cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compatibility of Certain Grafts in the Genus Ipomoea

Summary Experiments with interspecific grafts in Ipomoea demonstrate that I. violacea as a stock invigorates the growth of I. nil as scion. By contrast, I. nil as a stock, when left intact, rejects I. violacea as a scion. The substances responsible for the rejection are probably produced in the aerial parts of the plant, especially the leaves and growing points, since rejection is not observed when the stock I. nil is decapitated above the graft and defoliated below it. Possible causes of this non-reciprocal behavior, including the possible participation of indole alkaloids, are being studied.
Broadband W-band Rapid Frequency Sweep Considerations for Fourier Transform EPR

A multi-arm W-band (94 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer that incorporates a loop-gap resonator with high bandwidth is described. A goal of the instrumental development is detection of free induction decay following rapid sweep of the microwave frequency across the spectrum of a nitroxide radical at physiological temperature, which is expected to lead to a capability for Fourier transform electron paramagnetic resonance. Progress toward this goal is a theme of the paper. Because of the low Q-value of the loop-gap resonator, it was found necessary to develop a new type of automatic frequency control, which is described in an appendix. Path-length equalization, which is accomplished at the intermediate frequency of 59 GHz, is analyzed. A directional coupler is favored for separation of incident and reflected power between the bridge and the loop-gap resonator. Microwave leakage of this coupler is analyzed. An oversize waveguide with hyperbolic-cosine tapers couples the bridge to the loop-gap resonator, which results in reduced microwave power and signal loss. Benchmark sensitivity data are provided. The most extensive application of the instrument to date has been the measurement of T1 values using pulse saturation recovery. An overview of that work is provided.
The Importance of Protein Dynamics

The Webster’s College Dictionarydefines protein as “any of numerous organic molecules constituting a large portion of the mass of every life form, composed of 20 or more amino acids linked in one or more long chains, the final shape and other properties of each protein being determined by the side chains of the amino acids and their chemical attachments.” The term protein derives from the Greek prote, or primary. The primary importance of proteins to tissue structure and function and as a component of the diet has been recognized for more than a century (see Munro 1964a) for a review of nineteenth-century developments that led to modern research in protein metabolism).
Characterization of Light Pipe Optical Loss for Concentrating Solar Applications

Light pipes can enable new solar concentrators for PV and thermal systems, but achieving low optical losses is a critical prerequisite. A characterization technique is demonstrated for incidence-angle-resolved transmission for quantifying loss mechanisms.
A Brief History of Thinking About ETI

This chapter provides a brief history of thinking in the West about the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence from the Ancient Greeks to the present. The chapter emphasizes the idea that the capacity of humans to imaging extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) has changed over time in relation to broader cultural themes. In particular, the Enlightenment shift from a geo-centric to helio-centric understanding of the universe opened the door for moderns to think about ETI and contributed to creating an imaginary that allowed people to contemplate the nature of and even search for ETI in nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Co-exposure of the Mycotoxins Lolitrem B and Ergovaline in Steers Fed Perennial Ryegrass ( Lolium perenne) Straw: Metabolic Characterization of Excreta.

Past research showed a strong linear correlation between levels of the mycotoxins lolitrem B (LB, a tremorgen) and ergovaline (EV, an ergot alkaloid and potent vasoconstrictor) in perennial ryegrass (PRG) forage. The purpose of this study was to characterize the excretion of these two compounds in beef cattle consuming PRG straw and to utilize liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to investigate the metabolism of LB and EV in excreta. Four groups of steers (n = 6/group) were fed endophyte-infected PRG for 64 days (2256/638, 1554/373, 1012/259, or 247/<100 μg/kg LB/EV). Concentrations of LB and EV in both PRG straw and feces showed a linear relationship to each other. Feces reflected a dose–response for both mycotoxins, with values increasing most rapidly through 21 days then plateauing. Urine contained no detectable level of either compound or the ergoline lysergic acid. Screening for metabolites showed oxidation and reduction biotransformations for both toxins, with additional conjugation produc...
Abstract 1412: A Novel Designer Natriuretic and Diuretic Peptide Based Upon an Alternatively Spliced BNP Without Vascular Vasodilatory Actions

BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac peptide with vasodilatory, natriuretic and diuretic properties. Recent studies have suggested that its vasodilatory hypotensive properties may limit the renal actions of BNP, especially in patients with borderline low blood pressure. We have recently identified an alternatively spliced transcript for BNP (ASBNP) that includes a unique and distinct longer carboxyl-terminus consisting of 34 amino acids. Based upon preliminary studies, we generated a truncated form (ASBNP2.1) that contains the first 16 amino acids of the C-terminal of ASBNP. METHODS: We determined the cardiorenal and humoral actions of intravenous infusion of ASBNP2.1 at 2 pmol/Kg/min, 10 pmol/Kg/min and 100 pmol/Kg /min in 6 normal anesthetized dogs. * p RESULTS: IV infusion of ASBNP 2.1 increased natriuresis (from 68±24 to 110±20, 110±14 and 154±10 μEq/min*) and diuresis (from 0.6±0.1 to 1.4±0.3, 1.9±0.5 and 2.3±0.7 ml/min*) which was associated with a decrease in distal tubular sodium reabsorption (from 97±1 to 95±0.6, 95±0.8 and 92±2 %*). Importantly, ASBNP 2.1 did not have any systemic vasodilatory action resulting in no change in mean arterial blood pressure and cardiac-filling pressures even at the highest dose. Renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate were preserved and there was a strong trend for the suppression of renin despite the marked natriuresis and diuresis. These renal enhancing properties were associated with increases in both plasma cGMP* and urinary cGMP excretion*. CONCLUSION: We report for the first time that this novel peptide based upon ASBNP has potent diuretic and natriuretic actions without the vasodilatory hypotensive properties. The lack of vasodilatation but with renal actions also suggest that the C-terminus plays a key role in the vascular actions of this peptide offering new insights into vascular-renal structure function of BNP and related peptides. This renal specific peptide may be useful in states of sodium and water overload to enhance renal sodium and water excretion without the detrimental side effect of hypotension.
Biogenic Amines and Behavior: Activity and Avoidance Learning

Interest in the biochemical basis of behavior has led to extensive research attempts to relate biogenic amines to a wide variety of behaviors ranging from mental illness in humans, through social behavior, to investigation of activity levels in animal models. Discovery of the presence of these amines in specific regions of the brain and general acceptance of their involvement in neurotransmission or neuromodulation in the central nervous system (CNS) has created much interest in what role they may play in learning and memory. Thus, a large portion of the current literature, which has attempted to link biogenic amines and behavior, has been concerned with learning and memory functions.
Green fluorescent proteins engineered for cartilage-targeted drug delivery: Insights for transport into highly charged avascular tissues

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is a multi-factorial disease that primarily affects cartilage as well as other joint tissues such as subchondral bone. The lack of effective drug delivery, due to the avascular nature of cartilage and the rapid clearance of intra-articularly delivered drugs via the synovium, remains a major challenge in the development of disease modifying drugs for OA. Cationic delivery carriers can significantly enhance the uptake, penetration and retention of drugs in cartilage by interacting with negatively charged matrix proteoglycans. In this study, we used "supercharged" green fluorescent proteins (GFPs), engineered to have a wide range of net positive charge and surface charge distributions, to characterize the effects of carrier charge on transport into cartilage in isolation of other factors such as carrier size and shape. We quantified the uptake, extent of cartilage penetration and cellular uptake of the GFP variants into living human knee cartilage and bovine cartilage explants. Based on these results, we identified optimal net charges of GFP carriers for potential drug targets located within cartilage extracellular matrix as well as the resident live chondrocytes. These cationic GFPs did not have adverse effects on cartilage in terms of measured cell viability and metabolism, cartilage cell biosynthesis and matrix degradation at doses needed for drug delivery. In addition to quantifying the kinetics of GFP uptake, we developed a predictive mathematical model for transport of the GFP variants that exhibited the highest uptake and penetration into cartilage. This model was further used to predict the transport behavior of GFPs during scale-up to in vivo applications such as intra-articular injection into human knees. The insights gained from this study set the stage for development of cartilage-targeted delivery systems to prevent cartilage degeneration, improve tissue regeneration and reduce inflammation that may cause degradation of other joint tissues affected by OA.
The state of produced water generation and risk for groundwater contamination in Weld County, Colorado

Natural gas and oil extraction, while meeting much of our current energy demand, also generates large volumes of waste water (“produced water”) that creates risks for groundwater contamination when spilled. Weld County, Colorado, where the majority of extraction occurs in Colorado, was used as a case study to understand how groundwater impacts were related to spill details including volumes spilled, area impacted, and depth to groundwater. Publically available produced water production and spill data were analyzed to determine if improvements could be made to reduce the water intensity of oil and gas drilling. The depth to groundwater significantly affected the likelihood of groundwater contamination at spill sites. Since spills often occur at oil and gas well pads, extraction site selection should preclude those areas that have shallow groundwater. Evaluation of produced water generation and produced water spilled reveal that although larger-scale operations did generate less relative produced water per energy generated, the total volume of produced water spilled by an operator was linearly correlated with the scale of the operation. These results suggest that employing fewer, large-scale operators would help to reduce the overall volume of water generated but not the overall volume spilled. The results from this research have important regulation and policy implications that can help mitigate the increased threat of groundwater contamination from produced water spills.
Zen of Python: Principle 8

