cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis of occult melanoma using transient receptor potential melastatin 1 (TRPM1) autoantibody testing: a novel approach.

Purpose To report the first case of melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) and underlying occult melanoma diagnosed based on the presence of serum transient receptor potential melastatin 1 (TRPM1) autoantibodies. Design Interventional case report with basic science correlation. Participants One patient with MAR. Intervention Testing for the presence of serum TRPM1 autoantibodies. Main Outcome Measures Diagnosis of an occult melanoma involving the axillary lymph nodes (unknown primary site) and MAR based on the presence of TRPM1 autoantibodies in the patient's serum. Results The patient's clinical exam was remarkable for mild intraocular inflammation in both eyes and retinal hemorrhages with an apparent choroidal neovascularization in the left eye, which was confirmed by fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography testing. Humphrey visual field 30-2 SITA-fast (Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, CA) demonstrated diffuse depression in both eyes out of proportion to the clinical exams, prompting electroretinography testing that revealed an electronegative response. Dark-adapted thresholds were markedly elevated and mediated by cones. Due to concern for MAR, a systemic work-up for melanoma was performed by the primary care physician that was unrevealing. Given our continued clinical suspicion for MAR, the patient's serum was sent for evaluation for TRPM1 autoantibodies. The patient's serum applied to normal human retina exhibited positivity in the inner nuclear layer. Application of the patient's serum to wild-type and TRPM1 knockout mouse retina revealed strongly labeled bipolar cells in the wild-type retina, but not in the TRPM1 knockout retina, indicating TRPM1-dependent immunoreactivity. The antigen was confirmed as TRPM1 by labeling of TRPM1-transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Additional systemic work-up prompted by this finding resulted in identification of an occult metastatic melanoma involving the axillary lymph nodes with an unknown primary site. The patient underwent surgical excision of the occult melanoma without evidence of other sites of metastases. He also received intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and his vision has stabilized. Conclusions This is the first reported case of a melanoma-associated retinopathy diagnosed utilizing the innovative approach of testing for serum TRPM1 autoantibodies. Financial Disclosure(s) Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.
Edge-preserving MRI Super Resolution using a high frequency regularization technique

The resolution of MRI images is limited due to several factors such as imaging hardware or time constraints. However, high MRI image resolution is desired in many medical applications. Traditional Super Resolution (SR) algorithms are generally unable to recover the high frequency (HF) information of MRI images. Recently, spatial adaptive SR algorithms have utilized the combined edge preserving and smoothness constraint methods to improve the quality of the images. Segmenting the image into edge and smooth blocks is a common step which adds to the complexity and execution time of these methods. This paper presents a fast SR technique for MRI images that preserve the edges and improve the visual quality of MRI images without segmenting the images. Experimental results prove the ability of this proposed approach with respect to the traditional SR methods in terms of better visual quality and less execution time.
Crime and Decision Making: New Directions for Crime Prevention

The past 30 years have seen a drastic change in criminological research. Criminologists have shifted their focus from explaining why some people commit crime and others do not (between-individual differences) to changes in individuals’ criminal offending over time (within-individual change). New theories have been developed to explain the paradox of continuity and change. Focusing on explicating the role of human agency with respect to social information processing and decision making, we introduce a more comprehensive decision-making model, namely the social information processing model (SIPM; Crick and Dodge 1994; Dodge 1986) and discuss it in the context of juvenile and adult offending behavior. We detail its application to explain aggressive behavior in childhood and adolescence and discuss exemplars of preventive interventions that have focused on decision making among children as well as adolescents and young adults.
Love Your Opponent as Yourself: A Christian Ethic for Sport

In this paper, we’ll present, explain, and defend a Christian ethic for sport that takes loving all individuals as the fundamental moral imperative. First, we’ll begin by taking a seeming d...
A Meridic Diet for the Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)

Foliage of the potato, Solanum tuberosum (L.), was analyzed previously to determine its nutritional content. This information was used to help develop a meridic diet for rearing the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say. Various test diets were prepared, and types and concentrations of proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, and ascorbic acid were tested for their influence on growth and weight gain of larvae reared from the egg stage on diet. At 2.8% protein or less, neither egg albumin nor casein produced adult beetles. Adults were reared with casein concentrations of 3.0 and 4.2%, but not at 5% casein. An abbreviated list of foliar amino acids was as effective as the complete foliar complement in the rearing of adults. Oat flour or potato flakes were suitable carbohydrate sources for rearing to the adult stage. The composition of a meridic diet is presented which was used for rearing the Colorado potato beetle from the egg to the adult stage, in the absence of host plant material.
Initial Products and Reaction Mechanisms for Fast Pyrolysis of Synthetic G-Lignin Oligomers with β-O-4 Linkages via On-Line Mass Spectrometry and Quantum Chemical Calculations

