cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fat distribution in HIV-infected patients reporting truncal enlargement quantified by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging

Background: Antiretroviral therapy has improved the prospects for people infected with HIV, but some develop a syndrome of profound body habitus and metabolic alterations that include truncal enlargement. Objective: The purpose of this study was to define the body-composition changes associated with this syndrome by using techniques with the power to estimate regional body composition. Design: We compared whole-body and regional skeletal muscle and adipose tissue contents measured by magnetic resonance imaging and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 26 HIV-infected patients and 26 matched control subjects. Twelve of the HIV-infected patients had evidence of truncal enlargement. Results: HIV-infected men and women who noted truncal enlargement had similar amounts of skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue but greater visceral adipose tissue than HIV-infected patients without truncal enlargement; these values were larger in men (P < 0.001) than in women (P = 0.08). The ratio of visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue was greater in both men (P < 0.02) and women (P = 0.05) with truncal enlargement. Two subjects with MRI-confirmed visceral adiposity syndrome (VAS) were not taking protease inhibitors. CD4 + lymphocyte counts were higher (P < 0.001) and plasma viral burdens tended to be lower (P = 0.08) in HIV-infected patients with VAS. Conclusions: There was significantly more visceral adipose tissue in the subgroup of HIV-infected patients with truncal enlargement than in those without this sign. VAS occurs in both men and women, is associated with higher CD4 + lymphocyte counts and lower plasma HIV viral burdens, and is not limited to those receiving protease inhibitor therapy.
Cross-sectional study of pharyngeal and genital chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections in emergency department patients

Objectives Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) are the most commonly reported diseases in the USA, with increasing concern regarding cephalosporin-resistant GC strains and growing discussion of routine male screening and analysing extragenital sites. Hospital emergency departments (EDs) may be appropriate screening venues, and our objective was to identify the extent of genital and oropharyngeal CT/GC infection in ED patients. Methods From June 2012 to March 2013, ED patients aged 15–34 were asked to provide a urine sample and oropharyngeal swab for CT/GC analysis and complete a sexual history survey. Results The 301 female and 192 male participants had a mean age of 25.2 years (SD 4.9); were 65.5% white patients and 33.5% black patients and >85% reported sexual activity in the past year. Tested patient prevalence was 7.7% (any infection/any site; n=38) with no gender differences. Regarding oral infections (n=10), those so infected were more likely to report a friend with a sexually transmitted disease (OR=4.25; CI 1.12 to 16.20), anonymous sex in the past year (OR=5.77; CI 1.58 to 21.15) and belief of some chance of oral infection (OR=5.29; CI 1.31 to 21.28) than those not so infected. Furthermore, four had no corresponding genital infection, and 66.7% (CI 29.1% to 100%) of the oral GC infections were missing concordant genital infection. Conclusions We find that male and female ED patients have similar likelihood of infection, that 26.3% (CI 12.4% to 40.2%) of those infected have an oral infection and that the majority of oral GC infections would not be identified or treated with urine-based screening. EDs may be important venues to identify those orally infected and provide male screening.
Birth Order, Age, and Hunting Success in the Canadian Arctic

What explains variation in hunting success? This paper examines foraging success among Inuit hunters, paying particular attention to factors that account for differential returns in hunting. Although there are several possibilities for explaining hunting success, this study finds that birth order and age are important predictors of foraging returns. Furthermore, data on food sharing suggests that birth order has important effects on the distribution of food. That is, early-born hunters not only produce more food, they give much of that food to their parents, who then distribute it to the hunter’s younger siblings. These findings are discussed within the context of local resource enhancement and the value of early-born sons to Inuit parents.
Visualizing Model Data Using a Fast Approximation of a Radiative Transfer Model

Visualizing model forecasts using simulated satellite imagery has proven very useful because the depiction of forecastsusingcloudimagerycanprovideinferencesaboutmeteorologicalscenariosandphysicalprocessesthat are not characterized well by depictions of those forecasts using radar reflectivity. A forward radiative transfer model is capable of providing such a visible-channel depiction of numerical weather prediction model output, but present-day forward models are too slow to run routinely on operational model forecasts. It is demonstrated that it is possible to approximate the radiative transfer model using a universal approximator whose parameters can be determined by fitting the output of the forward model to inputs derivedfromtherawoutputfromthepredictionmodel.Theresultingapproximationisveryclosetotheresult derived from the complex radiative transfer model and has the advantage that it can be computed in a small fraction of the time required by the forward model. This approximation is carried out on model forecasts to demonstrate its utility as a visualization and forecasting tool.
The synthesis of 1-hydroxy phosphonates of high enantiomeric excess using sequential asymmetric reactions: titanium alkoxide-catalyzed PC bond formation and kinetic resolution