Measuring is perhaps the most creative and rebellious act undertaken by humans. It is driven by the premise that the unmeasurable complexity of the natural world can be discretized into quantities,...
Comparative solvent quality dependent crystallization in solvent vapor annealing of P3HT:PCBM thin films by in-situ GIWAXS

Abstract We present a novel in-depth study correlating multiple solvent properties (boiling point, vapor pressure, and solubilities of P3HT and PCBM) on P3HT and PCBM crystal growth kinetics in blend thin films via in-situ GIWAXS in conjunction with multiple substrate energies. Solvent vapor annealed (SVA) P3HT:PCBM films in a closed chamber, saturated with different solvents (o-dichlorobenzene (DCB), o-xylene, tetrahydrothiophene (THT), toluene, benzene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and carbon disulfide (CS2)) were studied in real time. We observed that structure growth and dissolution kinetics of the both P3HT and PCBM crystals largely depend on physical properties of solvent and relative solubilities of P3HT and PCBM. The film morphology of the annealed films resulted in PCBM enrichment and occasional crystallization occurred at the solvent vapor saturated air interfaces. We observed strikingly different PCBM crystallization upon annealing of the films when cast from THF resulting in highly ordered PCBM crystals at the film surface. THF has high vapor pressure and relatively low solubilities for both P3HT and PCBM. At the other extreme CS2 produced the lowest crystallinity due to its very high vapor pressure such that the solvent evaporates before significant crystallization can occur. We characterized all the annealed samples using AFM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and XPS. AFM probed topographic structures with coarsening of both the P3HT and PCBM domains at air surface by solvent annealing. We observe via UV-vis spectroscopy that, in general, intrachain electronic delocalization and interchain electron transitional jump due to π-π stacking increases in the post SVA films. This indicates that the chains are better organized with increased conjugation lengths. SVA has a substantial effect on P3HT monomer to PCBM ratio as determined by XPS at the polymer-air interface. In all cases, relative to the P3HT monomer:PCBM ratio of as-cast films from DCB, the air surfaces became more enriched by PCBM with SVA.
Expert reading coaching via technology: Investigating the reading, writing, and spelling outcomes of students in grades K-8 experiencing significant reading learning disabilities.

While qualitative research has shown great benefits for teachers who receive coaching, there is a paucity of experimental research examining students’ academic outcomes after their teachers received ongoing support from a knowledgeable and experienced coach. Thus, a quasi-experimental design investigated the literacy outcomes of 452 students experiencing reading learning disabilities in grades K–8th whose special education and/or resource room teachers (n = 44) received student data-focused coaching support through on-site coaching, on-demand coaching (teachers could request support if needed), or through technology-based coaching. Specifically, researchers wanted to investigate if technology-based coaching was as effective as in-classroom support for increasing teachers’ knowledge and implementation of research-based reading instructional routines and ultimately, improving the reading, writing, and spelling outcomes of students with reading learning disabilities. Results yielded positive student academic growth for all three methods of coaching; however, coaching via technology, a more efficient, less time-consuming method of giving teachers ongoing professional development, produced larger statistically significant Cohen’s d effect sizes than the other two forms of coaching ranging from 0.22 to 1.01 in areas of phonemic awareness, decoding, comprehension, fluency, writing, and spelling. Other findings as well as the educational implications of implementing coaching via technology are also included.
Calibrated Estimator of Population Mean Using Two-Stage Ranked Set Sampling

Abstract In this chapter, we consider the problem of estimation of population mean of a study variable by assuming that an auxiliary variable is known in two-stage sampling setup. Then a new calibrated estimator of the population mean is proposed and investigated for ranked set sampling.
Inorganic Arsenic as an Endocrine Disruptor: Modulation of the Glucocorticoid Receptor Pathway in Placental Cells via CpG Methylation.

Prenatal exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) has been associated with adverse developmental and reproductive outcomes. These outcomes may be tied to altered functionality of nuclear transcription f...
Results of the 2007 National Resident Matching Program: Family Medicine

The results of the 2007 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) reflect a currently stable level of student interest in family medicine residency training in the United States. Compared with the 2006 Match, five fewer positions (with 25 fewer US seniors) were filled in family medicine residency programs through the NRMP in 2007, at the same time as 20 fewer (two more US seniors) in primary care internal medicine, the same number of pediatrics-primary care (four fewer US seniors), and one more (19 fewer US seniors) in internal medicine-pediatrics programs. Multiple forces, including student perspectives of the demands, rewards, and prestige of the specialty; the turbulence and uncertainty of the health care environment; lifestyle issues; and the impact of faculty role models continue to influence medical student career choices. Eighty-four more positions (12 more US seniors) were filled in categorical internal medicine. Fifty-four more positions (22 more US seniors) were filled in categorical pediatrics programs. The 2007 NRMP results suggest that interest in family medicine and primary care careers continues to decline. With the needs of the nation calling for the roles and services of family physicians, family medicine matched too few graduates through the 2007 NRMP to meet the nation’s needs for primary care physicians.
It Takes a Village: A Social Network Approach to NGOs’ International Public Engagement:

