cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contributions of domesticated plant studies to our understanding of plant evolution.

• Background Plant evolutionary theory has been greatly enriched by studies on crop species. Over the last century, important information has been generated on many aspects of population biology, speciation and polyploid genetics. • Scope Searches for quantitative trait loci (QTL) in crop species have uncovered numerous blocks of genes that have dramatic effects on adaptation, particularly during the domestication process. Many of these QTL have epistatic and pleiotropic effects making rapid evolutionary change possible. Most of the pioneering work on the molecular basis of self-incompatibility has been conducted on crop species, along with the sequencing of the phytopathogenic resistance genes (R genes) responsible for the ‘gene-to-gene’ relations of coevolution observed in host–pathogen relationships. Some of the better examples of co-adaptation and early acting inbreeding depression have also been elucidated in crops. Crop–wild progenitor interactions have provided rich opportunites to study the evolution of novel adaptations subsequent to hybridization. Most crop/wild F1 hybrids have reduced fitness, but in some instances the crop relatives have acquired genes that make them more efficient weeds through crop mimicry. Studies on autopolyploid alfalfa and potato have uncovered the means by which polyploid gametes are formed and have led to hypotheses about how multiallelic interactions are associated with fitness and self-fertility. Research on the cole crops and wheat has discovered that newly formed polyploids can undergo dramatic genome rearrangements that could lead to rapid evolutionary change. • Conclusions Many more important evolutionary discoveries are on the horizon, now that the whole genome sequence is available of the two major subspecies of rice Oryza sativa ssp. japonica and O. sativa ssp. indica. The rice sequence data can be used to study the origin of genes and gene families, track rates of sequence divergence over time, and provide hints about how genes evolve and generate products with novel biological properties. The rice sequence data has already been mined to show that transposable elements often carry fragments of cellular genes. This type of genome shuffling could play a role in creating novel, reorganized genes with new adaptive properties.
Independent acquisition and insertion into different chromosomal locations of the same pathogenicity island in Yersinia pestis and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

We show that Yersinia pestis and pesticin-sensitive isolates of Y. pseudotuberculosis possess a common 34 kbp DNA region that has all the hallmarks of a pathogenicity island and is inserted into different asparaginyl tRNA genes at different chromosomal locations in each species. This pathogenicity island (YP-HPI) is marked by IS100, has a G + C content different from its host, is flanked by 24 bp direct repeats, encodes a putative, P4-like integrase and contains the iron uptake virulence genes from the pgm locus of Y. pestis. These findings indicate independent horizontal acquisition of this island by Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis. The two YP-HPI locations and their possession of an integrase gene support a model of site-specific integration of the YP-HPI into these bacteria.
Three-dimensional reconstruction of individual cervical vertebrae from cone-beam computed-tomography images.

Introduction: The visualization of cervical vertebral morphology has potential in skeletal age assessment; however, thus far, it has only been described in planar images. The objective of this article is to present a novel segmentation algorithm for automatic 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of individual cervical vertebrae from cone-beam computed-tomography (CBCT) volumetric data sets. Methods: CBCT data sets of 3 subjects representing different skeletal age groups with no potential health influences on cervical anatomy were identified from a larger subject sample. A visualization toolkit was used to demonstrate the surface topologic shape of cervical vertebrae C1 through C3. The cervical vertebrae were segmented by using a custom algorithm based on individual voxel intensity distribution analysis and propagation from a densitometric start point to generate the whole vertebra. The segmentation algorithm was combined with toolkit visualization to render and save the cervical vertebra in 3D space. Results: The developed segmentation algorithm separated individual cervical vertebrae successfully. It was robust and efficient. Observed 3D cervical vertebral morphologic features from the 3 examples matched the known 2-dimensional sagittal shape changes of the cervical vertebra with respect to subject age and skeletal maturation. Conclusions: Segmentation of individual vertebrae proved possible from CBCT volumetric data sets. This provides a 3D approach to the biologic aging of orthodontic patients by using images of the cervical spine. It also has potential in studying disease processes such as spinal fractures consequent to osteoporosis.
A Theory for Maximizing the Lifetime of Sensor Networks

An important issue in wireless sensor networks is the limited energy and bandwidth resources. A novel theory is developed here for maximizing the lifetime of unicast multihop wireless sensor networks. An optimal centralized solution is presented in the form of an iterative algorithm. The algorithm attempts to find a Pareto-optimal (PO) solution. In the first iteration, the minimum lifetime of the network is maximized. If the solution is not PO, a second iteration is performed which maximizes the second minimum lifetime, subject to the minimum lifetime being maximum. At the nth iteration, the algorithm maximizes the nth minimum lifetime subject to the (n-1) the minimum lifetime being maximum, subject to the (n-2) the minimum lifetime being maximum, etc. The algorithm can be stopped at any iteration n. The presented solution assumes static network conditions
Rules, Ideology and Coalition Formation in the European Parliament: Past, Present and Future