Abstract Titanium alkoxide-catalyzed asymmetric phosphonylation of aldehydes yields hydroxy phosphonates in moderate to good enantiomeric excess (e.e.s ∼70%). The hydroxy phosphonates were acetylated and the acetates were subjected to enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution. The non-racemic acetates 2 (predominantly (R)-enantiomer) were hydrolyzed with an (R)-enantiomer-selective lipase, resulting predominantly in the hydrolysis of the (R)-isomer (at 85% conversion) to give the alcohols 3 with high e.e. Alternatively, hydrolysis of the minor enantiomeric (S)-acetate to approximately 20% conversion left the enriched (R)-configured acetate with improved e.e. (>90%). The moderate enantioselectivities obtained in the catalytic PC bond formation are enhanced during the enzymatic hydrolysis. Furthermore, availability of the non-racemic phosphonates permits the use of less selective enzymes, resulting in higher yields in comparison with the standard resolution of racemic materials.
Biocompatible mesoporous silica nanoparticles with different morphologies for animal cell membrane penetration

Abstract Two MCM-41 type, fluorescein-labeled mesoporous silica nanomaterials (MSNs) consisting of spherical and tube-shaped particles were synthesized and characterized. Both materials have hexagonally arranged mesopores with high surface area (>950 m2/g) and a narrow distribution of pore diameters. The cellular uptake efficiency and kinetics of both MSNs were measured in a cancer cell line (CHO) and a noncancerous cell line (fibroblasts) by flow cytometry and fluorescence confocal microscopy. The correlation between the particle morphology and aggregation of MSNs to the effectiveness of cellular uptake was investigated. We envision that our study on the morphology dependent endocytosis of MSNs would lead to future developments of efficient transmembrane nanodevices for intracellular sensing and gene/drug delivery.
Variable Length Optical Packet Synchronizer

Synchronization of asynchronously arriving variable length Internet Protocol packets to a local clock is demonstrated using a fiber-based optical synchronizer. The synchronizer is a four-stage feed-forward design with a resolution of 853 ps and a dynamic tuning range of 12.8 ns. The arrival time of packets is determined on a per packet basis using a payload envelope detection technique. The synchronizer state is dynamically configured on a per packet basis determined from the arrival time. Layer-1 (bit-error-rate) measurements are presented with power penalties 0.5 dB and an input power dynamic range 15 dB. Layer-2 (packet recovery) measurements are presented with power penalties 1.5 dB.
Pediatric Clinical Trial Registration and Trial Results: An Urgent Need for Improvement

* Abbreviations: FDA — : Food and Drug Administration NIH — : National Institutes of Health SRI — : serotonin receptor inhibitors Performing research studies in children to evaluate drugs and other therapies is critical to providing proper pediatric medical care. For too long, medication use in children has been limited to extrapolation from adult studies or off-label use for indications that have not been properly evaluated in children. It has been less than 20 years since practical measures have been put in place to ensure that the necessary research evaluating therapies is more consistently carried out in children. Prompted by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other pediatric organizations, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1998 initiated policies designed to increase the number of children in research studies, including drug trials.1,2 Along with subsequent legislation, including the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (2002), and the Pediatric Research Equity Act (2007), the initiatives by the FDA and … Address correspondence to Scott C. Denne, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology, 699 Riley Hospital Dr, RR 208, Indianapolis, IN 46202. E-mail: sdenne{at}iupui.edu
Metabolic responses of upper-body accelerometer-controlled video games in adults

Historically, video games required little physical exertion, but new systems utilize handheld accelerometers that require upper-body movement. It is not fully understood if the metabolic workload w...
Garbage on, garbage off: new insights into plasma membrane protein quality control

Maintenance of cellular protein quality - by restoring misfolded proteins to their native state and by targeting terminally misfolded or damaged proteins for degradation - is a critical function of all cells. To ensure protein quality, cells have evolved various organelle-specific quality control mechanisms responsible for recognizing and responding to misfolded proteins at different subcellular locations of the cell. Recently, several publications have begun to elucidate mechanisms of quality control that operate at the plasma membrane (PM), recognizing misfolded PM proteins and targeting their endocytic trafficking and lysosomal degradation. Here, I discuss these recent developments in our understanding of PM quality control mechanisms and how they relate to global protein quality control strategies in the cell.
The role of magnetic resonance-guided laser ablation in neurooncology

AbstractIntroduction. The use of magnetic resonance-guided laser-induced thermal therapy (MR-LITT) as a minimally invasive method of treating intra-cranial pathology is a rapidly growing field. The use of MR-LITT in neurooncology has shown promising results; however, there has been no review to date of the current literature. Methods. A review of the published literature regarding MR-LITT in neurooncology was performed. Studies on PubMed were included if at least one patient with a cerebral tumour or radiation necrosis was treated using quantitative MR thermography-guided LITT, as well as if either safety or outcomes were discussed. Results. In treating recurrent Grade-III and -IV gliomas, we found improved median overall survival of 20.9 months from diagnosis of recurrence, which is comparable with that of 18.9 months for high-dose-rate brachytherapy and 24.4 months for repeated open surgery. Median progression-free survival (PFS) of recurrent glioma is noted to be 4.5 months. For metastatic lesions, we ...
Ergodic Renormalization and Universal Strange Attractors

