cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPMENT OF INSECT RESISTANCE IN FRUIT AND NUT TREE CROPS

The 21st century poses a unique set of challenges for the protection of fruit and nut trees from insect pests. Safe biological alternatives to the use of chemical pesticides will be important. Insect species dominate the biosphere and will no doubt continue their dominance, and therefore discouraging the encroachment of insect pest species on crops will be a continued battle. In this article we will review some of the exciting new genes that are currently being evaluated for combating insect pests as well as some of the strategies that have arisen to sustain these approaches in the future.
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Extended Iptycenes.

Iptycenes are intriguing compounds receiving considerable attention as a result of their rigid noncompliant three-dimensional architecture. The preparation of larger iptycenes is often problematic, as a result of their limited solubility and synthetic procedures involving multiple Diels–Alder reactions under harsh extended reaction conditions. We report a mechanochemical synthesis of structurally well-defined iptycenes through an iterative reaction sequence, wherein Diels–Alder reactions and a subsequent aromatization afford higher order iptycenes. We further report that double Diels–Alder reactions under solvent-free condition provide facile access to highly functionalized iptycenes with molecular weights over 2000 Da. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements reveal that these materials efficiently absorb the aromatic hydrocarbons benzene and toluene.
Automated fault detection and identification using a fuzzy-wavelet analysis technique

A new method is proposed for fault detection and identification in complex systems. The technique of Fuzzy Wavelet Analysis is introduced which uses a fuzzified wavelet transform to analyze wide bandwidth fault features. A special attribute of this tool is its ability to employ localized time/frequency analysis of fuzzy data for fault detection and identification purposes. Performance measures of detectability and identifiability are defined to assist in assessing the performance of the algorithm. Performance improvement is achieved through a learning mechanism based on the detectability and identifiability measures. A fuzzy similarity measure is also introduced to reduce sensitivity to noise. The algorithm uses both on-line and off-line learning for designing and updating the rulebase.
Association of actin filaments with axonal microtubule tracts.

Axoplasmic organelles move on actin as well as microtubules in vitro and axons contain a large amount of actin, but little is known about the organization and distribution of actin filaments within the axon. Here we undertake to define the relationship of the microtubule bundles typically found in axons to actin filaments by applying three microscopic techniques: laser-scanning confocal microscopy of immuno-labeled squid axoplasm; electronmicroscopy of conventionally prepared thin sections; and electronmicroscopy of touch preparations-a thin layer of axoplasm transferred to a specimen grid and negatively stained. Light microscopy shows that longitudinal actin filaments are abundant and usually coincide with longitudinal microtubule bundles. Electron microscopy shows that microfilaments are interwoven with the longitudinal bundles of microtubules. These bundles maintain their integrity when neurofilaments are extracted. Some, though not all microfilaments decorate with the S1 fragment of myosin, and some also act as nucleation sites for polymerization of exogenous actin, and hence are definitively identified as actin filaments. These actin filaments range in minimum length from 0.5 to 1.5 µm with some at least as long as 3.5 µm. We conclude that the microtubule-based tracks for fast organelle transport also include actin filaments. These actin filaments are sufficiently long and abundant to be ancillary or supportive of fast transport along microtubules within bundles, or to extend transport outside of the bundle. These actin filaments could also be essential for maintaining the structural integrity of the microtubule bundles.
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition: The Cancer Connection

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal cell Transition (EMT) was first recognized as a fundamental event in embryogenesis. EMT, and its reverse process, Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition (MET), are critical to morphogenesis and are involved in the development of many tissues and organs and events occurring in the developing embryo [1]. EMT results in profound morphological and phenotypic changes to a cell [2]. In this process, epithelial cells disassemble cell-cell junctions [3]; there is reorganization of the cytoskeleton [4]; increased cell motility [1]; and invasion occurs, (requisite for metastasis) [5] – all hallmarks of cancer. EMT has been categorized into three types. Type I is developmental; Type II involves fibrosis and wound healing; and Type III is involved in cancer [6]. It is Type III that we are concerned with here.
JavaScript Object Notation

In this chapter, we describe the JSON format and then the fromJSON() and toJSON() functions to both read and create JSON content. Because JSON is so simple and there are few supporting technologies for JSON, there are not many details that we need to examine before being able to work with JSON effectively. As a result, we spend a significant part of this chapter illustrating how we work with JSON in different contexts. These display other technologies that use JSON which are interesting in their own right. We look at reading JSON data from both Web services and from local files. We also show how to serialize data from R to JSON in order to add it to interactive HTML and SVG documents. Finally, we explore the ElasticSearch text search engine and how we use JSON to both insert documents into the engine and receive query results from the engine.
Risk of atrioesophageal fistula formation with contact force–sensing catheters

