cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Price of airline frequency competition

Competition based on service frequency influences capacity decisions in airline markets and has important implications for airline profitability and airport congestion. The market share of a competing airline is a function of its frequency share. This relationship is pivotal for understanding the impacts of frequency competition on airport congestion and on the airline business in general. Additionally, airport congestion is closely related to several aspects of runway, taxiway, and airborne safety. Based on the most popular form of the relationship between market share and frequency share, we propose a game-theoretic model of frequency competition. We characterize the conditions for Nash equilibrium’s existence and uniqueness for the two-player case. We analyze myopic learning dynamics for the non-equilibrium situations and prove their convergence to Nash equilibrium under mild conditions. For the N-player symmetric game, we characterize all the pure strategy equilibria and identify the worst-case equilibrium, i.e., the equilibrium with maximum total cost. We provide a measure of the congestion level, based on the concept of price of anarchy and investigate its dependence on game parameters.
Predicting Markov Chain Order in Genomic Sequences

Genomic sequences display characteristic features at various scales ranging from oligonucleotide frequencies to large organizational units such as genes. The generation of such a sequence, defined as a string over the alphabet SigmaDNA={A C, T, G}, can be approximated by a formal machine, a Markov chain having strings as states, whose parameters lend unique characteristics to the sequence. We present a formal mathematical framework that analyzes this approximation in terms of transition probabilities of words at various scales. Within this framework, we present an algorithm that estimates the order of the Markov chain of order omega hypothesized to have generated a sequence S at hand. Consider the probability of transition from string alpha to string gamma both of length omega, computed using both order w and order omega-1 Markov chains. The expected difference of the two probabilities thus obtained, is zero, and demonstrates a sharp positive transition for values of omega between omega and omega+1. Both mathematical and experimental results are obtained that explain the general behavior of the algorithm.
Designing FET's for broad noise circles

It is shown that the keys to broader noise circles are a lower minimum noise figure and a small optimum generator reflector coefficient. An optimum FET width for the smallest generator reflection coefficient and the broadest noise circles has been demonstrated with 0.25 mu m MODFETs. A FET of optimum width also has the lowest noise figure with a 50 Omega generator. An expression is derived showing that the optimum gate width is inversely proportional to frequency, and that the optimum width should be a weak function of gate length for FETs optimally scaled for gate length. >
Factors Predicting the Use of Technology: Findings From the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE)

The successful adoption of technology is becoming increasingly important to functional independence. The present article reports findings from the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) on the use of technology among communitydwelling adults. The sample included 1,204 individuals ranging in age from 18–91 years. All participants completed a battery that included measures of demographic characteristics, self-rated health, experience with technology, attitudes toward computers, and component cognitive abilities. Findings indicate that the older adults were less likely than younger adults to use technology in general, computers, and the World Wide Web. The results also indicate that computer anxiety, fluid intelligence, and crystallized intelligence were important predictors of the use of technology. The relationship between age and adoption of technology was mediated by cognitive abilities, computer self-efficacy, and computer anxiety. These findings are discussed in terms of training strategies to promote technology adoption.
Data mining and clinical data repositories: Insights from a 667,000 patient data set

Abstract Clinical repositories containing large amounts of biological, clinical, and administrative data are increasingly becoming available as health care systems integrate patient information for research and utilization objectives. To investigate the potential value of searching these databases for novel insights, we applied a new data mining approach, HealthMiner ® , to a large cohort of 667,000 inpatient and outpatient digital records from an academic medical system. HealthMiner ® approaches knowledge discovery using three unsupervised methods: CliniMiner ® , Predictive Analysis, and Pattern Discovery. The initial results from this study suggest that these approaches have the potential to expand research capabilities through identification of potentially novel clinical disease associations.
Strongyloides-Infected Patients at Charleston Area Medical Center, West Virginia, 1997–1998

Twenty Strongyloides-infected patients were diagnosed at West Virginia's Charleston Area Medical Center in 1997 and 1998. We recommend that strongyloidiasis, which can be fatal, be a reportable disease in West Virginia.
Environmental Biotechnology Issues in the Federal Government

In 1995, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), a cabinet-level council chaired by the President of the United States, released two major reports that focussed on environmental technologies. One. report prepared by the Environmental Technology Working Group (ETWG) described those environmental technologies that had been identified by the NSTC as the bridge to a sustainable future (ETWG, 1995). The Biotechnology Research Subcommittee (BRS) addressed biotechnology research in the second report, outlining opportunities for federal investments in four areas: (i) agricultural biotechnology, (ii) environmental biotechnology, (iii) manufacturing and bioprocessing, including energy research, and (iv) marine biotechnology and aquaculture (BRS, 1995). The environmental technologies discussed in both reports were cited for their potential to create high-quality, high-paying jobs, while improving and sustaining the environment in the United States (BRS, 1995; ETWG, 1995).
Will the Eastern Mediterranean Region be the first to prevent all of folic acid-preventable spina bifida and anencephaly?

