cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new shrinkage estimator for dispersion improves differential expression detection in RNA-seq data

Recent developments in RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology have led to a rapid increase in gene expression data in the form of counts. RNA-seq can be used for a variety of applications, however, identifying differential expression (DE) remains a key task in functional genomics. There have been a number of statistical methods for DE detection for RNA-seq data. One common feature of several leading methods is the use of the negative binomial (Gamma-Poisson mixture) model. That is, the unobserved gene expression is modeled by a gamma random variable and, given the expression, the sequencing read counts are modeled as Poisson. The distinct feature in various methods is how the variance, or dispersion, in the Gamma distribution is modeled and estimated. We evaluate several large public RNA-seq datasets and find that the estimated dispersion in existing methods does not adequately capture the heterogeneity of biological variance among samples. We present a new empirical Bayes shrinkage estimate of the dispersion parameters and demonstrate improved DE detection.
Consumer peach preferences and purchasing behavior: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND Peaches (Prunus persica (L.) Stokes) are grown in several regions throughout the USA, are eaten fresh, and used as ingredients in value-added processed products. An Internet survey was conducted to investigate Mid-Atlantic consumers' fresh and processed peach purchasing behaviors, and whether packaging certain numbers of peaches together, providing information about nutritional content, and other factors would increase purchases. Additionally, laboratory-based sensory testing was used to better understand peel color, texture, sweetness, sourness, and flavor preferences for cultivars commonly grown in the Mid-Atlantic region. RESULTS Irrespective of fresh peach consumption frequency, certain value-added products were of interest. For some products, interest in purchasing was higher than reported purchasing behavior. Preference for certain fresh peach characteristics, such as peel color, differed between less frequent fresh peach consumers and those who consumed fresh peaches more often. Of the four peach cultivars included in the sensory test, most were liked; however, there were some cultivar differences pertaining to color, texture, sweetness, tartness, and flavor liking. CONCLUSION Potential marketing strategies can be developed based on frequency of fresh peach consumption and household demographics. Data can be used to select peaches that best appeal to consumers. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Group-Centric Secure Information-Sharing Models for Isolated Groups

Group-Centric Secure Information Sharing (g-SIS) envisions bringing users and objects together in a group to facilitate agile sharing of information brought in from external sources as well as creation of new information within the group. We expect g-SIS to be orthogonal and complementary to authorization systems deployed within participating organizations. The metaphors “secure meeting room” and “subscription service” characterize the g-SIS approach.The focus of this article is on developing the foundations of isolated g-SIS models. Groups are isolated in the sense that membership of a user or an object in a group does not affect their authorizations in other groups. Present contributions include the following: formal specification of core properties that at once help to characterize the family of g-SIS models and provide a “sanity check” for full policy specifications; informal discussion of policy design decisions that differentiate g-SIS policies from one another with respect to the authorization semantics of group operations; formalization and verification of a specific member of the family of g-SIS models; demonstration that the core properties are logically consistent and mutually independent; and identification of several directions for future extensions.The formalized specification is highly abstract. Besides certain well-formedness requirements that specify, for instance, a user cannot leave a group unless she is a member, it constrains only whether user-level read and write operations are authorized and it does so solely in terms of the history of group operations; join and leave for users and add, create, and remove for objects. This makes temporal logic one of the few formalisms in which the specification can be clearly and concisely expressed. The specification serves as a reference point that is the first step in deriving authorization-system component specifications from which a programmer with little security expertise could implement a high-assurance enforcement system for the specified policy.
A model for the apparent decrease in optical transmittance of the diabetic eye

The authors compare observed changes of ocular transmittance at short and long wavelengths in diabetic patients with values predicted by a model base on the Rayleigh light scattering properties of albumin. Selective chromatic adaptation was used to obtain critical flicker fusion (CFF) frequency thresholds from 21 subjects and 18 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. The Ferry-Porter characteristic of each color-sensitive mechanism of each patient was compared to age-specific control values. For those eyes without an induction of neural injury, changes in optical density associated with red- and blue-sensitive mechanisms were calculated and adjusted to reflect accelerated yellowing of the lens produced by increased duration of diabetes. The range of concentration of glycosylated albumin required to fit the model to the adjusted short-wavelength changes in optical density was determined and used to calculate the theoretical long-wavelength changes in optical density. The experimentally derived long-wavelength changes in optical density fell within the 95% confidence level of the values described by the model. >
Quantitative chemical exchange sensitive MRI using irradiation with toggling inversion preparation.

