cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DETECTION OF DENSITY DEPENDENCE REQUIRES DENSITY MANIPULATIONS AND CALCULATION OF λ

To investigate density-dependent population regulation in the perennial bunchgrass Bouteloua rigidiseta, we experimentally manipulated density by removing adults or adding seeds to replicate quadrats in a natural population for three annual intervals. We monitored the adjacent control quadrats for 14 annual intervals. We constructed a population projection matrix for each quadrat in each interval, calculated lambda, and did a life table response experiment (LTRE) analysis. We tested the effects of density upon lambda by comparing experimental and control quadrats, and by an analysis of the 15-year observational data set. As measured by effects on lambda and on N(t+1/Nt in the experimental treatments, negative density dependence was strong: the population was being effectively regulated. The relative contributions of different matrix elements to treatment effect on lambda differed among years and treatments; overall the pattern was one of small contributions by many different life cycle stages. In contrast, density dependence could not be detected using only the observational (control quadrats) data, even though this data set covered a much longer time span. Nor did experimental effects on separate matrix elements reach statistical significance. These results suggest that ecologists may fail to detect density dependence when it is present if they have only descriptive, not experimental, data, do not have data for the entire life cycle, or analyze life cycle components separately.
Theta and Gamma Oscillations during Encoding Predict Subsequent Recall

Electrophysiological and hemodynamic measures of human brain activity have been shown to distinguish between episodes of encoding items that are later recalled versus those that are not recalled (Paller and Wagner, 2002). Using intracranial recordings from 793 widespread cortical and subcortical sites in 10 epileptic patients undergoing invasive monitoring, we compared oscillatory power at frequencies ranging from 2 to 64 Hz as participants studied lists of common nouns. Significant increases in oscillatory power during encoding predicted subsequent recall, with this effect predominantly in the 4-8 Hz (theta) and 28-64 Hz (gamma) frequency bands. Sites exhibiting increased theta activity during successful encoding were clustered in right temporal and frontal cortex, whereas those exhibiting increased gamma activity appeared bilaterally at widespread cortical locations. These findings implicate theta and gamma oscillatory activity, across a widespread network of cortical regions, in the formation of new episodic memories.
Prospective Evaluation of Prostate Specific Antigen and Prostate Specific Antigen Density in the Detection of Carcinoma of the Prostate: Ethnic Variations

ABSTRACTPurpose: We evaluated prospectively the ethnic variations in prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostate specific antigen density in the detection of carcinoma of the prostate.Materials and Methods: A total of 297 consecutive patients with an elevated serum PSA and/or abnormal digital rectal examination underwent transrectal ultrasound with lesion directed and systematic biopsy (6 if the prostatic volume was 50 cc or less and 12 if it was greater than 50 cc). Receiver operating characteristic curves, predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated for PSA and PSA density for white and black patients. Ethnic analysis was performed for the entire group, patients with a normal digital rectal examination, and those with a normal digital rectal examination and PSA of 4 to 10 ng./ml.Results: Of the 297 patients 131 (44%) had cancer, including 48 of 97 black (50%) and 83 of 200 white (42%) patients. Median PSA, PSA density and prostate size did not differ between the positive or negative biopsy ...
Evolution of the Magnetic and Superconducting States in UCoGe With Fe and Ni Substitution

The very small number of known ferromagnetic superconductors places the study of such compounds at the frontier of superconductivity research. Recently, UCoGe has emerged as a new member of the class of materials exhibiting coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity (Curie temperature TCurie = 3 K; superconducting critical temperature Ts = 0.8 K). This compound has generated much excitement, in part because it has been proposed that the superconductivity derives from spin triplet pairing mediated by ferromagnetic interactions. Therefore, a key question is how changes in the magnetic state of UCoGe affect the superconducting properties. We have carried out a comprehensive study of the UCo1-xFexGe and UCo1-xNixGe series of compounds across the entire range of composition 0 = x = 1. We report the results of x-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity, and magnetization measurements to elucidate the magnetic and superconducting phase diagram of the U[Fe, Co, Ni]Ge system. Substitution of either Ni or Fe into UCoGe initially results in an increase in the Curie temperature. At higher dopant concentrations (x), the ferromagnetic state crosses over to paramagnetism in UCo1-xFexGe and antiferromagnetism in UCo1-xNixGe.
The putative role of lutein and zeaxanthin as protective agents against age-related macular degeneration: promise of molecular genetics for guiding mechanistic and translational research in the field

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of vision loss in elderly people of western European ancestry. Genetic, dietary, and environmental factors affect tissue concentrations of macular xanthophylls (MXs) within retinal cell types manifesting AMD pathology. In this article we review the history and state of science on the putative role of the MXs (lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin) in AMD and report findings on AMD-associated genes encoding enzymes, transporters, ligands, and receptors affecting or affected by MXs. We then use this context to discuss emerging research opportunities that offer promise for meaningful investigation and inference in the field.
Continuity and discontinuity of depressed mood from late adolescence to young adulthood: The mediating and stabilizing roles of young adults’ socioeconomic attainment

