cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the Development of Biomimetic Sensors: Immobilizaton of Lipid Bilayers in Layered Ceramics

Artificial membranes possessing physicochemical properties similar to biological membranes have been synthesized by immobilization of synthetic amphiphiles in layered ceramics. The intercalated bilayer-forming amphiphiles exhibit a gallery height of about 39 A. Retention of bilayer-forming characteristics is further confirmed by the presence of a crystal to liquid-crystal phase transition. A dramatic increase in the membrane capacitance at the tansition temperature is attributed to an increase in membrane fluidity.
Dysfunctional proinflammatory high-density lipoproteins confer increased risk of atherosclerosis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Premature atherosclerosis is a major co-morbid condition in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with a 10 to 50-fold increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) (1, 2). Women with SLE also have increased subclinical atherosclerosis, measured by plaque on carotid ultrasound (3, 4) or calcification in coronary arteries (5, 6). Traditional cardiac risk factors explain some of this increase (2, 7), but there is still up to a 10-fold increased risk for MI after controlling for traditional factors (2). Thus, standard measures alone cannot reliably predict which SLE patients are at risk for cardiovascular morbidity. Plasma levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) are inversely related to cardiovascular disease in the general population (8). This relationship is actually quite complex and involves not only quantity but also function of HDL-C (9). Total HDL-C, a group of particles of varying size and content, is anti-inflammatory in the basal state through at least two mechanisms. First, normal HDL prevents oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and thus reduces the ability of oxidized LDL to attract monocytes into arterial tissue, where they form foam cells (10). These antioxidant effects depend in large part on HDL content of apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1) and of the enzyme paraoxonase (PON1) (10). During acute-phase responses, HDL lose this anti-oxidant capacity and can even promote increased oxidation of LDL, thus becoming pro-inflammatory (10-12). Secondly, normal HDL-C mediate reverse cholesterol transport, removing cholesterol from artery walls (10). We hypothesized that the chronic inflammation of SLE may continually promote conversion of HDL-C into a pro-oxidant, and thus pro-inflammatory state, thereby increasing risk for atherosclerosis. Supporting this hypothesis, we previously reported that HDL function is abnormal and pro-inflammatory in 45% of women with SLE, compared to 20% with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 4% of healthy controls. The odds ratio for having piHDL in SLE compared to healthy controls was 19.3 (95% C.I. 4.4 – 85.3). The present study was undertaken to determine if the presence of dysfunctional, pro-oxidant, and pro-inflammatory HDL (piHDL) predicts subclinical atherosclerosis in women with SLE.
"Jiselle and the Royal Jelly": Power, Conflict and Culture in an Interdisciplinary Game Design Course

With the rising popularity of digital games, a growing number of universities are developing programmes in various areas of digital design and interactive media to meet the needs for game-related courses. Faculty of this emerging field are grappling with the complexity of developing curricula which integrate art, design and technology and of finding methods of integrating students from these diverse fields. The purpose of this article is to present a case study of an interdisciplinary undergraduate course in game design and to highlight some of the unforeseen challenges and issues that arose when attempting to integrate diverse students from various art, design and media fields with students from computer science. Specifically, this article addresses issues of (a) power, (b) conflict and (c) gender that arose among students during the development of a student-created game.
Deploying Sanctions while Protecting Human Rights: Are Humanitarian “Smart” Sanctions Effective?

Human rights advocates suggest that traditional trade sanctions do the most damage to innocent populations, while leaving political and economic elites largely unscathed. The result is an ineffective policy that, at its worst, rises to the level of human rights violations. In response, human rights advocates have offered smart sanctions that target elites rather than the general population. However, if smart sanctions are to offer a practical humanitarian alternative for governments, then policymakers must have demonstrated evidence that such sanctions are also more effective. Otherwise, governments are left with an unattractive trade-off between effective sanctions policy and the protection of human rights, and this will likely limit the degree to which smart sanctions become adopted. This article systematically examines the effectiveness of smart sanctions across a large number of varied cases. The statistical results confirm that smart sanctions are more effective than traditional sanctions, undercutti...
Follow-up of outpatient test results: a survey of house-staff practices and perceptions.