Background Atrioesophageal fistula formation is a rare but life-threatening complication of atrial fibrillation ablation. Contact force (CF)–sensing catheters improve procedural effectiveness. However, the impact of the implementation of CF-sensing technology on the risk of atrioesophageal fistula formation has not been explored. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the use of CF-sensing catheters and atrioesophageal fistula development. Methods We searched the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database for adverse event reports involving Food and Drug Administration–approved ablation catheters. Results Among 2689 device reports, we identified 78 atrioesophageal fistula cases, 65 of which involved CF-sensing catheters and 13 non–CF-sensing catheters. The percentage of total reports involving atrioeosphageal fistula was 5.4% for CF-sensing catheters (65 of 1202) and 0.9% for non–CF-sensing catheters (13 of 1487) (P Conclusion Atrioesophageal fistula formation accounted for a much higher proportion of reported adverse events with CF-sensing catheters compared with non–CF-sensing catheters. Improved understanding of the relationship between power/force delivery and esophageal damage is needed to minimize the risk of atrioesophageal fistula formation.
The Safety of Soft Contact Lenses in Children.

ABSTRACTPurposeThere is increasing interest in fitting children with soft contact lenses. This review collates data from a range of studies to estimate the incidence of complications, specifically corneal infiltrative events and microbial keratitis, in patients under the age of 18 years.MethodsPeer-
Abstract 523: Diabetes Promotes the Development of Aortic Aneurysm in Mice with Hypertension

Introduction: The estimated prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is 8.4% among adults in the U.S. Cardiovascular disease is a major complication of DM. We have observed that diabetic mice, but not non-diabetic mice, undergoing 2kidney-1clip (2K1C) surgery inducing renovascular hypertension had high mortality attributed to ruptured aortic aneurysm. However, the effect of diabetes on formation of aortic aneurysm remains unclear. Method: In our previous experiment, 163 mice were divided into 4 groups: leptin KO 2K1C (db 2K1C, n=52), leptin KO Sham (db Sham, n=20), wild type 2K1C (dbc 2K1C, n=62), and wild type Sham (dbc Sham, n=29), respectively. We found that 42% (22/52) of db 2K1C died, from ruptured aortic aneurysms examined by gross examination, within 120 days, while others survived 100%. In this study, available HE and dbc 2K1C mice (1/20, 5%), p=0.002 and 0.0001, respectively. The number of aortic lesions in the dbc 2K1C group was not statistically different from that of the dbc Sham group (p=0.5). Similarly, the number of aortic lesions in the db Sham group was not statistically different from that of the dbc Sham group (0/9, 0%), p=0.125. Moderate-to-severe inflammation in the tunica media was more prevalence in db mice than the dbc mice. Conclusion: We report for the first time an increased incidence of aortic lesions in db 2K1C compared to dbc and sham groups. This finding suggests that diabetes contributes to aortic aneurysm formation in mice with renal artery stenosis, potentially due to induction of inflammation. Further studies to confirm a mechanism are warranted.
Postinjection delirium/sedation syndrome in patients with schizophrenia receiving olanzapine long-acting injection: results from a large observational study

Background Postinjection delirium/sedation syndrome (PDSS) has been reported uncommonly during treatment with olanzapine long-acting injection (LAI), a sustained-release formulation of olanzapine. Aims The primary aim of the study was to estimate the incidence per injection and per patient of PDSS events in adult patients with schizophrenia who were receiving olanzapine LAI in real-world clinical practice. Secondary aims were to further characterise the clinical presentation of PDSS events, to identify potential risk factors associated with PDSS events and to characterise hospitalisations at baseline and post-baseline. Method A prospective observational study of adult patients with schizophrenia receiving olanzapine LAI from 24 countries. Data were collected on patient characteristics, olanzapine LAI treatment and any adverse events (AEs). All AEs were reviewed and adjudicated for PDSS using predetermined criteria. Results There were 46 confirmed PDSS events (0.044% of the 103 505 injections) in 45 patients (1.17% of the 3858 patients). Based on 45 confirmed events with time-to-onset information, 91.1% ( n =41) occurred within 1 h of injection. Time-to-recovery from the event was within 72 h for 95.6% of patients (range 6 h to 11 days). Risk factors for PDSS (per-injection) included high dose (odds ratio (OR) high/low =3.95; P =0.006) and male gender (OR female/male =0.42; P =0.017). Conclusions Results of this study confirm previously reported PDSS rates, time to onset and recovery, and the severity of PDSS events, and suggest that higher doses and male gender are potential risk factors associated with PDSS. Declaration of interest All authors are full-time employees and hold stock/stock options in Eli Lilly, which funded this study. This post-authorisation safety study (PASS) was proposed by Eli Lilly when submitting the original marketing authorisation application for olanzapine LAI in 2007. The protocol and final study report for this European Union regulatory commitment are publicly accessible via the European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (ENCePP) European Union PASS Register (www.encepp.eu/encepp/viewResource.htm?id=16847). The current manuscript describes the results within the final study report. Copyright and usage © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.
Hypoxia decreases creatine uptake in cardiomyocytes, while creatine supplementation enhances HIF activation.