[No Abstract Available] Saudi Med J 2016; Vol. 37 (1): 10-11 doi: 10.15537/smj.2016.1.13550 How to cite this article: Oakley GP Jr, Kancherla V. Will the Eastern Mediterranean Region be the first to prevent all of folic acid-preventable spina bifida and anencephaly? Saudi Med J 2016; 37: 10-11.
Technology Survey to Support Revision to the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Work Plan for the 200­-SW­-2 Operable Unit at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site

A survey of technologies was conducted to provide information for a Data Quality Objectives process being conducted to support revision of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Work Plan for the 200-SW-2 Operable Unit. The technology survey considered remediation and characterization technologies. This effort was conducted to address, in part, comments on the previous version of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Work Plan for the 200-SW-2 Operable Unit as documented in 200­SW­1 and 200­SW­2 Collaborative Workshops―Agreement, Completion Matrix, and Supporting Documentation. By providing a thorough survey of remediation and characterization options, this report is intended to enable the subsequent data quality objectives and work plan revision processes to consider the full range of potential alternatives for planning of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study activities.
The Influence of Regulatory Focus on Global Consumption Orientation and Preference for Global Versus Local Consumer Culture Positioning

AbstractFirms increasingly employ global and local consumer culture positioning strategies (GCCP/LCCP), but understanding of the drivers that underlie consumer responses to such strategies is limited, leaving firms with little guidance on when to choose one strategy over another. To shed light on consumer preference for GCCP versus LCCP, the authors examine the effects of regulatory focus (promotion and prevention orientation) and global consumption orientation (GCO) on preference for GCCP/LCCP. They report the results of three studies: the first is based on a survey with samples drawn from the United States and China, and the second and third are behavioral designs manipulating situational promotion and prevention regulatory focus. The findings suggest that promotion focus is positively related to GCO and prevention focus is negatively related to GCO. Furthermore, the authors find that GCO is positively related to a preference for GCCP. Thus, this research offers a unique perspective by introducing regul...
The antibiotic resistance of MRSA: Teaching natural selection with literacy development for English learners

ABSTRACTThe Antibiotic Resistance of MRSA is a multi-day activity that exemplifies how science teachers in mainstream high school biology (grade 9–12) classrooms with English learners (ELs) can facilitate students' sense-making of evolution by natural selection through contextualized, real-world issues while simultaneously helping students develop disciplinary literacy. The activity is theoretically grounded in the SSTELLA Framework—which promotes four interrelated science teaching practices shown to leverage learning opportunities for all students, but particularly ELs: contextualized activity, scientific sense-making, scientific discourse, and language and literacy development. Throughout the activity, students develop their own model of how “superbugs” such as Methicillin Resistance Staphylococcus aureus (or MRSA) became so prevalent, which they eventually turn into an evidence-based explanation. The activity aligns with both Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards for English...
Rheumatoid disease and related arthropathies: I. Systemic findings, medical therapy, and peripheral joint surgery

Rheumatoid arthritis and related arthropathies may produce a wide, confusing range of problems affecting the temporomandibular joint and ultimately the lower face. In order to understand the evolution of therapy for TMJ and facial problems, a general update of overall disease characteristics, current medical therapy, and peripheral joint surgery is presented. This background is integrated into a rationale for treatment of rheumatoid problems affecting the mandible.
Analysis of a nonlinear torsional coupling having dynamic links—II

Summary In Part I3, the equations of motion were derived for a power-transmission system incorporating a new typo of torsional coupling, and exact solutions were given for system performance under steady-running and transient conditions. In the present part, an approximate solution is obtained for the system performance under steady-state forced oscillation, and various design considerations involved in the selection of system parameters are discussed. Because of the multiplo interactions of the displacements, velocities and accelerations representing the two degrees of freedom, an exact solution for the forced oscillations would appear to be quite difficult to obtain. Therefore, the system is linearized by neglecting products of the displacements and their derivatives. The frequency determinant, resonant frequency and load-displacement amplitude are determined. The results are presented in terms of a coefficient, a minimum value of which represents a minimum output oscillation amplitude per unit mean torque-carrying capacity for a given input-torque amplitude, driver and load inertia, and mean rotational velocity. The results of the analyses of steady-running, transient and forced-oscillation performance are applied to the determination of optimum proportions of the coupling elements for some typical applications.
Ion microscopy evidence that La3+ releases Ca2+ from Golgi complex in LLC-PK1 cells

