cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
REPORTED HOUSEHOLD GASOLINE PURCHASING EXPERIENCE: JUNE 1979

A sample of 1000 households completed a questionnaire regarding difficulties encountered purchasing gasoline during the week 4–10 June 1979 and whether difficulties encountered purchasing gasoline affected household automobile tripmaking. Results of this survey were analyzed and it was found that the frequency of reporting purchasing difficulties varied directly with household income and inversely with the age of the household. The frequency of reporting that purchasing difficulties affected automobile trip-making varied directly with household income and inversely with the number of adults in the household. Further, although individual household response was highly sensitive to socioeconomic characteristics, the overall response to the survey would not have differed significantly had the socioeconomic mix of households been different.
Influence of airway wall compliance on epithelial cell injury and adhesion during interfacial flows

Interfacial flows during cyclic airway reopening are an important source of ventilator-induced lung injury. However, it is not known how changes in airway wall compliance influence cell injury during airway reopening. We used an in vitro model of airway reopening in a compliant microchannel to investigate how airway wall stiffness influences epithelial cell injury. Epithelial cells were grown on gel substrates with different rigidities, and cellular responses to substrate stiffness were evaluated in terms of metabolic activity, mechanics, morphology, and adhesion. Repeated microbubble propagations were used to simulate cyclic airway reopening, and cell injury and detachment were quantified via live/dead staining. Although cells cultured on softer gels exhibited a reduced elastic modulus, these cells experienced less plasma membrane rupture/necrosis. Cells on rigid gels exhibited a minor, but statistically significant, increase in the power law exponent and also exhibited a significantly larger height-to-length aspect ratio. Previous studies indicate that this change in morphology amplifies interfacial stresses and, therefore, correlates with the increased necrosis observed during airway reopening. Although cells cultured on stiff substrates exhibited more plasma membrane rupture, these cells experienced significantly less detachment and monolayer disruption during airway reopening. Western blotting and immunofluorescence indicate that this protection from detachment and monolayer disruption correlates with increased focal adhesion kinase and phosphorylated paxillin expression. Therefore, changes in cell morphology and focal adhesion structure may govern injury responses during compliant airway reopening. In addition, these results indicate that changes in airway compliance, as occurs during fibrosis or emphysema, may significantly influence cell injury during mechanical ventilation.
Identification of Integrin β Subunit Mutations that Alter Heterodimer Function In Situ

We conducted a genetic screen for mutations in myospheroid, the gene encoding the Drosophila βPS integrin subunit, and identified point mutants in all of the structural domains of the protein. Surp...
Scene classification with low-dimensional semantic spaces and weak supervision

A novel approach to scene categorization is proposed. Similar to previous works of [11, 15, 3, 12], we introduce an intermediate space, based on a low dimensional semantic ldquothemerdquo image representation. However, instead of learning the themes in an unsupervised manner, they are learned with weak supervision, from casual image annotations. Each theme induces a probability density on the space of low-level features, and images are represented as vectors of posterior theme probabilities. This enables an image to be associated with multiple themes, even when there are no multiple associations in the training labels. An implementation is presented and compared to various existing algorithms, on benchmark datasets. It is shown that the proposed low dimensional representation correlates well with human scene understanding, and is able to learn theme co-occurrences without explicit training. It is also shown to outperform unsupervised latent-space methods, with much smaller training complexity, and to achieve performance close to the state of the art methods, which rely on much higher-dimensional image representations. Finally a study of the effect of dimensionality on the classification performance is presented, indicating that the dimensionality of theme space grows sub-linearly with the number of scene categories.
Seasonal and sexual influences on rabbit atropinesterase

Summary A tropinesterase was found in 61· 17% of 6686 New Zealand White rabbits of both sexes studied over 2·5 years. Significantly more males possessed the enzyme, there was a significant difference in atropinesterase frequencies in males versus females in the winter and summer seasons, and a significant decrease in the frequency of atropinesterase-positive females during the winter.
Differing Perceptions Regarding Quality of Life and Inpatient Treatment Goals for Children With Severe Disabilities

Abstract Objective To describe and compare during an acute hospitalization the perceptions of parents, pediatric interns, and pediatric hospitalists regarding the long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children with severe disabilities when not hospitalized and to identify treatment goals. Methods Parents of children with severe disabilities aged 5 to 18 years, as well as the intern and hospitalist caring for the child during acute hospitalizations at a tertiary care center in Salt Lake City, Utah, participated in this study. All participants completed the KIDSCREEN-10 and an investigator-developed survey; a subset was interviewed to qualitatively ascertain perceptions of the child's HRQoL before the current acute illness. Responses were summarized with descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results We enrolled 115 subjects. Overall, parents rated the HRQoL of their children significantly higher than did either group of physicians on both the KIDSCREEN-10 (37.4 ± 3.9 vs 29.6 ± 5.5, P P Conclusions Parents of children with severe disabilities rated their children's long-term HRQoL higher than physicians did. Such discrepancies may increase tensions and hinder shared decision-making efforts during acute hospitalizations. Explicit discussions between parents and physicians regarding the HRQoL of children with severe disabilities and treatment goals may facilitate care processes for everyone involved.
Scapholunate Dissociation and Dorsal Intercalated Segmental Instability in an Adolescent Football Player