Abstract Using prospective, longitudinal data from 467 youth over a 13-year period (late adolescence and young adulthood), the present study investigates three research questions: (1) to what extent do elevations in depressed mood continue (homotypic continuity) from adolescence to young adulthood, (2) to what extent do young adults’ socioeconomic attainments and failures sustain the depressed mood from adolescence to young adulthood, and (3) to what extent do young adults’ socioeconomic attainments or failures mediate the continuity and discontinuity of depressive symptoms across this period? The results from our structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses suggest that continuity of depressive symptoms from late adolescence to young adulthood is mediated in part by economic and work achievements or failures of young adults after controlling for adolescent conduct disorder/antisocial behavior, parents’ psychopathology and family adversity. Additionally, the results indicate that the continuity of depressed mood across the early life course is conditioned (stabilized or disrupted) by young adult socioeconomic achievements or failures.
Bridging Experiments and Simulations in Oblique Angle Polymerization

In this paper, we report the growth of nanostructured poly(p-xylylene) (PPX) films by oblique angle polymerization at various deposition angles. Additionally, a two-dimensional computational (Monte Carlo) model is implemented to study the nanostructured growth process. The morphology of the nanostructured polymer films are characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Based on the experimental results, a competitive growth model is proposed and quantified in terms of column geometry (i.e., diameter and height), column spacing (i.e., periodicity), and column packing (i.e., number of columns per unit area). We show that the nanostructured polymer growth obeys a universal power-law scaling mechanism at various deposition angles. The computational model predicts similar nanostructured morphologies to the oblique angle polymerization obtained experimentally. Nanostructured polymer films may provide great advances in sensing and biomedical applications.
Integration in component-based software development using design patterns

Component based development is promising in improving software development productivity and software quality by reusing existing well tested software components. However, one of the challenges of component based development is how to integrate various components in software systems. An approach is presented to apply design patterns to component integration. This approach uses a formal design pattern representation and a design pattern instantiation technique of automatic generation of component wrapper from design patterns.
Glycopeptides Are No More Effective than β-Lactam Agents for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection after Cardiac Surgery: A Meta-analysis

A meta-analysis was performed to investigate whether a switch from beta-lactams to glycopeptides for cardiac surgery prophylaxis should be advised. Results of 7 randomized trials (5761 procedures) that compared surgical site infections (SSIs) in subjects receiving glycopeptide prophylaxis with SSIs in those who received beta -lactam prophylaxis were pooled. Neither agent proved to be superior for prevention of the primary outcome, occurrence of SSI at 30 days (risk ratio [RR], 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91-1.42). In subanalyses, beta-lactams were superior to glycopeptides for prevention of chest SSIs (RR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.11-1.95) and approached superiority for prevention of deep-chest SSIs (RR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.91-1.94) and SSIs caused by gram-positive bacteria (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.98-1.91). Glycopeptides approached superiority to beta-lactams for prevention of leg SSIs (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.58-1.01) and were superior for prevention of SSIs caused by methicillin-resistant gram-positive bacteria (RR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.33-0.90). Standard prophylaxis for cardiac surgery should continue to be beta-lactams in most circumstances.
Attentional disturbances in patients with unipolar psychotic depression: a selective and sustained attention study.

Psychotic depression is a clinical subtype of major depressive disorder in the recent editions of the psychiatric diagnostic systems ICD-10 (1992) and DSM-IV (1994). Recent evidence suggests that psychotic depressed patients are more impaired on neuropsychologic tests measuring attention as compared to nonpsychotic depressed patients. However, information on this issue between psychotic and nonpsychotic depression is limited. It has become clear that attention is not a single concept; thus we studied both selective and sustained attention using the theoretic model of automatic and controlled information processing. Thirty-two patients with major depressive disorder, 16 psychotics and 16 nonpsychotics, were investigated and compared with 20 patients with schizophrenic disorder and 20 healthy volunteers who comprised the control groups, using Ruff’s 2 and 7 selective attention tests. Compared to the healthy controls, both depressed groups were impaired; however, the psychotic depressed group was more severely impaired on both measures. Attentional performance speed and accuracy scores, on both effortless and effortful conditions, were significantly lower in the psychotic depressed group than in the nonpsychotic depressed group. No significant differences were found on attentional performance between the psychotic depressed patients and those with schizophrenic disorder. Attention deficits are thus more prominent in psychotic than in nonpsychotic depression. Furthermore, taking attention as a criterion, psychotic depression, although of mood congruent subtype, lies closer to schizophrenia than to nonpsychotic depression.
Target detectability in acoustic elastography

