cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutations in Traf3ip1 reveal defects in ciliogenesis, embryonic development, and altered cell size regulation.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor 3 interacting protein 1 (Traf3ip1), also known as MIPT3, was initially characterized through its interactions with tubulin, actin, TNFR-associated factor-3 (Traf3), IL-13R1, and DISC1. It functions as an inhibitor of IL-13-mediated phosphorylation of Stat6 and in sequestration of Traf3 and DISC1 to the cytoskeleton. Studies of the Traf3ip1 homologs in C. elegans (DYF-11), Zebrafish (elipsa), and Chlamydomonas (IFT54) revealed that the protein localizes to the cilium and is required for ciliogenesis. Similar localization data has now been reported for mammalian Traf3ip1. This raises the possibility that Traf3ip1 has an evolutionarily conserved role in mammalian ciliogenesis in addition to its previously indicated functions. To evaluate this possibility, a Traf3ip1 mutant mouse line was generated. Traf3ip1 mutant cells are unable to form cilia. Homozygous Traf3ip1 mutant mice are not viable and have both neural developmental defects and polydactyly, phenotypes typical of mouse mutants with ciliary assembly defects. Furthermore, in Traf3ip1 mutants the hedgehog pathway is disrupted, as evidenced by abnormal dorsal–ventral neural tube patterning and diminished expression of a hedgehog reporter. Analysis of the canonical Wnt pathway indicates that it was largely unaffected; however, specific domains in the pharyngeal arches have elevated levels of reporter activity. Interestingly, Traf3ip1 mutant embryos and cells failed to show alterations in IL-13 signaling, one of the pathways associated with its initial discovery. Novel phenotypes observed in Traf3ip1 mutant cells include elevated cytosolic levels of acetylated microtubules and a marked increase in cell size in culture. The enlarged Traf3ip1 mutant cell size was associated with elevated basal mTor pathway activity. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Traf3ip1 function is highly conserved in ciliogenesis and is important for proper regulation of a number of essential developmental and cellular pathways. The Traf3ip1 mutant mouse and cell lines will provide valuable resources to assess cilia function in mammalian development and also serve as a tool to explore the potential connections between cilia and cytoskeletal dynamics, mTor regulation, and cell volume control.
Compensatory responses of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) when fed water- and cellulose-diluted diets.

Caterpillars of the noctuid moth, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), reared on artificial diets diluted with cellulose and water, increased fresh weight (fw) consumption 2.2–2.5-fold over those on the undiluted diet. At moderate levels of water- or cellulose-dilution, the increased consumption, combined with increased digestion and absorption of nutrients (ADNU), sufficiently compensated for the reduced nutrient intake to achieve pupal biomass equivalent to that of pupae from the undiluted diet. At higher levels of water- and cellulose-dilution, fw consumption and ADNU increased further but pupal dry weight declined on the water-diluted diets. At each level of dilution fw consumption and ADNU increased similarly on the water- and cellulose-diluted diets, but biomass gain was reduced on the water- compared with the cellulose-diluted diets. This was due in part to lowered food conversion efficiency on the water-diluted diets, possibly caused by increased costs of metabolizing the wetter diets. Our data support the hypothesis that consumption rates are regulated by a nutrient feedback mechanism. Our data also suggest that digestive enzyme activity is correlated with consumption. Furthermore, the cost of increased consumption rates on diets of reduced energetic value may constitute a substantially greater energy expenditure than previously believed. However, this cost was insufficient to reduce relative growth rates but was apparently manifested in lowered lipid accumulation.
Treatment of overweight patients by radiofrequency-assisted liposuction (RFAL) for aesthetic reshaping and skin tightening.

Background Patients with massive volume or skin laxity typically are not ideal candidates for liposuction treatment due to the excess amounts of loose skin after the procedure. The feasibility, safety, and efficacy of a novel radiofrequency device (BodyTite system) for radiofrequency-assisted liposuction (RFAL) were prospectively evaluated with overweight and weight loss patients.
Movie Review Mining: a Comparison between Supervised and Unsupervised Classification Approaches

Web content mining is intended to help people discover valuable information from large amount of unstructured data on the web. Movie review mining classifies movie reviews into two polarities: positive and negative. As a type of sentiment-based classification, movie review mining is different from other topic-based classifications. Few empirical studies have been conducted in this domain. This paper investigates movie review mining using two approaches: machine learning and semantic orientation. The approaches are adapted to movie review domain for comparison. The results show that our results are comparable to or even better than previous findings. We also find that movie review mining is a more challenging application than many other types of review mining. The challenges of movie review mining lie in that factual information is always mixed with real-life review data and ironic words are used in writing movie reviews. Future work for improving existing approaches is also suggested.
PHYLOGENETIC EVIDENCE FOR A MAJOR REVERSAL OF LIFE-HISTORY EVOLUTION IN PLETHODONTID SALAMANDERS