Renormalization has emerged as an important tool in a variety of problems in physics. It was originally invented in quantum field theory. In recent years, it has been used extensively in the theory of critical phenomenon. In the last few years it has been proved to be an important technique in the study of transition to chaos in dynamical systems theory. In simple cases, under renormalization, system converges to a fixed point, i.e., the system is invariant under renormalization. The significance of a fixed point is that all systems attracted to it under successive renormalization will have the same large scale behavior, so that the behavior is universal. In critical phenomenon, the fixed point corresponds to the fact that the renormalized system looks the same at every length scale corresponding to an infinite correlation length. The infinite correlation length is the case of second order phase transition. In dynamical systems theory, renormalization operation corresponds to looking at a system on longer time scales and smaller spatial scales. Universally self-similar period-doubling sequences in 1-d logistic map1 and 2-d area preserving maps2 have been explained in terms of fixed points of renormalization. Another important application of renormalization ideas has been the breakdown of invariant circles.2
Forebody TPS sizing with radiation and ablation for the Stardust Sample Return Capsule

The development of a new high-fidelity methodology for predicting entry flows with coupled radiation and ablation is described. The prediction methodology consists of an axisymmetric, nonequilibrium, Navier-Stokes flow solver loosely coupled to a radiation prediction code and a material thermal response code. The methodology is used to simulate the 12.6 km/s Earth atmospheric entry of the Stardust sample return capsule at seven trajectory points using ablating and nonablating boundary conditions. These flow simulations are used to size and design the Stardust forebody heatshield and develop arc-jet test conditions and models. The paper describes details of the methodology, results from the flow simulations, and, various heatshield design issues.
Oxytetracycline and hypoglycemia with convulsions in pancreatectomized dogs.

SummaryAddition of oxytetracycline to intravenous fluid used to maintain pancrea-tectomized dogs brings about a state of hypo-glycemia with staggering and convulsions that only infrequently responds to administration of glucose. The liver glycogen of these dogs is usually normal and occasionally elevated. During the state of hypoglycemia with staggering and convulsions the rise of the blood glucose following intravenous injection of adrenalin or glucose (glucose tolerance test) is transient; the rise of the blood glucose following intravenous injection of glucagon is large and sustained.
Putting Class in the “Underclass”: Adolph Reed on Urban Poverty

For over two decades, Adolph Reed has offered a compelling, contrarian view of urban poverty through his writings on the “underclass.” This article shows the distinctiveness of Reed’s account: his ...
Inorganic Ions Affect Reductant-Mediated Inhibition of the Manganese Cluster of PSII

Although Ca+2 and Cl− are essential cofactors in the oxygen evolving complex, the precise functions and ligation sites of these cofactors in the linear 4-electron oxidation sequence of the Mn cluster in PSII are still unclear. Research on the roles of the extrinsic polypeptides in the oxygen evolving complex has showed that removal of the 17 and 23 kDa proteins enhances the Ca+2 and Cl− requirements for oxygen evolution activity and creates an altered structure in the PSII complex so that Mn can be inactivated by bulky reductants such as hydroquinone (1) or N, N, N’, N’-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (2). These bulky reductants have no inhibitory effect on intact PSII preparations. However, small reductants such as NH2OH can inactivate native as well as salt-washed PSII membranes in which the 17 and 23 kDa species are released. We have examined the interactions among the extrinsic polypeptides, Ca+2, and Cl−, which may influence the ability of a reductant to inhibit oxygen evolution activity. In this communication, we present evidence to show that inorganic ions such as Ca+2 and Cl− can protect against reductant inactivation of oxygen evolution activity.
Vera Cooper Rubin (1928-2016).

Vera Rubin, who died on 25 December 2016, was a force of nature. More importantly, she was a student of nature. It was her careful study of the motion of stars that convinced astronomers that there was more to galaxies than met the eye. Astronomers say she discovered compelling evidence for “dark matter.” Vera would have said that she was just an observer reporting the data and that it was possible that our understanding of gravity is inadequate or that nature harbors some other anomaly. She didn't claim the truth, but she found wonder.
Audiology Assistants: Results of a Multicenter Survey.

