cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Existence Results for Classes of Sublinear Semipositone Problems

We consider the semipositone problem $${\matrix {-\Delta u (x)= \lambda f (u(x))\ \ \; \ \ \ \ \ x \in \Omega \cr \qquad \qquad \qquad u(x)=0 \ \ \ \;\ \ \ \ x \in \partial \Omega \cr}}$$ where λ > 0 is a constant, Ω is a bounded region in Rn with a smooth boundary, and f is a smooth function such that f ′(u) is bounded below, f (0) < 0 and \({\rm lim}_{u \rightarrow}+\infty {f(u)\over u}=0. \) We prove under some additional conditions the existence of a positive solution (1) for λ ∈ I where I is an interval close to the smallest eigenvalue of —Δ with Dirichlet boundary condition and (2) for λ large. We also prove that our solution u for λ large is such that∥u∥ ≔ supx∈Ω ¦u(x)¦ → ∞ as A → ∞. Our methods are based on sub and super solutions. In particular, we use an anti maximum principle to obtain a subsolution for our existence result for λ ∈ I.
CD14 directs adventitial macrophage precursor recruitment: role in early abdominal aortic aneurysm formation.

Background Recruitment of macrophage precursors to the adventitia plays a key role in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), but molecular mechanisms remain undefined. The innate immune signaling molecule CD14 was reported to be upregulated in adventitial macrophages in a murine model of AAA and in monocytes cocultured with aortic adventitial fibroblasts (AoAf) in vitro , concurrent with increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression. We hypothesized that CD14 plays a crucial role in adventitial macrophage precursor recruitment early during AAA formation. Methods and Results CD14−/− mice were resistant to AAA formation induced by 2 different AAA induction models: aortic elastase infusion and systemic angiotensin II (AngII) infusion. CD14 gene deletion led to reduced aortic macrophage infiltration and diminished elastin degradation. Adventitial monocyte binding to AngII-infused aorta in vitro was dependent on CD14, and incubation of human acute monocytic leukemia cell line-1 (THP-1) monocytes with IL-6 or conditioned medium from perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) upregulated CD14 expression. Conditioned medium from AoAf and PVAT induced CD14-dependent monocyte chemotaxis, which was potentiated by IL-6. CD14 expression in aorta and plasma CD14 levels were increased in AAA patients compared with controls. Conclusions These findings link CD14 innate immune signaling via a novel IL-6 amplification loop to adventitial macrophage precursor recruitment in the pathogenesis of AAA.
Oxidative processes and antioxidative defense mechanisms in the aging brain.

The debilitating consequences of age-related brain deterioration are widespread and extremely costly in terms of quality of life and longevity. One of the potential major causes of age-related destruction of neuronal tissue is toxic free radicals that are a natural result of aerobic metabolism. The brain is particularly susceptible to free radical attack because it generates more of these toxicants per gram of tissue than does any other organ. The major defense mechanisms the brain uses to combat reducing equivalents is via their enzymatic metabolism. The vitamin antioxidants, vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol in particular) and vitamin C (ascorbate), also aid in protecting the brain from oxidative stress by directly scavenging toxic radicals. A newly discovered, potentially highly important antioxidant in the brain is the indole melatonin. The pineal hormone melatonin is rapidly taken up by the brain. In vitro melatonin is more effective than glutathione in scavenging the highly toxic hydroxyl radical and also...
Amatoxin and phallotoxin concentration in Amanita bisporigera spores

Even though amatoxins and phallotoxins have been well characterized in basidiocarps of Amanita species, to our knowledge no report of these toxins in spores of Amanitas has been published. Reversed phase HPLC was used to determine non-zero concentrations of α-amanitin (0.30 mg/g), and phallacidin (0.02 mg/g) in spores taken from white Amanita sect. phalloideae species. We did not find significant amounts of phalloidin in Amanita spores. We also report concentrations of these toxins from pileus and stipe tissues that are similar to previously reported values, lending support to the hypothesis that toxin concentrations in spores are much less than in other basidiocarp tissues.
Multiple root cause analysis of linear oscillatory closed-loop single-input single-output (SISO) systems

In general, oscillatory variables indicate poor performance of control loops. Therefore, diagnosis of the causes for oscillations in control loops is vital for maintaining the product quality within desired limits. In a linear closed-loop SISO system, oscillations can occur due to one or more of the following reasons: (i) poor controller tuning, (ii) control valve stiction and, (iii) external oscillatory disturbances. Several offline data-driven methods have been developed to address the diagnosis problem by focusing on only one of the causes for oscillations. In this work, an algorithm for identification of multiple root causes for oscillations in closed-loop systems is presented. The proposed approach comprises of: (i) Hammerstein based stiction detection algorithm, (ii) amplitude based discrimination algorithm using Hilbert Huang (HH) spectrum for identification of controller and disturbance caused oscillations and, (iii) an algorithm for analyzing the model obtained from Hammerstein approach. A decision algorithm based on the information obtained from the above three components is used for determination of multiple causes for oscillations in linear SISO systems.
Effect of an invasive plant and moonlight on rodent foraging behavior in a coastal dune ecosystem.