The products of fast pyrolysis that first leave the hot pyrolysis surface were identified for three G-lignin model compounds, a trimer, a tetramer and a synthetic polymer, all containing β-O-4 linkages, by using a very fast heating pyrolysis probe coupled with a linear quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer or a linear quadrupole ion trap coupled with an orbitrap detector. High-resolution measurements were used to determine the elemental compositions of the deprotonated pyrolysis products. Their structures were examined using collision-activated dissociation experiments and via comparison to the dissociation reactions of ionized authentic compounds. The initial pyrolysis products for all model compounds range from monomers to tetramers. Even for the polymer, no products larger than tetramers were observed. None of the products were radicals. The observed trimers and tetramers were formed directly from the intact model compounds rather than from repolymerization of initially formed monomers. Both the observed product distributions and quantum chemical calculations suggest that the mechanism(s) of the major reactions occurring under the conditions employed here are Maccoll and/or retro-ene eliminations rather than radical reactions. Based on a comparison of the behavior of the smaller β-O-4 model compounds to the synthetic β-O-4 lignin polymer, the smaller model compounds appear to be good surrogates for further studies of the mechanisms of fast pyrolysis of lignin.
Maternal Medicaid Recipient Status and Congenital Malformations among New York State Live Births in 2010.

BACKGROUND Congenital malformations are a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States, and risk for some congenital malformations varies by socioeconomic status (SES). Medicaid provides health insurance for people with low income, and covers approximately half of all live births in the United States. Income level is one aspect of SES. Studies have shown relationships between SES and some congenital malformations. METHODS This retrospective cohort study examined associations between maternal Medicaid recipient status and 46 congenital malformations in New York State for birth year 2010. The impact of Medicaid continuous enrollment (CE) status was evaluated in a sub-analysis of Medicaid recipients. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS The study cohort included 240,721 live births, 3778 infants with one or more congenital malformation of interest, and 118,631 maternal Medicaid recipients at the time of the infant's birth. Odds ratios for cleft lip with or without cleft palate and rectal atresia or stenosis were increased for Medicaid recipients compared with non-Medicaid recipients. However, odds ratios for cleft lip with or without cleft palate and rectal atresia or stenosis were decreased for CE compared with non-CE Medicaid recipients. CONCLUSION Maternal Medicaid recipient status was associated with few of the 46 congenital malformations evaluated. However, some associations found were modified by CE in Medicaid. Birth Defects Research 109:1460-1470, 2017.© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Racial disparity in utilization of therapeutic modalities among multiple myeloma patients: a SEER-medicare analysis.

Outcomes have improved considerably in multiple myeloma (MM), but disparities among racial-ethnic groups exist. Differences in utilization of novel therapeutics are likely contributing factors. We explored such differences from the SEER-Medicare database. A utilization analysis of lenalidomide, thalidomide, bortezomib, and stem cell transplant (SCT) was performed for patients diagnosed with MM between 2007 and 2009, including use over time, use by race, time-dependent trends for each racial subgroup, and survival analysis. A total of 5338 MM patients were included with median 2.4-year follow-up. Within the first year of MM diagnosis, utilization of lenalidomide, bortezomib, SCT, and more than one novel agent increased over time while utilization of thalidomide decreased. There was significantly lower utilization of lenalidomide among African-Americans (P < 0.01), higher thalidomide use among Hispanics and Asians (P < 0.01), and lower bortezomib use among Asians (P < 0.01). Hispanics had the highest median number of days to first dose of bortezomib (P = 0.02) and the lowest utilization of SCT (P < 0.01). Hispanics and Asians were the only groups without notable increases in lenalidomide and bortezomib use, respectively. SCT utilization increased over time for all except African-Americans. SCT use within the first year after diagnosis was associated with better overall survival (HR 0.52; 95% CI: 0.4-0.68), while bortezomib use was associated with inferior survival (HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.02-1.28). We noted considerable variability in MM therapeutics utilization with seeming inequity for racial-ethnic minorities. These trends should be considered to eliminate drug access and utilization disparities and achieve equitable benefit of therapeutic advances across all races.
When Things Became Muddy: TVA's Response to Seepage Discharge at Boone Dam

In October 2014, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) profited from investments in a robust dam safety program. This profit did not come in the form of money, but more importantly in the protection of the lives and properties of those downstream of a major piece of TVA infrastructure.
Economic Considerations of Biomass Conversion Processes

Earlier chapters have described various biomass conversion processes and processing procedures. This chapter provides a systematic method of estimating biomass process economics and determining the revenue required to produce useful fuels and chemicals from biomass feedstocks. Included is a discussion of capital investment economics as well as operating and maintenance costs, feedstock costs, and financial considerations.
Relations Among Hearing, Reaction Time, and Age