Ligamentous injuries of the wrist and hand are the most common upper extremity injuries seen in young athletes. Unfortunately, these injuries are also the most frequently misdiagnosed. The “sprained wrist” often becomes the diagnosis of convenience, especially once a fracture has been ruled out. In many cases the athlete is treated symptomatically with cryotherapy, immobilization, and rest, and returns to activity as pain allows. Concern, however, has increased recently over potential complications related to associated ligamentous injuries in young athletes. The most common recognized, carpal instability is between the scaphoid and the lunate, the so-called scapholunate dissociation (3).
The Association of Marriage and MBA Earnings

Sex differences in MBA careers were investigated to test three hypotheses: (1) men will advance in management more than women, (2) women will show more emotional reaction to career stress than men, (3) single women will progress more equally to single men than will be true for married women compared to married men. All three of the hypotheses were supported. Men earned more. In 1990 Kazal-Thresher found starting sex segregation by industry and occupation to explain some differences in earnings. Men worked longer hours, had more stable employment, achieved a general manager position more frequently, and had higher job satisfaction than women. Women, especially married women, expressed more frustration about careers than did men. Single women were not significantly different from single men in earnings, hours of work, stability of employment, and job satisfaction. Single women did not achieve a position as general manager as frequently as did single men.
Ocarina: Designing the iphone's magic flute

Ocarina, created in 2008 for the iPhone, is one of the first musical artifacts in the age of pervasive, app-based mobile computing. It presents a flute-like physical interaction using microphone input, multi-touch, and accelerometers-and a social dimension that allows users to listen in to each other around the world. This article chronicles Smule's Ocarina as a mobile musical experiment for the masses, examining in depth its design, aesthetics, physical interaction, and social interaction, as well as documenting its inextricable relationship with the rise of mobile computing as catalyzed by mobile devices such as the iPhone.
Investigating the impact on modeled ozone concentrations using meteorological fields from WRF with an updated four-dimensional data assimilation approach

Abstract The four–dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) technique in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) meteorological model has recently undergone an important update from the original version. Previous evaluation results have demonstrated that the updated FDDA approach in WRF provides more accurate wind fields aloft than the original approach, particularly during the nocturnal period when low level jets are a common feature in the Eastern United States. Due to the importance of WRF/FDDA meteorological fields in retrospective air quality applications, a modeling study with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was undertaken to ascertain if the improved wind flow fields translate into better performance for ozone. To undertake this objective, separate CMAQ model simulations were performed with meteorological inputs generated by WRF using the original and the updated FDDA approaches for a three month summer period. The evaluation effort focused on observed and modeled surface ozone from a mid–morning hour (10 local daylight time (LDT)). Comparisons of modeled results against concentrations aloft from an instrumented tall tower and from available morning vertical profile measurements were also examined. Surface concentrations near 10 LDT are desirable for evaluating the transport process since they are often representative of ozone that has been transported aloft overnight and has undergone downward entrainment in response to convective mixing the following morning. Statistical results from surface observed and modeled concentration pairs indicated modeled ozone from the CMAQ simulation using the updated FDDA meteorology displayed smaller biases and lower absolute errors at 88% and 80% of monitoring sites, respectively, in the Eastern United States. The CMAQ results with the updated FDDA generally exhibited smaller biases and lower absolute errors at monitoring sites across the northern states than in the southeastern states. The results provide evidence that the more accurate wind flows generated with the updated WRF/FDDA approach improved CMAQ model performance based on the statistical results from 10 LDT ozone concentrations.
Measures supported on the set of uniquely ergodic directions of an arbitrary holomorphic 1-form

We introduce a set, $Q({\bf T})$, of Borel probability measures on the circle such that each $\mu\in Q({\bf T})$ obeys the conclusion of the Kerckhoff–Masur–Smillie theorem [ 3 ]: if $q$ is a meromorphic quadratic differential with at worst simple poles on a closed Riemann surface, then for each $\mu\in Q({\bf T})$ and $\mu$-a.e. $\zeta\in{\bf T}$, $\zeta q$ has uniquely ergodic vertical foliation . As an example, the normalized Cantor–Lebesgue measure belongs to $Q({\bf T})$. The analysis also yields an analogue, for the Teichmuller horocycle flow, of a theorem of Dani: every locally finite ergodic invariant measure for the Teichmuller horocycle flow is finite .
Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on pathologic axillary nodal status in HER-2 positive patients presenting with clinically node-negative disease.

