cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Repetition redundancy and visual form discrimination

An experiment by Eriksen and Lappin was partially replicated with the addition of a control condition. The results demonstrate that a theoretical model proposed by those authors is not correct and that simultaneously repeating a visual form in different areal portions of the retina leads to improved discrimination performance only when Ss are operating under position uncertainty, i.e., when they do not know where the stimulus will appear.
Cancer family syndrome: A case report and literature review

A familial cancer syndrome is reported in which a high incidence of colonic and female genital tract cancers occur at unusually early ages in the absence of polyps and other predisposing factors. A family is reported and the literature reviewed.
The Norfolk Rembrandts

AbstractThe last surviving descendant of the 17th century minister of the Dutch church in Norwich reached his hundredth birthday at the end of 2003 and amended a lecture which resulted in this paper. The ancestral background is that the minister, Johannes Elison, and his wife, Maria Bockenolle, were painted by Rembrandt in 1634 and the paintings were kept in Yarmouth by the family during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are now in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, whilst memorials to the family remain in the old Dutch church in Norwich.
Seeing the forest for the trees: new approaches to forecasting cascades

Cascades are a popular construct to observe and study information propagation (or diffusion) in social media such as Twitter. and are defined using notions of influence, activity, or discourse commonality (e.g., hashtags). While these notions of cascades lead to different perspectives, primarily cascades are modeled as trees. We argue in this paper an alternative viewpoint of cascades as forests (of trees) which yields a richer vocabulary of features to understand information propagation. We develop a framework to extract forests and analyze their growth by studying their evolution at the tree-level and at the node-level. Moreover, we demonstrate how the structural features of forests, properties of the underlying network, and temporal features of the cascades provide significant predictive value in forecasting the future trajectory of both size and shape of forests. We observe that the forecasting performance increases with observations, that the temporal features are highly indicative of cascade size, and that the features extracted from the underlying connected graph best forecast the shape of the cascade.
Cortical interstitium as a site for solute polarization during tubular absorption

The possibility that significant concentration differences could exist between the interstitial fluid and capillary plasma was investigated by modeling the renal cortex as the following three compartments: tubular lumen, interstitium, and capillary lumen. A simple analysis of this system suggests that for the interstitium surrounding a proximal tubule, the concentration in the interstitium of a solute like glucose could be well over 1 mM greater than in the peritubular capillary if the solute permeability of the peritubular capillary were like that measured in other organs (i.e., less than 10 micron/s). The effect of varying capillary permeability on the interstitial concentrations of several solutes was examined using a modification of a model of the proximal tubule, and results were found to be similar to those obtained with the simpler analysis for glucose. This model was also used to see if placing an osmotic difference between the tubule lumen and capillary could cause significant solute polarization within the interstitium, as might occur in an experiment to measure the osmotic water permeability (Pf) of the proximal tubule in vivo. The results show that an apparent Pf calculated from the difference between the osmolalities of tubular perfusate and peritubular plasma is likely to underestimate the true Pf of the proximal tubule. Even for a high value of capillary permeability (10 micron/s, which allows relatively rapid diffusion between capillary and interstitium), the model predicts that the apparent Pf may underestimate the true value by half. Thus the analyses presented suggest that if the permeability of renal peritubular capillaries is similar to that measured in other organs the composition of the interstitium may be significantly different from capillary plasma, a situation that would have great impact on our view of the mechanism of volume absorption in the proximal tubule in vivo.
IMIDACLOPRID FORMULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTIVE CONTROL OF JAPANESE BEETLE LARVAE IN TURFGRASS, 2008

This study was conducted to evaluate different formulations of imidacloprid for the preventive control of JB larvae in turfgrass. Testing was done in a turf plot maintained at the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station (Geneva, NY). The site had been renovated and reseeded to perennial ryegrass in May, and maintained at a mowing ht of 3.5-4 inches. Evaluation units were PVC arenas (diameter 12 inches, depth 4 inches) placed in the ground so that the upper lip was level with the soil surface. Arenas were arranged in a RCB design with eight repetitions of four treatments. Infestations were made on 25 Jul 2008 by enclosing 15 male and 15 female JB adults over each ring for seven days of mating and oviposition. Treatment applications were made 1 Aug 2008. Liquid formulations were applied with a pressurized CO2 sprayer coupled with a single nozzle spray wand and a Teejet 8002VS flat fan tip. Granular formulations were evenly applied using a shaker jar. Conditions at time of application were the following: skies partly sunny; wind negligible; air temp 73.0°F; soil temp at 2inch depth 80.5°F. Until the study was rated, rainfall was supplemented with 0.25 inch irrigation if five consecutive days lapsed with <0.10 inches rain on any of those days. Mean daily precipitation was 0.13 inch; mean daily air temp (min/max) 57.0/73.5°F; and mean daily soil temp at 2.0-inch depth (min/max) 65.0/82.5°F. JB larval populations were evaluated on 5 Sep 2008 by destructively searching the soil in each arena. Data were transformed by sqrt(x+0.5) before ANOVA, followed by LSMeans separation using Student’s t.
Introduction: What Is Biomedical Engineering?