The transition from aquatic to terrestrial eggs is a key evolutionary change that has allowed vertebrates to successfully colonize and exploit the land. Although most amphibians retain the primitive biphasic life cycle (eggs deposited in water that hatch into free-living aquatic larvae), direct development of terrestrial eggs has evolved repeatedly and may have been critical to the evolutionary success of several amphibian groups. We provide the first conclusive evidence for evolutionary reversal of direct development in vertebrates. The family Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders) contains the majority of salamander species, including major radiations of direct developers. We reconstruct the higher level phylogenetic relationships of plethodontid salamanders using molecular and morphological data and use this phylogeny to examine the evolution of direct development. We show that the predominantly biphasic desmognathines, previously considered the sister group of other plethodontids, are nested inside a group of direct-developing species (Plethodontini) and have re-evolved the aquatic larval stage. Rather than being an evolutionary dead end, the reversal from direct developing to biphasic life history may have helped communities in eastern North America to achieve the highest local diversity of salamander species in the world.
A distributed smart signal architecture for traffic signal controls

This paper describes an architecture for traffic signal control based upon the IEEE 1451 plug and play distributed smart sensor network standard. The system integration with a commercial of the shelf traffic controller requires a minimum of software modifications. This demonstrates an incremental path to integration of smart signals with conventional traffic signal devices. The system design focused on countdown timers for pedestrian signals because the current designs can give incorrect times when the signal timing changes. The system also demonstrates the ability to provide remote access to the call button to assist visually and mobility impaired pedestrians.
A real time microcomputer implementation of sensor failure detection for turbofan engines

An algorithm that detects, isolates, and accommodates sensor failures using analytical redundancy has been developed. The performance of this algorithm has been demonstrated on a full-scale F100 turbofan engine. The algorithm has been implemented in real time on a microprocessor-based controls computer which includes parallel processing and high level language programming. Parallel processing was used to achieve the required computational power for the real-time implementation. High level language programming was used in order to reduce the programming and maintenance costs of the algorithm implementation software. The sensor failure algorithm was combined with an existing multivariable control algorithm to give a complete control implementation with sensor analytical redundancy. The real-time microprocessor implementation of the algorithm, which resulted in the successful completion of the algorithm engine demonstration, is described. >
Performance and co-presence in heterogeneous haptic collaboration

Based on a distributed architecture for real-time collection and broadcast of haptic information to multiple participants, heterogeneous haptic devices (the PHANToM and the CyberGrasp) were used in an experiment to test the performance accuracy and sense of presence of participants engaged in a task involving mutual touch. In the experiment, the hands of CyberGrasp users were modeled for the computer to which the PHANToM was connected PHANToM users were requested to touch the virtual hands of CyberGrasp users to transmit randomly ordered letters of the alphabet using a pre-set coding system. Performance accuracy achieved by a small sample of participants was less than optimal in the strict sense: accurate detection of intended location and frequency of touch combined ranged from .27 to .42. However, participants accurately defected the intended location of touch in 92% of the cases. Accuracy may be positively related to pairwise sense of co-presence and negatively related to mean force, force variability, and task completion time.
An algebraic geometry approach to protein structure determination from NMR data

Our paper describes the first provably-efficient algorithm for determining protein structures de novo, solely from experimental data. We show how the global nature of a certain kind of NMR data provides quantifiable complexity-theoretic benefits, allowing us to classify our algorithm as running in polynomial time. While our algorithm uses NMR data as input, it is the first polynomial-time algorithm to compute high-resolution structures de novo using any experimentally-recorded data, from either NMR spectroscopy or X-Ray crystallography. Improved algorithms for protein structure determination are needed, because currently, the process is expensive and time-consuming. In our algorithm, RDC (residual dipolar coupling) data, which gives global restraints on the orientation of internuclear bond vectors, is used in conjunction with very sparse NOE data to obtain a polynomial-time algorithm for protein structure determination. An implementation of our algorithm has been applied to 6 different real biological NMR data sets recorded for 3 proteins. Our algorithm is combinatorially precise, polynomial-time, and uses much less NMR data to produce results that are as good or better than previous approaches in terms of accuracy of the computed structure as well as running time. In practice approaches such as restrained molecular dynamics and simulated annealing, which lack both combinatorial precision and guarantees on running time and solution quality, are commonly used. Our results show that by using a different "slice" of the data, an algorithm that is polynomial time and that has guarantees about solution quality can be obtained. We believe that our techniques can be. extended and generalized for other structure-determination problems such as computing side-chain conformations and the structure of nucleic acids from experimental data.
Localized Distributed Kalman Filters for Large-Scale Systems