Failure to follow up outpatient test results is a potential patient safety concern; however, data about how house-staff physicians follow up on tests are sparse. The authors sought to assess internal medicine house-staff practices and perceptions regarding the follow-up of outpatient tests and identified barriers to timely follow-up. Seventy-five of 111 eligible house staff at a large urban teaching hospital (68%) completed the survey. Seventy-four percent reported they were sometimes unable to follow up on test results, 78% were at least somewhat worried about inadequate follow-up, and 46% stated that they have seen a patient’s medical condition worsen due to a delay in test result follow-up at least a few times a year. Barriers to timely follow-up included lack of a reminder system (40%), difficulty accessing results (24%), too many competing demands on time (27%), and uncertainty about who should follow up on results (16%).
Crowds and Strategies for Avoiding Them in a Densely Settled Region

In this paper, data from interviews with residents of the New York metropolitan area are used to examine the relationship between crowding and the adoption of strategies for avoiding crowds. The analyses reveal major differences between recreational and maintenance activities in the frequency with which participants experience crowding and plan to avoid it. Stage in the life cycle and the population density of the place of residence predict the frequency with which individuals encounter crowded conditions. Plans for avoiding crowds are closely linked with the individual's experience of crowding, especially in recreational activities. The implications of these findings for research and policy are briefly explored.
Expansion of genome coding regions by acquisition of new genes.

As it is the case for non-coding regions, the coding regions of organisms can be expanded or shrunk during evolutionary processes. However, the dynamics of coding regions are expected to be more correlated with functional complexity and diversity than are the dynamics of non-coding regions. Hence, it is interesting to investigate the increase of diversity in coding regions – the origin and evolution of new genes – because this provides a new component to the genetic variation underlying the diversity of living organisms. Here, we examine what is known about the mechanisms responsible for the increase in gene number. Every mechanism affects genomes in a distinct way and to a different extent and it appears that certain organisms favor particular mechanisms. The detail of some interesting gene acquisitions reveals the extreme dynamism of genomes. Finally, we discuss what is known about the fate of new genes and conclude that many of the acquisitions are likely to have been driven by natural selection; they increase functional complexity, diversity, and/or adaptation of species. Despite this, the correlation between complexity of life and gene number is low and closely related species (with very similar life histories) can have very different number of genes. We call this phenomenon the G-value paradox.
Studying mechanisms of cAMP and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase signaling in Leydig cell function with phosphoproteomics

Many cellular processes are modulated by cyclic AMP and nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) regulate this second messenger by catalyzing its breakdown. The major unique function of testicular Leydig cells is to produce testosterone in response to luteinizing hormone (LH). Treatment of Leydig cells with PDE inhibitors increases cAMP levels and the activity of its downstream effector, cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), leading to a series of kinase-dependent signaling and transcription events that ultimately increase testosterone release. We have recently shown that PDE4B and PDE4C as well as PDE8A and PDE8B are expressed in rodent Leydig cells and that combined inhibition of PDE4 and PDE8 leads to dramatically increased steroid biosynthesis. Here we investigated the effect of PDE4 and PDE8 inhibition on the molecular mechanisms of cAMP actions in a mouse MA10 Leydig cell line model with SILAC mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics. We treated MA10 cells either with PDE4 family specific inhibitor (Rolipram) and PDE8 family specific inhibitor (PF-04957325) alone or in combination and quantified the resulting phosphorylation changes at five different time points between 0 and 180min. We identified 28,336 phosphosites from 4837 proteins and observed significant regulation of 749 sites in response to PDE4 and PDE8 inhibitor treatment. Of these, 132 phosphosites were consensus PKA sites. Our data strongly suggest that PDE4 and PDE8 inhibitors synergistically regulate phosphorylation of proteins required for many different cellular processes, including cell cycle progression, lipid and glucose metabolism, transcription, endocytosis and vesicle transport. Our data suggests that cAMP, PDE4 and PDE8 coordinate steroidogenesis by acting on not one rate-limiting step but rather multiple pathways. Moreover, the pools of cAMP controlled by these PDEs also coordinate many other metabolic processes that may be regulated to assure timely and sufficient testosterone secretion in response to LH.
L.J. Rogers: A Contemporary of Ramanujan

The British mathematician L.J. Rogers had talents similar to Ramanujan in the theory of q-hypergeometric series and had discovered and proved the Rogers–Ramanujan identities about two decades before Ramanujan discovered them. In this article the life and mathematical contributions of Rogers are described and the story told of how Ramanujan in England accidentally came across certain papers of Rogers, and the recognition Rogers received after Ramanujan’s rediscovery of his work.
Intelligent Facilities: Applicability and Flexibility of Open BIM Standards for Operations and Maintenance

Up until now, the process of obtaining spatial information for facilities management (FM) has been very laborious and tedious, even with the use of computer-aided facility management tools. The proposed research utilizes BIM based workflow to capture object attributes such that the building data created in a BIM model may be brought seamlessly into Facilities Management system rather than recreated. The proposed system not only imports geometry of walls, doors, windows, columns, and so on, but also retrieves attribute data associated with these objects. Therefore, queries can be executed to obtain - needed information, generate graphical or data-based reports, and identify interesting trends in facilities operations and maintenance for appropriate management. Since the proposed approach is objectbased, the system will automatically calculate or display the area of each space, and add additional information about each space such as occupant information, capacity, type, equipment and so on. Open BIM standards are used to retrieve or store information in a BIM model as that will facilitate the exchange of information between different FM systems. A prototype of the proposed system was developed in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) FM department. The prototype was tested for its applicability and flexibility for the UNCC FM operations and maintenance management.
Ultrasonography of the kidney

