cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypothermia but not the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist, MK-801, attenuates neuronal damage in gerbils subjected to transient global ischemia

Several laboratories have reported a significant reduction of ischemia- induced injury to hippocampal neurons in rodents treated with competitive and noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor- channel antagonists. This study examined the effects of the noncompetitive antagonist (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H- dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate (MK-801) in Mongolian gerbils subjected to 5 min of bilateral carotid artery occlusion. In adult female gerbils, single doses of MK-801 injected 1 hr prior to ischemia significantly (p less than 0.01) reduced damage to CA1 hippocampal neurons. However, the drug rendered the postischemic animals comatose and hypothermic for several hours compared with the saline-treated animals. In subsequent experiments, animals pretreated with MK-801 and maintained normothermic during and after forebrain ischemia demonstrated no amelioration of hippocampal damage. Gerbils not treated with MK-801, but kept hypothermic in the postischemic period to approximately the same degree (34.5 degrees C) and duration (8 hr) as was induced by MK-801 therapy showed significant (p less than 0.01) protection of CA1 neurons against ischemia. The neuroprotective activity of MK-801 against transient global ischemia appears to be largely a consequence of postischemic hypothermia rather than a direct action on NMDA receptor-channels.
Metformin Prevents Liver Tumorigenesis by Inhibiting Pathways Driving Hepatic Lipogenesis

A number of factors have been identified that increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently it has become appreciated that type II diabetes increases the risk of developing HCC. This represents a patient population that can be identified and targeted for cancer prevention. The biguanide metformin is a first-line therapy for the treatment of type II diabetes in which it exerts its effects primarily on the liver. A role of metformin in HCC is suggested by studies linking metformin intake for control of diabetes with a reduced risk of HCC. Although a number of preclinical studies show the anticancer properties of metformin in a number of tissues, no studies have directly examined the effect of metformin on preventing carcinogenesis in the liver, one of its main sites of action. We show in these studies that metformin protected mice against chemically induced liver tumors. Interestingly, metformin did not increase AMPK activation, often shown to be a metformin target. Rather metformin decreased the expression of several lipogenic enzymes and lipogenesis. In addition, restoring lipogenic gene expression by ectopic expression of the lipogenic transcription factor SREBP1c rescues metformin-mediated growth inhibition. This mechanism of action suggests that metformin may also be useful for patients with other disorders associated with HCC in which increased lipid synthesis is observed. As a whole these studies show that metformin prevents HCC and that metformin should be evaluated as a preventive agent for HCC in readily identifiable at-risk patients.
The Morality and Ethics of Prenatal Diagnosis

The terms “moral" and "ethical” are used almost interchangeably in discussion by those who work in the biomedical fields. The two terms are commonly used to refer to a wide range of personal and social issues about conflicting or competing values, purposes, or legitimate means to ends (Gustafson, 1970). In this chapter, I will make a distinction between the terms that is more widely made in philosophical literature. Morality and the study of morals focus on concrete dilemmas in decisions. The moral question itself is, what should we do in this situation? Moral concern relates to immediate and existential problems. Ethics presupposes reflective distance from the problems under consideration, reflection on the consequences of our actions for human institutions, beliefs, and values. Ethical reflection means holding up choices or patterns of decision making to critical analysis in the light of cherished values, traditions, or commitments. Ethics is to morality as theory is to practice.
Cortical granules in artificially activated (parthenogenetic) rabbit eggs

The fate of cortical granules was ascertained in cold-shock activated rabbit eggs. Unfertilized oocytes were obtained 14 hours after intravenous injection of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. Experimental oocytes were stored at 6 to 10°C for 24 hours in F10 medium containing 10% rabbit serum. Control oocytes, and the experimental ones subsequent to cold-shock treatment, were incubated for 24 hours. Formation of ‘pronuclei’ occurred in 6% of the cold-shock treated oocytes. None of the control oocytes were activated. Electron microscopic observations show that activation occurred without the dehiscence of cortical granule content into the perivitelline space. Cortical granules were dispersed in the cytoplasm or clumped together at the periphery. Occasionally, cortical granules were found discharged into the perivitelline space with the limiting membrane intact.
An adversarial model for expressing attacks on control protocols

In this paper we present a model for expressing attacks on control protocols that involve the exchange of messages. Attacks are modeled using the notion of an attacker who can block and/or fabricate messages. These two attack mechanisms cover a variety of scenarios ranging from power grid failures to cyber attacks on oil pipelines. The model provides a method to syntactically express communication systems and attacks, which supports the development of attack and defense strategies. For demonstration purposes, an attack instance is modeled that shows how a targeted messaging attack can result in the rupture of a gas pipeline.
Multiobjective H ∞ problems: linear and nonlinear control

