cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlated-Q learning

This paper introduces Correlated-Q (CE-Q) learning, a multiagent Q-learning algorithm based on the correlated equilibrium (CE) solution concept. CE-Q generalizes both Nash-Q and Friend-and-Foe-Q: in general-sum games, the set of correlated equilibria contains the set of Nash equilibria; in constant-sum games, the set of correlated equilibria contains the set of minimax equilibria. This paper describes experiments with four variants of CE-Q, demonstrating empirical convergence to equilibrium policies on a testbed of general-sum Markov games.
Recruitment of lactating women into a randomized dietary intervention: successful strategies and factors promoting enrollment and retention

Abstract Introduction Recruitment and retention of lactating women require unique strategies to prevent high attrition. The purpose of this report is to identify successful recruitment strategies and evaluate demographic and lifestyle characteristics associated with study completion. Methods A randomized, controlled trial was initiated to test the hypothesis that lactating women adhering to a Mediterranean diet will show a significant reduction in anthropometric measurements as compared to lactating women randomized to the USDA's MyPyramid diet for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (control diet). Measurements were collected at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months. Recruitment methods and baseline characteristics of completers and non-completers are described. Results The largest percentage of women, 24.8%, were recruited from a local parenting magazine, 20.9% from Craig's List, 20.2% from local hospitals, and 34.1% from various other sources. At baseline, women (n = 129) were mostly Non-Hispanic (75.2%), average age 29.7 years, BMI averaged 27.2 kg/m 2 , waist:hip ratio 0.84 cm (SD: 0.07), and body fat averaged 30.8%. Approximately 72% were exclusively breastfeeding, a mean 17.5 weeks postpartum, and 69.0% had a college degree. Non-completers were more likely to have supplemented with formula at baseline as compared to completers (P Conclusion Researchers conducting studies with lactating women may consider “exclusive breastfeeding” as a study inclusion criterion to prevent high attrition rates or include additional breastfeeding support to study participants.
Os desafios colocados pela tecnologia à responsabilidade ética

O termo «responsabilidade etica» designa um dos conceitos mais frequentemente utilizados nas discussoes sobre etica cientifica e tecnologica. Normalmente diz-se que os cientistas tem a obrigacao de «conduzir as suas investigacoes de forma responsavel». Os engenheiros profissionais sao responsaveis por zelar pela seguranca e saude publicas e por uma boa concepcao dos produtos, processos e sistemas. Os empresarios tem a responsabilidade de comercializar a ciencia e a tecnologia para o bem publico e o proprio publico e com frequencia chamado a apoiar de forma responsavel essas mesmas ciencia e tecnologia. Os consumidores sao incentivados a tornarem-se utilizadores responsaveis dos produtos cientificos e tecnologicos. Mas o substantivo abstracto «responsabilidade» — em contraste com o adjectivo mais antigo «responsavel» — tem menos de trezentos anos e alcancou o seu estatuto etico e cultural depois de uma diversidade de contextos legais, filosoficos e religiosos, antes de vir a ser aplicado a ciencia e tecnologia.
Computations of drop sizes in pulsating sprays and of liquid-core length in vaporizing sprays

Calcul de la taille des gouttes dans une pulverisation pulsatoire et de la longueur du noyau liquide dans une pulverisation avec vaporisation
High Temperature 256Kbit (32Kbit × 8) HTEEPROM Reliability Testing

Results of reliability and qualification testing are presented for a commercial High Temperature EEPROM (HTEEPROM). This HTEEPROM is specified for operation at 225°C and is the highest temperature rated commercial non-volatile memory available to date. Initial test results (at 250°C) and design details have been previously reported for a prototype 256Kbit (32Kbit × 8) HTEEPROM fabricated using a production high-temperature silicon-on-insulator (SOI) 0.8 micron CMOS process [1]. This paper presents reliability test results for a commercial version developed using knowledge gained from the previously reported HTEEPROM, and fabricated in the same technology. The reliability test results include data retention at 250°C, endurance (write cycling) > 100,000 cycles, parametric and functional test results for 1000 hours of dynamic life test at 250°C, 100 temperature cycles from −65°C to 200°C, ESD, Group D and residual-gas-analysis (RGA) testing. The HTEEPROM is packaged in a 56-pin ceramic pin-grid-array (PGA) p...
Role of thyroid hormone in the pathogenesis of joint disease in mice; effects of radiothyroidectomy and high-fat diets.