Abstract This paper presents a scalable method to design large-scale Kalman-like filters for a class of linear systems. In particular, we consider systems for which both the propagation of dynamics through the plant and the exchange of information between estimators/sensors is subject to delays. Under suitable assumptions on these delays, our proposed Kalman-like filter has the following desirable properties: (1) each local estimator only needs to collect the information within a localized region to estimate its local state, and (2) each local estimator can be designed by solving a local optimization problem using local plant model information. The decomposition of the global problem into local subproblems thus allows for the method to scale to arbitrarily large heterogeneous systems - this is clearly an extremely favorable property for large-scale estimation problems. The effectiveness of our algorithm is demonstrated on a randomized heterogeneous example with 51200 states, in which the traditional Kalman filter cannot be computed within a reasonable amount of time.
Ethnodomination and Social Group Power: Implications for International Marketing Strategy

For foreign companies to sell successfully in developing markets, their marketing managers must develop an understanding of the ethnic “balance of power" within a country. In this paper, first, the problems of conceptualization and definition of the two phenomena of ethnodom-ination and social group power are discussed. Reference is made to the anthropological literature for assistance with the definitional process. Brief examples and a case study are discussed to illustrate different kinds of channel domination. Second, implications for international marketing strategy are explored and some tools for market analysis are presented. In conclusion, areas for further research are identified.
Power Dispatching Operation Management System Based on Uniform Digital Platform

Taking the power dispatching automatic system as the objective of study,and based on an analysis on the phenomena of Multiple-Data-Source,data differences and information islands,this paper establishes a wholly new Operation Management System by means of the Uniform Digital Platform to provide users with the standard,accurate and fast digital data service.The paper briefly discusses the key technologies such as the architectonic construction,the design philosophy and systems application architecture and the key technologies of realization of the Operation Management System,etc.
Our Mutual Friend: Service Work as Subject-Work

The previous chapter examined how George Eliot’s Silas Marner and Brother Jacob engaged with the rise of services by interrogating the increasingly troubled relationship between productive labor and community, and led Eliot to locate the possibility of socially productive immaterial labor in narrative work even as her plots castigate its other forms as unproductive labor. Eliot’s writing thus approaches service work indirectly through play with and deformation of the discourses surrounding unproductive labor. By contrast, Charles Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend (1864) more directly confronts the rise of services, first and foremost with its choice of characters. Dickens applies Thomas Carlyle’s expansive, religious view of work as a socially disciplining activity to a cast of characters that includes river scavengers, dustmen, pawnbrokers, clerks, secretaries, teachers, lawyers, and bill brokers. Such work, of course, was understood as unproductive. Unproductive labor also underpins the novel’s use of dust and finance as resonant motifs for waste and fraud. As we have seen in Chapter 1, references to waste, finance, and fraud are often found in discourses of unproductive labor, and it is thus no surprise that the novel uses them to solicit these discourses, both for the objects in which they traffic and their effects on the social world. Services appear out of this convergence of workas-inescapable-discipline with characters engaged almost entirely in unproductive labor, thus reflecting the novel’s thematic concerns with finance and corruption while simultaneously effecting a subtle alteration that discovers productive immaterial work where formerly all was dust and imposter.
The Poetics of Climate in Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

The title of the novel Wuthering Heights has often held a kind ofmystique about it. The immediate assumption one might make,and an erroneous one at that, would be to think it a synonym for’withering’ which is much different than ‘whithering’. Perhaps thatwas what Bronte ‘intended’ to bring to mind for the reader, but theword ‘wuther’ is a variation of the word ‘wither’ which, related tothe Old Norse, deals with the sound the wind makes, (i.e. blustery,raging, violent) and as such would indeed be related to ‘wheather’so a phrase like ‘wuthering heights’ holds multiple allusions to thewind, to the weather and, ultimately, to nature. As such it wouldbe natural to deal with the novel as a novel whose poetics arefundamentally orchestrated around the weather. Bronte writes asmuch in Chapter I when she says: ‘Wuthering Heights is the nameof Mr. Heathcliff’s dwelling. "Wuthering" being a significant provincialadjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which itsstation is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation theymust have up there, at all times, indeed: one may guess the powerof the north wind, blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant ofa few stunted firs at the end of thehouse; and by a range of gauntthorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of thesun’ (Bronte, pp. 25–6). Even in the description of the word itself,Bronte preconditions the reader for what is to follow in terms ofjuxtaposing the weather with the prevailing conditions at WutheringHeights. For example, she emphasizes that there are few andstunted firs, and there are gaunt thorns which stretch their limbs asif craving alms of the sun for if, indeed, limbs crave alms of the sunthen there are few to have at all; and this approach seems to beBronte’s poetic method of choice which comprises most of the 34chapters in the novel.
Anthropogenic impacts on an oyster metapopulation: Pathogen introduction, climate change and responses to natural selection