Thirty-six males between the ages of 50 and 86 were given pure-tone and speech tests and three tests of simple reaction time to evaluate the relation of auditory sensitivity and reaction time perfo...
Auditory Cortical Areas in Primates

Our knowledge of auditory areas of cerebral cortex in the primate begins with the published work of David Ferrier (4, 5). Following the experiments of Fritsch and Hitzig on the frontal lobe of the dog, Ferrier found that electrical stimulation of a limited region of the temporal lobe in the monkey resulted in orienting behavior reminiscent of that seen when the animal encounters a sudden novel sound. On the basis of a large series of experiments in monkeys and other mammals, in which he explored electrically much of the exposed surface of the cerebral hemispheres, Ferrier concluded that these movements evoked by stimulation of a restricted region of the superior temporal gyrus (his area 14), or its presumed homolog in nonprimate species, are outward manifestations of the arousal of subjective auditory sensations and that this responsive area is, indeed, a center of auditory sensibility. From more recent studies in the macaque monkey, it would appear that Ferrier’s electrodes did not contact the primary auditory field (A I) directly, but were within one or more of the fields that are contiguous with it on the exposed gyral surface. From these and other studies like them, Ferrier clearly recognized that sensory and motor functions are localized in cerebral cortex and that there are multiple spatial sensory and motor representations within the nervous system. He further concluded that these various cortical regions are intimately tied to one another anatomically and functionally.
Problems in behavioral health care: leap-frogging the status quo.

A version of this paper was presented as a keynote address entitled “Strategies for Catalyzing Change” at the September 2001 Annapolis Conference on Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training. It explores some of the problems inherent in our present health care system and suggests that ultimately, revamping pre-professional training is the key to sustained system change. While the paper approaches the problems inherent in our behavioral health care system from a psychiatric perspective, it is believed that similar issues and concerns exist across disciplines and that ultimately the solution requires our ability to transcend narrower perspectives.
Recent Results from E877

Relativistic heavy ion collisions at 10 A·GeV incident beam energy probe nuclear matter at high densities and temperatures. The experimental approach of E877 at the Brookhaven AGS is to measure the transverse energy E T produced in these collisions in conjunction with the identification of single particles within a limited region of phase space. Among the major results for Au + Au collisions are the large degree of stopping deduced from E T 1 and the finding of an azimuthal anisotropy in the E T production depending on centrality.2–5 The latter can be interpreted as a signature for transverse energy flow. Particle spectra support the formation of a high density region at midrapidity and the existence of a reaction plane. A single particle analysis combined with the knowledge of the azimuthal E T pattern opens up the unique opportunity to study the reaction geometry in detail for each particle species involved. The comparison of produced particles like π±, K±, \(\bar p\) and Λ hyperons is of special interest in this context since their properties in nuclear matter, e.g. propagation, production and absorption cross sections, are very different.
Anisotropy of coal at various scales and its variation with sorption

Abstract For most flow modeling work, coal is considered transversely isotropic, factors responsible for the anisotropy being fabric, pore structure at different scales and stress, among others. This study characterizes anisotropy of coal at two scales, matrix, and bulk. Matrix anisotropy was estimated under varying conditions of hydrostatic pressure, measuring strains in the three principal directions. Using the results, Anisotropy ratio (An), defined as the ratio of derivative of strains in horizontal and vertical directions with respect to pressure, and its variation were estimated for helium, methane and carbon dioxide. Next, Anisotropy ratio was estimated for bulk scale and its evolution was discussed for hydrostatic reservoir condition with methane depletion. The Anisotropy ratio was found to be constant for helium, but less than one, suggesting a definite anisotropy, to begin with. For the two sorbing gases, methane and CO2, the ratio was the same at very low pressure but varied differently with changes in pressure, its value is higher at high pressure. Hence, sorption phenomenon decreases the anisotropy of coal with an increase in pressure. Since the variation of coal matrix, as well as bulk anisotropy, varied for methane and carbon dioxide pressure differently, the variation under in situ conditions would depend on both gas composition and pressure. The implication of a variable Anisotropy ratio is that it results in an underestimation of dynamic stresses in the reservoir or, overestimation of in situ strength.
Factors Associated With Use of Nonoral Nutrition and Hydration Support in Adult Patients With Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.

