cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling facial movement: I. A dynamic analysis of differences based on skeletal characteristics.

Purpose: To introduce a novel approach to analyze and model facial movements; and to quantify variations in facial movement caused by the extent of skeletal differences between the maxilla and mandible and the middle to lower facial heights. The hypothesis was that there are differences in facial movement related to the underlying facial skeleton which may be explained by the shape of the face rather than the pattern of movement. Patients and Methods: The study sample consisted of 43 subjects (23 men, 20 women) with a mean age of 18.5 years (SD 11.90). Measures of the facial skeletal differences were made from lateral cephalometric radiographs, and subjects were classified as Class I and Class II, and normal to decreased lower anterior face height, respectively. Facial movements were recorded by a videobased tracking system. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed on principal component scores generated from the movement data. A linear mixed-effects model was used to test for significant differences in movement among the different skeletal types. Results: A dynamic modeling of facial movements was described that has numerous potential clinical applications. Also, differences in movement were found during the lip purse movement. Specifically, skeletal Class I individuals showed greater forward and upward movement during lip purse compared with individuals with severe skeletal Class II who moved their lips straight forward with less magnitude of movement.
Blind iterative channel estimation and detection for LDPC-coded cooperation under multi-user interference

This paper proposes an iterative algorithm for blind estimation of channel coefficients and interference-plus-noise power spectral density in a coded cooperative system using rate-compatible low-density parity-check codes. The expectation-maximization (EM)-based estimation algorithm is applied to an interference-limited network with multiple source-relay pairs. After the initial blind estimation, the soft decoder output is used to re-compute the channel coefficient and noise-PSD values. The cooperative system with blind EM estimation is found to have a decoding performance comparable to that obtained with time-multiplexed and superimposed pilot-assisted channel estimation (PACE) methods. At the same time, the proposed scheme is shown to have a higher throughput than the PACE methods considered for comparison.
Autolocker: synchronization inference for atomic sections

The movement to multi-core processors increases the need for simpler, more robust parallel programming models. Atomic sections have been widely recognized for their ease of use. They are simpler and safer to use than manual locking and they increase modularity. But existing proposals have several practical problems, including high overhead and poor interaction with I/O. We present pessimistic atomic sections, a fresh approach that retains many of the advantages of optimistic atomic sections as seen in "transactional memory" without sacrificing performance or compatibility. Pessimistic atomic sections employ the locking mechanisms familiar to programmers while relieving them of most burdens of lock-based programming, including deadlocks. Significantly, pessimistic atomic sections separate correctness from performance: they allow programmers to extract more parallelism via finer-grained locking without fear of introducing bugs. We believe this property is crucial for exploiting multi-core processor designs.We describe a tool, Autolocker, that automatically converts pessimistic atomic sections into standard lock-based code. Autolocker relies extensively on program analysis to determine a correct locking policy free of deadlocks and race conditions. We evaluate the expressiveness of Autolocker by modifying a 50,000 line high-performance web server to use atomic sections while retaining the original locking policy. We analyze Autolocker's performance using microbenchmarks, where Autolocker outperforms software transactional memory by more than a factor of 3.
Digitally Assisted Concurrent Built-In Tuning of RF Systems Using Hamming Distance Proportional Signatures

In this paper, a novel built-in tuning technique to compensate for variability induced imperfections in RF subsystems is proposed. The test stimulus is obtained from a filtered digital pattern and the RF response is down-converted using an envelope detector. The resulting signal is mapped to a digital signature, such that the Hamming Distance between the observed and the golden signature represents the degree by which the circuit specifications (Gain, IIP3, EVM, etc) differ from the ideal. A hardware driven algorithm is used to minimize this Hamming Distance to concurrently optimize (tune) multiple RF specifications. As opposed to prior research, the method does not require the use of an on-chip digital signal processor and uses minimal on-chip hardware. Results obtained on a 2.4 GHz transmitter subsystem show significant impact of tuning on device specifications.
The Short-Term Impact Of Super Bowl Advertising On Stock Prices: An Exploratory Event Study

Advertisers are under pressure to demonstrate the financial effectiveness of their advertising. Event study methodology utilizing measurement and comparison of stock prices may be one way to address this concern. In this study, our results suggest that while advertising in the Super Bowl does not have a significant positive impact on a firm’s stock price the day after the Super Bowl, when considering windows from two to four days before and after there is a significant positive stock price effect. Additionally, we found the current method advertisers use to judge the effectiveness of Super Bowl advertising (i.e. likeability with the USA Today poll and Advertising Age poll) had no significant relationship with financial effectiveness as measured by stock price. This suggests that the methods marketers use to judge Super Bowl advertising effectiveness may not be good measures of success in financial terms. Finally, our results suggest that if a firm does choose to advertise in the Super Bowl, they may want to pick the second quarter for their ad and that they need to maximize pre-Super Bowl publicity due to the impact on stock price before the Super Bowl.
Security Concerns at Hot-Spot Bus Stop Locations