This research investigates the frequent creation of voting coalitions between the Socialist (PSE) and largely Christian Democratic (PPE) party groups within the European Parliament. The tendency of the PPE and PSE to form a `grand coalition' is frequently understood to imply that there is no significant role for ideology in the EP. Two common explanations of the creation of the `grand coalition' are tested demonstrating their inability to adequately explain actual coalition trends. I then offer some simple spatial models as a means of predicting when we should expect to see the grand coalition form. I then analyze 200 votes to test for the existence of each of the theoretical models and discuss the present and future role of ideology within the EP.
Regional Delivery of Retinoids: A New Approach to Early Lung Cancer Intervention

Currently, most new lung cancers are found only after symptoms or signs reflect the occurrence of regional or distant metastases. Delayed awareness of lung cancer accounts for its 87% five year mortality rate. New insights may lead to improved methods of early lung cancer detection. Experimental intervention proposed for early cancer management generally entails the oral administration of chemoprevention agents. In this chapter, we discuss an alternative delivery strategy using direct aerosol delivery. The model chemoprevention agents for this discussion are the vitamin A analogues. Preliminary clinical reports suggest benefit in reducing the frequency of new lung cancers for previously resected non-small cell lung cancer patients as well as treated head and neck cancer patients. Chronic oral administration of retinoids is problematic due to the frequency of debilitating side effects. Alternatively, by delivering retinoids directly to the airways as an aerosol, the first-pass drug exposure is to the target cell population and the amount of drug available to the systemic circulation may be greatly reduced. We hypothesize that this approach to retinoid delivery will result in a significantly greater therapeutic index. Direct delivery of the drug to epithelial surfaces afflicted by early cancer may also be a general strategy for improving the therapeutic index with other chemoprevention agents.
Labor Unions and Title VII: A Bit Player at the Creation Looks Back

The author, an AFL-CIO lawyer when the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed, discusses varying views of the role of organized labor in securing the inclusion of Title VII (EEO) in the Act. The “disparate impact” theory of discrimination and the treatment of seniority and affirmative action under Title VII are also analyzed.
Inference graphs: combining natural deduction and subsumption inference in a concurrent reasoner

There are very few reasoners which combine natural deduction and subsumption reasoning, and there are none which do so while supporting concurrency. Inference Graphs are a graph-based inference mechanism using an expressive first- order logic, capable of subsumption and natural deduction reasoning using concurrency. Evaluation of concurrency characteristics on a combination natural deduction and sub-sumption reasoning problem has shown linear speedup with the number of processors.
Effect of Sulfamerazine on Pullorum Reactors

Abstract PULLORUM disease has been recognized as one of the most costly diseases of poultry. The National Poultry Improvement Plan has as one of its main objectives the eradication of this disease. One of the most common means of transmitting the disease is through the egg. The control measures at present consist of blood testing the breeding flocks, hatchery sanitation, and good management practices. Blood testing of breeding flocks is time consuming and costly. The breeders reacting to the test are sold for meat at a loss to the producer. While the blood test is the best control measure, it is not 100 percent effective. Outbreaks of the disease may occur in flocks previously found to be negative. Repeated tests are necessary to control the infection. Sulfamerazine and sulfadiazine have been found effective in the control of pullorum disease in chicks. Severens, Roberts and Card (1945) report that sulfamerazine (0.5 percent) . . .
Optimization with some uncontrollable variables: a min-equilibrium approach

Motivated by instability analysis of unstable (excited state) solutions in computational physics/chemistry, in this paper, the minimax method for solving an optimal control problem with partially uncontrollable variables is embedded into a more general min-equilibrium problem. Results in saddle critical point analysis and computation are modified to provide more information on the minimized objective values and their corresponding riskiness for one to choose in decision making. A numerical algorithm to compute such minimized objective values and their corresponding riskiness is devised. Some convergence results of the algorithm are also established.
Some More on Transition Between Regular and Mach Reflection of Shock Waves in Steady Flow (Invited)

A theoretical and experimental investigation was conducted to elucidate the mechanism by which transition from regular to Mach reflection can be initiated in the dual-solution domain. The Ludwieg Tube at GALCIT was equipped with a new Mach 4 nozzle and with devices to enable starting the flow with a double-wedge model. The flow In the Ludwieg Tube is sufficiently quiet to permit regular reflection up to about half way into the dual-solution domain. A theoretical animate of the strength of disturbance required to cause transition was obtained in the form of a relation between energy deposited and location of deposition. Experiments confirmed the nature of this relation. Mach stem heights and growth rates were measured and compared with previous computational and theoretical results. The results of this work add to the evidence that Mach reflection is the stable reflection state in the dual-solution domain.
γ-Fe2O3/II−VI Sulfide Nanocrystal Heterojunctions

