cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Making Unstructured Data SPARQL Using Semantic Indexing in Oracle Database

This paper describes the Semantic Indexing feature introduced in Oracle Database for indexing unstructured text (document) columns. This capability enables searching for concepts (such as people, places, organizations, and events), in addition to words or phrases, with further options for sense disambiguation and term expansion by consulting knowledge captured in OWL/RDF ontologies. The distinguishing aspects of our approach are: 1) Indexing: Instead of building a traditional inverted index of (annotated) token and/or named entity occurrences, we extract the entities, associations, and events present in a text column data and store them as RDF named graphs in the Oracle Database Semantic Store. This base content can be further augmented with knowledge bases and inferred triples (obtained by applying domain-specific ontologies and rule bases). 2) Querying: Instead of relying on proprietary extensions for specifying a search, we allow users to specify a complete SPARQL query pattern that can capture arbitrarily complex relationships between query terms. We have implemented this feature by introducing a sem_contains SQL operator and the associated sem_indextype indexing scheme. The indexing scheme employs an extensible architecture that supports indexing of unstructured text using native as well as third party text extraction tools. The paper presents a model for the semantic index and querying, describes the feature, and outlines its implementation leveraging Oracle's native support for RDF/OWL storage, inferencing, and querying. We also report a study involving use of this feature on a TREC collection of over 130,000 news articles.
Building a virtual community for a tele-learning environment

This article presents the results of a research project that requires students and faculty to evolve a virtual community in a university class. The concepts, requirements, and importance of a virtual community are discussed, along with the skill requirements necessary for students to participate effectively in a virtual community. The Web sites and class assignments that form the basis of a virtual community are described. Finally, the importance of enriching the learning experience and humanizing the learning process through the use of a virtual community is also discussed.
Northern Hemisphere Temperatures During the Past Millennium: Inferences, Uncertainties, and Limitations

Building on recent studies, we attempt hemispheric temperature reconstructions with proxy data networks for the past millennium. We focus not just on the reconstructions, but the uncertainties therein, and important caveats. Though expanded uncertainties prevent decisive conclusions for the period prior to AD 1400, our results suggest that the latter 20th century is anomalous in the context of at least the past millennium. The 1990s was the warmest decade, and 1998 the warmest year, at moderately high levels of confidence. The 20th century warming counters a millennial-scale cooling trend which is consistent with long-term astronomical forcing.
Mucinous Histology as a Predictive Marker of 5-Fluorouracil-based Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of mucinous histology as a predictive marker of 5-Fluorouracil (FU)- based adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II, III colon cancer. Methods: Between January 1995 and December 2004, 987 patients who underwent curative resections for stage II, III sporadic colon cancer were classified into two groups, a mucinous carcinoma (MC) group and a non-mucinous carcinoma (NMC) group, based on the histology of the primary tumor. The differences in their clinicopathological characteristics and the prognostic impact of 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy for various tumor histologies were analyzed. Results: Of the 987 patients, MCs accounted for 6.8% (68 patients). MCs were more frequently located in the Rt. Colon (P
Concurrent signaling from Galphaq- and Galphai-coupled pathways is essential for agonist-induced alphavbeta3 activation on human platelets.

Summary. The integrin αvβ3 mediates platelet adhesion to the matrix protein osteopontin and likely is the predominant integrin mediating platelet adhesion to the matrix protein vitronectin. To address the mechanism that regulates αvβ3 activity in platelets, we measured the effect of the P2Y1 antagonist adenosine 3′-phosphate-5′-phosphate (A3P5P) and the P2Y12 antagonist AR-C66096 on ADP-stimulated platelet adhesion to osteopontin and vitronectin. Each antagonist completely inhibited platelet adhesion, implying that concurrent stimulation of P2Y1 and P2Y12 was required to activate αvβ3. The reducing agent dithiothreitol and Mn2+ also induced platelet adhesion to osteopontin, but did so without stimulating platelet activation. Thus, these data suggest that ADP stimulation regulates αvβ3 activity by perturbing the conformation of its extracellular domain. The actin polymerization inhibitors cytochalasin D and latrunculin A also induced platelet adhesion to osteopontin and vitronectin. Thus, αvβ3 activity in resting platelets appears to be constrained by the platelet cytoskeleton. Moreover, the effect of these agents was inhibited by A3P5P and AR-C66096 at micromolar and subnanomolar concentrations, respectively, suggesting that subthreshold platelet stimulation by ADP was required. Our data suggest that signals from both Gαq- and Gαi-coupled receptors converge to release cytoskeletal constraints on αvβ3. We propose that the release of cytoskeletal constraints and a concurrent increase in affinity for ligands is responsible for αvβ3-mediated platelet adhesion.
A complexity perspective of a meta-organization team: The role of destabilizing and stabilizing tensions