Adequately addressing security concerns within public transportation will become a pressing issue over the next decade. These safety concerns frequently relate to terrorism, crime, and general disorder within public transportation with little systematic analysis directed toward transit locations. The given study geocoded 2 years of outdoor crime data within a midsized city and found the main bus terminal and three bus stop locations generated the highest levels of concentrated crime. Nonparticipatory windshield survey site observations were conducted at each location to qualitatively identify attributes that were possibly generating general disorder and crime incidents within these hot-spots. Implications for the criminology of place are discussed along with policing/security strategies for specific locations that facilitate an unusually high amount of official crime.
Marginal Zone B-Cell Lymphoma (Maltoma)

A low-grade lymphoma, maltoma, represents a form of marginal zone lymphoma arising from mucosal (bronchial) associated lymphoid tissue. Maltomas may arise de novo or be preceded by autoimmune disorders of the lung. Radiographically, maltoma may present as single or multiple nodular masses involving one or both lungs. Airways are usually not affected by these tumors and are likely to remain intact, appearing as air bronchograms on high-resolution CT of the chest. Although not readily visualized endoscopically, a rare maltoma may be diagnosed by endoscopic or transbronchial biopsy. The main histopathologic constituents of maltoma are lymphoid cells resembling small lymphocytes, centrocytes, monocytoid B cells, and lymphoplasmacytic cells, generally with a low level of cellular atypia. An important histopathologic feature of these lesions is involvement of airway epithelium by lymphoid cells, the so-called lymphoepithelial lesion. Cytologically, a mixture of small and large lymphocytes with low level of cellular atypia may be seen.
Synthesis, Structure, and Reactions of Poly(ethylene oxide)/V2O5 Intercalative Nanocomposites

The intercalation of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in layered V2O5 xerogel and the structural and physicochemical characterization of the products is reported. The synthesis of PEO/V2O5 nanocomposites is achieved by simply mixing aqueous solutions of PEO with aqueous V2O5 gels followed by slow water evaporation. Several different phases of PEO/V2O5 composites can be obtained by varying the component ratios. The interlayer distance of (PEO)xV2O5·nH2O varies from 13.2 A, at x = 0.5, to 16.8 A at x = 1.0, to 17.6 A at 1 < x < 3, and to 18.3 A at x ≥ 3. One-dimensional electron density calculations based on X-ray diffraction data (perpendicular to layers) show that the composites contain a monolayer of PEO molecules when x < 1 and a bilayer when x ≥ 1. The data suggest that the PEO chains are arranged side-by-side in a fully extended conformation between the layers forming corrugated mono- or bilayers. The (PEO)xV2O5·nH2O intercalation compounds are water swellable and light-sensitive. UV irradiation causes dram...
An Assessment of CAD—A Personality Instrument Developed Specifically for Marketing Research

CAD is a measurement instrument developed specifically for marketing research. An empirical assessment of reliability and validity raises some questions about its usefulness in its present form.
Recent Political Developments: Progress or Change? 1

It used to be said by a certain learned professor opposed to departure from old and familiar paths, “Gentlemen, all progress is change, but not all change is progress.” In every department of human affairs, in every quarter of the civilized world, the contrast between conditions in the late eighties and the present time is amazing—not conditions only but the difference in attitudes, in beliefs, in human relations. We may well ask ourselves, Whither? Certainly it is incumbent upon us to consider the character of these changes—whether they are making for progress—and what steps we are taking or can take to meet them. I ask you to consider with me two aspects of this question, one affecting industrial and the other international relations. In each case the proposals heretofore offered to meet the situation appear to fall into one of two categories, the first mechanistic, the second educative; the first, an attempt to meet a new situation by introducing new devices of control; the second by a process of education to modify or change men's attitude and belief.
The neurophysiological effects of single-dose theophylline in patients with chronic stroke: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over study.

