cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variable Wave Plate via Tunable Form-Birefringent Structures

We propose a compact and low-cost design for a variable wave plate using tunable form-birefringent grating structures in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The described device operates through PDMS deformation via electrostatically actuated transparent electrodes. The optical and mechanical properties of tunable form-birefringent structures are modeled using birefringence, rigorous coupled-wave analysis, and simple structural mechanics theory. The device is fabricated by a form of soft nanoimprint lithography. The optical properties are characterized for different structure geometries. Operating principles were verified through testing of the completed device. The experimental results and theoretical study show that an irregular grating structure performs better than a periodic subwavelength structure. [2007-0303].
A Mean-Field Analysis of the Exchange Coupling (J) for Noncubic Prussian Blue Analogue Magnets

Mean field expressions based on the simple Heisenberg model were derived to correlate the intra- and interlayer exchange couplings to the critical temperatures, Tc, for three metallocyanide-based magnets with extended 2- and 3-D structure types. These expressions were used to estimate the exchange coupling, J, for 2-D ferrimagnetic [NEt4]2MnII3(CN)8, 3-D antiferromagnetic [NEt4]MnII3(CN)7, and 3-D antiferromagnetic interpenetrating 3-D MnII(CN)2. The type and magnitude of the exchange coupling are in accord with the previously reported magnetic data.
Dynamic Code Value Specialization Using the Trace Cache Fill Unit

Value specialization is a technique which can improve a program's performance when its code frequently takes the same values. In this paper, speculative value specialization is applied dynamically by utilizing the trace cache hardware. We implement a small, efficient hardware profiler to identify loads that have semi-invariant runtime values. A specialization engine off the program's critical path generates highly optimized traces using these values, which reside in the trace cache. Specialized traces are dynamically verified during execution, and mis-specialization is recovered automatically without new hardware overhead. Our simulation shows that dynamic value specialization in the trace cache achieves a 17% speedup, even over a system with support for hardware value prediction. When combined with other techniques aimed at tolerating memory latencies, this technique still performs well - this technique combined with an aggressive hardware prefetcher achieves 24% better performance than prefetching alone.
Hierarchical Clustering using Reconfigurable Devices

Non-hierarchical k-means algorithms have been implemented in hardware, most frequently for image clustering. Here, we focus on hierarchical clustering of text documents based on document similarity. To our knowledge, this is the first work to present a hierarchical clustering algorithm designed for hardware implementation and ours is the first hardware-accelerated implementation.
Type interaction models and the rule of six

In this paper, I describe and analyze a class of type interaction models. In these models, an infinite population of agents with discrete types interact in groups of fixed size and possibly change their types as a function of those interactions. I then derive conditions for these models to produce multiple equilibria. These conditions demonstrate a trade off between the number of types and the size of the interacting groups. For deterministic interaction rules, I derive the rule of six: the number of agent types plus the group size must be at least six in order to support multiple equilibria given a spanning assumption.
Specific statistical considerations relevantto the design and analysis of gingivitis trials demonstrating

Simulation studies were conducted to address specific statistical issues which arise in the design and analysis of gingivitis studies whose principal aim is the demonstration of superiority or equivalence of one product to another. The effects of measurement scale, using differences or ratios of group means, particular statistical test produces and specific rules demonstrating superiority or equivalence were investigated. An alternative concept to equivalence--denoted "least as good"--was also defined and evaluated. For a wide class of possible distributions of gingivitis scores, characterized by specific gamma distributions, the student-t test applied to means of subject GI gingivitis scores proved to be the most powerful of the test produces considered, having statistical properties quite similar to the randomization or permutation test procedure. Transformations of subject GI mean gingivitis scores did not produce an advantage in demonstrating either superiority or equivalence, and in some cases made it more difficult. Little difference was observed in test results when using the difference in group means as compared with using the ratio of group means for demonstrating either equivalence or superiority. The clinically significant rule produced the lowest false-positive rates for products slightly better than the active control, and similar false-positive and -negative rates as the statistically significant rule for products clearly superior to the active control. Demonstration of product equivalence will require more subjects per group than demonstrating product superiority, the size of this difference being a function of the definition of superiority that is accepted. Showing that the 90% confidence interval for 100*R is completely contained within the [90%, 110%] interval is the preferred method of demonstrating equivalence today, although much more research needs to be done to improve methods for demonstrating product equivalence. The "least as good" alternative to "equivalence" makes it easier to demonstrate "equivalence" for products slightly better than the active control product, but both experience great difficulty in demonstrating equivalence for test products not quite as good as the active control.
Cooperative learning at a commuter school and its implications for distance education