Heterostructure nanocrystals (NCs) of γ-Fe2O3 and MS (M = Zn, Cd, Hg) are synthesized. The large lattice mismatch between γ-Fe2O3 and MS NCs leads to noncentrosymmetric structures. Crystallographic planes at the heterojunctions are identified by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Preferential formation of trimers and higher oligomers for ZnS and dimers or isolated particles for CdS and HgS with γ-Fe2O3 NCs are observed and explained by changes in the effective mismatch between the coincidence lattices of the most commonly observed junction planes.
Computer Simulation of Grain Growth in Thin-film Interconnect Lines

Microstructural evolution in thin-film strips is of interest due to the direct effect of grain structure on integrated circuit interconnect reliability and resistance to electromigration-induced failure. We have explored the evolution of interconnect grain structure via a two-dimensional grain growth simulation. We focus on the strip's transformation to the bamboo structure, in which individual grains traverse the width of the strip. We find that the approach to a fully bamboo structure is exponential, and that the rate of transformation is inversely proportional to the square of the strip width. When the simulation is extended to model grain boundary pinning due to grooving at grain boundary – free surface intersections, we find that there exists a maximum strip width to thickness ratio beyond which the transformation to the bamboo structure does not proceed to completion. By using our simulation results in conjunction with a “failure unit” model for electromigration-induced failure [4] we are able to reproduce the experimentally observed abrupt increase in time-to-failure below a critical strip width, and also model the reliability as a function of annealing conditions.
Continuum Breakdown Effects on Surface Properties for Hypersonic Shock Wave-Boundary Layer Interaction

Shock wave-boundary layer interaction (SWBLI) on the surface of hypersonic vehicles can lead to large surface-heating spikes which in turn impact vehicle design or flight envelopes. Accurate determination of SWBLI effects is therefore a potentially important element of hypersonic vehicle design, and high fidelity numerical modeling of SWBLI provides key advantages in the vehicle design cycle. One of the difficulties in hypersonic SWBLI simulation is the influence of continuum breakdown phenomena; such phenomena have been well documented for strong shocks and hypersonic boundary layers, but not specifically for SWBLI. In this work, we address various limitations in current engineering approaches for identification of continuum breakdown relevant to SWBLI flow problems. In particular, we present a new continuum breakdown criterion based on surface quantities which are determined using kinetic simulation techniques. A modification is then proposed to existing gradient-based breakdown criteria in order to resolve an inconsistency in Mach number dependence. The proposed breakdown criteria are assessed through comparison with an established criterion for a set of representative flat plate SWBLI problems, and for a type IV shock-shock interaction problem involving oblique shock impingement on the detached bow shock over a cylinder. This work is intended to demonstrate connections between continuum breakdown and gas properties along a surface, to reconsider Mach number dependence for gradient-based breakdown evaluation, and to determine the extent of continuum breakdown associated with SWBLI under representative hypersonic conditions.
Self-poisoning with enteric-coated aspirin.

A case of self-poisoning by enteric-coated aspirin tablets is described. Absorption of salicylate was delayed, resulting in serum kinetics different from that obtained with regular aspirin. When the ingested aspirin is enteric coated, the use of Done’s nomogram may be inappropriate.
The course of U.S. responses to global change: Can't we do better?

There have been enough words written about global environmental change but they have not brought clarity to our public discourse. In fact, what was once a calm rivulet of slow-moving, somewhat cloistered study has become a turbid torrent, a frothing flood of claims and counterclaims, aired in the press and the halls of Congress, on which researchers tide as uptight as they are able, buffeted by waves and vortices and apprehensive that they may capsize at any moment. In what follows I'll examine how this dramatic transition has occurred and identify actions needed to make the ride downstream smoother and safer for the nation and the world generally. Upstream, in the smaller, calmer flow of 30 years ago, a notably clear and prescient study carried out by the President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC), and stimulated especially by Roger Revelle, summarized what was then known about increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, identified possible effects on global climate, and anticipated the development of numerical models capable of predicting climate change. 1 In that same year of 1965 the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) was created, signalling recognition of the increased importance of broad environmental objectives as part of the federal agenda. This action was especially notable because it was carried out by federal administrators (Robert M. White and J. Herbert Hollomon) without Congressional prodding or recommendation by an external committee or commission. These events mark a time when governmental institutions were able to respond nimbly and promptly to new scientific insights and to emerging interests in environmental changes of global scale. Downstream, as flow of the river grew, turbulence increased. The Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act and the National Sea Grant Act were passed in 1966, and the Commission on Marine Science, Engineering and Resources (Stratton Commission) was appointed in 1967. These were responses to the interests of the marine resources community and of influential members of Congress in building a stronger federal capability for development of marine resources (oil, gas, minerals, energy, fish). In 1970 ESSA evolved into the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), signalling an abrupt turn away from broad environmental science objectives toward resource development. True, creation of NOAA didn't result in much difference in what the components of the new agency actually did; in fact, that has been a continuing complaint of the marine resource community. But creation of NOAA and a heavy
Assuming Facts Are Expressed More Than Once.