The effect of La3+ on LLC-PK1 cells was investigated by ion microscopy, a mass spectrometry-based technique with a spatial resolution of approximately 0.5 micron. Cells were incubated with LaCl3 for 10 min. (1 mM) or 30 min (0.1 mM), and intracellular calcium distributions were measured with a Cameca IMS-3f ion microscope in cryogenically prepared cells. Compared with control cells, La3+ reduced total calcium in the Golgi complex by > 100 microM in both treatments, whereas other cellular regions, such as the nucleus and cytoplasm, remained largely unchanged. These two treatments were repeated on cells that were preincubated with 1 mM ouabain. The presence of ouabain in the medium increased the loss of calcium from the Golgi by about fourfold compared with the treatments without ouabain. The La3+ effect, therefore, was amplified by ouabain-induced Na+ loading, indicating a possible involvement of a Na+/La3+ exchanger. La3+ was detected within cells and its influx was facilitated by Na+ loading. These results suggest that La3+ may affect cellular calcium homeostasis by actions other than as a simple Ca2+ antagonist.
A UGT1A1 genotype-guided dosing study of modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) in previously untreated patients (pts) with advanced gastrointestinal malignancies.

427Background: FOLFIRINOX improves survival compared with gemcitabine in advanced pancreatic cancer (PC), but with significant toxicity (Conroy, NEJM 2011). UGT1A1 clears SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan (IRI); UGT1A1*28 polymorphism reduces enzymatic activity and predisposes to severe IRI toxicity. We hypothesized that dosing mFOLFIRINOX based on UGT1A1 genotype would improve tolerability. The primary objective of this study (NCT01643499) was to determine whether genotype-guided dosing of IRI in mFOLFIRINOX is tolerable. A secondary objective was to describe objective response rates (ORR) in PC and biliary tract cancers (BTC). Methods: mFOLFIRINOX was given every 14 days. CT scans were obtained every 8 weeks. UGT1A1 *1/*1, *1/*28, and *28/*28 pts received initial IRI doses of 180, 135, and 90 mg/m2, respectively. 5-FU dose was 2400 mg/m2 over 46 hours (no bolus); leucovorin 400 mg/m2; oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2. In cohort 1 (tolerability cohort by genotype), prophylactic pegfilgrastim was not allowed...
The early history and emergence of molecular functions and modular scale-free network behavior.

The formation of protein structural domains requires that biochemical functions, defined by conserved amino acid sequence motifs, be embedded into a structural scaffold. Here we trace domain history onto a bipartite network of elementary functional loop sequences and domain structures defined at the fold superfamily level of SCOP classification. The resulting ‘elementary functionome’ network and its loop motif and structural domain graph projections create evolutionary ‘waterfalls’ describing the emergence of primordial functions. Waterfalls reveal how ancient loops are shared by domain structures in two initial waves of functional innovation that involve founder ‘p-loop’ and ‘winged helix’ domain structures. They also uncover a dynamics of modular motif embedding in domain structures that is ongoing, which transfers ‘preferential’ cooption properties of ancient loops to emerging domains. Remarkably, we find that the emergence of molecular functions induces hierarchical modularity and power law behavior in network evolution as the network of motifs and structures expand metabolic pathways and translation.
Analysis of the Lightning Temporal and Spatial Distribution Feature in Jiangxi Grid Based on EOF Methods

According to the LLS monitoring data of lightning location system in Jiangxi province from 2012 to 2014, by using empirical orthogonal decomposition method, the characteristics of temporal and spatial distribution of lightning in Jiangxi are studied and analyzed, the corresponding time coefficients of the main features and the vector space are obtained. The results show that, the spatial distribution of recent 3A summer lightning activity are mainly meridional type, and the lightning activity is frequent in southern part and mountain area. Through the analysis of time coefficients corresponding to the feature vector space, it is found that the lightning activity showed a rising trend in Jiangxi for recent 3A summer, There is a strong similar characteristics between time coefficient, it shows that the regional lightning activity has a certain continuity of time and space.
ID: 62: HEMOPHAGOCYTIC LYMPHOHISTIOCYTOSIS CAUSED BY INFECTION BY EHRLICHIA CHAFFEENSIS: A CASE REPORT.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a syndrome of pathologic immune activation which occurs as either a familial disorder or sporadic condition. The diagnosis of HLH requires a presence of five out of eight criteria: fever, splenomegaly, pancytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia and/or hypofibrogenemia, hemophagocytosis in bone marrow, spleen or lymph nodes, low or absent natural killer cell activity, hyperferritinemia, and high level of soluble interleukin-2 receptor. We present a case of HLH triggered by severe infection with Ehrlichia chaffeensis in a patient taking methotrexate for seronegative spondyloarthropathy. A 45-year-old man with a history of ankylosing spondylitis taking methotrexate presented to a community hospital with acute onset of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Physical examination revealed a febrile patient with diffuse abdominal tenderness with splenomegaly and diffuse maculopapular rash involving the trunk and all extremities. Labs showed leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Clinical course was complicated by development of acute renal failure, altered mental status and hypoxic respiratory failure requiring endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Plasmapheresis was initiated due to concern for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura with no response. A bone marrow biopsy was performed which revealed a tri-lineage hematopoiesis with increased number of histiocytes, including hemophagocytic forms. Further lab abnormalities included a hypofibrinogenemia, hyperferritinemia, low complement protein C3 and C4, and hypertriglyceridemia. Patient met diagnostic criteria for HLH and was transferred to our tertiary care hospital for further management. Given concern for tick borne disease, patient was started on doxycycline in addition to previously initiated broad spectrum antibiotics. Serum antibody testing was sent for Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and human Ehrlichiosis. Soluble interleukin-2-receptor alpha was found to be 2-fold increase of normal. Computed tomography of brain, chest, abdomen and pelvis were completed, negative for malignancy. Patient had rapid resolution of fever, rash, pancytopenia, improvement of mental status and respiratory status, with liberation from the ventilator within 48 hrs of treatment with addition of doxycycline. Serologic studies later returned positive with 160-fold increase in Ehrlichia IgG antibody. Ehrlichia Chaffeensis DNA was detected by PCR in the peripheral blood. This case highlights the aggressive nature of the rare diagnosis of HLH. Prompt identification of HLH and initiation of empiric antibiotic treatment is crucial to prevent further systemic damage. Tick-borne disease is often overlooked and should highly be considered in patients in endemic regions.
MUSICAL INFLUENCE NETWORK ANALYSIS AND RANK OF SAMPLE-BASED MUSIC