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), like most strategic communicators, are challenged with breaking through the saturated international media environment as they attempt to influence public opini...
Plasma B-vitamins and one-carbon metabolites and the risk of breast cancer in younger women

We examined the association of plasma B-vitamins and metabolites, and related genetic variants, with risk of breast cancer among predominantly premenopausal women. We conducted a nested case–control study within the Nurses’ Health Study II. From blood samples collected in 1996–1999 and follow-up through 2007, plasma measures were available for 610 cases and 1207 controls. Unconditional multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate relative risks (RR) of breast cancer and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We examined whether associations varied by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and dihydrofolate reductase polymorphisms, breast cancer risk factors, or tumor characteristics. Plasma vitamin B12 was associated with a 64% higher risk of breast cancer comparing the highest versus lowest quintile (95% CI 1.17–2.29, p-trend = 0.02). Plasma folate (comparable RR = 1.18, 95% CI 0.84–1.66), pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (RR = 1.18, 95% CI 0.85–1.64), homocysteine (RR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.67–1.28), cysteine (RR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.81–1.62), and cysteinylglycine (RR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.66–1.31) were not associated with overall breast cancer risk. Folate was significantly positively associated with invasive and estrogen receptor-positive/progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer, and this association was suggestively stronger for bloods collected post-fortification. Several nutrient/breast cancer associations varied across subgroups defined by age, smoking, alcohol, multivitamin use, and MTHFR status (p-interaction < 0.05). Overall, plasma B-vitamins and metabolites were not associated with lower breast cancer risk. Plasma vitamin B-12 was positively associated with higher risk of overall breast cancer, and plasma folate was positively associated with risk of invasive breast cancer. Additionally, there may be associations in subgroups defined by related genetic variants, breast cancer risk factors, and tumor factors. Further studies in younger women and in the post-fortification era are needed to confirm these findings.
Antecedents and Effects of Flow Experience in Online Gaming: An Empirical Study

Drawing on flow theory, a process view of knowledge, and the technology acceptance model (TAM), this research investigates antecedents and effects of flow experience and examines factors important to behavioral intention in online gaming contexts. Research hypotheses are developed and tested with data from a survey study. Results find support for most of the hypotheses. An interesting exception occurs in the case of two TAM-based hypotheses.
Who's Paying for the US Tariffs? A Longer-Term Perspective

Using data from 2018, a number of studies have found that recent U.S tariffs have been passed on entirely to U.S. importers and consumers. These results are surprising given that trade theory has long stressed that tariffs applied by a large country should drive down foreign prices. Using another year of data including significant escalations in the trade war, we find that U.S. tariffs continue to be almost entirely borne by U.S. firms and consumers. We show that the response of import values to the tariffs increases in absolute magnitude over time, consistent with the idea that it takes time for firms to reorganize supply chains. We find heterogeneity in the responses of some sectors, such as steel, where tariffs have caused foreign exporters to drop their prices substantially, enabling them to export relatively more than in sectors where tariff passthrough was complete.
When a Stroke is not Just a Stroke: Escherichia Coli Meningitis with Ventriculitis and Vasculitis: A Case Report.

Introduction Community-acquired Escherichia coli ventriculitis is considered a rare condition. Central nervous system (CNS) infection due to gram-negative bacilli is usually associated with previous neurosurgical interventions. The recent publication of cases of Escherichia coli meningitis and ventriculitis suggests its prevalence may be underestimated by the literature. Case presentation A case of community-acquired Escherichia coli CNS infection on a 58 year old patient presenting with altered consciousness but without neck stiffness, nor significant past medical history is reported. Imaging and lumbar puncture findings suggested a complex case of meningitis with associated ventriculitis and vasculitis. Escherichia coli was later identified in cultures. Subsequent multi-organ support in Intensive Care was required. The patient was treated with a prolonged course of intravenous antimicrobials guided by microbiology, resulting in some neurological recovery. The main challenges encountered in the management of the patient were the lack of clear recommendations on the duration of treatment and the potential development of multi-resistant organisms. Conclusion Bacterial central nervous system infections can have an atypical presentation, and an increasing number of cases of community-acquired ventriculitis have been reported. Early consideration should be given to use magnetic resonance imaging to help guide treatment. A long course of antibiotics is often required for these patients; however, the optimal duration for antimicrobial treatment is not well defined.
Self‐Perceived Hearing Status Creates an Unrealized Barrier to Hearing Healthcare Utilization