Chemical exchange (CE) sensitive MRI contrast acquired with an off-resonance irradiation pulse is affected by other relaxation mechanisms, such as longitudinal and transverse relaxations. In particular, for intermediate CEs, the effect of transverse relaxation often dominates CE contrast. Since water relaxation rates can change significantly in many pathological conditions or during physiological challenge, it is crucial to separate these relaxation effects in order to obtain pure CE contrast. Here we proposed a novel acquisition scheme in which a toggling inversion pulse is applied prior to the off-resonance irradiation. By combined acquisition of irradiation images with and without an inversion pulse at both the labile proton frequency and the reference frequency, longitudinal and transverse relaxation contributions are cancelled, and the quantification of CE parameters, such as the exchange rate and the labile proton concentration, can be simplified. Furthermore, the CE-mediated relaxation rate can be readily determined with a relatively short irradiation pulse and without approaching the steady state, therefore, reducing the limitations on hardware and specific absorption rate requirements. The signal characteristics of the proposed method are evaluated by numerical simulations and phantom experiments. Magn Reson Med 000:000–000, 2012. V C 2012
Strength Assessment of a Pressurized Thick-Walled Cylinder Using Structural-Thermal Coupled Finite Element Analysis

Upon analysis, thick wall cylinders designed for use in cannon barrel applications experience thermal and mechanical loading very near their fatigue limit. Chief factors in determining the lifetime of a cannon barrel involve internal thermal and mechanical damage caused by projectile firing. The most significant damage experienced in the cannon barrel is surface crack propagation which aids in surface erosion and fatigue failure. Adequate knowledge of these failure phenomena and the ability to predict the lifetime of gun barrels will greatly increase the successful application of their designs. This study will investigate three-dimensional stress of a pressurized thick cylinder using computer simulation based on structural-thermal coupled finite element analysis. The effects of high temperature and high pressure, as well as nonlinear material behavior, on stress-strain distribution during the firing process will be evaluated. This computer-based stress analysis will prove to be a valuable tool for assessing strength and forecasting the lifetime of cannon barrels.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Quinolone resistance mutations in topoisomerase IV: relationship to the flqA locus and genetic evidence that topoisomerase IV is the primary target and DNA gyrase is the secondary target of fluoroquinolones in Staphylococcus aureus.

Mutations in the flqA (formerly ofx/cfx) resistance locus of Staphylococcus aureus were previously shown to be common after first-step selections for resistance to ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin and to map on the S. aureus chromosome distinctly from gyrA, gyrB, and norA.grlA and grlB, the genes for the topoisomerase IV of S. aureus, were identified from a genomic lambda library on a common KpnI fragment, and grlB hybridized specifically with the chromosomal SmaI A fragment, which contains the flqA locus. Amplification of grlA sequences (codons 1 to 251) by PCRs from nine independent single-step flqA mutants, one multistep mutant, and the parent strain identified mutations encoding a change from Ser to Phe at position 80 in four mutants, a novel change from Ala to either Glu or Pro at position 116 in three mutants, and no change in three mutants. In the multistep mutant, another resistance locus, flqC, was mapped by transformation to the chromosomal SmaI G fragment by linkage to omega(ch::Tn551)1051 (58%) and nov (97.9%), which encodes resistance to novobiocin. This fragment contains the gyrA gene, and flqC mutants had a mutation in gyrA encoding a change from Ser to Leu at position 84, a change previously found in resistant clinical isolates. In genetic outcrosses, the flqC (gyrA) mutation expressed resistance only in flqA mutants, including those with both types of grla mutations. The silent mutant allele of gyrA was present in a flqA background and expressed resistance only upon introduction of a grlA mutation. At fourfold the MIC of ciprofloxacin, the bactericidal activity of ciprofloxacin was reduced in a grlA mutant and was abolished in gyrA grlA double mutants. These findings provide direct genetic evidence that topoisomerase IV is the primary target of current fluoroquinolones in S. aureus and that this effect may result from the greater sensitivity of topoisomerase IV relative to that of DNA gyrase to these agents. Furthermore, resistance from an altered DNA gyrase requires resistant topoisomerase IV for its expression.
Effect of Subarachnoid Administration of α-α Diaspirin Crosslinked Hemoglobin on Cerebral Blood Flow in Rats

As extravasated red blood cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of perfusion deficits after subarachnoid hemorrhage, α-α diaspirin crosslinked hemoglobin (DCLHbTM) might have a detrimental effect on cerebral perfusion after subarachnoid hemorrhage. We evaluated the effect of subarachnoid administration of DCLHb on cerebral blood flow (CBF). Rats were randomized to receive one of the following solutions into the cisterna magna: Control-0.3 ml of mock cerebrospinal fluid; Blood-0.3 ml of autologous blood; DCLHb-0.3 ml of 10% DCLHb. After 20-min, the area of cerebral hypoperfusion was determined (CBF<40 ml·100g−1·min−1). The area of hypoperfusion (% area of a coronal brain section, mean±SD) was greater in the Blood group (58±16) than the DCLHb (16±7) and Control (5±5) groups (p<0.05), and was greater in the DCLHb group than the Control group (p<0.05). These data support a hypothesis that extravasation of blood from the intravascular to the subarachnoid space induces cerebral hypoperfusion. Moreover,...
Segregation in Charter Schools The Important Role of University-Based Authorizers

This article argues that one possible avenue for addressing and increasing student body diversity in charter schools may lie with the authorizer. In particular, we focus on the role of university-b...
Acute posttraumatic pediatric cerebral venous thrombosis: Case report and review of literature.