In this note, we compare the value of nonlinear and linear control for a multiobjective H∞ control problem with a linear time-invariant (LTI) plant. We show that if the H∞ performance of a nonlinear feedback controller is measured by the maximum incremental gain, the optimal achievable performance with nonlinear, time-varying control is identical to that achievable by LTI control.
Can research “send me high?” Addressing flow theory

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to find whether undergraduate students in the first discipline-based class can attain flow state while researching. Despite its widespread acceptance and application, flow theory has not been applied to the research process. Moreover, it can further librarians’ knowledge of the importance of affect in information seeking behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Flow is a phenomenological state achieved when skill level is equal to challenge level. Flow experience was operationalized using Z-score analysis as one standard deviation above individuals’ averages. The study used mixed methods including event contingent experience sampling method, Bostick’s library anxiety scale and reflection papers. Following library instruction sessions, undergraduate participants scheduled research consultations with a librarian. Findings – Individual research sessions grew more positive as reflected by Z scores over the semester, with one case of flow. Overall, participants’ library an...
How Can We Socialize Beheadings in the West

Professionals focused on threat assessment find that the nature of our work is fundamentally changing. Violence in the West has become increasingly more grotesque, unquestionably influenced by unprecedented media attention following the torture and beheading of British aid worker David Haines by the ISIS members in fall of 2014. The body of emperical research on the causation of violence includes many references to the copycat in social, school, and workplace settings over many decades. Documentation is clear that several school shootings, for example, analyze the tactics employed by other killers before they engage in rampages.... Language: en
What are We? Where’d We Come From?

This chapter is divided into two parts, corresponding to the two questions that together compose the title of the chapter.
Taxation of the New Era 'Family Unit'

Virtually everyone in this country is directly affected by the material in this chapter. Whether you are single, married, cohabitating with someone of the opposite or same sex, a child, an elderly person, someone going through a divorce or separation, rich or poor, there are numerous tax issues and tax disparities that impact your daily lives. Over the past 90 or so years, the taxation of the family unit has undergone numerous changes, resulting in unequal treatment of significant numbers of citizens. The evolution of the tax law of the family unit provides us with an opportunity to view the constant interplay and conflict between federal and state laws. Keeping with the theme of this book, this chapter will focus on some of these major inequalities, many of which have received only sparse public attention and are generally unknown to the ordinary taxpayer.
WNT/β-catenin signaling mediates human neural crest induction via a pre-neural border intermediate

Neural crest (NC) cells arise early in vertebrate development, migrate extensively and contribute to a diverse array of ectodermal and mesenchymal derivatives. Previous models of NC formation suggested derivation from neuralized ectoderm, via meso-ectodermal, or neural-non-neural ectoderm interactions. Recent studies using bird and amphibian embryos suggest an earlier origin of NC, independent of neural and mesodermal tissues. Here, we set out to generate a model in which to decipher signaling and tissue interactions involved in human NC induction. Our novel human embryonic stem cell (ESC)-based model yields high proportions of multipotent NC cells (expressing SOX10, PAX7 and TFAP2A) in 5 days. We demonstrate a crucial role for WNT/β-catenin signaling in launching NC development, while blocking placodal and surface ectoderm fates. We provide evidence of the delicate temporal effects of BMP and FGF signaling, and find that NC development is separable from neural and/or mesodermal contributions. We further substantiate the notion of a neural-independent origin of NC through PAX6 expression and knockdown studies. Finally, we identify a novel pre-neural border state characterized by early WNT/β-catenin signaling targets that displays distinct responses to BMP and FGF signaling from the traditional neural border genes. In summary, our work provides a fast and efficient protocol for human NC differentiation under signaling constraints similar to those identified in vivo in model organisms, and strengthens a framework for neural crest ontogeny that is separable from neural and mesodermal fates.
Parameterization in the H2I2 potential surface

Five types of parameters were found effective in producing a reasonable semi-empirical four-electron valence-bond potential-energy surface for the H2I2 system. They were (a) the Slater exponents, (b) hybridization of the I orbital, (c) a space scale factor, (d) the I-core penetration energy, and to a more limited extent (e) the ionization potentials. Insignificant or non-physical changes in the surface resulted from alterations in (a) the integral approximations, (b) values of the electron affinities, and (c) orientation dependence of the p orbitals.
A Method for the Isolation of Intima-Media Samples from Arteries

SummaryA method is described for the preparation of aortic intima-media samples which are free of adventitia. Advantages of its use over the usual method of isolation are described in two types of ...
Simulating Chemical Reactions in Ionic Liquids Using QM/MM Methodology