Humans rely on marine ecosystems for a variety of services but often impact these ecosystems directly or indirectly limiting their capacity to provide such services. One growing impact is the emergence of marine disease. We present results from a unique case study examining how oysters, a dominant organism in many coastal bays and estuaries that is often harvested for food, have responded to pathogens influenced by human activities, namely the introduction of novel pathogens. Climate change has enabled a northward spread and establishment of Dermo disease in oysters along the eastern seaboard of North America and human activities inadvertently introduced MSX disease along this same coast. Oysters in Delaware Bay have responded differently to each pathogen, and uniquely to MSX disease by developing a highly resistant baywide population not documented in any other bay. Offspring were produced using parents collected from low or high disease (MSX and Dermo) regions of Delaware Bay and exposed in a common garden experiment along with a naive population from Maine. Results indicated widespread resistance to MSX disease, but not to Dermo disease, across Delaware Bay. One striking result was the demonstration of resilience in the population through its capacity to spread, presumably through larval transport, resistance to MSX disease into portions of the population that have experienced little to no MSX disease pressure themselves. Related studies indicated that larval transport mechanisms allowed widespread dispersal such that the entire metapopulation could acquire a high level of resistance over time if disease resistance is sufficiently heritable. The findings have implications for restoration, management and recovery of diseased populations. Namely, that if left to their own devices, natural selection may find a solution that enables populations to recover from introduced pathogens.
The Comparison of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer by NCCN Risk Groups.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study is to compare freedom from biochemical failure (FFBF) between SBRT and IMRT for patients with organ confined prostate cancer treated between 2007 through 2012 utilizing the 2015 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk stratification guidelines. A secondary objective is to compare our updated toxicity at last follow up compared to pretreatment with respect to bowel, bladder, sexual functioning, and need for invasive procedures between the two groups. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 270 consecutive men treated with either SBRT (n=150) or IMRT (120) at a community hospital with two distinct radiation departments and referral patterns. Charts were reviewed for pretreatment and treatment factors including race, age, clinical T stage, initial PSA, Gleason score, use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), treatment with SBRT vs. IMRT as well as stratification by 2015 NCCN guidelines. Kaplan Meier (KM) methodology was used to estimate freedom from biochemical failure, with statistical comparisons accomplished using log rank tests. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to establish independent factors prognostic of biochemical failure. Descriptive statistics were used to describe toxicity graded by a modified RTOG late radiation morbidity scoring system. RESULTS: Significant prognostic factors in univariate analysis for FFBF included NCCN risk groups (p=0.0032), grade (p=0.019), and PSA (p=0.008). There was no significant difference in FFBF between SBRT vs. IMRT (p=0.46) with 6 year actuarial FFBF of 91.9% for SBRT and 88.9% for IMRT. Multivariable analysis revealed only the NCCN risk stratification to be significant predictor for FFBF (p=0.04). 4 year actuarial FFBF by NCCN risk stratification was 100% very low risk, 100% low risk, 96.5% intermediate risk, 94.5% high risk, and 72.7% very high risk. There were no grade 3 gastrointestinal (GI) or genitourinary (GU) toxicities for either SBRT or IMRT at last follow up. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference in FFBF was found between SBRT and IMRT for organ confined prostate cancer in multivariable analysis within this retrospective data set. Toxicity overall was low. The 2015 NCCN risk stratification was validated in this population and was the only significant factor for FFBF in multivariable analysis.
A case for stacked autoencoder based order recognition of continuous-phase FSK

Stacked autoencoders have shown success in generating robust features for images and speech classifications, but there has been limited work in applying stacked autoencoders in signal recognition. In this paper, we study the feasibility of stacked autoencoder based order recognition of continuous phase FSK. The features used for recognition are the approximate entropy (ApEn) of the received signal, ApEn of the phase of the received signal, and ApEn of the instantaneous frequency of the received signal. The work aims in devising an unsupervised learning algorithm under noisy, carrier frequency offset and fast fading channel conditions. Performance of the stacked autoencoder neural network classifier will be compared with traditional neural network and support vector machine based classifiers for the same set of features and the advantages and disadvantages of the methods will be examined.
Novel two-terminal vertical transition metal dichalcogenide based memory selectors