Distant supervision (DS) is a method for training sentence-level information extraction models using only an unlabeled corpus and a knowledge base (KB). Fundamental to many DS approaches is the assumption that KB facts are expressed at least once (EALO) in the text corpus. Often, however, KB facts are actually expressed in the corpus many times, in which cases EALO-based systems underuse the available training data. To address this problem, we introduce the “expressed at least α percent” (EALA) assumption, which asserts that expressions of KB facts account for up to α% of the corresponding mentions. We show that for the same level of precision as the EALO approach, the EALA approach achieves up to 66% higher recall on category recognition and 53% higher recall on relation recognition.
Anticardiolipin antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus: clinical correlates, HLA associations, and impact on survival.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency and clinical and HLA associations of anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as their impact on survival. METHODS We studied 139 patients with SLE seen at a university based practice. We tested for clinical, laboratory, and HLA associations with levels of aCL antibody isotypes either in sera available in the bank (distant past) or in 2 samples. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and HLA data were subjected to univariate survival analysis; variables of importance were entered into Cox multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS aCL antibodies (any isotype) were present in 57 (41.0%) of the 139 patients tested in the distant past sample, and in 23 (32.3%) as a persistent event in the 71 patient subgroup tested twice. IgG aCL were significantly associated with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) (p = 0.04). No other clinical or HLA association was found with aCL positivity. In the survival analyses, older age at diagnosis, presence of major infections, endstage renal disease, and IgM aCL antibody positivity in the distant past emerged as important independent factors adversely affecting survival. In the subgroup tested twice for aCL antibodies (n = 71), persistent IgM aCL antibody positivity (n = 10) emerged as an important independent factor. Among the subgroup of patients that had HLA data available (n = 88), HLA-DQw7 and thromboembolic events also adversely affected survival. CONCLUSION We confirmed the association of IgG aCL antibody positivity with DVT, and the impact on survival of endstage renal disease, major infections, and older age at diagnosis. IgM aCL antibody positivity present either as an isolated event in the distant past or as a persistent finding, thromboembolic events, and HLA-DQw7 emerged as important prognostic factors.
The Middle Ear: Science and Applications

The topics covered in this volume range from the evolution and development of the middle ear to the various ways in which researchers and engineers continue to expand their understanding of middle ear structure–function relationships to deliver new and improved diagnostic methods, surgical procedures, passive prostheses for repairing the middle ear, and devices for sound amplification. A recurring point of discussion is the ability of the mammalian middle ear to transmit sound smoothly from the outer ear to the inner ear over a wide range of frequencies—up to 10 kHz in elephants, 20 kHz in humans, 100 kHz in mice, and even higher in some marine mammals and bats. The interplay between theory and experiment is highlighted through the development of circuit models and more realistic finite element models, which are used alongside physiological and clinical measurements to understand structure–function relationships for normal, pathological, and repaired ears. Additional clinical topics include the pressure regulation of the middle ear cavity and mechanisms of bone-conducted hearing. Also discussed are nonsurgical and surgical middle ear hearing devices that directly vibrate the middle ear or the cochlea and have the potential to overcome limitations of conventional acoustic hearing aids.
Severe Thoracic Kyphosis with Neuropathy in a Three-Year-Old Child: A Case Report.

Childhood spondylodiscitis occurs in 0.4 to 2.4 per 100,000 children each year1. Early diagnosis is important to prevent the development of major complications such as sepsis, spinal cord injury, and severe angular thoracic kyphosis. We report a rare case of a child who first presented as a two-month-old premature infant with an initial diagnosis of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) of the lung and spondylodiscitis of the seventh and eighth vertebrae of the thoracic spine. The aim of the report is to highlight some challenges in identifying spondylodiscitis in very young children, including difficulty with the detailed neurological evaluation, the need for serial neuromonitoring assessments, progression of spinal deformity following attempted posterior spinal fusion, and technical difficulties involved in corrective surgery. The patient’s family was informed that data concerning the case would be submitted for publication, and they provided consent. This patient, who had been diagnosed in utero with CCAM of the lung, was born two months prematurely and was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for respiratory support. Routine computerized tomography (CT) of the chest revealed thoracic angular deformity with destruction of the seventh and eighth thoracic vertebral bodies and a lingular CCAM lesion of the left lung (Figs. 1A through 1-D). Differential diagnosis included congenital abnormality of the spine and vertebral osteomyelitis. Subsequently, she underwent lobectomy of the left upper lobe for the CCAM and debridement of the T7 and T8 vertebral bodies. Anterior strut-grafting was not performed because spondylodiscitis had not yet been diagnosed. During debridement, bone and disc tissue were sent for histopathological examination and cultures. Fig. 1 Fig. 1-A Posteroanterior radiograph of the spine shows the overlap of disc spaces between T5 and T10 caused by kyphosis. Fig. 1-B Lateral radiograph depicts the anomalous nature of the spinal vertebral bodies of T7 and T8 …
1.1.9. OSO-5 Zodiacal Light Measurements 1969-1975