Objective To examine sociodemographic and audiometric factors associated with hearing aid (HA) uptake in adults with hearing loss (HL), and to investigate the role of self-perceived hearing status on pursuit of hearing treatment. The relationship between self-perceived hearing status and HA adoption has not been reported in a nationally representative sample of United States (US) adults. Study design Cross-sectional analysis of nationwide household health survey. Methods Audiometric and questionnaire data from the 2005 to 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles were used to examine trends in untreated HL and HA adoption in US adults. Adjusted odds ratios for HA adoption were calculated for individuals with measured HL. Results Of 5230 respondents, 26.1% had measurable HL, of which only 16.0% correctly self-identified their hearing status, and only 17.7% used an HA. Age, higher education, severe hearing impairments, and recent hearing evaluations, were positively associated with HA adoption. Conclusion Hearing loss is a global public health concern placing significant economic burden on both the individual and society. Self-reported hearing status is not a reliable indicator for HL, and measured HL is not correlated with increased rates of treatment. Recent hearing evaluation is positively associated with increased rates of treatment. Routine hearing assessment will help to better identify those with HL and improve access to hearing treatment. Level of evidence III Laryngoscope, 131:E289-E295, 2021.
Comparing the Impact of Double and Single Screen Electronic Health Records on Doctor-Patient Non-Verbal Communication

This study demonstrates that patients view their Electronic Health Records (EHR) significantly more with a dedicated second screen during outpatient primary care visits without any decrease in mutu...
Transmission dynamics: Data sharing in the COVID-19 era.

Problem The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic underscores the need for building and sustaining public health data infrastructure to support a rapid local, regional, national, and international response. Despite a historical context of public health crises, data sharing agreements and transactional standards do not uniformly exist between institutions which hamper a foundational infrastructure to meet data sharing and integration needs for the advancement of public health. Approach There is a growing need to apply population health knowledge with technological solutions to data transfer, integration, and reasoning, to improve health in a broader learning health system ecosystem. To achieve this, data must be combined from healthcare provider organizations, public health departments, and other settings. Public health entities are in a unique position to consume these data, however, most do not yet have the infrastructure required to integrate data sources and apply computable knowledge to combat this pandemic. Outcomes Herein, we describe lessons learned and a framework to address these needs, which focus on: (a) identifying and filling technology "gaps"; (b) pursuing collaborative design of data sharing requirements and transmission mechanisms; (c) facilitating cross-domain discussions involving legal and research compliance; and (d) establishing or participating in multi-institutional convening or coordinating activities. Next steps While by no means a comprehensive evaluation of such issues, we envision that many of our experiences are universal. We hope those elucidated can serve as the catalyst for a robust community-wide dialogue on what steps can and should be taken to ensure that our regional and national health care systems can truly learn, in a rapid manner, so as to respond to this and future emergent public health crises.
Predicting lymph node metastasis in patients with oropharyngeal cancer by using a convolutional neural network with associated epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty

There can be significant uncertainty when identifying cervical lymph node (LN) metastases in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) despite the use of modern imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scans. Grossly involved LNs are readily identifiable during routine imaging, but smaller and less PET-avid LNs are harder to classify. We trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect malignant LNs in patients with OPSCC and used quantitative measures of uncertainty to identify the most reliable predictions. Our dataset consisted of images of 791 LNs from 129 patients with OPSCC who had preoperative PET/CT imaging and detailed pathological reports after neck dissections. These LNs were segmented on PET/CT imaging and then labeled according to the pathology reports. An AlexNet-like CNN was trained to classify LNs as malignant or benign. We estimated epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty by using dropout variational inference and test-time augmentation, respectively. CNN performance was stratified according to the median epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty values calculated using the validation cohort. Our model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.99 on the testing dataset. Sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 and 0.90, respectively. Epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty values were statistically larger for false negative and false positive predictions than for true negative and true positive predictions (p < 0.001). Model sensitivity and specificity were 1.0 and 0.98, respectively, for cases with epistemic uncertainty lower than the median value of the incorrect predictions in the validation dataset. For cases with higher epistemic uncertainty, sensitivity and specificity were 0.67 and 0.41, respectively. Model sensitivity and specificity were 1.0 and 0.98, respectively, for cases with aleatoric uncertainty lower than the median value of the incorrect predictions in the validation dataset. For cases with higher aleatoric uncertainty, sensitivity and specificity were 0.67 and 0.37, respectively. We used a CNN to predict the malignant status of LNs in patients with OPSCC with high accuracy, and we showed that uncertainty can be used to quantify a prediction's reliability. Assigning measures of uncertainty to predictions could improve the accuracy of LN classification by efficiently identifying instances where expert evaluation is needed to corroborate a model's prediction.
409 A phase i trial of talimogene laherparepvec for the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancies (TEMPO)