Organizations face the reality of needing to work with other organizations to share resources and responsibilities in pursuit of common goals. However, there is limited research regarding the complex nature of meta-organizations. Our purpose is to identify how a meta-organization team operates. We define a meta-organization team and rely on complexity theory to explain the dynamics within the meta-organization team we observed. Based on our analysis, this team was exposed to competing tensions that forced the team into a far-from-equilibrium state and allowed the team to be effective. We propose two types of tensions on complex systems: destabilizing and stabilizing. These tensions keep a system between the boundaries of equilibrium and chaos. As a result of this study, we provide details of key findings and implications of these tensions.
Effectiveness of a Group Outpatient Visit Model for Chronically Ill Older Health Maintenance Organization Members: A 2‐Year Randomized Trial of the Cooperative Health Care Clinic

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of Cooperative Health Care Clinic ((CHCC) group outpatient model for chronically ill, older health maintenance organization (HMO) patients) with usual care. Design: Two-year, randomized, controlled trial conducted with recruitment from February 1995 through July of 1996. Setting: Nonprofit group model HMO. Participants: Two hundred ninety-four adults (145 intervention and 149 usual care), aged 60 and older (mean age 74.1) with 11 or more outpatient visits in the prior 18 months, one or more self-reported chronic conditions, and expressed interest in participating in a group clinic. Intervention: Monthly group meetings held by patients' primary care physicians. Measurement: Differences in clinic visits, inpatient admissions, emergency room visits, hospital outpatient services, professional services, home health, and skilled nursing facility admissions; measures of patient satisfaction, quality of life, self-efficacy, and activities of daily living (ADLs). Results: Outpatient, pharmacy services, home health, and skilled nursing facility use did not differ between groups, but CHCC patients had fewer hospital admissions (P=.012), emergency visits (P=.008), and professional services (P=.005). CHCC patients' costs were $41.80 per member per month less than those of control patients. CHCC patients reported higher satisfaction with their primary care physician (P=.022), better quality of life (P=.002), and greater self-efficacy (P=.03). Health status and ADLs did not differ between groups. Conclusion: The CHCC model resulted in fewer hospitalizations and emergency visits, increased patient satisfaction, and self-efficacy, but no effect on outpatient use, health, or functional status.
VgrG-5 is a Burkholderia type VI secretion system-exported protein required for multinucleated giant cell formation and virulence.

ABSTRACT The type VI secretion system (T6SS) has emerged as a critical virulence factor for the group of closely related Burkholderia spp. that includes Burkholderia pseudomallei, B. mallei, and B. thailandensis. While the genomes of these bacteria, referred to as the Bptm group, appear to encode several T6SSs, we and others have shown that one of these, type VI secretion system 5 (T6SS-5), is required for virulence in mammalian infection models. Despite its pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the Bptm group, the effector repertoire of T6SS-5 has remained elusive. Here we used quantitative mass spectrometry to compare the secretome of wild-type B. thailandensis to that of a mutant harboring a nonfunctional T6SS-5. This analysis identified VgrG-5 as a novel secreted protein whose export depends on T6SS-5 function. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that VgrG-5 is a specialized VgrG protein that harbors a C-terminal domain (CTD) conserved among Bptm group species. We found that a vgrG-5 ΔCTD mutant is avirulent in mice and is unable to stimulate the fusion of host cells, a hallmark of the Bptm group previously shown to require T6SS-5 function. The singularity of VgrG-5 as a detected T6SS-5 substrate, taken together with the essentiality of its CTD for virulence, suggests that the protein is critical for the effector activity of T6SS-5. Intriguingly, we show that unlike the bacterial-cell-targeting T6SSs characterized so far, T6SS-5 localizes to the bacterial cell pole. We propose a model whereby the CTD of VgrG-5—, propelled by T6SS-5—, plays a key role in inducing membrane fusion, either by the recruitment of other factors or by direct participation.
Separation of metals by liquid surfactant membranes containing crown ether carboxylic acids

Abstract A water-in-oil-in-water emulsion liquid membrane system is used to transport alkali metal and alkaline earth cations from an external alkaline aqueous source phase through an organic membrane containing a crown ether carboxylic acid and into the internal acidic aqueous phase of the emulsion droplet. The influence of varying the crown ether carboxylic acid structure upon the selectivity and efficiency of competitive metal ion transport is examined.
Diagnoses of an Eddy-Resolving Atlantic Ocean Model Simulation in the Vicinity of the Gulf Stream. Part I: Potential Vorticity

Output of an eddy-resolving model of the North Atlantic is diagnosed in the vicinity of the Gulf Stream (GA), using quasigeostrophic potential voracity (QGPV), Ertel's potential voracity (PV), and particle trajectories. Time series of QGPV show strong input of QGPV by the GS in the top 100 m of the model ocean.
Cortisol absorption in man.

