cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compensatory partitioning of carbon budgets by the grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) and implications for predator prey relationships

Carbon utilization and allocation were examined between two populations of shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) to determine the possible effects of living in an area of high anthropogenic impact. Carbon assimilation has been studied in P. pugio, but no study has looked at how assimilation might be influenced by contaminants. Anthropogenic effects on carbon assimilation in grass shrimp represent a major unmeasured impact on the carbon budget of multi-cellular organisms in estuaries and near shore environments. The influence of anthropogenic contamination on carbon assimilation has implications for predicting the environmental impact of contaminants, for models of estuarine function, and trophic transfer from the dominant macroscopic detritus processor to species of direct economic importance. Shrimp budgets were compared between two populations, one from a highly polluted marsh creek system in Northern New Jersey, and one from a clean reference site in Southern New Jersey. All components of the carbon budgets were measured directly including carbon allocated to reproduction. Carbon lost to respiration was lower in shrimp from the polluted system allowing them to have increased reproductive output. This is examined in the context of previous studies that show lowered predation by a piscine predator at the polluted site, resulting in a trophic cascade and changes in ecosystem function due to anthropogenic impacts.
FIV establishes a latent infection in feline peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes in vivo during the asymptomatic phase of infection

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus of cats that establishes a lifelong persistent infection with immunologic impairment. In an approximately 2 year-long experimental infection study, cats infected with a biological isolate of FIV clade C demonstrated undetectable plasma viral loads from 10 months post-infection onward. Viral DNA was detected in CD4+CD25+ and CD4+CD25- T cells isolated from infected cats whereas viral RNA was not detected at multiple time points during the early chronic phase of infection. Viral transcription could be reactivated in latently infected CD4+ T cells ex vivo as demonstrated by detectable FIV gag RNA and 2-long terminal repeat (LTR) circle junctions. Viral LTR and gag sequences amplified from peripheral blood mononuclear cells during early and chronic stages of infection demonstrated minimal to no viral sequence variation. Collectively, these findings are consistent with FIV latency in peripheral blood CD4+ T cells isolated from chronically infected cats. The ability to isolate latently FIV-infected CD4+ T lymphocytes from FIV-infected cats provides a platform for the study of in vivo mechanisms of lentiviral latency.
Multistage Contracting with Applications to R&D and Insurance Policies

An agent undertakes a nonobservable first-stage effort. The principal observes whether the effort results in a successful project or not. If the project succeeds, only the firm observes its interim quality, and can further improve it with a nonobservable second-stage effort. If the agent accepts penalties when the first-stage fails, moral hazard and asymmetric information do not prevent the principal from implementing her first-best outcome. However, if the agent is bounded by the maximum loss he can bear when the first-stage fails (limited liability), the principal induces the agent to exert a first-stage effort below the first-best level and a second-stage effort above the first-best level when the interim quality of his project is low. This distortion in efforts implies that the ex post rent left to the agent with a project of high interim quality is above the first-best level. This provides a rationale for the optimality of expanding the use of the “carrot” (second-stage rent) when the use of the “stick” (first-stage penalty) is restricted. Implications of the theory for R&D, bank, job, and insurance contracts are discussed.
Segmentation of Dental Radiographs Using a Swarm Intelligence Approach

One of the most complex tasks in digital image processing is image segmentation. This paper proposes a novel image segmentation algorithm that uses a biologically inspired technique based on swarm intelligence and a cellular automata model. The proposed swarm intelligence-based algorithm operates on the image pixel data and a region/neighborhood map to form a context in which they can merge. The swarm intelligent algorithm also tries to find similar pixels using a sensor function, which is then utilized by swarm agents to determine the next appreciate pixel in the region/segment area. In addition, the paper introduces a cellular automata-based dynamic flow algorithm to guide swarm agents to choose the best possible advancing direction to avoid traffic jam and inconsistency. The suggested image segmentation strategy is tested on a set of dental radiographs.
A rational approach to heavy-atom derivative screening

Despite the development in recent times of a range of techniques for phasing macromolecules, the conventional heavy-atom derivatization method still plays a significant role in protein structure determination. However, this method has become less popular in modern high-throughput oriented crystallography, mostly owing to its trial-and-error nature, which often results in lengthy empirical searches requiring large numbers of well diffracting crystals. In addition, the phasing power of heavy-atom derivatives is often compromised by lack of isomorphism or even loss of diffraction. In order to overcome the difficulties associated with the `classical' heavy-atom derivatization procedure, an attempt has been made to develop a rational crystal-free heavy-atom derivative-screening method and a quick-soak derivatization procedure which allows heavy-atom compound identification. The method includes three basic steps: (i) the selection of likely reactive compounds for a given protein and specific crystallization conditions based on pre-defined heavy-atom com­pound reactivity profiles, (ii) screening of the chosen heavy-atom compounds for their ability to form protein adducts using mass spectrometry and (iii) derivatization of crystals with selected heavy-metal compounds using the quick-soak method to maximize diffraction quality and minimize non-isomorphism. Overall, this system streamlines the pro­cess of heavy-atom compound identification and minimizes the problem of non-isomorphism in phasing.
Average Case Analysis of High-Dimensional Block-Sparse Recovery and Regression for Arbitrary Designs