Office-based renal sonography provides the urologist with cost-effective and noninvasive means of imaging the upper urinary tract. A majority of transrectal sonography units currently on the market can be easily adapted to transabdominal use by the purchase of one additional transducer. This enables the urologist to rule out hydronephrosis sonographically and to follow patients with known upper-tract disease who have previously undergone radiographic studies. In contrast, the differential diagnosis of upper-tract mass lesions requires a much more advanced level of training and experience. For patients at low risk of developing renal tumor, e.g., patients with BPH, renal ultrasound should replace contrast-enhanced imaging studies.
Shattering Empires: Troubles in Anatolia: imperial insecurities and the transformation of borderland politics

Empires know no necessary or obvious limits to their borders. This boundlessness offers pliability but also breeds insecurity. This held especially true for the Ottoman and Russian empires, whose vast territories were contiguous and whose populations overlapped. Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, Greeks, Tatars, Caucasian Turks, Assyrians, and Cossacks among others inhabited both empires and moved back and forth between them. The imperial states were interpenetrating. They could, and did, project their influence and power beyond formal borders to challenge the authority of the other inside its own territory. The identities, loyalties, and aspirations of their heterogeneous subjects pointed in multiple directions, offering rich opportunities to exploit and creating vulnerabilities to shield. In unstable borderlands, such conditions invite fierce contestation. It should therefore be no surprise that the Ottoman and Russian empires pursued their competition through channels beyond those of formal diplomacy, channels that included espionage and subversion. No less than formal diplomacy, the hidden pursuit of power was sensitive and responsive to the changing nature of the global order in the early twentieth century. The national idea's effect upon the conduct of interstate competition was profound. It altered not merely the rules of interstate interaction, but also the perceptions of bureaucrats and policymakers, changing the very categories that defined their visions of the political world inside as well as outside the boundaries of their states.
Bits Don’t Have Error Bars: Upward Conceptualization and Downward Approximation

How engineering enabled abstraction in computer science. Engineering and computer science are both constructive disciplines: both fields build new artifacts. Computer science has evolved to focus primarily on abstractions: what aspects of a construction can be factored out and used elsewhere and more generically? Engineering has evolved to focus primarily on approximating physical reality: how close does one have to come to the underlying physics so that the construction is successful? The primary reason for this difference is that computer science builds on the foundation of the bit, a physically implemented symbol.
Global attention facilitates the planning, but not execution of goal-directed reaches.

In daily life, humans interact with multiple objects in complex environments. A large body of literature demonstrates that target selection is biased toward recently attended features, such that reaches are faster and trajectory curvature is reduced when target features (i.e., color) are repeated (priming of pop-out). In the real world, however, objects are comprised of several features—some of which may be more suitable for action than others. When fetching a mug from the cupboard, for example, attention not only has to be allocated to the object, but also the handle. To date, no study has investigated the impact of hierarchical feature organization on target selection for action. Here, we employed a color-oddity search task in which targets were Pac-men (i.e., a circle with a triangle cut out) oriented to be either consistent or inconsistent with the percept of a global Kanizsa triangle. We found that reaches were initiated faster when a task-irrelevant illusory figure was present independent of color repetition. Additionally, consistent with priming of pop-out, both reach planning and execution were facilitated when local target colors were repeated, regardless of whether a global figure was present. We also demonstrated that figures defined by illusory, but not real contours, afforded an early target selection benefit. In sum, these findings suggest that when local targets are perceptually grouped to form an illusory surface, attention quickly spreads across the global figure and facilitates the early stage of reach planning, but not execution. In contrast, local color priming is evident throughout goal-directed reaching.
The politics of a publishing event: the Marchand milieu and The life and spirit of Spinoza of 1719

The 1719 edition of La Vie et l’Esprit de Mr Benoit de Spinosa was a significant event in the history of the press. It brought out in print a heretical and subversive text that had hitherto circulated only in clandestine manuscript. It was one of the most accessible of such texts, since it was short, clear, and direct, and did not hide its message behind massive erudition nor disguise it in scholarly polemics. It contained the first French translation of significant sections of Hobbes’s Leviathan and of Spinoza’s Ethics, and provided a materialist interpretation thereof.1 Its publication was a test of the limits of the free press in the Netherlands.
Pathophysiology and Potential Non-Pharmacologic Treatments of Obesity or Kidney Disease Associated Refractory Hypertension