Background Patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) often have gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Occasionally, these symptoms can be so severe that nonoral nutrition/hydration support (NONHS), including intravenous fluids (IVFs), enteral nutrition (EN), and parenteral nutrition (PN), becomes necessary. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of adult patients diagnosed with POTS at the Mayo Clinic Arizona from January 2010 to January 2017 with a minimum of 6 months of follow up. Demographic information, symptomatology, medications, GI testing, autonomic and autoantibody testing, and healthcare utilization data were abstracted from the electronic medical record. Results Three-hundred thirty-two patients with POTS were included, of which 32 required NONHS. Patients receiving NONHS were more likely to be female; have lower body mass index; have GI symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation; have abdominal pain; use opiates; have delayed gastric emptying; see more specialists; and be seen in an emergency room or be hospitalized for symptoms. Of these patients, 21 (66%) required IVF, 19 (59%) required EN, and 9 (28%) required PN. Six (19%) patients required all 3 NONHS modalities at some point during their follow-up period. Conclusions NONHS may be required in a subset of patients with POTS. Those receiving NONHS have more severe symptoms and abnormal GI motility and autonomic testing and exhibit greater healthcare utilization. Management of these patients is complex and challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Further prospective studies are needed to identify optimal management strategies.
Representations of students becoming as writers

Abstract In order to study students' learning to write as becoming across time and modes, we study writing as an artifact of participation. We employ an intertextual method of analysis that foregrounds students' writing activity and traces back to curricular opportunities, classroom conversations, and classroom interactions while composing. We share how this analysis makes visible how four students across two classrooms were becoming as writers. This analysis complicates understandings of how students compose over time, redefines the writing process to a set of interrelated, relational and intertextual processes that collide around the classroom, and raises questions about how we might better enact teaching and assessment practices that account for ways students participate in becoming as writers.
Preserving the organ donor pool and suprahepatic vena cava: Case series of transverse hepatectomy for polycystic liver disease.

Abstract Management of symptomatic polycystic liver disease (PLD) has remained primarily unchanged since the early 20th century when multiple case reports described management of non-parasitic liver cysts. In 1968, Lin et al. described the fenestration procedure, “aspiration of the cysts, incision, partial excision with or without external drainage, or marsupilization and anastomosis to the gastrointestinal tract”. Further surgical options have included cyst sclerotherapy, laparoscopic cyst aspiration, partial hepatectomy, and orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). Recently there has been discussion of medical management with somatostatin analogs to reduce hepatomegaly in PLD with varying success. There is no current consensus on treatment or standard of care for symptomatic PLD, it is largely up to surgeon preference and ability; however, there has been a movement toward early OLT with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score exception points. This case series reviews two female patients with normal renal and hepatic function with symptomatic PLD treated with transverse hepatectomy. We propose that patients suffering from symptomatic PLD, with retained renal and hepatic function, can be treated with transverse hepatectomy conserving limited donor livers for decompensated patients; moreover, transverse hepatectomy does not disrupt the major suprahepatic vena cava preserving potential surgical access for future OLT.
Spectral swaps in a two-dimensional neutrino ring model

Neutrinos emitted deep within a supernova explosion experience a self-induced index of refraction. In the stationary, one-dimensional (1D) supernova ``bulb model,'' this self-induced refraction can lead to a collective flavor transformation which is coherent among different neutrino momentum modes. Such collective oscillations can produce partial swaps of the energy spectra of different neutrino species as the neutrinos stream away from the proto-neutron star. However, it has been demonstrated that the spatial symmetries (such as the spherical symmetry in the bulb model) can be broken spontaneously by collective neutrino oscillations in multidimensional models. Using a stationary, 2D neutrino ring model we demonstrate that there exist two limiting scenarios where collective oscillations may occur. In one limit, the collective flavor transformation begins at a radius with relatively high neutrino densities and develops small-scale flavor structures. The loss of the spatial correlation in the neutrino flavor field results in similar (average) energy spectra for the antineutrinos of almost all energies and the neutrinos of relatively high energies. In the other limit, the flavor transformation starts at a radius where the neutrino densities are smaller (e.g., due to the suppression of the high matter density near the proto-neutron star). Although the spatial symmetry is broken initially, it is restored as the neutrino densities decrease, and the neutrinos of different flavors partially swap their energy spectra as in the 1D bulb model. This finding may have interesting ramifications in other aspects of supernova physics.
6 – Consumption externalities

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of consumption externalities. A policy-relevant consumption externality occurs whenever an economic activity by some consumer enters (alters) the utility function of at least one other consumer and is not accounted for by the market system. Once the arguments of each consumer's utility function are specified, they determine every relevant feature of the consumer externality—including the proper government policy required to achieve pareto optimality. Furthermore, the chapter emphasizes on the fact that in the worst of all worlds, all goods (factors) are pure public goods (factors). For policy purposes, it is really a horrendous situation as the government can hardly interpret what the proper decision rules mean let alone have any hope of implementing them. The chapter also discusses the Coase theorem. The Coase Theorem is a provocative challenge to receive public sector theory, which stressed incentives to free ride and presumed that government intervention would always be necessary to achieve pareto optimality in the presence of externalities. The theorem has generated a huge literature, sometimes favorable and sometimes critical. The chapter concludes with a discussion on Pigovian single-tax solution.
Experimental and theoretical study of the evolution of fluid-suspended graphene morphology driven by an applied electric field and the attainment of ultra-low percolation threshold in graphene-polymer nanocomposites