This paper studies conditions for highdimensional inference when the set of observations is given by a linear combination of a small number of groups of columns of a design matrix, termed the \block-sparse" case. In this regard, it rst species conditions on the design matrix under which most of its block submatrices are well conditioned. It then leverages this result for average-case analysis of high-dimensional block-sparse recovery and regression. In contrast to earlier works: (i) this paper provides conditions on arbitrary designs that can be explicitly computed in polynomial time, (ii) the provided conditions translate into near-optimal scaling of the number of observations with the number of active blocks of the design matrix, and (iii) the conditions suggest that the spectral norm, rather than the column/block coherences, of the design matrix fundamentally limits the performance of computational methods in high-dimensional settings.
Pedigree analysis in families with febrile seizures

Febrile seizures are the most common form of seizures, occurring in an estimated 2-5% of North American children. We carried out a systematic pedigree study of febrile seizure probands. Forty of 52 probands (77%) in a referral population selected for increased severity had more than one case per family: one family had 10 cases, one family had 7, 3 families had 6, 2 had 5, 3 had 4, 13 had 3, and 17 had 2 cases. Mode of inheritance in the multicase families best fit the hypothesis of autosomal dominance with reduced penetrance. Polygenic inheritance could not be excluded for some of the smaller families. There was no support for X-linked or mitochondrial inheritance. Penetrance was calculated to be 0.64. Because the cases were selected for increased severity, this represents a useful estimate of the upper limit of penetrance and is in agreement with twin studies. Simulated lod scores showed adequate power for a linkage study in the absence of heterogeneity. Individual families had simulated average lod scores as high as 2.1. However, with potential heterogeneity, assuming only 70% of families share the same disease locus, average lod scores were marginal, and a high density map of marker loci and additional families would be required to document linkage.
Effect of Blanching on Enzyme Activity and Quality Changes in Green Peas

Fresh green peas were blanched for various times/temperatures and stored at — 23°C. At 3 month intervals peas were analyzed for per-oxidase, polyphenoloxidase, lipoxygenase and catalase activity and ascorbic acid content. Samples were cooked and evaluated sensorily, and using Hunter color and Instron texture measurements. Enzymes exhibited varying degrees of activity over the first 3 months in storage. After 3 months, peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase activity decreased or remained constant. Lipoxygenase activity increased over storage, most noticeably in the long time/low temperature blanch treatment. Sensory evaluation indicated a gradual loss of quality due to poor flavor in the long time/low temperature blanch. Ascorbic acid content, greenness and firmness decreased gradually with storage.
The effects of stimulus type on consistency of responses to conflicting stimuli in Siamese fighting fish

Individuals must often decide among a range of behavioral responses in a given situation and individuals will likely vary from one another in the choices they make. A rarely explored example of this is when both a male and a female are present simultaneously and a male must decide to fight or court. Consistent individual differences have been found in decision-making in Siamese fighting fish; however, dummies were used to explore this question and it is possible that individuals respond differently in this situation when faced with live stimuli as a result of feedback. Therefore, this study investigated whether males behave similarly to dummy and live stimuli by exposing them to male and female conspecifics both simultaneously and separately. Subjects were tested first with dummies and then in the same situations using live conspecifics. It was hypothesized that males would respond in the same manner to both the dummy and live fish. The results indicated that individuals behaved similarly to the dummy fish and the live fish in corresponding conditions. In addition, repeatability levels suggest that individuals behaved similarly across trials of a given treatment type while differing from one another in their responses. This study demonstrates that males are consistent in their responses even when receiving feedback from conspecifics and supports the continued use of dummy stimuli as an effective tool.
Decreased Pulmonary Radiation Resistance of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase (MnSOD)-Deficient Mice is Corrected by Human Manganese Superoxide Dismutase-Plasmid/Liposome (SOD2-PL) Intratracheal Gene Therapy

Abstract Epperly, M. W., Epstein, C. J., Travis, E. L. and Greenberger, J. S. Decreased Pulmonary Radiation Resistance of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase (MnSOD)-Deficient Mice is Corrected by Human Manganese Superoxide Dismutase-Plasmid/Liposome (SOD2-PL) Intratracheal Gene Therapy. The pulmonary ionizing radiation sensitivity of C57BL/6 Sod2+/– mice heterozygous for MnSOD deficiency was compared to that Sod2+/+ control littermates. Embryo fibroblast cell lines from Sod2–/– (neonatal lethal) or Sod2+/– mice produced less biochemically active MnSOD and demonstrated a significantly greater in vitro radiosensitivity. No G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest after 5 Gy was observed in Sod2–/– cells compared to the Sod2+/– or Sod2+/+ lines. Subclonal Sod2–/– or Sod2+/– embryo fibroblast lines expressing the human SOD2 transgene showed increased biochemical activity of MnSOD and radioresistance. Sod2+/– mice receiving 18 Gy whole-lung irradiation died sooner and had an increased percentage of lung with organizing alveol...
Recommendations for Achieving Service Levels within Large-scale Resolution Service Networks