A variety of social, economic and technological factors are converging to create increased demand for distance education. Consequently, enormous challenges are facing today's educational institutions, to reduce costs, improve access, and cater to a changing population more interested in lifelong learning using distance education. This societal change promises to have a profound impact on the traditional university system. Schools have responded by spawning a variety of methods and technologies for delivering distance education. This is in turn transforming how knowledge is delivered to students. Not only does the instructor need to learn how to use the new technologies, the nature and style of delivery of the course content itself has to be adapted to the new medium of delivery. It has become axiomatic that teamwork and cooperative learning are essential ingredients in engineering and engineering technology education. Cooperative learning becomes a challenge in a commuter school where the students are widely dispersed throughout the community and many of whom have significant out-of-school commitments including work and families. The paper describes strategies that were followed to promote cooperative learning at an urban commuter school where these challenges are a given. The author's experiences in adapting cooperative learning techniques to Web-enhanced classes, as well as live 2-way interactive television classes, with reflections on lessons learnt, are also given.
Interview with the Medicine Man: A Case Study of a Traditional Malian Healer

Pharmacists are commonly members of medical mission teams that provide health care services in underdeveloped countries. Although pharmacists and others often find their service on a mission trip to be positive and life changing, critics of such missions note that Western providers trained in biomedicine frequently lack the cultural awareness to practice effectively in such settings. This paper is a case study of one traditional healer who practices in rural Mali. Although the results of one case from one practice setting may not be generalizable to all cultures, a basic understanding of the healer’s beliefs and practices concerning the etiology and treatment of disease, the role of magic and other supernatural therapies, his experience with Western trained providers and the regulatory environment in which he works should assist pharmacists who serve on mission trips to be better culturally prepared.
Mass transfer to suspended particles in gas-liquid agitated systems

Etude experimentale destinee a determiner si le mode d'introduction de la turbulence dans la phase liquide affecte le coefficient de transfert de matiere, s'il se produit la meme consommation d'energie
Models for risk management of systems of systems

This paper addresses the need for developing a body of prescriptive theory and methodology for modelling Systems of Systems (SoS). This will enable analysts to appropriately model and understand the SoS evolving behaviour due to the continued forced changes imposed on them. To place this need in historical perspective, the evolution of the field of systems engineering/analysis is briefly reviewed. The complexity of SoS is characterised by the highly interconnected and interdependent physical and economic infrastructure sectors of every country in the world, which introduce significant modelling challenges for the systems analysts. Economic, physical, cyber, workforce, organisational, and international intra- and interdependencies are introduced. Particular economic interdependency models (the Inoperability Input-Output Model (IIM) and its derivatives) follow. Hierarchical Holographic Modelling (HHM) for studying the multiple dimensions of risk to SoS is introduced, followed by the Phantom System Models (PSM) for modelling emergent large-scale SoS.
Modified Particle Swarm Optimization for Search Missions

There are many applications that can benefit from a well planned search. Whether the search objective is a lost hiker, a stolen vehicle on the interstate, or enemies on the battlefield, some assumptions must be made about the search objective before the search can begin. These assumptions focus the search in areas that have a relatively high likelihood of finding the targets of interest. A common approach to mission planning is to apply an optimization algorithm and obtain a good solution based on these assumptions. In general, the mission planner uses simulated targets to emulate the expected target behavior in order to evaluate candidate search paths. In practice, a major drawback is that the prior distribution of targets is only used to evaluate the search paths rather than to guide the optimization algorithm in generating the search paths. This paper introduces a method that explicitly exploits the sampled target distribution to create search paths, which naturally improves the results since the search paths directly depend on the time varying target locations. Results from a realistic cooperative path planning scenario show that explicit usage of target distributions can improve the performance of particle swarm optimization.
Of the Importance of Motherhood and Apple Pie What Big Data Can Learn From Small Data

Data integrity and validity are challenging topics to get published in medical journals. The clinical implications of these matters are not always intuitive to the reader, and data quality seldom makes headlines in the medical literature, unless something goes wrong, in which case-related conversations can make their way to the court rooms and the lay press.1 Yet, the cornerstone of our ability to make robust inference and sound clinical decisions is the assumption of the validity, accuracy, and representativeness of medical research data. Over the past few years, several articles in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes have reminded us of the importance to formally examine such assumptions. Registries occupy a central role in the clinical research landscape by allowing to pool observational clinical data into larger data sets to enhance statistical power and to draw more robust inference. Registries afford expansive population coverage and contain abundant clinical data that enable valuable risk adjustment. Most importantly, registries are intended to reflect real-world practice. However, as participation is voluntary, the representativeness of patients in registries cannot be assumed as institutions that participate may differ from those that elect not to.2 Furthermore, the completeness of the data must be verified as illustrated by a study of the Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress Adverse Outcomes with Early Implementation of the ACC/AHA Guidelines (CRUSADE) National Quality Improvement Initiative pertaining to patients with non–ST-segment–elevation acute coronary syndromes, where it was identified that records often lacked key clinical elements of the history and physical examination.3 Hence, the quality control of registries is critical to their value for outcomes research and clinical care. Regular audits of registries to assess their quality are thus essential to their use. In Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes , Ferreira et al4 reported on an …
Induction of ethylene biosynthesis and necrosis in weed leaves by a Fusarium oxysporum protein