Prelude The practice of medicine has changed dramatically since you were born. Consider a few of these changes: • Vaccines are now available for chicken pox and human papilloma virus; • Microarrays allow rapid patient-specific testing for mutations in genes controlling metabolism of potentially toxic drugs; • Inexpensive contact lenses provide clear vision; • Prosthetic legs allowed a double-amputee to run in the Olympics; • Ultrasound imaging follows the progress of pregnancy with ever greater precision; • Stem cells in human cord blood have been used to treat dozens of diseases in donors, or their siblings; • An iPhone app driving a bionic pancreas offers better control of diabetes. For your parents, the changes have been even more sweeping. Overall life expectancy—that is, the span of years that people born in a given year are expected to live—increased from 50 in 1900 to almost 80 by 2010 (Figure 1.1). You can expect to live 30 years longer than your great-grandparents; you can also expect to be healthier and more active during all the years of your life. How has this happened? One answer is obvious. People are living longer because they are not dying in situations that were previously fatal, such as childbirth and bacterial infections. Biomedical engineering is a major factor in this extension of life and improvement of health. Biomedical engineers have contributed to every field of medicine—from radiology to obstetrics to cancer treatment to control of diabetes. The next few paragraphs illustrate the far-reaching contributions of biomedical engineers with examples from emergency medicine. Loss of life in accidents and trauma is a major cause of death and disability around the world. In the United States, it is overwhelmingly the leading cause of death among people of college age, and it is ranked fifth among causes of death for all ages (1).
Americanism in the Twenty-First Century: The Twenty-First-Century Americanism Survey

Uncovering the causes of attitudes, particularly those related to identities, is always challenging, and a public opinion survey is in some ways an imperfect tool for doing so. Scholars are often confronted with the trade-offs between generalizability and depth of insight. Surveys rely in large part on the “top of the head” responses people offer when asked about how they view themselves vis-a-vis their ethnic and nationality groups rather than on extended reflection. Yet those first responses reveal much about the relative salience of different identity choices; the fact that they regularly emerge as significant predictors of policy opinions and as the product of stable social and demographic factors suggests they are more than superficial. Surveys also remain the best method for interviewing large numbers of people from a variety of backgrounds, testing whether the patterns of their responses are statistically significant, and generalizing from those patterns to the broader population. Some of the causal relationships under investigation throughout this study are straightforward, such as which demographic factors affect what someone thinks it means to be an American, or to what extent perceiving discrimination affects trust in government. Others are less tractable, such as the relationship between immigrant resentment and different conceptions of American national identity, whether the ethnic makeup of one's community causes certain attitudes, or whether the attitudes determine where a person chooses to live. But even in cases in which determining causality is difficult or in which a more exploratory approach is used, meaningful associations can still be investigated. For instance, knowing the association between certain community contexts and particular patterns of beliefs is valuable, even if we have trouble determining which one is the chicken and which one is the egg. Such exploratory insights can suggest avenues for future research by using alternative methods and can provide guidance for designing public policies that meet the challenge of simultaneously being accepted by the public, effective at achieving their aims, and respectful of the needs of different groups in society.
Names and Indexicals

The primary function of ordinary proper names is to designate or denote objects. But exactly how this function is achieved is a matter of some controversy in contemporary philosophy. There are, as I indicated in the Introduction, two basic theories of reference for proper names and indexicals; the Indirect Theory and the Direct Theory. Before we consider a particular version of one of these theories, we should point out some of the constraints that are imposed on a theory of reference for proper names.
Uptake of rotavirus vaccine among US infants at Immunization Information System Sentinel Sites

Abstract Objective Coverage with rotavirus vaccine among US children has been lower compared to that with other routine childhood vaccines. Our objectives were to examine rotavirus vaccine (RV) uptake over time compared to other routine vaccinations, ages at administration, and quantitate potential missed opportunities for RV receipt. Methods We analyzed data from 6 Immunization Information System (IIS) Sentinel Sites, which represent approximately 10% of the United States (US) pediatric population. Among infants aged 5 months, we compared uptake of ⩾1 dose of RV, to that of Diphtheria, Tetanus, and acellular Pertussis (DTaP) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), for each quarter during 2006–2013. We used data from infants in the 2012 birth cohort to examine RV receipt in more detail. Results Among infants aged 5 months, the average site coverage with ⩾1 dose of RV reached 78% in 2010 and subsequently stayed steady at 79–81% through 2013. The average difference between ⩾1 dose DTaP coverage and RV coverage remained between about 6 and 8 percentage points during mid-2012 through 2013. Infants born in 2012 received RV doses closely in line with the timing recommended by the ACIP. Approximately one-third of the difference in coverage between ⩾1 dose of DTaP and ⩾1 dose of RV among infants could be due to the maximum age restriction of the first RV dose. The other two-thirds of the difference appears to have been a result of potential missed opportunities for starting the RV series--these infants received another routine immunization when age eligible to receive RV dose 1, but did not receive RV. Conclusion Uptake with RV during infancy remains below that of other routine vaccines. Understanding the barriers to administration of RV among age-eligible infants could help improve vaccine coverage.
Cryo-EM structure of the open high-conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + channel