BACKGROUND Although audiologists have been using support personnel for over 45 yr, controversy and variability continue with respect to the entry-level education, training methods, and scope of practice. PURPOSE As part of a larger clinical practices survey, this report focuses on use of audiology assistants (AAs) for pediatric settings and "life-span" facilities that had a significant population of pediatric patients. RESEARCH DESIGN A questionnaire was sent to 116 facilities in geographically diverse locations. Of the 25 surveys returned, 22 had sufficient data to be included for analysis purposes. RESULTS The majority of respondents assigned duties to AAs as follows: assisting with conditioned play audiometry and visual reinforcement audiometry, infection control, mail management, disposing of protected health information, ordering supplies, calling families, fielding family phone calls, and stocking supplies. In addition, of the nine pediatric facilities that used AAs and reported job duties, the majority assigned troubleshooting equipment and auditory brainstem response (ABR) screening. Two of the five life-span facilities that reported job duties assigned several duties not assigned by any of the pediatric facilities: pure-tone screening, earmold impressions, assisting with videonystagmography and ABR, and in-house hearing aid repairs. Of facilities that use AAs and reported staffing, the ratio of AAs to audiologists ranged from 0.03:1 to 1:0.37, with an average of 0.15 for life-span facilities and 0.17 for the pediatric facilities. Minimum educational levels required were reported as follows: high school (n = 8), college (n = 3), certificate (n = 1), and no requirement (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS Within a small sample size of pediatric and life-span facilities, 14 of 22 centers used AAs to perform a variety of direct patient care, indirect patient care, and clerical duties. Based on the duties recommended within the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidelines and by many states, expanded employment of AAs, as well as expansion of assigned duties should be considered. Data are needed to determine the appropriate ratio of AAs to audiologists within different settings and to determine the impact of AAs for accessibility, productivity, and profitability.
Joint effects of OSA and self-reported sleepiness on incident CHD and stroke

Abstract Background Although excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and both EDS and OSA have separately been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), their joint association with CVD risk is unknown. Methods Among 3874 Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) participants without prevalent CVD, moderate to severe OSA was defined by an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 15 on an in-home polysomnography. EDS was defined as an Epworth Sleepiness Scale score ≥11. Incident CVD events included total CVD events (coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke), as well as CHD and stroke separately. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, alcohol, smoking, and body mass index. Results Compared to those with AHI Conclusions Having both EDS and moderate-severe OSA was not associated with an increased risk of CVD in the SHHS data.
Politics, the State, and Sea Level Rise: The Treadmill of Production and Structural Selectivity in North Carolina’s Coastal Resource Commission

Treadmill of production theory offers a perspective for understanding the relationship between modern social institutions and environmental sustainability. We use this approach to analyze North Car...
The Erudition of Logic and the Logic of Erudition: Critique of Galileo Scholarship

The critiques of the last several chapters, undertaken after the analysis of various aspects of Galileo’s Dialogue of the earlier chapters, have been doubly instructive. In part, we have gained new or deeper insights into his work; but we have also derived useful theoretical and methodological lessons concerning scientific rationality, the history and the nature of philosophy, and the historiography of science. Let us continue our two-faceted critiques by exploiting the opportunities offered by classic Galileo scholarship from the point of view of the logic of erudition.
On the existence of secure feedback registers

Designers of stream ciphers have generally used ad hoc methods to build systems that are secure against known attacks. There is often a sense that this is the best that can be done, that any system will eventually fall to a practical attack. In this paper we show that there are families of keystream generators that resist all possible attacks of a very general type in which a small number of known bits of a keystream are used to synthesize a generator of the keystream (called a synthesizing algorithm). Such attacks are exemplified by the Berlekamp-Massey attack. We first formalize the notions of a family of feedback registers and of a synthesizing algorithm. We then show that for any function h(n) that is in O(2n/d) for every d > 0, there is a secure family B of periodic sequences in the sense that any efficient synthesizing algorithm outputs a register of size h(log(period(B))) given the required number of bits of a sequence B ∈ B of large enough period. This result is tight in the sense it fails for any faster growing function h(n). We also consider several variations on this scenario.
Imaging of Apoptosis

Many diseases are associated with an abnormal increase or decrease in apoptosis (programmed cell death). A variety of newer drugs have been designed to enhance apoptosis (such as cancer therapy) or decrease programmed cell death (such as agents interrupting the immune inflammatory pathway in arthritis). Until recently apoptosis could be assessed only in vitro or by histological assay of biopsied material. To determine the effectiveness of therapy, it would be very helpful to have an in vivo imaging technique. Characteristic changes of apoptosis can be identified by ultrasound, magnetic resonance, and radionuclide approaches. The status of these approaches is outlined in this chapter with possible clinical uses listed in Table 1.
Using Technology to Support Teaching Computer Science: A Study with Middle School Students

Expansion of computer science education in K-12 schools is driving the need for quality computer science teachers. Effective computer science teachers need both knowledge of computer science and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which includes an understanding of student misconceptions. In this study, by integrating an automated assessment system, we identified common misconceptions of Chinese middle school students in an introductory programming course. We found that students’ limited English ability and existing math knowledge contributed to their misconceptions in learning to program. We also noted that Chinese students with better English ability made fewer programming mistakes. This finding differs from previous studies on English speakers that found that students’ English ability had negative impacts on the learning of programming commands. Our results suggest that computer science teachers should integrate appropriate technology into instruction to support identifying and addressing specific student misconceptions. We recommend that teacher training programs in computer science pay attention to developing teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), the knowledge for effective teaching with technology.
Utility of three-dimensional models in resident education on simple and complex intracardiac congenital heart defects.