The clinically relevant task of visually detecting low contrast targets in noisy strain images estimated from ultrasonic signals is studied. Detectability is measured quantitatively using contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) analysis. Contrast in strain images is generated by a complex interaction among the soft tissue elasticity shear modulus distribution, target shape and location in the stress field, and external boundary conditions. Although a large strain variation is preferred for enhancing the contrast, this also increases the signal-dependent noise in strain estimates in a nonlinear fashion. Therefore, understanding the tradeoffs between contrast and noise is necessary for improving the diagnostic performance of strain imaging. In this paper, targets with slab, cylindrical, and spherical geometries are studied. Strains in the target and background and the precision of their estimates are described in terms of the corresponding shear modulus values for each geometry. These results are then incorporated into the CNR expression to investigate the changes in target detectability with the variation of shear modulus in the target and the ultrasonic signal parameters (echo signal-to-noise ratio and inverse fractional bandwidth) as well as the signal processing variables (time-bandwidth product and fractional window overlap).
High frequency ultrasound: A new frontier for ultrasound

High frequency ultrasonic imaging is considered by many to be the next frontier in ultrasonic imaging because higher frequencies yield much improved spatial resolution by sacrificing the depth of penetration. It has many clinical applications including visualizing blood vessel wall, anterior segments of the eye and skin. Another application is small animal imaging. Ultrasound is especially attractive in imaging the heart of a small animal like mouse which has a size in the mm range and a heart beat rate faster than 600 BPM. A majority of current commercial high frequency scanners often termed “ultrasonic backscatter microscope or UBM” acquire images by scanning single element transducers at frequencies between 50 to 80 MHz with a frame rate lower than 40 frames/s, making them less suitable for this application. High frequency linear arrays and linear array based ultrasonic imaging systems at frequencies higher than 30 MHz are being developed. The engineering of such arrays and development of high frequency imaging systems has been proven to be highly challenging. High frequency ultrasound may find other significant biomedical applications. The development of acoustic tweezers for manipulating microparticles is such an example.
The Development of a Prototype Coupled Analysis and Nowcasting Knowledge-based System for Complex-Terrain Interaction Studies

Abstract An experimental weather classification, analysis, and nowcasting system, based upon a combination of artificial intelligence techniques and conventional numerical modeling, and designed for use as a real-time range/field forecasting aid, is described. In particular, a computer-based prototype coupled knowledge-based system, called PROCANS (Prototype Coupled Analysis and Nowcasting System), tailored for applications at the U.S. Army field testing range at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, is used as an example to demonstrate and evaluate the overall concept. The components of the system are: 1) a rule-based meteorological scenario evaluator for analysis and classification of weather scenarios, 2) a nowcaster that uses four analogical and rule-based expert subsystems for nowcasting radiation fog, wind gustiness, thunderstorms, and precipitation, 3) a numerical transport and diffusion module based upon either Gaussian or Monte Carlo particle-trajectory models to simulate airflow and diffusion pattern...
Advanced Laser Clinics (C)

How do you tell one of your direct reports that she stinks? This case explores the dynamics behind having difficult conversations, and giving and receiving feedback. It is designed to illustrate the negative effects that can result after a difficult conversation and ways to reduce the risk of adverse consequences. The case also touches on relationships in the workplace and the correlation they have to the bottom line. In the A case students have to decide whether to confront a worker about her hygiene problems. The B case offers a role- playing situation to practice conducting a difficult conversation. We learn in the C case that the discussion went terribly wrong, and in the E case readers are provided an epilogue.
Comparative Single-Cell Genomics of Chloroflexi from the Okinawa Trough Deep-Subsurface Biosphere

ABSTRACT Chloroflexi small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequences are frequently recovered from subseafloor environments, but the metabolic potential of the phylum is poorly understood. The phylum Chloroflexi is represented by isolates with diverse metabolic strategies, including anoxic phototrophy, fermentation, and reductive dehalogenation; therefore, function cannot be attributed to these organisms based solely on phylogeny. Single-cell genomics can provide metabolic insights into uncultured organisms, like the deep-subsurface Chloroflexi. Nine SSU rRNA gene sequences were identified from single-cell sorts of whole-round core material collected from the Okinawa Trough at Iheya North hydrothermal field as part of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expedition 331 (Deep Hot Biosphere). Previous studies of subsurface Chloroflexi single amplified genomes (SAGs) suggested heterotrophic or lithotrophic metabolisms and provided no evidence for growth by reductive dehalogenation. Our nine Chloroflexi SAGs (seven of which are from the order Anaerolineales) indicate that, in addition to genes for the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, exogenous carbon sources can be actively transported into cells. At least one subunit for pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase was found in four of the Chloroflexi SAGs. This protein can provide a link between the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and other carbon anabolic pathways. Finally, one of the seven Anaerolineales SAGs contains a distinct reductive dehalogenase homologous (rdhA) gene. IMPORTANCE Through the use of single amplified genomes (SAGs), we have extended the metabolic potential of an understudied group of subsurface microbes, the Chloroflexi. These microbes are frequently detected in the subsurface biosphere, though their metabolic capabilities have remained elusive. In contrast to previously examined Chloroflexi SAGs, our genomes (several are from the order Anaerolineales) were recovered from a hydrothermally driven system and therefore provide a unique window into the metabolic potential of this type of habitat. In addition, a reductive dehalogenase gene (rdhA) has been directly linked to marine subsurface Chloroflexi, suggesting that reductive dehalogenation is not limited to the class Dehalococcoidia. This discovery expands the nutrient-cycling and metabolic potential present within the deep subsurface and provides functional gene information relating to this enigmatic group.
Change in antimicrobial susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa under restricted use of carbapenems