Understanding how invasive plants may alter predator avoidance behaviors is important for granivorous rodents because their foraging can trigger ripple effects in trophic webs. Previous research has shown that European beach grass Ammophila arenaria, an invasive species in coastal California, affects the predation of other seeds by the rodents Microtus californicus, Peromyscus maniculatus, and Reithrodontomys megalotis. This may be due to lower perceived predation risk by rodents foraging in close proximity to the cover provided by Ammophila, but this mechanism has not yet been tested. We examined the perceived predation risk of rodents by measuring the ‘giving up density’ of food left behind in experimental patches of food in areas with and without abundant cover from Ammophila and under varying amount of moonlight. We found strong evidence that giving up density was lower in the thick uniform vegetation on Ammophila-dominated habitat than it was in the more sparsely and diversely vegetated restored habitat. There was also evidence that moonlight affected giving up density and that it mediated the effects of habitat, although with our design we were unable to distinguish the effects of lunar illumination and moon phase. Our findings illustrate that foraging rodents, well known to be risk-averse during moonlit nights, are also affected by the presence of an invasive plant. This result has implications for granivory and perhaps plant demography in invaded and restored coastal habitats. Future research in this system should work to unravel the complex trophic links formed by a non-native invasive plant (i.e., Ammophila) providing cover favored by native rodents, which likely forage on and potentially limit the recruitment of native and non-native plants, some of which have ecosystem consequences of their own.
The time derivative neuron

We have developed the time derivative neuron to reduce the bandwidth needed to encode continuous-time input signals using spiking neuron models. Unlike conventional spiking neuron models, the time derivative neuron generates more spikes in regions of high change and is essentially invariant to DC shifts of the input. We describe the model and develop an efficient reconstruction algorithm to demonstrate its reconstruction accuracy and transmission bandwidth. The idea has both digital and analog hardware realizations and we show a SPICE transistor- level simulation of an efficient analog CMOS implementation.
Light- and Heavy-Hole Bound Exciton Transitions and Free to Bound Transitions in Ga x Al 1-x As/GaAs Quantum Wells

Excitons bound to neutral donors in AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs quantum wells were observed by high resolution resonant excitation photoluminescence, and temperature dependent photoluminescence measurements. Changes in the binding energy of excitons are observed when the donors are located in the center of the well, at the edge of the well, or in the center of the barrier. The variations in these binding energies are reported as a function of well size from 75–350A. The binding energies increased as the well size was reduced to about 100A, with further reductions in well size they decreased. Light-hole free excitons bound to neutral donors were observed in AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs quantum wells. The transitions were observed, using selective excitation photoluminescence spectroscopy, in the energy region between the light-hole and heavy-hole free exciton transitions where no other intrinsic transitions exist. The neutral donor-bound heavy-hole free-exciton transitions were also observed when the light-hole bound exciton transitions were observed. Quantum well structures which showed no evidence of a heavy-hole donor bound exciton also showed no evidence of a light-hole donor bound exciton. Free to bound transitions, free hole to bound electron, have also been observed in the AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs quantum wells. The diamagnetic shift of these transitions was used to distinguish them from excitonic transitions.
Subsurface temperatures and crustal strength changes within the seismogenic layer at Arroyo del Coyote in the Socorro seismic area, central Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico

From 1962 to 1995, 572 events with moment magnitudes greater than 1.3 occurred in the Socorro seismic area. The activity seems to be related to uplift resulting from magma replenishment of a cogeographical magma body at 19 km depth. A distinct microearthquake swarm at Arroyo del Coyote where focal depths are well determined, a nearby reliable heat-flow measurement, and a largely granitic upper-crust, make the site ideal for considering upper crustal strength inferred from experimentally determined elastic moduli as a function of temperature and confining pressure at in situ conditions. The experimental data may be interpreted to imply that strength across the seismogenic layer (∼6–10 km) is much more dependent upon in situ temperatures than in situ stresses. Normalized Young9s moduli and bulk moduli decrease at temperatures predicted for the seismogenic layer at Arroyo del Coyote. The elastic moduli versus depth profile can be explained by the thermoelastic response of microcracking. It is suggested that the effect of microcracking weakens the rock and therefore the asperity and surface strength along fault surfaces where seismic events likely occur. The seismogenic layer is also within a temperature regime that generally corresponds to the temperature regime for a semibrittle zone model of crustal weakening with possible plastic deformation. Both the elastic moduli data and the semibrittle zone temperature regime suggest the seismic layer at Arroyo del Coyote is a layer of crustal weakening with depth, different from a stronger crust with depth across a seismogenic layer, as often presented in frictional resistance models. Whereas temperatures at the base of the Arroyo del Coyote swarm are consistent with in situ plastic deformation and the lack of upper-crustal earthquakes at deeper depths, the experimental data for elastic moduli at these same temperatures indicate elastic deformation. The conflicting character of deformation between experimental and in situ observations illustrates the dependence of rheology on strain rate.
Optical Ratiometric Sensor for Alcohol Measurements