Summary Absorption of cortisol from Ringer's solution in the normal human small gut was characterized by a distally decreasing gradient. This defines a membrane gradient in terms of this lipophilic-hydrophilic molecule. Glucose in the Ringer's increased cortisol absorption uniformly throughout the small gut, but the gradient was maintained. It is hypothesized that this is a specific metabolic effect of high glucose concentration on mucosal cells throughout the small gut. It was concentration dependent, and was detected in the earliest measurements we could make, continued throughout glucose perfusion, and persisted for about 2 hours after glucose was stopped. Net water absorption from the gut was higher with glucose-Ringer's than with Ringer's and showed a gradient. The glucoseinduced increase in water absorption was chiefly in the upper small gut ( In patients with small gut malabsorption, cortisol and net water absorption rates were reduced, and in some cases their gradients were reversed.
Leukocyte Kinetics in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: I. DNA Synthesis Time in Blood and Marrow Myelocytes

Using a double labeling technic the DNA synthesis time of CML blood myelocytes was found to be 14.2 ± 0.8 hours if all myelocytes were considered, and 13.6 ± 0.6 hours for large myelocytes only. The DNA synthesis time of CML marrow myelocytes did not differ significantly from that for blood myelocytes. These values are indistinguishable from previous estimates of DNA synthesis time in normal granulopoietic precursors.
The Persuasive Effects of Two Stylistic Elements Framing and Imagery

This study explored the effects of stylistic elements, framing and imagery, on emotion, cognition, and persuasion. Frame and image were matched on valence (gain frame + positive image; loss frame + negative image) and mismatched (gain + negative image; loss + positive image) to examine whether the (mis)match amplified or attenuated message effects. Using the topic of traveling to an exotic island, an experiment (N = 455) found general support for matching in the gain-framed conditions but not in the loss-framed conditions. To the extent that valence can be useful as a basis for assessing match, it must take into account the message domain and the nature of the outcome variables. One general principle and two corollaries are proposed to serve as patches for the valence rule.
Influence mechanism and innovation of tourism development pattern of historic streets based on the perspective of tourists:A case of Pingjiang Road of Suzhou

The historical streets are important protected objects of cultural heritage because of their complex intrinsic value, but rigid protection of original culture and excessive commercialization have become two obstructions of sustainable development of historical streets. Based on the exploratory factor analysis(EFA), this study builds a hypothesis structural equation model of the influence on the support of tourism development of historical streets. The study takes Pingjiang Road of Suzhou as the example and empirically studies the factors that influence the support of tourism development of historical streets by confirmatory factor analysis(CFA).Then the study proposes a creative tourism development mode of historical streets, which aims to promote the sustainable development of historical streets. The results show that:(1) The coexistence of traditional culture and modern culture, the consumption demands as well as the landscape and space image are the key factors affecting the support of tourism development in historical streets. The layout and type of commercial format, street layout and function as well as expression of historical information are important factors affecting the support of tourism development in historical streets;(2) The coexistence of traditional culture and modern culture has the most significant influence on support, followed by consumption demands, showing that the integration of traditional and modern urban culture as well as the satisfaction of consumers' demands are the foundation of tourism development pattern;(3) The study builds a tourism development model with the foundation of urban culture integrated by traditional culture and modern culture, the driving force of the satisfaction of the tourists' experience and leisure needs, and the development tools of "creative", "humanization", "refinement" and "life-orientation". The model is a creative one which not only emphasizes urban culture, but also meets the leisure and experience demands of tourists in the modern society. Moreover, it merges "culturalization", "experience", "leisure", "creative", "humanization", "refinement", "life-orientation" and "characteristic".
Underfeeding and exposure to short photoperiod alters rat pineal and harderian gland lysosomal enzyme activities

Harderian gland (HG) weight and lysosomal enzyme activity were evaluated after 2 1 -day-old female rats were singly caged in a long (LP 14: 10 LD) or short (SP; 8: 16 LD) photoperiod and fed on one of two dietary regimens (fed ad libitum or 50% underfed) for 50 days; an additional fed and an underfed group of animals in LP were injected every afternoon with 100 pg melatonin. Absolute HG weights were significantly lower in all underfed groups compared to their respective fed controls or to the LP fed control group. Absolute HG weights of underfed rats in SP were significantly lower than the underfed rats in LP. Relative HG weights (mg/100 g body wt) were significantly higher in the underfed saline or melatonin- treated groups compared to their respective fed controls; however, HG of the underfed SP group were not different from SP-fed controls. No significant differences in HG acid phosphatase, hexosaminidase, and P-glucuronidase activities were observed in any of the treatment groups maintained in LP. Acid phosphatase, hexosaminidase, and P-glucuronidase activities were significantly elevated in HG of underfed animals maintained in SP compared to their respective fed controls or to the LP-underfed group. Both the underfed control and the underfed-melato- nin treated groups had lower pineal protein values than their respective fed groups; underfed animals in 8: 16 LD had similar pineal protein values compared to those of the fed control group in SP. Significant effects of photoperiod and underfeeding with no interaction between these variables were observed on pineal acid phosphatase. The fed group maintained in 8: 16 LD had significantly higher acid phosphatase activity than the fed group kept in 14: 10 LD. In conclu- sion, underfeeding resulted in severely reduced body weights and absolute Harderian gland weights. Increased activity in certain lysosomal enzymes occurred in both the pineal and Harderian gland and in some instances this was dependent upon the light cycle and dietary regimen to which the animals were exposed. o 1988 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.
A Distributed Cognition Simulation Involving Homeland Security and Defense: The Development of Neocities