Objectives We investigated the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) on axillary disease burden in clinically node-negative (cN0) HER-2 positive breast cancer patients. Methods We studied 215 cN0 patients with HER-2 positive tumors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare NAC versus primary surgery (PS) with respect to outcome of pathologic nodal disease. Results Of 215 patients, 42 (20%) received NAC. NAC use correlated with higher clinical T stage (P < 0.0001) and younger age (P = 0.03) with no difference in ER/PR status or tumor grade. Despite higher clinical T stage in the NAC group, rate of pathologic positive axillary nodes was non-significantly lower (NAC 5/42 = 11.9%, PS 27/173 = 15.6%, P = 0.54). In multivariable analysis, after adjustment for confounders including clinical T stage, age, and multifocal/multicentric disease, NAC showed significant reduction in odds of pathologic nodal disease (OR 0.26, 95%CI:0.06–0.90, P = 0.03). Further, among those with pathologic nodal disease, the number of positive nodes was lower after NAC (adjusted P = 0.03). Extranodal extension was present in 8/27 (30%) PS patients vs. 1/5 (20%) of the NAC patients (adjusted P = 0.36). Conclusion NAC in cN0 HER-2 positive breast cancers reduces the rate of pathologic node-positive disease at operation and nodal disease burden and may decrease the need for axillary node dissection. J. Surg. Oncol. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Potential individual versus simultaneous climate change effects on soybean (C 3 ) and maize (C 4 ) crops: An agrotechnology model based study

Landuse/landcover change induced effects on regional weather and climate patterns and the associated plant response or agricultural productivity are coupled processes. Some of the basic responses to climate change can be detected via changes in radiation (R), precipitation (P), and temperature (T). Past studies indicate that each of these three variables can affect LCLUC response and the agricultural productivity. This study seeks to address the following question: What is the effect of individual versus simultaneous changes in R, P, and Ton plant response such as crop yields in a C3 and a C4 plant? This question is addressed by conducting model experiments for soybean (C3) and maize (C4) crops using the DSSAT: Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer, CROPGRO (soybean), and CERES-Maize (maize) models. These models were configured over an agricultural experiment station in Clayton, NC [35.65°N, 78.5°W]. Observed weather and field conditions corresponding to 1998 were used as the control. In the first set of experiments, the CROPGRO (soybean) and CERES-Maize (maize) responses to individual changes in R and P (25%, 50%, 75%, 150%) and T (±1, ±2 °C) with respect to control were studied. In the second set, R, P, and T were simultaneously changed by 50%, 150%, and ±2 °C, and the interactions and direct effects of individual versus simultaneous variable changes were analyzed. For the model setting and the prescribed environmental changes, results from the first set of experiments indicate: (i) precipitation changes were most sensitive and directly affected yield and water loss due to evapotranspiration; (ii) radiation changes had a non-linear effect and were not as prominent as precipitation changes; (iii) temperature had a limited impact and the response was non-linear; (iv) soybeans and maize responded differently for R, P, and T, with maize being more sensitive. The results from the second set of experiments indicate that simultaneous change analyses do not necessarily agree with those from individual changes, particularly for temperature changes. Our analysis indicates that for the changing climate, precipitation (hydrological), temperature, and radiative feedbacks show a non-linear effect on yield. Study results also indicate that for studying the feedback between the land surface and the atmospheric changes, (i) there is a need for performing simultaneous parameter changes in the response assessment of cropping patterns and crop yield based on ensembles of projected climate change, and (ii) C3 crops are generally considered more sensitive than C4; however, the temperature–radiation related changes shown in this study also effected significant changes in C4 crops. Future studies assessing LCLUC impacts, including
Challenging teenagers' right to refuse treatment.

An opinion is offered on how a physician should handle a teen-age patient who refuses life-saving medical treatment. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Creativity in the primary classroom

Creativity in the primary classroom by Juliet Desailly explores how to become a creative teacher and how to foster creativity in primary classrooms. This reader-friendly book presents the topic of ...
The HTLV-1 latency-maintenance factor p30II activates p53-dependent metabolic effectors to promote oncogene-activation and aberrant lymphoproliferation