Objective Applications of three-dimensional (3D) printed models in medicine include preprocedure planning, patient education, and clinical training. Reproducing complex anatomy as a 3D printed model can be useful for understanding congenital heart defects (CHD). We hypothesized that using 3D printed models during didactic sessions with resident physicians will improve trainees' understanding of CHD. Design and intervention We performed a prospective, randomized educational intervention for teaching pediatric and pediatric/emergency medicine residents about simple (ventricular septal defect [VSD]) and moderately complex (tetralogy of Fallot [ToF]) CHD. Residents were divided into two groups: intervention and control. Each group completed a subjective survey about their comfort with the anatomy, evaluation, and treatment of VSD and ToF and took an objective test on VSD and ToF. They separately received the same 20 min lecture, including projected two-dimensional digital images of VSD and ToF; the intervention group was given 3D printed models created using the same imaging data. After the lecture, the groups repeated the survey and test questions. Results Twenty-six residents participated in the VSD session, 34 in the ToF. There were no differences in demographics between control and intervention groups. All residents had higher subjective comfort with VSD and ToF after the lectures. There was no difference in baseline test scores for VSD or ToF groups. The control group scored higher on the VSD postlecture test. The intervention group scored higher on the ToF postlecture test. Conclusion Incorporation of 3D printed models into lectures about CHD imparts a greater acute level of understanding, both subjective and objective, for pediatric and combined pediatric/emergency medicine residents. There does not seem to be an added benefit for understanding ventricular septal defects, but there is for tetralogy of Fallot, likely due to increased complexity of the lesion and difficulty visualizing spatial relationships in CHD with multiple components.
Connection between asymptotic normalization coefficients and resonance widths of mirror states

Asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANCs) are fundamental nuclear constants that play an important role in nuclear reactions, nuclear structure, and nuclear astrophysics. In this paper a connection between ANCs and resonance widths of the mirror states is established. Using the Pinkston-Satchler equation the ratio for resonance widths and ANCs of mirror nuclei is obtained in terms of the Wronskians from the radial overlap functions and regular solutions of the two-body Schr\"odinger equation with the short-range interaction excluded. This ratio allows one to use microscopic overlap functions for mirror nuclei in the internal region, where they are the most accurate, to correctly predict the ratio of the resonance widths and ANCs for mirror nuclei, which determine the amplitudes of the tails of the overlap functions. If the microscopic overlap functions are not available one can express the Wronskians for the resonances and mirror bound states in terms of the corresponding mirror two-body potential-model wave functions. A further simplification of the Wronskian ratio leads to the equation for the ratio of the resonance widths and mirror ANCs, which is expressed in terms of the ratio of the two-body Coulomb scattering wave functions at the resonance energy and at the binding energy [N. K. Timofeyuk, R. C. Johnson, and A. M. Mukhamedzhanov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 232501 (2003)]. Calculations of the ratios of resonance widths and mirror ANCs for different nuclei are presented. From this ratio one can determine the resonance width if the mirror ANC is known and vice versa. Comparisons with available experimental ratios are done.
Use of High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography in the Surgical Management of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia: A Pilot Study.

Purpose To evaluate whether high-resolution optical coherence tomography (HR-OCT) can detect histologic tumor margins of ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN). Methods Eight eyes of 8 patients with OSSN undergoing excision were studied prospectively. Immediately before surgery, the tumor was imaged using commercially available HR-OCT to identify the conjunctival margins of the neoplastic lesion. The tumor borders of the lesion determined by HR-OCT were mapped in relation to an anatomic reference point and transferred intraoperatively. The tumor was excised with 4-mm margins from the visible edge of the lesion with a “no-touch” technique. The specimens were sent for pathologic analysis and the histologic tumor margin was compared to the HR-OCT predicted tumor border. Results Mean age of the 8 patients was 67 ± 9.9 years. Seven were male, 7 were white, and, ethnically, 3 were Hispanic. All 8 tumors were bulbar and in the exposure zone. Seven tumors were limbal. Corneal extension was present in 5. Mean tumor area was 17.5 ± 11.1 mm2. Clinically, 2 of the tumors were leukoplakic, 1 papillomatous, and 3 gelatinous. A conjunctival tumor margin identified with the HR-OCT coincided with the pathologically confirmed margin mark in all eyes. Conclusions HR-OCT has the potential to predict histologic tumor margins in OSSN. Optical identification of tumor margins could potentially decrease the incidence of residual positive margins and minimize healthy tissue removal. Advances in HR-OCT technology and integration into a microscope for “real-time” imaging are needed to further improve this technique. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.
GSK-3 modulates autophagy after growth factor depletion