Since 2003, we have been restricting the length of carbapenems use in the treatment of infections. For this four-year period, we have compared annual data for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) clinical isolates (85 isolates in 2003, 91 in 2004, 100 in 2005 and 100 in 2006) in drug sensitivity/resistance, MIC50/MIC90 and cross-resistance rate. The mean antimicrobial use density (AUD) for carbapenems decreased significantly (p < 0.01) from 22.5 +/- 4.0 before implementing restrictions to 6.7 +/- 1.8 after implementation. P. aeruginosa resistance (%) for carbapenems showed the following changes from 2003 to 2006: for IPM/CS, from 24.7% to 9.0%; for MEPM, from 11.8% to 2.0%; for BIPM, from 10.6% to 5.0%; for CAZ, from 15.3% to 2.0%; for CPFX, from 16.5% to 16.0%; and for AMK, from 2.4% to 0.0%. Comparison of sensitivity and resistance for IPM/CS, MEPM, BIPM, and CAZ between 2003 and 2006 shows that sensitivity increased as resistance decreased, but no change was seen in CPFX. MIC50 values were almost the same for IPM/CS, MEPM and BIPM. MIC90 values were the same for MEPM and BIPM, but was one tube higher for IPM/CS. Different combinations of cross-resistance to antimicrobial agents were detected. It is thus necessary to regularly survey of the antimicrobial sensitivity of P. aeruginosa in the hospital setting and to determine optimal use of antimicrobial agents.
Incidence, diagnosis, and outcomes of vocal fold immobility after esophageal atresia (EA) and/or tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) repair.

The diagnosis of vocal fold paralysis in an infant is a devastating finding that may require a permanent tracheotomy. The incidence of congenital vocal fold paralysis is unknown, but it is thought to be more common in infants with anatomic anomalies in the aero-digestive system. Vocal fold paralysis after surgical repair of esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula is a rare finding often diagnosed after multiple failed extubations. Currently infants do not routinely undergo documentation of vocal fold motion prior to esophageal atresia repair. We report here on our experience with this rare complication. A retrospective review was done of patients with esophageal atresia and/or tracheoesophageal fistula from 1985 to 2009. Patient demographics, operative techniques, and outcomes were collected. 150 patients were identified. Mean age at surgical intervention was 12±33 days. Otolaryngology service was consulted for 13% of pati­ents with postoperative failure. Awake fiberoptic laryngoscopy identified 3% of patients with vocal fold paralysis. Bilateral vocal fold paralysis was found in 3 patients, and 2 patients had unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Patients with bilateral paralysis were treated with tracheo­tomy; unilateral paralysis was treated expectantly. In this study, 3% of patients were diagnosed with vocal fold paralysis after esophageal atresia repair. The etiology of vocal fold paralysis in this study is difficult to assess. Pre­operative fiberoptic laryngoscopy is recommended to identify children with congenital vocal fold paralysis prior to surgical intervention, especially in those requiring revision surgery.
Utilizing Optical Coherence Tomography and Cone Beam Computed Tomography for Oral Tissues Characterization: ex vivo Study

In order to characterize oral tissues, human specimens were imaged ex-vivo by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and compared with images obtained by cone beam computed tomography. The results show that OCT can reliably differentiate between different oral tissues.
An Instance of Data Mining in Web Log Based on Data Warehouse

In this article we introduce an instance of the Data Mining in E-business Web log.It covers the emigrant from Web log data to Data Warehouse and the Data mining methods based on it.At the end of the article we bring forward a method to display data mining results using visualized mining technology.
194 COMPARISON OF POLYETHYLETHYLENEKETONE MATERIAL VERSUS ALLOGRAFT MATERIAL IN SINGLE-LEVEL LUMBAR INTERBODY FUSION.