The review assesses the role of non-pharmacologic therapy for obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD) associated refractory hypertension (rf HTN). Hypertensive patients with markedly heightened sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity are prone to develop refractory hypertension (rfHTN). Patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated HTN have particularly heightened SNS activity and are at high risk of rfHTN. The role of bariatric surgery is increasingly recognized in treatment of obesity. Current evidence advocates for a greater role of bariatric surgery in the management of obesity-associated HTN. In contrast, renal denervation does not appear have a role in the management of obesity or CKD-associated HTN. The role of baroreflex activation as adjunctive anti-hypertensive therapy remains to be defined.
Educating Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners: The Need for Continued Advocacy

ABSTRACTRecent political, fiscal, and educational equity challenges require a renewed emphasis in our efforts to advocate for increased culturally and linguistically responsive education, making certain to further advance the accomplishments of the past four decades. The education of diverse exceptional learners is well established within the fields of special education and culturally and linguistically diverse education. However, drawing on several contemporary features that currently shape education in today’s schools, the authors examine the need for continued special education advocacy to ensure appropriate referral, assessment, and instruction of all culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE) learners within the changing pre-K-postsecondary teaching and learning environments. Implications and recommendations for educator preparation at the pre and inservice levels are provided to guide the future development of teachers of CLDE learners.
Local Labor Market Condition and Influenza Vaccination

Influenza vaccination is a cost-effective preventive service, but its utilization rate is below the recommended level. Many studies have explored possible predictors and causes for low vaccination rates. Despite a large volume of studies in this area, there is limited research on how local economic conditions can affect individual influenza vaccination. This study explores this topic by merging the 2008–2012 individual-level data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) with the Area Health Resources Files (AHRF), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). Using county-level unemployment rates as a measurement of local economic conditions, we used multivariate probit models to examine its relationship with individual flu vaccination while controlling for individual socioeconomic and demographic factors and contextual characteristics. We found that county-level unemployment rates were significantly and negatively associated with individual influenza vaccination, especially for people who were employed or living in metropolitan counties. Our results support public health interventions to improve flu vaccination during economic recessions.
Predictive Transform, Part I: Signal Coding and Modeling

Abstract The formulation of linear minimum mean square error (MSE) predictive transform (PT) coding is extended to the case where the encoded signal is generated by a controlled source and the predictive section of the coder has a nonlinear structure. The extended formulation is appealing for two fundamental reasons. First, it generally yields higher data compression than that achievable with linear minimum MSE PT coding. Secondly, the decoder of the PT coder is a whitening PT model of the source whose output we wish to encode and control. Hence the PT decoder is ideally suited for integration with control techniques that require a whitening model for the controlled source such as linear quadratic gaussian (LQG) control.
Neurobiology: A bitter–sweet symphony

Information about taste sensations, such as bitter or sweet, is relayed from the mouse tongue to the brain through taste-specific pathways. It emerges that semaphorin proteins guide the wiring of these pathways. See Letter p.330 Taste cells experience a very rapid turnover, having life spans of only 5 to 20 days, but it is not yet known how the constantly replenishing taste cells re-establish appropriate connections with their respective ganglion neurons. Here, Charles Zuker and colleagues reveal that taste receptor cells make connections with neurons representing the same taste quality based on the different axon guidance molecules expressed by each taste receptor cell type. To demonstrate this molecular logic, the authors forced a sweet taste receptor cell to establish a connection with a bitter taste quality neuron simply through the ectopic expression of the bitter guidance molecule in the sweet taste receptor cell. These findings provide insights into how the gustatory system remains organized and specific despite experiencing cell turnover on such a large scale.
Differentiation of dendritic cells in cultures of rat and mouse bone marrow cells.

Although dendritic cells originate from bone marrow, 1,2,3,4 they are not detectable in fresh preparations of bone marrow cells.5 We previously developed an in vitro system in which dendritic cells are produced when rat bone marrow cells are cultured for 4-5 days.6 We recently established an in vitro bone marrow culture system for mouse that enables us to use the greater number of recombinant cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, cell lines, and reagents available for this species. Similar results have been obtained in both species. This paper summarizes the major findings.
Analytic modeling of nonlinear current conduction in access regions of III-Nitride HEMTs

The transconductance degradation caused by the non-linear resistance of access regions in III-nitride high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) is mainly responsible for limiting the RF linearity of the transistor. In this paper, we use Landauer’s transmission theory to develop an analytic electrothermal current-voltage (I-V) model of access regions in III-nitride HEMTs. With only 12 parameters, most of which have a physical origin and can be obtained through experimental calibration, the model is able to correctly predict the I-V behavior in access regions from the drift-diffusive to the quasi-ballistic transport regimes. Model accuracy is demonstrated by comparing the results against experimental and numerical hydrodynamic simulations of ungated transmission line structures with length scales ranging from few 10’s of nanometers to 10’s of micrometers.
Public Health Resilience Checklist for High-Consequence Infectious Diseases-Informed by the Domestic Ebola Response in the United States.