Abstract A small assortment of microbial proteins have the ability to activate defense responses and induce necrosis in plant cells through cell signaling pathways. These proteins are of interest because of their potential use as bioherbicides and inducers of plant resistance in agriculture. A 24-kDa protein (Nep1) was purified from culture filtrates of Fusarium oxysporum, and the effects of this protein on weed leaves were investigated. This protein induced necrosis in detached leaves of Papaver somniferum, Lycopersicon esculentum, Malva neglecta, and Acroptilon repens when taken up through the petiole. The pattern and level of necrosis were dependent on the plant species. Treatment with Nep1 induced the production of ethylene in isolated leaves of various species, and the level of ethylene response was shown to be correlated to the concentration of the protein. Pretreating leaves of P. somniferum, L. esculentum, M. neglecta, and Cardaria draba with 100 µl L-1 ethylene enhanced the protein induction of e...
EO-1 Advanced Land Imager stray light analysis and impact on flight data

The EO-1 Advanced Land Imager (ALI) was developed under NASA's New Millennium Program. The ALI is validating new technologies and measurement techniques for application to future wide field-of-view, non-cryogenically cooled, pushbroom Earth observing systems. Extensive pre flight measurements of the BRDF for the optical elements were made. These data were used in a system level analysis to assess the impact of stray light on flight observations. A model was developed to estimate the error in measured scene radiance as a function of the ratio of scene radiance to background radiance. This effect can be significant for scenes with high contrast. A quantification of the ALI stray light characteristics based on preflight measurements and flight observations will be presented. The impact of stray light on the radiometric accuracy of in-flight data will be compared to the model.
Efficacy of using a sponge sampling method to recover low levels of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, and aerobic bacteria from beef carcass surface tissue

Recovery of aerobic bacterial populations, as well as low levels of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium from beef carcasses was determined by sponge (SP) and excision (EX) sampling during the course of three separate studies. For the first study, samples were taken from three points on the processing line: (1) pre-wash, (2) post-wash, and (3) after 24 h in the chill cooler. SP recovered fewer total aerobic bacteria from beef carcasses on a processing line than EX; however, the difference between EX and SP was similar at all sampled process points. Both sampling methods recovered higher levels of total aerobic bacteria from carcasses after a 24-h-chill period. Both methods also recovered low levels of E. coli and coliforms on beef carcasses. In the second study, both SP and EX recovered antibiotic-marked strains of E. coli O157:H7 and S. typhimurium from beef carcass tissue surface at an inoculation level of approximately 1 cfu 100 cm -2 . Recoveries from pre- or post-24-h-chilled tissue were similar for both SP and EX. SP appears to be an adequate sampling method for recovery of low levels of pathogens from surfaces of beef carcasses regardless of location within the process. However, a third study demonstrated that the freezing and storage of SP samples at -20°C significantly decreased recovery of S. typhimurium from beef tissue when present at low levels (#10 cfu 100 cm -2 ).
Partial integrability in surface reconstruction from a given gradient field

This paper investigates vector space methods of reconstructing a surface from a given needle map in discrete image settings. We first describe the subset of the gradient space corresponding to uniformly integrable surfaces in terms of an orthonormal. set of gradient fields. We then formulate the minimum norm solution to the surface reconstruction problem from a given set of gradients, and show that the solution corresponds to an equivalence class of surfaces. Next, we relax the uniform integrability condition to partial integrability by modifying the feasible subspace. We show that partial integrability enforced as such allows reconstruction of surfaces which are not uniformly integrable.
VSV Disrupts the Rae1/mrnp41 mRNA Nuclear Export Pathway

Abstract Interference with nucleocytoplasmic transport is a strategy employed by certain viruses to compromise host cellular function. While it has been shown that the matrix (M) protein of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) inhibits nuclear export of host cell mRNAs, the underlying mechanism has not been fully established. Here we show that VSV M protein binds the mRNA export factor Rae1/mrnp41. A mutant of M protein defective in Rae1 binding is unable to inhibit mRNA nuclear export. We further show that increased expression of Rae1 fully reverts the inhibition of mRNA export induced by M protein or following virus infection. We found that Rae1 is induced by interferon-γ, a cytokine that plays a critical role in the immune response to viruses, such as VSV. Thus, these results demonstrate that VSV M protein blocks mRNA export by disrupting Rae1 function, which can be reverted by induction of Rae1 expression.
The Relationship between EMEX Mesoscale Precipitation Feature Properties and Their Environmental Characteristics