The human T-cell leukemia retrovirus type-1 (HTLV-1) transforms CD4+ T-lymphocytes and causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), an aggressive hematological malignancy that is refractive to most anticancer treatments. The highly-conserved pX sequence of HTLV-1 encodes three latency-maintenance factors: p30II, p13II and Hbz, which suppress proviral gene expression and help HTLV-1-infected cells evade detection by host immune responses as a prelude to neoplastic disease. We have previously demonstrated that p30II enhances the transcriptional and oncogenic functions of the c-Myc oncoprotein and induces aberrant lymphoproliferation through molecular interactions with the TIP60 acetyltransferase. Our recent studies have demonstrated the cooperation between p30II and c-Myc is dependent upon the induction of p53-dependent pro-survival signals. The p30II protein activates p53 and induces expression of p53-dependent metabolic effectors, including the Tp53-induced glycolysis and apoptosis regulator (TIGAR). Acute and lymphoma-stage ATLL clinical isolates frequently over express c-Myc and contain wildtype p53. We therefore hypothesize the induction of p53-dependent pro-survival signals by p30II could promote c-myc oncogene-activation during retroviral carcinogenesis by preventing c-Myc-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Indeed, we have found that lentiviral-p30II induces mitochondrial expression of TIGAR and prevents the intracellular accumulation of c-Myc-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibits oncogene-induced cellular senescence. Knockdown of TIGAR expression, using a small-interfering RNA (siRNA-tigar), inhibited the ability of p30II to suppress c-Myc-induced cytotoxicity. A panel of primary ATLL patient tumor lymphocytes exhibited over expression of TIGAR which correlated with c-Myc deregulation, compared to donor hu-PBMCs. Furthermore, we have shown that siRNA-knockdown of TIGAR expression sensitizes HTLV-1-transformed SLB1 lymphoma cells to oncogene-induced ROS and causes cellular senescence, suggesting siRNA-inhibition of TIGAR may be a plausible approach to sensitize ATLL tumor lymphocytes to anticancer chemotherapy drugs that induce oxidative damage. Our studies reveal a paradoxical role for p53-dependent metabolic effectors in promoting oncogene-activation by HTLV-1 p30II, which could promote proviral replication and leukemic disease progression.
Englishman or Samurai? The Story of Will Adams

On the 7th of July, 1853, the inhabitants of Japan's capital beheld an amazing sight: four huge and strange ships were steaming up the Bay of Yedo. It was Commodore Perry's fleet arriving on its mission to open Japan. The appearance of these ships was to a considerable part responsible for Perry's success. They made even the most valiant samurai realize the inferiority of his medieval equipment to these huge and fast men-o'-war.
Thrips Species Composition on Onions in the Vidalia Production Region of Georgia

Thrips are the key arthropod pest of onions in Georgia. Historically, this pest complex has been reported to consist primarily of tobacco thrips, Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), western flower thrips, F. occidentalis (Pergande), and onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, with < 1% reported as onion thrips. Onion thrips, however, has become a greater concern in this region because this species is the primary vector of Iris Yellow Spot Virus (IYSV), which was detected in commercial fields in 2003, and both onion thrips and IYSV were detected in culled onions imported from Peru into the Vidalia region in 2003. Surveys were conducted from 2004 through 2010 in commercial onion fields in the 2 primary counties where Vidalia onions are produced to determine whether onion thrips were becoming more prominent within this region. From 2004 through 2006, F. fusca was the predominant pest species collected in this region. Onion thrips were detected and were widely distributed at levels within historical indications. In 20...
The Measure of Injury: Race, Gender, and Tort Law by Martha Chamallas and Jennifer B. Wriggins.

Tort law typically is not what first comes to mind when discussing areas of the law ripe for social justice-minded reform. As Martha Chamallas writes, “[g]ender and race have disappeared from the face of tort law. The old doctrines that explicitly limited recovery exclusively to one gender have been either abolished or extended on a gender-neutral basis.” In my Tort Law course, there was little if any discussion of how tort reform could promote race and gender equality. I was excited by a book that promised an intersectional analysis of tort law, and for the most part, The Measure of Injury lived up to my expectations.
Recurrent Croup and Persistent Laryngomalacia: Clinical Resolution After Supraglottoplasty

Abstract Objectives To determine if children with recurrent croup (RC) and persistent laryngomalacia (LM) clinically improve after supraglottoplasty (SGP). Material and methods Retrospective chart review cohort at tertiary care children's hospital consisting of patients diagnosed with LM and RC that underwent SGP from July 2011 to August 2014. Clinical history, demographics, clinical outcomes, and operative complications were reviewed. Specifically, the episodes of croup requiring systemic steroids were compared pre- and post-SGP with statistical analysis. Results Out of 107 patients undergoing SGP for LM, 6 patients (5.6%) were diagnosed with RC. Mean age at first croup episode was 11.5 months. Mean age at SGP was 4.3 years. Mean number of emergency department visits was 3.2 (range 2–6 visits) prior to SGP. Mean number of episodes of croup requiring systemic steroids before and after SGP was 9.8 vs. 0.2 (p = 0.003). Mean length of followup after SGP was 30.5 months (range 18–46 months). There were no surgical postoperative complications. Conclusions This is the first series to describe the clinical resolution of croup episodes in children with LM corrected by SGP. Recurrent croup should be added among other conditions associated with late-onset or persistent laryngomalacia.
Optical Drug Monitoring: Photoacoustic Imaging of Nanosensors to Monitor Therapeutic Lithium in Vivo