The Ca2+-activated K+ channel, Slo1, has an unusually large conductance and contains a voltage sensor and multiple chemical sensors. Dual activation by membrane voltage and Ca2+ renders Slo1 central to processes that couple electrical signalling to Ca2+-mediated events such as muscle contraction and neuronal excitability. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of a full-length Slo1 channel from Aplysia californica in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ at a resolution of 3.5 A. The channel adopts an open conformation. Its voltage-sensor domain adopts a non-domain-swapped attachment to the pore and contacts the cytoplasmic Ca2+-binding domain from a neighbouring subunit. Unique structural features of the Slo1 voltage sensor suggest that it undergoes different conformational changes than other known voltage sensors. The structure reveals the molecular details of three distinct divalent cation-binding sites identified through electrophysiological studies of mutant Slo1 channels. Two complementary studies present the full-length high-resolution structure of a Slo1 channel in the presence or absence of Ca2+ ions, in which an unconventional allosteric voltage-sensing mechanism regulates the Ca2+ sensor in addition to the voltage sensor’s direct action on the pore. Dual activation by voltage and calcium ions makes Slo1/BK channels essential to processes that couple membrane electrical excitability and cellular calcium signalling, such as muscle contraction or neuronal communication. In two complementary studies, Roderick MacKinnon and colleagues present full-length structures for a Slo1 channel, either in the presence or the absence of Ca2+ ions, suggesting an unconventional allosteric mechanism, whereby the voltage sensor regulates the Ca2+ sensor instead of the channel's pore directly. These findings explain a large body of biochemical, genetic and physiological data, from both basic and clinical research.
Filtering Compromised Environment Sensors Using Autoregressive Hidden Markov Model

We propose a method based on autoregressive hidden Markov models (AR-HMM) for filtering out compromised nodes from a sensor network. We assume that sensors are healthy, self-healing and corrupted whereas each node submits a number of readings. A different AR-HMM (A, B, π) is used to describe each of the three types of nodes. For each node, we train an AR-HMM based on the sensor's readings, and subsequently the B matrices of the trained AR-HMMs are clustered together into two groups: healthy and compromised (both self-healing and corrupted), which permits us to identify the group of healthy sensors. The existing algorithms are centralized and computation intensive. Our approach is a simple, decentralized model to identify compromised nodes at a low computational cost. Simulations using both synthetic and real datasets show greater than 90% accuracy in identifying healthy nodes with ten nodes datasets and as high as 97% accuracy with 500 or more nodes datasets.
The Role of Government

This chapter covers the role of government in supply chain security. After discussing the basic items to be included in a security plan, current government programs are outlined in detail and appraised from the perspective of security enhancement. Emphasis is placed on international trade since this is the area which was most affected by the federal government's reaction to 9/11. Building on the discussion of natural threats to supply chains, disaster relief programs at the federal, state, and local levels are also examined. Finally, an attempt is made to answer the question whether or not the programs work in the ways intended.
Latina/o Transfer Students’ Selective Integration and Spatial Awareness of University Spaces:

Using the framework of physical campus ecology and socio-academic integration moments theory, the researcher sought to identify physical university spaces that successful Latina/o transfer students...
Digital Divide: Low German and other Minority Languages

This paper investigates the online presence of Low German, a minority language spoken in northern Germany, as well as several other European regional and minority languages. In particular, this article presents the results of two experiments, one involving Wikipedia and one involving Twitter , that assess whether and to which extent minority languages are used on these websites. The article argues that minority and regional languages are not only underrepresented online due to a combination of historical, linguistic, sociological, and demographic reasons, but that the overall architecture of the World Wide Web and its most visited websites is such that smaller languages do not stand a chance to gain a meaningful online presence.
Overview of CMOS technology for radiometry and passive imaging