In mice of various strains the structure and function of the thyroid gland vary, mice of strain Dba having comparatively active glands and mice of strain C57BL possessing comparatively inactive thyroid glands. In C57BL males, a high-fat diet increased the incidence and advanced the onset of degenerative joint disease, while in Dba males, the fat-enriched diet failed to exert significant effects on the articular structures. It was assumed that differences in thyroid activity might be related to the strains differences in the response to the high-fat diet. The fat-enriched ration was, therefore, fed to adult mice of both strains, after their thyroid glands had been destroyed by injection of I131. Following this treatment, the response of the mice of the two strains was reversed. In the absence of thyroid secretions, C57BL mice became less susceptible than Dba mice, while Dba mice became more susceptible to the injurious effect of the high-fat diet than Dba mice with intact thyroid glands. Radiothyroidectomy also produced characteristic articular chansges, which were different from degenerative joint disease and which were designated "athyroid joint disease". The susceptibility to this lesion likewise varied with the thyroid activity characteristic of the strain. Dba mice showed a high incidence and a severe degree of this disease, while C57BL mice were less frequently affected and showed only low-grade lesions. A fat-enriched diet, in turn, adversely influenced the course of athyroid joint disease in both strains of mice. Thus the thyroid hormone plays a major role in the development of the growing joint and in the maintenance of the adult articular structures under normal conditions, as well as under abnormal conditions. The extent of this influence varies with the degree of thyroid function characteristic of the particular strain of mice or of the individual.
Statin intake is associated with MMP‐1 level in gingival crevicular fluid of patients with periodontitis

BACKGROUND This study was conducted to assess whether statin intake is associated with clinical parameters of periodontitis and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of non-diabetic and diabetic patients. METHODS We first determined the effect of simvastatin on MMP expression in mononuclear cells. We then recruited 117 non-diabetic and diabetic patients, who all had periodontitis and took or did not take statin, and measured periodontal probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), and collected gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) to quantify MMPs. RESULTS The in vitro studies showed that simvastatin potently inhibited the expression of MMP-1, MMP-8, and MMP-9 upregulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and high glucose in mononuclear cells. The patient study showed that, after adjusting for age and smoking status, PPD in diabetic patients on statin was significantly less than that in diabetic patients not on statin. MMP-1 level in GCF of non-diabetic and diabetic patients on statin was lower than that of non-diabetic and diabetic patients not on statin, respectively. No difference was found for MMP-8 and -9 levels in GCF. CONCLUSION Statin intake is associated with reduced PPD in diabetic patients and MMP-1 level in GCF in either non-diabetic or diabetic patients.
Contemporary Management of Vesicoureteral Reflux

The past 30 years have seen broad changes in the diagnosis and management of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Recently, a clinical debate has generated an open discussion in academic circles. New evidence has shifted treatment patterns away from widespread surgical management and recently brought into question some pharmacologic treatments. VUR is usually not hazardous by itself but is a significant risk factor for urinary tract infection (UTI) and less commonly, renal scarring and insufficiency. Given the costs and morbidity of UTI as well as the potential for significant renal injury, our approach remains conservative. Careful follow-up, parental education about pathophysiology and management of VUR and UTI, and management of bowel and bladder dysfunction (BBD) when present, are the foundation of treatment. Additionally, though we recognize the limitation of continuous antibiotic prophylaxis (CAP), we believe the benefits outweigh the risks and costs for many patients. Careful observation can be considered in patients with a single medical home, parental understanding of what UTI signs and symptoms are, low grade VUR, no history of complicated UTIs and close follow-up. Surgical management remains a relevant option for select patients who fail conservative measures with breakthrough UTIs or failure to resolve. Minimally invasive surgical options are available with acceptable outcomes though open ureteroneocystostomy still carries the highest success rate.
Intramolecular insight into adsorbate-substrate interactions via low-temperature, ultrahigh-vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) provides chemical information for adsorbates with nanoscale spatial resolution, single-molecule sensitivity, and, when combined with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), Angstrom-scale topographic resolution. Performing TERS under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions allows pristine and atomically smooth surfaces to be maintained, while liquid He cooling minimizes surface diffusion of adsorbates across the solid surface, allowing direct STM imaging. Low-temperature TER (LT-TER) spectra differ from room-temperature TER (RT-TER), RT surface-enhanced Raman (SER), and LT-SER spectra because the vibrational lines are narrowed and shifted, revealing additional chemical information about adsorbate-substrate interactions. As an example, we present LT-TER spectra for the rhodamine 6G (R6G)/Ag(111) system that exhibit such unique spectral shifts. The high spectral resolution of LT-TERS provides intramolecular insight in that the shifted modes are associated with the ethylamine moiety of R6G. LT-TERS is a promising approach for unraveling the intricacies of adsorbate-substrate interactions that are inaccessible by other means.
The perceptual effects of learning object categories that predict perceptual goals.

