30.5％ ):lower birth weight ( OR =3.844,P =0.001 ),pulmonary hypertention (OR=5.702,P=0.000),pneumonia(OR =2.161,P =0.005) ; height z-score＜- 2 (17.5％ ):lower birth weight(OR=4.137,P =0.000),pulmonary hypertension(OR=2.352,P=00.047),pneumonia(OR=3.417,P =0.000) ; and weight/height z-score＜ - 2 (26.8％ ):pulmonary hypertension(OR =2.747,P =0.001 ).Conclusions Malnutrition is common phenotype in infants with CHID.Lower birth weight,pulmonary hypcrtention,pneumonia can affect significantly nutritional status of them. Key words: Congenital heart disease; Infant; Nutritional status; Risk factors
Assessing the spatial-temporal clustering and health implications of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)

This study seeks to examine changes in the mean annual exposure of PM2.5 air pollution from 1990 to 2000 and how they are associated with change in mortality due to tuberculosis, trachea/bronchus/lung cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases from 2000 to 2016. A secondary goal of this study is to use spatial-temporal clustering to examine how PM2.5 trends differ across countries. The empirical work of this study is based on the World Bank Open Data and the World Health Organization’s Global Health Observatory (GHO) Data Repository. Quantile regression and spatial-temporal cluster analysis are used to assess the aims of this study. Findings from the quantile regression revealed that the number of deaths associated with these diseases differ according to the different levels of changes in PM2.5 concentration. Findings also reveal that countries assigned to different clusters are markedly different in terms of PM2.5 trends. Findings imply that air pollution inequality should be considered a factor in the elimination of health inequality. Efforts to integrate disease surveillance and control programs with those that reduce exposure to fine particulate matter, improve air quality, and increase people’s awareness of the health implications of air pollution should be continued or encouraged.
Comparing the Impact of Learning in Bidding Decision-Making Processes using Algorithmic Game Theory

AbstractAlthough previous research efforts have developed models to assist contractors in different bidding decisions, there is a lack of research work that investigates the impact of integrating l...
pHLARE: a new biosensor reveals decreased lysosome pH in cancer cells

Dyes for measuring lysosome pH (pHlys) cannot be propagated in cells for longitudinal or in vivo studies. We report a new genetically encoded ratiometric pHlys biosensor, pHLARE (pH Lysosomal Activ...
Jamaican cultural symbols as transethnic artifacts: How black immigrant vendors construct boundaries of racial consciousness at a Caribbean festival:

This study demonstrates how black immigrants strategically deploy symbols of nationality within the context of black spaces to construct a politics of solidarity, rather than ethnic distance, with ...
Avalanches During Epithelial Tissue Growth; Uniform Growth and a Drosophila Eye Disc Model

Abstract In the physicists’ perspective, epithelial tissues constitute an exotic type of active matter with non-linear properties reminiscent of amorphous materials. In the context of a circular proliferating epithelium, modeled by the quasistatic vertex model, we identify novel discrete tissue scale rearrangements, i.e. flow avalanches, which accomplish more compact tissue via cell slipping. After the onset of these avalanches, the epithelial area grows discontinuously. The avalanches are found to be stochastic, and their strength is determined by the density of cells in the tissue. Overall, avalanches regularize the spatial tension distribution along tissue. Furthermore, the avalanche distribution is found to obey a power law, with an exponent consistent with sheer induced avalanches in amorphous materials. To decipher the role of avalanches in organ development, we simulate epithelial growth of the Drosophila eye disc during the third instar using a computational model, which includes both signaling and mechanistic signalling. During the third instar, the morphogenetic furrow (MF), a ~10 cell wide wave of apical area constriction propagates through the epithelium, making it a system with interesting mechanical properties. These simulations are used to understand the details of the growth process, the effect of the MF on the growth dynamics on the tissue scale, and to make predictions. The avalanches are found to depend on the strength of the apical constriction of cells in the MF, with stronger apical constriction leading to less frequent and more pronounced avalanches. The results herein highlight the dependence of simulated tissue growth dynamics on relaxation timescales, motivate in vitro explorations and serve as a guide for future simulation implementations.
The Impact of Length of Time Enrolled in a Health Plan on Consumer Engagement and Health Plan Satisfaction: Findings from the 2017 Consumer Engagement in Healthcare Survey

The EBRI/Greenwald & Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey (CEHCS) is an online survey that examines issues surrounding consumer-driven health care, including the cost of insurance, the cost of care, satisfaction with health care, satisfaction with health care plans, reasons for choosing a plan, and sources of health information. The survey was conducted Aug. 10 to Sept. 1, 2017. Over 3,560 adults ages 21-64 who had health insurance through an employer, purchased directly from a carrier, or purchased through a government exchange participated in the survey. This Issue Brief focuses on whether and how attitudes and behaviors change with the amount of time an individual has been enrolled in their health plan. Overall satisfaction does not increase when participants are in health plans for long periods of time (e.g., 10 years), regardless of whether the plan is a traditional health plan, consumer-driven health plan (CDHP), or high deductible health plan (HDHP). Likewise, consumer engagement does not increase with time enrolled in a health plan. However, there is some evidence that health savings account (HSA)-eligible health plan enrollees are more engaged in some aspects of their HSA the longer they have been enrolled in their HSA-eligible health plan.