Background: Pediatric cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a common sequelae of infection, coagulopathies, and dehydration in the pediatric population. Acute posttraumatic CVT is an uncommon etiology of pediatric CVT that presents a unique management challenge. There are no established guidelines outlining the treatment of this small subset of patients. Case Description: We present a case of a 12‑year‑old boy with posttraumatic CVT who was safely treated with anticoagulation therapy, and had resolution of his symptoms and radiographic improvement within 3 days of therapy. The relevant literature is reviewed. Conclusion: Anticoagulation therapy may be safely used in the treatment of acute posttraumatic CVT in pediatric patients, and may reduce the incidence of clot propagation, hospitalization time, and cost of treatment.
Thoughts on Special Collections and Our Research Communities

Toward the end of August in 2009, a van pulled up to the loading dock of the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. Book trucks were unloaded and moved into the stacks. Then we began to load those trucks, shelf by shelf, so that the entire contents of the cataloged printed collection of the Bentley would pass through the scanning operation of what we know as the “Google project.” In five weeks, about ninety percent of the cataloged titles would be fully scanned. Those out of copyright would be available online. Those in copyright would be searchable. Problems . . .
Influence of alternate prey on predation of monarch butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) larvae by the multicolored Asian lady beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

An invasive, exotic coccinellid, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), was recently identified as a potential hazard to immature monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). To further evaluate the risk of H. axyridis impacting D. plexippus, we evaluated the influence of an alternate prey, Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe (Homoptera: Aphididae), on the predation rate of H. axyridis on D. plexippus larvae. When first-instar D. plexippus were placed in petri dish arenas with third-instar H. axyridis and varying densities of A. nerii, D. plexippus survival after 24 h increased significantly from 0% with 0 A. nerii present to 73% with 30 A. nerii present. In predation studies conducted in field cages, survival of D. plexippus larvae decreased with increasing densities of H. axyridis larvae and tended to increase with increasing A. nerii densities. These studies indicate that H. axyridis will feed on D. plexippus larvae in the presence of A. nerii, but that the presence of A. nerii lessens the severity of predation on D. plexippus.
Component allocation with multiple resource constraints for large embedded real-time software design

Allocating software components while meeting multiple platform resource constraints is crucial for model-based design of large embedded real-time software and automatic design model transformation. In this paper, we propose a new method for component allocation using an informed branch-and-bound and forward checking mechanism subject to a combination of resource constraints. We have implemented this method in the automatic integration of reusable embedded software (AIRES) toolkit - which has been developed under the DARPA MoBIES Program - and applied it to an automotive electronic throttle control (ETC) system. Our evaluation based on randomly-generated design models has shown that the proposed method scales well for large and complex embedded real-time software.
Otolith description and age‐and‐growth of Kurtus gulliveri from northern Australia

The sagitta of Kurtus gulliveri was ovate, moderately thick with the following attributes: lateral surface convex, mesial surface flat; dorsal margin sinuate, posterior margin rounded ventrally, ventral margin rounded and irregular; sulcus divided into ostium and cauda by constriction of dorsal and ventral margins, heterosulcoid, colliculum heteromorph; dorsal depression large and distinct, ventral groove close to margin in larger otoliths; rostrum broad and antirostrum small, separated by wide, shallow excisural notch. Otolith size was moderate, average 4.6% standard length (L s ), typical for a perciform. Annuli on 78 whole sagittae were read. and 15% of these were transversely sectioned for verification of the annuli. Males ranged from 94 to 235 mm L s and females from 95 to 284 mm L s . There was little difference in size distribution of the sample between the sexes, perhaps due to a 6 month spawning season over which young were continually added to the population. Some sexual dimorphism was noted, however, as age 2 year females were significantly larger than males of the same age. The largest fish aged was a 284 mm L s . 3 year-old.female, and the oldest age reached was 4 years by two males. It appears likely that most spawning females are >2 years old, but some larger 1 year old fish may attain sexual maturity.
Evaluation of the Treatment Utility of the Analog Functional Analysis and the Structured Descriptive Assessment

Direct methods of functional assessment—through which information is gathered by observing environment—behavior relations—vary with the degree to which environmental events are manipulated. Unstruc...
Micromechanical properties of a laser-induced iron oxide-aluminum matrix composite coating