In classic category learning studies, subjects typically learn to assign items to one of two categories, with no further distinction between how items on each side of the category boundary should be treated. In real life, however, we often learn categories that dictate further processing goals, for instance with objects in only one category requiring further individuation. Using methods from category learning and perceptual expertise, we studied the perceptual consequences of experience with objects in tasks that rely on attention to different dimensions in different parts of the space. In two experiments, subjects first learned to categorize complex objects from a single morphspace into two categories based on one morph dimension, and then learned to perform a different task, either naming or a local feature judgment, for each of the two categories. A same-different discrimination test before and after each training measured sensitivity to feature dimensions of the space. After initial categorization, sensitivity increased along the category-diagnostic dimension. After task association, sensitivity increased more for the category that was named, especially along the non-diagnostic dimension. The results demonstrate that local attentional weights, associated with individual exemplars as a function of task requirements, can have lasting effects on perceptual representations.
Automorphisms of the Complex Numbers

(1966). Automorphisms of the Complex Numbers. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 135-141.
Natural ionization orbitals for interpreting electron detachment processes

A compact orbital representation of ionization processes is described utilizing the difference of calculated one-particle density matrices. Natural orbital analysis involving this difference density matrix simplifies interpretation of electronic detachment processes and allows differentiation between one-electron transitions and shake-up/shake-off transitions, in which one-electron processes are accompanied by excitation of a second electron into the virtual orbital space.
CLS to higher education administrator: the right place--right time.

OBJECTIVES: To document the career paths of women clinical laboratory scientists who have transitioned from employment in a full service clinical laboratory to the higher education arena and who have administrative positions at the dean9s level, including assistant and associate dean positions. METHODS: A multi-site case study design was selected for this qualitative research involving a purposive sample of eight research participants. Data collection was guided by ten open-ended questions in seven face-to-face and one telephone semi-formal interviews. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The purposive sample included women who held a current higher education administrative position at the dean9s level, including associate and assistant dean positions, in a university setting. These women also possessed a background in clinical laboratory science. The participants were located in eight higher education institutions in Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Experience as a clinical laboratory scientist, experience as faculty, experience as a higher education administrator, description of career path. RESULTS: The participants of this qualitative study selected clinical laboratory science as their area of formal education through various means. Through no intentional action on their part, all of these women became faculty members in clinical laboratory education programs. By exhibiting the necessary knowledge and skills, these faculty members were selected to move into higher education administrator positions. The participants indicated their career paths were determined by “being in the right place at the right time” versus pre-determined career goals. CONCLUSION: Participants in this study indicated having a background in clinical laboratory science enhanced their ability to obtain a position as a higher education administrator. ABBREVIATIONS:CLS=Clinical laboratory science; CLS/MT=Clinical laboratory scientist/medical technologist; CLT/MLT=Clinical laboratory technician/medical laboratory technician; CLE=Clinical laboratory education.
An Evaluation of the Impact of Supervision Intensity, Supervisor Qualifications, and Caseload on Outcomes in the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Ample research has shown the benefits of intensive applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD); research that investigates the role of treatment supervision, however, is limited. The present study examined the relationship between mastery of learning objectives and supervision hours, supervisor credentials, years of experience, and caseload in a large sample of children with ASD (N = 638). These data were retrieved from a large archival database of children with ASD receiving community-based ABA services. When analyzed together via a multiple linear regression, supervision hours and treatment hours accounted for only slightly more of the observed variance (r 2 = 0.34) than treatment hours alone (r 2 = 0.32), indicating that increased supervision hours do not dramatically increase the number of mastered learning objectives. In additional regression analyses, supervisor credentials were found to have a significant impact on the number of mastered learning objectives, wherein those receiving supervision from a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) mastered significantly more learning objectives. Likewise, the years of experience as a clinical supervisor showed a small but significant impact on the mastery of learning objectives. A supervisor’s caseload, however, was not a significant predictor of the number of learning objectives mastered. These findings provide guidance for best practice recommendations.
Improving Spoken Language Outcomes for Children With Hearing Loss: Data-driven Instruction.

Objective:To assess the effects of data-driven instruction (DDI) on spoken language outcomes of children with cochlear implants and hearing aids.Study Design:Retrospective, matched-pairs comparison of post-treatment speech/language data of children who did and did not receive DDI.Setting:Private, sp
Initial development of a multigene omics-based exposure biomarker for pyrethroid pesticides