Background Peritoneal surface dissemination (PSD) of gastrointestinal and ovarian cancers carries a poor prognosis. Although cytoreductive surgery followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy has emerged as a treatment option for this patient population, only a minority of patients benefit from this approach. This finding highlights the need for novel approaches to this disease. Previous data have shown that the local treatment of orthotopic tumors in syngeneic murine models with the oncolytic virus talimogene laherparepvec (TL) converts ‘cold’ immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments into ‘hot’ immune microenvironments that support the regression of tumors. We hypothesize that intraperitoneal (IP) delivery of TL will be safe and tolerable and demonstrate clinical activity in patients with PSD of gastrointestinal (GI) and ovarian cancers. Methods We are conducting the TEMPO Trial (NCT03663712), a non-randomized, open-label Phase I trial of IP TL in patients with stage IV PSD from GI or ovarian tumors enrolled at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, Duke Cancer Institute, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. There will be two stages in this study, a Dose Escalation Cohort, and a Dose Expansion Cohort. In the Dose Escalation Cohort, three subjects will be enrolled at the starting dose of 4 × 106 PFU, and the dosing will continue in a standard ‘3+3’ dose escalation scheme. If the starting dose is tolerated, higher doses of 4 × 107 and 4 × 108 PFU will be evaluated. Once the MTD is determined, six subjects will be enrolled in the Dose Expansion Cohort at the MTD. All subjects will be dosed with IP TL once every two weeks for up to 4 doses (in addition to the initial seroconversion dose). The primary objective is to evaluate the toxicity profile. The statistical analyses will be only descriptive and performed on the intent to treat, per protocol, and safety populations.We hypothesize that IP TL leads to coordinated interactions between resident peritoneal innate and adaptive immunity. We will delineate these interactions by evaluating peritoneal exudates to assess a) treatment-related changes in peritoneal cytokine levels using multiplex cytokine analysis and b) resident peritoneal immune cell phenotype and function with flow cytometry methods. Plasma and urine fluid samples will be analyzed for viral load. Results N/A Conclusions This study will test the safety, tolerability, and preliminary clinical activity of IP TL; the results will be relevant to inform future investigations of local oncoimmunotherapies in patients with PSD, a highly unmet need population that currently has limited therapeutic options. Acknowledgements N/A Trial Registration Registered at clinicaltrials.gov- https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03663712. The identifier is NCT03663712 Ethics Approval This study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, Duke Cancer Institute, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Consent N/A References N/A
Revisiting the Prepositional-Phrase Attachment Problem Using Explicit Commonsense Knowledge.

We revisit the challenging problem of resolving prepositional-phrase (PP) attachment ambiguity. To date, proposed solutions are either rule-based, where explicit grammar rules direct how to resolve ambiguities; or statistical, where the decision is learned from a corpus of labeled examples. We argue that explicit commonsense knowledge bases can provide an essential ingredient for making good attachment decisions. We implemented a module, named Patch-Comm, that can be used by a variety of conventional parsers, to make attachment decisions. Where the commonsense KB does not provide direct answers, we fall back on a more general system that infers "out-of-knowledge-base" assertions in a manner similar to the way some NLP systems handle out-of-vocabulary words. Our results suggest that the commonsense knowledge-based approach can provide the best of both worlds, integrating rule-based and statistical techniques. As the field is increasingly coming to recognize the importance of explainability in AI, a commonsense approach can enable NLP developers to better understand the behavior of systems, and facilitate natural dialogues with end users.
Effect of processing parameters and strut dimensions on the microstructures and hardness of stainless steel 316L lattice-emulating structures made by powder bed fusion

Abstract This work presents the effects of input processing parameters and strut thickness (in square struts) on microstructure and properties in laser powder bed fusion additively manufactured stainless steel 316L lattice-emulating structures. Lattice-emulating X-structures with square cross-sections of 1.5, 1.0, and 0.5 mm were fabricated using three different parameter sets with varying power, speed, and therefore, linear energy density. Grain size and morphology were shown to be dictated by epitaxial growth, which was dependent on weld pool morphology. Additionally, grain size and morphology were shown to change across the thickness direction of the struts (from the bottom inclined surface to the top inclined surface). The spatial variation in grain size was reflected by changes in hardness through the thickness of each strut. The 0.5 mm struts exhibited more significant grain elongation in the strut direction and larger sub-grain solidification cell diameters than their thicker counterparts. The larger sub-grain solidification cell diameters in the 0.5 mm samples resulted in correspondingly lower hardness values when compared to samples of higher thicknesses.
Male to hermaphrodite sex change in gametophytes of the fern Ceratopteris richardii is affected by hermaphrodite density, male age, and male size