The use of ionic liquids as a reaction medium for chemical reactions has dramatically increased in recent years due in large part to the numerous reported advances in catalysis and organic synthesis. In some extreme cases, ionic liquids have been shown to induce mechanistic changes relative to conventional solvents. Despite the large interest in the solvents, a clear understanding of the molecular factors behind their chemical impact is largely unknown. This feature article reviews our efforts developing and applying mixed quantum and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methodology to elucidate the microscopic details of how these solvents operate to enhance rates and alter mechanisms for industrially and academically important reactions, e.g., Diels-Alder, Kemp eliminations, nucleophilic aromatic substitutions, and β-eliminations. Explicit solvent representation provided the medium dependence of the activation barriers and atomic-level characterization of the solute-solvent interactions responsible for the experimentally observed "ionic liquid effects". Technical advances are also discussed, including a linear-scaling pairwise electrostatic interaction alternative to Ewald sums, an efficient polynomial fitting method for modeling proton transfers, and the development of a custom ionic liquid OPLS-AA force field.
Towards a Practical Multi-Meter Long Dielectric Wakefield Accelerator: Problems and Solutions

A multi-meter long collinear dielectric wakefield accelerator is considered, and it is shown that a single bunch breakup instability is a major limiting factor for obtaining highly efficient energy transfer from the drive bunch to the main bunch. Different methods for instability suppression are studied. Numerical simulations using a 6D particle tracking computer code are performed and tolerances to various errors are defined.
Research and Application of Automation Testing Based on Keyword-driven

With all kinds of structured data and unstructured data between intranet and external information network interacted frequently, a kind of safety device has been produced that achieved effective control of information network data access to ensure normal operation of the isolation system and related business and make the data of intranet safe and reliable. In order to ensure that every release version could run stably,automation testing solution based on keyword driven has been designed to realize the separation of test data,test scripts and test logic. The main design was keyword structure and hierarchical key separation. Regression testing has consisted of test cases configured flexibly and selectively to realize reasonable arrangement of testers and improve test efficiency.
Hydrophobicity Distribution of DC Composite Insulators in Service

Hydrophobicity is an important indicator for the operating performance of composite insulators and insights to hydrophobicity distribution help to provide an accurate evaluation on test results,Thus,four DC composite insulators energized over a period of years were selected to conduct hydrophobicity tests with hydrophobicity classification method and static contact angle method.These tests included the hydrophobicity measurement with and without natural contamination and the hydrophobicity transfer with artificial contamination.Experimental results indicate that the high-voltage end and low-voltage end show obviously worse hydrophobicity and hydrophobicity transfer than the middle part.In other words,the hydrophobicity and hydrophobicity transfer along the insulators are mostly inverted U-shaped.Moreover,the edges of sheds with obvious fading phenomenon show better hydrophobicity when the natural contamination is removed,but the hydrophobicity transfer is much worse than the roots.According to the hydrophobicity distribution above mentioned,the results of hydrophobicity tests can better characterize the operating performance of composite insulators by properly choosing experimental methods and test position.
A New-type Pyrotechnics Separation Device Based on Throttle and Pressure Relief Structure

Based on analysis of separation failure of a rocket projectile during research and development process, the structure of pyrotechnic separation device was improved, throttle and pressure relief structure was designed and set in the device. The verification test results indicated that the new-type pyrotechnic separation device can reduce the value of ignition pressure peak about 65%, and realize accurate control of the value. The new structure meet with the requirement of separation velocity as well as impact overload. Finally, the effective method has been applied successfully for the rocket projectile. Through adjusting parameters of throttle and pressure relief, the improved structure can be applied to separation of different rocket projectile.
Rev–RRE Functional Activity Differs Substantially Among Primary HIV-1 Isolates

The HIV-1 replication cycle requires the nucleocytoplasmic export of intron-containing viral RNAs, a process that is ordinarily restricted. HIV overcomes this by means of the viral Rev protein, which binds to an RNA secondary structure called the Rev response element (RRE) present in all unspliced or incompletely spliced viral RNA transcripts. The resulting mRNP complex is exported through interaction with cellular factors. The Rev-RRE binding interaction is increasingly understood to display remarkable structural plasticity, but little is known about how Rev-RRE sequence differences affect functional activity. To study this issue, we utilized a lentiviral vector assay in which vector titer is dependent on the activity of selected Rev-RRE pairs. We found that Rev-RRE functional activity varies significantly (up to 24-fold) between naturally occurring viral isolates. The activity differences of the Rev-RRE cognate pairs track closely with Rev, but not with RRE activity. This variation in Rev activity is not correlated with differences in Rev steady state protein levels. These data suggest that Rev sequence differences drive substantial variation in Rev-RRE functional activity between patients. Such variation may play a role in viral adaptation to different immune milieus within and between patients and may be significant in the establishment of latency. The identification of differences in Rev-RRE functional activity in naturally occurring isolates may also permit more efficient production of lentiviral vectors.
"Take two"? The role of second opinions for breast biopsy specimens.