This paper describes a scaled-world simulation developed to conduct empirical research on team cognition, communication, and decision-making within a distributed environment. The NeoCITIES simulation is an advancement of the CITIES task, which was designed to study group decision-making within a command, control, and communications (C3) setting (Wellens & Ergener, 1988). Studying group decision-making is a two-fold problem involving team cognition and team communication. According to McNeese (2003), team cognition is constructed through distributed and emerging activities via several sources. A majority of studies examining distributed decision-making have involved militaristic, battlefield engagement, or urban warfare settings. In that same spirit, NeoCITIES was designed for emergency crisis management teams undergoing terrorist attacks within a college-town. Thus, NeoCITIES is a new and operationally relevant scaled world that emulates the complexities and emergent decision-making attributes resident in...
Pedestrian Simulation Using Geometric Reasoning in Velocity Space

We present a novel pedestrian representation based on a new model of pedestrian motion coupled with a geometric optimization method. The model of pedestrian motion seeks to capture the underlying physiological and psychological factors which give rise to the fundamental diagram—the phenomenon that pedestrian speed reduces as density increases. The optimization method computes collision-free velocities directly in velocity space. The resultant method exhibits the same types of self-organizing behaviors shown by previous models, is both computationally efficient and numerically stable, can be intuitively tuned to model cross-cultural variation, and is sufficiently robust that a single set of simulation parameters produces viable results in multiple scenarios.
Intramolecular hydrogen bonding, a factor in benzoate-antibenzoate combination.

In order for a substituted benzoate ion to combine most effectively with the receptor site of antibody to the p -azobenzoate group, it appears that the carboxylate group must be coplanar with the benzene ring. o -Aminobenzoate and monosubstituted o -aminobenzoates are accommodated, while disubstituted o -aminobenzoates are not. The ability of the former compounds to form an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the hydrogen of the amino group and the carboxylate preserves the planar structure which appears to be necessary for effective combination with antibody. Thus the observation that ortho substituents in general interfere with the combination stems from the fact that they tilt the carboxylate out of the plane of the benzene ring.
Multi-Trget Therapeutic Potential of Green Tea Catechins and Black Tea Theaflavins Toward Aβ-Induced Signal Pathways Involved in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects an estimated 5.3 million Americans. It is the only disease among the top 10 causes of death that cannot be prevented, cured or treated. The amyloid cascade hypothesis proposes that the cause of AD is the aggregation and deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein. Aβ aggregates can stimulate multiple signaling pathways that lead to neuronal dysfunction and loss. This study investigated the multi-target therapeutic capabilities of green tea catechins; epicatechin, epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate, and black tea theaflavins; theaflavin and theaflavin monogallate, which epidemiological studies have shown to reduce instances of AD. Specifically, their ability to inhibit Aβ proteolytic cleavage from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) as well as Aβ aggregation.Attenuation of Aβ-induced upregulation of β-secretase (BACE1), which cleaves APP, was assessed in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells via PCR analysis of BACE1 mRNA and cleavage of sAPPβ by BACE1 via Western Blot. Attenuation of Aβ aggregation was analyzed by evaluating inhibition of different stages of Aβ nucleation-dependent aggregation, including oligomerization, lateral association of soluble aggregates, and elongation of soluble aggregates via monomer addition as well as the overall process of aggregation.While catechins and theaflavins contain similar functional groups and structures, these two compound classes exhibit varying inhibitory capabilities. Catechins were able to modulate Aβ production from APP by regulating BACE1. Catechins also selectively affect the late stages of Aβ aggregation, suggesting that catechins may bind a structure present in certain Aβ aggregates. Conversely, theaflavins demonstrate inhibitory capabilities at every stage of the Aβ aggregation, suggesting they may exhibit a sequence specific recognition of Aβ. Catechins and theaflavins both show better inhibitory capabilities with an increase in the number of tri-hydroxy phenol groups.
The Poetics of the Quest in Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Dog”