Abstract The need for low‐cost, robust alcohol sensors has increased with the renewed interest in alternative fuels as well as high‐throughput screening of biological processes involving the production of ethanol. The goal of this research was to develop a miniaturized optical ratiometric ethanol sensor to be used for in situ measurements. The sensor is based on the fluorescent dye Nile Blue Chloride. When in solution, the dye exhibits a single fluorescence peak. However, a dual emission peak is observed upon physical immobilization of the dye in the hydrogel poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate. The dual emission allows for ratiometric measurements, thus circumventing drawbacks associated with fluorescence intensity measurements such as signal variations due to dye bleaching, source intensity fluctuations, etc. In developing this sensor we investigated ethanol sensitivity; alcohol selectivity; response time; and cross‐sensitivity with pH, polarity, and ionic strength. We found that the sensor is sensitiv...
New Photoactivators for Multiphoton Excited Three-dimensional Submicron Cross-linking of Proteins: Bovine Serum Albumin and Type 1 Collagen¶,†

Abstract We report the synthesis and optical characterization of two new photoactivators and demonstrate their use for multiphoton excited three-dimensional free-form fabrication with proteins. These reagents were developed with the goal of cross-linking Type 1 collagen. This cross-linking process produces structures on the micron and submicron size scales. A rose bengal diisopropyl amine derivative combines the classic photoactivator and co-initiator system into one molecule, reducing the reaction kinetics and increasing cross-linking efficiency. This derivative was successful at producing stable structures from collagen, whereas rose bengal alone was not effective. A benzophenone dimer connected by a flexible diamine tether was also synthesized. This activator has two photochemically reactive groups and is highly efficient in cross-linking bovine serum albumin and Type 1 collagen to form stable, robust structures. This approach is more flexible in terms of cross-linking a variety of proteins than by tra...
Tourism experience and quality of life among elderly tourists.

Abstract The main purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between the travel behavior of elderly tourists and overall quality of life. Specifically, the study examines the interrelationships between six main constructs: involvement, perceived value, satisfaction with trip experience, leisure life satisfaction, overall quality of life, and revisit intention. Using a sample drawn from elderly tourists in South Korea, the research model investigates nine hypotheses using a structural equation modeling approach. The results show that all nine of the hypotheses are supported.
Key pecking during extinction after intermittent or continuous reinforcement as a function of the number of reinforcers delivered during training.

Key pecking by 7 pigeons was established and maintained on a multiple variable-ratio variable-ratio (VR) schedule of food presentation. The schedule in one of the components was then changed to fixed-ratio (FR) 1 for a predetermined number of reinforcers. Both components were then changed to extinction (i.e., multiple extinction, extinction). This sequence was repeated a different number of times for each pigeon to determine the relation between the number of reinforcers delivered during each component of the multiple VR FR 1 schedule and the number of responses during extinction. For most pigeons, there were fewer responses during extinction in the presence of a stimulus recently correlated with FR 1, regardless of the number of reinforcers received. The ratio of the total responses in extinction in the former VR component to the total responses in the former FR 1 component increased as the number of reinforcers delivered during each component of the multiple schedule increased. Within-subject replications of the partial-reinforcement extinction effect generally occurred, and there were no overall reductions in the number of responses in extinction with repeated exposures to extinction.
A Comparison of Voltage Ramp and Time Dependent Dielectric Breakdown Tests for Evaluation of 45nm Low-k SiCOH Reliability

A comparison of the relationship between voltage ramp dielectric breakdown (VRDB) test and constant-voltage time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) stress has been performed as part of a 45 nm low-k SiCOH reliability evaluation. Although some correlation was observed between VRDB and TDDB, it was found that the fast VRDB test can't replace TDDB to evaluate true long-term time-dependent behavior, which is important for reliability qualification. However, with the combination of VRDB and TDDB, a more comprehensive reliability assessment of low- k dielectric breakdown could be achieved. Finally, a novel, non-destructive spacing determination methodology is proposed and an excellent agreement between the extracted spacing and measured spacing is demonstrated.
Measurement of atmospheric nitrous acid at Bodgett Forest during BEARPEX2007