A new recommendation framework that addresses the correct and quick resolution of incidents that occur within the complex systems of an enterprise is introduced here. It uses statistical learning to mediate problem solving by large-scale Resolution Service Networks (with nodes as technical expert groups) that collectively resolve the incidents logged as tickets. Within the enterprise a key challenge is to resolve the tickets arising from operational big data (1) to the customers' satisfaction, and (2) within a time constraint. That is, meet the service level (SL) goals. The challenge in meeting SL is the lack of a global understanding of the types of needed problem solving expertise. Consequently, this often leads to ticket misrouting to experts that are inappropriate for solving the next increment of the problem. The solution here proposes a general two-level classification framework to recommend a SL-efficient sequence of expert groups that jointly can resolve an incoming ticket. The experimental validation shows 34% accuracy improvement over existing locally applied generative models. Additionally, recommended sequences are above 96% likely to meet the enterprise SL goals, which reduces the SL violation rate by 29%. Recommendations are suppressed in the case of non-routine content which is automatically flagged for special attention by humans, since here the humans outperform statistical models.
The Clinical Picture of Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

A clinical description of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, based on my own studies and what is revealed by a review of the literature on the subject, is presented and discussed in this section.
Virtual machine workloads: the case for new benchmarks for NAS

Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Virtual Machines (VMs) are widely used in data centers thanks to their manageability, scalability, and ability to consolidate resources. But the shift from physical to virtual clients drastically changes the I/O workloads seen on NAS servers, due to guest file system encapsulation in virtual disk images and the multiplexing of request streams from different VMs. Unfortunately, current NAS workload generators and benchmarks produce workloads typical to physical machines.This paper makes two contributions. First, we studied the extent to which virtualization is changing existing NAS workloads. We observed significant changes, including the disappearance of file system meta-data operations at the NAS layer, changed I/O sizes, and increased randomness. Second, we created a set of versatile NAS benchmarks to synthesize virtualized workloads. This allows us to generate accurate virtualized workloads without the effort and limitations associated with setting up a full virtualized environment. Our experiments demonstrate that the relative error of our virtualized benchmarks, evaluated across 11 parameters, averages less than 10%.
The Forces and Kinetics of Supercontraction of Keratin Fibers in 9 M LiCl

The supercontraction in 9 M LiCl of human hair, kid mohair, a non-crimp coarse wool, and a fine, high-crimp wool was studied as a function of time. The fibers were held under constant length, and the forces generated were measured. The kinetics of the process was studied at three different temperatures, and activation energies were evaluated using the Arrhenius law. The maximum stresses of supercontraction were recorded and compared with the breaking stresses of these fibers at 70° F and 65% RH. It was observed that kid mohair and the coarse wool were quite similar in showing high reaction rate constants, low activation energies, and high supercontraction forces. Human hair was the slowest of the four fiber types and required the highest activation energy. The fine, high-crimp wool was intermediate in most parameters.
Foreign protein shock therapy in ophthalmology

AbstractIn the days before effective anti-inflammatory drugs were available, the treatment of intraocular inflammation was very difficult. A popular treatment before 1950 was nonspecific protein shock therapy. Boiled milk and typhoid vaccine were the principal proteins used. In some way a fever was produced, followed by changes in the blood picture referred to as a febrile hemogram. Because the rise in temperature was the most obvious and easily recorded manifestation, it was the best criterion of the severity of the reaction. Pitfalls, mechanism of action, techniques of administration, and contraindications of this method will be discussed.
Distributed flexibility characterization and resource allocation for multi-zone commercial buildings in the smart grid

The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning) system of commercial buildings is a complex system with a large number of dynamically interacting components. In particular, the thermal dynamics of each zone are coupled with those of its neighboring zones. In this paper, we study an agent-based approach to model and control commercial building HVAC system for providing ancillary services to the power grid. In the multi-agent-building-system (MABS), individual zones are modeled as agents that can communicate, interact, and negotiate with one another to achieve a common objective. We first propose a distributed characterization method on the aggregate airflow (and thus fan power) flexibility that the HVAC system can provide to the ancillary service market. A Nash-bargaining-based airflow allocation strategy is then proposed to track a dispatch signal while respecting the preference and flexibility of individual zones. Moreover, we devise a distributed algorithm to obtain the Nash bargaining solution via dual decomposition. Numerical simulations illustrate that the proposed distributed protocols are much more scalable than centralized approaches especially when the system becomes larger and more complex.
Probabilistic Models for Seismic Force Design