Allegedly, Chekhov was once asked why he preferred writing short stories and plays to novels. His answer was that he was too interested in new beginnings and new endings. What is unique about his “Lady with the Dog” is that it very much is an amalgamation of both short story and play. Structurally, the story is very much like a stage play with a clear five-act structure and accompanying dialogue and is very much like a short story with its singleness of effect, active detail, and epiphany. What makes it also unique is the fact that Chekhov was a master of the “open ending” and this story is an excellent example of how he problematizes the “dilemma” of the closed ending.
Working Memory Capacity Predicts Selection and Identification Errors in Visual Search

As public safety relies on the ability of professionals, such as radiologists and baggage screeners, to detect rare targets, it could be useful to identify predictors of visual search performance. Schwark, Sandry, and Dolgov found that working memory capacity (WMC) predicts hit rate and reaction time in low prevalence searches. This link was attributed to higher WMC individuals exhibiting a higher quitting threshold and increasing the probability of finding the target before terminating search in low prevalence search. These conclusions were limited based on the methods; without eye tracking, the researchers could not differentiate between an increase in accuracy due to fewer identification errors (failing to identify a fixated target), selection errors (failing to fixate a target), or a combination of both. Here, we measure WMC and correlate it with reaction time and accuracy in a visual search task. We replicate the finding that WMC predicts reaction time and hit rate. However, our analysis shows that it does so through both a reduction in selection and identification errors. The correlation between WMC and selection errors is attributable to increased quitting thresholds in those with high WMC. The correlation between WMC and identification errors is less clear, though potentially attributable to increased item inspection times in those with higher WMC. In addition, unlike Schwark and coworkers, we find that these WMC effects are fairly consistent across prevalence rates rather than being specific to low-prevalence searches.
Using multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to assist in estimating residential housing values

Considerable literature exists regarding the complexity of the residential real estate appraisal process and the methods employed to determine initial listing prices as estimates of intrinsic market prices. Deviations in residential real estate intrinsic values occur due to a multiplicity of attributes and explanatory factors requiring consideration. We conduct a panel study using a Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) based framework that utilizes the skills and knowledge of a panel of residential real estate professionals (i.e. appraisers and realtors). We demonstrate how cognitive mapping and the Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH) may assist in estimating appropriate offer/sale prices and strengthening current valuation approaches such as using comparables and/or hedonic modeling. The managerial implications of our MCDA-based framework and some avenues for future research are also presented.
EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY FOR MANAGEMENT OF HEART FAILURE MARKEDLY REDUCES 90-DAY EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AND HOSPITAL READMISSIONS IN UN- AND UNDERINSURED PATIENTS

Background: Previous studies report conflicting results on the effectiveness of educational intervention in patients with heart failure (HF). The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of a structured educational intervention targeted towards un- and underinsured patients
Optothermally Tuned Charge Transfer Plasmons in Au-Ge2Sb2Te5 Core-Shell Assemblies

Tunable plasmonic resonances across the visible and near infrared spectra have provided novel ways to develop next-generation nanophotonic devices. Here, by utilizing optothermally controllable phase-changing material (PCM), we studied highly tunable charge transfer plasmon (CTP) resonance modes. To this end, we have designed a two-member dimer assembly including gold cores and Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) shells in distant, touching, and overlapping conditions. We successfully demonstrated that toggling between amorphous (dielectric) and crystalline (conductive) phases of GST allows for achieving tunable dipolar and CTP resonances along the near-infrared spectrum. The proposed dimer structures can help forming optothermally controlled devices without further morphological variations in the geometry of the design, and having strong potential for advanced plasmon modulation and fast data routing.
Multiple Roles for Plant Sterols

In certain ways all sterols are the same, yet in other respects they are quite different. To some extent we understand the reason for the similarities in that sterols must “fit” into the phospholipid leaflet which comprises the monolayer component of the common bilayer arrangement of natural membranes1. On the other hand, the reason or reasons for the differences in structure are still elusive. Although we are making a beginning, we still do not yet know why it is that, for instance, people have cholesterol as their major sterol1, while in flowering poinsettia plants only about half the sterol is cholesterol2, in cottonseed oil 93% of the sterol is 24α-ethylcholesterol (sitosterol)1, and in the vine, Clerodendrum splendens, nearly all of the sterol is the 22, 25 (27)-bisdehydro derivative of the 24β-epimer of sitosterol, viz., 25 (27)-dehydroporiferasterol3.
Basic Studies on Cerebellar Tissue Transplantation