Personalized medicine could revolutionize how primary care physicians treat chronic disease and how researchers study fundamental biological questions. To realize this goal, we need to develop more robust, modular tools and imaging approaches for in vivo monitoring of analytes. In this report, we demonstrate that synthetic nanosensors can measure physiologic parameters with photoacoustic contrast, and we apply that platform to continuously track lithium levels in vivo. Photoacoustic imaging achieves imaging depths that are unattainable with fluorescence or multiphoton microscopy. We validated the photoacoustic results that illustrate the superior imaging depth and quality of photoacoustic imaging with optical measurements. This powerful combination of techniques will unlock the ability to measure analyte changes in deep tissue and will open up photoacoustic imaging as a diagnostic tool for continuous physiological tracking of a wide range of analytes.
Echocardiographic-based assessment of myocardial fiber structure in individual, excised hearts.

The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using echocardiographic imaging as an approach for determining the myocardial fiber structure of intact, individual hearts. Seven formalin-fixed, ex vivo sheep hearts were imaged using a commercially available echocardiographic imaging system, and the intrinsic fiber structure for the reconstructed short-axis cross section was determined for a specific distance from the apex of each heart. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance (DT-MR) images of each heart were acquired and fiber maps were created for comparison with the fiber structure obtained from the corresponding reconstructed echocardiographic images. These two methods of obtaining the fiber structure showed relatively good agreement, suggesting that measurements of fiber orientation for individual hearts can be derived from echocardiographic images. Further development of this method may provide a clinically useful approach for mapping the fiber orientation in individual patients over the he...
Tetany and Blood Calcium After Thyro-Parathyroidectomy in the Goat.

Though it is a well-known fact that tetany does not often follow parathyroidectomy in herbivorous animals, no adequate explanation has been offered. Of the 2 interpretations offered, the more common is that the decomposition products of the food of herbivorous animals are less toxic than those of the food of carnivorous animals. The other is that aberrant parathyroids are sometimes found in the thymus gland of herbivorous animals. Parathyroid tetany in the goat following the removal of the thyroid and the parathyroids has not occurred as frequently as in the dog. MacCallum et al1 who operated on 8 goats, noted violent tetany in only 2 cases. Christens2 observed tetany in 3 goats following thyro-parathyroidectomy.A series of 12 goats were thyro-parathyroidectomized by removing the entire thyroid capsule with the contained thyroid and parathyroids. The blood vessels were ligated at least one inch from the thyroid capsule so that any parathyroids which might be close to the superior pole would be removed. Th...
Antiviral responses of inbred mice.

Akiko Iwasaki describes a 1980 study by Haller et al. that revealed a limitation of using inbred mice to study antiviral responses.
Lessons Jesuit Business Programs Can Learn from Chinese MBA Programs

North American Schools of Business have been "going global" by transplanting pedagogy and content to Asia and Africa for several centuries. From a teaching perspective, our western schools look to these regions as contexts to provide richness to our students' educational ex- perience, to prepare Americans for dealings in the global business marketplace, and often to increase our own enrollments and revenues. To date we have served as "exporters" of our own Western brand of MBA education. Using an ethnographic approach of participant observation gained through two years of teaching and living in China supplemented with inter- views with Chinese students studying in the U.S., this paper suggests an alternative view. China in particular and Asia in general present a different viewpoint of leadership, motivation, team-work and MBA education in general. The paper suggests an alternative viewpoint to higher education and a series of concepts and ideas that can be "imported" into western business education from the Middle Kingdom.
Evidence of Eurasian metal alloys on the Alaskan coast in prehistory

Abstract Six metal and composite metal artifacts were excavated from a late prehistoric archaeological context at Cape Espenberg on the northern coast of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska. X-ray fluorescence identified two of these artifacts as smelted industrial alloys with large proportions of tin and lead. The presence of smelted alloys in a prehistoric Inuit context in northwest Alaska is demonstrated here for the first time and indicates the movement of Eurasian metal across the Bering Strait into North America before sustained contact with Europeans.
Transition from Hospital to Home

Transitioning a ventilator-dependent child from the hospital to a home in which the family safely and independently provides care requires a comprehensive discharge plan. This includes a coordinated effort between a skilled multidisciplinary discharge planning team and the child’s caregivers.
A fast response system for aerosol dispersion forecasting

A technique for express analysis of aerosol dispersion in urban environments is presented. In the proposed method a database of different aerosol dispersion scenarios is generated in extensive computer simulations on distributed computing platforms, such as clusters or grid environments. The data is segmented into smaller chunks, and compressed for optimal network access from remote locations. The results of the simulations can then be retrieved in a timely manner for express risk analysis. A prototype solver was developed and tested. Fast response of the system is achieved by replacing complex 3D simulations with information retrieval from a remote database. The reduction of system response from a few days to several seconds can be achieved compared to real-time 3D simulations.
Why Nature is complex

Physical laws such as the Schrodinger equation or Newton's laws explain many simple phenomena, from the quantized energy levels in a hydrogen atom to the motion of planets around the Sun. More complicated systems, such as a gas of atoms, can be studied by treating them as a collection of weakly interacting parts which are themselves simple This is reductionism.
BIM-mediated apoptosis and oncogene addiction.