This paper discusses the effects of gain drift and variation often referred to as “ΔG/G” in CMOS mm-wave radiometers as well as the techniques employed to suppress its effects on radiometric and passive imaging instruments. The paper presents a demonstration of a CMOS Dicke-switched radiometer which uses correlated double sampling to eliminate gain variation, and investigates the contributions of the ΔG/G behavior to the demonstrated instrument’s measured NEΔT through experimental approaches. Finally the paper describes how the discrepancies between calculation and measurement can be attributed to limited performance of Dicke switches in silicon and how further development is needed to truly hit useful NEΔT resolutions in the 1°K range.
Facile Chemical Strategy to Hydrophobically Modify Solid Nanoparticles Using Inverted Micelle-Based Multicapsule for Efficient Intracellular Delivery

Theranostic nanoparticles have incredible potential for biomedical applications by enabling visual confirmation of therapeutic efficacy. Numerous issues challenge their clinical translation and are primarily related to the complex chemistry and scalability of synthesizing Nanoparticles. We report a 2-step chemical strategy for high-throughput intracellular delivery of organic and inorganic solid nanoparticles. This process takes an additional step beyond hydrophobic surface modification facilitated by inverted micelle transfer, toward the packing of multiple solid nanoparticles into a soft-shelled lipid capsule, termed the Nano-multicapsule (NMC). This technique is high yielding and does not require the complex purification steps in anaerobic/hydrophobic reactions for hydrophobic modification. To demonstrate the efficacy across different material compositions, we separately entrapped ∼10 nm gold and carbon nanoparticles (AuNP and CNP) within inverted micelles, and subsequently NMCs, then quantified their ...
Behind the scenes of the built environment

Roma Agrawal9s Built is a full-throated celebration of structural engineering, interspersed with clearly explained, hand-illustrated lessons on engineering fundamentals, including statics, fluids, and strength of materials. She is passionate about her profession, and with carefully curated and beautifully narrated historical and contemporary examples, she reveals the nuts and bolts of engineering ingenuity.
Additional Topics in Prediction Methodology

A predictive distribution for the random variable Y 0 is meant to capture all the information about Y 0 that is contained in Y n = (Y 1, ..., Y n )⊤. Of course, knowing Y n does not completely specify Y 0 but Y n does provide a probability distribution of more likely and less likely values for Y 0 that is called the predictive distribution of Y 0 given Y n . This section derives predictive distributions useful for computer output based on two hierarchical models for [Y 0, Y n ]. Section 4.2 considers prediction in the case of multiple response models, as described in Section 2.3.
Review: Divine Deliverance: Pain and Painlessness in Early Christian Martyr Texts, by L. Stephanie Cobb

L. Stephanie Cobb, Divine Deliverance: Pain and Painlessness in Early Christian Martyr Texts . Oakland, University of California Press, 2016, 264pp, $95.00, ISBN 9780520293359 Divine Deliverance should be required reading for anyone interested in ancient Christian martyr texts. It demands that we jettison our widely held assumptions that the martyrs were depicted as suffering and that the audience is expected to identify with their pain. Most scholarship holds that early Christian communities, reflecting the ancient cultural turn (identified by Judith Perkins) toward configuring the subject as “sufferer,” saw martyrs as sufferers whose endurance should be imitated and whose pain should, if possible, be replicated. Instead, drawing on a historically sensitive audience-response theory that provides a framework for understanding how ancient audiences engaged with texts, Cobb persuasively argues that these texts did not view suffering as something to be imitated, but as something to be overcome—“a problem to be solved” (157). After situating her intervention within current discourse and laying the methodological foundations for her readings (“Introduction”), Cobb reminds us (“Chapter 1: Bodies in Pain: Ancient and Modern Horizons of Expectation”) that pain has a complex relationship to physical injury, and that “discourses of pain are culturally situated” (27). Consequently, depictions of physical harm must be distinguished from depictions of pain and suffering: the narrative description of bodily injury does not entail a protagonist suffering or signal that a reader should empathize. Narrative depictions of violence may not even be concerned with pain; they may have ideological aims to which pain is unrelated, incidental, or subordinate. On this point, Cobb brings a host of ancient, medieval, and modern perspectives to bear. For example, the works of Seneca and Lucan describe physical dissolution at great length but, Cobb notes, with no concern for victims' physical pain (15–16). Cobb pushes us to suspend our modern impulse “to supply the experience of pain” when we read (30). Cobb then turns fully …
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY: THEORY AND MEASUREMENT

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the neuromuscular servo-loop model of internal information processing. The classical problem of the mind is to be understood in terms of the this model that holds mental activities are generated by extensive internal information-processing circuits involving interactions among the brain, receptors, and effectors. The chapter schematically illustrates potential circuits during internal information processing. The optimal method for studying neuromuscular circuits during mental activities, such as sensation, perception, cognition, memory, dreams, hallucinations, and imagination is that of the psychophysiologist. By placing sensors at selected bodily regions during the performance of mental activities, the psychophysiologist can, with extremely sensitive electronic equipment, study minute electrical components of the internal, information-processing circuits that generate mental activities. These electrically sensed events are often less than one microvolt in amplitude. By temporally relating electrical signals as they occur in selected bodily regions, one can infer sequences of various central and peripheral events during mental activities. The psychophysiologist's direct approach to the timing of mental activities can, thus, supplement the indirect, yet viable, approach of classical psychology.
Chemokines in allergic responses: eosinophils, basophils, mast cells