LB-44 Autophagy usually occurs in response to nutrient depletion or growth factor withdrawal. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) is a protein serine/threonine kinase involved in multiple cellular functions, and its activity in cells increases dramatically under the condition of serum starvation. Because serum starvation leads to autophagic response in cells, we sought to understand if GSK-3 controls autophagic activities after serum depletion. Consistent with previous reports, serum starvation led to autophagic responses including LC-3 processing and MDA-positive staining in rostate cancer PC-3 and LNCaP cells. Treatment of serum-starved cells with GSK-3 inhibitors, peptide inhibitor L803mts but not PI3K inhibitor LY294002, caused a profound necrostic cell death. L803mts-induced cell death could not be suppressed by a broad caspase inhibitor and no caspase activation and PARP cleavage (apoptotic features) were detected indicating an non-apopotic cell death. However, autophagy suppressor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) did not block L803mts-induced cell death but shift the necrotic cell death response to a dramatic apoptotic response, as evidenced by caspase activation and PARP cleavage. No significant cell death was observed under full culture media (10% serum) with the GSK-3 inhibitor L803 or 3-MA. Taken together, our data suggest that GSk-3 activity is critical for autophagy-dependent survival under the condition of serum starvation, and suppression of autophagy converts GSK-3 inhibition-induced necrotic cell death to apoptotic cell death. This study opened a novel field regarding GSK-3’s control of cell survival.
Sensitive manipulation of CAR T cell activity using a chimeric endocytosing receptor.

Background Most adoptive cell therapies (ACTs) suffer from an inability to control the therapeutic cell’s behavior following its transplantation into a patient. Thus, efforts to inhibit, activate, differentiate or terminate an ACT after patient reinfusion can be futile, because the required drug adversely affects other cells in the patient. Methods We describe here a two domain fusion receptor composed of a ligand-binding domain linked to a recycling domain that allows constitutive internalization and trafficking of the fusion receptor back to the cell surface. Because the ligand-binding domain is designed to bind a ligand not normally present in humans, any drug conjugated to this ligand will bind and endocytose selectively into the ACT. Results In two embodiments of our strategy, we fuse the chronically endocytosing domain of human folate receptor alpha to either a murine scFv that binds fluorescein or human FK506 binding protein that binds FK506, thereby creating a fusion receptor composed of largely human components. We then create the ligand-targeted drug by conjugating any desired drug to either fluorescein or FK506, thereby generating a ligand-drug conjugate with ~10-9 M affinity for its fusion receptor. Using these tools, we demonstrate that CAR T cell activities can be sensitively tuned down or turned off in vitro as well as tightly controlled following their reinfusion into tumor-bearing mice. Conclusions We suggest this ‘chimeric endocytosing receptor’ can be exploited to manipulate not only CAR T cells but other ACTs following their reinfusion into patients. With efforts to develop ACTs to treat diseases including diabetes, heart failure, osteoarthritis, cancer and sickle cell anemia accelerating, we argue an ability to manipulate ACT activities postinfusion will be important.
Meta-analysis of minimalist versus standard care approach for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

The change in practice of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to a minimalist approach is a debate.Online database search for studies that compared the minimalist approach with the standa...
Algorithms, Data, and Platforms: The Diverse Challenges of Governing AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses interwoven challenges. Defined as technology that uses advanced computation to perform at human cognitive capacity in some task area, AI must be regulated in the context of its broader toolbox - algorithms, data and platforms - and its regulation must be sector-specific. Establishing national and community priorities on how to reap AI’s benefits, while managing its social and economic risks, is an evolving debate. Digital Platform Firms are a fundamental driver of AI tools: they dominate the playing field and often pursue priorities outside the frames of the public sector and of civil society. While its governance is critical to national success, AI pries open a Pandora's box of questions that sweep across the economy and society, engaging diverse communities. Rather than a single, global ethical framework, one must consider how to pursue objectives of interoperability amongst nations with quite different political economies.
Assessing Multilingual Fairness in Pre-trained Multimodal Representations.