Background and Objectives Lumbar interbody spinal fusion is depended upon as a last resort in patients with chronic lower back pain due to degenerative changes and instability of the spine. The surgical treatment involves the union of two adjacent vertebral bodies with the use of an intervertebral cage, such that a bony connection is formed postoperatively. Bioengineers have recently designed a new radiolucent cage made of PEEK material (polyethylethyleneketone) for use in spinal fusion. Its durability under mechanical stress, strength in compression, and inert nature make it an excellent graft substitute. Furthermore, its radiolucency allows straightforward assessment of the progress of fusion on imaging. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of PEEK material versus Allograft material in lumbar interbody fusion. Methods After a retrospective chart review of approximately 60 patients at the UCLA-Santa Monica Spine Center, the following criteria were compared: fusion rates based on x-ray evaluation, pain relief based on Odom9s Criteria, estimated blood loss, duration of hospital stay, and operative time. All operations were performed at the UCLA Spine Center. Results Average length of postoperative hospital stay was 4.13 days for Allograft patients and 3.57 days for PEEK patients ( p = .112). Average operative time was 5.12 hours for Allograft patients and 34.31 hours for PEEK patients ( p = .044). Fusion rate was 100% for Allograft patients and 95.92% for PEEK patients ( p = .159). Average estimated blood loss was 223.89 cc for Allograft patients and 285.10 cc for PEEK patients ( p = .065). 37.5% and 55% of Allograft and PEEK patients experienced excellent pain relief according to Odom9s criteria, respectively. Conclusion PEEK cages appear to be promising, allowing for high rates of interbody fusion and gratifying clinical results. Future research efforts should be focused towards larger randomized controlled trials.
A STUDY OF HORIZONTAL WELL PRODUCTIVITY IN RESERVOIRS WITH TOP AND BOTTOM DRAINAGE BOUNDARIES

Conformal transformation is an effective method used to solve problems of 2D steady?state flow. By applying conformal transformation, horizontal well 3D flow is simplified into vertical radial and horizontal radial flows. A formula of horizontal well productivity for reservoirs with top and bottom drainage boundaries is derived. In addition, the effect of eccentricity and formation anisotropies on horizontal well productivity is analyzed. The results show that eccentricity has minor influence on horizontal well productivity: when δ/h is less than 3%, Q v/ Q v0 is no more than 5%. The influence of anisotropies on horizontal well productivity is related to the relative level of horizontal and vertical flow resistance forces: when horizontal resistance force is greater than vertical one, the productivity decreases with increased k v/ k h; when horizontal resistance force is smaller than vertical one, the productivity increases with decreased k v/ k h.
Community-Acquired Respiratory Tract Infections

Summary Community-acquired respiratory tract infections are common causes of morbidity that require prompt and effective management. Upper respiratory tract infections should be evaluated for their potential for airway compromise and likelihood of a bacterial etiology. Acute lower respiratory tract infections often must be treated on empiric grounds. The presenting clinical pattern may give useful clues as to the best antibiotic therapy. High-risk patients must be hospitalized and may require intensive care, whereas lower risk patients may be managed on an outpatient basis. Chronic or subacute lower respiratory tract illness should be approached with tuberculosis in mind.
Use of Urodynamic Studies among Certifying and Recertifying Urologists from 2003 to 2014

Abstract Introduction Guidelines for the use of urodynamics have undergone a significant narrowing of scope in recent years, particularly as they pertain to the use of urodynamics for stress incontinence in women. Whether these changes have affected the use of urodynamics in practice is unknown. The goal of this study is to quantify the percentage of urologists who are performing urodynamics, to determine how trends have changed during the time studied and to better understand why these studies are being performed by identifying the associated diagnosis codes. Methods We queried the 6-month procedure logs submitted by applicants for part II ABU (American Board of Urology) certification or recertification between 2003 and 2014. The number of procedures with urodynamics CPT codes were abstracted (51725, 51726, 51772, 51784, 51785, 51792, 51795, 5179, 51797) along with the certification year, patient gender and ICD-9 diagnosis used for each procedure. Results During the 11-year period of data 7,849 practice logs were submitted to the ABU. Overall 91% of certifying applicants and 89.5% of recertifying applicants performed urodynamics. This number increased from 82.6% of certifying urologists and 70.3% of recertifying urologists in 2003 to 94.7% of recertifying urologists and 93.7% of certifying urologists in 2014. In 2003, on average, each certifying applicant performed 99 urodynamics procedures. This number increased to 149 procedures per applicant in 2014, for a 49.8% increase overall from the start of the study period. For recertification candidates an average of 125 procedures was performed per candidate in 2003. The average increased to 187 procedures per candidate in 2014 for a 49.5% increase in procedures performed. Videourodynamics were performed by 8.1% of certification or recertification applicants overall. This increased from 1% of recertification applicants and 1.8% of certification applicants in 2003 to 6% and 12.5% of recertification and certification applicants, respectively, in 2013. The ICD-9 codes most frequently associated with pressure flow studies were 625.6 (stress urinary incontinence-female) and 788.41 (urinary frequency). The ICD-9 code most commonly associated with videourodynamics across our study was 625.6 (stress urinary incontinence-female). Conclusions Since 2003 the percentage of applicants for ABU certification or recertification using urodynamics in their practice has increased from 76.5% to 94.2%. There has also been a 49.7% increase in the number of urodynamics procedures performed per candidate during that period, indicating an overall increase in the use of urodynamic studies.
Why Misery Loves Company: The Role of Self-Forgiveness in Reducing Regret Through Media Consumption