Probabilistic procedures for forecasting occurrence and intensities of earthquakes are presented based on the historical record of Modified Mercalli intensities. The occurrence is assumed Poisson for each intensity level. Forecasting is accomplished using Bayesian procedures. Forcasts for the San Francisco region are made for a 10-yr period. The optimization of design decisions is made using a statistical decision theory model. Three alternate designs are compared for a structure on the basis of expected losses for a ten-yr period. The technique of estimating expected losses given an earthquake of each intensity level is illustrated. Time to occurrence problems are also discussed. More complex models using a multinomial model for intensity and Poisson occurrence are introduced including the problem of multiple occurrence, Bayesian forecasting relationships are derived.
Characterization of Zircon-Based Slurries for Investment Casting

Zircon is used in either the prime slurry and/or stucco in a majority of investment casting foundries. The current shortage in the supply of zircon, together with its rising price, means that many investment casting foundries will be forced to use alternate materials, or cut back on production. It would be of great benefit to the industry if functional alternatives to zircon could be identified and produced at comparable cost. This paper contains a baseline evaluation of a zircon prime slurry, including tests and quality metrics to quantify its behavior. Specifically, the following measurements were conducted on a set of six identical zircon prime slurries: viscosity, bulk density, pH, temperature, wet film thickness, prime coat bubble count, and plate retention. These quality metrics and other tests could be used to assess/benchmark potential zircon alternatives, and evaluate their performance compared to zircon.
Chemical degeneration of intestinal nerves

In 15 dogs, cobalt chloride solutions were infused close intra-arterially to perfuse a short segment of the jejunum. In an additional four dogs, the jejunum was perfused with the aqueous vehicle (perfusion control). All animals were killed after 1 mo and tissue samples from cobalt-treated and from nonperfused intestine (tissue comparison control) were obtained for electron microscopic and immunohistochemical studies. Segments infused with 0.25 g/dl cobalt solution showed minimal changes; the most striking feature was an increase of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)- and substance P-containing neurosecretory granules. Cobalt chloride at higher concentrations (0.75-1.5 g/dl) induced degeneration of ganglion cells and axons in both the myenteric and submucosal plexi. In contrast, the smooth muscle and the mucosal cells of the cobalt-perfused intestine showed no histological abnormalities. Immunohistochemical staining of tissues treated with 0.75-1.5 g/dl cobalt solutions revealed absence of substance P, Met-enkephalin, and VIP immunoreactivity in all section studied; control segments showed the presence of all three peptides. Cobalt chloride in concentrations of 0.75-1.5 g/dl causes degeneration of intestinal intramural nerves and provides an experimental model suitable for studying the role of these nerves in small intestinal function.
Cholangiocarcinoma: Clinical manifestations and diagnosis

Abstract Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the most common malignancy of the biliary tract. CCA is most commonly present with perihilar tumor location, the so-called “Klatskin tumor.” However, mass-forming CCAs can also occur. The most important mimicker of CCA is IgG4-associated cholangiopathy, which can create strictures radiologically resembling CCA. Long-standing inflammatory processes in the liver and biliary tree may be involved in biliary carcinogenesis. Liver fluke infestation and oriental cholangiohepatitis are seen primarily in Asia, and increase the risk of CCA. Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a risk factor for CCA; CCA in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis presents 1-2 decades earlier than sporadic CCA cases. Choledochal cysts and Caroli disease are also associated with a higher incidence of CCA. Perihilar CCA can be challenging to diagnose and treat. The Bismuth-Corlette anatomical classification presents an important touchstone for planning therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography are the most important imaging tests in the evaluation of CCA; magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography is extremely important for treatment planning, whether by surgery, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) stent placement, or percutaneous drainage. ERCP can sample ductal strictures to assess for malignancy. Cytologic or histologic diagnosis is critical to plan treatment, but yields from a variety of sampling methods are often disappointing. Adjunctive labaratory testing, particularly serum CA 19-9, is commonly used to aid in diagnosis. The use of fluorescent in situ hybridization may increase sensitivity and specificity of cytologic sampling. Newer imaging techniques that can be used at ERCP may play an increased role in diagnosis of CCA in the future. Endoscopic stent placement by ERCP is a standard treatment except in those rare resectable cases.
Leading points and heat release effects in turbulent premixed flames

Abstract This paper presents an investigation of the role of leading points in the propagation of turbulent premixed flames. The long time behaviors of turbulent flame speeds, brush thickness, and flame surface density are analyzed using direct numerical simulation (DNS) data for statistically stationary planar flames in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. Results suggest the existence of a regime where the leading points dynamics controls premixed flame propagation in homogeneous isotropic turbulence, which supports the viewpoint that under certain conditions, the processes near the leading edge determine the propagation speed of turbulent premixed flames. It is found that the enhanced apparent propagation speed due to heat release effects contributes to the dominant role of the leading points in the unity Lewis number flames investigated here.
Lenalidomide Induced Myelosupression Is Potentially Associated with Renal Dysfunction in Treatment Naïve Myeloma (MM) Patients Receiving BiRD (Biaxin®/Revlimid®/Dexamethasone) Combination Therapy (Rx).