Eosinophils, basophils and mast cells play key roles in the allergic response. These cells are cellular members of the innate immune system and contain granules with a variety of potent biological mediators. Mast cells are tissue bound and positioned near epithelial surfaces and as such can respond quickly to tissue injury, parasites and allergens by releasing the content of their granules. Eosinophils and basophils circulate within the blood stream and traffic to sites of tissue damage and parasite/allergen exposure. They too release potent biological mediators upon activation. The activation of mast cells, eosinophils and basophils and the subsequent release of their granules lead to many of the phenotypic features observed in the allergic response, such as vasodilatation and tissue edema.
Management of Sleep Disorders: CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a positive airway pressure (PAP) device that is commonly used to treat sleep disordered breathing (SDB) such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). CPAP helps to correct SDB by acting as a passive pneumatic splint for the upper airway and increasing lung volume to exert pharyngeal caudal traction, thereby stiffening the upper airway and reducing collapsibility. Despite its well-known benefits in treating SDB, overall adherence with CPAP is low, predominantly due to its side effects. Side effects are related to the pressure from CPAP (such as rhinitis and mouth dryness), the use of mask interfaces (such as claustrophobia and skin breakdown), and the machine (such as the noise and condensation). Recent advances in technology have led to the development of pressure relief mechanisms (such as C-flex® and EPR®) and auto-adjusting (APAP) machines. Pressure relief mechanisms help by reducing pressure during early exhalation, while APAP might help by reducing the mean optimal pressure required to treat SDB, thereby reducing pressure related side effects. Despite technological advances and efficacy of these devices to control SDB compared to the fixed pressure with CPAP, studies have not conclusively shown improvement in adherence.
The effectiveness of steroid injection in treatment of plantar fasciitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled-randomized trials

Introduction/Background Plantar fasciitis is very troublesome in clinical fields. Although steroid injection has been a widely used treatment option in musculoskeletal disorders, there have been arguments about the effectiveness in plantar fasciitis. This study is to determine the effectiveness of steroid injection in the treatment of plantar fasciitis. Material and method Meta-analysis was conducted using searching engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and manual searching which were searched to December 2017. The following key search terms were used; plantar fasciopathy fasciitis in google scholar, “fasciitis, plantar”[Mesh] with two filter options “Randomized Controlled Trial” and “human” in PubMed, plantar fasciopathy fasciitis in CINAHL, plantar AND fasciopathy AND (“fasciitis” OR “fasciitis”/exp OR fasciitis) in Embase. Two articles were also found using manual searching. Total 35 articles were found and duplicates were removed. Two reviewers reviewed and selected the articles, which has randomized controlled design and eligible data. Four articles were determined to be relevant, meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results We found that the overall standardized mean differences of pain outcome between steroid injection and other treatments or sham was −0.57 (95% confidence interval: −0.83 to −0.30), with low heterogeneity (P = 0.52, I2 = 0%) at 1 month, but −0.33 (95% confidence interval: −0.76 to 0.10, P = 0.13, I2 = 50%) at 3 month. It suggested evidence of the effectiveness of short-term steroid injection, compared with autologous blood injection or other conservative treatment, but limited evidence of long-term effectiveness and functional improvement. Conclusion Although steroid injection in treating plantar fasciitis has been arguing, there is evidence of the effectiveness of steroid injection in relieving pain for 1 month. But further study is needed to determine long-term effectiveness of steroid injection.
Examining the relationship between changes in personality and depression in older adult cancer survivors

Objectives: Despite widespread agreement that personality traits change across the lifespan into older adulthood, the association between changes in personality and depression among older adult cancer survivors is unknown. It was hypothesized that older adults with (vs. without) a past cancer diagnosis would experience an increase in neuroticism, and decreases in conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, and extraversion, and that changes in these traits would mediate the relationship between receiving a cancer diagnosis and change in depression. Two hypotheses were tested in a cancer survivor sample. First, that increased chronic stressors and decreased physical health would mediate the link between personality change and increased depression. Second, that personality change would mediate the link between changes in chronic stressors/health and increased depression.Method: Secondary data analysis utilizing three waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study. Data was compiled from 5,217 participants, among whom 707 received a cancer diagnosis.Results: Older adults with (vs. without) a cancer diagnosis decreased in conscientiousness, which was associated with increased depression. Among cancer survivors, worsening chronic stressors/health mediated many pathways between personality change and an increased depression. Increased neuroticism mediated the link between worsening health/chronic stressors and increased depression.Conclusion: With the exception of conscientiousness, changes in personality did not mediate the link between cancer survivor status and depression. Among older adult cancer survivors, changes in personality traits may increase depression through worsening physical health and chronic stressors, potentially informing targeted interventions. Interventions that target increased neuroticism may be particularly useful in older adult cancer survivors.
Predictive Noise Shaping SAR ADC