For resistive random access memory (RRAM) applications, selector devices play an important role to ensure that an individual memory element can be properly addressed through reading and writing while at the same time the information stored in the other cells of the same array does not get perturbed and power does not get wasted by undesirable leakage through unselected cells. An ideal selector device has to fulfill many criteria simultaneously such as: i) it has to support high on-state current densities (∼107 A/cm2), ii) it has to exhibit a large nonlinearity at half bias NL 1/2 , iii) it should be capable of bidirectional operation, and iv) it should be back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) compatible [1]. Moreover, its operation voltage needs to be compatible with the memory element. In the context of the above, two-terminal devices are desirable for ease of integration, and silicon based diodes, oxide pn-junction diodes and threshold voltage switches, such as metal-insulator-transition (MIT), are candidates that have been explored in the past. However, all of these three types of selector devices suffer from serious drawbacks. For example, two-terminal NPN silicon diodes do not conform to high-density, nonvolatile memories with 3D stack structures due to their high processing temperature between 700°C and 1000°C and the difficulty of growing high-quality epitaxial silicon over metals. Although amorphous silicon can eliminate the need for a single-crystal silicon seed and allows for low processing temperatures of around 800°C, it does not provide the required semiconducting performance. Oxide-based access devices on the other hand can be processed at low temperatures but do not reach the desired on-current levels, while MIT-based selectors cannot provide the desired NL 1/2 . This makes developing novel types of selectors and ultimately a cell highly desirable.
Design and conduct of clinical trials for breast cancer

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines a clinical trial as “a research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.” There are generally two types of clinical trials: controlled and uncontrolled. Uncontrolled trials lack a comparison group. Controlled trials involve two or more study treatments, at least one of which is a control treatment (i.e., a standard against which new treatments are measured). The main focus of this chapter is interventional trials including cohort (cross-sectional, case-control) studies and interventional trials, that is, intervention(s) applied to the study population synonymous with clinical trials in most texts. Dr. William Thomas Beaver was the clinical pharmacologist at Georgetown University who is credited with drafting the initial regulations defining “adequate and controlled” clinical studies. “Clinical trials are systematic experiments performed on human beings for the purpose of assessing the safety and/or efficacy of treatments or care procedures. The function of the controlled clinical trial is not the ‘discovery’ of a new drug or therapy. Discoveries are made in the animal laboratory, by chance observation, or at the bedside by an astute clinician. The function of the formal controlled clinical trial is to separate the relative handful of discoveries which prove to be true advances in therapy from a legion of false leads and unverifiable clinical impressions, and to delineate in a scientific way the extent of and the limitations which attend the effectiveness of drugs.”
Beyond the Transcript: The Need to Showcase More

A university and college education is focused on learning, isn't it? Looking at the credentials we offer—our degrees, diplomas, and transcripts—the answer is not so clear.Students at a university o...
Use of MRS in Inborn Errors of Metabolism: Canavan’s Disease and MRS in Differential Diagnosis

For pediatric brain diseases, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides a powerful tool in narrowing the differential diagnosis by demonstrating neurochemical profiles, which are interpreted to provide insight into the composition and functioning of neural elements. This information, when employed to compliment clinical history and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), offers unique and useful information to the clinician. The application of proton MRS is reviewed in context with etiology, presentation, and MRI appearance for several inborn errors of metabolism, including leukodystrophies such as Canavan’s disease, and other inherited disorders of lysosomal, peroxisomal, or metabolic functioning
IronRuby and .NET

IronRuby is an implementation of the the Ruby language using the Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR) to run in the .NET environment. Ruby is an object oriented language designed for programmer efficiency. It has a interesting, clean syntax which offers some powerful capabilities and is readily available for Linux, Mac OS and Windows. Ruby programs are often much shorter than C# programs with the same functionality.
The Routledge Handbook of Language Learning and Technology

The Routledge Handbook of Language Learning and Technology , edited by Fiona Farr and Liam Murray, London and New York: Routledge, US $240, ISBN 9780415837873, 570 pages, 2016
Risk factors for persistent Aspergillus respiratory isolation in cystic fibrosis.