Abstract Omics technologies have long since promised to address a number of long standing issues related to environmental regulation. Despite considerable resource investment, there are few examples where these tools have been adopted by the regulatory community, which is in part due to a focus of most studies on discovery rather than assay development. The current work describes the initial development of an omics based assay using 48 h Pimephales promelas (FHM) larvae for identifying aquatic exposures to pyrethroid pesticides. Larval FHM were exposed to seven concentrations of each of four pyrethroids (permethrin, cypermethrin, esfenvalerate and bifenthrin) in order to establish dose response curves. Then, in three separate identical experiments, FHM were exposed to a single equitoxic concentration of each pyrethroid, corresponding to 33% of the calculated LC50. All exposures were separated by weeks and all materials were either cleaned or replaced between runs in an attempt to maintain independence among exposure experiments. Gene expression classifiers were developed using the random forest algorithm for each exposure and evaluated first by cross-validation using hold out organisms from the same exposure experiment and then against test sets of each pyrethroid from separate exposure experiments. Bifenthrin exposed organisms generated the highest quality classifier, demonstrating an empirical Area Under the Curve (eAUC) of 0.97 when tested against bifenthrin exposed organisms from other exposure experiments and 0.91 against organisms exposed to any of the pyrethroids. An eAUC of 1.0 represents perfect classification with no false positives or negatives. Additionally, the bifenthrin classifier was able to successfully classify organisms from all other pyrethroid exposures at multiple concentrations, suggesting a potential utility for detecting cumulative exposures. Considerable run-to-run variability was observed both in exposure concentrations and molecular responses of exposed fish across exposure experiments. The application of a calibration step in analysis successfully corrected this, resulting in a significantly improved classifier. Classifier evaluation suggested the importance of considering a number of aspects of experimental design when developing an expression based tool for general use in ecological monitoring and risk assessment, such as the inclusion of multiple experimental runs and high replicate numbers.
Active Combination Therapy of Bortezomib (Velcade) and Ibritumomab Tiuxetan (Zevalin) in an In Vivo Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Model.

Abstract Chemotherapy-resistant diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) pose an unresolved clinical problem and most patients die of their disease within months. The goal of this study was to test a novel, non-chemotherapy containing regimen for Non Hodgkin's lymphomas, including DLBCL, by combining the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS-341, VELCADE®) with radio-immunotherapy using ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin™). Previously, we have shown that the combination of bortezomib and rituximab is an active and at least additive regimen in an in vitro and in vivo DLBCL model. These data supported an ongoing clinical trial using this combination in patients with low grade NHL. In addition, Pervan et al. identified the proteasome as a novel, sensitive target for ionizing radiation (Mol Cancer Res. 2005 (7):381–90), providing further rationale for this combination study. The combination treatment was evaluated in vivo in a SCID diffuse large B-cell lymphoma model. Bortezomib treatment did not alter the CD20 expression levels of SUDHL-16 cells in vitro. MMT assays showed an additive effect of bortezomib and gamma radiation on SUDHL-16 cell proliferation. In preliminary experiments, we identified the maximal tolerated dose of ibritumomab tiuxetan in our mouse model as 50 μCi/mouse. 2x106 SUDHL-16 cells injected s.q. in the flank resulted in local tumor growth within 4 weeks. When tumors became palpable, animals were stratified in 4 different treatment groups of 12 mice each. Mice received i.v. injections of either diluent, single agent bortezomib, single agent ibritumomab tiuxetan, or the combination of both. Ibritumomab tiuxetan was injected once i.v. at a dose of 20 μCi /mouse. Bortezomib was given i.v. as single dose of 0.01 mg/mouse. The combined treatment group received i.v. bortezomib as a radio-sensitizer 3 hrs prior to the injection of ibritumomab tiuxetan. All treatment schedules delayed tumor growth compared with controls. After 16 days of treatment, bortezomib reduced tumor progression by 52%, ibritumomab tiuxetan by 69%, and the combination treatment by 91%. Selected mice were sacrificed at day two and their tumors studied for potential immediate therapeutic effects. The Y90 content of tumors and normal tissues was measured and demonstrated targeting of Y90 to the xenograft. The tumors of the control and treatment groups did not differ by microscopic morphological appearance. In situ Tunel assays did not reveal increased apoptosis at treatment day two. In summary, bortezomib as a radio-sensitizer in combination with ibritumomab tiuxetan is an active and at least additive regimen in an in vivo DLBCL model.
An oil-free compact x-pinch plasma radiation source: Design and radiation performance

This work briefly presents a novel, compact, and portable x-pinch radiation source developed and tested at Idaho State University. The salient features of our x-pinch radiation source are its simplicity, compactness, and portability: there is no oil, no water, and no SF6. It can be easily relocated to any place where a compact x-pinch radiation source is wanted. Despite its simplicity, it generates a very fast and bright radiation pulses comparable to other x-pinch drivers. Measurements indicate that 2- to 6-ns wide XRD signals were reproducibly formed in the 190-ns to 250-ns time window after the current start from 2×30-μm Mo x pinches. Source size measurements indicate that this radiation originates from a small, 12-μm in diameter dense plasma, known as a “hot spot”.
Innovation in times of uncertainty