BACKGROUND Reducing inhibitory neurotransmission with pharmacological agents is a potential approach for augmenting plasticity after stroke. Previous work in healthy subjects showed diminished intracortical inhibition after administration of theophylline. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effect of single-dose theophylline on intracortical and interhemispheric inhibition in patients with chronic stroke, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. METHODS Eighteen subjects were randomly administered 300 mg of extended-release theophylline or placebo. Immediately and 5 hours following administration, transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to assess bihemispheric resting motor threshold, short-interval intracortical inhibition, long-interval intracortical inhibition, and interhemispheric inhibition. Adverse effects on cardiovascular, neurological, and motor performance outcomes were also surveilled. Change between morning and afternoon sessions were compared across conditions. One week later, patients underwent the same assessments after crossing over to the opposite experimental condition. Subjects and investigators were blinded to the experimental condition during data acquisition and analysis. RESULTS For both hemispheres, changes in intracortical or interhemispheric neurophysiology were comparable under theophylline and placebo conditions. Theophylline induced no adverse neurological, cardiovascular, or motor performance effects. For both conditions and hemipsheres, the baseline level of inhibition inversely correlated with its change between sessions: less baseline inhibition (i.e. disinhibition) was associated with a strengthening in inhibition over the day, and vice versa. CONCLUSION A single dose of theophylline is well-tolerated by patients with chronic stroke, but does not alter cortical excitability. The inverse relationship between baseline inhibition and its change suggests the existence of a homeostatic process. The lack of effect on cortical inhibition may be related to an insufficiently long exposure to theophylline, or to differential responsiveness of disinhibited neural circuitry in patients with stroke.
Evolution, structure, and electrical performance of voltage-reduced graphene oxide

Abstract Voltage-induced graphene oxide (GO) reduction is a facile and environmentally benign procedure for removing oxygen-containing functional groups from GO and recovering electrical conductivity. In this work, we perform a comprehensive investigation of the reduction process, structure, and electrical properties associated with voltage-reduced graphene oxide (V-rGO), obtained by applying a voltage between lateral electrode pairs. In situ optical microscopy during reduction reveals the growth of dendritic filaments of V-rGO that advance from the negative to positive terminal, eventually bridging and filling the entire electrode gap region. The growth rate of V-rGO filaments is found to sharply increase with humidity and film thickness. Through the use of varied electrode geometries, we demonstrate that V-rGO growth proceeds along electric field lines, opposite the field’s direction. Following reduction, significant recovery of sp 2 carbon bonding and removal of oxygen-containing functional groups leads to electrical performance that is competitive with standard reduction schemes. Variable temperature resistance measurements identify Efros-Shklovskii variable-range hopping as the dominant transport mechanism, a result that is consistent with V-rGO acting as a polydisperse quantum dot array. Overall, this work suggests that voltage-induced reduction can be used in place of more cumbersome and hazardous reduction methods.
The Evolving Research Library: Responsive Organizational Change

Because of the pace of change in library environments, the organization is continuously evolving and the days of having a structure etched in stone are gone. Kansas State University Libraries engaged in a major organizational restructuring in 2009-2010 and, based on studies and assessments, two smaller but significant changes again in 2015. To assess and redesign the organization, analysis of new and emerging work, staff resources, budget, and space were critical, but the important constant was library users and meeting their needs. This article outlines development of the structural reorganizations, issues encountered during the changes, examples of task force work, lessons learned about process and outcomes, and resulting changes that were made.
Health benefit of vegetable/fruit juice-based diet: Role of microbiome

The gut microbiota is an important contributor to human health. Vegetable/fruit juices provide polyphenols, oligosaccharides, fiber and nitrate (beet juice), which may induce a prebiotic-like effect. Juice-based diets are becoming popular. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence of their health benefits. It was our hypothesis that changes in the intestinal microbiota induced by a juice-based diet play an important role in their health benefits. Twenty healthy adults consumed only vegetable/fruit juices for 3 days followed by 14 days of customary diet. On day 4 we observed a significant decrease in weight and body mass index (p = 2.0E−05), which was maintained until day 17 (p = 3.0E−04). On day 4 the proportion of the phylum Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in stool was significantly decreased and Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria was increased compared to baseline and was partially reversed on day 17. On day 4 plasma and urine nitric oxide was increased by 244 ± 89% and 450 ± 360%, respectively, and urinary lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde was decreased by 32 ± 21% compared to baseline. General well-being score was increased at the end of the study. In summary a 3-day juice-based diet altered the intestinal microbiota associated with weight loss, increase in the vasodilator NO, and decrease in lipid oxidation.
Surgical treatment of a carotid artery aneurysm associated with kinking: A case report and review of literature