Context The experiences of communities that responded to confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease in the United States provide a rare opportunity for collective learning to improve resilience to future high-consequence infectious disease events. Design Key informant interviews (n = 73) were conducted between February and November 2016 with individuals who participated in Ebola virus disease planning or response in Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; New York, New York; or Omaha, Nebraska; or had direct knowledge of response activities. Participants represented health care; local, state, and federal public health; law; local and state emergency management; academia; local and national media; individuals affected by the response; and local and state governments. Two focus groups were then conducted in New York and Dallas, and study results were vetted with an expert advisory group. Results Participants focused on a number of important areas to improve public health resilience to high-consequence infectious disease events, including governance and leadership, communication and public trust, quarantine and the law, monitoring programs, environmental decontamination, and waste management. Conclusions Findings provided the basis for an evidence-informed checklist outlining specific actions for public health authorities to take to strengthen public health resilience to future high-consequence infectious disease events.
Temporal genetic differentiation of Cercospora beticola populations in New York Table beet fields

Annual epidemics of Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola, can result in substantial defoliation in table beet fields in New York. High allelic and genotypic diversity have been described within C. beticola populations; however, information on the temporal stability of populations is lacking. C. beticola isolates were obtained from symptomatic leaves in three table beet fields in successive years. Two of the fields were organic mixed-cropping farms and the third was managed conventionally in a broad-acre cropping system. C. beticola isolates (n = 304) were genotyped using 12 microsatellite markers. Genotypic diversity (Simpson's complement index = 0.178 to 0.990), allele frequencies, and indices of differentiation between years varied. Pairwise index of differentiation values ranged from 0.02 to 0.25 for clone-corrected data, and indicated significant genetic differentiation at Farm 2. No multilocus genotype was shared between years. The shift in multilocus genotypes between years questions the role of clonally reproducing primary inoculum. Collectively, these results suggest that a dominant inoculum source for initiating annual CLS epidemics is external to the field of interest. These findings have implications for CLS disease management in conventional and organic table beet production.
Facilitators and barriers to research participation: perspectives of Latinos with type 2 diabetes.

Background:Latinos constitute 17% of the US population and are one of the largest ethnic groups; however, only 7.6% participate in research studies. There is a disproportionately high number of Lat...
Queering Sexual Harassment Law

Franchina v. City of Providence, a recent First Circuit decision involving the sexual harassment of a lesbian firefighter, may be the first judicial opinion of the #MeToo movement. But the opinion also points beyond the #MeToo movement’s dominant conception of sexual harassment. By foregrounding the experience of a lesbian firefighter harassed by her male subordinates, Franchina describes harassment that is sex-based without always being sexualized, thereby supplementing the stories of unwelcome sexual advances and assaults that #MeToo has emphasized. Franchina’s brutal narrative demonstrates, as Vicki Schultz argued twenty years ago, that sexual harassment is motivated not by sexual desire so much as a desire to maintain gender roles. And by showing this, Franchina also illustrates why harassment based on sexual orientation — which similarly arises from and enforces gender stereotypes — constitutes sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII. This Essay is part of the Yale Law Journal Forum's Collection "#MeToo and the Future of Sexual Harassment Law."
Development of astrocytes and their relation to blood vessels in fetal monkey retina.

Purpose To determine the development of astrocytes and their vascular relations in Macaca monkey retina. Methods Sections and wholemounts of retinas from fetal day (Fd) 65 to adult animals were analyzed immunohistochemically to detect glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin. Results Astrocytes appeared first near the optic disc, then subsequently further peripherally, but avoided the fovea. In the nerve fiber layer, round and ovoid cells extended processes parallel to ganglion cell axons. In the ganglion cell layer, ovoid and stellate cells exhibited anisotropic processes or a honeycomb network. The inner lamina of astrocytes developed ahead of the outer lamina, and both reached their final positions before birth. Astrocytes lay more peripherally than did developing blood vessels, and the growing edge of nerve fiber layer vessels lay between the two astrocytic layers. Spindle cells, which may be vascular precursor cells, often aligned along linear astrocytic processes. Occasional spindle-shaped cells containing GFAP or vimentin were identified as immature glia. Astrocytes and blood vessels coincided regionally during development, but astrocyte processes were typically not in register with the meshwork of growing blood vessels. Astrocyte-vessel associations increased during fetal life and postnatally. Conclusions During development, astrocytes display the same bilaminar pattern and morphologies present in adult retina. Astrocytes and blood vessels exhibit a similar regional distribution, but develop in distinct spatial patterns. Vessel investment by astrocytic processes increases during fetal life but is variable at all ages.
Developing a Homegrown Course Management System - Community/course, Action/interaction Management System (CAMS)