Computational analysis of musical influence networks and rank of sample-based music is presented with a unique outside examination of the WhoSampled.com dataset. The exemplary dataset maintains a large collection of artist-to-artist relationships of sample-based music, specifying the origins of borrowed or sampled material on a song-by-song basis. Directed song, artist, and musical genre networks are created from the data, allowing the application of social network metrics to quantify various trends and characteristics. In addition, a method of influence rank is proposed, unifying song-level networks to higher-level artist and genre networks via a collapse-and-sum approach. Such metrics are used to help interpret and describe interesting patterns of musical influence in sample-based music suitable for musicological analysis. Empirical results and visualizations are also presented, suggesting that sampled-based influence networks follow a power-law degree distribution; heavy influence of funk, soul, and disco music on modern hip-hop, RB and other musicological results.
The 1,000-km Challenge: Insights and Quantitative and Qualitative Results

On 18 November 2014, a team of four autonomous CoBot robots reached 1,000-km of overall autonomous navigation, as a result of a 1,000-km challenge that the authors had set three years earlier. The authors are frequently asked for the lessons learned, as well as the performance results. In this article, they introduce the challenge and contribute a detailed presentation of technical insights as well as quantitative and qualitative results. They have previously presented the algorithms for the individual technical contributions, namely robot localization, symbiotic robot autonomy, and robot task scheduling. In this article, they present the data collected over the 1,000-km challenge and analyze it to evaluate the accuracy and robustness of the localization algorithms on the CoBots. Furthermore, they present technical insights into the algorithms, which they believe are responsible for the robots' continuous robust performance.
Camouflage: the hunting origins of worlding in Africa

ABSTRACTMuch recent literature has explored the vibrancy of African urban life, and how, despite the pervasive uncertainty, people develop means of operating on the scale of the world (to ‘world’ themselves). To what extent, however, are the exigencies of worlding from Africa determined by urbanity? This article provides comparative material, focusing on worlding in one of the continent’s most remote locales, the northeastern borderlands of the Central African Republic (CAR). Through the case of armed conservation, I show that worlding requires camouflage, a hunting skill that entails learning about your surroundings and orienting yourself so you do not stick out. Surroundings in this sense are not just material/geographic, but also social and regulatory. I argue thus that hunting practices underlie worlding, and that doings in remote spaces, as much as in cities, have been a source of creativity as regards the furtherance of careers across scales.
Mapping marine debris across coastal communities in Belize: developing a baseline for understanding the distribution of litter on beaches using geographic information systems