Abstract Creatine (Cr), phosphocreatine (PCr), and creatine kinases (CK) comprise an energy shuttle linking ATP production in mitochondria with cellular consumption sites. Myocytes cannot synthesize Cr: these cells depend on uptake across the cell membrane by a specialized creatine transporter (CrT) to maintain intracellular Cr levels. Hypoxia interferes with energy metabolism, including the activity of the creatine energy shuttle, and therefore affects intracellular ATP and PCr levels. Here, we report that exposing cultured cardiomyocytes to low oxygen levels rapidly diminishes Cr transport by decreasing V max and K m . Pharmacological activation of AMP‐activated kinase (AMPK) abrogated the reduction in Cr transport caused by hypoxia. Cr supplementation increases ATP and PCr content in cardiomyocytes subjected to hypoxia, while also significantly augmenting the cellular adaptive response to hypoxia mediated by HIF‐1 activation. Our results indicate that: (1) hypoxia reduces Cr transport in cardiomyocytes in culture, (2) the cytoprotective effects of Cr supplementation are related to enhanced adaptive physiological responses to hypoxia mediated by HIF‐1, and (3) Cr supplementation increases the cellular ATP and PCr content in RNCMs exposed to hypoxia.
Distributed intrusion detection using mobile agents in wireless body area networks

Technological advances in wearable and implanted medical devices are enabling wireless body area networks to alter the current landscape of medical and healthcare applications. These systems have the potential to significantly improve real time patient monitoring, provide accurate diagnosis and deliver faster treatment. In spite of their growth, securing the sensitive medical and patient data relayed in these networks to protect patients' privacy and safety still remains an open challenge. The resource constraints of wireless medical sensors limit the adoption of traditional security measures in this domain. In this work, we propose a distributed mobile agent based intrusion detection system to secure these networks. Specifically, our autonomous mobile agents use machine learning algorithms to perform local and network level anomaly detection to detect various security attacks targeted on healthcare systems. Simulation results show that our system performs efficiently with high detection accuracy and low energy consumption.
Let's Stop Trying to Quantify Household Vulnerability: The Problem With Simple Scales for Targeting and Evaluating Economic Strengthening Programs.

Introduction Economic strengthening practitioners are increasingly seeking data collection tools that will help them target households vulnerable to HIV and poor child well-being outcomes, match households to appropriate interventions, monitor their status, and determine readiness for graduation from project support. This article discusses efforts in 3 countries to develop simple, valid tools to quantify and classify economic vulnerability status. Methods and findings In Cote d'Ivoire, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with 3,749 households to develop a scale based on the definition of HIV-related economic vulnerability from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for the purpose of targeting vulnerable households for PEPFAR-funded programs for orphans and vulnerable children. The vulnerability measures examined did not cluster in ways that would allow for the creation of a small number of composite measures, and thus we were unable to develop a scale. In Uganda, we assessed the validity of a vulnerability index developed to classify households according to donor classifications of economic status by measuring its association with a validated poverty measure, finding only a modest correlation. In South Africa, we developed monitoring and evaluation tools to assess economic status of individual adolescent girls and their households. We found no significant correlation with our validation measures, which included a validated measure of girls' vulnerability to HIV, a validated poverty measure, and subjective classifications generated by the community, data collector, and respondent. Overall, none of the measures of economic vulnerability used in the 3 countries varied significantly with their proposed validation items. Conclusion Our findings suggest that broad constructs of economic vulnerability cannot be readily captured using simple scales to classify households and individuals in a way that accounts for a substantial amount of variance at locally defined vulnerability levels. We recommend that researchers and implementers design monitoring and evaluation instruments to capture narrower definitions of vulnerability based on characteristics programs intend to affect. We also recommend using separate tools for targeting based on context-specific indicators with evidence-based links to negative outcomes. Policy makers and donors should avoid reliance on simplified metrics of economic vulnerability in the programs they support.
Activity of Mesothelin-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Against Pancreatic Carcinoma Metastases in a Phase 1 Trial