In this paper, a novel predictive first-order noise shaping SAR ADC is proposed. Noise-shaping (NS) SAR ADCs have recently gained much attention due to their low power requirements and wide dynamic range. However, for any oversampled ADC, there is a range that each sample will be within guaranteed by input bandwidth. Then SAR ADC operation needs to be performed only around this range. The prediction of range can be done in digital domain which can make better use of process scaling. This saves a significant amount (70%) of power in the A-D conversion. The simulation results show that 109.8 dB SNDR can be achieved with oversampling ratio of 32 while testing only 5 out of 12 bits in each conversion, employing second-order predictor and first order noise shaping.
X-Culture Academy: Kids Learning International Business Through Experience

X-Culture Academy is an experimental experiential learning program for kids aged 9–17 years that provides the trainees first-hand experience of working with peers from other cultures, as well as to learn the basics of international business. Following the success of the program for university students, a simplified version for pre-college youths has been developed. This chapter provides the history of the project, describes the program design, and reviews the challenges and tips for educators who seek to offer experiential learning courses in international business and cross-cultural collaboration for children and teenagers.
The Rituximab and IVIG Related IgM Flare In Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Is Associated with Monocytic Activation of Fcgriia Signaling, and Triggering of IL-6 Release by the PI3K/AKT and MAPK Pathways

Abstract 2870 Background: We and others have previously reported a paradoxical flare in serum IgM levels following rituximab and/or IVIG administration which can occur within hours of its administration, and can affect 40–70% of WM patients. The paradoxical flare can often lead to symptomatic hyperviscosity, and/or aggravation of other IgM mediated morbidities. Direct stimulation of WM cells by rituximab or IVIG does not lead to further IgM release, and IL-6 levels rise in those patients experiencing a rituximab induced IgM flare (Yang et al, ASH 2009). We therefore sought to clarify the molecular mechanisms permitting the rituximab or IVIG mediated IgM flare in WM. Patients and Method: We performed co-culture studies of WM cells utilizing a transwell system with granulocytes or monocytes in the presence or absence of rituximab or IVIG. Granulocyte and monocyte cell lysates and supernatants were collected after rituximab stimulation for further analysis. IL-6 levels were assessed by multiplex assays and real-time RT-PCR. siRNAs targeting FcgRIA, FcgRIB, FcgRIIA, FcgRIIB, and FcgRIIIA were used to knockdown Fcγ receptors on primary monocytes. Fcγ receptor expression following siRNA transfection was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Proteins from Rituximab stimulated monocytes were analyzed with phospho-antibody arrays and confirmed with western blotting. Results: A significant increase in IgM release was observed following co-culture of primary WM cells with monocytes and co-incubation with either rituximab or IVIG; was associated with IL-6 release, and could be blocked by anti-IL6 antibodies. The induction of IL-6 following rituximab stimulation of monocytes was significantly reduced following siRNA knockdown of FcgRIIA. Phospho-antibody array and ingenuity pathway analyses revealed that both PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways were involved in signaling initiated by rituximab stimulation of monocytes through FcgRIIA. Increased phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, p38MAPK and ERK1/2 was confirmed by western blotting with phospho-specific antibodies. In addition, inhibitors specific for PI3K, AKT, p38MAPK and ERK1/2 also reduced IL-6 production. Conclusion: Taken together, the above data suggest that the rituximab and/or IVIG related IgM flare observed in WM patients is triggered by IL-6 in response to stimulation of bystander monocytes through FcgRIIA binding and activation of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways. Inhibitors aimed at these pathways block IL-6 release from rituximab stimulated monocytes. The results provided a framework for investigation of pre-emptive therapies for blocking the IgM flare in WM patients being considered for rituximab and/or IVIG therapy. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Remote Memory Swapping for Virtual Machines in Commercial Infrastructure-as-a-Service