Monitoring of marine debris (also known as marine litter) is an essential step in the process to eradicate ecological dangers in marine ecosystems caused by humans. This study examines marine debris in the Caribbean country of Belize using geographic information systems (GIS) to develop (1) a detailed data library for use on handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) units and tablets with mobile mapping applications for deployment in the field and (2) a freely available, online mapping portal to share data with Belizeans to encourage future citizen science efforts. Four diverse communities were targeted ranging from larger more populated towns, to smaller villages across central and southern Belize: San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Punta Gorda, and Monkey River. Fieldwork was conducted over 1 month, during which data points were collected in 50-m surveys followed by debris cleanup and removal. Features in our database included material, quantity, item, brand, and condition. Over 6000 pieces of debris were recorded in GIS for further analysis, and 299 gal of debris were removed from the shores of Belize. The most abundant form of debris observed was plastic (commonly bottles) across all locations; plastic comprised 77.6 % of all debris items observed. Through GIS, a detailed snapshot understanding of debris patterns across multiple settings in Belize was documented. Ongoing collaborations with local organizations in Belize have demonstrated significant interest and utility for such GIS approaches in analyzing and managing marine debris. The data, methodology, visual representations, and online mapping platform resulting from this research are a first step in directly supporting local Belizean community advocacy and policy, while contributing to larger institutional strategies for addressing marine debris issues in the Caribbean.
Do Tax Holidays Increase Expectations of Future Tax Holidays: An Examination of Debt Issuances Pre- and Post-AJCA

We examine the relation between a firm’s level of permanently reinvested earnings and its likelihood to issue debt to fund its investments and operations. Pecking order theory predicts that firms will use internal funds over external funds, if internal funds are present. Permanently reinvested earnings are a subset of a firm’s internal funds. Financial accounting rules allow firms to include these foreign earnings on their financial statements as earned without recognizing the associated tax expense. Thus, firms may be inclined to accept the risk associated with debt rather than repatriate funds and bear financial reporting costs.Using the repatriation holiday created under the 2004 American Jobs Creation Act as a partitioning event, we find that a firm’s likelihood to issue debt is significantly influenced by its level of permanently reinvested earnings, but only in the post-AJCA tax holiday period. These results suggest that (1) firms consider tax and financial reporting costs when deciding whether to issue debt or repatriate funds and (2) there is an expectation for future tax holidays on repatriations. Furthermore, the results suggest the predictions of pecking order theory may not strictly hold when financial reporting and tax rules are taken into account.
Should we be treating lower risk myelofibrosis patients with a JAK2 inhibitor

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasm that is associated with debilitating constitutional symptoms, progressive splenomegaly, and cytopenias. Ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor, is currently the only drug approved for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high risk MF. There is rationale and even limited clinical data supporting the use of ruxolitinib in lower risk patients, although this has not yet been validated in a randomized controlled trial.Areas covered: We examine rationale for using ruxolitinib in lower risk MF patients, including survival data from COMFORT-I and COMFORT-II, specific patient populations that may derive clinical benefit, and the future impact of molecular analysis on risk stratification and treatment. Additionally, we consider the potential risks associated with earlier intervention with ruxolitinib therapy.Expert commentary: Although there exists rationale for the use of JAK2 inhibitor therapy in lower ri...
Evolution: Zapping viral RNAs

The discovery that the host defence protein ZAP specifically targets viral RNAs that are rich in a particular pair of adjacent bases — cytosine followed by guanine — sheds light on the evolution of viral RNA genomes. See Letter p.124 Many virus genomes possess lower than expected numbers of 5′-CG-3′ dinucleotides, mimicking the CG suppression of their vertebrate hosts. The reason for this has been unclear, but Paul Bieniasz and colleagues now show that viruses use CG suppression to avoid recognition by the zinc-finger antiviral protein ZAP. They show that CG suppression is essential for HIV-1 replication; otherwise, the virus genome is recognized by ZAP and targeted for degradation.
Verification of method performance for clinical laboratories

Method verification, a one-time process to determine performance characteristics before a test system is utilized for patient testing, is often confused with method validation, establishing the performance of a new diagnostic tool such as an internally developed or modified method. A number of international quality standards (International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)), accreditation agency guidelines (College of American Pathologists (CAP), Joint Commission, U.K. Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA)), and regional laws (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA'88)) exist describing the requirements for method verification and validation. Consumers of marketed test kits should verify method accuracy, precision, analytic measurement range, and the appropriateness of reference intervals to the institution's patient population. More extensive validation may be required for new methods and those manufacturer methods that have been modified by the laboratory, including analytic sensitivity and specificity. This manuscript compares the various recommendations for method verification and discusses the CLSI evaluation protocols (EP) that are available to guide laboratories in performing method verification experiments.
High performance web servers on windows NT design and performance

This research provides two contributions to the study of high-performance Web servers. First, it outlines the optimizations necessary to build efficient and scalable Web servers and illustrates how we applied some of these optimizations to create JAWS, a high-performance Web server that is explicitly designed to alleviate overheads incurred by existing Web servers on high-speed networks. Second, this paper describes how we have customized JAWS to leverage advanced features of Windows NT, such as asynchronous mechanisms for connection establishment and data transfer. Our work includes performance results which characterize the effectiveness of these techniques under increasing server load conditions. We conclude that optimal performance requires adaptive server behavior.
US Army performance appraisal policy analysis: a simulation optimization approach:

An effective performance appraisal system is critical in identifying officers with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead the future military force. The US Army uses a forced distribution per...
ICU Emergencies Simulation Curriculum for Critical Care Fellows: The Difficult Airway.