Introduction An extracranial carotid artery aneurysm is a rare clinical entity with potentially debilitating consequences. Our aim is to present a case of a large internal carotid artery aneurysm combined with medial internal carotid artery (ICA) kinking successfully treated by resection with an end-to-end anastomosis. Case outline A 34-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital due to dizziness and frequent non-specific headaches. On admission, routine echocardiography showed an aneurysm of the atrial septum. Multislice computed tomography of the supraaortic branches showed medial kinking of the right ICA with a 15 mm aneurysm localized on the vertex of the angulation. Kinking was present on the left ICA as well, with a small aneurysm of 5 mm in diameter. The right ICA aneurysm was resected and the artery was reconstructed with an end-to-end anastomosis. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was symptom-free after a one-year follow-up. Conclusion we showed that surgery of an aneurysm and kinking of the carotid artery in the medial segment of the ICA is possible and safe to perform. Detailed preoperative preparation, precise surgical technique, and short clamping time all contributed to a good final outcome.
‘What the Moon is Like’: technology, modernity, and experience in a late-nineteenth-century astronomical entertainment

AbstractThe magic lantern is often considered within the nexus of traditions and practices from which cinema emerged. But its performance in a late nineteenth-century astronomical entertainment gestures elsewhere. In 1892, Andrew Carnegie’s new Music Hall presented A Trip to the Moon, an elaborate illustrated lecture depicting an imagined journey to the moon and back. A Trip to the Moon employed a variety of techniques to realize a series of moving pictures of terrestrial and celestial phenomena, which were grounded in scientific accuracy, unfolded temporally, and represented the lunar situation in unprecedented ways. The production’s special effects, such as an earthrise and a solar eclipse viewed from the moon, were achieved by a sophisticated ensemble of established and emergent technology: multiple magic lanterns; mechanical effects slides; arc, foot and border lights; colored gels; screens; rheostats; and various stage machinery. State-of-the-art astrophotographic views were interspersed between the ...
Engaged or Frustrated?: Disambiguating Emotional State in Search

One of the primary ways researchers have characterized engagement during information search is by increases in search behaviors, such as queries and clicks. However, studies have shown that frustration is also characterized by increases in these same behaviors. This research examines the differences in the search behaviors and physiologies of people who are engaged or frustrated during search. A 2x2 within-subject laboratory experiment was conducted with 40 participants. Engagement was induced by manipulating task interest and frustration was induced by manipulating the quality of the search results. Participants' interactions and physiological responses were recorded, and after they searched, they evaluated their levels of engagement, frustration and stress. Participants reported significantly greater levels of engagement when completing tasks that interested them and significantly less engagement during searches with poor results quality. For all search behaviors measured, only two significant differences were found according to task interest: participants had more scrolls and longer query intervals when searching for interesting tasks, suggesting greater interaction with content. Significant differences were found for nine behaviors according to results quality, including queries issued, number of SERPs displayed and number of SERP clicks, suggesting these are potentially better indicators of frustration rather than engagement. When presented with poor quality results, participants had significantly higher heart rates than when presented with normal quality results. Finally, participants had lower heart rates and greater skin conductance responses when conducting interesting tasks than when conducting uninteresting tasks. This research provides insight into the differences in search behaviors and physiologies of participants when they are engaged versus frustrated and presents techniques that can be used by those wishing to induce engagement and frustration during laboratory IIR studies.
Clinical Rectal Compliance Measurement

The concept of rectal compliance as a determining factor for rectal function is appealing. However, several important obstacles must be overcome. First, consensus must be reached on what the term “compliance” means; is it a measure of the viscoelastic properties of the rectal wall, or does it refer to the active and passive elements that define distensibility of an innervated, muscular organ? Second, the overlapping effects of rectal compliance and rectal capacity need to be sorted out. Third, agreement is needed as to the correct technique to measure compliance, and standardized equipment and protocols must be adopted. Once these steps have been taken, we will be in a better position to understand exactly how compliance affects rectal behavior, both in health and in disease.
Impaired type I interferon regulation in the blood transcriptome of recurrent asthma exacerbations