The Minnesota zodiacal light experiment on board OSO-5 was reactivated in July of 1974, after having been off for 1-1/2 years and operated successfully through August 1975 at which time the satellite was again turned off. This gives another yearte worth of data to compare with that taken by the same experiment from January 1969 to January 1973 1,2,3 . This paper reports on the seven year comparison.
Pharmacological rescue of diabetic skeletal stem cell niches

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease frequently associated with impaired bone healing. Despite its increasing prevalence worldwide, the molecular etiology of DM-linked skeletal complications remains poorly defined. Using advanced stem cell characterization techniques, we analyzed intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of mouse skeletal stem cell (mSSC) function to identify specific mSSC niche-related abnormalities that could impair skeletal repair in diabetic (Db) mice. We discovered that high serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α directly repressed the expression of Indian hedgehog (Ihh) in mSSCs and in their downstream skeletogenic progenitors in Db mice. When hedgehog signaling was inhibited during fracture repair, injury-induced mSSC expansion was suppressed, resulting in impaired healing. We reversed this deficiency by precise delivery of purified Ihh to the fracture site via a specially formulated, slow-release hydrogel. In the presence of exogenous Ihh, the injury-induced expansion and osteogenic potential of mSSCs were restored, culminating in the rescue of Db bone healing. Our results present a feasible strategy for precise treatment of molecular aberrations in stem and progenitor cell populations to correct skeletal manifestations of systemic disease.
Publicly Funded Family Planning Under Unprecedented Attack

The article discusses the authors' claim that publicly funded family planning services such as contraceptive care are under attack due to the policy agendas of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, America's Congress, and various state governments as of 2017. The U.S. Medicaid health insurance program and Title X of America's Public Health Service Act are examined, along with abortions, women's health, and unintended pregnancies.
Role of Hospital Volumes in Identifying Low-Performing and High-Performing Aortic and Mitral Valve Surgical Centers in the United States

Importance Identifying high-performing surgical valve centers with the best surgical outcomes is challenging. Hospital surgical volume is a frequently used surrogate for outcomes. However, its ability to distinguish low-performing and high-performing hospitals remains unknown. Objective To examine the association of hospital procedure volume with hospital performance for aortic and mitral valve (MV) surgical procedures. Design, Setting, and Participants Within an all-payer nationally representative data set of inpatient hospitalizations, this study identified 682 unique hospitals performing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and MV replacement and repair with or without coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) between 2007 and 2011. Procedural outcomes were further assessed for a 10-year period (2005-2014) to assess representativeness of study period. Main Outcomes and Measures In-hospital risk-standardized mortality rate (RSMR) calculated using hierarchical models and an empirical bayesian approach with volume-based shrinkage that allowed for reliability adjustment. Results At 682 US hospitals, 70 295 SAVR, 19 913 MV replacement, and 17 037 MV repair procedures were performed between 2007 and 2011, with a median annual volume of 43 (interquartile range [IQR], 23-76) SAVR, 13 (IQR, 6-22) MV replacement, and 9 (IQR, 4-19) MV repair procedures. Of 225 SAVR hospitals in the highest-volume tertile, 34.7% and 36.0% were in the highest-RSMR tertile for SAVR + CABG and isolated SAVR procedures, respectively, while 21.5% and 17.5% of the 228 SAVR hospitals in the lowest-volume tertile were in the lowest respective RSMR tertile. Similarly, 36.8% and 43.5% of hospitals in the highest tertile of volume for MV replacement and repair, respectively, were in the corresponding highest-RSMR tertile, and 17.4% and 11.2% of the low-volume hospitals were in the lowest-RSMR tertile for MV replacement and repair, respectively. There was limited correlation between outcomes for SAVR and MV procedures at an institution. If solely volume-based tertiles were used to categorize hospitals for quality, 44.7% of all valve hospitals would be misclassified (as either low performing or high performing) when assessing performance based on tertiles of RSMR. Conclusions and Relevance Hospital procedure volume alone frequently misclassifies hospital performance with regard to risk-standardized outcomes after aortic and MV surgical procedures. Valve surgery quality improvement endeavors should focus on a more comprehensive assessment that includes risk-adjusted outcomes rather than hospital volume alone.
Politics and Dynasty: Underaged Cardinals in the Catholic Church, 1420-1605