Gametophytes of the fern Ceratopteris richardii Brongn. are either male or hermaphrodite. The presence of hermaphrodite-secreted antheridiogen influences gametophytes to develop as male (induction)...
Healthy diapering with passive RFIDs for diaper wetness sensing and urine pH identification

In this paper, we present RFDiaper, a commodity passive RFID based healthy diapering system, which can sense the diaper wetness (i.e., wet/dry) and identify pH value of urine absorbed by the diaper. To do so, we leverage the coupling effect between the urine absorbed by the diaper and RFID tag, thereby the phase and amplitude variation can indicate urine pH and diaper wetness. However, rich scattering and dynamic environment exhibit a great challenge for accurate diaper wetness sensing and urine pH identification. Therefore, we propose a twin-tag based dynamic environment mitigation approach for robust and healthy diapering. Specifically, by extracting the differential amplitude and phase from the co-located sensing tag and reference tag (i.e., twin-tag) attached on the diaper, the multipath effect and the other dynamic factors (e.g., diaper wearer's body, tag's orientation and temperature, etc.) can be mitigated. Then, we detect the diaper wetness and estimate the urine pH based on differential amplitude and phase. We have implemented RFDiaper's design and evaluated its effectiveness with the experiments using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) RFID tags attached on the diaper worn by the doll and the human subjects. RFDiaper can achieve the median accuracy of around 96% for diaper wetness sensing and urine pH estimation error of around 0.23 in dynamic environment.
A Realtime Observatory for Laboratory Simulation of Planetary Circulation

We present a physical, laboratory-scale analog of large-scale atmos- pheric circulation and develop an observatory for it. By combining observations of a hydro-dynamically unstable flow with a 3D numerical fluid model, we obtain a real-time estimate of the state of the evolving fluid which is better than either model or observations alone. To the best of our knowledge this is the first such observatory for laboratory simulations of planetary flows that functions in real time. New algorithms in modeling, parameter and state estimation, and observation targeting can be rapidly validated, thus making weather and climate application accessible to computational scientists. Properties of the fluid that cannot be directly observed can be effectively studied by a constrained model, thus facilitating scientific inquiry.
INSTRUMENTATION SUPPORT OF U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

ABSTRACT The U.S. Geological Survey is the principal Federal agency responsible for the collection of hydrologic data needed for the planning, development, use, and management of the Nation's water resources. The reliability of data, however, is only as good as the instruments and supporting equipment used to collect them. The Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) was established in 1980 to improve the instrumentation of the Water Resources Division. The consolidation at the HIF of instrumentation functions has provided the mechanism for efficient and effective management of previously scattered support elements. Performance standards have been established as a basis for acceptance of various instrumentation to support data collection that will meet Water Resources Division requirements. Instrument development is oriented towards a systems concept using interchangeable modules which may be configured to meet specific needs. A Quality-Assurance program provides a means of monitoring the efficiency of all internal HIF functions with a view toward providing highly reliable field instruments. Consolidated procurement, warehousing, and distribution of both sales and rental items provides a cost-effective way of providing support to all field users within the Water Resources Division. Centralized repair and calibration services reduces the need for field offices to have trained repair technicians, and ensures uniform calibration procedures. The HIF staff strives to maintain communication and technology transfer with Water Resouces Division personnel, both to provide information of new products, application, and operation instructions and to gain input regarding field instrumentation needs.
Neural network approach to bayesian background modeling for video object segmentation

Object segmentation in a video sequence is an essential task in video processing and forms the foundation of content analysis, scene understanding, object-based video encoding (e.g. MPEG-4), various surveillance and 2D-to-pseudo-3D conversion applications. Popularization and availability of video sequences with increased spatial resolution requires development of new, more efficient algorithms for object detection and segmentation. This dissertation discusses a novel neural-network-based approach to background modeling for motion-based object segmentation in video sequences. In particular, we show how Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) architecture can be extended to form an unsupervised Bayesian classifier for the domain of video object segmentation. The constructed Background Modeling Neural Network (BNN) is capable of efficiently handling segmentation in natural-scene sequences with complex background motion and changes in illumination. The weights of the proposed neural network serve as an exclusive model of the background and are temporally updated to reflect the observed background statistics. The proposed approach is designed to enable an efficient, highly-parallelized hardware implementation. Such a system would be able to achieve real-time segmentation of high-resolution image sequences.
1 Mechanism of catalysis by protein farnesyltransferase

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the mechanism of catalysis with particular focus on the enzymology of addition of the farnesyl isoprenoid to cellular proteins. Efforts to design selective cell-active inhibitors of the enzyme for evaluation as anticancer agents have been successful; the acquisition of mechanistic and structural information on protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) has greatly aided these drug discovery programs. Remaining questions on this enzyme are primarily centered on the definition of the precise chemical mechanism of the reaction and the structural basis for the ability of the enzyme to discriminate among similar protein substrates. While the close similarities in both structure and function of FTase and geranylgeranyltransferase type I (GGTase-I) make it likely that both enzymes use a similar catalytic mechanism, it will still be important to conduct detailed studies with GGTase-I to determine whether there are important differences among these enzymes.
How Should Disability Be Measured in Older Adults? An Analysis from the Boston Rehabilitative Impairment Study of the Elderly.