Asthma exacerbations are an important cause of morbidity in asthma. Respiratory infections are often involved in asthma exacerbations in both children and adults. Some individuals with asthma have increased susceptibility to viral infections and as a result increased rates of asthma exacerbations. We sought to identify a transcriptomic signature in the blood associated with asthma exacerbations triggered by respiratory infections (AETRI) and determine its association with increased risk for asthma exacerbations. We conducted a two-step study using publicly available, previously generated transcriptomic signatures in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from asthmatics to identify novel markers of increased risk for asthma exacerbations. In the 1st step, we identified an in vitro PBMC signature in response to rhinovirus. In the 2nd step, we used the in vitro signature to filter PBMC transcripts in response to asthma exacerbations in an independent in vivo cohort. Three different subgroups were identified and studied in the in vivo cohort: 1. Single AETRI; 2. Multiple AETRIs; and 3. Single non-infectious asthma exacerbations. We performed pathway and network analyses in all independent comparisons. We also performed an immunologic gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of the comparison between single AETRI and non-infectious asthma exacerbations. The in vitro signature identified 4354 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with a fold change (FC) ≥ 1.2, false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05. Subsequent analyses filtered by this in vitro signature on an independent cohort of adult asthma identified 238 DEGs (FC≥1.1, FDR < 0.1) in subjects with a single AETRI and no DEGs in single non-infectious asthma exacerbations. A comparison between the response in subjects with single and multiple AETRIs identified two discordant gene subsets. In the largest discordant subset (n = 63 genes) we identified an impaired type I interferon and STAT1 response in multiple AETRIs during the acute phase of the exacerbation and an upregulated STAT1 response at baseline. The STAT1 upregulation at baseline in subjects with multiple AETRIs was accompanied by upregulation of pro-inflammatory molecules including IL-15, interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), several toll-like receptors 2, − 4, − 5 and − 8 and a triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM1) network. Subjects with asthma and multiple AETRIs display a pro-inflammatory signature at baseline, associated with elevated STAT, IL-15 and ISGs, and an impaired STAT1 response during acute asthma exacerbations.
Trilineage hematopoiesis induced by low-dose eltrombopag in a patient with Fanconi anemia can be used as a bridge to hematopoietic stem cell transplant

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive, progressive bone marrow failure disorder characterized by congenital defects and marked cancer predisposition. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant is the therapy of choice for FA patients with progressive pancytopenia. These patients receive multiple transfusions for cytopenias. Oxymetholone has been used with variable success to improve cytopenias. Eltrombopag has been shown to induce bilineage or trilineage hematopoiesis in aplastic anemia and patients with myelodysplastic marrow. We report a case of FA where eltrombopag in conjunction with oxymetholone induced trilineage hematopoiesis and eliminated transfusion requirement before transplant, thereby enhancing favorable outcome after hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
Alkyllithium-Initiated Polymerization of Myrcene New Block Copolymers of Styrene and Myrcene

Alkyllithium-initiated, anionic polymerization of vinyl monomers is a very useful synthetic method since the major variables affecting polymer properties can generally be controlled, i.e., molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, copolymer composition, diene microstructure, molecular architecture, and chain-end functionality.1–3 This control is a direct consequencce of the fact that in the absence of reactive impurities these polymerizations are termination and chain transfer free; therefore, the products of these polymerizations are polymer chains with carbanionic chain ends (“living polymers”).4 An illustrative mechanistic description is shown in Scheme I for the sec-butyllithium-initiated polymerization of styrene.
Abstract 16708: Cathelicidin Related Antimicrobial Peptide Treated Bone Marrow Derived Mononuclear Cells Improves Cardiac Function in a Mouse Model of Acute Myocardial Infarction: Potential Therapeutic Targets in Ischemic Heart Disease

Introduction: Limited stem cell retention following intracoronary administration for ischemic heart disease has reduced the clinical efficacy of this novel therapy. Cathelicidins have been shown to prime BMMNC migration towards low gradients of SDF-1 suggesting a potential role in BMMNC retention. We sought to assess the safety and efficacy of BMMNC pre-treatment with CRAMP for treatment of acute ischemic heart disease. METHODS: BMMNCs isolated from GFP mice were incubated with recombinant CRAMP (2.5 μg/ml) or placebo for 1 hour followed by chemotaxis studies towards low levels of SDF-1 (2 ng/ml) using a Boyden chamber in vitro. During the in vivo studies, mice were randomized into 3 groups: AMI followed by injection of phosphate buffered saline (PBS), BMMNCs alone, or BMMNCs incubated with CRAMP. Scar size, survival and retention of injected BMNNCs were examined by immunohistochemistry at 5 weeks. Left ventricular function was measured by echocardiography at baseline, 48 hours, and 5 weeks after MI. Chan...
An Essay on the Organic Geochemistry of Coal

Publisher Summary It is the geoscience of coals, that is, their geochemistry of origin and postburial geological history, that suggests that coals are a very diverse set of materials. This chapter discusses the relations between the chemistry of coal macerals and reviews the biochemistry of their precursors and the biological markers in coals that are indicative of their origins. The content of carboxyl groups in coals is commonly determined by an ion-exchange reaction with barium acetate. Values of 1–4 milliequivalents per gram have been found for lignites and lower-rank subbituminous coals—decreasing with increasing rank and essentially zero for coals of higher rank—except that HVC coals of the Rocky Mountain province may contain some carboxyl. The cations in the carboxylates of low-rank coals can give rise to calcite deposits in liquefaction reactors, can promote liquefaction, and can give rise to catalysts for the gasification of lignite chars.
Challenges in Understanding Visual Shape Perception and Representation: Bridging Subsymbolic and Symbolic Coding