Abstract Characteristics of the prestorm environment of Equatorial Mesoscale Experiment (EMEX) mesoscale precipitation features (MPFs) are related to properties of them systems using regression analysis. Although environmental thermodynamic parameters are poorly correlated with EMEX MPF properties (mainly because environmental thermodynamic conditions varied little among MPFs), kinematic parameters are well correlated to these properties. Lines whose environments have low-level shear (the shear between about 950 and 750 mb) exceeding 5 m s−1 are oriented normal to the direction of this shear; lines where the low-level shear is under 5 m s−1 are oriented along the direction of the midlevel shear (the shear between about 800 and 400 mb). Convective line speeds correlate well with the maximum speed of the rear-to-front flow in the troposphere below 300 mb. Direction of MPF motion is nearly coincident with the tropospheric mean wind direction. convective line length is proportional to the magnitude of the men...
Mission, Vision, and Capacity of Place-Based Safety Net Hospitals: Leveraging the Power of Anchors to Strengthen Local Economies and Communities

This article sheds light on the scope and magnitude of community and economic impacts of urban safety net hospitals. It presents a framework for assessing these contributions, and utilizes the proposed framework to analyze the case of MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio. We found that through its 3-faceted functions of clinical care, academics, and research, the hospital employs a large number of workers, purchases substantial amounts of goods and services in the local and regional marketplace, generates new knowledge, invests in human capital, anchors the neighborhood by its land and capital investments, and participates in developing a community vision.
Chapter 11 Growth, structure and reactivity of ultrathin metal films on TiO2 surfaces

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses growth, structure, and reactivity of ultrathin metal films on TiO 2 surfaces. There are many applications where ultrathin layers of metals deposited onto oxide surfaces are of importance, including catalysis, chemical sensors, fiber optics, microelectronic devices, and metal-ceramic bonding. An important issue in studies and applications of metals-on-oxides is the relationship between the structure and reactivity of the metal oxide interface, and the growth modes of the ultrathin metal layers. Metals on TiO 2 have interesting properties as heterogenous catalysts in reducing atmospheres, largely because of the so-called Strong Metal-Support Interaction (SMSI) effect. Metals that are relatively unreactive to oxygen (Cu, Pd, Pt, Au) mainly form three-dimensional clusters and do not wet the substrate effectively. Mid-transition metal elements (Fe) also grow as clusters, with flattened islands. The various electron-, ion-, and optical- spectroscopic methods used for characterizing the metal-TiO 2 interactions are also discussed in the chapter.
Adaptive Behavior in Automobile Brand Choices: A Reply

In a recent article, May [3] claims that past purchases of a particular make of automobile influence the probability of a repeat purchase of the same make. Further, he claims that the more recent the past purchase, the greater the influence on the current purchase. These are intuitively appealing results, and they are undoubtedly true (at least to a degree). However, the purpose of this note is to show that May's data do not (and could not!) warrant these conclusions. From my article on testing brand switching models [4], it is clear that May's sample sizes are insufficient to discriminate among the competing models of brand behavior. But far more important, May did not test the appropriate hypothesis when trying to show adaptive behavior. His data showed (where C = current make, O = all others):
Observing incumbent abuses: improving measures of electoral and competitive authoritarianism with new data

ABSTRACTElectoral and competitive authoritarian regimes have become a major focus of comparative research. Yet, finding measures that distinguish these regimes from democracies is challenging, especially for scholars conducting large-N cross-national research, as this conceptual distinction rests on incumbent abuses that are difficult to systematically observe. This article reviews common measures that simply utilize extant regime indicators to draw the line with democracy, demonstrates their poor performance in mirroring a benchmark from case-based measurement, and illustrates the adverse implications for theory building. The article then shows how data on incumbent abuse from the National Elections Across Democracy and Dictatorship (NELDA) and Varieties of Democracy (VDEM) projects can be utilized to construct alternative measures. A NELDA-based measure far outperforms extant alternatives in mirroring the case-based benchmark. The article then discusses why a VDEM-based alternative should be a superior ...
On the Construction of Involutory Matrices

(1962). On the Construction of Involutory Matrices. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 69, No. 4, pp. 267-272.
Bioactivity and persistence of some parathion formulations in soil.