Objectives To determine and compare the predictive validity and responsiveness of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI) frequency and limitation dimensions in assessing two critical dimensions of disability: frequency of and limitations in performance of major life roles. Design Secondary analysis of 2-year follow-up data from the Boston Rehabilitative Impairment Study of the Elderly. Setting Primary care. Participants Community-dwelling older adults (≥65) (n = 430) at risk of mobility decline. Measurements The LLFDI frequency and limitation dimensions, self-rated health, hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits over 2 years. Responsiveness measures included effect size (ES) estimates and minimal detectable change (MDC) scores. Results The LLFDI frequency dimension predicted low self-rated health (odds ratio (OR) = 0.51, P < .001), hospitalizations (OR = 0.68, P < .001), and ED visits (OR = 0.73, P = .003) over 2 years, whereas the limitation dimension did not. The absolute ES was 0.63 for the frequency dimension and 0.81 for the limitation dimension. The proportion of subjects with a decline greater than or equal to the MDC was 10.6% for the frequency dimension and 14.2% for the limitation dimension. For participants who improved greater than or equal to the MDC, the proportion was 1.7% for the frequency dimension and 15.3% for the limitation dimension. Conclusion Frequency of participation in major life roles was a better predictor of adverse outcomes than perceived limitations, although limitations appeared to be more responsive to meaningful change. These results can be used to guide the selection of the most appropriate metric for measuring disability in geriatric research.
Dynamics of dissociation versus ionization in strong laser fields

The behavior of isolated atoms in strong radiation fields has been a topic of intensive theoretical and experimental interest over the last decade and has resulted in a cumulative literature rich in new phenomena, unresolved issues, and exciting new predictions for future studies.1 Recently, some investigations have begun to examine the general behavior of molecules in intense fields, with special relevance placed on strong-field photodissociation dynamics. The fundamental motivation for such studies derives its interest from the ability to control chemical dynamics by external variation of a laser field. The traditional chemical physics approach relied upon the laser frequency as the only external field parameter for achieving state-selectivity but has met with little success. However, current efforts2 have focused on examining all aspects of the laser field for achieving control. Although premature in realization, an understanding of the influence of intensity, coherence, phase, and pulse duration and shaping in concert with frequency may ultimately lead to our ability or inability to control chemical dynamics.
Do Quasi-markets Foster Innovation in Education?: A Comparative Perspective

This report seeks to address critical issues such as these by synthesising the evidence on innovations in more market-driven education systems. The analysis draws on data from over 20 OECD and non-OECD countries, including both developed nations that seek to move beyond established systems of state-run schools, and developing nations where formal and de facto policies promote more free-market approaches to educational expansion. In doing this, the report focuses on the primary and secondary levels, where education is usually compulsory. The more universal nature of educational access at those levels provides a different set of conditions and incentives compared to the post-compulsory tertiary level. And the report pays special attention to the charter school experiment in North America, where reformers explicitly tried to create more competitive conditions in order to encourage the development of innovations in the education sector. Policy approaches such as this that use decentralisation, deregulation, greater levels of autonomy, competition and choice may have singular potential to induce innovations in the education sector, both in how education is organised and the school content that is delivered — critical concerns if the education sector is to be more effective and reach under-served populations.
Balancing sex chromosome expression and satisfying the sexes.

Equalizing sex chromosome expression between the sexes when they have largely differing gene content appears to be necessary, and across species, is accomplished in a variety of ways. Even in birds, where the process is less than complete,1 a mechanism to reduce the difference in gene dose between the sexes exists. In early development, while the dosage difference is unregulated and still in flux, it is frequently exploited by sex determination mechanisms. The Drosophila female sex determination process is one clear example, determining the sexes based on X chromosome dose. Recent data show that in Drosophila, the female sex not only reads this gene balance difference, but at the same time usurps the moment. Taking advantage of the transient default state of male dosage compensation, the sex determination master-switch Sex-lethal which resides on the X, has its expression levels enhanced before it works to correct the gene imbalance.2 Intriguingly, key developmental genes which could create developmental havoc if their levels were unbalanced show more exquisite regulation,3 suggesting nature distinguishes them and ensures their expression is kept in the desirable range.