Perceiving and representing the shapes of contours and objects are among the most crucial tasks for biological and artificial vision systems. Much is known about early cortical encoding of visual information, and at a more abstract level, experimental data and computational models have revealed great deal about contour, object, and shape perception. Between the early “subsymbolic” encodings and higher level “symbolic” descriptions (e.g., of contours or shapes), however, lies a considerable gap. In this chapter, we highlight the issue of attaining symbolic codes from subsymbolic ones in considering two crucial problems of shape. We describe (1) the dependence of shape perception and representation on segmentation and grouping processes. We show that in ordinary perception, shape descriptions are given to objects rather than visible regions, and we review progress in understanding interpolation processes that construct unified objects across gaps in the input. We relate these efforts to neurally plausible models of interpolation, but note that current versions still lack ways of achieving symbolic codes. We then consider (2) properties that (some) shape representations must have and why these require computations beyond the local information obtained in early visual encoding. As an example of how to bridge the gap between the subsymbolic and symbolic, we describe psychophysical and modeling work in which contour shape is approximated in terms of constant curvature segments. Our “arclet” model takes local, oriented units as inputs and produces outputs that are symbolic contour tokens with constant curvature parts. The approach provides a plausible account of aspects of contour shape perception, and more generally, it illustrates the kinds of properties needed for models that connect early visual filtering to ecologically useful outputs in the perception and representation of shape.
Militarized Disputes, Uncertainty, and Leader Tenure:

How do new leaders impact crisis negotiations? We argue that opposing states know less about such a leader’s resolve over the issues at stake. To fully appreciate the consequences, we develop a mul...
Changing paradigms for targeted therapies against diffuse infiltrative gliomas: tackling a moving target.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Gliomas are highly heterogeneous primary brain tumors which result in a disproportionately high degree of morbidity and mortality despite their locoregional occurrence. Advanc...
Early-Life Iron Deficiency Alters Glucose Transporter-1 Expression in the Adult Rodent Hippocampus.

BACKGROUND Early-life iron deficiency (ID) impairs hippocampal energy production. Whether there are changes in glucose transporter (GLUT) expression is not known. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether early-life ID and the treatment iron dose alter brain regional GLUT expression in adult rats and mice. METHODS In Study 1, ID was induced in male and female Sprague Dawley rat pups by feeding dams a 3-mg/kg iron diet during gestation and the first postnatal week, followed by treatment using low-iron [3-10 mg/kg; formerly iron-deficient (FID)-10 group], standard-iron (40-mg/kg; FID-40 group), or high-iron (400-mg/kg; FID-400 group) diets until weaning. The control group received the 40 mg/kg iron diet. GLUT1, GLUT3, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, and prolyl-hydroxylase-2 (PHD2) mRNA and protein expression in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, cerebellum, and hypothalamus were determined at adulthood. In Study 2, the role of hippocampal ID in GLUT expression was examined by comparing the Glut1, Glut3, Hif1α, and Phd2 mRNA expression in adult male and female wild-type (WT) and nonanemic hippocampal iron-deficient and iron-replete dominant negative transferrin receptor 1 (DNTfR1-/-) transgenic mice. RESULTS In Study 1, Glut1, Glut3, and Hif1α mRNA, and GLUT1 55-kDa protein expression was upregulated 20-33% in the hippocampus of the FID-10 group but not the FID-40 group, relative to the control group. Hippocampal Glut1 mRNA (-39%) and GLUT1 protein (-30%) expression was suppressed in the FID-400 group, relative to the control group. Glut1 and Glut3 mRNA expression was not altered in the other brain regions in the 3 FID groups. In Study 2, hippocampal Glut1 (+14%) and Hif1α (+147%) expression was upregulated in the iron-deficient DNTfR1-/- mice, but not in the iron-replete DNTfR1-/- mice, relative to the WT mice (P < 0.05, all). CONCLUSIONS Early-life ID is associated with altered hippocampal GLUT1 expression in adult rodents. The mouse study suggests that tissue ID is potentially responsible.
DNA Methylation-Based Biomarkers of Environmental Exposures for Human Population Studies.