Purpose This paper (published in two consecutive issues of On the Horizon) aims to contextualize research on games for learning by describing the current drivers of innovation in learning technologies situated within broader trends in open educational publishing. Design/methodology/approach The paper begins with an overview of changes, driven largely by technology in educational technology and publishing. Using massively open online courseware as an example, it describes how these factors are aligning to challenge the status quo. Next, it provides a brief discussion of changes in higher education more generally, including changes in education as a marketplace, reductions to state funding for education and changes in the research enterprise, particularly the rapid growth of the scientific enterprise and leveling off of federal support. Findings The paper pivots to describe the most recent chapter of over 15 years of work within the Games + Learning + Society (GLS) Center, which has sought to create innovative models of learning, innovative models for funding and conducting research in light of these challenges, and innovative ways of engaging the public. Practical implications The assumption driving GLS (and this paper) is that rather than wait for these changes to happen to us, educational technologists can help drive the future by creating it. A good way to get the kinds of learning systems we want is to go about creating them and seeing what works. During this time, GLS developed and released over a dozen game-based learning titles, raised US$10,000,000s in grants and contracts, graduated over 30 doctoral students and post docs, spun out multiple companies, created materials in use by 10,000s (or more) students across the world, and helped build a nascent field of games and learning. Originality/value The paper pivots to describe the most recent chapter of over 15 years of work within the GLS Center, which has sought to create innovative models of learning, innovative models for funding and conducting research in light of these challenges and innovative ways of engaging the public.
Gut bacteria modulate dendritic cell priming of diabetogenic T cell effector functions in a mouse model of autoimmune diabetes

Increasing evidence implicates a contribution of the microbiome, within the gastrointestinal tract, in the initiation and progression of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Notably, our understanding of mechanisms whereby gut flora interaction with the host immune system can influence T1D pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Comparison of stool samples from the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of spontaneous T1D and non-obese resistant (NOR) mice revealed distinct bacterial flora communities present within the two strains correlated to a Th17 bias. Given that dendritic cells (DC) are critical in sampling luminal antigens and priming naive T lymphocyte effector functions, we next interrogated the populations of CD11c+ DC within the lamina propria (LP) of NOD and NOR mice. Phenotypic characterization of LP DC revealed that NOR mice possessed more mature DC denoted by a higher frequency of CD11c+ MHCII+ cells and CD103+ CD86+ cells. We have previously shown that the oral administration of a gut bacterium Lactobaccillus johnsonii (LjN6.2), present in diabetes resistant rodents, was capable of conferring diabetes resistance to diabetes prone rodents while another strain Lactobacillus reuterii (LrTD1) had no effect. Notably, T1D resistance was correlated to a Th17 bias. Hence, we sought to investigate the influence of LjN6.2 on NOD and NOR DC in comparison to LrTD1 in vitro. We found that LjN6.2, but not LrTD1 mediated an increase in IL6 and IL10 cytokine production by DC. Together, these data suggest that gut bacteria have the important ability to shape the maturation and priming abilities of DC. These results could have critical implications regarding the ability of bacterial flora to regulate the generation of a diabetogenic immune repertoire.
Reducing Intimate Partner Violence Among Latinas Through the Moms’ Empowerment Program: an Efficacy Trial

Although intimate partner violence (IPV) is a particularly prevalent public health concern among Latina populations, the evidence-based treatment options for Latinas who experience IPV are limited. The present study tested the efficacy of the Moms’ Empowerment Program (MEP), an intervention for Spanish-speaking Latina mothers who had recently experienced IPV. Participants (N = 95) were assigned to a Treatment (n = 55) or a waitlist Control (n = 40) condition, and those in the Treatment group completed a 10-week intervention designed to address the problems associated with IPV. Intent-to-treat analyses using multiple regression revealed that Latinas’ participation in the MEP was associated with reductions in IPV exposure. These findings provide preliminary evidence that the MEP may reduce exposure to physical violence among Spanish-speaking Latinas.
Image enhancement method for digital mammography

Purpose: To evaluate in clinical use a practical iterative deconvolution method to enhance contrast and image resolution in digital breast tomosynthesis. A novel rapidly converging, iterative deconvolution algorithm for improving the quantitative accuracy of previously reconstructed breast images by commercial breast tomosynthesis system is demonstrated. Materials and Methods: The method was tested on phantoms and clinical breast imaging data. Data acquisition was performed on a commercial Hologic Selenia Dimensions digital breast tomosynthesis system. The method was applied to patient breast images previously processed with Hologic Selenia conventional and C-View software to determine improvements in resolution and contrast to noise ratio. Results: In all of the phantom and patients’ breast studies the post-processed images proved to have higher resolution and contrast as compared with images reconstructed by Hologic methods. In general, the values of CNR reached a plateau at around 8 iterations with an average improvement factor of about 1.8 for processed Hologic Selenia images. Improvements in image resolution after the application of the method are also demonstrated. Conclusions: A rapidly converging, iterative deconvolution algorithm with a novel resolution subsets-based approach that operates on patient DICOM images has been used for quantitative improvement in digital breast tomosynthesis. The method can be applied to clinical breast images to improve image quality to diagnostically acceptable levels and will be crucial in order to facilitate diagnosis of tumor progression at the earliest stages. The method can be considered as an extended blind deblurring (or Richardson-Lucy like) algorithm with multiple resolution levels
Biclustering by sparse canonical correlation analysis