Parallel with Rome becoming a European diplomatic centre, through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, European princes and Italian nobles sought to place their sons and the relatives of their advisors in the cardinalate in order to place a permanent representative at the papal court, gain prestige, and access ecclesiastical wealth. In a significant number of cases these men were below the canonical age of thirty, which popularly linked the practice to papal nepotism and prompted criticism of underage clergy as a persistent institutional abuse in need of eradication. This study investigates the geographic and familial origin of underage cardinals elevated to the College between 1420 and 1605. The evidence shows that initially papal kin comprised the majority of underage cardinals, but that after 1470 European royal and Italian noble families far outstripped papal kin in providing underage cardinals to the College. This practice was adopted broadly for its pragmatic value, even though it remained a target of criticism through the age of Tridentine reform.
New Trials in Lupus and where Are we Going

To review progress in the field of clinical trials for SLE. Treatment development for SLE has been marked by failures of many later phase studies, representing billions of dollars of lost research and development funding. Recently, more successful Phase II trials have tested reductions in background medications, novel stringent endpoints, and identification of informative immunologic subsets to achieve greater treatment effects. A large number of agents with promising novel biologic mechanisms have continued to enter clinical development, and momentum is building to capitalize on newer strategies for trial designs. Widespread SLE drug development is proceeding despite setbacks and controversies. Approaches focusing on patients with high disease activity, reduction of background polypharmacy, or increased endpoint stringency provide strategies that might improve interpretation of trial results. Pharmacodynamics of immune-modulation is a field in its infancy, but ripe for development.
Oracle Industrial Exhibit

Oracle Corporation, the world’s second largest software company, is the leading supplier of software for enterprise information management. The company has two major businesses-one providing the lowest cost information technology infrastructure and another offering business and competitive advantage through high-value applications Oracle is one of the first software companies to implement its model of enterprise software management through network computing, and is the first major software company to make full-featured products available electronically on the Internet. Oracle is the only company capable of implementing end-to-end enterprise IT infrastmcture and applications solutions on a global scale.
HOX genes in human lung: altered expression in primary pulmonary hypertension and emphysema.

HOX genes belong to the large family of homeodomain genes that function as transcription factors. Animal studies indicate that they play an essential role in lung development. We investigated the expression pattern of HOX genes in human lung tissue by using microarray and degenerate reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction survey techniques. HOX genes predominantly from the 3′ end of clusters A and B were expressed in normal human adult lung and among them HOXA5 was the most abundant, followed by HOXB2 and HOXB6. In fetal (12 weeks old) and diseased lung specimens (emphysema, primary pulmonary hypertension) additional HOX genes from clusters C and D were expressed. Using in situ hybridization, transcripts for HOXA5 were predominantly found in alveolar septal and epithelial cells, both in normal and diseased lungs. A 2.5-fold increase in HOXA5 mRNA expression was demonstrated by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in primary pulmonary hypertension lung specimens when compared to normal lung tissue. In conclusion, we demonstrate that HOX genes are selectively expressed in the human lung. Differences in the pattern of HOX gene expression exist among fetal, adult, and diseased lung specimens. The altered pattern of HOX gene expression may contribute to the development of pulmonary diseases.
EPA Drinking Water Security Research Program

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the lead US Sector Specific Agency responsible for water security. Research conducted by EPA’s National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) supports the Agency’s Goal 2 “Clean and Safe Water – Ensuring drinking water is safe” and its mission of providing drinking water treatment plants with tools and methodologies to improve water security and recover as quickly as possible should a chemical, biological, or radiological event occur. The research also has multiple benefits in optimizing treatment operations and improving water quality. This chapter is an overview of the NHSRC water security research program and describes research conducted in the areas of prevention, detection/identification, containment, treatment, and decontamination.
Neyman’s Statistical Philosophy

Inductive behavior vs. inductive inference: Neyman and Fisher. A dramatics meeting of the Royal Statistical Society occurred on December 18,1934, when R. A. Fisher — already at the height of his fame although not universally popular — presented a paper on The Logic Of Inference . He stated that it was concerned with the problem of drawing inferences from the particular to the general or, in statistical language, from the sample to the population. He pointed out that deductive arguments based on probability were not adequate for such inferences, “for reasoning of a genuinely inductive kind,” unless one used the theory of inverse probability [i.e. Bayesian inference] thereby “making it a deduction from the general to the particular.” He then advanced the ambitious claim that truly inductive reasoning could be based on his concept of likelihood, which appeared “to take its place as a measure of rational belief when we are reasoning from the sample to the population,” and proceeded to develop some of its properties.
Energy flow and nutrient cycling in a cryptozoan food-web