Abstract. Nitrous acid (HONO) is an important precursor of the hydroxyl radical (OH) in the lower troposphere. Understanding HONO chemistry, particularly its sources and contribution to HOx (=OH+HO2) production, is very important for understanding atmospheric oxidation processes. A highly sensitive instrument for detecting atmospheric HONO based on wet chemistry followed by liquid waveguide long path absorption photometry was deployed in the Biosphere Effects on Aerosols and Photochemistry Experiment (BEARPEX) at Blodgett Forest, California in late summer 2007. The median diurnal variation shows minimum HONO levels of about 20–30 pptv during the day and maximum levels of about 60–70 pptv at night, a diurnal pattern quite different from the results at various other forested sites. Measured HONO/NO2 ratios for a 24-h period ranged from 0.05 to 0.13 with a mean ratio of 0.07. Speciation of reactive nitrogen compounds (NOy) indicates that HONO accounted for only ~3% of total NOy. However, due to the fast HONO loss through photolysis, a strong HONO source (1.59 ppbv day−1) existed in this environment in order to sustain the observed HONO levels, indicating the significant role of HONO in NOy cycling. The wet chemistry HONO measurements were compared to the HONO measurements made with a Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS) over a three-day period. Good agreement was obtained between the measurements from the two different techniques. Using the expansive suite of photochemical and meteorological measurements, the contribution of HONO photolysis to HOx budget was calculated to be relatively small (6%) compared to results from other forested sites. The lower HONO mixing ratio and thus its smaller contribution to HOx production are attributed to the unique meteorological conditions and low acid precipitation at Blodgett Forest. Further studies of HONO in this kind of environment are needed to test this hypothesis and to improve our understanding of atmospheric oxidation and nitrogen budget.
Pushing Hypercubes Around

We study collections of identical, connected modules which may relocate relative to each other; such a collection is called a modular metamorphic system (see [CPE], [MKK], [PEC], [RV], [YMK]). While such a system must always remain connected, it is possible for such a system to reconfigure its shape through successive motions of individual modules, either by rotation and sliding (e.g., [MKK]) or by expansion and contraction (e.g., [PEC]). The theory of modular metamorphic systems has important applications in the study and use of reconfigurable robots, small, modular robots with limited motion abilities (see [Yi], [Ch], [MKK]). Such robots reorganize themselves by changing shape locally, while maintaining connectivity. Reconfigurable robots are easily adaptable, as they are relatively inexpensive to produce and exhibit high fault tolerance. Given the desire to have reconfigurable robots take on specific configurations, it is natural to ask whether a collection of modules can achieve specified configurations. Formally, the motion planning problem for a modular metamorphic system asks for a sequence of motions which transform a given configuration of modules V into a specified configuration V ′. We denote the motion planning problem asking for a transformation taking V to V ′ by [V 7→ V ′]. When a solution to [V 7→ V ′] exists, we say that [V 7→ V ′] is feasible. For configurations V and V ′ of two-dimensional, hexagonal modules, the problem [V 7→ V ′] is feasible whenever the configurations have the same number of modules and do not contain a single three-module pattern, as shown by Nguyen, Guibas, and Yim [NGY]. Recently, Dumitrescu and Pach [DP] showed that the motion planning problem is even simpler for square modules in two dimensions. Indeed, for any two configurations V and V ′ of n square modules, the problem [V 7→ V ′] is feasible (see [DP]). We find a similar reconfiguration result for metamorphic systems of d-dimensional hypercubic modules. In particular, we will show in Section II-B that for any two n-module configurations V and V ′ of d-dimensional hypercubic modules, the problem [V 7→ V ′] is feasible. This result fully generalizes Dumitrescu and Pach’s [DP] result for squares. Furthermore, our result for d = 3 affirmatively answers the “Pushing Cubes Around” problem proposed by O’Rourke at CCCG 2007 [DO].
Spatial distribution of blood vessels and CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells within the marrow cavities of human cancellous bone.

Current bone marrow dosimetry methods inherently assume that the target cells of interest for the assessment of leukemia risk (stochastic effects) or marrow toxicity (deterministic effects) are uniformly localized throughout the marrow cavities of cancellous bone. Previous studies on mouse femur, however, have demonstrated a spatial gradient for the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, with higher concentrations near the bone surfaces. The objective of the present study was to directly measure the spatial concentration of these cells, as well as marrow vasculature structures, within images of human disease-free bone marrow. Methods: Core-biopsy samples of normal bone marrow from the iliac crest were obtained from clinical cases at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida Department of Pathology. The specimens were sectioned and immunohistochemically stained for CD34 (red) and CD31 (brown) antigens. These 2 stains were used simultaneously to differentiate between hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (CD34+/CD31−) and vascular endothelium (CD34+/CD31+). Distances from hematopoietic CD34+ cells and blood vessels to the nearest bone trabecula surface were measured digitally and then binned in 50-μm increments, with the results then normalized per unit area of marrow tissue. The distances separating hematopoietic CD34+ cells from vessels were also tallied. Results: Hematopoietic CD34+ cells were found to exist along a linear spatial gradient with a maximal areal concentration localized within the first 50 μm of the bone surfaces. An exponential spatial concentration gradient was found in the concentration of blood vessel fragments within the images. Distances between hematopoietic CD34+ cells and blood vessels exhibited a lognormal distribution indicating a shared spatial niche. Conclusion: Study results confirm that the spatial gradient of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells previously measured in mouse femur is also present within human cancellous bone. The dosimetric implication of these results may be significant for those scenarios in which the absorbed dose itself is nonuniformly delivered across the marrow tissues, as would be the case for a low-energy β- or α-particle emitter localized on the bone surfaces.
WordNet and FrameNet as Complementary Resources for Annotation