Abstract We report on a coordinated experimental and theoretical investigation into the evolution of the morphology of fluid-suspended graphene driven by an electric field, and the attainment of ultra-low percolation threshold in graphene-polymer nanocomposites. A remarkable outcome is that, due to the field-driven graphene rotation and agglomerate chaining, the percolation threshold can be as low as 0.03 vol%, as opposed to the 0.75 vol% without the application of the field. This is likely to be the lowest ever reported for a graphene-polymer nanocomposite. To quantify this and other measured conductivity data, a two-scale effective-medium theory with highly aligned, agglomerated nanofillers is developed. In this process Cauchy's cumulative probability function is introduced to describe the increased level of electron tunneling near the percolation threshold, and a statistical approach based on the projection length of graphene fillers is developed to characterize the agglomerate shape. We also built a kinetic equation from the torque of the applied electric field to calculate the time- and field-dependent rotation of graphene nanoplatelet. The study is highlighted with a direct comparison between the theory and the experiment. It is concluded that the measured ultralow percolation threshold can indeed be achieved through the concurrent graphene rotation and elongation of agglomerate shape toward the field direction.
Collision tumors: A review of their types, pathogenesis, and diagnostic challenges.

A collision tumor is a neoplastic lesion comprised of two or more distinct cell populations that maintain distinct borders. Collision tumors, which are rare but well documented, can be composed of two benign tumors, a benign and malignant tumor, and two malignant tumors. Although case reports and reviews on specific types of collision tumors exist, a cohesive source discussing these tumors is lacking. We critically reviewed the literature by analyzing case reports and retrospective studies in order to evaluate the following regarding collision tumors: definitions, types, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Reports of these tumors are infrequent but not insignificant, and accurate classification and diagnosis will lead to better patient outcomes.
ON RECONCILING ATMOSPHERIC, LSND, AND SOLAR NEUTRINO-OSCILLATION DATA

The L/E-flatness of the e-like events observed in the recent atmospheric-neutrino data from super-Kamiokande (SuperK) is interpreted to reflect a new symmetry of the neutrino-oscillation mixing matrix. From that we obtain an analytical set of constraints yielding a class of mixing matrices of the property to simultaneously fit both the SuperK and the LSND data. The resulting mass squared difference relevant for the LSND experiment is found as 0.3 eV2. The discussed symmetry, e.g., carries the nature that expectation values of masses for νμ and ντ are identical. These considerations are purely data dictated. A different framework is then applied to the solar neutrino problem. It is argued that a single sterile neutrino is an unlikely candidate to accommodate the data from the four solar neutrino experiments. A scenario is discussed which violates CPT symmetry, and favors the system to belong to the "self"–"anti-self" charge conjugate construct in the (1/2, 0)⊕(0,1/2) representation space, where the needed helicity flipping amplitudes are preferred, rather than the usual Dirac, or Majorana, constructs. In the presented framework the emerging SuperK data on solar neutrino flux is reconciled with the Homestake, GALLEX, and SAGE experiments. This happens because the former detects not only the solar νe but also, at a lower cross-section, the oscillated solar ; while the latter are sensitive only to the oscillation-diminished solar νe flux. A direct observation of solar by SNO will confirm our scenario. Finally, we consider the possibility for flavor-dependent gravitational couplings of neutrinos as emerging out of the noncommutativity of the quantum operators associated with the measurements of energy and flavor.
Does soil phosphomonoesterase activity reflect phosphorus pools estimated by Hedley phosphorus fractionation

Abstract Understanding soil phosphorus (P) availability can benefit from characterizing P pools and processes governing P distribution among such pools. Hedley P fractionation has been widely used to characterize P pools, whereas soil phosphomonoesterase (PME) activity assays have been used to assess potential rates of organic P (Po) mineralization to available inorganic P (Pi). We evaluated 1) the extent to which P fractions are consistent with the theorized P pools and 2) relationships of PME activity with P fractions using observations compiled across diverse (agro)ecosystems. We hypothesized that P fractions are differentiated based on the form (i.e. organic and inorganic) and availability of P pools they estimate. Given that Pi is product and Po is substrate for PME, we further hypothesized that PME activity associates negatively with Pi fractions representing available P pool and positively with Po fractions. Factor analysis grouped measured P fractions into three pools: non-occluded Pi, soil organic P, and secondary Pi. These groupings generally supported the differentiation of P fractions by form (Pi vs Po) and availability of P pools they are commonly used to estimate but were also sensitive to the degree of soil weathering. Structural equation modeling supported biochemical mechanisms of product inhibition and substrate induction of PME activity and also identified an influence of weathering degree on relationships of specific measured P fractions with PME activity. This work demonstrates that evaluating PME activity in conjunction with P fractions can be a useful framework to better understand soil P cycling. Incorporating additional variables—such as Po fractionated physically or enzymatically, and phosphodiesterase activity—into the current statistical framework may further improve understanding of how soil P cycling determines P availability.
Intraspecific variation mediates density dependence in a genetically diverse plant species.