As a rule, the genesis of neuronal populations, including Purkinje cells, is concluded during embryonic life, and the regenerative capacity of the adult CNS is confined to compensatory fiber sprouting and not mitotic divisions of nerve cells.1 Therefore, neurons that die as a result of regressive processes can only be replaced by implantation after harvesting from an external source. Intracerebral grafting of developing neuroblasts into the adult pathological brain has been successfully used to replace degenerated neurons in several experimental instances.2,3 In particular, primordial cerebellar tissue has been shown to survive and grow after orthotopic or heterotopic implantation into the adult rodent brain. An account of these studies is presented in this chapter. Cerebellar neuron grafting has also been applied to neurological mutant mice both to create appropriate confrontations between wild-type and mutant cells in elucidating gene effects on the involved lineage and to study the structural integration of transplanted wild-type Purkinje cells into the disrupted cerebellar loop; an account of cerebellar transplantation studies using ataxic mouse mutants is given in chapter 7.
Supplemental ultrasound screening in patients with a history of lobular neoplasia

To investigate the role of ultrasound (US) screening as an adjunct to annual mammography (M) in breast cancer detection in women with a history of lobular neoplasia (LN) diagnosed following core needle or excisional biopsy. A retrospective review of our database was performed between 11/2006 and 11/2011 to identify patients diagnosed with LN, and underwent annual screening. Patients with a lifetime risk >20% per risk modeling were excluded. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and cancer detection rate (CDR) of each screening test were identified. Cancer type and detection modality were recorded. A total of 100 patients who had M and/or US screening were included. Mean patient age was 54.7 years (range 33-83). All 100 patients underwent a mean of 3.9 rounds of screening M and 93 (93%) received US screening (mean 3.3 rounds). Of 93 patients who received both M and US screening, 12 (13%) were diagnosed with breast cancer. Mammographic CDR was 4%. Incremental US CDR was 6.5%. The sensitivity, specificity, and NPV for M screening alone was 33% (10%, 65%), 77% (67%, 85%), and 89% (80%, 95%), respectively. US and mammography screening had a combined sensitivity: 83% (52%, 98%), Specificity: 72% (62%, 81%), NPV: 97% (89%, 100%). Supplemental US screening resulted in a significant increase in sensitivity, yielding 6.5% incremental CDR in this high-risk patient subgroup that does not fulfill ACS high-risk MRI screening criteria.
In vitro models of exosome biology and toxicology: New frontiers in biomedical research

Exosomes are secreted membrane-bound vesicles containing a cargo of curated nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids that can alter gene expression in recipient cells. Toxic agents can alter exosome synthesis and bioactive cargo composition, thus allowing exosomes to serve as biomarkers of exposure and response. While human and animal studies have identified exosome biomarkers of organ toxicity, in vitro models are ideal to examine biological mechanisms of exosome function. Here, we discuss the importance of exosomes in toxicology research and describe applications of in vitro models in advancing our understanding of their role in exposure-associated disease. This discussion of new research frontiers is in commemoration of the invaluable contributions of Dr. Daniel Acosta to the field of in vitro biology and toxicology. Emerging studies have implicated exosomes as mediators of neurodegeneration by shuttling pollutant-induced pathogenic proteins and miRNAs from afflicted neurons to neighboring cells. Exosomes also provide a mechanistic link between inhalation exposures and airway inflammation, remodeling, and systemic effects. Exosomes provide the means for toxic agents to initiate oncogenic transformation and create favorable tumor microenvironments. Furthermore, exosome-mediated drug delivery can alter drug pharmacologic profiles. Expansion in this field using in vitro models is essential to unlock the potential applications of exosome biology in toxicology.
Failure to administer recommended chemotherapy: acceptable variation or cancer care quality blind spot?

Background Chemotherapy quality measures consider hospitals compliant when chemotherapy is recommended, even if it is not received. This may mask shortcomings in cancer care delivery. Objectives of this study were to (1) identify patient factors associated with failure to receive recommended chemotherapy without a documented contraindication and (2) assess hospital variation in failure to administer recommended chemotherapy. Methods Patients from 2005 to 2015 with breast, colon and lung cancers who failed to receive recommended chemotherapy were identified using the National Cancer Database. Hospital-level rates of failure to administer recommended chemotherapy were calculated, and patient and hospital factors associated with failure to receive recommended chemotherapy were identified by multivariable logistic regression. Results A total of 183 148 patients at 1281 hospitals were analysed. Overall, 3.5% of patients with breast, 6.6% with colon and 10.7% with lung cancers failed to receive recommended chemotherapy. Patients were less likely to receive recommended chemotherapy in all cancers if uninsured or on Medicaid (p Conclusions and relevance Though overall rates are low, failure to receive recommended chemotherapy is associated with sociodemographic factors. Hospital variation in failure to administer recommended chemotherapy is masked by current quality measure definitions and may define a significant and unmeasured difference in hospital quality.
Habit formation and activity persistence: Evidence from gym equipment