WordNet and FrameNet are widely used lexical resources, but they are very different from each other and are often used in completely different ways in NLP. In a case study in which a short passage is annotated in both frameworks, we show how the synsets and definitions of WordNet and the syntagmatic information from FrameNet can complement each other, forming a more complete representation of the lexical semantic of a text than either could alone. Close comparisons between them also suggest ways in which they can be brought into alignment.
Policy Formulation and the Administrative Process

It is no mere coincidence that greater reliance on government for social stewardship in a decade of economic stress has been accompanied by a reconsideration of public personnel problems. Foremost in the new orientation of thought is a deeper appreciation of administrative leadership within the civil service. As a result, considerable emphasis is being placed upon the demand for “upward extension” of the merit principle. In reality, the term “extension” appears to be a misnomer. If the leading staff positions in the administrative hierarchy are to be filled on a basis of competency and permanency, far-reaching questions of recruitment, promotion, and general grouping present themselves which can be answered only in relation to a revised conception of the entire service.
Electrolyte levels of rat salivary secretions.

SummaryRat submaxillary-sublingual and parotid gland secretions, collected directly from salivary ducts for initial period of 3 minutes during stimulation by subcutaneously administered pilocarpine, exhibit patterns of sodium-potassium concentration that differ markedly from each other. Submaxillary-sublingual saliva is essentially hypo-osmotic to serum, with sodium concentration of 12 meq/1 and K of 53 meq/1, while parotid saliva has a total sodium-potassium concentration above that of serum (Na, 142 meq/1; K 18.5 meq/1). A broad correlation between gland sodium and potassium levels, together with changes on stimulation, and levels of these electrolytes in secretions from these glands is indicated.
Humane Factors Play a Significant Role on Higher Education P.E

According to the present situation of the economy and society development in China .linked to the tendency of world physicial education, In the essay, the author elaborated that humane factors ,mainly namely, political activity ,economy activity, science and technology activity would have a significant effect on China physical education .At the same time ,the author expressed her idea bravely about the development tendency of P.E.in China in the 21th century,what the author introduced in the paper will urge China P.E. to develop better than before .
Oligidic Diets for Acheta domesticus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

Sixteen oligidic diets were prepared by mixing commercially available feed components in varying proportions to obtain different levels of protein and carbohydrate. Four diets with protein levels between 20% and 30% and carbohydrate between 32% and 47% gave the most satisfactory growth and development based upon survival, growth index, mean weight gain, conversion, and uniformity of growth. Additional notes are included on the effects of diet on wing length and tolerance to chemical intoxication.
Single-carrier modulation

This chapter describes the basic properties of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and continuous phase modulation (CPM). QAM is described using signal space concepts. Examples of pulse shapes and constellations are given to illustrate these concepts. The power spectral density is also discussed. CPM is described in terms of analog frequency modulation. Examples of frequency pulses are described to illustrate full response and partial response versions of CPM. The power spectral density is derived for uncorrelated symbols. The chapter concludes with a comparison of all the examples in the spectral efficiency, energy efficiency plane.
Association of survival with chemotherapy intensity, myelosuppression, and supportive care in patients with advanced solid tumors.

6534 Background: The value of chemotherapy and supportive care for advanced cancer has been questioned. Two systematic reviews were conducted to study the impact of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and supportive care on subsequent survival. Methods: Phase 1 identified trials evaluating the relationship of chemotherapy associated with myelosuppression and subsequent survival in patients with cancer. Phase 2 evaluated randomized controlled trials (RCTs) chemotherapy with or without G-CSF support for advanced cancer. Outcomes included hazard ratios (HR), relative risk (RR) and absolute risk (AR) ±95% CI. Results: In Phase 1, 11 of 25 identified studies were conducted in patients with advanced/metastatic disease with 10 in patients with solid tumors. Among the 7 studies in patients with solid tumors reporting survival outcomes, a consistent association between chemotherapy-associated myelosuppression and reduced mortality was observed (HR=0.69; 0.61-0.77; P<.0001). A significant interaction between myel...
Facing the frames: Using the Framework as a guide for a credit-bearing information literacy course

Many librarians have written about their experiences using the “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education” in one-shot information literacy instruction and in conversations with faculty. In March 2014, Andy Burkhardt wrote on his blog about using the “Research as Inquiry” frame to guide information literacy instruction with sophomore ethnography students.
Holocene temperatures and isotopes of precipitation in Northwest Greenland recorded in lacustrine organic materials