Diagnostic accuracy improves when pathologists work together Most pathologists do not work alone. They often share challenging cases with their colleagues locally and seek outside consultation for difficult cases if intradepartmental agreement is lacking. Because of sheer volume and complexity of interpretation, breast biopsy specimens often receive secondary review. The reasons driving these reviews are variable, but it presumably reflects the belief that another opinion can minimise or eliminate uncertainty and ultimately improve patient outcome. In this issue, Elmore and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.i3069) carried out a simulation study to analyse 12 different strategies for obtaining second opinions to improve the interpretation of breast histopathology.1 This study extends the authors’ previous work in which they reported a 25% level of discordance among pathologists in interpretation of breast biopsy specimens, particularly atypical hyperplasia.2 The first study had well described limitations, including its “artificial” study design (use of samples not representative of the actual case mix from routine practice), provision …
The Value and Dynamics of Civil Aviation

Civil aviation is strategically valuable to states fortunate enough to participate substantially in the industry. This is a centripetal force impelling states and corporations to dominate the industry unilaterally as much as possible. Each actor wishes to control the allocation of the political, military and economic benefits it offers. The industry’s dynamics make it a ‘high-risk game with few winners and many losers’ (Bacher, 1984: 8) and constitute a centrifugal force inducing political and economic actors to internationalise all levels of production and distribution in an effort to minimise losses and maximise gains by spreading risk and increasing market access.
MARKETS AND UNCERTAINTY

This chapter discusses markets and uncertainty. The competitive price system can allocate uncertainties by enlarging the list of traded commodities to include goods distinguished by the state of nature. The state of nature influences the type and quantities of commodities that a producer can manufacture from his inputs. The general approach to marketing uncertainty was developed by Arrow and Debreu. The standard general equilibrium model changes only its interpretation of the component parts. The benefits of information are proportional to the scale of production, so the net result of increasing the scale of production is to justify more information. The provision of information can be extremely valuable to agents by expanding their degrees of freedom in allocating risk. However, to treat information as another commodity that markets will allocate is to ignore many difficulties. Measurement, inappropriateness, deception, non-convexities, monopoly—monopsony power and speculative behavior leads to inefficient use of informational resources.
Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of Skin Scarring and Fibrosis

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a real-time imaging device that is transforming clinical diagnosis in dermatology. OCT is an imaging modality that uses light or laser to produce an image of the skin that approximates the histological architecture. These two-dimensional OCT images can provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment of collagen levels within the skin. This collagen assessment allows dermatologists to use OCT as an imaging biomarker to noninvasively diagnose and evaluate diseases characterized by skin fibrosis in lieu of invasive skin biopsies. Despite its current limitations, OCT imaging for the assessment of skin fibrosis is still in its formative stages and is poised to make tremendous strides that parallel the development and refinement of ultrasound over the past 30 years. Using OCT collagen assessment as a noninvasive imaging biomarker for skin fibrosis will not only improve clinical dermatology but also facilitate research that may lead to new insights into the physiology, pathology, and management of skin fibrosis.
A terrain-following model of wave boundary layers

Abstract Over a variable seabed, conventional boundary layer approximations are rendered to be inadequate because of the large variations in bed elevation in the direction of wave propagation. Applying the method of conformal transformation to map the flow domain with a corrugated boundary onto a uniform strip, we put forward a terrain-following modeling approach for Stokes boundary layer flows, accompanying the recent development of the exact Floquet theory of water waves over a generally periodic seabed. For a non-steep seabed profile, but not necessarily small undulation height compared with the water depth, we solve the vorticity equation to obtain the analytical solutions for the boundary layer velocities, bed shear stress and rate of viscous dissipation, explicitly showing the variations both across the boundary layer and along the bed. For a relatively steep bed profile, a remedy is proposed that allows the velocity profiles to be locally determined across the boundary layer avoiding solving the 2-D differential equation for the vorticity. The modeling methodology is presented here for a constant viscosity, including the case of constant eddy viscosity, but can be extended to the case of variable eddy viscosity to improve turbulence modeling.
Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria in Raw Milk and Ability of Some to Transfer Antibiotic Resistance to Escherichia coli.