Memory swapping is an essential feature offered by operating systems (OS) to prevent applications from crashing due to the system running out of main memory. Traditional swapping works by using a part of the storage disk as backup memory. Unfortunately, storage disk speeds are orders of magnitude slower than main memory. This implies that as useful as swapping is, it causes expected performance degradation of the application. A more recent swapping mechanism in clusters is remote swapping, which uses one host’s main memory as swap space over the network for another host. For faster networks, remote swapping could outperform disk swapping. However, for users leasing Virtual Machines (VMs) in existing commercial Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) providers, choosing a swapping mechanism for their VMs is non-trivial. They are subjected to additional constraints and considerations such as lack of access to the underlying hypervisor, OS, and hardware. On the other hand, network speeds within clouds have evolved to be faster than storage device speeds, making remote swap appealing. This paper explores implementing remote swapping for leased VMs within IaaS providers. A setup is proposed that implements remote swapping within a cluster of VMs, abiding by the constraints of IaaS. The setup does not need any modification of the hypervisor, or any special hardware, making it suitable for users currently in commercial IaaS clouds. Through extensive experimental evaluations on Amazon Web Services’ ec2 instances and Google Cloud’s Compute Engine, the paper demonstrates the performance benefits of using remote memory versus the standard storage disks as swap space.
Hospital Volume Does Not Influence in-Hospital Mortality of Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Among Multiple Myeloma Patients in the United States

Abstract Introduction: Hospital volume and provider experience affects survival among patients with hematologic malignancies (Giri et al Blood 3359-60). Whether hospital volume affects outcomes of autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (autoSCT) among patients with multiple myeloma (MM) remains unclear. Methods: We utilized the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to identify all adults >18 years diagnosed with MM who underwent autoSCT in 2009-2011. NIS is the largest all-payer inpatient database in the US that captures about 20% of all US hospitalizations. Hospitals were divided into quartiles, based on the annual number of autoSCT performed, and classified into high volume (above 75th percentile) and low volume centers (below 25th percentile). In-hospital outcomes including inpatient mortality, infection, mechanical ventilation, and costs of hospitalization were compared between the two groups. All p-values were 2 sided, and the level of significance was chosen at 0.05. Statistical analysis was done using STATA 13.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX). Results: A total of 2,750 autoSCTs were reported among patients with MM during the study period. The characteristics of study population included mean age of 58.7 ± 8.7 years, 56% males (n=1547) and 72% whites (n=1822). No significant difference existed in in-hospital mortality rate (0.86% vs. 1.59%; p=0.183) between high volume (≥178 autoSCTs per year) versus low volume centers (≤56 autoSCTs per year). The rate of fungal infection (5.32% vs. 4.94%; p=0.75), herpes simplex virus infection (1.58% vs. 1.59%; p=0.98), and the need for mechanical ventilation (1.87% vs. 1.27%) was similar between the high volume and low volume centers. Higher rates of stomatitis (57% vs. 46%; p Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a low risk of inpatient mortality without center effect for autoSCT in MM in the recent years. The risks of fungal and herpes simplex virus infection were also similar between high volume and low volume centers. Higher rates of stomatitis, use of total parenteral nutrition and neutropenic fever were noted in high volume versus low volume centers. The reasons for these differences are not clear from our study but may relate to possible differences in patient characteristics or conditioning chemotherapy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Abnormal beta and gamma frequency neural oscillations mediate auditory sensory gating deficit in schizophrenia.

Abstract Background Sensory gating is a process in which the brain's response to irrelevant and repetitive stimuli is inhibited. The sensory gating deficit in schizophrenia (SZ) is typically measured by the ratio or difference score of the P50 event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes in response to a paired click paradigm. While the P50 gating effect has usually been measured in relation to the peak amplitude of the S1 and S2 P50 ERPs, there is increasing evidence that inhibitory processes may be reflected by evoked or induced oscillatory activity during the inter-click interval in the beta (20–30 Hz) and gamma (30–50 Hz) frequency bands. We therefore examined the relationship between frequency specific activity in the inter-click interval with gating effects in the time and frequency domains. Method Paired-auditory stimuli were presented to 131 participants with schizophrenia and 196 healthy controls (HC). P50 ERP amplitudes to S1 and S2as well as averaged- and single-trial beta (20–30 Hz) and gamma (30–50 Hz) frequency power during the inter-click interval were measured from the CZ electrode site. Results In the time domain, P50 gating deficits were apparent in both ratio and difference scores. This effect was mainly due to smaller S1 amplitudes in the patient group. SZ patients exhibited less evoked beta and gamma power, particularly at the 0–100 ms time point, in response to S1. Early (0–100 ms) evoked beta and gamma responses were critical in determining the S1 amplitude and extent of P50 gating across the delay interval for both HC and SZ. Conclusion Our findings support a disruption in initial sensory registration in those with SZ, and do not support an active mechanism throughout the delay interval. The degree of response to S1 and early beta and gamma frequency oscillations in the delay interval provides information about the mechanisms supporting auditory sensory gating, and may provide a framework for studying the mechanisms that support sensory inhibition.
Exploring the understudied human kinome for research and therapeutic opportunities