Introduction Management of airway emergencies is a core skill for critical care fellows. There is no standardized training mechanism for difficult airway management among critical care fellowships,...
The Role of PPAR-δ in Metabolism, Inflammation, and Cancer: Many Characters of a Critical Transcription Factor

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPAR-δ), one of three members of the PPAR group in the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a ligand-activated transcription factor. PPAR-δ regulates important cellular metabolic functions that contribute to maintaining energy balance. PPAR-δ is especially important in regulating fatty acid uptake, transport, and β-oxidation as well as insulin secretion and sensitivity. These salutary PPAR-δ functions in normal cells are thought to protect against metabolic-syndrome-related diseases, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, hepatosteatosis, and atherosclerosis. Given the high clinical burden these diseases pose, highly selective synthetic activating ligands of PPAR-δ were developed as potential preventive/therapeutic agents. Some of these compounds showed some efficacy in clinical trials focused on metabolic-syndrome-related conditions. However, the clinical development of PPAR-δ agonists was halted because various lines of evidence demonstrated that cancer cells upregulated PPAR-δ expression/activity as a defense mechanism against nutritional deprivation and energy stresses, improving their survival and promoting cancer progression. This review discusses the complex relationship between PPAR-δ in health and disease and highlights our current knowledge regarding the different roles that PPAR-δ plays in metabolism, inflammation, and cancer.
Effect of continuous-infusion antibiotic therapy on pulmonary function of patients with cystic fibrosis: A cross-sectional study

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with frequent pulmonary exacerbations which increase the mortality risk. Therefore, most CF patients are chronically colonized with respiratory pathogens, the most common being Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Multidrug-resistant organisms are a major problem in CF patients. It’s been hypothesized that continuous-infusion antipseudomonal beta-lactam therapy in CF maintains serum concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration of susceptible strains and is more likely than intermittent infusion to achieve optimal pharmacodynamic targets for some intermediate and resistant strains of P. aeruginosa . The most extensively studied antibiotic for continuous-infusion protocol in CF is ceftazidime, which has been shown to improve lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity) and to increase pulmonary exacerbation free time. There have been no studies to evaluate the cost effectiveness or impact on quality of life of continuous infusion versus intermittent infusion antibiotic therapy in patients with CF. Our study aims to investigate the effect of continuous-infusion antibiotic therapy on pulmonary function. Methods: Cross sectional study of CF patients who were admitted to our hospital with acute pulmonary exacerbations between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2016 and received parenteral antibiotics. We investigated the effect of use of continuous versus intermittent infusion of intravenous antibiotics on the pulmonary function (FEV1% predicted). Results: Intermittent infusion protocol was found to have a very small advantage over continuous infusion protocol on pulmonary function; however this difference is not statistically significant (p=0.0049). The longer the duration of antibiotics, the slightly better the pulmonary function at the end of the treatment, but the difference was not significant (p=0.2543). Conclusions: Even though we could not draw meaningful conclusions from our data, we would like bring attention to this subject because it carries an important therapeutic value for CF patients.
Invasion of an inconspicuous ambrosia beetle and fungus may affect wood decay in Southeastern North America

Several ambrosia beetles are invasive pests able to attack and kill live trees, but most species established in non-native areas do not cause any documented impact. Here we report the recent invasion and rapid spread of Ambrosiodmus minor and its fungal associate Flavodon subulatus in the Southeastern US. We used a combination of a multi-year survey to document the increase in the beetle vector abundance, a field experiment to demonstrate the impact of the fungus on native mycoflora, data from the literature on F. subulatus competitiveness as a wood degrader, and field observations of wood colonization patterns. In less than ten years, A. minor abundance has increased several orders of magnitude in Florida. Joint colonization of wood by A. minor and F. subulatus results in extensive white rot (lignin removal) by the fungus. The presence of F. subulatus suppresses the diversity of native fungi on experimental logs by a third, and their abundance by more than two thirds. Therefore, the invasion of this symbiosis is impacting the wood decay community, an ecosystem previously considered immune to non-native ambrosia beetles. We suggest monitoring the impact of this invasion on native wood-inhabiting organisms and on biomass degradation in the region.
Rethinking about the dose limiting toxicities (DLTs): They can be equivocal!