This case study describes the development of a course management system. The system was named Community/course Action/interaction Management System (CAMS) to reflect the goal of using it to create a sense of collaboration and community. The iterative, participative development process and the evolution of the system are described in detail.
Alfred North Whitehead and the History of Consciousness

Alfred North Whitehead developed his natural philosophy during the first half of the twentieth century but moved steadily upstream against materialist currents of thought among his contemporaries. He developed his views in tandem with groundbreaking discoveries among early quantum theorists although he interpreted their findings differently. Analyses by his student Eddington showed his theory of gravity resulted in outcomes equivalent to Einstein’s but included a role for superpositions. Although perhaps misunderstood, Whitehead’s ontology has influenced modern quantum mechanical theories of consciousness. Some of his views are strikingly similar to those of Chalmers who framed the ‘hard problem’ of conscious experience in 1995.
Sustainable energy development: The present (2011) situation and possible paths to the future☆

Abstract This invited keynote paper is the most recent among similar reviews published by the author, update to year 2011. In a format similar to that in past reviews, recent estimates and forecasts of the conventional fossil fuel resources and their reserve/production ratio, nuclear power, and renewable energy potential, and energy uses are surveyed. A brief discussion of the status, sustainability (economic, environmental and social impact), and prospects of fossil, nuclear and renewable energy use, and of power generation is presented. Beyond the general review, the paper focuses this year on some of the many important areas that deserve more attention: (1) the recently emerging game-changing developments of postponement of “peak oil”, nuclear power future following the disaster in Japan, and effects of the recent global economy downturn of global sustainability, (2) the potential and impacts of electric cars (3) the often neglected energy status and promising potential of Africa. Some ways to resolve the problem of the availability, cost, and sustainability of energy resources alongside the rapidly rising demand are discussed. The author’s view of the promising energy R&D areas, their potential, foreseen improvements and their time scale, and last year’s trends in government funding are presented.
Electricity Demand Response under Real-Time Pricing: A Multi-armed Bandit Game

Real-time electricity pricing (RTP) for consumers has long been argued to be key to realize the many envisioned benefits of a smart energy grid. However, there has not been a consensus on how to best implement RTP in an organized, competitive wholesale market with active demand participation. Since most of such markets implement a two-settlement system, with day-ahead electricity price forecasts guiding physical transactions in the next day and real-time ex post prices settling any realtime imbalances, it is a natural idea to let consumers respond to the day-ahead prices. We show in this paper through simulation that naive responsive behaviors to the day-ahead price signals can lead to high price volatility, which will increase not only the risk of system instability, but also the financial risks faced by the consumers. To overcome this issue, we propose a game-theoretic framework in which each consumer solves a multi-armed bandit problem; that is, each consumer learns from the history of the game and attempts to minimize the cumulative regrets. We show through simulation that such a framework leads to drastically reduced volatility on real-time prices and much flatter load curves for the entire grid.
Single-Cell RNAseq analysis of infiltrating neoplastic cells at the migrating front of human glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain cancer in adults and is notoriously difficult to treat due to its diffuse nature. We performed single-cell RNAseq on 3589 cells in a cohort of four patients. We obtained cells from the tumor core as well as surrounding peripheral tissue. Our analysis revealed cellular variation in the tumor9s genome and transcriptome. We were able to identify infiltrating neoplastic cells in regions peripheral to the core lesions. Despite the existence of significant heterogeneity among neoplastic cells, we found that infiltrating GBM cells share a consistent gene signature between patients, suggesting a common mechanism of infiltration. Additionally, in investigating the immunological response to the tumors, we found transcriptionally distinct myeloid cell populations residing in the tumor core and the surrounding peritumoral space. Our data provide a detailed dissection of GBM cell types, revealing an abundance of novel information about tumor formation and migration.
Androgen receptor gene expression in primary breast cancer

We studied androgen receptor (AR) gene expression in primary breast cancer (BC) to determine associations with clinical characteristics and outcomes in the I-SPY 1 study. AR was evaluated in I-SPY 1 (n = 149) using expression microarrays. Associations of AR with clinical and tumor features were determined using the Wilcoxon rank sum test (two-level factors) or the Kruskal-Wallis test (multi-level factors). We identified an optimal AR cut-point to maximize recurrence-free survival (RFS) differences between AR biomarker stratified groups, and assessed the association between the AR stratified groups and RFS using the Cox proportional hazard model. Pearson correlations between AR and selected genes were determined in I-SPY 1, METABRIC (n = 1992), and TCGA (n = 817). AR was lower in triple negative BC vs. hormone receptor positive (HR+)/HER2- and HER2+ disease (p age 50 (p = 0.05), and in node negative disease (p = 0.006). Higher AR was associated with better RFS (p = 0.0007), which remained significant after receptor subtype adjustment (p = 0.01). AR correlated with expression of luminal, HER2, and steroid hormone genes. AR expression was related to clinicopathologic features, intrinsic subtype, and correlated with improved outcome.
Decay of Zn 63