Raw milk samples were examined for number and percentage of bacteria resistant to seven antibiotics: penicillin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B sulfate, tetracycline and streptomycin sulfate. A significant negative correlation was found between the total aerobic count of the milk sample and the concentration (above 5 or 10% of the total count) of bacteria in each milk resistant to each of the antibiotics tested. Three of 42 gram-negative isolates were capable of transferring their antibiotic resistance to Escherichia coli . Substantial numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in raw milk were found and some survived pasteurization. Inspection of farms failed to indicate a relationship between farm practices or use of antibiotics in feed or as pharmaceuticals and number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the raw milk.
Site Formation Processes and Depositional Environment of a Fine‐Grained Alluvial Floodplain at La Playa Archaeology Site, Sonora, Mexico

Located on a floodplain of the Rio Boquillas, the site of La Playa contains a principal occupation during the Early Agricultural period, 1200 B.C.–A.D. 50 (3150–1900 cal. yr B.P.). Local complexity in geomorphic features and extensive historic dissection of the floodplain have resulted in limited understanding of the site's alluvial history, which hampers understanding of archaeological features and an extensive canal system. This study reconstructs the site formation processes of the floodplain before, during, and after occupation by comparing soils and sediments from the Los Monticulos area near the channel with those of more distant areas of the site. Sediments on the floodplain were deposited by low-energy overbank deposition from ca. 4300 to 1600 cal. yr B.P., resulting in stratified deposits with weak soil development nearer to the channel, and more strongly developed soils farther from the channel. Low-energy deposition of fine-grained sediments was possible due to the stable location of the river channel during the Holocene, creating an attractive place for canal agriculture. Sometime after the Early Agricultural period, higher-energy flows resulted in deposition of sandier sediments and multiple episodes of erosion and deposition in Los Monticulos, where nearly all cultural material is now in a reworked context.
Kinetic simulations of scrape-off layer physics in the DIII-D tokamak

Abstract Simulations using the fully kinetic code XGCa were undertaken to explore the impact of kinetic effects on scrape-off layer (SOL) physics in DIII-D H-mode plasmas. XGCa is a total-f, gyrokinetic code which self-consistently calculates the axisymmetric electrostatic potential and plasma dynamics, and includes modules for Monte Carlo neutral transport. Fluid simulations are normally used to simulate the SOL, due to its high collisionality. However, depending on plasma conditions, a number of discrepancies have been observed between experiment and leading SOL fluid codes (e.g. SOLPS), including underestimating outer target temperatures, radial electric field in the SOL, parallel ion SOL flows at the low field side, and impurity radiation. Many of these discrepancies may be linked to the fluid treatment, and might be resolved by including kinetic effects in SOL simulations. The XGCa simulation of the DIII-D tokamak in a nominally sheath-limited regime show many noteworthy features in the SOL. The density and ion temperature are higher at the low-field side, indicative of ion orbit loss. The SOL ion Mach flows are at experimentally relevant levels (Mi ∼ 0.5), with similar shapes and poloidal variation as observed in various tokamaks. Surprisingly, the ion Mach flows close to the sheath edge remain subsonic, in contrast to the typical fluid Bohm criterion requiring ion flows to be above sonic at the sheath edge. Related to this are the presence of elevated sheath potentials, e Δ Φ / T e ∼ 3 − 4 , over most of the SOL, with regions in the near-SOL close to the separatrix having eΔΦ/Te > 4. These two results at the sheath edge are a consequence of non-Maxwellian features in the ions and electrons there.
Persuading Me to Eat Healthy: A Content Analysis of YouTube Public Service Announcements Grounded in the Health Belief Model

The current study presents a content analysis of public service announcements (PSAs) promoting healthy-eating behavior on YouTube. A total of 341 PSAs within a one-year period were retrieved and an...
The Elder Justice Act: Bridging the Gap Between Health and Public Policy

Elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation are significant and under-recognized public health and human rights issues in the United States and globally. Research has demonstrated that elder abuse has significant consequences for the health, well-being, and independence of older adults. The Elder Justice Act (EJA) is a public policy approach to address the public health problem of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. This chapter provides an overview of the EJA and its major components, as well as the Administration for Community Living and its activities in implementing the EJA to demonstrate the importance of the health field in driving public policy at the federal level.
Building the learning analytics curriculum: workshop

Learning Analytics courses and degree programs both on-and offline have begun to proliferate over the last three years. As a result of this growth in interest from students, university administrators, researchers and instructors we believe it is a good time to review how these educational efforts are impacting the field, how synergy between instructors might be developed to greater serve the field and what kinds of best practices could be developed.
Validation of a clinical trial accrual predictive model.

6535 Background: The costly and extensive process to drug approval highlights the need to streamline the drug pipeline process. We previously reported a novel predictive model with the outcome of anticipated accrual to be used when considering a prospective clinical trial at our center. Here, we present the results of the validation study. Methods: Eligible studies include treatment and supportive care intervention studies permanently closed to accrual between 10/2013 and 01/2015 at our center. Data abstracted from the clinical trials management system (OnCore, Forte Systems, Madison, WI) included: use of investigational drug, disease management team (DMT), use of local IRB, local start date, DMT accrual prediction value, actual total accrual, and clinicaltrials.gov (NCT) number. Abstracted from clinicaltrials.gov were protocol-specific data: number of national sites, national enrollment goal, national start date, and national date of expected primary endpoint completion. Studies were run through the mode...
Design of vehicle-mounted, compact VHF antennas using characteristic mode theory