Abstract Lenalidomide or Revlimid® has recently been approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory MM. It has been demonstrated that Biaxin(Bi) augments tumor mass reduction and improves responses in patients (pts) receiving low-dose thalidomide and/or Dexamethosone (D). The results of a phase II trial exploring the combination of Bi, R & D in newly diagnosed MM are reported here. The planned accrual target was met and additional patients accrued for correlative studies. The BiRD regimen consists of R 25 mg po daily on days 1–21 of a 28-day cycle. D 40 mg once weekly and Bi 500 mg po twice daily. All pts received low dose aspirin (ASA)(81mg) once daily as thrombosis prophylaxis, prophylactic sulfamethoxazole/ trimethoprim, and a proton pump inhibitor. PATIENTS: 58 pts[median follow-up 9 months (range 2–21)] have been accrued. Median age of 62.5 years (range 36–80), hemoglobin of 10.9 g/dL (range 7.2–15.1), platelets of 242 k/uL (range 51–526), B2M of 3mg/L (range 0.8–12.8), CRP of 0.56 mg/dL (range 0.12–14.2), creatinine (Cr) of 1.2 mg/dL (range 0.6–3.1), albumin of 3.55g/dL (range 2.3–4.9), and calcium of 9.3mg/dL (range 6.9–11.2). 50% of the pts are stage IIIa, 7% are stage IIIb, 41.4% are stage Iia. According to ISS classification 28/58 are stage I (48%), 18/58 are stage II (31%) & 12/58 are stage III (20%). RESULTS: This combination yielded a 95% overall response rate (EBMTR) by ITT with 38% of the pts achieving either a CR(16/58) or a nCR(6/58). Of the remaining 36 pts, 92% achieved a PR. Of those PR pts, 11/36 pts had >90% reduction in the initial paraprotein, while 12/36 pts had >75% decrease. All R dose reductions were due to myelosupression. R dose reduction scheme for myelosupression was defined as follows: Grade≥ 3 Neutropenia: Level −1: 25 mg po daily + G-CSF. Level −2 : 15 mg po daily and Level −3: 10 mg po daily. Thrombocytopenia: Level −2 : 15 mg po daily. Level −3: 10 mg po daily. 18% of the pts required at least one dose reduction. Of these patients, 6% required further dose reductions to level 2, and 2 patients were reduced to level 3. Mean time to R dose reduction level 1 was 65.1 days (range 15 to 142), to level 2 was 113 days (range 35 to 166) and to level 3 was 170 days (range 95 to 244). Baseline Cr level correlated with R dose reductions. Of the 11 patients who were dose-reduced, 1 had a baseline serum Cr level of ≤1.4 mg/dL, while the rest had a baseline serum Cr level >1.4 mg/dL (p 40 (p=0.0014). Other toxicities included PE (4%), DVT (9%), AMI (2%), and sudden death (2%). Other non-hematological toxicities included myopathy (6%), diverticular abscess (10%), hand tremor, weakness and hyperglycemia. Conclusions: BiRD is highly effective and safe in the initial Rx of MM. Myelosuppression & renal dysfunction potentiated the need for R dose reduction.
Lattice calculations and three-dimensional effects in a laser fusion-fission reactor

Three-dimensional neutronics models of the SOLASE-H fusion-fission reactor have been analyzed by Monte Carlo. In this design, light water reactor (LWR) fertile ThO/sub 2/ fuel bundles are enriched in the fissile isotope /sup 233/U and then shipped for burning in the LWRs. A concept where the fertile fuel bundles constitute a lattice configuration with the moderator-multiplier material is investigated. Parametric lattice calculations as a function of the neutron moderator-multiplier to fuel volume ratio (v/sub m//v/sub f/) in the lattice show that it is possible in such a concept to enhance the fissile nuclei production density in the fertile fuel, compared to cases where a lattice configuration is not used.
Learning To Rank Resources

We present a learning-to-rank approach for resource selection. We develop features for resource ranking and present a training approach that does not require human judgments. Our method is well-suited to environments with a large number of resources such as selective search, is an improvement over the state-of-the-art in resource selection for selective search, and is statistically equivalent to exhaustive search even for recall-oriented metrics such as MAP@1000, an area in which selective search was lacking.
Secrets to Success: Business Skills and Knowledge That Students Find Most Useful in Succeeding in a Capstone Course Simulation.