Oncogene addiction is a phenomenon whereby suppression of a driver oncogene is associated with dramatic tumor regression that has been observed in experimental models and in response to targeted therapies [1]. However, the mechanism by which oncogene inactivation induces this massive reduction in tumor burden is not clear. In tumors addicted to the MYC oncogene, suppression of this oncogene leads to tumor regression that is associated with a marked increase in apoptosis. This at first glance appears to be paradoxical since generally oncogene activation, and MYC activation in particular, is associated with increased apoptosis. Recently, we have described a possible mechanism that may explain why inactivation of pro-apoptotic oncogenes, such as MYC, induce apoptosis [2].
Magnetic field modification to the relativistic runaway electron avalanche length

This paper explores the impact of the geomagnetic field on the relativistic runaway electron avalanche length, λe−. Coleman and Dwyer [2006] developed an analytical fit to Monte Carlo simulations using the Runaway Electron Avalanche Model (REAM). In this work, we repeat this process but with the addition of the geomagnetic field in the range of [100,900]/nμT, where n is the ratio of the density of air at altitude to the sea level density. As the ambient electric field approaches the runaway threshold field (Eth≈ 284 kV/m sea level equivalent), it is shown that the magnetic field has an impact on the orientation of the resulting electron beam. The runaway electrons initially follow the vertically oriented electric field but then are deflected in the v×B direction, and as such the electrons experience more dynamic friction due to the increase in path length. This will be shown to result in a difference in the avalanche length from the case where B = 0. It will also be shown that the average energy of the runaway electrons will decrease while the required electric field to produce runaway electrons increases. This study is also important in understanding the physics of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs). Not only will this work impact relativistic feedback rates determined from simulations, it may also be useful in studying spectroscopy of TGFs observed from balloon and aircraft measurements. These models may also be used in determining beaming properties of TGFs originating in the tropical regions seen from orbiting spacecraft.
Neutrality, autonomy, and power

This paper critically examines Alan Patten’s theory of neutrality of treatment. It argues that the theory assumes an inadequate conception of personal autonomy, which undermines its plausibility. However, I suggest that the theory can resolve the problem by developing and reinterpreting its conception of autonomy and introducing an additional strategy for addressing the power imbalances that result from the market-based interactions between individuals and their conceptions of the good.
Estimation of Performance Metrics at Signalized Intersections Using Loop Detector Data and Probe Travel Times

This paper introduces a simple but practical approach that uses both loop detector data and probe travel times for computing the vehicle hours traveled (VHT), average delay, and level of service (LOS) for signalized intersections. The goal is to improve upon the state-of-the-practice method outlined in the highway capacity manual (HCM) by incorporating additional travel time measurements from probe vehicles or vehicle re-identification systems. The proposed methodology is designed to work under a variety of traffic conditions, including states of congestion in which the HCM methodology is not reliable. Our analysis is then tested using simulation of an arterial site in Arcadia, CA, USA. The results suggest that the proposed methodology performs better at the approach level than at the lane group level. Population size and probe penetration rate are two key parameters in the estimation. Either a large population size or a high penetration rate is required in order to produce reliable estimates of VHT, delay, and LOS. Results also show that the proposed methodology only requires 7% of the penetration rate to outperform the HCM methodology.
Conserved DNA motifs in the type II-A CRISPR leader region

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated (CRISPR-Cas) systems consist of RNA-protein complexes that provide bacteria and archaea with sequence-specific immunity against bacteriophages, plasmids, and other mobile genetic elements. Bacteria and archaea become immune to phage or plasmid infections by inserting short pieces of the intruder DNA (spacer) site-specifically into the leader-repeat junction in a process called adaptation. Previous studies have shown that parts of the leader region, especially the 3' end of the leader, are indispensable for adaptation. However, a comprehensive analysis of leader ends remains absent. Here, we have analyzed the leader, repeat, and Cas proteins from 167 type II-A CRISPR loci. Our results indicate two distinct conserved DNA motifs at the 3' leader end: ATTTGAG (noted previously in the CRISPR1 locus of Streptococcus thermophilus DGCC7710) and a newly defined CTRCGAG, associated with the CRISPR3 locus of S. thermophilus DGCC7710. A third group with a very short CG DNA conservation at the 3' leader end is observed mostly in lactobacilli. Analysis of the repeats and Cas proteins revealed clustering of these CRISPR components that mirrors the leader motif clustering, in agreement with the coevolution of CRISPR-Cas components. Based on our analysis of the type II-A CRISPR loci, we implicate leader end sequences that could confer site-specificity for the adaptation-machinery in the different subsets of type II-A CRISPR loci.
The Missing Link: HIV, Corrections, and Public Health