Compact and low-profile VHF antennas with enhanced bandwidth have a wide spectrum of applications in both commercial and military communication systems. Having both of these criteria in a single antenna, however, is very challenging. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for bandwidth enhancement of vehicle-mounted electrically-small antennas operating in the VHF band. In this method, the vehicle platform is considered to be the major part of the radiating structure, while a meandered monopole antenna is used as a capacitive coupling element to excite a desired set of characteristic modes of the platform. The size of the coupling element is 0.06λ × 0.06λ × 0.06λ, where λ is the free-space wavelength at the frequency of operation, 60 MHz (ka ≈ 0.47). The proposed approach was employed to successfully enhance the bandwidth of a vehicle-mounted VHF antennas by at least 400%.
Phase II cancer clinical trials for biomarker-guided treatments

The design and analysis of cancer clinical trials with biomarker depend on various factors, such as the phase of trials, the type of biomarker, whether the used biomarker is validated or not, and the study objectives. In this article, we demonstrate the design and analysis of two Phase II cancer clinical trials, one with a predictive biomarker and the other with an imaging prognostic biomarker. Statistical testing methods and their sample size calculation methods are presented for each trial. We assume that the primary endpoint of these trials is a time to event variable, but this concept can be used for any type of endpoint.
Programming robots using reinforcement learning and teaching

Programming robots is a tedious task. So, there is growing interest in building robots which can learn by themselves. Self-improving, which involves trial and error, however, is often a slow process and could be hazardous in a hostile environment. By teaching robots how tasks can be achieved, learning time can be shortened and hazard can be minimized. This paper presents a general approach to making robots which can improve their performance from experiences as well as from being taught. Based on this proposed approach and other learning speedup techniques, a simulated learning robot was developed and could learn three moderately complex behaviors, which were then integrated in a subsumption style so that the robot could navigate and recharge itself. Interestingly, a real robot could actually use what was learned in the simulator to operate in the real world quite successfully.
Where Inequality Takes Place: A Programmatic Argument for Urban Sociology:

Spatial inequality is an increasingly vital concept in urban sociology, capturing the inequitable allocation of resources across space. But it omits an important and often overlooked form of inequa...
Provider variation in antibiotic prescribing and outcomes of respiratory tract infections

OBJECTIVES Inappropriate antibiotic use for respiratory tract infection (RTI) is an ongoing problem linked to the emergence of drug resistance and other adverse effects. Less is known about the prescribing practices of individual physicians or the impact of physician prescribing habits on patient outcomes. We studied the prescribing practices of providers for acute RTIs in an integrated health system, identified patient factors associated with receipt of an antibiotic and assessed the relation between providers' adjusted prescribing rates and a number of patient outcomes. METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of adults with an RTI visit to any primary care providers across the Cleveland Clinic Health System in 2011-2012. Patients with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or immunocompromised status were excluded. Logistic regression was used to examine patient factors associated with receipt of an antibiotic. RESULTS Of 31,416 patients with an RTI, 54.8% received an antibiotic. Patient factors associated with antibiotic prescribing included white race (odds ratio [OR] 1.35, P < 0.001), presence of fever (OR 1.66, P < 0.001), and a diagnosis of bronchitis (OR 10.98, P < 0.001) or sinusitis (OR 33.85, P < 0.001). Among 290 providers with ≥10 RTI visits, adjusted antibiotic prescribing rates ranged from 0% to 100% (mean 49%). Antibiotics were prescribed more often for sinusitis (OR 33.85, P < 0.001), bronchitis (OR 10.98, P < 0.001), or pharyngitis (OR 1.76, P < 0.001) compared with upper respiratory tract infection. Patients who were prescribed antibiotics at the index visit were more likely to return for RTI within 1 year (adjusted OR 1.26, P < 0.001). Emergency department visits for respiratory complications were rare and not associated with antibiotic receipt. CONCLUSIONS Antibiotic prescribing for RTI varies widely among physicians and cannot be explained by patient factors. Patients prescribed antibiotics for RTI were more likely to return for RTI.
Narrative Shifts: Race, Culture, and the Production of Screendance

Moving 24fps is a platform where teams of one professional dance maker and one filmmaker are paired to create work in a single weekend. These ‘creatives’ make work as a part of the touring Festival: It focuses exclusively on the production of screendance and is situated within various ‘partner cities’. This article is informed by a collection of both informal and open forum interviews with over 25 creatives about their experience inside the project. We were curious how screendance can be used as a tool to help shape and reimagine each cities narrative as it relates to identity politics and what it could reveal about a national discourse of race and culture within the production of screendance. For the purposes of this journal, individual dance shorts from the Moving 24fps Detroit project will be used as case studies to examine the creative process and to investigate representation, equity, and inclusion in screendance curation and production. Two questions that frame this entire paper: What considerations and choices do creatives make to center race and geo-politics within their city? How does the project create or promote equity in dance film curation?
Who Does Not Want Equal Rights