A laser-based technique was used to deposit Fe 3 O 4 on A319Al, producing an Fe 3 O 4 /Al reaction composite coating. Scanning Auger microscopy indicated a reaction between oxide particles and aluminum-forming Fe–Al intermetallic compounds, Al 2 O 3 , and various intermediate reaction products. Analysis of the coating region, fractured in vacuo , indicated substantial toughness of the material due to extremely refined microstructure with finely distributed oxide and intermetallic particles and strong interfacial bonding between particles and the matrix. Mechanical properties of the coating were evaluated by nanoindentation techniques employing both Berkovich and cube-corner indenters. Hardness and elastic modulus values were found to be uniform at 1.24 and 76 GPa, respectively. No radial cracking was observed for either the Berkovich or cube-corner indenters. These results indicate that the laser-induced rapidly solidified composite material is tough and fracture resistant.
Using Auction Simulation to Demonstrate Real Estate Market Dynamics

Although all college-level real estate students should have some prior knowledge of general economic theory, most students can still benefit from a classroom exercise that demonstrates realistic real estate market dynamics. One such exercise, designed and implemented at Florida Atlantic University, is a simulated auction for single-family homes in which students are assigned a participant profile and are expected to bid on properties in a real-time auction. By manipulating the profiles and the properties placed on the auction block, the instructor can create a variety of supply and demand conditions. This essay describes the mechanics of the exercise in the hopes of spreading it to other programs whose students might benefit from its use.
Correlation of Molecular and Rare Gas Term Values

The assignment of absorption bands for polyatomic molecules in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral region is often quite difficult; however, the observation of trends in the spectra of a series of compounds can be helpful in aiding the spectral assignments. The specific details of many of the complexities of the absorption bands require the use of high resolution data; however, low resolution spectral studies can provide insight into the basic electronic features. Therefore, the energetics of the interactions of substituents with a specific chromophore of interest can be inferred from this data. It should be noted that the chromophore can be “perturbed” either by varying the substituents adjacent to it, or by maintaining the substituents constant and replacing the atom(s) of the chromophoric unit with electronically similar species. The later technique was utilized in a study herein presented.
Cross-layer features in convolutional neural networks for generic classification tasks

Recent works about convolutional neural networks (CNN) show breakthrough performance on various tasks. However, most of them only use the features extracted from the topmost layer of CNN instead of leveraging the features extracted from different layers. As the first group which explicitly addresses utilizing the features from different layers of CNN, we propose cross-layer CNN features which consist of the features extracted from multiple layers of CNN. Our experimental results show that our proposed cross-layer CNN features outperform not only the state-of-the-art results but also the features commonly used in the traditional CNN framework on three tasks — artistic style, artist, and architectural style classification. As shown by the experimental results, our proposed cross-layer CNN features achieve the best known performance on the three tasks in different domains, which makes our proposed cross-layer CNN features promising solutions for generic tasks.
Academic feminist activism on a traditional STEM campus: The case of a feminist newspaper at MTU

v Chapter 1: “Texts are the primary medium of power” 1 Chapter 2: Ruling Relations 33 Chapter 3: Ceiling Makers 53 Chapter 4: Glass Breakers 87 Chapter 5: A radical liberal feminism for engineering education 121 Bibliography 141
Ashes of Remembrance: Reconfiguring the Phoenix

Literature affords the possibility of diverse perspectives, inviting the reader to try a character or experience on for size and to consider ways in which culture affects the narrative. What it means to be a person and then to become an adult within one's own ancestral tradition is inherited directly, through being with others and also through the stories that are passed along from parent to child, through which one finds one's place in the social world. Whatever the conscious intention of the author, traumatic texts are uniquely colored by the heritage that gives rise to them. Traumatic tales offer us bits and fragments from dream and fantasy, present and past, through which the reader can begin to see how meanings coalesce and cohere around signs that become symbols as we gain greater facility in reading them. In this article, I consider three threads of traumatic tales and their similarities and differences, hoping that the reader will be able to recognize both commonalities and differences, ways in wh...
Here, there and everywhere: A virtual library for access to Business Information

Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, offers a graduate business program and serves a student population scattered across the globe. This population is highly educated, culturally diverse, and often demanding when it comes to service. To meet the information needs of students and faculty, the International Business Information Centre (IBIC), Thunderbird's library, takes advantage of the School's intranet, My Thunderbird (MTB), in order to provide library services and resources around the world, 24/7. My Thunderbird is integrated with the School's management system, Datatel. This integration permits authentication and screening of users, and the ability to target specific user groups with information resources. The IBIC leverages the capabilities of MTB to serve patrons with remote access to databases, paperless services, electronic reserves, online reference and enhanced bibliographic instruction.
Lipoproteins inhibit macrophage activation by lipoteichoic acid