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses a report in the journal which deals with the steps that need to be taken in order to improve coordination between public health and corrections in Kings County and Seattle, Washington, and it mentions ex-prisoners living with HIV/AIDS.
Electronic medical record alert improves HCV testing for baby boomers in primary care setting: adults born during 1945–1965

Method This project aims to implement the HCV birth cohort screening guidelines over a 9-month period in the primary care setting at the University of Kansas Health System General Internal Medicine Division.The project team measured the number of patients in the baby boomer population who received a one-time screen for HCV. An electronic medical record (EMR) intervention was implemented to identify baby boomers who did not have an HCV screening or diagnosis. Additionally, education was provided to all primary care providers in the clinic to increase awareness of the HCV birth cohort screening. Results The quality improvement methods increased the percentage of baby boomers who obtained a one-time screening test for HCV from a baseline of 30% to a 55% screening rate during the nine-month project period. Conclusion Identifying the HCV screening needs and creating a visual reminder in the EMR can be used to facilitate sustainable awareness and improvement of screening rates. The project team recognizes that continued work is required to close the HCV screening care gaps in the primary care setting.
Attentional ShapeContextNet for Point Cloud Recognition

We tackle the problem of point cloud recognition. Unlike previous approaches where a point cloud is either converted into a volume/image or represented independently in a permutation-invariant set, we develop a new representation by adopting the concept of shape context as the building block in our network design. The resulting model, called ShapeContextNet, consists of a hierarchy with modules not relying on a fixed grid while still enjoying properties similar to those in convolutional neural networks - being able to capture and propagate the object part information. In addition, we find inspiration from self-attention based models to include a simple yet effective contextual modeling mechanism - making the contextual region selection, the feature aggregation, and the feature transformation process fully automatic. ShapeContextNet is an end-to-end model that can be applied to the general point cloud classification and segmentation problems. We observe competitive results on a number of benchmark datasets.
Evaluation of magnetic ion exchange resin (MIEX®) and alum treatment for formation of disinfection by-products and bacterial regrowth

Four treatment options: (a) alum coagulation without pH adjustment; (b) alum coagulation at pH 6; (c) magnetic ion-exchange (MIEX®*) resin; and (d) combined alum/MIEX® treatment, were used to compare the removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and treated water quality, particularly the formation of disinfection by-products and bacterial regrowth potential. Improved DOC removal was achieved with the inclusion of MIEX® treatment in the process. The DOC remaining after each treatment strategy was different in character. The molecular weight distribution results indicated that MIEX® treatment removed a broad range of compounds, whilst alum treatment targetted the removal of high molecular weight compounds. In addition, the DOC remaining after MIEX® treatment consisted of compounds with lower specific UV absorbance (SUVA). Including MIEX® in the treatment stream provided better DOC and bromide removal thus reducing chlorine decay and trihalomethane (THM) formation. The ability of the water to support bacterial growth as measured by bacterial regrowth potential (BRP) was the lowest after MIEX® treatment (option c) compared with the three other treatments (options a, b and d). In summary, laboratory tests show that including MIEX® in the treatment process can improve treated water quality. (*MIEX® is a registered trademark of Orica Australia Pty Ltd)
Subcortical Atrophy Predicts Motor Response in Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease Patients with Pallidal (GPi) but not Subthalamic (STN) Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) (P4.060)

Objective: To determine whether peri-operative subcortical atrophy predicts post-operative motor response to deep brain stimulation (DBS) in bilateral globus pallidus interna (GPi) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) in idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Background: Patient selection criteria for DBS implantation is vital to optimizing response to therapy. It has been our clinical observation that idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients with profound subcortical atrophy do not respond well to deep brain stimulation in the 6 month post-operative period. Few studies examined the relationship between peri-operative cerebral atrophy and post-operative outcomes. Design/Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined medical records and our institution’s DBS database to establish correlations among indices of subcortical volumetry, disease duration and age and several post-operative outcome measures. The Unified Parksinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III motor score quotient (dUPDRS), levodopa equivalent daily dosage (LEDD), and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) mobility scores were examined. Bicaudate ratio, Evan’s Index, and third ventricular width values were obtained from peri-operative MR axial T1 SPGR sequences. Linear regression models established correlations between pre-operative variables and post-operative outcomes. Results: Age correlated positively with all indices of atrophy in a statistically significant fashion (n = 60, p 0.05). Post-operative LEDD and PDQ-39 scores did not correlate with atrophy. Conclusions: Peri-operative age, bicaudate ratio, Evan’s index, and third ventricular width can predict, within a margin of error, motor responsiveness in the 6-month post-operative period of patients receiving bilateral GPi DBS, but not STN DBS, suggesting a greater effect of age and atrophy on GPi stimulation. Future studies should establish relationships in terms of imaging-guided subcortical volumetry of individual subcortical structures. Study Supported by: Dignity Health Institutional Review Board (IRB) Disclosure: Dr. Hamed has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ponce has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moguel-Cobos has nothing to disclose.
When Is It Appropriate to Put a Live Donor at Risk to Help Another Patient