Developing appropriate computational tools to distill biological insights from large-scale gene expression data has been an important part of systems biology. Considering that gene relationships may change or only exist in a subset of collected samples, biclustering that involves clustering both genes and samples has become increasingly important, especially when the samples are pooled from a wide range of experimental conditions. In this paper, we introduce a new biclustering algorithm to find subsets of genomic expression features (EFs) (e.g., genes, isoforms, exon inclusion) that show strong “group interactions” under certain subsets of samples. Group interactions are defined by strong partial correlations, or equivalently, conditional dependencies between EFs after removing the influences of a set of other functionally related EFs. Our new biclustering method, named SCCA-BC, extends an existing method for group interaction inference, which is based on sparse canonical correlation analysis (SCCA) coupled with repeated random partitioning of the gene expression data set. SCCA-BC gives sensible results on real data sets and outperforms most existing methods in simulations. Software is available at https://github.com/pimentel/scca-bc. SCCA-BC seems to work in numerous conditions and the results seem promising for future extensions. SCCA-BC has the ability to find different types of bicluster patterns, and it is especially advantageous in identifying a bicluster whose elements share the same progressive and multivariate normal distribution with a dense covariance matrix.
Obstacles to Addressing Race and Ethnicity in the Mathematics Education Literature

This Research Commentary builds on a 2-stage literature review to argue that there are 4 obstacles to making a sociopolitical turn in mathematics education that would allow researchers to talk about race and ethnicity in ways that take both identity and power seriously. The obstacles discussed are (a) the marginalization of discussions of race and ethnicity; (b) the reiteration of race and ethnicity as independent variables; (c) absence of race and ethnicity from mathematics education research; and (d) the minimizing of discussions of race and ethnicity, even within equity-oriented work.
The Effects of Micromixing on Combustion Extinction Limits for Micro Combustor Applications

A preliminary estimation of combustion characteristics in micro combustors is performed with the Perfectly Stirred Reactor model. This model allows us to qualitatively assess the range of stable combustion, as well as the extinction limits for different fuels, inlet temperatures, equivalence ratios and heat loss rates. Linked to low turbulence rates, the weak mixing effects on chemistry are studied with the Partially Stirred Reactor model. Two micromixing models (Vulis and Interaction by Exchange with the Mean) are compared and the crucial influence of mixing at molecular scale on combustion extinction limits is pointed out. Then, practical cases with estimated operating conditions are tested and results are discussed.
Anthracyclines and Anthracenediones

Daunorubicin was the first anthracycline isolated, a natural product isolated from the actinobacteria Streptomyces peucetius. It was identified in 1963 by both Italian and French groups [7, 38]. The Italian group focused on natural product analogues, and isolated doxorubicin from the S. peucetius caesius variant, and the French group produced semi-synthetic derivates [6]. Although a vast number of analogues were synthesized after these initial discoveries, only two other anthracyclines ever made it to market in most western countries and Japan, idarubicin and epirubicin. Several liposomal formulations have also been marketed.
Tumor targeting cetuximab conjugated europium microspheres for Cherenkov excited luminescence scanned imaging (Conference Presentation)

Cherenkov emission, which is generated during radiation therapy, can be utilized for imaging that is synergistic with radiation therapy. Cherenkov light can be utilized to excite phosphors, which then can be imaged utilizing Cherenkov excited luminescence scanned imaging (CELSI). Europium chelate microspheres, which exhibit bright luminescence with long luminescent lifetime, were appended with multiple copies of cetuximab. This will allow for selective imaging of EGFR overexpressing tumors during the course of radiation therapy via CELSI. We have characterized the functionality of the cetuximab loaded microspheres in vitro via ELISA, as well as via fluorescence microscopy in EGFR overexpressing A431 cells. These microspheres were intravenously injected into athymic nude mice bearing A431 flank tumors and allowed to incubate for a series of time points. They were then imaged first via standard fluorescence imaging to determine the ideal time point for visualizing tumors via CELSI. After demonstrating selective accumulation in tumors, imaging was then undertaken in vivo via CELSI. These antibody conjugated europium microspheres provide promise to image tumors selectively with CELSI. Future studies involve conjugating other antibodies to the europium microspheres to utilize in CELSI.
Trends in Hazards and the Role of Climate Change

This chapter reviews how climate change may affect natural hazards in the future, stressing the heterogeneity in its effect on hazard depending on the type of hazard (e.g., heavy rainfall vs. snow storm) and the region of the world. It concludes that the recent growth in disaster economic losses is overwhelmingly due to socioeconomic trends, but that climate change will play an increasing role over time. Analyses suggest that climate change can increase dramatically natural risks in some contexts, especially where protections have been designed for a stable climate and may quickly become ill-adapted to new conditions. More than average losses, the increase in the likelihood of the more intense hazards is a serious reason for concern.
Promoting Community and Political Engagement Through Undergraduate Educational Practices: The Role of Identity Formation