Regulation of lipid metabolism during infection is thought to be part of host defense, as lipoproteins neutralize endotoxin (LPS) and viruses. Gram-positive infections also induce disturbances in lipid metabolism. Therefore, we investigated whether lipoproteins could inhibit the toxic effects of lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a fragment of gram-positive bacteria. LTA activated RAW264.7 macrophage cells, stimulating production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in a dose-dependent matter, but produced less TNF than that seen after LPS activation. High density (HDL) or low density lipoprotein (LDL) alone inhibited the ability of LPS to stimulate TNF production, but had little effect on the activation by LTA. When a maximally effective dose of LTA was mixed with lipoproteins and 10% lipoprotein-depleted plasma (LPDP), the ability of LTA to stimulate macrophage production of TNF was inhibited. HDL, LDL, and the synthetic particle, Soyacal, when mixed with LPDP, were able to inhibit the ability of LTA to activate macrophages. Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) substituted for LPDP in catalyzing lipoprotein neutralization of LTA by HDL. Antibody to LBP inhibited the ability of LPDP to induce LTA neutralization by HDL.Thus, lipoproteins can prevent macrophage activation by fragments from both gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms.-Grunfeld, C., M. Marshall, J. K. Shigenaga, A. H. Moser, P. Tobias, and K. R. Feingold. Lipoproteins inhibit macrophage activation by lipoteichoic acid.
A robotic exoskeleton to treat crouch gait from cerebral palsy: Initial kinematic and neuromuscular evaluation

A robotic exoskeleton was designed for individuals with crouch gait caused by cerebral palsy with the intent to supplement existing muscle function during walking. The aim of this study was to evaluate how powered knee extension assistance provided during stance and swing phases of the gait cycle affect knee kinematics, and knee flexor and extensor muscle activity. Muscle activity and kinematic data were collected from four individuals with crouch gait from cerebral palsy during their normal walking condition and while walking with the exoskeleton under stance, swing, and stance & swing assistance. The exoskeleton was effective in reducing crouch by an average of 13.8° in three of the four participants when assistance was provided during the stance phase; assistance during the swing phase alone was ineffective. Peak knee extensor activity was maintained for all of the conditions during the stance and swing phases. Integrated (i.e. area under the curve) knee extensor activity decreased in two of the subjects indicating a more well-modulated activation pattern. Modest increases in peak and integrated antagonist knee flexor activity were exhibited in all participants; the subject without kinematic improvement had the greatest increase. While the exoskeleton was well tolerated, additional training with a focus on reducing knee flexor activity may lead to further improvements in crouch gait reduction.
Minimizing Syntactic Dependency Lengths: Typological/Cognitive Universal?

Syntactic dependencies are head/modifier relations between words in a sentence that organize sentences into a syntactic tree structure. The general principle that languages have a preference to group syntactically related words close together can be made precise as a preference for shorter dependencies. We examine evidence for this principle in the development of languages’ grammars as well as in the choices made by individual speakers where syntactic variation is licensed. We survey evidence from corpus studies, computational simulations, and experiments on comprehension; altogether, this evidence makes a compelling case for dependency length minimization as an important factor in language structure and cognition.
Namatad: Inferring occupancy from building sensors using machine learning

Driven by the need to improve efficiency, modern buildings are instrumented with numerous sensors to monitor utilization and regulate environmental conditions. While these sensor systems serve as valuable tools for managing the comfort and health of occupants, there is an increasing need to expand the deployment of sensors to provide additional insights. Because many of these desired insights have high temporal value, such as occupancy during emergency situations, such insights are needed in real time. However, augmenting buildings with new sensors is often expensive and requires a significant capital investment. In this paper, we propose and describe the real-time, streaming system called Namatad that we developed to infer insights from many sensors typical of Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. We evaluate the effectiveness of this platform by leveraging machine learning to infer new insights from environmental sensors within buildings. We describe how we built the components of our system leveraging several open source, streaming frameworks. We also describe how we ingest and aggregate from building sensors and sensing platforms, route data streams to appropriate models, and make predictions using machine learning techniques. Using our system, we have been able to predict the occupancy of rooms within a building on the University of Washington campus over the last three months, in real time, at accuracies of up to 95%.
Mesenchymal Tumors, Part II: Tumors of Hamartomatous, Osteochondromatous, Lipomatous, Neural, and Vascular Origin

Pulmonary hamartomas, also known as benign mesenchymomas (and a variety of other names such as fibrochondrolipomas and adenochondromas) represent the most common benign neoplasms of the lung. However, the true frequency of lung hamartomas is difficult to measure since some predominantly chondroid tumors may variously be reported as either chondroid hamartomas or chondromas.1 In one series, 100 (77%) of 130 benign tumor masses of the lung were hamartomas.2 In a study of 7972 autopsies by McDonald et al.,1 there were 20 hamartomas, a prevalence of about one case per 400 autopsies. Hamartomas are up to four times as common in men as in women in parenchymal locations, but of more equal sex distribution in the central regions (near the hilar areas) and occur mostly in the age group from the late 30s to the early 70s, with a peak in the late 50s and early 60s.1,3, 4, 5 However, rare cases have been described in teenagers and children. Hamartomas have not been described at earlier ages; they are not seen in infants, and do not appear to be of congenital origin. Detailed vital statistics along with histopathologic data in a large series of cases reported by Tomashefski6 are presented in Table 40.1. Open image in new window Table 40.1 Comparative features of endobronchial and parenchymal hamartomas
Legal Considerations in a World of Comparative Effectiveness Research