Abstract Reconstructions of Holocene lake water isotopic composition based upon subfossil aquatic organic material offer new insights into Arctic climate. We present quantitative estimates of warmth during the Holocene Thermal Maximum in northwest Greenland, inferred from oxygen isotopes of chironomid head capsules and aquatic moss preserved in lake sediments. δ18O values of chironomids from surface sediments of multiple Greenland lakes indicate that these subfossil remains record the δ18O values of the lake water in which they grow. Our lake water δ18O reconstruction is supported by downcore agreement with δ18O values in aquatic moss and chironomid remains. δ18O of both organic materials from Secret Lake decrease after 4 ka (ka = thousands of years ago) by 3‰ into the Neoglacial. We argue that lake water at Secret Lake primarily reflects precipitation δ18O values, which is strongly correlated with air temperature in NW Greenland, and that this signal is biased towards summer and early autumn conditions. Other factors may have influenced Secret Lake δ18O values through the Holocene, including evaporation of lake water and changing seasonality and source of precipitation. The maximum early Holocene summer and early autumn-biased temperature anomaly at Secret Lake is 2.5–4 °C warmer than present from 7.7 (the beginning of our record) to ∼6 ka. The maximum late Holocene cold anomaly (which includes the Little Ice Age) is 1.5–3 °C colder than present. These ranges of possible temperature anomalies reflect uncertainty in the δ18O – temperature relationship for precipitation at the study site through the Holocene.
Meds Modify Microbiome, Mediating Their Effects.

The mechanisms of action of some common medications remain unknown but, in some cases, may involve the microorganisms within us. A new study by Wu et al. (2017) provides evidence that the type 2 diabetes drug metformin alters the gut microbiota, which in turn may mediate some of the drug's effects.
The “Modest Needs” Homeless Family

Homelessness shatters the basic security all human beings require for adequate psycho-social development. Homelessness is particularly devastating to life-stage adjustments, coping skills, and overall mental well-being (Arrigo, 1994; Fabricant, 1988). The experience of homelessness often leaves individuals feeling confused and desperate and, thus, susceptible to acute uncertainty about their future (Arrigo, 1994). Clearly, the distinctive characteristics of this population represent an ongoing and intensified struggle to survive (Arrigo, 1997). Homelessness is increasing, especially among families (Bassuk, Rubin, & Lauriat,
What To Do When Your World Turns Nonlinear

The research I intend to describe is a summary of the efforts of a number of students and postdocs. In order to produce these results they faced choices, and their choices not only have determined the results I will discuss, they also determined the progress of the student. When a student faces a difficult problem he can choose to give up. Such a student never will become a physicist. When a student faces a difficult problem he also can attack the problem and solve it. Such a student needs a more difficult problem, and usually gets one. Then there is the third reaction to a difficult problem. Some students have the unique ability to attack an exceptionally difficult problem, partially solve it, then gain insight that might contribute to the general solution by analyzing the partial solution. These are the physicists — and I feel very fortunate to have been able to work with several of them. These are the people who respond in a very special way. When life hands them a lemon, they don’t complain. They make lemonade.
Neoliberal populism as hegemony: a historical-ideological analysis of US economic policy discourse

This article explores how neoliberal and populist elements were initially fused in US political talk to legitimize the expansion of corporate power and socioeconomic inequality that has occurred ov...
Computing optimal strategies to commit to in stochastic games

Significant progress has been made recently in the following two lines of research in the intersection of AI and game theory: (1) the computation of optimal strategies to commit to (Stackelberg strategies), and (2) the computation of correlated equilibria of stochastic games. In this paper, we unite these two lines of research by studying the computation of Stackelberg strategies in stochastic games. We provide theoretical results on the value of being able to commit and the value of being able to correlate, as well as complexity results about computing Stackelberg strategies in stochastic games. We then modify the QPACE algorithm (MacDermed et al. 2011) to compute Stackelberg strategies, and provide experimental results.
Visualizing Network Connectivity in Parkinson'S Disease

Numerous recent papers have demonstrated the utility of graph theoretical analysis in conjunction with sparse inverse covariance estimation (SICE) in understanding the modulation of brain connectivity associated with neuropathology. These concepts may complement established knowledge of functional covariance obtained using principal component analysis (PCA) that can reduce whole data representations of brain data to essential disease specific patterns. The potential informative advantage of joint SICE/PCA applicability is demonstrated here in the study and diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) in metabolic fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) data. The relationship of the two reduction techniques is demonstrated and the graphical parameters of the SICE representation are deduced in a novel processing step and applied to study and visualize the underlying functional connectivity of the homologous PC imaging biomarker.
CRAD as a cytoskeletal tumour suppressor.

β-catenin regulates cell–cell adhesion and maintains stemness through Wnt signalling, but how these functions are mechanistically related is not fully understood. A study now identifies CRAD as the mechanistic link, providing insight into how dysregulation of epithelial adhesion contributes to Wnt-driven tumorigenesis.
Self-generated variability in object images predicts vocabulary growth.