Recently pre-trained multimodal models, such as CLIP, have received a surge of attention for their exceptional capabilities towards connecting images and natural language. The textual representations in English can be desirably transferred to multilingualism and support promising downstream multimodal tasks for different languages. Nevertheless, previous fairness discourse in vision-and-language learning mainly focuses on monolingual representational biases, and rarely scrutinizes the principles of multilingual fairness in this multimodal setting, where one language is equated to a group of individuals and images provide the universal grounding for bridging different languages. In this paper, we provide a nuanced understanding of individual fairness and group fairness by viewing language as the recipient of fairness notions. We define new fairness notions within multilingual context and analytically articulate that, pre-trained vision-and-language representations are individually fair across languages but not guaranteed to group fairness. Furthermore, we conduct extensive experiments to explore the prevalent group disparity across languages and protected groups including race, gender and age.
SLCO1B1 *15 allele is associated with methotrexate-induced nausea in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Low-dose methotrexate (MTX) is an immunosuppressant used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). SLCO1B1 genetic variation has been associated with delayed MTX clearance and increased toxicity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between SLCO1B1 genetic variation and MTX-induced nausea in children with IBD. We performed a single center retrospective chart analysis of 278 patients who were prescribed MTX for IBD. Two hundred two patients had banked DNA and were genotyped for three SLCO1B1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs4149056, rs2306283, and rs11045819). Diplotypes were determined by combining the SNPs into *1, *4, *5, *14, *15, and *37 alleles. Incidence of nausea was abstracted from clinician notes. Prescriptions and demographics were extracted from the medical record. The cohort was 69.8% boys, 89.1% White, and 87.6% had a diagnosis of Crohn's disease with a mean age of 16.0 (± 3.8) years. MTX-induced nausea was noted in 34% of the cohort. MTX-induced nausea was associated with the number of reduced-function *15 alleles (p = 0.034) and occurred 2.26 times more often in patients with at least one *15 allele who did not initiate MTX treatment with concomitant ondansetron (p = 0.034). MTX-induced nausea was significantly independently associated with SLCO1B1 diplotype (p = 0.006) after controlling for MTX dose group and concomitant ondansetron. Our data demonstrate that the SLCO1B1 *15 allele is associated with MTX-induced nausea in pediatric patients with IBD. Additionally, *15 allele carriers could benefit from a dose reduction of MTX to reduce exposure and treatment initiation with concomitant ondansetron to reduce nausea.
Setting the table for policy intrapreneurship: public administrator perspectives on local food system governance

In communities across the U.S., there is growing awareness of food system issues which exerts greater pressure on public servants to help build a better food system for their community. Drawing fro...
Extending Orders on Rings with Idempotents and d-elements

We investigate situations in which compatible orders on rings with idempotent elements can be extended to more restrictive orders without assuming that the rings are commutative or that they contain multiplicative identities. We show that a ring with a certain kind of irreducible idempotent element is D∗ (i.e., every compatible partial order can be extended to a lattice order that makes the ring a d-ring) if and only if it is O∗ (i.e., every compatible partial order can be extended to a compatible total order); we characterize D∗-algebras over $\mathbb Q$ that have no identities and are O∗, and we find a class of D∗-algebras that contain subalgebras that are not D∗.
Parallel decomposition and concurrent satisfaction for heterogeneous multi-robot task and motion planning under temporal logic specifications

This paper presents an automaton-based task and motion planning framework for multi-robot systems (MRS) to satisfy finite words of linear temporal logic (LTL) task specifications in parallel and concurrently. A parallel decomposition algorithm is developed to iteratively decompose a global task specification into a set of smaller subtask automata. Robots are assigned to the smallest task component in each subtask automaton. The capability transition system of the assigned robots and these subtask automata synthesize a corresponding set of subtask planning automata (SPA), each of which is either an independent satisfaction of an individual subtask automaton or a concurrent satisfaction of multiple subtask automata. The overall robot assignments and SPA can guarantee the MRS to satisfy all the subtask automata. Each SPA can generate a minimal cost task plan by taking into account the costs of multi-robot tasking. The robots then plan motions to execute the tasks associated with the minimal cost task plans. The proposed framework is demonstrated with a multi-robot experiment for manufacturing tasks in a lab setting. Extensive numerical simulations are also performed to evaluate the scalability, computational complexity, and execution efficiency of the proposed framework and show its advantages over the centralized task and motion planning strategy.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

This article focuses on the development of software engineering standards in the Institute of Electrial and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). (Portions of this article are reprinted, with permission, from Software Engineering Standards: A User's Road Map, by James W. Moore, IEEE Computer Society Press, copyright 1997 IEEE). It briefly describes the overall IEEE, its Computer Society, and its Standards Association. It then goes on to describe the Software Engineering Standards Committee, where software engineering standards are developed. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the world's largest technical professional society, with membership numbering more than 350,000 individuals in 150 countries. The organization claims to produce 30% of the world's published literature in electrical engineering, computing, and control technology. It conducts more than 300 major conferences per year and maintains more than 800 standards, with another 700 under development. The IEEE is organized into 36 Technical Societies. Software engineering is of interest to several societies, e.g., the Communications Society and the Power Engineering Society, but its primary focus is within the Computer Society. Keywords: computer society; standards association; standards committee
Desegregating Sexuality Research: Cultural and Biological Perspectives on Gender and Desire