Abstract Background Aspergillus species are increasingly detected in the respiratory tracts of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), and chronic Aspergillus fumigatus is associated with more frequent hospitalizations for pulmonary exacerbations. However, patient and clinical factors that may contribute to the acquisition of persistent Aspergillus infection have yet to be identified. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for development of Aspergillus respiratory isolation in CF. Methods A retrospective cohort study of participants in the CF Foundation Patient Registry between 2006 and 2012 was conducted. Generalized estimating equation models were used to evaluate the association between the development of persistent Aspergillus respiratory isolation and individual level demographic and clinical characteristics. Results Among 16,095 individuals with CF followed from 2006 to 2012, 1541 (9.6%) subjects developed persistent Aspergillus isolation. White race (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.74, 95% confidence interval 1.23, 2.48, p Aspergillus isolation. Chronic therapies, including inhaled antibiotics (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.21, 1.46), macrolides (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.14, 1.32, p Aspergillus isolation. Conclusions We identified macrolides and inhaled antibiotics, which individually have been shown to improve CF outcomes, and inhaled corticosteroids as risk factors for developing persistent Aspergillus isolation. Further work is needed to determine whether these associations are causal or due to confounding by other factors.
Narrative Accounts of the Agony of Suffering

Despite hundreds of books and articles about suffering, its full nature eludes us. Statistics offer only fleeting glimpses of the distress and agony suffered by some in the course of everyday life. Narratives offer richer, more detailed portrayals of experienced pain and suffering. The narratives from stories given in this chapter were all found on the Internet. First, 15 websites were selected because each contained at least one story of personal suffering. The collection of stories selected offers a snapshot of the quality of suffering experienced by people using the web for writing stories in 2013. The stories were extremely diverse but overall depicted a remarkable amount of raw pain and suffering. The narratives were analyzed within the structure of the eight cultural frames of suffering introduced earlier in Chap. 1. The story narratives as a whole make it clear that people that tell their stories on websites all assume that there is a direct relationship between suffering and the degradation of peoples’ quality of life. They also reveal how the conceptual objective to relieve human suffering raises new issues of humane values and the validity of specific moral imperatives.
Ethical Standards in Behavioral Research

In a series of military experiments designed to ameliorate behavioral degradation under psychological stress, subjects were required to perform a task while being led to believe that they were in immediate danger of losing their life through a simulated plane malfunction (Berkun, Bialek, Kern, & Yagi, 1962).
B cell recruitment and selection in mouse GALT germinal centers.

In conventionally reared mice germinal centers (GCs) are chronically induced in Peyer’s patches (PP), mesenteric lymph node (MLN), and isolated lymphoid follicles (ILF) of gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), as a result of continuous B cell stimulation by commensal bacteria. It is generally thought that BCR-mediated antigen recognition controls the recruitment and thus selection of B cells within GALT GCs. However, recent results challenge this view and suggest that engagement of innate immune receptors by microbial antigens promotes B cell recruitment to, and maintenance within, the GC, irrespective of BCR specificity. We propose a scenario in which microbial determinants presented by follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) to innate receptors on B cells within the GC support the survival and concomitant expansion of somatically mutated, IgA-class-switched B cell clones expressing a variety of BCR specificities. From this pool, B cell mutants recognizing gut-derived antigens through their BCR are either, in GCs, drawn into the process of affinity maturation, or, in the lamina propria (LP) of the gut, locally selected to differentiate into plasmablasts, thus contributing to the continuous production of IgA antibodies required for an efficient protection against commensal and pathogenic microorganisms.
Important Remaining Issues in Mental Workload Estimation

Mental workload research, having made initial strides, now appears on the verge of bogging down in details. It is important that momentum in this research area not be lost. Therefore, several new, practical research problems are proposed and justified. Each research problem is presented as an entity. If investigated, the research problems have a high likelihood of payoff and potential for direct application.
18 F-FDG PET in Epilepsy

This chapter will summarize the evidence supporting the clinical use of FDG-PET brain imaging in the evaluation of patients with pharmaco-resistant epilepsy considered for surgical treatment. We will discuss the clinical indications, the main patterns of hypometabolism observed, and the main advantages and limitations associated with its use.
Coastal mixing in multiple-mouth deltas: A case study in the Po delta, Italy

Abstract Satellite imagery provides evidence of complex mixing dynamics in the coastal zone in front of multiple mouth deltas. One peculiar feature, identified in front of the Po Delta (Italy), consists in warmer water bulges present in some periods in the coastal zone between the river mouths. Such features are evident during both high and low river discharge. Through an integrated approach based on the analysis of satellite imagery, in situ field data and a high-resolution oceanographic model, representing the whole river-delta-sea system, we investigated the relative contribution of the different forcing in controlling coastal mixing of riverine waters. The results evidence that the occurrence of these warmer saltier water bulges is due to upwelling induced by the combined action of tides and wind regimes aligned along coastline. Winds from the land and along the coast drive the upwelling through the well-known mechanism described by Ekman. The presence of river discharge enhance the water column stratification, creating the conditions in which tidal action follows the tidal straining theory. Both processes are identified in modelling results. The occurrence of these localized coastal waters with peculiar thermohaline characteristics, detectable on satellite imagery of the area, can be relevant in the definition of the freshwater areas of influence and the mechanisms of riverine water mixing in the near coastal zone. This can shed some light, eventually, on characterizing the sediment dynamics, as well as the thermohaline properties of waters in the area, and also to identify eventual impacts on the local ecosystems and fishery.
A Note on the Modularization of Lattices