This article considers the nature and scope of ethical decision making in monozygotic sibling (MZS) skin grafting. Although rare, identical twin-to-twin skin grafting has been reported with excellent survival rates in burn patients. Of 16 cases published to date, only a few address the ethical decision making process that is involved with monozygotic sibling skin grafting; this article discusses clinical indications and ethical challenges.
The Reformation Revisited: The Romantic Via Media from Barbauld to Wordsworth

The innovative study of “religious politics” in Romantic studies enabled by Robert Ryan’s The Romantic Reformation (1997) has itself called into question the standard linear model of Romanticism as...
The MNC-Coalition Paradox: Issue Salience, Foreign Firms and the General Data Protection Regulation

While the EU takes on an increasingly global regulatory role, we have only a limited understanding of how or when foreign firms influence EU regulation. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have many of the power resources that determine lobbying success. We argue, however, that high salience blunts foreign corporate power. High salience generates legitimacy concerns for EU institutions, creating a political opportunity structure that favours pluralistic participation. Civil society can point to the instrumental power of foreign firms as a means to contaminate business interests, amplifying consumer voices in the process. We label this the MNC‐Coalition paradox. We investigate the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation to assess our argument, as the revelations made public by Edward Snowden created an exogenous shock in salience. Highlighting the presence of MNCs – such as Google and Facebook – in the lobbying process allowed civil society leaders to delegitimize business preferences and bolster consumer protection. In addition to the theoretical contribution, our evidence sheds light on the policy process behind legislation that will shape fundamental civil liberties and privacy rights not only for Europeans but globally.
Aging and the End Times: Evangelical Eschatology and Experiences of Elderhood in the United States and South Africa

Recent trends in aging studies and popular U.S. discourse reformulate elderhood as a valuable, not necessarily negative, experience, and these new models of aging have extended to a consideration of religious practices that can make old age particularly meaningful. Among evangelical Christians, a shared cosmological (and specifically eschatological) narrative structure provides solace and semiotic coherence in the face of challenges characteristic of the “third” and “fourth age.” What remains less clear is the interplay between transnational religious forces like evangelical ideology and local social contexts in which they are enacted, a process illuminated only through cross-cultural comparison. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Kentucky and in South Africa, I argue that rather than viewing evangelical rhetoric as narrowly determinative, anthropologists ought to broaden common understandings of Christians’ end-times ideology as something that may, contingent on socio-historical context, alternatively help older congregants cope with the physical effects of aging or allow for reconciliation amid rapid societal change. U.S. evangelical churches often address existential concerns faced by a growing population of elders while downplaying the significance of race, yet white South African Christians employ a similar religious cosmology to place their actions during the apartheid era in a symbolically legible narrative. Both settings indicate the malleability of evangelical ideas to foreground certain concerns while erasing others, challenging assumptions about the uniform effects of global evangelicalism.
Coccidioidomycosis: Epidemiology, Fungal Pathogenesis, and Therapeutic Development

Coccidioidomycosis can result from the inhalation of infectious spores of Coccidioides species (spp.) immitis or posadasii. Clinical manifestations range from mild flu-like disease to severe disseminated infection that can require life-long therapy. Burden of this mycosis is high in the southwest region of the USA where it is well characterized, and in many areas of Mexico and Latin America where it is inadequately characterized. Here, we provide historical data and current knowledge on Coccidioides spp. pathogenesis as well as recent progress in therapeutic and vaccine development against coccidioidomycosis. The virulence mechanisms of Coccidioides spp. are largely unknown; however, production and regulation of a spherule glycoprotein, ammonium production, and melanization have all been proposed as integral factors in Coccidioides spp.’ pathogenesis. Therapeutic options are limited and not 100% effective, but individualized treatment with triazoles or amphotericin B over the course of pulmonary or disseminated infection can be effective in resolution of coccidioidomycosis. Human immunization has not been achieved but efforts are ongoing. Advances in therapeutic and vaccine development are imperative for the prevention and treatment of coccidioidomycosis, especially for those individuals at risk either living or traveling to or from endemic areas.
Geodesics of minimal length in the set of probability measures on graphs

We endow the set of probability measures on a weighted graph with a Monge–Kantorovich metric induced by a function defined on the set of edges. The graph is assumed to have n vertices and so the boundary of the probability simplex is an affine (n − 2)-chain. Characterizing the geodesics of minimal length which may intersect the boundary is a challenge we overcome even when the endpoints of the geodesics do not share the same connected components. It is our hope that this work will be a preamble to the theory of mean field games on graphs.