3064Background: The primary goal of oncology phase I trials is to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) in a small number of patients. Within the standard design methodology currently employed...
Treatment of scoliosis in osteogenesis imperfecta: Experience at a single institution

Background: Spinal deformities are frequently seen in osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). We investigated contemporary spinal fusion techniques including pedicle screw fixation with or without cement augmentation in OI patients with scoliosis. Materials and Methods: OI patients with posterior-only scoliosis surgery were reviewed retrospectively (2005–2017). Preoperative and postoperative clinical status was compared. The radiographic review included pelvic obliquity, major curve magnitude, coronal balance, apical vertebral translation (AVT), lowest instrumented vertebrae (LIV) tilt angle, proximal and distal junctional angle, T1–S1 distance, and T1-pelvic angle. Results: Sixteen patients were included in the study. The mean age at surgery was 14 years (range, 6–19). The average follow-up period was 80 ± 40 months (range, 24–148). Mean preoperative curve magnitude of 76° ± 19° was significantly larger than the initial (31° ± 16°) and final (32° ± 17°) postoperative curve magnitudes (58% correction; P
DC Bus Utilization Analysis with Bootstrap Based Power Supply

The bootstrap power supply is widely used in the industry to provide a floating power supply for high side switch gate drives due to low cost and small footprint features. However, the high side switch performance is limited by a bootstrap capacitor. In this paper, inverter output voltage utilization is investigated in over-modulation mode for bootstrap. The impact to a motor drive maximum output voltage at different frequencies are studied to understand the bootstrap power supply operation limits. The performance is further studied with extra load for a bootstrap capacitor to simulate the case when bootstrap also provides power to phase sensing circuitry. Theoretical analysis, simulation and experiment results are provided in this paper.
Progressive Optimization of Batched LU Factorization on GPUs

This paper presents a progressive approach for optimizing the batched LU factorization on graphics processing units (GPUs). The paper shows that the reliance on level-3 BLAS routines for performance does not really pay off, and that it is indeed important to pay attention to the memory-bound part of the algorithm, especially when the problem size is very small. In this context, we develop a size-aware multi-level blocking technique that utilizes different granularities for kernel fusion according to the problem size. Our experiments, which are conducted on a Tesla V100 GPU, show that the multi-level blocking technique achieves speedups for single/double precisions that are up to 3.28×/2.69× against the generic LAPACK-style implementation. It is also up to 8.72×/7.2× faster than the cuBLAS library for single and double precisions, respectively. The developed solution is integrated into the open-source MAGMA library.
Author's Reply to “Readers' Responses to ‘MRI Replaces CT for Stroke Evaluation’”

To the Editor, I thank Drs. Carpenter and Zeccola for their thoughtful comments.[1] Although it is clearly not feasible to currently implement MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] scanning for stroke at all institutions, it is still worth striving for as an optimal situation in the future. Many hospitals, both academic and community, have already implemented such an approach, demonstrating that is quite practical with the appropriate personnel and systems in place. In our experience, this only rarely requires interrupting an ongoing exam if the stroke team alerts the MRI technologists as soon as a potential acute stroke is identified. In addition, a stroke protocol MRI can be performed rapidly, particularly with the increased use of 3T scanners. A multimodal study, including diffusion, perfusion, gradient echo imaging, plus MRA [magnetic resonance angiography], can be performed well under 10 minutes. Moreover, this approach actually would lead to a cost savings. Most stroke patients currently receive a CT [computed tomographic] scan in the ED [emergency department] and then eventually an MRI for further stroke evaluation. Performing the MRI in the ED would eliminate the first CT scan altogether. Readers are encouraged to respond to George Lundberg, MD, Editor of MedGenMed, for the editor's eye only or for possible publication via email: ten.epacsdem@grebdnulg
A Quality Initiative to Decrease Time to Antibiotics in Children with Sickle Cell Disease and Fever.

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at increased risk for sepsis secondary to functional asplenia. Timely administration of antibiotics, within 60 minutes of triage, is a national indicator of quality SCD care in the United States. However, there are no reports demonstrating the feasibility of doing so in the outpatient hematology-oncology clinic setting. Local problem At baseline, in our pediatric hematology-oncology outpatient center, just 10% of children with SCD and fever received timely antibiotics. Methods We implemented a process improvement initiative for children with SCD and fever with the aim of ≥90% receiving timely antibiotics. We enacted interventions focused on general clinic processes from check-in to antibiotics and population-specific interventions, including an intravenous access protocol, notification/communication among staff members, and design of an electronic order set. Results The percentage of children receiving timely antibiotics improved from 10% to 77% with successful maintenance following the interventions. Residual delays are due to nonexpeditious order placement and difficult intravenous access. Conclusion Improving the timely administration of antibiotics in the outpatient hematology-oncology clinic setting for children with SCD and fever is possible. Achieving at least 90% timely antibiotics for children with SCD and fever in the outpatient clinic setting will require ongoing efforts at expeditious order placement and intravenous access.
Habits, Wealth and Equity Risk Premium