AbstractRelational Developmental Systems (RDS) provided an integrative framework to examine how college students’ intrapersonal attributes, particularly sense of identity in transactions with different educational experiences, were related with self-reported community and political engagement and other intrapersonal dimensions. Students who participated in service learning and community service had more hours of public service, higher valuation of prosocial commitment and political activity, and higher levels of empathy than controls. The added value of integrating these educational experiences with a multi-faceted approach to ethics was reflected in even higher prosocial commitment and empathy scores, and a positive relationship with political activity. Students’ sense of identity was associated with their valuation of prosocial commitment and political activity and level of empathy. These findings provided support for the value of providing educational experiences that motivate students to seek opportun...
How Communicating Features can Help Pedestrian Safety in the Presence of Self-Driving Vehicles: Virtual Reality Experiment

Virtual reality (VR) has proven to be a useful tool for conducting human factors research in interface design. With the development and promotion of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, researchers are focusing on designing different types of interfaces to induce trust in road users toward this new technology. In this article, VR is used to investigate pedestrians’ understanding of proposed designs for external features on AVs. We are also interested in investigating how the presence of an operator inside the vehicle influences pedestrians’ preference for features. VR headset tracking, survey-based responses, and video-recorded body movements are used to collect data on pedestrian responses to three operator statuses and seven feature types. Pedestrians prefer both “walk” in text and verbal message saying safe to cross as clear and comforting features on an AV. They perceive the distracted operator condition as to be an inconvenient situation even for the AV equipped with visual or audible features. Older people find the features more helpful and people with higher innovativeness rate the feature ideas with higher ratings.
Abnormal Visual Function Outside the Area of Atrophy Defined by Short-Wavelength Fundus Autofluorescence in Stargardt Disease.

Purpose To examine the extent of visual function abnormality outside the dark lesion on short-wavelength fundus autofluorescence (SW-AF), and its correlation with background SW-AF features and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1). Methods Forty-nine eyes of 25 participants in the ProgStar (the Natural History of the Progression of Atrophy Secondary to Stargardt Disease) study at our center were included. Patients underwent microperimetry (both threshold and dense scotoma mapping), OCT, SW-AF, and visual acuity testing. The Fisher's exact test, the χ2 test, and unpaired t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results Of 40 eyes without central fixation, 33 (82%) placed fixation remote (most ≥5°) from the dense scotoma edge, despite good intervening retinal sensitivity. OCT findings accounted for the remote fixation in 75%. Eighteen (37%) of all 49 eyes had dense scotoma extending past the dark lesion border. OCT was not adequate to define the edge of the scotoma. Of the 49 eyes, 28 (57%) had the mottled background pattern, 10 (20%) had the uniform pattern, and 11 (22%) had the other pattern, with >75% of eyes in each pattern having remote fixation. The dense scotoma exceeded the dark lesion primarily in the mottled pattern. The two eyes of each patient were concordant in all features. Conclusions Functional abnormalities in STGD1 extend past the SW-AF dark lesion. The disruption of the ellipsoid zone shows that photoreceptor abnormality extends peripheral to the dark lesion, and it explains in part the remote fixation pattern and the dense scotoma exceeding the dark lesion. This has implications for clinical trials for STGD1.
The Epidemiology and Management of Pediatric Maxillary Fractures.

BACKGROUND Most literature regarding traumatic Le Fort or maxillary fractures exists in the adult population, with limited information regarding the epidemiology and management of pediatric fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fracture mechanism, surgical management, and associated injuries in pediatric patients with Le Fort fractures. METHODS A retrospective chart analysis of all pediatric patients age ≤18 years diagnosed with facial fractures at a single level 1 trauma center over a 10-year period (January 2006-December 2015) was performed. Demographics, fracture location, mechanism of injury, and hospital course were abstracted as well as associated injuries and need for operative management. RESULTS A total of 1274 patients met inclusion criteria. Sixty-nine (5.4%) presented with Le Fort fractures. Factors associated with Le Fort fractures included motor vehicle collisions (P < 0.001), increased age (P < 0.001), and traumatic brain injury (P < 0.04). Patients with Le Fort fractures were more likely to need intensive care unit admission (P < 0.001), surgical management (P < 0.001), transfusions (P < 0.001), secondary fixation surgery (P < 0.001), and have a longer length of stay (P < 0.001). Multivariate showed increased odds for increased age (OR 1.1; 95%CI 1.04-1.17) and concomitant orbit fractures (OR 8.33; 95%CI 4.08-19.34). Decreased odds were associated for all mechanisms of injury other than motor vehicle collisions (Other blunt trauma: OR 0.36; 95%CI 0.2-0.6. Penetrating trauma: OR 0.13; 95%CI 0.01-0.6). CONCLUSION Maxillary or Le Fort fractures represent a small portion of pediatric facial fractures but require high rates of operative management. The high velocity required to create this fracture type is associated with significant traumatic comorbidities, which can complicate the hospital course.
Inferential Network Analysis