Interactions between neighboring plants are critical for biodiversity maintenance in plant populations and communities. Intraspecific trait variation and genome duplication are common in plant species and can drive eco-evolutionary dynamics through genotype-mediated plant-plant interactions. However, few studies have examined how species-wide intraspecific variation may alter interactions between neighboring plants. We investigate how subspecies and ploidy variation in a genetically diverse species, big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), can alter the demographic outcomes of plant interactions. Using a replicated, long-term common garden experiment that represents range-wide diversity of A. tridentata, we ask how intraspecific variation, environment, and stand age mediate neighbor effects on plant growth and survival. Spatially explicit models revealed that ploidy variation and subspecies identity can mediate plant-plant interactions but that the effect size varied in time and across experimental sites. We found that demographic impacts of neighbor effects were strongest during early stages of stand development and in sites with greater growth rates. Within subspecies, tetraploid populations showed greater tolerance to neighbor crowding compared to their diploid variants. Our findings provide evidence that intraspecific variation related to genome size and subspecies identity impacts spatial demography in a genetically diverse plant species. Accounting for intraspecific variation in studies of conspecific density dependence will improve our understanding of how local populations will respond to novel genotypes and biotic interaction regimes. As introduction of novel genotypes into local populations becomes more common, quantifying demographic processes in genetically diverse populations will help predict long-term consequences of plant-plant interactions.
How resistant are implicit impressions of facial trustworthiness? When new evidence leads to durable updating

Abstract Previous research suggests that the influence of facial trustworthiness is irresistible in the process of making judgments even when relevant behavioral information is available. This leaves the possibility that people's evaluations of others, especially implicit evaluations, might be determined by facial appearances alone, despite the lack of evidence showing the accuracy of inferences made from faces. In this paper, however, we identified properties of behavioral information—extremity and reliability—that are key to rapidly, effectively, and durably changing implicit evaluations based on facial trustworthiness. Across three pre-registered studies, we showed that implicit evaluations based on facial trustworthiness were updated when, and only when, the propositional information was extreme (Study 1). However, extreme information alone was not enough. Extreme information needed to be perceived as reliable (believable) in order to change face-based implicit evaluations (Study 2). Moreover, updating face-based implicit evaluations with one piece of reliable and extreme information showed stability over a three-day interim (Study 3). These results suggest that impressions based on facial trustworthiness are not insurmountable. After a brief, single-session learning session with a specific type of new evidence, initial implicit evaluations were reversed and persisted across three days.
Peptide Chain Initiation in Animal Cells: Mechanism and Regulation

The detailed mechanism of peptide chain initiation in animal cells is not clearly understood. Significantly different models differing in the basic steps and factor requirements for peptide chain initiation in animal cells have been proposed. In this section, we will briefly review our recently proposed model (Gupta, 1987: Gupta et al, 1987 and Roy et al, 1988) and a widely used model proposed several years ago by Staehelin, Anderson, Hershey and their co-workers (Schreier et al, 1977; Jagus et al, 1981; and Benne and Hershey, 1978). We will then present our views regarding the differences between these two models.
Feedback Control Systems Loop Shaping Design with Practical Considerations

This paper describes loop shaping control design in feedback control systems, primarily from a practical stand point that considers design specifications. Classical feedback control design theory, for linear systems where the plant transfer function is known, has been around for a long time. But it s still a challenge of how to translate the theory into practical and methodical design techniques that simultaneously satisfy a variety of performance requirements such as transient response, stability, and disturbance attenuation while taking into account the capabilities of the plant and its actuation system. This paper briefly addresses some relevant theory, first in layman s terms, so that it becomes easily understood and then it embarks into a practical and systematic design approach incorporating loop shaping design coupled with lead-lag control compensation design. The emphasis is in generating simple but rather powerful design techniques that will allow even designers with a layman s knowledge in controls to develop effective feedback control designs.
Crustal anisotropy in northeastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from receiver functions: Rock textures caused by metamorphic fluids and lower crust flow?