The persistence and biological activity of parathion in soil was studied under laboratory and field conditions. Microbial breakdown appeared to be the major contributor to the loss of parathion in soil. Although moisture and soil type influence parathion degradation, this influence is mediated primarily by the activity of microorganisms. Highest biological activity against larvae of the western corn root worm, Diabrotica virgifera LeConte , on soil was achieved with broad distribution and minimum binding of parathion (e.g., 1% kaolinite dust; LD50 = 0.05 ppm) whereas low activity was associated with tightly bound, thinly distributed formulations (e.g., 10% on charcoal; LD50 = 6.0 ppm). However, chemical assays of soil showed that the dust was the least persistent and the charcoal the most persistent formulation (50% breakdown in 6 days vs. 72 days, respectively).
Plenary & keynote speakers

Dr. Altman is a professor of bioengineering, genetics, & medicine (and of computer science by courtesy) and chairman of the bioengineering department at Stanford University. His primary research interests are in the application of computing technology to basic molecular biological problems of relevance to medicine. He is currently developing techniques for collaborative scientific computation over the internet, including novel user interfaces to biological data, particularly for pharmacogenomics. Other work focuses on the analysis of functional microenvironments within macromolecules and the application of algorithms for determining the structure, dynamics and function of biological macromolecules. Dr. Altman holds an M.D. from Stanford Medical School, a Ph.D. in medical information sciences from Stanford, and an A.B. from Harvard College.
Effects of different parental combination on amino acid contents of brown rice in F1 generation

The amino acid contents in brown rice of 4 medium-maturity indica sterile lines(ISL),8 me-dium-maturity indica restorer lines(IRL) and 10 F1 hybrid rice were analyzed by HITACHI 8800 type auto-amino acid analyzer.The results are as follows.Amino acid contents in brown rice among F1 hybrid generation are dif-ferent,of which,the total amino acids(except tryptophan) and essential amino acid contents of Mingliangyou 6,combination of Lvmin S/4HZ021and combination of Lvmin S/Fenghui35 are higher.Lysine content in combina-tion of Lvmin S/4HZ021 is the highest.Leucine content of Mingliangyou 6 is the highest.The total amino acids(except tryptophan) and essential amino acid contents in F1 hybrid rice are higher compared with their parents,and that of hybrid combinations using Lvmin S as the female parent are the highest,while those using Lv102S as the female parent are the lowest.The influence of male parent on amino acid contents of brown rice in F1 genera-tion was controlled by the paired maternal parent.At the same time,we should consider combining ability and other factors.
Are There Other Options? Child and Adolescent Telepsychiatry Services for Rural Population

This study compared University of Missouri child and adolescent telepsychiatry services patients’ specific zip codes to child and adolescent psychiatrists’ practice locations to learn if telehealth...
Return to the Garden: James Woodhouse and Polite Cultivations

From Stephen Duck’s The Thresher’s Labour (1730) to John Clare’s enclosure elegies of the 1830s, labouring-class poetry makes significant innovations in the modes available for writing poetry about nature. In The Thresher’s Labour, Duck represents agricultural labour from the ground up, showing it at close range and from a first-person perspective. Duck conforms to but challenges the conventions of early eighteenth-century georgic. As I have written elsewhere, Duck defies Addison’s dictum, delivered in his ‘Essay on Virgil’s Georgics’ distinguishing the work of the poet from that of the rural labourer: ‘the precepts of husbandry are not to be delivered with the simplicity of a plowman, but with the address of a poet’.2 A century later, Clare expresses a presciently ecocentric view of the relationship between human and non-human nature. His poems about the devastation caused by enclosure provide a powerful critique of how class interests affected rural land use. The history of self-taught rural poetry is rightfully book-ended by these two poets.
Illinois Math Solver: Math Reasoning on the Web

There has been a recent interest in understanding text to perform mathematical reasoning. In particular, most of these efforts have focussed on automatically solving school level math word problems. In order to make advancements in this area accessible to people, as well as to facilitate this line of research, we release the ILLINOIS MATH SOLVER, a web based tool that supports performing mathematical reasoning. ILLINOIS MATH SOLVER can answer a wide range of mathematics questions, ranging from compositional operation questions like “What is the result when 6 is divided by the sum of 7 and 5 ?” to elementary school level math word problems, like “I bought 6 apples. I ate 3 of them. How many do I have left ?”. The web based demo can be used as a tutoring tool for elementary school students, since it not only outputs the final result, but also the mathematical expression to compute it. The tool will allow researchers to understand the capabilities and limitations of a state of the art arithmetic problem solver, and also enable crowd based data acquisition for mathematical reasoning. The system is currently online at https://cogcomp.cs.illinois. edu/page/demo_view/Math.
Rotational Bragg Scattering: Spinning Atoms with the Orbital Angular Momentum of Light

We demonstrate the coherent, quantized transfer of the orbital angular momentum of light to a Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium atoms by means of a stimulated, two-photon transition between the static, non-rotating BEC and a rotating state moving with the linear momentum of two photons. By reversing the transfer of linear momentum, without any angular momentum, we create either vortex states (in a simply connected trap) or persistent atom currents (in a toroidal trap). The persistent current in the toroidal trap lasts about 20 times longer than a vortex under similar conditions in the simply connected trap.
Novel Use of Ranolazine as an Antiarrhythmic Agent in Atrial Fibrillation