Equal rights to education, resource and employment are important to reducing poverty and accelerating economic growth. Unfair treatments are not only found from advantaged to disadvantaged groups, but also within disadvantaged groups themselves. This study investigates intragroup discrimination among disadvantaged individuals. Using a model that considers both an individual's absolute and relative income, I examine the conditions under which equal rights are supported by some members in the advantaged group and, more interestingly, opposed by part of the disadvantaged group. In equilibrium, the valuation towards relative income, the initial endowment di erence between two groups and the amount of income transfer upon equalization have opposite e ects on the likelihood of favoring equality in di erent groups. To this end, I conduct a comparative statics analysis and the results suggest that in order to incentivize more individuals to favor equality, a policymaker's optimal strategy substantially depends on how much does the society value relative income.
Short-Lived Isomers of Ge 71 , As 74 , Br 78 , and Tc

Short-lived isomers have been produced with the pulsed beam of a Van de Graaff generator and observed between pulses with scintillation detectors. The results are summarized in the following table:
The influence of periphyton biomass and density on grazing in Physella virgata

We studied how differences in periphyton colonization interval and snail density affected grazing rates in Physella virgata, and whether snails controlled periphyton biomass. Both egestion rates and incorporation rates of 14C labeled periphyton were estimated in laboratory experiments. Periphyton biomass increased with field colonization interval in all experiments, but did not consistently influence estimates of grazing rate. However, increased periphyton abundance in one of the experiments could still explain higher grazer rates in that year, although larger snail body size is a confounding explanation. Increased snail density also resulted in decreased grazing rates, as observed in earlier studies with this snail species, as well as in studies with other snail grazers. Our results suggest grazing rates and resulting impacts may change seasonally with variation in either periphyton biomass, grazer life-history stage or population density.
Fatty Acid Oxidation during Development

There has been considerable interest in the use of fatty acids as a source of calories in parenteral nutrition. From the standpoint of energy economy fatty acids offer a distinct caloric advantage over carbohydrates and proteins in that they provide nine calories per gram administered in contrast to the approximately four calories yielded by carbohydrates and amino acids. Thus, from the weight volume standpoint, the administration of fatty acids in parenteral nutrition can provide patients with significant nutritional increments. In addition, fatty acids are the preferred energy fuel of a number of tissues including heart (Shipp et al., 1961), renal cortex, and small intestinal mucosa (Hulsmann, 1971) so that their availability and administration is likely to spare both carbohydrate and protein catabolism by those and other tissues. The capacity of mammalian tissues to utilize fatty acids as an energy fuel develops after birth as part of the general metabolic adaptation of the mammalian newborn to the postnatal environment. It has been long recognized that energy requirements during embryonic and fetal development are provided primarily by carbohydrates (Needham and Lehman, 1937).
The characteristics of song: An overview for marine mammals

Animal song is often considered to have the following characteristics: (1) produced by males, (2) territorial—related to ownership of an area, (3) stereotyped, (4) seasonally produced, and (5) involved in reproductive displays. The extent to which marine mammals fit these criteria is considered for a variety of species. The occurrence of female song and the lack of clear territoriality are examples that challenge the above model for sexual-selection of singers. Likewise, the factors driving long-term trends in song are not well understood. New perspectives are needed to understand the mechanisms driving marine mammal song.
Constrained Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging by Learning Nonlinear Low-Dimensional Models

Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is a powerful molecular imaging modality but has very limited speed, resolution, and SNR tradeoffs. Construction of a low-dimensional model to effectively reduce the dimensionality of the imaging problem has recently shown great promise in improving these tradeoffs. This paper presents a new approach to model and reconstruct the spectroscopic signals by learning a nonlinear low-dimensional representation of the general MR spectra. Specifically, we trained a deep neural network to capture the low-dimensional manifold, where the high-dimensional spectroscopic signals reside. A regularization formulation is proposed to effectively integrate the learned model and physics-based data acquisition model for MRSI reconstruction with the capability to incorporate additional spatiospectral constraints. An efficient numerical algorithm was developed to solve the associated optimization problem involving back-propagating the trained network. Simulation and experimental results were obtained to demonstrate the representation power of the learned model and the ability of the proposed formulation in producing SNR-enhancing reconstruction from the practical MRSI data.
Designing an Adaptive Prosthetic Socket Controller Using H-Infinity Loop Shaping Synthesis