Abstract This paper identifies the effect of habit formation on persistence of an important health-related behavior, namely usage of stationary exercise equipment. Exploiting user-activity data from a leading manufacturer and using rainfall as an instrument for initial exercise behavior, we find that frequent early activity leads to more persistent exercise in the subsequent periods, which is consistent with habit formation. Specifically, individuals who exercise one more time per week over a four-week initial period are more than three times as likely to exercise in each of the next eight weeks without missing a week. However, survival probabilities are quite low, consistent with recent experimental work. The primary implication is that for interventions to lead to persistent behavioral change, they must require more frequent activity or longer intervention periods than recent incentive-based field experiments.
Effects of Postprocess Thermal Treatments on Static and Cyclic Deformation Behavior of Additively Manufactured Austenitic Stainless Steel

As additive manufacturing advances towards use in structural applications which can also include fatigue-critical parts, the process–structure–property relationships must be fully characterized. Currently, most additive manufactured components go through extensive postprocessing including heat treatment to improve their microstructure and resulting fatigue performance. In this study, the effect of stress relief and solution annealing on the tensile and fatigue performance in force- and strain-controlled conditions was investigated. The results reveal that, while the strain–life fatigue behavior was not significantly affected by heat treatment, stress-relieved specimens showed remarkable enhanced stress–life fatigue resistance. Microstructural analysis suggested that the as-fabricated microstructure was beneficial to enhance the crack initiation resistance by shielding process-induced defects from excessive deformation. However, after solution annealing, the crack initiation mechanism shifted from nucleating at twin and high-angle grain boundaries to defects such as lack of fusion and gas-entrapped pores, negatively affecting the fatigue resistance.
How to Reconcile a Unified Account of Explanation with Explanatory Diversity

The concept of explanation is central to scientific practice. However, scientists explain phenomena in very different ways. That is, there are many different kinds of explanation; e.g. causal, mechanistic, statistical, or equilibrium explanations. In light of the myriad kinds of explanation identified in the literature, most philosophers of science have adopted some kind of explanatory pluralism. While pluralism about explanation seems plausible, it faces a dilemma (Pincock in: Reutlinger A, Saatsi J (eds) Explanation beyond causation, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 39–56, 2018). Either there is nothing that unifies all instances of scientific explanation that makes them count as explanations, or there is some set of unifying features, which seems incompatible with explanatory pluralism. Different philosophers have adopted different horns of this dilemma. Some argue that no unified account of explanation is possible (Morrison in Reconstructing reality, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2015). Others suggest that there is a set of necessary features that can unify all explanations under a single account (Potochnik in Idealization and the aims of science, Chicago University Press, Chicago, 2017; Reutlinger in Reutlinger A, Saatsi J (eds) Explanation beyond causation, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 74–95, 2018; Strevens in Depth: an account of scientific explanation, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 2008). In this paper, we argue that none of the features identified by existing accounts of explanation are necessary for all explanations. However, we argue that a unified account can still be provided that accommodates pluralism. This can be accomplished, we argue, by reconceiving of scientific explanation as a cluster concept: there are multiple subsets of features that are sufficient for providing an explanation, but no single feature is necessary for all explanations. Reconceiving of explanation as a cluster concept not only accounts for the diversity of kinds of explanations, but also accounts for the widespread disagreement in the explanation literature and enables explanatory pluralism to avoid Pincock’s dilemma.
EXpectation Propagation LOgistic REgRession on permissioned blockCHAIN (ExplorerChain): decentralized online healthcare/genomics predictive model learning.

Author(s): Kuo, Tsung-Ting; Gabriel, Rodney A; Cidambi, Krishna R; Ohno-Machado, Lucila | Abstract: ObjectivePredicting patient outcomes using healthcare/genomics data is an increasingly popular/important area. However, some diseases are rare and require data from multiple institutions to construct generalizable models. To address institutional data protection policies, many distributed methods keep the data locally but rely on a central server for coordination, which introduces risks such as a single point of failure. We focus on providing an alternative based on a decentralized approach. We introduce the idea using blockchain technology for this purpose, with a brief description of its own potential advantages/disadvantages.Materials and methodsWe explain how our proposed EXpectation Propagation LOgistic REgRession on Permissioned blockCHAIN (ExplorerChain) can achieve the same results when compared to a distributed model that uses a central server on 3 healthcare/genomic datasets, and what trade-offs need to be considered when using centralized/decentralized methods. We explain how the use of blockchain technology can help decrease some of the problems encountered in decentralized methods.ResultsWe showed that the discrimination power of ExplorerChain can be statistically similar to its counterpart central server-based algorithm. While ExplorerChain inherited some benefits of blockchain, it had a small increased running time.DiscussionExplorerChain has the same prerequisites as a distributed model with a centralized server for coordination. In a manner similar to secure multi-party computation strategies, it assumes that participating institutions are honest, but "curious."ConclusionWhen evaluated on relatively small datasets, results suggest that ExplorerChain, which combines artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies, performs as well as a central server-based method, and may avoid some risks at the cost of efficiency.
Health of People, Health of the Planet, Health of Migrants