Objective: To review the limitations of current antiarrhythmic drugs in atrial fibrillation (AF) and discuss the rationale and clinical trials supporting the use of ranolazine in AF. Data Sources: MEDLINE was searched from 1980 to September 2016 using the terms ranolazine, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery bypass grafting, and valve surgery. Study Selection and Data Extraction: English-language studies and reviews assessing antiarrhythmic drugs, including ranolazine, were incorporated. Data Synthesis: The use of ranolazine monotherapy has been evaluated in 2 clinical trials. In the RAFFAELLO trial, higher doses of ranolazine showed a trend toward lower AF recurrence versus placebo (P = 0.053), but further evidence is needed to support its use as a sole therapeutic agent. Ranolazine has shown utility in a limited number of studies as an adjunctive agent, which is critical for those in whom standard therapy is inadequate or the adverse event profile precludes optimized standard therapy. In the HARMONY tr...
Platelet Factor 4 (PF4) Levels Are Inversely Correlated with Steady-State Platelet Counts and with Nadir Counts in Chemotherapy-Induced Thrombocytopenia (CIT),

Abstract 3527 PF4 (CXLC4) is a member of the C-X-C family of chemokines and has been shown to be a negative autocrine of megakaryopoiesis in vitro and in animal models of CIT and radiation-induced thrombocytopenia (RIT). In animal models, steady-state platelet counts, as well as duration of thrombocytopenia and nadir platelet count after chemotherapy or radiation therapy were inversely correlated with platelet PF4 levels. We designed a clinical study to examine the role of PF4 in human subjects treated with chemotherapy. We examined platelet PF4 levels in 97 pediatric patients treated for standard risk leukemia in a single institution study. All patients completed therapy since January 1, 1999. Samples were collected at the completion of therapy from all patients, and a subset of randomly selected patients had multiple samples collected to determine intra-subject variability of assessment. PF4 levels were no different in this cohort from age matched normal controls. While there was significant inter-individual variability in the cohort, there was no significant difference in an individual between samples collected up to 1 year apart. There was an inverse correlation between platelet PF4 levels and steady-state platelet count (r=-0.2107 95% CI: −0.39 to −0.01, p=0.0383), yet we found no correlation with plasma thrombopoietin (TPO) or CXCL11 (stromal derived factor-1) levels, both of which are known positive regulators of megakaryopoiesis. We then examined the effect of PF4 on CIT by reviewing medical records of these patients, extracting the nadir platelet count and transfusion records for delayed intensification. There was an inverse correlation between platelet PF4 content and nadir platelet count during delayed intensification (r=-0.2087 95% CI: -0.41 to 0.01, p=0.0316). In addition, subjects who required platelet transfusion during delayed intensification had significantly higher platelet PF4 levels when compared to those subjects who did not require transfusion (11.48 ± 8.2 IU/108 platelets versus 5.23 ± 4.7 IU/108 platelets, p=0.003). All of the patients with PF4 levels > 1SD above the mean (>18 IU/108 platelets) were transfused, while only 28% of patients with PF4 levels > 1 SD below the mean ( Disclosures: Lambert:Cangene: Honoraria.
Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC): A familial cluster of 3 siblings.

Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is a rare form of cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) that occurs when the pulmonary veins drain into a site other than the morphologic left atrium. As with other forms of CHD, TAPVC has been shown to cluster in families and is known to have genetic association. We report on a case series of familial TAPVC in three consecutive siblings. A combination of fetal echocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography, as well as cross-sectional imaging was utilized in the diagnosis as well as management of each sibling. The third sibling was subsequently found to have a partial deletion in chromosome 15q13.3, which has been rarely associated with other forms of congenital heart disease.
Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations: An Introduction

In this new introduction to a classic philosophical text, David Stern examines Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. He gives particular attention to both the arguments of the Investigations and the way in which the work is written, and especially to the role of dialogue in the book. While he concentrates on helping the reader to arrive at his or her own interpretation of the primary text, he also provides guidance to the unusually wide range of existing interpretations, and to the reasons why the Investigations have inspired such a diversity of readings. Following closely the text of the Investigations and meant to be read alongside it, this survey is accessible to readers with no previous background in philosophy. It is well-suited to university-level courses on Wittgenstein, but can also be read with profit by students in other disciplines.
Developing adaptive interventions for adolescent substance use treatment settings: protocol of an observational, mixed-methods project