The decay of 38.4-min ${\mathrm{Zn}}^{63}$ has been investigated using scintillation and beta spectrometer techniques. 84% of the decays are to the ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{63}$ ground state. Gamma rays having energies of 0.67, 0.96, and 1.42 Mev are present with intensities of 9.0, 6.7, and 0.9% of the ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$ transitions. Low intensity gamma rays (0.2%) were observed at energies of 1.55, 1.83, 2.04, 2.34, 2.55, 2.77, and 3.10 Mev. Coincidence measurements established positron feeding of the ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{63}$ levels at 0.67, 0.96, and 1.42 Mev but no $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidences were observed. Internal conversion coefficients of the 0.67- and 0.96-Mev gamma rays are in agreement with predominantly $M1$ assignments to both transitions. A decay scheme is presented which differs significantly from that previously reported. It is inferred that the spin of ${\mathrm{Zn}}^{63}$ is ${\frac{3}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. $M1$ and $E2$ transition probabilities between the various levels of ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{63}$ and ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{65}$ are discussed in terms of the "center-of-gravity" model for states in these nuclei. Both agreements and disagreements with the model predictions are observed.
The Response of Composite Materials Subjected to Underwater Explosive Loading: Experimental and Computational Studies

The response of composite materials and structures while subjected to highly transient loading in the form of underwater explosions has been studied through advanced experimental methods with corresponding computational simulations. The work conducted over approximately the past decade represents a progression in terms of loading conditions, structural geometries, and the effects of material ageing. The influence of elastomeric coatings has also been examined. Overall the research program was initiated through the study of curved composite plates subjected to far field underwater explosion (UNDEX) loading, and was followed by an investigation of flat plates undergoing near field blast loading. These efforts were followed by a detailed study into the highly complex loadings of cylindrical bodies subjected to near field blast conditions. Most recently, the effects of material ageing due to long term seawater immersion on the shock response of composites was considered. In each individual study, detailed experiments were conducted which subject the composite materials to controlled loading while capturing the response in real time through the use of high speed photography and optical methods. Furthermore, each individual study contains the development of detailed computational models which are shown to capture the complex fluid structure interactions while also accurately simulating the material response and damage characteristics.
Contact potential induced carrier localization in nanometer-thin Cu/Ru, Cu/Co, and Cu/Mo superlattices

In a metallic multilayer structure, interfacial scattering of carriers reduces the electrical conductance, but carrier localization at the interfaces can have equally significant effects. The authors have grown superlattices consisting of nanometer-thin, alternating Cu and transition metal layers (Cu/Ru, Cu/Co, and Cu/Mo) by magnetron sputtering and measured the electrical conductance of the superlattices in situ during the growth. They observed a sharp conductance drop at the start of each transition metal layer and a lower-than-expected conductance with the growth of each Cu layer, neither of which can be explained by carrier scattering mechanisms. They show that this abnormal conductance behavior can be attributed to the movement of Cu free carriers across the interfaces, creating a local dipole potential to equalize the Fermi levels of the Cu and transition metal layers. The measured conductance drop and deficit suggest that on average ∼1 carrier per Cu atom is localized at the Cu/Ru and Cu/Co interfaces, while only ∼0.4 carrier per Cu atom is localized at the Cu/Mo interface.
Alternating unbalanced SSFP for 3D mapping of the human brain

Purpose Measuring the transverse-relaxation rate R 2 ' provides valuable information in quantitative evaluation of tissue microstructure, for example, in terms of oxygenation levels. Here, we propose an alternating unbalanced SSFP pulse sequence for rapid whole-brain 3D R 2 ' mapping. Methods Unlike currently practiced, spin echo-based R 2 ' measurement techniques, the proposed method alternates between SSFP-FID and SSFP-ECHO modes for rapid 3D encoding of transverse relaxation rates expressed as R2 + R 2 ' and R2 - R 2 ' . Z-shimming gradients embedded into multi-echo trains of each SSFP module are designed to achieve relative immunity to large-scale magnetic-field variations (ΔB0 ). Appropriate models for the temporal evolution of the two groups of SSFP signals were constructed with ΔB0 -induced modulations accounted for, leading to ΔB0 -corrected estimation of R2 , R 2 ' , and R 2 ∗ (= R2 + R 2 ' ). Additionally, relative magnetic susceptibility (Δχ) maps were obtained by quantitative susceptibility mapping of the phase data. Numerical simulations were performed to optimize scan parameters, followed by in vivo studies at 3 T in 7 healthy subjects. Measured parameters were evaluated in six brain regions, and subjected to interparameter correlation analysis. Results The resultant maps of R 2 ' and additionally derived R2 , R 2 ∗ , and Δχ all demonstrated the expected contrast across brain territories (eg, deep brain structures versus cortex), with the measured values in good agreement with previous reports. Furthermore, regression analyses yielded strong linear relationships for the transverse relaxation parameters ( R 2 ' , R2 , and R 2 ∗ ) against Δχ. Conclusion Results suggest feasibility of the proposed method as a practical and reliable means for measuring R 2 ' , R2 , R 2 ∗ , and Δχ across the entire brain.
Variations in Risk and Motivations for Substance Use over the Course of Military Service.