In this chapter, Dr. Paul Kalb, Esq. draws on his expertise in the area of health care fraud and abuse in discussing legal considerations relating to comparative effectiveness research (CER). He describes barriers to CER dissemination by manufacturers as well as use of CER in various litigation settings. Dr. Kalb talks about these issues with Paul Greenberg and Crystal Pike, economists at Analysis Group with whom he has worked on many legal cases involving off-label promotion and kickback allegations. They discuss recent developments concerning: (a) what can be communicated by manufacturers based on different standards of scientific evidence (e.g., substantial, competent and reliable, truthful and non-misleading); (b) to whom different types of product claims can be communicated (i.e., where the sophistication of the audience may matter); and, (c) who can do the communicating (i.e., where the expertise of the spokesperson may matter). In addition, they talk about managing company risk in an environment where some communications may be seen as off label and others may be seen as false or misleading. Finally, they talk about specific examples in which CER has been used effectively in litigation.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most common leukemia affecting adults in Western countries, accounting for about 30% of all leukemias. It is a clonal malignancy of mature CD5+ B-lymphocytes involving the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid organs and has a distinct immunophenotype that allows differentiation from other B-cell lymphomas. Most patients with CLL present with a lymphocytosis at diagnosis; however, some patients present with lymphadenopathy alone. CLL is predominantly a disease of the elderly as the median age at diagnosis is 72 years. The clinical course of CLL is quite variable, with survival times from initial diagnosis ranging from 2 to 20 years.
Creative urbanity: an Italian middle class in the shade of revitalization

Like her walking-tour guide protagonists who contribute to Genoa’s ‘revitalization’, Emanuela Guano’s Creative urbanity feels like an exquisite passeggiata or stroll around the city in which she sh...
Abstract 090: Nocturia as an Unrecognized Symptom of Uncontrolled Hypertension in Middle-age Black Men

Hypertension (HTN) is assumed to be asymptomatic (“the silent killer”). Yet nocturia - awakening at night to urinate - is bothersome if occurring > 2 times/night and constitutes a putative but understudied symptom of HTN. Hypertensive black men may be especially prone to nocturia due to high sodium diet, blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping (driving pressure-natriuresis), diuretic BP drugs, and common comorbid determinants of nocturia (prostate disease, diabetes, sleep apnea). To test if uncontrolled HTN is an independent, common, and potentially reversible determinant of nocturia in black men, we conducted in-person structured interviews and measured BP with a highly-rated automated monitor (that took 5 readings and averaged the last 3) in a large community-based sample of black men in their barbershops, a uniquely relaxed social setting to obtain high participation and accurate out-of-office BP. As nocturia is steeply age-dependent, we studied younger men ages 35 to 49 Y in whom nocturia would be unexpected. Among 1,748 black men, mean age 43±4 (SD) years, 45% (782 of 1748) had HTN; of these, HTN was: controlled with drugs (barbershop BP 2 episodes/night vs. 0-1) was: (1) 34% higher in men with untreated HTN (BP 143±11/87±10): adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.34 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.04-1.71, p=.02); (2) 174% higher in men with treated but uncontrolled HTN (BP 148±14/91±11): aOR 2.74 (95% CI:1.97-3.82, p
Microstructures and mechanics in the colloidal film drying process

We use Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations and continuum models to study the microstructures and mechanics in the colloidal film drying process. Colloidal suspensions are compressed between a planar moving interface and a stationary substrate. In the BD simulations, we develop a new Energy Minimization Potential-Free (EMPF) algorithm to enforce the hard-sphere potential in confined systems and to accurately measure the stress profile. The interface moves either at a constant velocity Uw or via a constant imposed normal stress Σe. Comparing the interface motions to the particle Brownian motion defines the Peclet numbers PeU = Uwa/d0 and PeΣ = Σea3/kBT, respectively, where d0 = kBT/ζ with kBT the thermal energy scale, ζ the single-particle resistance, and a the particle radius. With a constant interface velocity, thermodynamics drives the suspension behavior when PeU ≪ 1, and homogeneous crystallization appears when the gap spacing between the two boundaries pushes the volume fraction above the equilibrium phase boundary. In contrast, when PeU ≫ 1, local epitaxial crystal growth appears adjacent to the moving interface even for large gap sizes. Interestingly, the most amorphous film microstructures are found at moderate PeU. The film stress profile develops sharp transitions and becomes step-like with growing Peclet number. With a constant imposed stress, the interface stops moving as the suspension pressure increases and the microstructural and mechanical behaviors are similar to the constant velocity case. Comparison with the simulations shows that the model accurately captures the stress on the moving interface, and quantitatively resolves the local stress and volume fraction distributions for low to moderate Peclet numbers. This work demonstrates the critical role of interface motion on the film microstructures and stresses.
The Compact Muon Solenoid