Building on the existing research on the role of media use in coping with negative emotions, this article seeks, first, to replicate previous findings that media consumption may reduce regret and, ...
ICT adoption in Cameroon SME: application of Bass diffusion model*

In almost all low-income countries, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a primary engine for the country’s economic development. While many information and communications technology (ICT...
Abstract 363: STAT5 inhibition induces apoptosis in peripheral T cell lymphoma

Peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a heterogeneous malignancy with extremely poor prognosis. Five-year overall survival is The drug, pimozide, which is an FDA approved neuroleptic agent, was recently identified by drug screen to be a STAT5 inhibitor. We assessed the efficacy of pimozide in PTCL using resazurin dye assay, Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), and immunoblot analysis. Our data demonstrate a concentration dependent reduction in STAT5 activity and the number of viable cells in PTCL cell lines after culture with pimozide. This is shown to be due to an increase in cell death by apoptosis. To verify that pimozide’s efficacy is due to its inhibition of STAT5 activity, we transduced PTCL cell lines with anti-STAT5 shRNA to knock down STAT5 and assessed PTCL cell survival and proliferation. We show that STAT5 knockdown results in a three-fold reduction in PTCL cell viability, which occurs due to an increase in apoptosis. Furthermore, our data supports a TRAIL dependent mechanism for induction of apoptosis shown by an upregulation of TRAIL by PTCL cells after STAT5 knockdown or culture with pimozide. Mitochondrial membrane potential is also disrupted. These findings have potential clinical implications, as we further demonstrate that pimozide inhibits STAT5 phosphorylation, reduces cell viability, and induces apoptosis in primary PTCL patient samples ex vivo. This research supports further exploration of STAT5 as a therapeutic target in PTCL and the development of STAT5 inhibition in the treatment of PTCL. To facilitate the development of non-chemotherapeutic dependent therapeutic approaches for PTCL, we are now assessing STAT5 inhibition in combination with small molecule inducers of apoptosis including TRAIL pathway and PARP inhibitors. PARP inhibitors have shown efficacy in malignancies with DNA damage response pathway mutations, which have been identified in up to half of cases of certain subtypes of PTCL. We also aim to further investigate the use of JAK inhibitors, kinases responsible for STAT5 activation, in combination in PTCL, as several have demonstrated clinical efficacy in other hematologic malignancies. Citation Format: Haley M. Simpson, Aki Furusawa, Kavitha Sadashivaiah, Arnob Banerjee. STAT5 inhibition induces apoptosis in peripheral T cell lymphoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 363. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-363
Local label descriptor for example based semantic image labeling

In this paper we introduce the concept of local label descriptor, which is a concatenation of label histograms for each cell in a patch. Local label descriptors alleviate the label patch misalignment issue in combining structured label predictions for semantic image labeling. Given an input image, we solve for a label map whose local label descriptors can be approximated as a sparse convex combination of exemplar label descriptors in the training data, where the sparsity is regularized by the similarity measure between the local feature descriptor of the input image and that of the exemplars in the training data set. Low-level image over-segmentation can be incorporated into our formulation to improve efficiency. Our formulation and algorithm compare favorably with the baseline method on the CamVid and Barcelona datasets.
Making scheduling cool: temperature-aware workload placement in data centers

Trends towards consolidation and higher-density computing configurations make the problem of heat management one of the critical challenges in emerging data centers. Conventional approaches to addressing this problem have focused at the facilities level to develop new cooling technologies or optimize the delivery of cooling. In contrast to these approaches, our paper explores an alternate dimension to address this problem, namely a systems-level solution to control the heat generation through temperature-aware workload placement. We first examine a theoretic thermodynamic formulation that uses information about steady state hot spots and cold spots in the data center and develop real-world scheduling algorithms. Based on the insights from these results, we develop an alternate approach. Our new approach leverages the non-intuitive observation that the source of cooling inefficiencies can often be in locations spatially uncorrelated with its manifested consequences; this enables additional energy savings. Overall, our results demonstrate up to a factor of two reduction in annual data center cooling costs over location-agnostic workload distribution, purely through software optimizations without the need for any costly capital investment.
Recovering from Dialogue Failures Using Multiple Agents in Wealth Management Advice

In this paper, we discuss dialogue failures and how this affects the user experience, specifically for a scenario of a multi-bot conversational system. Additionally, we show how the use of multiple chatbots provide new strategies to overcome misunderstandings and to keep the user in the conversation flow. To inform such conclusions and recommendations, we describe a study with a multi-bot wealth management advice system in which participants conversed with four chatbots simultaneously. We analyzed each conversation log applying thematic network analysis and manually identified the main instances of dialogue failures, usually provoked by chatbot misunderstandings or system breakdowns. We examined the follow-up users’ utterances after each failure, and the users’ strategies to deal with them. We categorize our findings into a list of the most common users’ strategies, and highlight solutions provided by a multi-bot approach in assisting the dialogue failures.
Effects of salinity on microbialite-associated production in Great Salt Lake, Utah.