Abstract The crust of Tibetan Plateau may have formed via shortening/thickening or large-scale underthrusting, and subsequently modified via lower crust channel flows and volatile-mediated regional metamorphism. The amplitude and distribution of crustal anisotropy record the history of continental deformation, offering clues to its formation and later modification. In this study, we first investigate the back-azimuth dependence of Ps converted phases using multitaper receiver functions (RFs). We analyze teleseismic data for 35 temporary broadband stations in the ASCENT experiment located in northeastern Tibet. We stack receiver functions after a moving-window moveout correction. Major features of RFs include: 1) Ps arrivals at 8–10 s on the radial components, suggesting a 70–90-km crustal thickness in the study area; 2) two-lobed back-azimuth variation for intra-crustal Ps phases in the upper crust (
Topological design of 3G wireless backhaul networks for service assurance

In this paper, we propose an optimization based model for the design of survivable third generation wireless access backhaul networks using a mesh topology. The network design model seeks to minimize the cost of the backhaul network while meeting quality of service and survivability requirements. The design model includes the packet based nature of network traffic and incorporates the effects of user mobility after a failure. We adopt a two-phase design methodology. The first phase provides a minimum-cost, initial network design meeting QoS requirements. The second phase augments the network topology from phase one in order to satisfy survivability requirements. In order to scale the design with network size a computationally efficient heuristic based on iterative minimum cost routing is proposed. Numerical results are given illustrating the network design approach and the quality of the heuristic solution method.
Optimizing channel access for bandwidth versus latency in 802.11ac WLANs

It has been a major criticism to 802.11ac that there are no well-defined channel selection rules when the devices are contending for the secondary 20MHz channel. This leads to inefficient selections. We define efficiency in two distinct ways, latency optimization and bandwidth optimization. We propose a simple greedy strategy of channel assignment for latency optimization, i.e., start assigning stations (STAs) to the highest frequency band they can support and move down from there if that channel is unavailable. For bandwidth optimization, we propose two heuristic based rules for the Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol. A capability based contention window and a bottom up approach towards channel assignment, i.e., start channel contention for the lowest frequency band that a STA can support and jump up to a higher band if contention is high. Detailed simulation studies show that our strategies indeed lead to better latency and bandwidth optimizations.
Role of Autophagy‐Related Genes in the Pathology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex, multifactorial disease with genetic, microbial and environmental risk factors combining to result in recurrent inflammation of the intestine. Genetic analyses have uncovered a cluster of IBD risk genes, which regulate a cell stress response called autophagy. Functional studies of these autophagy-related genes highlight contributions of disease-associated dysregulation to several aspects of IBD pathology, which include alterations in microbiome composition and bacterial responses (xenophagy), antimicrobial peptide production by Paneth cells (crinophagy), enhanced levels of proinflammatory cytokines and enhanced T-cell subset responses. This suite of autophagy-gene regulated responses is modulated not only by the cell type or stimulus, but also by environmental context, with the overall balance of responses critical to the maintenance of health or induction of disease. These findings have opened up new avenues for the development of IBD therapeutics and increased understanding of disease mechanisms to facilitate a more personalised approach to the treatment of IBD. Key Concepts: Susceptibility to IBD disease is associated with genetic variants in a spectrum of autophagy-related genes. Autophagy is a tightly regulated catabolic degradative pathway implicated in a number of disease-associated processes. Autophagy-dependent processes altered in IBD include intracellular bacterial killing by xenophagy, Paneth cell antimicrobial peptide secretion via crinophagy, production of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages, antigen presentation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses in enterocytes. Xenophagy is impaired by IBD-associated polymorphisms in ATG16L1, IRGM, NOD2, RIP2, PTPN2 and XBP1 resulting in chronic inflammation due to defective clearance of intracellular pathogens. Both impaired and enhanced crinophagy are observed in Paneth cells from IBD patients. Alterations in crinophagy supress secretion of antimicrobial peptides by these cells. Proinflammatory cytokine production by macrophages is enhanced in IBD. This process is regulated by a balance between autophagy and inflammasome responses. Genetic variants in both pathways are associated with increased IBD susceptibility. Defective autophagy in dendritic cells, through gene knockdown or carriage of disease risk alleles in ATG16L1, IRGM or NOD2, alters antigen presentation and enhances T-cell stimulation. ER stress activates autophagy through stimulation of the unfolded protein response mediated by XBP1. Disease-associated alleles of XBP1 are implicated in Paneth cell dysfunction and decreased xenophagy. Keywords: autophagy; xenophagy; crinophagy; inflammatory bowel disease; genetics; Crohn's disease; Paneth cell; inflammasome; ER stress; proinflammatory cytokine; antigen presentation
Hematologic observations in bacterial endocarditis, especially the prevalence of histiocytes and the elevation and variation of the white cell count in blood from the ear lobe.