This manuscript orients the reader to the underlying motivations of environmental biomarker development for human population studies and provides the foundation for applying these novel biomarkers in future research. In this review, we focus our attention on the DNA methylation–based biomarkers of (i) smoking, among adults and pregnant women, (ii) lifetime cannabis use, (iii) alcohol consumption, and (iv) cumulative exposure to lead. Prior environmental exposures and lifestyle modulate DNA methylation levels. Exposure-related DNA methylation changes can either be persistent or reversible once the exposure is no longer present, and this combination of both persistent and reversible changes has essential value for biomarker development. Here, we present available biomarkers representing past and cumulative exposures using individual DNA methylation profiles. In the present work, we describe how the field of environmental epigenetics can leverage machine learning algorithms to develop exposure biomarkers and reduce problems of misreporting exposures or limited access technology. We emphasize the crucial role of the individual DNA methylation profiles in those predictions, providing a summary of each biomarker, and highlighting their advantages, and limitations. Future research can cautiously leverage these DNA methylation–based biomarkers to understand the onset and progression of diseases.
Implementation fidelity of the family finding intervention: the perspectives of permanency specialists

Family Finding is a six-step intervention designed to support older youth lingering in foster care. Through the intervention, permanency specialists discover and engage family members and significa...
How to Manage High-Bandwidth Memory Automatically

This paper develops an algorithmic foundation for automated management of the multilevel-memory systems common to new supercomputers. In particular, the High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) of these systems has a similar latency to that of DRAM and a smaller capacity, but it has much larger bandwidth. Systems equipped with HBM do not fit in classic memory-hierarchy models due to HBM's atypical characteristics. Unlike caches, which are generally managed automatically by the hardware, programmers of some current HBM-equipped supercomputers can choose to explicitly manage HBM themselves. This process is problem specific and resource intensive. Vendors offer this option because there is no consensus on how to automatically manage HBM to guarantee good performance, or whether this is even possible. In this paper, we give theoretical support for automatic HBM management by developing simple algorithms that can automatically control HBM and deliver good performance on multicore systems. HBM management is starkly different from traditional caching both in terms of optimization objectives and algorithm development. Since DRAM and HBM have similar latencies, minimizing HBM misses (provably) turns out not to be the right memory-management objective. Instead, we directly focus on minimizing makespan. In addition, while cache-management algorithms must focus on what pages to keep in cache; HBM management requires answering two questions: (1) which pages to keep in HBM and (2) how to use the limited bandwidth from HBM to DRAM. It turns out that the natural approach of using LRU for the first question and FCFS (First-Come-First-Serve) for the second question is provably bad. Instead, we provide a priority based approach that is simple, efficiently implementable and $O(1)$-competitive for makespan when all multicore threads are independent.
Teaching Upper Division Chemistry and Biochemistry Capstone Lab Courses during a Pandemic.

The Chemistry Department at Sonoma State University teaches two upper division capstone laboratory courses as culminating experiences for our BS chemistry and biochemistry majors. The courses share complementary learning experiences and have student learning objectives (SLOs) of literature competency, experimental design, development of communication and group work skills, and development of standard lab techniques. During spring semester 2020, this course had to abruptly pivot to online learning, and this communication shares that journey and lessons learned, specifically that students can learn a great deal about experimental planning and protocols online, but lab technique development and connections cannot be replaced.
Heterogeneity of Human Neuroepithelial Cells and Early Radial Glia

Abstract The human cortex is comprised of diverse cell types that emerge from an initially uniform neuroepithelium that, following neural tube closure, gives rise to radial glia, the neural stem cells of the cortex. Radial glia initially reside in the ventricular zone of the cortex, and contribute to cortical expansion which is particularly pronounced in the human compared to other mammals and non-human primates. To characterize the molecular signatures of cellular subtypes that may exist at the earliest stages of neurogenesis we performed single-cell RNA-sequencing across regions of the developing human brain. We observe similar progenitor programs across brain regions that each express region-specific transcription factors. In the telencephalon, we identify nine progenitor populations, suggesting more heterogeneity among neuroepithelial cells and radial glia than previously described, including a highly prevalent mesenchymal-like population that disappears after the onset of neurogenesis. Using velocity analysis, we find that genes implicated in various neurodevelopmental diseases drive the specification and maintenance of neuroepithelial cells and radial glia. Comparison of these progenitor populations to corresponding stages of mouse development identifies two progenitor clusters that are unique to the early stages of human cortical development. Organoid systems display a low fidelity to neuroepithelial and early radial glia cell types, but this improves as neurogenesis progresses. Overall, we provide a comprehensive molecular and spatial atlas of early stages of human brain and cortical development.
Initial Surgical Treatment for Breast Cancer and the Distance Traveled for Care.