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is resistant to T-cell-mediated immunotherapy. We engineered T cells to transiently express a messenger RNA encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for mesothelin, a protein that is overexpressed by PDAC cells. We performed a phase I study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adoptive cell therapy with autologous mesothelin-specific CAR T cells (CARTmeso cells) in 6 patients with chemotherapy-refractory metastatic PDAC. Patients were given intravenous CARTmeso cells 3 times weekly for 3 weeks. None of the patients developed cytokine release syndrome or neurologic symptoms and there were no dose-limiting toxicities. Disease stabilized in 2 patients, with progression-free survival times of 3.8 and 5.4 months. We used 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging to monitor the metabolic active volume (MAV) of individual tumor lesions. The total MAV remained stable in 3 patients and decreased by 69.2% in 1 patient with biopsy-proven mesothelin expression; in this patient, all liver lesions had a complete reduction in FDG uptake at 1 month compared with baseline, although there was no effect on the primary PDAC. Transient CAR expression was detected in patients' blood after infusion and led to expansion of new immunoglobulin G proteins. Our results provide evidence for the potential antitumor activity of messenger RNA CARTmeso cells, as well as PDAC resistance to the immune response.
On using voice source measures in automatic gender classification of children's speech.

Acoustic characteristics of speech signals differ with gender due to physiological differences of the glottis and the vocal tract. Previous research [1] showed that adding the voice-source related measures H ∗ 1 − H ∗ 2 and H ∗ 1 − A ∗ improved gender classification accuracy compared to using only the fundamental frequency (F0) and formant frequencies. H ∗ i refers to the i–th source spectral harmonic magnitude, and A ∗ refers to the magnitude of the source spectrum at the i–th formant. In this paper, three other voice source related measures: CPP, HNR and H ∗ 2 − H ∗ 4 are used in gender classification of children’s voices. CPP refers to the Cepstral Peak Prominence [2], HNR refers to the harmonic-to-noise ratio [3], and H ∗ 2 − H ∗ 4 refers to the difference between the 2nd and the 4th source spectral harmonic magnitudes. Results show that using these three features improves gender classification accuracy compared with [1]. Index Terms: gender classification, gender identification, voice source
Half-Sib Analysis of Quantitative Data

The nonexperimental study of population biology usually depends on the availability of data from the population under study. Thus, in a society where adoption of children is practiced, we may study foster parents and adopted children and compare them with true parents and children, in spite of the many pitfalls introduced by selective factors in the process of adoption. The study of adopted children would be impractical in a society where there are very few adoptions (except the cases where a childless uncle adopts his own nephew as a son).
Connection Making: Capitalizing on the Affordances of Dynamic Representations Through Mathematically Relevant Questioning

In this chapter, teacher questioning is considered. Specifically, this chapter explores the ways in which questioning can help students connect the representations available in SimCalc to the mathematical ideas of interest. This exploratory study considers four teachers who used questioning differently while each teaching the same lesson. The findings suggest that the teachers who ask questions that engage students in connection making may be better supporting student learning. Implications for future research are discussed.
Policy Landscape and Recommendations to Inform Adoption of Food Waste-to-Energy Technologies

Abstract Food waste is a global problem, both from an environmental, as well as economic standpoint. The food waste management hierarchy provides a framework for managing this waste stream, with priorities in the United States (US) and other countries centered on the concepts of prevention (e.g., source reduction), recovery, and recycling. Recycling includes converting food scraps and/or waste oils into animal feed, soil amendment (compost), or energy. The food waste-to-energy pathways, such as production of ethanol, biogas and biodiesel from waste food have the ability to divert landfill waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a renewable source of energy. However, implementation of these pathways faces several social, technological, and financial roadblocks, and a patchwork of state and local initiatives managing this waste stream. Thus, policy push is required for wide-scale adoption of food waste-to-energy technologies in the US. This chapter analyzes various policies at the US federal and state levels that directly or indirectly promote food waste-to-energy technologies. Policy approaches to promote food waste management and energy conversion vary by region and are at different levels of maturity. Subsequently, progressive global policies in countries such as South Korea and Japan that promote circular economy are analyzed, to understand the reasons behind their successful implementation of food waste management laws and promotion of food waste-to-energy technologies. Finally, recommendations are provided that can enable the US to address policy gaps towards adoption of these pathways and establish a closed-loop management system for food waste.
Tics and Tourette’s Syndrome

Tics of various types are frequently reported in young children. These behaviors are repetitive responses typically described as sudden, rapid, and purposeless vocalizations or motor movements which are generally exacerbated when the person is anxious. Defining characteristics of tics include frequency, duration, severity, complexity, location, and whether they occur in isolation or multiply occur. These behaviors, which are reviewed in this chapter, can be physical behaviors such as eye blinking or verbal behaviors or both. Additionally, tics are commonly associated with other psychopathology including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. A number of assessment methods designed to assess the presence, type, severity, and complexity of tics have also been developed and are described here. At present, there are a number of rating scales, semi-structured interviews, and screening instruments designed to assess the presence and characteristics of tics and tic disorders, all with varying levels of psychometric support and demonstrated use in the literature. This chapter discusses and reviews these assessment methods.
Architectures for Earth-observing CubeSat scatterometers