Microbialites, organosedimentary carbonate structures, cover approximately 20% of the basin floor in the south arm of Great Salt Lake, which ranges from ~12 to 15% salinity. Photosynthetic microbial mats associated with these benthic mounds contribute biomass that supports secondary production in the ecosystem, including that of the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana. However, the effects of predicted increases in the salinity of the lake on the productivity and composition of these mats and on A. franciscana fecundity is not well documented. In the present study, we applied molecular and microcosm-based approaches to investigate the effects of changing salinity on (1) the primary productivity, abundance, and composition of microbialite-associated mats of GSL, and (2) the fecundity and survivability of the secondary consumer, A. franciscana. When compared to microcosms incubated closest to the in situ measured salinity of 15.6%, the abundance of 16S rRNA gene templates increased in microcosms with lower salinities and decreased in those with higher salinities following a 7-week incubation period. The abundance of 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated with dominant primary producers, including the cyanobacterium Euhalothece and the diatom Navicula, increased in microcosms incubated at decreased salinity, but decreased in microcosms incubated at increased salinity. Increased salinity also decreased the rate of primary production in microcosm assays containing mats incubated for 7 weeks and decreased the number of A. franciscana cysts that hatched and survived. These results indicate that an increase in the salinity of GSL is likely to have a negative impact on the productivity of microbialite communities and the fecundity and survivability of A. franciscana. These observations suggest that a sustained increase in the salinity of GSL and the effects this has on primary and secondary production could have an upward and negative cascading effect on higher-trophic-level ecological compartments that depend on A. franciscana as a food source, including a number of species of migratory birds.
Intimate partner violence before and during pregnancy, and prenatal counseling among women with a recent live birth, United States, 2009-2015

Abstract Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause of injury for reproductive-aged women. Clinical guidelines exist to assist providers in counseling women for IPV, but informa...
Origins of the Crisis in Insulin Affordability and Practical Advice for Clinicians on Using Human Insulin

High insulin prices and cost-related insulin underuse are increasingly common and vexing problems for healthcare providers. This review highlights several factors that contribute to high prices and limited generic competition in the US insulin market. An opaque and complex pricing and reimbursement system for insulin, allegations of collusive practices by insulin manufacturers, and a lack of generic competition drive and sustain high insulin prices. When combined with increasing insurance deductibles and cost sharing, these factors contribute to cost-related insulin underuse and are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Healthcare providers facing patients with type 2 diabetes who struggle to afford insulin should consider initiating or switching from analogue to human insulin as one way to help address the challenges of access and affordability. However, it is also important to support initiatives to advocate for affordable pricing for insulin for patients who can benefit from the flexibility offered by many of the newer insulin preparations.
EVALUATION OF THE DESIGN OF A SOLAR-ASSISTED HEAT-PUMP SYSTEM FOR THE THERMAL CONTROL OF A DUAL-ZONE BUILDING

ABSTRACT A new Police Station in Pittsburgh, PA will be heated and cooled by water-to-air heat pumps, assisted in the heating mode by an air solar collector. The analysis of the system presented here shows that the need for the electrical auxiliary is virtually eliminated by the solar collector system.
Effect of Oxytetracycline-Hydrochloride on Phytoplasma Titer and Symptom Progression of the 16SrIV-D Phytoplasma in Cabbage Palms from Florida

Lethal bronzing (LB) is a phytoplasma disease of palms in Florida, U.S.A. Historically, the use of the antibiotic oxytetracycline-hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) was optimized to treat for LY, and currently label rates for OTC-HCl developed for LY are being used to treat palms preventatively against LB. Because of the economic impact of LB, assessing OTC-HCl against LB is essential for developing and optimizing management options for this disease. In this study, Sabal palmetto palms declining from LB were injected with OTC-HCl to assess efficacy on LB. Four groups of palms were selected that represented healthy palms, early symptomatic palms, palms with moderate symptoms, and palms with late-stage symptoms. Within each group, treatment palms injected with OTC-HCl and a control group with no antibiotics were tested weekly by quantitative PCR for 1 year. For asymptomatic palms, treated palms never developed symptoms or tested positive, whereas one of the control palms did. The early symptomatic palms that were treated had similar levels of phytoplasma to the control group but had much slower symptom development. Palms with moderate symptoms had no difference in titer between the treatment and the control group, but treated palms had much slower symptom development. Palms with late-stage symptoms showed no difference in phytoplasma titer or symptom progression between treated and control palms. These results suggest that label rates of OTC-HCl appear useful as a preventative against LB, but once symptoms develop, label rates cannot cure palms. In the meantime, removal of symptomatic palms is recommended.
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide. The differences in the pathophysiological basis of cardiovascular health among men and women result in variable cardiovascular response to cardiovascular risk factors. Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials, and this has led to lack of sex-specific analysis of clinical trial data and often lack of evidence related to sex-specific recommendations for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) prevention in women. To date, there remains sex-specific risk factor assessment tool. Nonetheless, in addition to traditional ASCVD risk factors, some that affect women differently than men, there are female-specific and female-predominant ASCVD risk factors that should be assessed when applying primary prevention strategies in women. There is a lack of awareness of these sex differences in ASCVD risk assessment and particularly of the female-specific risk factors. Nonetheless, this should be part of any ASCVD risk assessment in women. In this chapter, we aim to describe the sex differences in traditional ASCVD risk factors and describe the female-specific and female-predominant ASCVD risk factors and how to incorporate this information into risk assessment and primary preventive strategies in women.
Graph-theoretical analysis identifies transient spatial states of resting-state dynamic functional network connectivity and reveals dysconnectivity in schizophrenia.