Epidemiological data identify risk factors related to substance use among military service members to inform prevention and treatment. Less is known about how motivations and risks for substance us...
ICOS ligand and IL-10 synergize to promote host-microbiota mutualism.

Genome-wide association studies have identified ICOSLG, which encodes the inducible costimulator ligand (ICOSLG or ICOSL) as a susceptibility locus for inflammatory bowel disease. ICOSL has been implicated in the enhancement of pattern recognition receptor signaling in dendritic cells, induction of IL-10 production by CD4 T cells, and the generation of high-affinity antibodies to specific antigens—all of which can potentially explain its involvement in gastrointestinal inflammation. Here, we show that murine ICOSL deficiency results in significant enrichment of IL-10–producing CD4 T cells particularly in the proximal large intestine. Transient depletion of IL-10–producing cells from adult ICOSL-deficient mice induced severe colonic inflammation that was prevented when mice were first treated with metronidazole. ICOSL-deficient mice displayed reduced IgA and IgG antibodies in the colon mucus and impaired serum antibody recognition of microbial antigens, including flagellins derived from mucus-associated bacteria of the Lachnospiraceae family. Confirming the synergy between ICOSL and IL-10, ICOSL deficiency coupled with CD4-specific deletion of the Il10 gene resulted in juvenile onset colitis that was impeded when pups were fostered by ICOSL-sufficient dams. In this setting, we found that both maternally acquired and host-derived antibodies contribute to the life anti-commensal antibody repertoire that mediates this protection in early life. Collectively, our findings reveal a partnership between ICOSL-dependent anti-commensal antibodies and IL-10 in adaptive immune regulation of the microbiota in the large intestine. Furthermore, we identify ICOSL deficiency as an effective platform for exploring the functions of anti-commensal antibodies in host–microbiota mutualism.
Distributed research networks and applications to pragmatic randomized trials

Abstract Large databases may improve study diversity and precision in epidemiologic and clinical studies, and make it feasible to study rare exposures and outcomes. In some circumstances, large single databases may be inadequate, leading to the need for multiple databases to address a study question. When multiple databases are needed, either centralized or distributed research networks (DRNs) can be used. Within the context of pragmatic randomized clinical trials (pRCTs), DRNs can facilitate study enrollment, data collection, analysis, and potentially increase the generalizability of study findings. This chapter provides an overview of DRNs and examples of how such networks are utilized for conducting pRCTs.
Ventricular conduction improvement after pericardial fat reduction triggered by rapid weight loss in subjects with obesity undergoing bariatric surgery.

Abstract Background Obesity is considered a major cardiovascular risk factor. The excess of pericardial fat (PF) in patients with obesity has been associated with a variety of electrocardiographic alterations. In previous studies, we demonstrated that rapid weight loss and bariatric interventions result in decreased PF. Objectives The aim of this study is to report the changes in PF after bariatric surgery and its effect on ventricular conduction. Setting US hospital, academic institution. Methods A linear measurement of PF thickness on computed tomography scans was obtained for 81 patients, as well as a retrospective review of electrocardiographic changes before and after bariatric surgery. We compared the changes in PF thickness and electrocardiographic components before and after procedures. Common demographics and co-morbidities were collected along with lipid profiles preoperative and postoperative. Results A total of 81 patients had electrocardiograms done before and 1 year after bariatric surgery. Females comprised 67.9% (n = 55), and the average age for our population was 55.07 ± 14.17 years. Pericardial fat thickness before surgery was 5.6 ± 1.84 and 4.5 ± 1.62 mm after surgery (P = .0001). Ventricular conduction (QT and QT corrected [QTc] intervals) showed a significant improvement from 438.7 + 29 before to 426.8 + 25.3 after bariatric surgery (P = .006). We found a statistically significant association between the decrease in PF and the decrease in QTc intervals (P = .002). Conclusion Obesity is a risk factor for arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Bariatric surgery and its effect on PF produce an improvement in ventricular conduction, which may reduce the ventricular electrical instability in patients with obesity.