Earth-observing satellite scatterometers are important instruments capable of measuring a variety of geophysical properties. Historically, the scatterometer design space has revolved around two main architectures: the fan beam and the scanning pencil beam. Since the implementation of these architectures, developments in satellite- relevant technology, spacecraft standards, and engineering practice have expanded the potential design space for Earth-observing scatterometer systems. This expanded design space is investigated and example designs are presented that utilize the expanded design space to improve performance and reduce cost.
Gravitational dressing of 3D conformal Galileon

Abstract Could a conformal Galileon be describing a gauge mode of a broader diffeomorphism invariant theory? We answer this question affirmatively in 3D by using a coset construction for a nonlinearly realized conformal symmetry. In particular, we show that the conformal Galileon emerges as a Stuckelberg field of a local Weyl symmetry. The coset construction gives us a diffeomorphism and Weyl invariant 3D theory containing first, second, and third powers of the curvatures, their couplings to certain tensors made of the Galileon and its derivatives, and the conformal Galileon terms. In a theory with a boundary additional surface terms are required for the boundary Weyl anomaly cancellation. When gravity is switched off, the theory reduces to the conformal Galileon plus a boundary term. On the other hand, it reduces to a generalization of “New Massive Gravity” by A. Sinha, if the Weyl symmetry is gauge-fixed in a particular way. Last but not least, there exists a parameter space for which the theory has no propagating ghosts. Thus we show by an explicit construction that “New Massive Gravity” (and its generalization) is a unique scalar ghost free low energy effective field theory non-linearly realizing conformal symmetry in 3D.
The Demand for New Risky Equity and Prices in Public Equity Markets

This study models price equilibriums that feasibly could obtain within stock markets. In all, the model generates five feasible price equilibriums. Given the equilibrium most attractive to issuers is characterized by presence of rational valuation bubbles, formal predictions show stock prices are prone to development of rational valuation bubbles. In presence of arrival of new innovations within stock markets prior to exhaustion of innovativeness of `previously new' innovations, rational valuation bubbles are maintained ad infinitum. If arrival rates for new innovations lag exhaustion rates for previously new innovations, stock markets experience market correction events. As reasonably could be expected, the formal model provides evidence for feasibility of irrational valuation bubbles within stock markets. Consistent with expectations, where they occur, irrational bubbles are larger in magnitude than corresponding rational bubbles. In this respect, formal predictions show evolution of return processes can be efficient, yet be generated by less than fully rational or irrational game theoretic actions undertaken by issuers or investors at some origin point in time. The study generates two test statistics for rationality of price equilibriums within stock markets, test statistics which, consistent with normative characterization of such statistics, embed jointness of stock prices and returns.
58 Factors contributing to left atrial remodelling and the development of atrial fibrillation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Background Left atrial (LA) dilation is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure and cardiac arrest in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The factors that influence LA remodelling in HCM are not well described. This study was undertaken to identify factors that influence the rate of LA remodelling and subsequent development of atrial fibrillation in HCM. Methods Baseline and follow-up echocardiograms were analysed by an experienced echocardiographer blinded to clinical factors or outcomes in an HCM patient cohort. Exclusion criteria were Results A total of 205 HCM patients were studied: mean age 44.4±15.8 years, 40% female, 41% had sarcomere mutations, NYHA class I/II/III 61%/30%/9%, septal thickness 17±5 mm, LV ejection fraction (LVEF) 65%±9%, 30% had obstruction (LV outflow tract gradient ≥30 mm Hg at rest or ≥50 mmHg with Valsalva). At baseline, LA diameter was 4.1±0.6 cm (range 2.4–6.2) and LA volume indexed to BSA (LAVi) was 34±12 ml/m2 (range 11–75) with at least mild LA enlargement present in over 50%. Over a median 5.0 years (IQR 2.7–7.8) follow up, LA diameter increased by 0.2±0.4 cm and LAVi by 5±10 ml/m2. The baseline ratio of the peak E-wave velocity to septal TDI e’ velocity (E/e’) and estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure were significantly associated with LA enlargement (p=0.0007 and 0.049 respectively). The relationship between E/e’ remained significant after controlling for age, BSA, LVOT gradient, LVEF, and mitral regurgitation. In univariate and multivariate analyses, other clinical and echocardiographic variables, including age, genetic status, blood pressure, LVEF, and the presence or degree of LVOT obstruction, were not associated with LA remodelling. Incident AF developed in 35 patients (17%). Baseline LA diameter was larger (4.5 vs. 4.0 cm, p Conclusions Remodelling of the LA is a common feature of HCM that is progressive and associated with future development of AF. E/e’, rather than obstruction, was strongly associated with progressive LA remodelling in this cohort. These findings support the importance of altered myocardial function and haemodynamics in LA remodelling in HCM.
Quantity and Quality of Parental Utterances and Responses to Children With Hearing Loss Prior to Cochlear Implant