Abstract We investigate how external habits affect the equity risk premium in an exchange economy with identical agents, except for their initial endowment. Wealth inequality is introduced with a mean-preserving transfer of endowment. We show that, when external habits are present and the absolute risk tolerance of agents is convex (concave), wealth inequality will decrease (increase) the equity risk premium. Furthermore, we find that as external habits increase, the equity risk premium increases (decreases) if agents exhibit convex (concave) absolute risk tolerance.
Gender-Discordant Monochorionic-Diamniotic Twins Both With 45,X/46,X, Idic(Y) Mosaicism and a Novel Deletion Within the TBC1D5 Gene:

The occurrence of monochorionic diamniotic twins with sex discordance is a very rare phenomenon. We present a case of spontaneously conceived gender-discordant monochorionic diamniotic twins born t...
Sulá Batsú: solidarity as a feminist vision of technology

How can solidarity shape technology? We explore the Costa Rican cooperative Sula Batsu's feminist vision on technology, rooted in a politics of life based on care and solidarity with each other, our communities, and our planet.
The Next Generation of JAK Inhibitors: an Update on Fedratinib, Momelotonib, and Pacritinib

Ruxolitinib is the first FDA-approved JAK inhibitor for the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms and is an effective means of controlling symptom burden and improving splenomegaly. However, a majority of patients will develop disease progression with long-term use. Fedratinib, momelotinib, and pacritinib are three newer-generation JAK inhibitors being prospectively evaluated and we will discuss their roles in the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Fedratinib has a role in both JAK-inhibitor naive intermediate-/high-risk myelofibrosis patients and in patients that have previously received ruxolitinib. It has recently received FDA approval for these indications as well. Momelotinib does not appear to have an advantage over ruxolitinib with regards to improving splenomegaly in intermediate-/high-risk JAK-inhibitor naive myelofibrosis. However, increased rates of transfusion independence have been noted with momelotinib. Pacritinib has been studied in myelofibrosis patients with significant baseline anemia and thrombocytopenia; these trials support the use of pacritinib in myelofibrosis patients with significant thrombocytopenia. While ruxolitinib is effective in reducing the symptom burden and splenomegaly of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, a majority of patients will ultimately progress on therapy. Newer-generation JAK inhibitors including fedratinib, momelotinib, and pacritinib are being prospectively evaluated to determine their appropriate roles in the management of myeloproliferative neoplasms. In addition, both combination therapies with JAK inhibitors and novel investigational therapies are being actively explored.
Adoption of Single-Port Robotic Prostatectomy: Two Alternative Strategies.

Objective: To demonstrate two distinct methods for adopting the single-port (SP) robotic surgery system for robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) by two experienced robotic surgeons (J...
On the formation of GW190814

The LIGO-Virgo collaboration recently reported a puzzling event, GW190814, with component masses of 23 and 2.6_⊙. Motivated by the relatively small rate of such a coalescence and the fact that the mass of the secondary is close to the total mass of known binary neutron star (bNS) systems, we propose that GW190814 was a second-generation merger from a hierarchical triple system, i.e., the remnant from the bNS coalescence was able to merge again with the 23 M_⊙ black hole (BH) tertiary. We show that this occurs at a sufficiently high probability provided that the semimajor axis of the outer orbit is less than a few AU at the time of bNS coalescence. It remains to be explored whether the conditions for the formation of such tight triple systems are commonly realized in the Universe, especially in low metallicity (less than 0.1 solar) environments. Our model provides a number of predictions. (1) The spin of the secondary in GW190814-like systems is 0.6 to 0.7. (2) The component mass distribution from a large sample of LIGO sources should have a narrow peak between 2.5 and ~3.5 M_⊙, whereas the range between ~3.5 and ~5 M_⊙ stays empty (provided that stellar evolution does not generate such BHs in the "mass gap"). (3) About 90% (10%) of GW190814-like events have an eccentricity of e ≳ 2 x 10⁻³ (≳0.1) near gravitational wave frequency of 10 mHz. (4) A significant fraction (≳10%) of bNS mergers should have signatures of a massive tertiary at a distance of a few AU in the gravitational waveform. (5) There are 10⁵ undetected radio-quiet bNS systems with a massive BH tertiary in the Milky Way.
Fluctuation-induced interactions and the spin-glass transition in Fe 2 TiO 5

We investigate the spin-glass transition in the strongly frustrated well-known compound ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{TiO}}_{5}$. A remarkable feature of this transition, widely discussed in the literature, is its anisotropic properties: The transition manifests itself in the magnetic susceptibly only along one axis, despite ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+} {d}^{5}$ spins having no orbital component. We demonstrate, using neutron scattering, that below the transition temperature ${T}_{g}=55$ K, ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{TiO}}_{5}$ develops nanoscale surfboard-shaped antiferromagnetic regions in which the ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ spins are aligned perpendicular to the axis which exhibits freezing. We show that the glass transition may result from the freezing of transverse fluctuations of the magnetization of these regions and we develop a mean-field replica theory of such a transition, revealing a type of magnetic van der Waals effect.