Object names are a major component of early vocabularies and learning object names depends on being able to visually recognize objects in the world. However, the fundamental visual challenge of the moment-to-moment variations in object appearances that learners must resolve has received little attention in word learning research. Here we provide the first evidence that image-level object variability matters and may be the link that connects infant object manipulation to vocabulary development. Using head-mounted eye tracking, the present study objectively measured individual differences in the moment-to-moment variability of visual instances of the same object, from infants' first-person views. Infants who generated more variable visual object images through manual object manipulation at 15 months of age experienced greater vocabulary growth over the next six months. Elucidating infants' everyday visual experiences with objects may constitute a crucial missing link in our understanding of the developmental trajectory of object name learning.
Efficient cross-trait penalized regression increases prediction accuracy in large cohorts using secondary phenotypes.

We introduce cross-trait penalized regression (CTPR), a powerful and practical approach for multi-trait polygenic risk prediction in large cohorts. Specifically, we propose a novel cross-trait penalty function with the Lasso and the minimax concave penalty (MCP) to incorporate the shared genetic effects across multiple traits for large-sample GWAS data. Our approach extracts information from the secondary traits that is beneficial for predicting the primary trait based on individual-level genotypes and/or summary statistics. Our novel implementation of a parallel computing algorithm makes it feasible to apply our method to biobank-scale GWAS data. We illustrate our method using large-scale GWAS data (~1M SNPs) from the UK Biobank (N = 456,837). We show that our multi-trait method outperforms the recently proposed multi-trait analysis of GWAS (MTAG) for predictive performance. The prediction accuracy for height by the aid of BMI improves from R2 = 35.8% (MTAG) to 42.5% (MCP + CTPR) or 42.8% (Lasso + CTPR) with UK Biobank data. Information of genetic architectures of complex traits can be leveraged for predicting phenotypes. Here, the authors develop CTPR (Cross-Trait Penalized Regression), a method for multi-trait polygenic risk prediction using individual-level genotypes and/or summary statistics from large cohorts.
Differences in Sun Protection Behaviors Between Rural and Urban Communities in Texas

PURPOSE The increasing incidence of skin cancer is a global health issue. In order to identify at-risk populations in Texas, we compared sun protection behaviors and sunburn history across rural and urban counties. METHODS An online health screening survey collected data from a nonprobability sample of Texas residents in 2018. Data were weighted by sex, age, race, and ethnicity. Multinomial multivariable logistic regression identified key factors associated with sun protection behaviors and sunscreen use. Weighted Pearson's χ2 test identified differences between urban and rural respondents in strength of sunscreen used and sunburn history. FINDINGS Rural residents in Texas were less likely to seek shade (OR = 0.58; P = .004) and less likely to use sunscreen lotion (OR = 0.65; P = .013) compared to their urban counterparts. Sunscreen use was also lower among current versus never smokers (OR = 0.67; P = .034) but higher in those with personal versus no cancer history (OR = 2.14; P = .004). Although rural versus urban residents were more likely to use higher SPF sunscreen (P < .002), they had more blistering sunburns over the course of their life (P < .001) and these injuries were more likely to occur at an earlier age, between 5 and 14 years old (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Increased attention to sun protective behaviors among rural communities in Texas is vital to help reduce the high prevalence of sunburn injury and incidence of skin cancer.
Prognostic Importance and Predictors of Survival in Isolated Tricuspid Regurgitation: A Growing Problem

Abstract Objective To define mortality associated with isolated tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and identify risk factors associated with decreased survival. Patients and Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of residents of southeastern Minnesota with moderate-severe or more severe isolated TR diagnosed between January 1, 2005, and April 15, 2015. Isolated TR was defined as TR in the absence of left-sided heart disease or pulmonary hypertension. Patients with an ejection fraction of less than 50%, right ventricular systolic pressure greater than 45 mm Hg, moderate or more severe left-sided valve disease, congenital cardiac anomalies, previous valve operation, tricuspid stenosis, flail leaflet, carcinoid, and rheumatic disease were excluded. Five-year survival was compared with age- and sex-matched Minnesota census bureau data. Multivariate regression was used to identify variables associated with mortality. Results Over a 10-year period, 289 patients with isolated TR were identified. The mean ± SD age was 79.2±10.6 years, 70.6% (204) were women, atrial fibrillation was present in 74.0% (214), and 24.6% (71) had an intracardiac device. By 5 years after diagnosis, 51.5% had been hospitalized for heart failure. Observed 5-year mortality was 47.8% compared with 36.3% in the census data (P=.005). After adjusting for age and other comorbidities, multivariate regression identified a dilated inferior vena cava (≥2.1 cm) without respiratory variation on echocardiography (hazard ratio, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.13-3.31; P=.02) and creatinine level greater than 1.6 mg/dL (hazard ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.16-2.8; P=.009) as associated with increased mortality. Conclusion Patients with isolated TR are frequently hospitalized for heart failure and experience excess mortality. Elevated right atrial pressure and renal dysfunction are associated with mortality. This poor outcome may have implications for timing of intervention.
Non-invasive PET Imaging of CDK4/6 Expression in Breast Cancer Models