This study investigated the extent to which parental language input to children with hearing loss (HL) prior to cochlear implant (CI) differs from input to children with typical hearing (TH). A 20-...
Disagreement About Monetary Policy

Using US data since 1995, I document that “bad macroeconomic news” in public signals predicts market over-estimation of interest rates, excessive market optimism about employment, and delayed correction in these forecasts. In a stylized model that can accommodate such patterns via three leading mechanisms—asymmetries between the market and central bank in their signals about fundamentals, beliefs about the monetary rule, and confidence in public data—I show that the last is the most empirically relevant. The calibrated model implies that the market’s relative under-reaction to news substantially dampens the response of asset prices to fundamentals, while the central bank’s signaling through actions or “information effect” has almost no role.
Correlates of varenicline adherence among smokers with HIV and its association with smoking cessation.

Abstract Introduction With medical advances, the life expectancy of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) has improved; however, tobacco use remains a prominent risk for mortality. Although studies have examined the efficacy of varenicline for treating smoking among PLWHA, the relationship between varenicline adherence and cessation and correlates of varenicline adherence remain under-studied. Methods We conducted secondary analyses from a randomized placebo-controlled trial of varenicline for smoking among PLWHA, using data from participants who received varenicline (N = 89). The relationship between varenicline adherence (based on pill count) and end-of-treatment smoking cessation was assessed, as were correlates of varenicline adherence. Results Those who were abstinent took an average of 137.1 pills (SD = 39.3), or 83% of pills prescribed, vs. 105.3 pills (SD = 64.1), or 64%, for those who were smoking (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.001–1.021, p = 0.03); 52/89 (58%) participants were adherent based on taking ≥80% of pills. The quit rate for adherent participants was 35% (18/52) vs. 19% (7/37) for non-adherent participants. Adherent participants were older, smoked fewer cigarettes each day, started smoking at an older age, and had lower baseline creatinine vs. non-adherent participants (p Conclusions Our findings underscore the importance of varenicline adherence for determining cessation and highlight the role of early changes in anxiety, depression, and insomnia determining varenicline adherence.
Wake-Up Radio for Low-Power Internet of Things Applications: An Alternative Method to Coordinate Data Transfers

Reductions in wireless-sensor-node form factor and cost have enabled new applications for remote sensing in a variety of areas, such as grid infrastructure, building automation, medicine, factory automation and control, and automobiles. The projected number of sensor nodes is so large that battery replacement for all of them is impractical. Therefore, for market success, power consumption must be low enough that power can be supplied through energy harvesting or a small battery capable of lasting the lifetime of the sensor node.
Internal resonances and relaxation memory kernels in composites.

In heterogeneous composite materials, the behaviour of the medium on larger scales is determined by the microgeometry and properties of the constituents on finer scales. To model the influence of t...
Family Caregivers' Experiences With Health Care Workers in the Care of Older Adults With Activity Limitations.

Importance Family and unpaid caregivers often play an active role in managing the care of older adults with activity limitations. Objective To examine caregivers’ experiences with older adults’ health care workers. Design, Setting, and Participants This survey study constitutes a secondary analysis of a sample of 1916 family and unpaid caregivers to 1203 community-living older adults with activity limitations who participated in the 2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study. Data analysis was performed January to August 2019. Exposures Caregiver sociodemographic characteristics, caregiving intensity, and frequency speaking with or emailing older adults’ health care workers. Main Outcomes and Measures Caregiver-reported experiences when interacting with older adults’ health care workers in the prior year, including being listened to, being asked about understanding of treatments, and being asked about help needed in managing older adults’ care. Results Caregivers (mean [SE] age, 59.4 [0.5] years; 63.7% women) assisting community-living older adults with activity limitations reported that they never (56.3%), sometimes or rarely (33.0%), or often (10.7%) spoke with or emailed older adults’ health care workers in the prior year. Most caregivers who interacted with older adults’ health care workers reported being always (70.6%) or usually (18.2%) listened to and always (54.4%) or usually (17.7%) being asked about their understanding of older adults’ treatments. Fewer caregivers reported being always (21.3%) or usually (6.9%) asked whether they needed help managing older adults’ care, and nearly one-half (45.0%) were never asked. Caregivers who interacted with older adults’ health care workers often (vs sometimes or rarely) were more likely to report being always or usually listened to (94.8% vs 86.9%;P = .004), being asked about understanding treatments (80.1% vs 69.5%;P = .02), and being asked about needing help (40.8% vs 24.1%;P Conclusions and Relevance These findings reinforce the need for strategies to better support family and unpaid caregivers, who are the main source of assistance to older adults with physical and/or cognitive limitations.
SUPPLEMENTAL METHIONINE, CHOLINE, OR TAURINE AFFECT GALECTIN GENE EXPRESSION IN ADULT HOLSTEIN COW AND NEONATAL HOLSTEIN CALF NEUTROPHILS IN VITRO