This exploratory research examines students' perceptions of a capstone business simulation game by identifying (a) courses that were most useful in preparing students for the simulation and (b) int...
Price Waterhouse: Summons before the Civil Court, Luxembourg

First American Corporation (“FAC”) and 2) First American Bankshares, Inc. (“FAB”), which are corporations organized under the laws of the State of Virginia, United States of America, with their principal place of business at 1420 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005, U.S.A., represented by Charles McC. Mathias, Chairman of the Boards.
Diminished A-LAK cytotoxicity and proliferation accompany disease progression in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

We have compared the proliferative and cytotoxic capacities of a highly purified population of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2)-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC), termed adherent lymphokine- activated killer cells (A-LAK), in 15 chronic phase (CP) and 10 advanced disease (AD) Ph-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. The selective enrichment of CML A-LAK cells depended on their propensity to adhere to plastic and to proliferate when cultured in the presence of rIL-2 for 14 days. In both CP and AD patients, 14-day culture resulted in growth of a uniform population of large granular lymphocytes. While less than 10% of the A-LAK cells were CD56-/CD3+ (mature T lymphocytes), 82% +/- 12% of A-LAK cells from early CP patients (diagnosed less than 1 year from study), 84% +/- 3% of A-LAK cells from late CP patients (studied greater than 1 year after diagnosis), and 87% +/- 3% of A-LAK cells from AD patients were CD56+/CD3- (activated natural killer [NK] cells). No bcr gene rearrangement could be found in A-LAK cells from 13 CP and six AD CML patients studied. A-LAK cells from seven early CP CML patients displayed similar cytotoxicity against K562 (80% +/- 7% lysis at effector:target ratio of 20:1) and against Raji (80% +/- 12% lysis) compared with A-LAK from 17 normal individuals (72% +/- 3% K562 lysis, P = .21; 74% +/- 5% Raji lysis, P = .39). However, the cytotoxicity of A-LAK cells from eight late CP patients (59% +/- 5% K562 lysis, P = .02; 52% +/- 8% Raji lysis, P = .02) and that of 10 AD patients studied at any point after diagnosis (31% +/- 3% K562 lysis, P less than .001; 25% +/- 6% Raji lysis, P less than .001) was significantly lower than that of seven early CP CML patients and 17 normals. The proliferative potential of A-LAK cells from seven early CP CML patients (291 +/- 191- fold) was significantly greater than that of A-LAK cells from 17 normal individuals (23 +/- 3-fold, P = .03), eight late CP patients (46 +/- 17- fold, P = .02), and 10 AD patients (5.4 +/- 1.9-fold, P = .01). In contrast to CML A-LAK, K562 cytotoxicity of unstimulated mature peripheral blood NK cells was significantly lower in early CP CML patients than in normals and remained low at all stages of disease.
Multivariate and Stochastic Majorization

The temptation to seek multivariate generalizations of majorization and the Lorenz order is strong, and has not been resisted. In an income setting it is reasonable to consider income from several sources or income in incommensurable units. In fact, the idea that income can be measured undimensionally is perhaps the radical point of view, and interest should center on multivariate measures of income. Let us first consider various possible multivariate generalizations of majorization.
Training Speech Recognition Models on HPC Infrastructure

Automatic speech recognition is used extensively in speech interfaces and spoken dialogue systems. To accelerate the development of new speech recognition models based on deep learning techniques, developers at Mozilla have open sourced a Speech-To-Text engine known as project DeepSpeech based on Baidu's DeepSpeech research. In order to make model training time quicker on CPUs for DeepSpeech distributed training, we have developed optimizations on the Mozilla DeepSpeech code to scale the model training to a large number of Intel CPU systems, including Horovod distributed training framework integration into DeepSpeech. We have also implemented a novel dataset partitioning scheme to mitigate compute imbalance across multiple nodes of an HPC cluster. We demonstrate training of the DeepSpeech model on the LibriSpeech clean dataset in 6.45Hrs on a 16-Node Intel Xeon based HPC cluster.
DIGITgame: gamification as amazing way to learn STEM concepts developing sustainable cities idea in the citizen of the future

DIGITgame, intends to improve scientific skills and competences through an innovative teaching methods. It is based on Smart City projecting and realized by the development of a mini-game with challenges based on the scientific concepts. DIGITgame proposes a new approach to teach traditional topics of environmental sciences using the thematic of Smart Cities and taking advantage introducing the videogame solution. It will permit to reinforce the achievement of advanced and high quality competences, both in scientific topics and digital knowledge. Match between traditional teaching approach, gamification challenge and informatics is the keystone to turn students in involved and aware citizens.
A Brief Psychodynamic and Person-Centered Approach to Address Anticipatory Loss in Acute Care Settings*

Palliative care addresses the biopsychosocial and spiritual distress of people with critical and chronic illness. Depending on the trajectory of an illness, a social worker in an acute care setting may have a limited number of opportunities to engage in meaningful interaction with an emotionally distressed patient. The social worker is often faced with providing care to a patient who is having the dual experience of maintaining hope for medical improvement and anticipating loss. This article offers therapeutic practice skills needed by social workers to address the experience of anticipatory loss in an acute care setting. Brief psychodynamic and person-centered therapy, provided in combination, are highlighted as one method to explore a patient's feelings and wishes in the face of critical illness. Case-based vignettes illustrate how five open-ended questions help mitigate suffering and heighten a patient's sense of autonomy and self-worth.
Corporate Social Advocacy as Public Interest Communications: Exploring Perceptions of Corporate Involvement in Controversial Social-Political Issues