1036 Introduction: Breast cancer is a worldwide health issue with about 1 million new cases every year. Dysregulated cellular proliferation, a common feature to all human cancers, is a key player of aberrant proliferative signaling and is therefore considered as a “hallmark of cancer”. In breast cancer, a lot of attention focuses on particular members of the cell cycle machinery, the D-type cyclins and their partner cyclin-D kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). CDKs are serine/threonine kinases key in regulating cell cycle progression by associating with cyclins. Several studies have identified alterations of cell cycle regulators in human breast cancer and provide a strong rationale for a therapeutic role for CDK4/6 inhibition in this tumor type. Amplification of the cyclin-D1 occurs in about 20% of human breast cancers, while overexpression of the protein is above 60%. The subtype for which CDK4/6 inhibition has the strongest rationale is estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease. These subtypes almost always retain Rb function, thereby CDK4 and CDK6 targeting agents can block pRb phosphorylation (in low nanomolar concentration) and induce G1 arrest in sensitive cell lines. It is often controversial whether CDK4/6 inhibitors are capable to prolong overall survival. Moreover, it is urgent to find a way to select which patients are most likely to benefit from these drugs and to monitor, non-invasively, the progress of the disease and the overall treatment response. To this aim, we developed a PET imaging agent ([18F]-CDKi) as an in vivo PET reporter of CDK4/6 status with the final aim to improve efficacy of breast cancer therapy. To generate our fluorine-18 inhibitor, we introduced an F-18 prosthetic group (18F-fluorobenzoic acid, [18F-FBA]), on the terminal piperazine and transformed palbociclib (Inbrance®, Pfizer) into a different PET active functional molecule. The first in vitro experiment aiming to analyze pharmacokinetics (PK) and in vitro activity revealed that [18F]-CDKican be a successful PET agent with nearly ideal imaging characteristics. Moreover, we demonstrated that [18F]-CDKi is stable in vitro and in vivo (>98% at 4h post injection) and maintained a potent targeting affinity to CDK4/6. Cellular uptake experiments performed in MCF-7 breast cancer cell line (ER-positive/HER2-negative) demonstrated specific uptake. Similar significant uptake values were also observed in biodistributed MCF-7 bearing mouse models. The strong activation of CDK4/6 in cancer cells in concert with its low activation in untransformed healthy cells makes [18F]-CDKi a nearly ideal imaging agent for the early detection of malignant growth of the breast. Moreover, we also hypothesize it could be an excellent PET imaging agent for metastatic breast cancer due to their high proliferative rate. CDKi represents the first of a new generation of PET imaging agents critical to study how cancer cells escape the cell cycle arrest and develop resistance to conventional treatment.
Different Sameness: Queer Autoethnography and Coalition Politics:

As a method, we use autoethnography to explore coalition politics from our positions in academia. We use autoethnography to examine how similar identity categories presume sameness and can lead to ...
The Value of Differing Points of View: Evidence from Financial Analysts' Geographic Diversity

We show that analysts incorporate geographically dispersed information about firms into individual forecasts and that limited analyst geographic diversity adversely affects consensus forecasts and firm liquidity. Using satellite imagery of U.S. retailers' parking lots, we find analysts shade their own forecast in the direction of local car counts relative to other analysts covering the same firm at the same time but from different locations. Examining all industries, we find firms with more geographically concentrated analyst coverage have higher consensus forecast errors and are less liquid. Evidence from shocks in geographic coverage due to brokerage closures suggest these relations are causal.
Leveraging the Cloud to Achieve Near Real-time Processing for Drone-Generated Data

Low-cost drones are an emerging technological area that open the horizon for intelligent new Internet-of-Things (IoT) and a host of other applications. Cloud-based online processing of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) captured data is an attractive and interesting option toward real-time data processing, as it accommodates viewing and analyzing data from a variety of sources, thereby making data accessibility across devices significantly smooth and easier. This results in a more effective and seamless professional collaborations. Cloud-based solutions also make information technology (IT) management easier by automatically installing software updates, storing backups and eliminating the need for high-specification and expensive computers for data processing and storage. The ability to upload more than one just data-set at a time also provides greater flexibility, while security matters are handled using log-in credentials. In the present work, we discuss a comparative study between two data processing approaches: in one case the data captured by an UAV has been processed using an on-board low-cost single-board computer; in the other case, the captured data has been off-loaded to the cloud for further processing. Processing times between these two approaches are compared, statistical analysis applied, in order to confirm the superiority of the cloud-based processing approach. Challenges inherent with cloud-based processing have also been identified, which will be the subject of future research work.