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of methyl donor supplementation on mRNA expression of galectin genes in cow and calf neutrophils in vitro. Galectins play a crucial role in homeostasis and disease regulation. Ten adult Holstein cows and five neonatal Holstein calves (3 wk. old) were used for isolation and in vitro culture of neutrophils. Neutrophils isolated from the adult cows were divided into two groups. Neutrophils from Group 1 were incubated with three concentrations of Lysine (Lys) to Met ratios of (3.6:1, 2.9:1, or 2.4:1). Neutrophils from Group 2 were also incubated with three concentrations of Lys to Met ratios and 50 μg /mL of LPS. Isolated neutrophils from calves were incubated with Met, Choline, and Taurine (37 °C, with 5% CO2 or 4 hours). Met did not affect LGALS expression in Group 1 cows. In Group 2, however, relative mRNA expression of LGALS9 was higher in neutrophils treated with 3.6 Lys: Met and 2.9 Lys: Met concentrations compared to 2.4 Lys: Met (0.33, 0.36 and 0.16 respectively) (P<0.05). A Met X LPS interaction was also observed in regard to the expression of LGALS8. LGALS8 transcription decreased when neutrophils were treated with LPS at 3.6 Lys: Met (No LPS=0.89 LPS= 0.56) (P<0.05). On the contrary, LGALS8 expression increased at 2.9 Lys: Met in the presence of LPS (No LPS=0.52 LPS= 1.95)(P<0.05). Treatment with LPS alone increased the expression of LGALS4 (P<0.05) and tended to increase LGALS12 (P<0.10) compared to control. In calves, LGALS-2, -7, and -9 were undetected. LGALS-1, -3, - 4, -8, and -12 were all reduced in neutrophils treated with 2.4 and 2.6 Lys: Met compared to 3.6 Lys: Met. Increasing Choline concentration tended to reduce LGALS1 (P<0.05) but reduced LGALS8 (P<0.05). Increasing taurine reduced LGALS1 and tended to reduce LGALS12. These results shed light on the modulation of galectin expression in cow and calf neutrophils in response to methyl donors.
Electra: integrating constraints, condition-based dispatching, and feature exclusion into the multiparadigm language Leda

Multiparadigm languages are languages that are designed to support more than one style of programming. Leda is a strongly-typed multiparadigm programming language that supports imperative, functional, object-oriented, and logic programming. The constraint programming paradigm is a declarative style of programming where the programmer is able to state relationships among some entities and expect the system to maintain the validity of these relationships throughout program execution. The system accomplishes this either by invoking user-defined fixes that impose rigid rules governing the evolution of the entities, or by finding suitable values to be assigned to the constrained entities without violating any active constraint. Constraints, due to their declarative semantics, are suitable for the direct mapping of the characteristics of a number of mechanisms including: consistency checks, constraint-directed search, and constraint-enforced reevaluation, among others. This makes constraint languages the most appropriate languages for the implementation of a large number of applications such as scheduling, planning, resource allocation, simulation, and graphical user interfaces. The semantics of constraints cannot be easily emulated by other constructs in the paradigms that are offered by the language Leda. However, the constraint paradigm does not provide any general control constructs. The lack of general control constructs impedes this paradigm's ability to naturally express a large number of problems. This dissertation presents the language Electra, which integrates the constraint paradigm into the language Leda by creating a unified construct that provides the ability to express the conventional semantics of constraints with some extensions. Due to the flexibility of this construct, the programmer is given the choice of either stating how a constraint is to be satisfied or delegating that task to the constraint-satisfier. The concept of providing the programmer with the ability to express system-maintained relations, which is the basic characteristic of constraints, provided a motivation for enhancing other paradigms with similar abilities. The functional paradigm is extended by adding to it the mechanism of condition-based dispatching which is similar to argument pattern-matching. The object-oriented paradigm is extended by allowing feature exclusion which is a form of inheritance exception. This dissertation claims that the integration provided by the language Electra will enable Leda programmers to reap the benefits of the paradigm of constraints while overcoming its limitations.
Donor myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) prolong allogeneic cardiac graft survival through programming of recipient myeloid cells in vivo