Migration is as old as mankind. Modern humans are the children of immigration (Anton, Potts, & Aiello, 2014). Today’s migrations unfold in complex ecologies involving demographic factors, economic variables, social practices, political processes, historical relationships, the environment itself, and various combinations thereof (McLeman, 2014). In the twenty-first century, mass migration is the human face of globalization—the sounds, colors, and aromas of a miniaturized, interconnected, and ever-fragile world. Above all, migration is a condition of all humanity.
Rice cultivar response to sublethal concentrations of glyphosate and paraquat late in the season

Differential tolerance may be observed among rice cultivars with desiccant exposure events during rice reproduction and ripening. Five field studies were established at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, MS, to determine the effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of common desiccants across multiple rice cultivars. Rice cultivars in the study were ‘CLXL745’, ‘XL753’, ‘CL163’, ‘Rex’, and ‘Jupiter’. Desiccant treatments included no desiccant, paraquat, or glyphosate and were applied at the 50% heading growth stage respective to cultivar. Differential injury estimates among cultivars and desiccant treatments was observed when glyphosate or paraquat was applied at 50% heading. Injury from glyphosate at 50% heading was nondetectable across all cultivars. However, injury following paraquat applications was >7% across all rating intervals and cultivars. Hybrid cultivars exhibited less injury with paraquat applications than the inbred cultivars in the study. Rice following exposure to glyphosate or paraquat at 50% heading growth stage produced rough rice grain yield decreases ranging from 0% to 20% and 9% to 21%, respectively. Rough rice grain yield decreases were observed across all cultivars following paraquat exposure, and all inbred cultivars following glyphosate exposure. Across desiccant treatment, head rice yield was reduced in three of five cultivars in the study. When pooled across cultivar, paraquat applications cause a head rice yield reduction of 10%, whereas rice yield following glyphosate application remained >95%. Although differential tolerance among cultivars to paraquat or glyphosate exposure was observed, impacts on grain quality coupled with yield reductions suggests extreme rice sensitivity to exposure to sublethal concentrations of these desiccants at the 50% heading growth stage.
On continuous one-way functions

Abstract The existence of one-way functions seems to depend, intuitively, on certain irregular properties of polynomial-time computable functions. Therefore, for functions with continuity properties, it suggests that all such functions are not one-way. It is shown here that in the formal complexity theory of real functions, this nonexistence of continuous one-way functions can be proved for one-to-one one-dimensional real functions, but fails for one-to-one two-dimensional real functions, if certain strong discrete one-way functions exist. Furthermore, for k-to-one functions, we can prove the existence of four-to-one one-dimensional one-way functions under the same assumption of the existence of strong discrete one-way functions. (A function f is k-to-one if for any y there exist at most k distinct values x such that f ( x ) = y .)
Deciphering how naturally occurring sequence features impact the phase behaviors of disordered prion-like domains

Abstract Phase separation of intrinsically disordered prion-like low-complexity domains (PLCDs) derived from RNA-binding proteins enable the formation of biomolecular condensates in cells. PLCDs have distinct amino acid compositions, and here we decipher the physicochemical impact of conserved compositional biases on the driving forces for phase separation. We find that tyrosine residues make for stronger drivers of phase separation than phenylalanine. Depending on their sequence contexts, arginine residues enhance or weaken phase separation, whereas lysine residues weaken cohesive interactions within PLCDs. Increased net charge per residue (NCPR) weakens the driving forces for phase separation of PLCDs and this effect can be modeled quantitatively. The effects of NCPR also weaken known correlations between the dimensions of single chains in dilute solution and the driving forces for phase separation. We build on experimental data to develop a coarse-grained model for accurate simulations of phase separation that yield novel insights regarding PLCD phase behavior.
THEORY OF DYNAMIC OPTIMIZATION FOR MATERIALS HEATING PROCESS——CRITERION RESTRAINING METHOD

A criterion restraining method adopted to the dynamic optimization for materi- als heating process has been developed, regarding it as controlled object of a regulator in control theory and combining the optimal criterion of it. The method may be available to optimize fuel supply along furnace length and to provide a theoretical basis for the optimization of fuel supply in time-varying. For soaking pit, the calculation shows that in case of optimization by criterion restraining method, the thermal efficiency is 3.1% higher than the modelling prediction result. In comparison with heat flux-decomposing method, the thermal efficiency increased from 43.1 to 43.8%, and the energy consumption was reduced by 7.28% relative to the practical produc- tion data.