The functions of protein kinases have been heavily studied and inhibitors for many human kinases have been developed into FDA-approved therapeutics. A substantial fraction of the human kinome is nonetheless understudied. In this paper, members of the NIH Understudied Kinome Consortium mine public data on "dark" kinases to estimate the likelihood that they are functional. We start with a re-analysis of the human kinome and describe the criteria for creation of an inclusive set of 710 kinase domains and a curated set of 557 protein kinase like (PKL) domains. Nearly all PKLs are expressed in one or more CCLE cell lines and a substantial number are also essential in the Cancer Dependency Map. Dark kinases are frequently differentially expressed or mutated in The Cancer Genome Atlas and other disease databases and investigational and approved kinase inhibitors appear to inhibit them as off-target activities. Thus, it seems likely that the dark human kinome contains multiple biologically important genes, a subset of which may be viable drug targets.
Intraspecific Variability in Root Traits and Edaphic Conditions Influence Soil Microbiomes Across 12 Switchgrass Cultivars

Microbial communities help plants access nutrients and tolerate stress. Some microbiomes are specific to plant genotypes and, therefore, may contribute to intraspecific differences in plant growth ...
Immediate Reconstruction of Segmental Mandibular Defects With Nonvascular Bone Grafts: A 30-Year Perspective

Purpose The use of nonvascular bone grafts for immediate mandibular reconstruction has remained a controversial topic. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the variables that might influence graft survival examining the outcomes from 30 years of experience. Materials and Methods We designed a retrospective cohort study to analyze the data from patients at a tertiary university medical center who had undergone segmental mandibular resection with immediate reconstruction with a nonvascularized free bone graft with or without adjuncts from 1989 to 2019. The predictor variables recorded included general demographic data, pathologic diagnosis, resection length, reconstruction modality, bone graft type, and inferior alveolar nerve procedures. The primary outcome variable was graft success, defined as bony union demonstrated on panoramic radiographs and mandibular stability demonstrated on clinical examination at 4 months postoperatively. Descriptive, bivariate, and linear regression models were computed. Results The sample included 47 subjects with a mean age of 43 ± 16 years; 51.1% were men. Of the 47 patients, 25 had a tissue diagnosis of benign tumor, most of which were ameloblastoma (n = 16) or ossifying fibroma (n = 6), and 22 had a tissue diagnosis of osteomyelitis or medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). The average resection size for all the patients was 6.9 ± 2.5 cm and was 6.1 ± 1.5 cm for those with a benign tumor and 7.8 ± 3.1 cm for those with osteomyelitis or MRONJ. The mean defect size of grafts that failed was 10.7 ± 3.5 cm and 6.5 ± 2.0 cm for those that succeeded (P ≤ .001). A linear regression model revealed that graft length correlated significantly with graft outcome (β-coefficient, −0.548; 95% confidence interval, 0.905 to 1.542; P ≤ .001). Conclusions The results of our study have shown that nonvascular bone grafts can be used to immediately reconstruct mandibular defects greater than 6 cm from benign pathologic lesions; however, larger grafts are more likely to fail.
Src-family kinase-p53/ Lyn p56 plays an important role in TNF-alpha-stimulated production of O2- by human neutrophils adherent to fibrinogen.

Stimulation of neutrophil function by TNFα is largely dependent on β2 integrins. It has also been proposed that src-family kinases are involved in this process. However, the functions of src-like kinases in human neutrophils still remain to be determined. In the present study, we used the new src-family kinase specific inhibitor PP1 4-Amino-5-(4-methylphenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine to investigate the role src-kinases play in TNFα stimulation of neutrophil function. Our results demonstrated that, in neutrophils adherent to fibrinogen, PP1 inhibited TNFα-stimulated superoxide production and protein tyrosine phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. In in vitro kinase assays, PP1 profoundly inhibited the activation of p53/56lyn but not p59hck or p72syk. Only slight inhibition was found of p58c-fgr. These data indicate that p53/56lyn plays an important role in TNFα-mediated stimulation of PMN function.
Recent advances in small molecular modulators targeting histone deacetylase 6

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a unique isozyme in the HDAC family with various distinguished characters. HDAC6 is predominantly localized in the cytoplasm and has several specific nonhistone sub...
A Data-driven Approach for Constrained Infinite-Horizon Linear Quadratic Regulation

This paper presents a data-driven algorithm to solve the problem of infinite-horizon linear quadratic regulation (LQR), for a class of discrete-time linear time-invariant systems subjected to state and control constraints. The problem is divided into a constrained finite-horizon LQR subproblem and an unconstrained infinite-horizon LQR subproblem, which can be solved directly from collected input/state data, separately. Under certain conditions, the combination of the solutions of the subproblems converges to the optimal solution of the original problem. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated by a numerical example.