Amputees often find wearing a prosthetic limb for a long period of time uncomfortable. Prosthetic sockets that adjust the socket’s fit automatically, or adaptive sockets, would encourage amputees to wear their prosthesis more frequently. In this work, we simulate the control system design of a Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) adaptive socket using principles of optimal control and robust control. A data-driven model of the socket-limb interface is first obtained by applying regression to open-loop recordings of the socket interacting with the limb during a simulated grasping task. A MIMO controller is then designed to maintain a desired uniform socket fit. An $H_{\infty}$ controller, obtained from loop shaping synthesis using the Glover-McFarlane method, is shown to perform comparably to a Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller while maintaining robustness to uncertainties in the socket-limb interface model. This work then outlines a potential procedure on how to develop the control system for a real adaptive prosthetic socket with multiple sensors and actuators.
Single molecule analysis in nanofluidic devices

Abstract Observation of single molecules requires probing a sample volume that contains no more than one molecule at a time. For diffraction-limited probe volumes this requires molecular concentrations that may be incompatible with the biological system being interrogated. In this chapter we describe the use of nanofluidic devices as an alternative approach to restrict probe volumes below diffraction-limited values. In particular, we will focus on the use of nanoscale devices for the detection and optical mapping of single DNA molecules. The chapter describes unique electrokinetic phenomena that emerge on the nanoscale as well. The driving forces for fluid flow and interactions with the fluid via walls are qualitatively different on the nanoscale as compared to the microscale. Overlap of the electric double layers generated by opposite walls on the nanoscale alters the velocity profile (plug-like on the microscale to parabolic on the nanoscale for electrokinetic flows). The conformation of DNA is sensitive to channel dimensions. In nanochannels, DNA molecules stretch to nearly their full contour length when the channel dimensions are comparable to the persistence length of the DNA molecule. Methods of fabrication of nanochannel devices are surveyed. Electron beam lithography, focused ion beam milling, and nanoimprint lithography have been used to generate nanoscale devices. Finally, we describe recent applications of fluorescence imaging of single molecules in nanochannels for optical mapping of DNA and the detection of sequence variations.
Knowledge Guided Text Retrieval and Reading for Open Domain Question Answering

We introduce an approach for open-domain question answering (QA) that retrieves and reads a passage graph, where vertices are passages of text and edges represent relationships that are derived from an external knowledge base or co-occurrence in the same article. Our goals are to boost coverage by using knowledge-guided retrieval to find more relevant passages than text-matching methods, and to improve accuracy by allowing for better knowledge-guided fusion of information across related passages. Our graph retrieval method expands a set of seed keyword-retrieved passages by traversing the graph structure of the knowledge base. Our reader extends a BERT-based architecture and updates passage representations by propagating information from related passages and their relations, instead of reading each passage in isolation. Experiments on three open-domain QA datasets, WebQuestions, Natural Questions and TriviaQA, show improved performance over non-graph baselines by 2-11% absolute. Our approach also matches or exceeds the state-of-the-art in every case, without using an expensive end-to-end training regime.
Preference vote and intra-party competition in open list PR systems:

Open list proportional representation (PR) systems require that candidates seek personal votes in order to be successful. This feature of the system is considered to lead to intense competition amo...
Luminescence “Turn-On” Detection of Gossypol Using Ln3+-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks and Ln3+ Salts

Gossypol (Gsp), a natural toxin concentrated in cottonseeds, poses great risks to the safe consumption of cottonseed products, which are used extensively throughout the food industry. In this work, we report the first luminescence "turn-on" sensors for Gsp using near-infrared emitting lanthanide (Ln3+) materials, including Ln3+ MOFs and Ln3+ salts. We first demonstrate that the Yb3+ photoluminescence of a Yb3+ MOF, Yb-NH2-TPDC, can be employed to selectively detect Gsp with a limit of detection of 25 μg/mL via a "turn-on" response from a completely nonemissive state in the absence of Gsp. The recyclability and stability of Yb-NH2-TPDC in the presence of Gsp was demonstrated by fluorescence spectroscopy and PXRD analysis, respectively. A variety of background substances present in practical samples that would require Gsp sensing, such as refined cottonseed oil, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and α-tocopherol, did not interfere with the Yb3+ photoluminescence signal. We further identified that the "turn-on" of Yb-NH2-TPDC photoluminescence was due to the "antenna effect" of Gsp, as evidenced by spectroscopic studies and supported by computational analysis. This is the first report that Gsp can effectively sensitize Yb3+ photoluminescence. Leveraging this sensing mechanism, we demonstrate facile, highly sensitive, fast-response detection of Gsp using YbCl3·6H2O and NdCl3·6H2O solutions. Overall, we show for the first time that Ln3+-based materials are promising luminescent sensors for Gsp detection. We envision that the reported sensing approach will be applicable to the detection of a wide variety of aromatic molecules using Ln3+ compounds including MOFs, complexes, and salts.