Solid organ transplantation is a lifesaving therapy for patients with end-organ disease. Current immunosuppression protocols are not designed to target antigen-specific alloimmunity and are uncapable of preventing chronic allograft injury. As myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are potent immunoregulatory cells, we tested whether donor-derived MDSCs can protect heart transplant allografts in an antigen-specific manner. C57BL/6 (H2Kb, I-Ab) recipients pre-treated with BALB/c MDSCs were transplanted with either donor-type (BALB/c, H2Kd, I-Ad) or third-party (C3H, H2Kk, I-Ak) cardiac grafts. Spleens and allografts from C57BL/6 recipients were harvested for immune phenotyping, transcriptomic profiling and functional assays. Single injection of donor-derived MDSCs significantly prolonged the fully MHC mismatched allogeneic cardiac graft survival in a donor-specific fashion. Transcriptomic analysis of allografts harvested from donor-derived MDSCs treated recipients showed down-regulated proinflammatory cytokines. Immune phenotyping showed that the donor MDSCs administration suppressed effector T cells in recipients. Interestingly, significant increase in recipient endogenous CD11b+Gr1+ MDSC population was observed in the group treated with donor-derived MDSCs compared to the control groups. Depletion of this endogenous MDSCs with anti-Gr1 antibody reversed donor MDSCs-mediated allograft protection. Furthermore, we observed that the allogeneic mixed lymphocytes reaction was suppressed in the presence of CD11b+Gr1+ MDSCs in a donor-specific manner. Donor-derived MDSCs prolong cardiac allograft survival in a donor-specific manner via induction of recipient's endogenous MDSCs.
Scale-invariant time registration of 24-hour accelerometric rest-activity profiles and its application to human chronotypes

ABSTRACT By collecting data continuously over 24 hours, accelerometers and other wearable devices can provide novel insights into circadian rhythms and their relationship to human health. Existing approaches for analyzing diurnal patterns using these data, including the cosinor model and functional principal components analysis, have revealed and quantified population-level diurnal patterns, but considerable subject-level variability remained uncaptured in features such as wake/sleep times and activity intensity. This remaining informative variability could provide a better understanding of chronotypes, or behavioral manifestations of one’s underlying 24-hour rhythm. Curve registration, or alignment, is a technique in functional data analysis that separates “vertical” variability in activity intensity from “horizontal” variability in time-dependent markers like wake and sleep times; this data-driven approach is well-suited to studying chronotypes using accelerometer data. We develop a parametric registration framework for 24-hour accelerometric rest-activity profiles represented as dichotomized into epoch-level states of activity or rest. Specifically, we estimate subject-specific piecewise linear time-warping functions parametrized with a small set of parameters. We apply this method to data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and illustrate how estimated parameters give a more flexible quantification of chronotypes compared to traditional approaches.
Temporal Pointing Variations of the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s HMI and AIA Instruments on Subweekly Time Scales

Achieving subarcsecond co-registration across varying time-lines of multi-wavelength and instrument images is difficult and requires an accurate characterization of the instrument pointing jitter. We investigated the internal pointing errors on daily and yearly time-scales that occur across the Solar Dynamics Observatory’s (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI). Using cross-correlation techniques on the AIA 1700 A passband and the HMI line-of-sight magnetograms from three years of observational image pairs at approximately three-day intervals, internal pointing errors were quantified. Pointing variations of ± 0.26″ (jitter-limited) and ± 0.50″ in the solar East–West (x) and North–South (y) directions, respectively, were measured. AIA observations of the Venus transit in June 2012 were used to measure existing coalignment offsets in all passbands. We found that the AIA passband pointing variations are 〈ΔX CO〉=1.10″±1.41″ and 〈ΔY CO〉=1.25″±1.24″ when aligned to the HMI nominal image center, referred to here as the CutOut technique. Minimal long-term pointing variations found between limb and correlation derived pointings provide evidence that the image-center positions provided by the instrument teams achieve single-pixel accuracy on time scales shorter than their characterization. However, daily AIA passband pointing variations of ≲ 1.18″ indicate that autonomous subarcsecond co-registration is not fully achieved yet.
Oversupply of Limiting Cell Resources and the Evolution of Cancer Cells: A Review

Cancer prevention is superior to cancer treatment - indeed, understanding and controlling cancer risk is a key question in the fields of applied ecology and evolutionary oncology. Ecological cancer risk models offer the dual benefit of being generalizable across cancer types, and unveiling common mechanisms underlying cancer development and spread. Understanding the biological mechanisms of cancer risk may also guide the design of interventions to prevent cancer. Ecological considerations are central to many of these mechanisms; as one example, the ecologically-based hypothesis of metabolic cancer suppression posits that restricted vascular supply of limiting resources to somatic tissues normally suppresses the evolution of somatic cells toward cancer. Here we present a critical review of published evidence relevant to this hypothesis, and we conclude that there is substantial evidence that cancer risk does increase with an abnormal excess of limiting cell resources, including both dietary macronutrients as well as certain micronutrients.