Scholarly investigations into male and female sexuality over the life course have long occupied two separate "camps": One focused on the biological aspects of sexuality and one focused on the sociocultural/political aspects. This bifurcated approach has been particularly ill suited for the study of sexual desire, a topic that has been generally undertheorized by sex researchers. A modern reappraisal of gender and sexual desire is proposed that takes into coordinated account both the biological and sociocultural/political factors that produce and shape subjective sexual desires over the life course. The specific relevance of this approach for three particular topic areas, adolescent sexual maturation, same-sex sexuality, and sexual dysfunction, is addressed. Methodological approaches to the study of gender and sexuality capable of investigating how cultural and biological factors intersect to shape the subjective quality of men's and women's desires at different points in the life course and within different sociocultural and interpersonal contexts are advocated.
Information technology relatedness, knowledge management capability, and performance of multibusiness firms

Business value of information technology is an enduring research question. The elusive link between IT and financial firm performance calls for further research into intermediate organizational variables through which IT may influence firm performance. This study proposes that knowledge management (KM) is a critical organizational capability through which IT influences firm performance. In the context of multibusiness firms, the study examines how the IT resources of a firm should be organized and managed to enhance the firm's KM capability, and whether and how KM capability influences firm performance. The study develops two hypothesizes: (1) IT relatedness of the firm's business units enhances cross-unit KM capability; (2) KM capability, in turn, leads to superior firm performance. Data from 250 Fortune 1000 firms provide empirical support for these hypotheses. IT relatedness of business units enhances the cross-unit KM capability of the firm. The KM capability creates and exploits cross-unit synergies from the product, customer, and managerial knowledge resources of the firm. These synergies increase the financial performance of the firm. IT relatedness also has significant indirect effects on firm performance through the mediation of KM capability.
QTL analysis for cooking traits of super rice with a high‐density SNP genetic map and fine mapping of a novel boiled grain length locus

Hybrid rice has contributed substantially to the improvement of grain production worldwide, yet its poor cooking and tasting characteristics have long been recognized. In this study, 132 recombinant inbred lines derived from LYPJ were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for 12 cooking traits with the high-density SNP linkage map recently developed by our team. We identified 17 QTLs on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11, which accounted for 7.50% to 23.50% of the phenotypic variations. A novel major QTL qBGL7 for boiled grain length was further fine-mapped to an interval of 440 Kb between the two markers RM21906 and gl3 using a BC3F2 population. Two near-isogenic lines with extreme boiled grain length, GX5-176 and GX5-101, could be directly used in improving cooking quality. We also identified a QTL for soaked grain width expansion rate, qSGWE6, in the Wx gene region on chromosome 6. The Wx differential regulation coincided with sequential variation between the two parents. Our work offered a theoretical basis for molecular breeding of high-quality hybrid rice.
Selective node engineering for chip-level soft error rate improvement [in CMOS]

This paper presents a technique to selectively engineer sequential or domino nodes in high performance circuits to improve soft error rate (SER) induced by cosmic rays or alpha particles. In 0.18 /spl mu/m process, the SER improvement is as much as 3/spl times/ at the cell-level, 1.8/spl times/ at the block-level and 1.3/spl times/ at the chip-level without any penalty in performance or area, and <3% power penalty. The node selection, hardening and SER quantification steps are fully automated.
PPB1, a putative spliced leader RNA gene transcription factor in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Abstract In trypanosomatids, the spliced leader RNA, or SL RNA, donates its 5′ 39 nucleotides to mature nuclear mRNAs in a process termed trans-splicing. We have previously characterized the SL RNA gene from Trypanosoma cruzi and identified its transcription promoter, including a 14 nt proximal sequence element, or PSE, that binds a putative transcription factor and activates transcription of the gene. Herein, we describe establishment of a yeast one-hybrid system using the 14 nt PSE as bait, and use this system to select T. cruzi cDNAs encoding a putative transcription factor that activates transcription of the SL RNA gene. The cDNA was selected from a normalized library and encodes an ∼45 kDa putative PSE promoter-binding protein, PPB1. PPB1 in vitro translated or overexpressed in and isolated from transformed E. coli , showed PSE-specific binding activity by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Finally, overexpression of PPB1 in T. cruzi led to increased expression of the SL RNA gene as well as reporter genes in episomal constructs under the control of the SL RNA gene promoter. These observations suggest that PPB1 is a transcription factor that plays an important role in SL RNA gene expression.
Eigenvalue location using certain matrix functions and geometric curves

Abstract The main inertia theorem gives necessary and sufficient conditions that an n×n complex matrix A have no eigenvalues on the imaginary axis of the complex plane. In this paper corresponding necessary and sufficient conditions are given that A have no eigenvalues on any arbitrary circle, line, and certain other curves in the complex plane. Generalizations of the second part of the main inertia theorem give inclusion regions for the eigenvalues of A.