This unique textbook provides an introduction to statistical inference with network data. The authors present a self-contained derivation and mathematical formulation of methods, review examples, and real-world applications, as well as provide data and code in the R environment that can be customised. Inferential network analysis transcends fields, and examples from across the social sciences are discussed (from management to electoral politics), which can be adapted and applied to a panorama of research. From scholars to undergraduates, spanning the social, mathematical, computational and physical sciences, readers will be introduced to inferential network models and their extensions. The exponential random graph model and latent space network model are paid particular attention and, fundamentally, the reader is given the tools to independently conduct their own analyses.
Abundances and Physical Conditions in the Interstellar Gas toward HD 192639

We present a study of the abundances and physical conditions in the interstellar gas toward the heavily reddened star HD 192639 [E(B-V) = 0.64], based on analysis of Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra covering the range from 912 to 1361 A. This work constitutes a survey of the analyses that can be performed to study the interstellar gas by combining data from different instruments. Low-velocity (-18 to -8 km s-1) components are seen primarily for various neutral and singly ionized species such as C I, O I, S I, Mg II, Cl I, Cl II, Mn II, Fe II, and Cu II. Numerous lines of H2 are present in the FUSE spectra, with a kinetic temperature for the lowest rotational levels T01 = 90 ± 10 K. Analysis of the C I fine-structure excitation implies an average local density of hydrogen nH = 16 ± 3 cm-3. The average electron density, derived from five neutral/first ion pairs under the assumption of photoionization equilibrium, is ne = 0.11 ± 0.02 cm-3. The relatively complex component structure seen in high-resolution spectra of K I and Na I, the relatively low average density, and the measured depletions all suggest that the line of sight contains a number of diffuse clouds, rather than a single dense, translucent cloud. Comparisons of the fractions of Cl in Cl I and of hydrogen in molecular form suggest a higher molecular fraction, in the region(s) where H2 is present, than that derived considering the average line of sight. In general, such comparisons may allow the identification and characterization of translucent portions of such complex lines of sight. The combined data also show high-velocity components near -80 km s-1 for various species that appear to be predominantly ionized and may be due to a radiative shock. A brief overview of the conditions in this gas will be given.
Assessment of Catheter Ablation or Antiarrhythmic Drugs for First-line Therapy of Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Importance Early rhythm control of atrial fibrillation (AF) with either antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) or catheter ablation has been reported to improve cardiovascular outcomes compared with usual care; however, the optimal therapeutic modality to achieve early rhythm control is unclear. Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of AF ablation as first-line therapy when compared with AADs in patients with paroxysmal AF. Data Sources PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, and various major scientific conference sessions from January 1, 2000, through November 23, 2020. Study Selection Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) published in English that had at least 12 months of follow-up and compared clinical outcomes of ablation vs AADs as first-line therapy in adults with AF. The quality of individual studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Six RCTs met inclusion criteria, including 1212 patients. Data Extraction and Synthesis Two investigators independently extracted data. Reporting was performed in compliance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) guidelines. Analysis was performed using a random-effects model with the Mantel-Haenszel method, and results are presented as 95% CIs. Main Outcomes and Measures Main outcomes were safety and efficacy of AF ablation as first-line therapy when compared with AADs. Trials were evaluated as having low risk of selection and attrition biases, high risk of performance bias, and with unclear risk for detection biases due to unblinding and open-label designs. Results A total of 6 RCTs involving 1212 patients with AF were included (609 were randomized to AF ablation and 603 to drug therapy; mean [SD] age, 56 [11] years). Compared with AADs, catheter ablation use was associated with reductions in recurrent atrial arrhythmia (32.3% vs 53%; risk ratio [RR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.51-0.74; P < .001; I2 = 40%), with a number needed to treat with ablation to prevent 1 arrhythmia of 5. Use of ablation was also associated with reduced symptomatic atrial arrhythmia (11.8% vs 26.4%; RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.27-0.72; P = .001; I2 = 54%) and hospitalization (5.6% vs 18.7%; RR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.19-0.53; P < .001) with no significant difference in serious adverse events between the groups (4.2% vs 2.8%; RR, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.81-2.85; P = .19). Conclusions and Relevance In this meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials including first-line therapy of patients with paroxysmal AF, catheter ablation compared with antiarrhythmic drugs was associated with reductions in recurrence of atrial arrhythmias and hospitalizations, with no difference in major adverse events.