Through a nationally representative U.S. survey of 1,214 participants, this study examined attitudes toward the role of corporations in public interest communications and response to a series of recent high-profile corporate social advocacy cases. Findings provide preliminary evidence for what types of public interests are most appropriate for organizations to address, based on perceived motivations, commitment to advocacy, and dimension of corporations as actors for social change. Results from this study suggest demographic differences by political viewpoints, age, income, education, and gender. However, an overall level of agreement across all respondents indicates that corporations should engage in addressing important social issues, which is particularly noteworthy given that the U.S. population skews conservative.
La violación como práctica de guerra: hacia una tipología de la violencia política

Cuando una organizacion armada comete frecuentes violaciones, a menudo se considera que se trata de una estrategia de guerra. Pero en algunos casos, las violaciones asociadas a un conflicto se podrian interpretar mejor como una practica , es decir, un tipo de violencia que no ha sido adoptado explicitamente como politica por la organizacion, pero que es tolerada por los comandantes. En este articulo, la tipologia de la violacion relacionada con el conflicto examina no solo las relaciones verticales entre los comandantes (principales) y combatientes (agentes), sino tambien las interacciones sociales horizontales entre los combatientes. Analiza en que casos es probable que la violacion sea una practica prevalente, enfocandose no solo en las normas y creencias de genero de los combatientes, sino tambien en la forma en que estas son transformadas por los procesos sociales de las organizaciones. Como conclusion, sugiero que esta tipologia es relevante para el analisis de todas las formas de violencia politica, y tambien para los fiscales, defensores de derechos y los encargados de disenar politicas sobre violaciones relacionadas con el conflicto.
Is Continued Perioperative Antithrombotic Therapy Safe When Performing Direct Microlaryngoscopy

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To evaluate whether antithrombotic status impacts the incidence of perioperative or postoperative bleeding in direct microlaryngoscopy (DML). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review. METHODS Patients undergoing DML in a single surgeon's practice from September 2012 to September 2017 were studied. Included patients underwent DML with or without biopsy, balloon dilation, microsurgery, laser ablation, or vocal fold injection. Patients were stratified based on perioperative antithrombotic status and assessed for rates of peri- and postoperative bleeding and other complications. RESULTS Of the 581 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 179 patients (31%) had a history of baseline antithrombotic therapy. Of these patients, 124 had perioperative continuation of their therapy. Medicated patients were older (P < .01), predominately male (P < .01), and increasingly comorbid (P < .01). Perioperative complications unrelated to bleeding occurred in 22 patients (4%), minor perioperative bleeding occurred in four patients (0.7%), and minor postoperative bleeding occurred in 12 of the 479 patients with recorded follow-up (2.5%). There were no postoperative bleeds requiring intervention or readmission, and no recorded thrombotic events during the peri- and postoperative period. There was no difference in perioperative bleeding based on baseline antithrombotic status (P = .81). Patients on baseline antithrombotic therapy were more likely to have a postoperative bleed in comparison to patients without history of antithrombotic use (P < .01). However, there were no significant differences in postoperative bleeding between patients on baseline anticoagulation who continued or ceased their medication perioperatively (P = .45). CONCLUSIONS Perioperative continuation of antithrombotic medications appears to be safe when performing routine DML. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 2020.
Textile and Apparel Curriculum Development for Sustainability Education

Textile and apparel products cause significant environmental and human health problems in their lifecycle including during production, use, and end of use. Though the importance of sustainability in the textile and apparel industry is widely acknowledged, there exists a gap between industry needs and college curricula in textile and apparel. To fill the gap, an innovative curriculum has been developed to educate the next generation of textile and apparel professionals and help the industry accomplish sustainable development. The curriculum includes revised and new courses for design and merchandising majors, a new “sustainable apparel and textile innovation” minor to teach students who are interested in a career in the textile and apparel industry, and participatory learning experiences in a pop-up store. The curriculum increased students’ sustainability knowledge and helped students gain relevant practical experiences.
Toxicity testing in the era of induced pluripotent stem cells: A perspective regarding the use of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes for cardiac safety evaluation

Abstract The development of human-induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) has opened a new era to address the challenge of improving drug-induced cardiotoxicity prediction. Human iPSC-CMs can be generated from individuals with diverse genetic backgrounds and varying disease status, which provides unprecedented opportunities to assess drug-induced cardiotoxicity at the population level, ultimately, realizing personalized cardiac safety prediction and permitting mechanistic insights into genetic predisposition of drug-induced cardiotoxicity at the molecular and cellular levels. Reviewed herein are successful applications and limitations in using patient-specific iPSC-CMs for cardiac safety evaluation. Future directions for iPSC-CMs are also discussed. The aim of this review is to promote the further development of human iPSC-CM technology to address existing gaps in drug development, improve the prediction of patient susceptibility to therapeutic drugs, and enhance postmarketing surveillance of severe adverse drug reactions.
Case Study to Evaluate Work-Zone Safety Technologies in Highway Construction

AbstractThe construction industry is known for its conservative approach toward adopting new, emerging technologies. This conservative approach for adopting technology is caused by multiple factors...
Associations of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) With Glucose Tolerance During Pregnancy in Project Viva.