Over 1.6 million adolescents in the United States meet criteria for substance use disorders (SUDs). While there are promising treatments for SUDs, adolescents respond to these treatments differentially in part based on the setting in which treatments are delivered. One way to address such individualized response to treatment is through the development of adaptive interventions (AIs): sequences of decision rules for altering treatment based on an individual’s needs. This protocol describes a project with the overarching goal of beginning the development of AIs that provide recommendations for altering the setting of an adolescent’s substance use treatment. This project has three discrete aims: (1) explore the views of various stakeholders (parents, providers, policymakers, and researchers) on deciding the setting of substance use treatment for an adolescent based on individualized need, (2) generate hypotheses concerning candidate AIs, and (3) compare the relative effectiveness among candidate AIs and non-adaptive interventions commonly used in everyday practice. This project uses a mixed-methods approach. First, we will conduct an iterative stakeholder engagement process, using RAND’s ExpertLens online system, to assess the importance of considering specific individual needs and clinical outcomes when deciding the setting for an adolescent’s substance use treatment. Second, we will use results from the stakeholder engagement process to analyze an observational longitudinal data set of 15,656 adolescents in substance use treatment, supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, using the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs questionnaire. We will utilize methods based on Q-learning regression to generate hypotheses about candidate AIs. Third, we will use robust statistical methods that aim to appropriately handle casemix adjustment on a large number of covariates (marginal structural modeling and inverse probability of treatment weights) to compare the relative effectiveness among candidate AIs and non-adaptive decision rules that are commonly used in everyday practice. This project begins filling a major gap in clinical and research efforts for adolescents in substance use treatment. Findings could be used to inform the further development and revision of influential multi-dimensional assessment and treatment planning tools, or lay the foundation for subsequent experiments to further develop or test AIs for treatment planning.
Abstract 3260: Improve Cardiac Performance by Pre-differentiated Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Rat Heart Failure

Cardiac microenvironment can induce bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) differentiation into cardiac cells like myocytes. We and others have shown previously that BMSCs can be induced into cardiac like cells by cocultured with newly born rat myocytes. In the present study, we assessed whether the transplantation of pre-differentiated BMSCs (pBMSCs) are more effective in treating heart failure than the undifferentiated BMSCs (uBMSCs). After establishing a reproducible rat chronic heart failure (CHF) model with the ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery, BMSCs were injected into borders of cardiac scar tissue 1 wk after experimental ligation. Cardiac performance was evaluated by echocardiography at 1, 2, and 4 wk after pBMSCs or uBMSCs or PBS injection (n=10). Langendorff working-heart and histological studies were performed 4 wk after treatment. Echocardiography revealed a significantly (p
Increased skin blood flow during low intensity vibration in human participants: Analysis of control mechanisms using short-time Fourier transform.

Aim Investigate the immediate effect of low intensity vibration on skin blood flow and its underlying control mechanisms in healthy human participants. Materials and methods One-group pre-post design in a university laboratory setting. Nine adults underwent two bouts of 10-minute vibration (30Hz, peak acceleration 0.4g). Outcome measures include skin blood flow, and skin temperature on the right foot. To examine the control mechanisms underlying the vibration-induced blood flow response, SHORT-TIME Fourier analyses were computed to obtain the spectral densities for three frequency bands: metabolic (0.0095–0.02Hz), neurogenic (0.02–0.06Hz), and myogenic (0.06–0.15Hz). Non-parametric Friedman’s tests were computed to compare changes of the outcome measures and control mechanisms over the course of vibration. Results Vibration increased skin blood flow during both bouts of vibration, however the effect did not last after vibration was terminated. Myogenic spectral density increased during both bouts of vibration, whereas the metabolic and neurogenic spectral densities increased only during the 2nd bout of vibration. Interestingly, only the metabolic spectral density remained elevated after vibration ended. Conclusion Low intensity vibration produced acute increases in skin blood flow mediated in part by vascular control mechanisms of myogenic origin. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether low intensity vibration induces similar increases in skin blood flow in populations prone to developing chronic non-healing wounds, such as spinal cord injury and diabetes.
Representing and Solving Temporal Planning Problems

AI planning research has generally been concerned with the advantages and disadvantages of representing temporal planning information as a partially ordered task network. Such a network represents a growing plan as a set of tasks that become more completely temporally ordered as the plan is elaborated. A partially ordered task network is an attractive plan representation because it maintains the flexibility to avoid or take advantage of unexpected task interactions by simply adding appropriate ordering constraints between existing tasks. Unfortunately, a partially ordered network has difficulty representing tasks with properties that depend on precisely what other tasks come before them. How can one keep track of a bank balance in the face of unordered withdrawals and deposits? This paper discusses work done at Yale by Dean and Miller that addresses both the problem of building and maintaining a partially ordered task network and the problem of reasoning about tasks that have order-dependent properties.
Overcoming Barriers to Tiny and Small Home Urban Integration: A Comparative Case Study in the Carolinas:

Although interest in tiny and small house living continues to grow, proponents of downsized living face a myriad of challenges, from restrictive land use policy to current lending and finance pract...
National Radiation Oncology Medical Student Clerkship Trends From 2013 to 2018.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess national trends in fourth-year medical student radiation oncology clerkships over the past 6 academic years. Results demonstrate a national trend toward inclusion of structured didactics in radiation oncology clerkships coinciding with the implementation and expansion of the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG) clerkship curriculum. However, over half of clerkship experiences continue to lack a structured didactic curriculum. Over the past 6 years, the ROECSG implemented and expanded upon a national standardized curriculum for the fourth-year medical student radiation oncology clerkship. This study hypothesized that this would lead to increased use of structured clerkship educational methods on a national level. Methods and Materials From 2013 to 2018, all applicants to a single United States radiation oncology residency program were sent an anonymous clerkship experience survey. The χ2 test was used for statistical analysis. Results Of 1183 students, 488 completed the survey (41.3% response rate); 1303 total clerkship experiences were described. From 2013 to 2018, there has been a significant increase in clerkships with lectures designed for medical students, from 28.3% of clerkships in 2013 to 43.2% in 2018 (P = .02). Students who received ≥1 formal lecture perceived greater postclerkship confidence in radiation oncology–related knowledge (P Conclusions These results demonstrate a national trend toward inclusion of structured didactics in radiation oncology clerkships coinciding with the expansion of the ROECSG curriculum and support the addition of structured didactics to the clerkship experience to provide medical students with foundational radiation oncology knowledge to function as residents.
Lack of a relationship between plasma fibroblast growth factor-23 and phosphate utilization in young chicks.

ABSTRACT Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) is proposed to be the hormone that controls phosphate (P) homeostasis in chickens. This study was initiated to investigate the effect of feeding young chicks diets that were either adequate (0.45%) or marginal (0.25%) in available P content on plasma FGF-23 levels. The dietary level of available P significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected bone mineralization and bone length, but was without effect (P > 0.05) on growth rate and circulating FGF-23 concentrations. Substantial individual variation in bone mineralization and plasma FGF-23 levels was observed, and the correlation between these two variables was non-significant (P > 0.05). This suggested that there was no alteration in FGF-23 activity in response to suboptimal dietary P intake. The relationship of these observations to studies on the immunosuppression of FGF-23 activity is subsequentlydiscussed.
Could epigenetics help explain racial disparities in chronic pain

African Americans disproportionately suffer more severe and debilitating morbidity from chronic pain than do non-Hispanic Whites. These differences may arise from differential exposure to psychosocial and environmental factors such as adverse childhood experiences, racial discrimination, low socioeconomic status, and depression, all of which have been associated with chronic stress and chronic pain. Race, as a social construct, makes it such that African Americans are more likely to experience different early life conditions, which may induce epigenetic changes that sustain racial differences in chronic pain. Epigenetics is one mechanism by which environmental factors such as childhood stress, racial discrimination, economic hardship, and depression can affect gene expression without altering the underlying genetic sequence. This article provides a narrative review of the literature on epigenetics as a mechanism by which differential environmental exposure could explain racial differences in chronic pain. Most studies of epigenetic changes in chronic pain examine DNA methylation. DNA methylation is altered in the glucocorticoid (stress response) receptor gene, NR3C1, which has been associated with depression, childhood stress, low socioeconomic status, and chronic pain. Similarly, DNA methylation patterns of immune cytokine genes have been associated with chronic stress states. Thus, DNA methylation changes may play an essential role in the epigenetic modulation of chronic pain in different races with a higher incidence of epigenetic alterations contributing to more severe and disabling chronic pain in African Americans.
Anticipating the unknown: The stimulus-preceding negativity is enhanced by uncertain threat

Anticipating the future is an important psychological process that facilitates adaptive functioning. The stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) is an event-related potential index of anticipation that is elicited in the several hundred milliseconds before an outcome occurs. The SPN is elicited by emotional stimuli, such as electric shocks, and has been proposed to reflect emotional anticipation. To better characterize the functional significance of the SPN, the current study examined the effects of uncertain threat on SPN amplitude. Fifty-three participants from the community completed a task that compared the SPN when anticipating uncertain threat (a 50% chance of electric shock), certain threat (a 100% chance of electric shock), and safety (a 0% chance of electric shock). The SPN was enhanced by uncertain threat relative to certain threat and safety. Thus, the SPN appears to be specifically sensitive to uncertainty above and beyond threat. These results replicate and extend previous findings and inform theoretical accounts regarding the functional significance of the SPN. Furthermore, the findings highlight the utility of the SPN as a measure of anticipation and a tool for research on the effects of uncertainty, in line with recent calls for the development of additional laboratory-based measures of responding to uncertainty.