Valuations on finite lattices have been known for a long time. In this paper, we present a combinatorial procedure called modularization that associates a modular lattice to any given finite lattice such that they have the same valuation polytopes.
Seeking Transnational, Digital-native News From Latin America: An Audience Analysis Through the Lens of Social Capital

Digital-native news sites from Latin America are changing the region’s industry. These news organizations are accessed nationally and also across national boundaries. This study examined, through t...
Effects of Consensus and Construal on Certainty and Attitude Stability

We all look at the world in different ways. Construal, with two levels termed as high and low, is the approach one takes to their outlook on the world. Specifically, individuals who are likely to decipher the world in an abstract, individualistic, way are using high construal, and individuals who lean towards a concrete, collectivistic perspective are using low construal. Consensus, termed high and low, can be described as the feedback one gets that either supports or opposes an individual’s position. Consensus mainly looks at the world and society around us, while construal affects how we interpret and think about it. Our research team was curious about the effect of mindset on a person’s certainty of belief. Further, we wanted to examine the likelihood of certainty to change when categorized by different world views (either abstract or concrete) and social responses (either positive or negative), as well as individual differences between these specific cases. As researchers, we determined individual construal on the basis of hypothetical situations, looked for possible interactions with high and low consensus data, and then sought to find how those two conditions affected levels of certainty. In the face of relevant consensus, we believed that if an individual has a higher level of construal, they will have high levels of attitude certainty, while individuals with low construal will have low stability. We found that low construal, or concrete thinking, has the most significant effect on certainty and that consensus and construal have a moderate interaction. This directs us to believe that certainty is more easily manipulated for low construal thinkers. Keywords : construal; consensus; certainty
Burden of Arrhythmias in Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock.

There are limited data on arrhythmias in acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS). Using a 17-year AMI-CS population from the National Inpatient Sample, we identified common arrhythmias – atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and atrioventricular blocks (AVB). Admissions with concomitant cardiac surgery were excluded. Outcomes of interest included temporal trends, predictors, in-hospital mortality, and resource utilization in cohorts with and without arrhythmias. Of the 420,319 admissions with AMI-CS during 2000 to 2016, arrhythmias were noted in 213,718 (51%). AF (45%), ventricular tachycardia (35%) and ventricular fibrillation (30%) were the most common arrhythmias. Compared with those without, the cohort w`ith arrhythmias was more often male, of white race, with ST-segment elevation AMI-CS presentation, and had higher rates of cardiac arrest and acute organ failure (all p
Granulometry of Two Marine Calcareous Sands

AbstractThe morphology of two types of complex calcareous sand was investigated in this study. The materials were selected owing to their different geologic and biologic origins. Ledge Point is a b...
Ocular redness - II: Progress in development of therapeutics for the management of conjunctival hyperemia.

Abstract Conjunctival hyperemia is one of the most common causes for visits to primary care physicians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and emergency rooms. Despite its high incidence, the treatment options for patients with conjunctival hyperemia are restricted to over-the-counter drugs that provide symptomatic relief due to short duration of action, tachyphylaxis and rebound redness. As our understanding of the immunopathological pathways causing conjunctival hyperemia expands, newer therapeutic targets are being discovered. These insights have also contributed to the development of animal models for mimicking the pathogenic changes in microvasculature causing hyperemia. Furthermore, this progress has catalyzed the development of novel therapeutics that provide efficacious, long-term relief from conjunctival hyperemia with minimal adverse effects.
Viscoelastic Parameterization of Human Skin Cells to Characterize Material Behavior at Multiple Timescales