BACKGROUND Geography may influence the operative decision-making in breast cancer treatment. This study evaluates the relationship between distance to treating facility and the initial breast cancer surgery selected, identifying the characteristics of women who travel for surgery. METHODS Utilizing Florida state inpatient and ambulatory surgery databases, we identified female breast cancer patients who underwent surgical treatment from January 1 to December 31, 2013. Patients were subgrouped by distance to treatment facility. The primary outcome was the initial surgical treatment choice. Regression models were used to identify factors associated with greater distance to initial treatment. RESULTS The final sample included 12 786 patients who underwent lumpectomy, mastectomy alone, or mastectomy with reconstruction. Compared to women who traveled 14.0 miles were younger (P < .001), more often identified as white with private insurance (P < .001) and were less likely to have three or more medical comorbidities (P < .001). With increased travel to treatment, the frequency of lumpectomy decreased (P < .001), while the frequency of mastectomy with reconstruction increased (P < .001). Increasing age in years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = .98 [95% CI = .98-.99]) and identifying as nonwhite with private (AOR = .70 [.61-.80]) or public insurance (AOR = .64 [.56-.73]) was associated with less frequently travelling for initial breast cancer surgery. DISCUSSION The relationship between the initial surgical treatment for breast cancer and the distance traveled for care highlights a disparity between those who can and cannot travel for treatment.
Deciphering reticulate evolution of the largest group of polyploid vertebrates, the subfamily cyprininae (Teleostei: Cypriniformes).

Abstract Despite the rarity of polyploidy in animals, some groups with polyploid species exhibit complicated and interesting patterns of reticulate evolution. Here we focus on fishes in the subfamily Cyprininae, the largest polyploid group of vertebrates. The large number of polyploid taxa poses significant challenges for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies on this subfamily. In this study, we cloned and sequenced three single-copy nuclear loci to investigate the evolution of polyploidy in the Cyprininae. Topologies of nuclear gene trees were compared with a newly reconstructed mitochondrial tree. The data provided herein corroborate the hybrid origins of the tribes Torini, Cyprinini, Spinibarbini, Barbini, and also Probarbini. Based on results from this study and previous studies, we hypothesize that at least 13 independent polyploidization events have occurred during the evolution of the Cyprininae. We offer hypotheses on the origin of each polyploid group and show that a diploid group or the diploid ancestor of a polyploid group might have served as progenitor of one or two other polyploid groups. The evolutionary history of Cyprinine (since its first divergence) can be divided into three stages: the “Diploid stage” (69.2–43.4 Ma or million years ago), the “Tetraploidization stage” (43.4–18.9 Ma), and the “Hexaploidization stage” (18.9 Ma to present). The second stage is when all tetraploidization events happened, while the last stage is when all hexaploidization events and most genus- or species-specific polyploidization events occurred. The post-polyploidization dynamics of polyploid groups are complicated and warrant more genomic level studies. We showed that the subfamily Cyprininae may represent a more complicated polyploid system than most, if not all, other vertebrates and some plants, if one or more of the following factors are considered: number of polyploid species, number of different ploidy levels, and number and type of independent polyploidization events.
Neural Adaptation to a Working Memory Task: A Concurrent EEG-fNIRS Study

Simultaneously recorded electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measures from sixteen subjects were used to assess neural correlates of a letter based n-back working memory task. We found that EEG alpha power increased and prefrontal cortical oxygenation decreased with increased practice time for the high memory load condition (2-back), suggesting lower brain activation and a tendency toward the ‘idle’ state. The cortical oxygenation changes for the low memory load conditions (0-back and 1-back) changed very little throughout the training session which the behavioral scores showed high accuracy and a ceiling effect. No significant effect of practice time were found for theta power or the behavioral performance measures.
Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, The Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West

Review of: "Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West," by Michael Punke.
Sexually dimorphic behavior in group-housed rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) at 1 year of age

Although laboratory studies suggest that sex differences expressed by juvenile rhesus monkeys are influenced by their social rearing environment, few studies have examined developmental sex differences under seminatural social conditions. We report sex differences in yearling rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) raised in a 69-member social group. Like laboratory-reared animals, males mounted and played more than did females. In contrast to the results of laboratory studies, there were no sex differences in aggression or submission, nor were there any sex differences in grooming or mother-yearling interactions. Yearling females approached and spent more time with adult, nonmother females and with younger infants than did yearling males. These findings suggest that male and female rhesus monkeys engage in juvenile patterns of behavior related to sexually dimorphic adult patterns of social behavior.