Abstract Background Dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) summarizes associations among time-varying brain networks and is widely used for studying dynamics. However, most previous studies compute dFNC using temporal variability while spatial variability started receiving increasing attention. It is hence desirable to investigate spatial variability and the interaction between temporal and spatial variability. New method We propose to use an adaptive variant of constrained independent vector analysis to simultaneously capture temporal and spatial variability, and introduce a goal-driven scheme for addressing a key challenge in dFNC analysis---determining the number of transient states. We apply our methods to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of schizophrenia patients (SZs) and healthy controls (HCs). Results The results show spatial variability provides more features discriminative between groups than temporal variability. A comprehensive study of graph-theoretical (GT) metrics determines the optimal number of spatial states and suggests centrality as a key metric. Four networks yield significantly different levels of involvement in SZs and HCs. The high involvement of a component that relates to multiple distributed brain regions highlights dysconnectivity in SZ. One frontoparietal component and one frontal component demonstrate higher involvement in HCs, suggesting a more efficient cognitive control system relative to SZs. Comparison with existing methods Spatial variability is more informative than temporal variability. The proposed goal-driven scheme determines the optimal number of states in a more interpretable way by making use of discriminative features. Conclusion GT analysis is promising in dFNC analysis as it identifies distinctive transient spatial states of dFNC and reveals unique biomedical patterns in SZs.
Long-period variability in ice-dammed glacier outburst floods due to evolving catchment geometry

Abstract. We combine a glacier outburst flood model with a glacier flow model to investigate decadal to centennial variations in outburst floods originating from ice-dammed marginal basins. Marginal basins form due to retreat and detachment of tributary glaciers, a process that often results in remnant ice being left behind. The remnant ice, which can act like an ice shelf or break apart into a pack of icebergs, limits the basin storage capacity but also exerts pressure on the underlying water and promotes drainage. We find that during glacier retreat there is a strong, nearly linear relationship between flood water volume and peak discharge for individual basins, despite large changes in glacier and remnant ice volumes that are expected to impact flood hydrographs. Consequently, peak discharge increases over time as long as there is remnant ice remaining in a basin, the peak discharge begins to decrease once a basin becomes ice free, and similar size outburst floods can occur for very different glacier volumes. We also find that the temporal variability in outburst flood magnitude depends on how the floods initiate. Basins that connect to the subglacial hydrological system only after reaching flotation yield greater long-term variability in outburst floods than basins that are continuously connected to the subglacial hydrological system (and therefore release floods that initiate before reaching flotation). Our results highlight the importance of improving our understanding of both changes in basin geometry and outburst flood initiation mechanisms in order to better assess outburst flood hazards and impacts on landscape and ecosystem evolution.
High-throughput RNA sequencing of paraformaldehyde-fixed single cells

Single-cell transcriptomic studies that require intracellular protein staining, rare cell sorting, or inactivation of infectious pathogens are severely limited. This is because current high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing methods are either incompatible with or necessitate laborious sample preprocessing for paraformaldehyde treatment, a common tissue and cell fixation and preservation technique. Here we present FD-seq (Fixed Droplet RNA sequencing), a high-throughput method for droplet-based RNA sequencing of paraformaldehyde-fixed, permeabilized and sorted single cells. We show that FD-seq preserves the RNA integrity and relative gene expression levels after fixation and permeabilization. Furthermore, FD-seq can detect a higher number of genes and transcripts than methanol fixation. We first apply FD-seq to analyze a rare subpopulation of cells supporting lytic reactivation of the human tumor virus KSHV, and identify TMEM119 as a potential host factor that mediates viral reactivation. Second, we find that infection with the human betacoronavirus OC43 leads to upregulation of pro-inflammatory pathways in cells that are exposed to the virus but fail to express high levels of viral genes. FD-seq thus enables integrating phenotypic with transcriptomic information in rare cell subpopulations, and preserving and inactivating pathogenic samples.