A model for energy flow through a forest-floor arthropod system is developed and used to estimate fluxes of eight elements through the decomposer food-web. Field estimates of standing crops of undecomposed leaves and stems and partially decomposed litter were made at monthly intervals for one year. Forest floor invertebrates were sampled concurrently and separated according to four consumer levels: (1) fungivores, (2) litter grazers, (3) general detritivores, and (4) predators. Estimates of microbial standing crops and productivities were obtained from related studies in the same community for inclusion in the foodweb model. (LMT)
The influence of location and cultural system on expression and selection of yield in segregating populations of the tomato

ed in Horticultural Abstracts 30: 307» i960. Gotoh, K. and Osanai, S. I. 1959« Efficiency of selection for yield, under different fertilizer levels in a wheat cross. Jap. J. Breeding 9; I73-I78. Original not available; abstracted in Plant Breeding Abstracts 3O: 503» i960. Griffing, B. 1953» An analysis of tomato yield components in terms of genotypic and environmental effects. Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station Research Bulletin 397, Grotb, B. H. A. 1912. The heredity of size, shape, and number of tomato fruits. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 242. Groth, B. H. A. 1915» Some results in size inheritance. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 278. Halsted, B. TJ: 1905. Hybrid tomatoes. New Jersey Agricultural Experi­ ment Station Annual Report I905: #7-^77 « Halsted, B. D. 1906. Experiments with tomatoes. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Report 1906: 288-314. , Halsted, B. D. 1907. Experiments with tomatoes. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Annual Report 1907: 4-10-431. . Hamson, A. R. 1961. Advantages in direct seeding tomatoes. Utah Farm Home Science 22, No. 1; 15-16. Hawthorn, L. R. 1942. Breeding summer tomatoes for increased size. American Society for Horticultural Science Proceedings 40; 390-394. Hedrick, U. P. and Booth, N. 0. I908. Mendelian characters in the tomato. American Society for Horticultural Science Proceedings 1907: 19-24. Holmberg, D. M. and Minges, P. A. 1952. Field seeding of tomatoes. California Agriculture 6; 3-4. Horner, T. W. and Frey, K. J. 1957* Methods for determining natural areas for oat varietal reconmendations. Agronomy Journal 49; 313- 315. Houghtaling, H. B. 1935» A developmental analysis of size and shape in tomato fruits. Torrey Botanical Club Bulletin 62; 243-252. Huelsen, W. A. 1939» Problems in growing tomatoes in Illinois. Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station Circular 491. Hutchins, A. E. I929. A conqparative test of tomatoes. Minnesota
The Longitudinal Associations Between Outness and Health Outcomes Among Gay/Lesbian Versus Bisexual Emerging Adults

Sexual minorities are at increased risk for substance use and mental health problems. Although previous studies have examined the associations between outness and health outcomes, few have used longitudinal designs or examined differences across subgroups of sexual minorities. To address these gaps, the current study examined sexual orientation and gender as moderators of the longitudinal associations between outness and substance use (cigarettes, marijuana, illicit drugs, and alcohol) and mental health (depression and anxiety). Data were from a sample of 169 sexual minority emerging adults (98 women and 71 men) who provided self-report data at four times over 3.5 years. Results indicated that sexual orientation moderated the within-person associations between outness and changes in health. For bisexual individuals, being more out was associated with increases in marijuana use, illicit drug use, and depression. In contrast, for gay/lesbian individuals, being more out was associated with decreases in illicit drug use and it was not significantly associated with changes in marijuana use or depression. Additionally, outness was not significantly associated with changes in cigarette use, alcohol use, or anxiety for gay/lesbian or bisexual individuals, and gender did not moderate any of the associations. In sum, being more open about one’s sexual orientation had negative consequences for bisexual individuals but not for gay/lesbian individuals. Professionals who work with sexual minorities need to be aware of the potential risks of being open about one’s sexual orientation for bisexual individuals. Interventions are needed to facilitate disclosure decisions and to promote the health of sexual minorities.
The Impact of Results Blind Science Publishing on Statistical Consultation and Collaboration

The author has previously proposed results blind manuscript evaluation (RBME) as a method of ameliorating often cited problems of statistical inference and scientific publication, notably publicati...
Historical Fiction and the Classroom: History and Myth in Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond

First published in 1958, Elizabeth George Speare's Newbery award-winning novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond remains an immensely popular teaching tool in U.S. social studies classrooms today. Speare's story—which describes the challenges an orphaned daughter of wealthy Barbadian planters faces when she begins life anew in the Puritan colony of Connecticut in 1687—continues to capture educators' attention because it emphasizes themes such as tolerance of difference, abhorrence of slavery, support of heterodoxy, and a commitment to liberty, justice, and freedom that bolster contemporary American values. But while literary critics have praised the book's historical accuracy, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, like all works of historical fiction, reinterprets the past. In reinterpreting the events of 1680s Connecticut, Speare reveals much about the McCarthy-era 1950s in which she wrote, and indeed, much about the issues and concerns capturing 21st-century educators' attention. As this article argues, both teachers and students would benefit from examining the ways in which history and myth interact in the novel, creating a rich commentary on the 17th-century past, the 1950s in which Speare wrote, and today's 21st-century present.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for 5G Networks: Joint Beamforming, Power Control, and Interference Coordination

The fifth generation of wireless communications (5G) promises massive increases in traffic volume and data rates, as well as improved reliability in voice calls. Jointly optimizing beamforming, power control, and interference coordination in a 5G wireless network to enhance the communication performance to end users poses a significant challenge. In this paper, we formulate the joint design of beamforming, power control, and interference coordination as a non-convex optimization problem to maximize the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) and solve this problem using deep reinforcement learning. By using the greedy nature of deep Q-learning to estimate future rewards of actions and using the reported coordinates of the users served by the network, we propose an algorithm for voice bearers and data bearers in sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency bands, respectively. The algorithm improves the performance measured by SINR and sum-rate capacity. In realistic cellular environments, the simulation results show that our algorithm outperforms the link adaptation industry standards for sub-6 GHz voice bearers. For data bearers in the mmWave frequency band, our algorithm approaches the maximum sum rate capacity, but with less than 4% of the required run time.
Characterization and Quantification of an Fc-FGF21 Fusion Protein in Rat Serum Using Immunoaffinity LC-MS

The fusion of an Fc moiety to a therapeutic protein is widely applied as a half-life extension strategy. However, unlike monoclonal antibodies, Fc-fusion proteins have been shown to be more susceptible to protease-mediated catabolism. The resultant catabolites may still be pharmacologically active and therefore require characterization. We combined intact protein LC-MS and digestion LC-MS/MS methods to both characterize the biotransformation of the fusion protein, Fc-FGF21, and quantify the intact molecule and its major catabolites in rat serum. The digestion LC-MS/MS assay and intact protein LC-MS assay determined that there were four major catabolites formed in vivo: one amino acid (dC1), two amino acids (dC2), or three amino acids (dC3) clipped off from the C-terminus, and a truncated fragment. By 72 h post dosing, only 66% of the intact protein remained. The digestion method was developed with a sensitivity of 20 ng/mL—10 times more sensitive than the intact protein method at 200 ng/mL. While the digestion approach proved more sensitive, the intact LC-MS method was primarily employed for understanding the biotransformation of the Fc-FGF21 fusion protein in the rat in vivo study.
An Interactive Web-Based Fatigue Analysis Tool

Abstract An interactive with easy four-steps, web-based fatigue analysis and life prediction tool is presented. Users around the globe may access it via Internet by means of multiple platforms such as desktop and laptop computers, tablets and/or smart-phones. It is a self-explanatory education software, which is aimed also to assist a designer in a pre-prototype stage in fatigue life estimation of smooth or notched parts subjected to constant amplitude, block loading, and spectrum loading histories. For spectrum amplitude loading a dedicated spectrum software package is provided, which is essential for a potential clean-up and/or desired modifications of a raw spectrum data. Subsequently, a rainflow method is utilized and the corresponding hysteresis loops at the notch-root or critical “hot spot” location are determined and plotted. For notched components, a generalized Neuber’s rule suitable for numerical application is utilized and discussed. It is shown, that the so called Neuber’s “master” curve, involved in such analysis is unique and is only material dependent. The Neuber’s “master” curve is interactive and is applicable for both monotonic and cyclic loading situations. Examples of applications of the proposed method are presented for a constant, block, and spectrum loading situations. Associated fatigue life predictions are calculated using stress, strain, and stress/strain approaches.
AuthPDB: Authentication of Probabilistic Queries on Outsourced Uncertain Data

Query processing over uncertain data has gained much attention recently. Due to the high computational complexity of query evaluation on uncertain data, the data owner can outsource her data to a server that provides query evaluation as a service. However, a dishonest server may return cheap (and incorrect) query answers, hoping that the client who has weak computational power cannot catch the incorrect results. To address the integrity issue, in this paper, we design AuthPDB, a framework that supports efficient authentication of query evaluation for both all-answer and top-k queries on outsourced probabilistic databases. Our empirical results on real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of AuthPDB.