In this chapter we briefly review the key elements of the CMS detector. A detailed description of the CMS detector can be found in [1].
Estrogen Signaling Modulates Mitochondrial ROS Production and Mitochondrial Function in Mouse Bone Marrow Macrophages

Estrogen (E2), the female sex hormone has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties which have been proposed to play a role its cardioprotective effects. Women have an increase incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the postmenopausal period when E2 levels are at their lowest. E2 receptors are found on the cell surface, cytoplasm, nucleus, and mitochondria where they can modulate both nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Previous work has shown that E2 receptor levels decrease with age in rodents and humans. We were specifically interested in the role of E2 signaling in macrophages, an inflammatory cell dysregulated in CVD. We hypothesize that E2 preserves mitochondrial function by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and preserving mitochondrial membrane potential. In order to better study the effects of E2 signaling on mitochondrial function and anti-inflammatory capacity we isolated bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) from 8-13 month old wild type (wt), E2 receptor α knockout (ERα KO) and E2 receptor β knock out (ERβ KO) mice and measured mitochondrial function with the Seahorse Extracellular Flux Analyzer, mitochondrial membrane potential with TMRM and ROS production with DCF-DA. There was no difference in mitochondrial membrane potential in BMMs isolated from wt and ERβ KO mice. To induce inflammation, we treated the BMMS with LPS for 4 hours. There was a significant increase in LPS induced ROS in BMMS isolated from wt and ERβ KO which was further exacerbated in BMMs isolated from ERα KO mice. The maximal and reserve OCR and ECAR was significantly less in BMMs isolated from both ERα KO and ERβ KO compared to wt. These data suggest E2 partially regulates mitochondrial function in macrophages through both ERα and ERβ while ROS production is less dependent on ERα in BMMs. Taken together, these data provide evidence of E2 signaling modulating mitochondrial function and regulating ROS production through specific E2 receptors in BMMs. These results may help us to understand the anti-inflammatory role of E2 in pre-menopausal women and the increased incidence of CVD in post-menopausal women.
RESPONSE TO SANDLER'S “LINEARIZATION OF PHONOLOGICAL TIERS IN ASL”

Publisher Summary Sandler's contribution to the development and refinement of phonological description of sign languages has been and continues to be substantial. This chapter highlights an important way the processes that any phonological theory of ASL will need to account for. All signs with more than one handshape are represented by a handshape tier to which an opening or closing feature is attached. There remains a class of exceptions consisting of a sequence of finger-spelled handshapes; confined to loan signs, they lie outside the phonology of ASL signs. There is an alternative analysis, first discussed by Perlmutter with additional discussion by Brentari, in which the data discussed by Sandier can be accounted for and, importantly, no exceptions need to be posited. The exceptions turn out to confirm the rule. The difference between this analysis and Sandler's is that the former introduces the notion of syllable in the description of ASL signs. Their work draws from recent work on the syllable in which it is argued that phonological processes which affect segmental structure are best accounted for in terms of syllables and not segments.
Quantification of Propionic Acid in the Bovine Spinal Disk After Infection of the Tissue With Propionibacteria acnes Bacteria.

Study design Research. Objective The goal of this study was to investigate whether Propionibacteria acnes infection of the intervertebral disc can be detected noninvasively by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Summary of background data Microbiological studies of surgical samples suggest that a significant subpopulation of back pain patients may have occult disc infection with P. acnes bacteria. This hypothesis is further supported by a double-blind clinical trial showing that back pain patients with Modic type 1 changes may respond to antibiotic treatment. Because significant side effects are associated with antibiotic treatment, there is a need for a noninvasive method to detect whether specific discs in back pain patients are infected with P acnes bacteria. Methods P. acnes bacteria were obtained from human patients. NMR detection of a propionic acid (PA) in the bacteria extracts was conducted on 500 MHz high-resolution spectrometer, whereas in vivo NMR spectroscopy of an isolated bovine disk tissue infected with P. acnes was conducted on 7 T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Results NMR spectra of P. acnes metabolites revealed a distinct NMR signal with identical chemical shits (1.05 and 2.18 ppm) as PA (a primary P. acne metabolite). The 1.05 ppm signal does not overlap with other bacteria metabolites, and its intensity increases linearly with P. acnes concentration. Bovine disks injected with P. acnes bacteria revealed a very distinct NMR signal at 1.05 ppm, which linearly increased with P. acnes concentration. Conclusion The 1.05 ppm NMR signal from PA can be used as a marker of P. acnes infection of discs. This signal does not overlap with other disc metabolites and linearly depends on P. acnes concentration. Consequently, NMR spectroscopy may provide a noninvasive method to detect disc infection in the clinical setting. Level of evidence N/A.
Classical Dynamics of Van der Waals Molecules