Abstract Countless biophysical studies have sought distinct markers in the cellular mechanical response that could be linked to morphogenesis, homeostasis, and disease. Here, a novel iterative-fitting methodology is used to investigate the viscoelastic behavior at multiple relaxation times of human skin cells under physiologically relevant conditions. Past investigations often involved parameterizing linear elastic relationships and assuming purely Hertzian contact mechanics. However, linear elastic treatment fails to capture and properly account for the rich temporal information available in datasets. We demonstrate the performance superiority of the proposed iterative viscoelastic characterization method over standard open-search approaches. Our viscoelastic measurements revealed that 2D adherent metastatic melanoma cells exhibit reduced elasticity compared to normal counterparts—melanocytes and fibroblasts, whereas are significantly less viscous than only fibroblasts over timescales spanning three orders of magnitude. Interestingly, melanocytes are stiffer than melanoma cells, while being the less viscous cells measured. The measured loss angle indicates clear differential viscoelastic responses across multiple timescales between the measured cells. We propose the use of viscoelastic properties at multiple timescales as a mechanical biomarker of diseases. Altogether, this method provides new insight into the complex viscoelastic behavior of metastatic melanoma cells relevant to better understanding cancer metastasis aggression.
Has the Product Patent Regime Impacted Mergers and Acquisitions? Unveiling with a Systematic Literature Review:

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are one of the most practised inorganic strategies to multiply economic profits, acquire new product capabilities, expand markets, diversify risk and bring synergist...
Transport and Lymphatic Uptake of Biotherapeutics Through Subcutaneous Injection.

Abstract Drug transport and uptake in the subcutaneous tissue receives increasing attention in biomechanical and pharmaceutical researches, as subcutaneous administration becomes a common approach for the delivery of biotherapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies. In this paper, high-fidelity numerical simulations are used to investigate the mechanisms governing drug transport and absorption in the subcutaneous tissue, which is expressed as a porous medium modeled by Darcy’s law. The effects of tissue properties (permeability and porosity), the injection flow rate, and the vascular permeability of lymphatic vessels on the lymphatic uptake are studied. Additionally, an empirical formula for the lymphatic uptake during the injection is developed based on the numerical results. The roles of lymphatic drainage, blood perfusion, osmotic pressure, and the drug binding to the cells and the extracellular matrix in the lymphatic uptake are systematically studied. Furthermore, the drug distribution and absorption in a multi-layered porous medium are investigated to illustrate the effect of heterogeneity of permeability, as the permeability varies over a wide range in different layers of the tissue (such as dermis, subcutaneous tissue, muscle). While the interstitial pressure plays an essential role in the mechanisms regulating the absorption of free monoclonal antibodies, the binding and metabolism of drug proteins also affect the drug absorption by reducing the total free monoclonal antibodies.
Ad hoc networks for localization and control

We consider a team of mobile robots equipped with sensors and wireless network cards and the task of navigating to a desired location in a formation. We develop a set of algorithms for (a) discovery; (b) cooperative localization; and (c) cooperative control. Discovery involves the use of sensory information to organize the robots into a mobile network allowing each robot to establish its neighbors and, when necessary, one or more leaders. Cooperative control is the task of achieving a desired goal position and orientation and desired formation shape and maintaining it. Cooperative localization allows each robot to estimate its relative position and orientation with respect to its neighbors and hence the formation shape. We show numerical results and simulations for a team of nonholonomic, wheeled robots with omnidirectional cameras sharing a wireless communication network.
Brain Wave Games and E-Learning

This paper describes the development of brain games for e-learning using IBVA4, the fourth version of the Interactive Brain Wave Visual Analyzer (IBVA), an EEG biofeedback system. Unique to this brain wave interface is the complexity of interactivity established between neural signaling and multimedia, which interaction can occur through a Web browser via Internet. This technology enables game design with audio mixing and digital animation by brain wave. Brain wave games exercise and stimulate neural activity, thus accelerating perceptual awareness. Continuous brain wave gaming potentially awakens human awareness, thus enlivening the ability to monitor and control health. Brain wave gaming via Internet creates a brain wave community for users with the IBVA4 hardware and software configured on Apple Intel computers with high-speed Internet connections.
The Student-Centered Classroom Made Real: Transforming Student Presentations in an Advanced Course on Technical German.

the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Ray Clifford called on language researchers "to begin the systematic exploration of second language learning beyond the tourist or survival level to the advanced and superior levels of proficiency - levels at which the learner has acquired the levels of competence needed for real-world and prof essional communi
The world food council at three years: Global food system manager?

Abstract Analyzing the results of the World Food Council's Third Ministerial Session (Manila. 1977), in terms of both substance and procedure, the authors discuss the Council's current role in international food policy making. It appears that the final communique from Manila, as well as the improved policy making processes begun there, point to a strengthened and more positive position for the Council in the future, as an advocate, catalyst and coordinator of action to alleviate global hunger.
Some Fast Parallel Algorithms for Parentheses Matching

The parentheses matching problem is to determine the mate of each parenthesis in a balanced string of n parentheses. In this paper, we present three novel and elegant parallel algorithms for this problem on parallel random-access machine (PRAM) models. Each of our algorithms has polylog-time complexity and two of them are cost-optimal.