Context Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure may alter glucose homeostasis. Research on PFAS exposure and glucose tolerance during pregnancy is limited. Objective The objective of this work is to estimate associations between first-trimester plasma PFAS concentrations and glucose tolerance assessed in late second pregnancy trimester. Design, setting, participants, and main outcome measures Pregnant women (n = 1540) enrolled in Project Viva in 1999 to 2002 provided first-trimester plasma samples analyzed for 8 PFAS. At approximately 28 weeks' gestation, women completed 1-hour nonfasting, 50-g oral glucose challenge tests (GCTs); if abnormal, women completed subsequent 3-hour oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) to screen for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We assessed both continuous GCT glucose levels and 4 categories of glucose tolerance (normal glycemia [reference], isolated hyperglycemia, impaired glucose tolerance, GDM). We used multinomial logistic regression to estimate associations of PFAS with glucose tolerance categories. We used multivariable linear regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess individual and joint effects of PFAS on continuous GCT glucose levels, respectively. We evaluated effect modification by maternal age and race/ethnicity. Results PFAS were not associated with glucose tolerance categories. In BKMR analyses, we observed a positive association between ln-perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and glucose levels (Δ25th to 75th percentile: 6.2 mg/dL, 95% CI, 1.1-11.3) and an inverse-U shaped association between 2-(N-perfluorooctane sulfonamide) acetate and glucose levels. Individual linear regression results were similar. We found suggestive evidence that associations varied by age and racial/ethnic group. Conclusion Certain PFAS may alter glucose homeostasis during pregnancy, but may not be associated with overt GDM.
The Composition of Emissions from Sanding Corian® with Different Sandpapers

ABSTRACT Laboratory tests were conducted to characterize the composition of emissions from sanding Corian®, a solid-surface composite material mainly composed of alumina trihydrate (ATH) and acrylic polymer. Three sandpaper materials (ceramic, silicon carbide, and aluminum oxide) were tested to distinguish the contribution of aluminum-containing dust in the emission from Corian® and sandpaper itself. The result can help identify the main cause of the pulmonary fibrosis from exposure to aluminum-containing dust while sanding Corian®. Airborne dust samples were measured using direct-reading instruments and collected using a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) for estimating the normalized dust generation rate. The size-classified dust samples from MOUDI were analyzed for elemental aluminum content. Additionally, air samples were analyzed for characterizing methyl methacrylate (MMA). The results from the direct-reading instruments reveal that the size distribution of particulate from sanding Corian® differs from that of sawing Corian®, showing that the size distribution of dust is affected by the fabrication process. The normalized respirable dust generation rate indicates that more respirable dust was generated during sanding Corian® board. However, the use of aluminum oxide sandpaper does not result in a higher aluminum content in the respirable dust from sanding Corian®, suggesting that the aluminum content of the respirable dust is primarily originated from Corian® itself. The generation rates of MMA from sanding did not vary much among all types of sandpapers, and they were much lower than that of sawing, likely due to the higher temperature in the sawing process.
Unearned advantages? Redefining privilege in light of childhood

This article puts privilege theory in conversation with childhood studies in order to create a richer understanding of privilege. Privilege describes the unearned, largely invisible advantages that...
Despite Equivalent Outcomes, Men Receive Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Less Often Than Women for Lymph Node-Positive Breast Cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) downstages breast cancer and provides prognostic information. Males with breast cancer are known to receive less treatment overall and have poorer outcomes relative to females. We hypothesized that males would be less likely to receive NAC. Patients with a primary diagnosis of cN1–3 breast cancer were identified in the National Cancer Database (2004–2016). Multivariable logistic regression determined the association between NAC utilization and sex, and the relationship between sex and NAC response, controlling for demographic and tumor factors. Overall survival was analyzed using a multivariable Cox model. In total, 196,027 patients (194,010 females, 2017 males) met inclusion criteria. A significantly greater proportion of males underwent mastectomy (80% vs. 60%, P < 0.001), and axillary lymph node dissection (76% vs. 74%, P = 0.022). Overall fewer men received chemotherapy than women (73% vs. 84%, P < 0.001); men also received NAC at a significantly lower rate (26% men vs. 45% women, P < 0.001). After accounting for demographic and oncologic factors including hormone receptor (HR) subtype, females remained more likely to undergo NAC (OR 1.84, P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, sex was not associated with pathologic response or overall survival after NAC. Although oncologic outcomes after NAC were similar, males with node-positive breast cancer received less NAC and more aggressive surgery than females. These data suggest men achieve outcomes comparable to women with cN1–3 disease, and NAC should be used in appropriate male patients to downstage the breast and axilla.