We discuss the application of classical mechanics to Van der Waals molecules and their reactions, with particular emphasis on the vibrational predissociation of XBC systems, where X is weakly bound to a molecular fragment BC. The role of nonlinear phenomena in influencing the classical reaction dynamics is stressed, as is the need to discover quantum and experimental consequences of such behaviour.
Folding Cooperativity and the Wrapping of Intermediate States of Soluble Natural Proteins

This chapter focuses on the molecular basis of cooperativity as a means to understand the folding of soluble natural proteins. We explore the concept of protein wrapping, its intimate relation to cooperativity, and its bearing on the expediency of the folding process for natural proteins. As previously described, wrapping refers to the environmental modulation or protection of intramolecular electrostatic interactions through an exclusion of surrounding water that takes place as the chain folds onto itself. Thus, a special many-body picture of the folding process is shown to emerge where the folding chain not only interacts with itself but also shapes the microenvironments that stabilize or destabilize the interactions. This picture reflects a competition between chain folding and backbone hydration leading to the prevalence of backbone hydrogen bonds for natural foldable proteins. A constant of motion governing the folding process emerges from the analysis.
ASCERTing the value of coronary artery bypass graft in stable angina patients: the challenges and potential of observational research to improve care.

In this issue of the Journal , Zhang et al. and the ASCERT (American College of Cardiology Foundation–The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Collaboration on the Comparative Effectiveness of Revascularization Strategies) investigators [(1)][1] have extended their comparative effectiveness research of
A physics-based approach to modeling real-fuel combustion chemistry – IV. HyChem modeling of combustion kinetics of a bio-derived jet fuel and its blends with a conventional Jet A

Abstract A Hybrid Chemistry (HyChem) approach has been recently developed for the modeling of real fuels; it incorporates a basic understanding about the combustion chemistry of multicomponent liquid fuels that overcomes some of the limitations of the conventional surrogate fuel approach. The present work extends this approach to modeling the combustion behaviors of a two-component bio-derived jet fuel (Gevo, designated as C1) and its blending with a conventional, petroleum-derived jet fuel (Jet A, designated as A2). The stringent tests and agreement between the HyChem models and experimental measurements for the combustion chemistry, including ignition delay and laminar flame speed, of C1 highlight the validity as well as potential wider applications of the HyChem concept in studying combustion chemistry of complex liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Another aspect of the present study aims at answering a central question of whether the HyChem models for neat fuels can be simply combined to model the combustion behaviors of fuel blends. The pyrolysis and oxidation of several blends of A2 and C1 were investigated. Flow reactor experiments were carried out at pressure of 1 atm, temperature of 1030 K, with equivalence ratios of 1.0 and 2.0. Shock tube measurements were performed for the blended fuel pyrolysis at 1 atm from 1025 to 1325 K. Ignition delay times were also measured using a shock-tube. Good agreement between measurements and model predictions was found showing that formation of the products as well as combustion properties of the blended fuels were predicted by a simple combination of the HyChem models for the two individual fuels, thus demonstrating that the HyChem models for two jet fuels of very different compositions are “additive.”
On-Chip Antennas for Inter-Chip Wireless Interconnections: Challenges and Opportunities

Wireless interconnects have emerged as a solution to the problem of metallic interconnections for both intra and inter-chip communications. Multi GHz bandwidths of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) antennas coupled with appropriate system-level interconnection fabric design enables low power and high-speed communication between multiple many-core chips. In this paper, we discuss the design and transmission characteristics of an mm-wave antenna for multi-chip wireless interconnection systems. We investigate the challenges and opportunities for antenna design in this domain. We present a specific antenna design and its performance in terms of its transmission characteristics for inter-chip communication in a server node. Lastly, we explore the impact of antenna design on system-level design choices pertaining to Medium Access Control (MAC), topology and modulation techniques suitable for multi-chip systems.
Exploring the Reliability of Curriculum-Based Measurement as a Formative Assessment in a College Classroom:

The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the reliability of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) vocabulary-matching forms with students in an introduction to special education course in ...
So you Passed an Earned Value Management Government Validation - Now What?

In December 2016, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) received formal acceptance from NASA that its Earned Value Management System (EVMS) complied with the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) Standard 748 EVMS guidelines and thus had a government validated system. JHU/APL had successfully used its EVMS for single, large missions (Van Allen Probe from January 2009 to July 2012 and Parker Solar Probe from April 2014 to August 2018), but now with an increased workload JHU/APL was faced with the need to scale the EVMS to support 10+ missions ranging from instruments to major missions, both in a prime and subcontractor role. This paper delves into how to take an EVMS to the next level-one that supports a single program to a multifaceted system that supports numerous efforts ranging in value from ~$20M to ~$500M. It covers enhancements in the areas of processes, tools, staffing, training, surveillance, and overall portfolio management. We hope this paper provides a roadmap that will help others navigate how to scale an EVMS from a single program tool to a multi-mission machine.