Abstract Elevation and wide variation in white cell counts, together with numerous histiocytes, sometimes in the process of phagocytosing red cells, may be encountered in bacterial endocarditis in blood samples taken from the ear lobe and sometimes appear in successive drops of blood from this site. Such findings are much less characteristic of blood samples obtained from the finger tip or the antecubital vein. This relative increase in the total white cell count, which involves all types of white cells, as well as the predominance of histiocytes in the blood from the ear lobe in bacterial endocarditis are probably explained largely by the greater selective filtering capacity of the vascular bed of the ear lobe compared to that of the finger tip. Indeed, even in normal subjects the total white cell count is greater, and the monocyte, another large white cell, is statistically more common in blood samples taken from the ear lobe than from the finger tip. The ear lobe provides a desirable site for the preparation of blood films when a search for infrequent abnormal white cells is contemplated, as in certain infections or in leukemias, especially when leukopenia is present. On the other hand, blood samples from the finger tip closely resemble those from the antecubital vein and are quantitatively more representative of the white cell content of the circulating blood. In addition to the presence of histiocytes, the peripheral blood in bacterial endocarditis may show, especially in terminal phases of the disease, a striking granulocytosis with heavy toxic granulation of the neutrophils. The predominance of granulocytes reduces the relative percentage but not the absolute number of histiocytes. Finally, a moderate to marked anemia, varying from normocytic to macrocytic, is usually present in bacterial endocarditis. In some patients the elevated reticulocytes and icterus index suggest that this anemia may involve a hemolytic process.
The Storage of White Leghorn Hatching Eggs in Plastic Bags

Abstract WHEN chicken hatching eggs are stored for at least a week, hatchability decreases and hatching time is lengthened. In general, it has been found (Olsen and Haynes, 1948; Funk and Foward, 1960) that a storage temperature of 50–55°F. has produced optimum hatching results. The humidity requirements during storage have been investigated by Cooney (1943), Funk and Foward (1951) and Schwarz (1956). Evidence was presented that a high humidity (above 80% relative humidity) was beneficial but the results varied in such a way as to indicate that the humidity requirements were not too stringent. Workers interested in maintaining market egg quality have developed certain methods so that the albumen height of eggs will remain high during storage. These methods can be useful to researchers who are searching for storage environments best suited for optimum embryonic viability. One technique which has been successful for the maintenance of albumen height of market…
Plasma charging damage on ultrathin gate oxides

Capacitor C-V and threshold voltage and subthreshold swing of MOSFET's with gate oxide thickness varying from 2.2 to 7.7 nm are analyzed to study the plasma charging damage by the metal etching process. Surprisingly, the ultrathin gate oxide has better immunity to plasma charging damage than the thicker oxide, thanks to the excellent tolerance of the thin gate oxide to tunneling current. This finding has very positive implications for the prospect of manufacturable scaling of gate oxide to very thin thickness.
Stimulation of lipolysis and cyclic AMP accumulation in rabbit fat cells by human growth hormone.

Summary Human growth hormone (HGH) has been found to produce a rapid stimulation of lipolysis in isolated rabbit fat cells but not in rat adipocytes. The species specificity exhibited by HGH and other evidence strongly suggest that the lipolytic action is an intrinsic property of HGH and not due to contamination with other pituitary lipolytic agents. The stimulation of lipolysis by HGH appears to be mediated by cyclic AMP since the effect of the hormone on both cyclic AMP accumulation and glycerol release are potentiated by theophylline.
Interpolation for variable order, Runge-Kutta methods

Abstract Runge-Kutta methods approximate the solution of an initial value problem for a system of ordinary differential equations only on a mesh. Recent work considers how to approximate the solution everywhere. Variable order, Runge-Kutta methods are developed that have this capability. One is about as efficient as a popular variable order method without this capability.
Effect of Precocious Ovulation and Mating on Pregnancy in Prepuberal Rats

Female rats were injected with 8 or 16 IU of pregnant mares serum gonadotropin (PMS) at 29 or 30 days of age. The primary effect of PMS seems to be initiation of ovarian development. On the first or second day following PMS injection 15 or 20 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) were administered. Upon injection of HCG on the first day after PMS ovulation was induced in 100% of the animals. The ovulation was precocious since after PMS injection a normal course of preovulatory follicular development in prepuberal rats takes about 48 hours. A greater number of oocytes were ovulated in the animals which had been administered the larger PMS dose. While 56% of the animals treated with HCG on Day 1 mated 95% of those treated on Day 2 mated. Neither implantation sites nor blastocysts were found in the uteri of mated animals inected with HCG on Day 1 but 82% of the rats injected on Day 2 were found to have uterine implantation sites on the tenth day after detection of vaginal sperm. Thus after the time of ovulation and mating were advanced by 24 hours no evidence of normal pregnancy was seen. Since all the events studied were initiated by PMS injection alterations in follicular processes are believed to be associated with the absence of pregnancy. For a successful pregnancy synchronization of oocyte maturation and follicular development seems to be necessary.