cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECT OF HYPOPHYSECTOMY AND OF PHYONE INJECTIONS ON THE PANCREAS AND LIVER OF THE NEWT

Observations on the histology of the pancreatic islands of animals in hyperpituitary or hypopituitary states are rare in contrast to the abundance of physiological data. Anselmino and his co-workers (1, 2, 3) have described an increase in number and size and a new formation of islands in rats after 6 to 7 injections of an anterior lobe extract. Aron (4) has induced a premature appearance of islands in foetal guinea pigs injected in utero with an anterior lobe preparation. Kojima (5) discovered an accumulation of granules in the island cells of rats after posterior lobe feeding but none after anterior lobe feeding. Reports of negative or doubtful findings predominate, such as those of Putnam et al (6) and Evans et al (7) who found pancreases much larger than normal but no increase or histological differences in islet tissue of dogs made acromegalic by long-continued injections of anterior lobe extracts. Lucke (8) also observed no histological changes in islands of rats whose carbohydrate metabolism had bee...
Phonological processes and the perception of phonotactically illegal consonant clusters

The perception of consonant clusters that are phonotactically illegal word initially in English (e.g., /tl/, /sr/) was investigated to determine whether listeners’ phonological knowledge of the language influences speech processing. Experiment 1 examined whether the phonotactic context effect (Massaro & Cohen, 1983), a bias toward hearing illegal sequences (e.g., /tl/) as legal (e.g., /tr/), is more likely due to knowledge of the legal phoneme combinations in English or to a frequency effect. In Experiment 2, Experiment 1 was repeated with the clusters occurring word medially to assess whether phonotactic rules of syllabification modulate the phonotactic effect. Experiment 3 examined whether vowel epenthesis, another phonological process, might also affect listeners’ perception of illegal sequences as legal by biasing them to hear a vowel between the consonants of the cluster (e.g., /talee/). Results suggest that knowledge of the phonotactically permissible sequences in English can affect phoneme processing in multiple ways.
Voltage clamp methods for the study of membrane currents and SR Ca2+ release in adult skeletal muscle fibres

Abstract Skeletal muscle excitation–contraction (E–C) 1 coupling is a process composed of multiple sequential stages, by which an action potential triggers sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) 2 Ca 2+ release and subsequent contractile activation. The various steps in the E–C coupling process in skeletal muscle can be studied using different techniques. The simultaneous recordings of sarcolemmal electrical signals and the accompanying elevation in myoplasmic Ca 2+ , due to depolarization-initiated SR Ca 2+ release in skeletal muscle fibres, have been useful to obtain a better understanding of muscle function. In studying the origin and mechanism of voltage dependency of E–C coupling a variety of different techniques have been used to control the voltage in adult skeletal fibres. Pioneering work in muscles isolated from amphibians or crustaceans used microelectrodes or ‘high resistance gap’ techniques to manipulate the voltage in the muscle fibres. The development of the patch clamp technique and its variant, the whole-cell clamp configuration that facilitates the manipulation of the intracellular environment, allowed the use of the voltage clamp techniques in different cell types, including skeletal muscle fibres. The aim of this article is to present an historical perspective of the voltage clamp methods used to study skeletal muscle E–C coupling as well as to describe the current status of using the whole-cell patch clamp technique in studies in which the electrical and Ca 2+ signalling properties of mouse skeletal muscle membranes are being investigated.
Frequency Distribution of Void Ratio of Granular Materials Determined by an Image Analyzer

ABSTRACT The frequency distribution of void ratio was experimentally determined for three actual granular materials having different grain characteristics, i. e., glass beads (spherical grains), Ottawa sand (rounded grains), and Crystal silica sand (angular grains). The distributions were obtained by means of thin sections and a computer-controlled image analyzer. Samples were prepared at different relative densities. The structure of the samples was fixed with epoxy-resin in a specially fabricated mold made of plexiglass. For all samples, the frequency distributions of void ratio were skewed towards the denser void ratios. Further, the distributions for glass beads were not only skewed toward the denser void ratios, but were also very well approximated by the negative exponential distribution. The frequency distribution of both Ottawa and Crystal silica sands was modeled by the beta distribution in this study. The deviation of void ratio was found to increase with both void ratio of the sample and angularity of grains. In addition, it was found that the angle of internal friction was higher for materials composed of angular grains, even though the deviation of void ratio was the greatest in this material.
Reflectarray Design at Infrared Frequencies: Effects and Models of Material Loss

Reflectarray designs at infrared (IR) frequencies are investigated in this paper. At the short-wavelength region, material loss becomes an important consideration in reflectarray designs. Based on the measured properties of conductors and dielectrics at infrared frequency, this paper investigates the loss effects on the reflection magnitude and phase of reflectarray elements. It is revealed that when the material loss exceeds a certain limit, the element reflection phase will vary within a narrow phase range instead of a full 360° phase range. An equivalent circuit model is used to understand this phenomenon. Based on the investigation, alternative design methods for infrared reflectarrays are suggested to lower the loss effect. The low loss reflectarrays have great potential for infrared and visible range applications, such as a low profile planar concentrator for solar energy systems.
Performance Analysis and Optimization of Schedules for Conditional and Loop-Intensive Specifications

This paper presents a new method, based on Markov chain analysis, to evaluate the performance of schedules of behavioral specifications. The proposed performance measure is the expected number of clock cycles required by the schedule for a complete execution of the behavioral specification for any distribution of inputs. The measure considers both the repetition of operations (due to loops) and their conditional execution (due to conditional branches). We propose an efficient technique to calculate the metric. We introduce a loop-directed scheduling algorithm (LDS). The algorithm produces schedules such that the expected number of clock cycles, required by the schedule for a complete execution of the behavioral specification, is minimized. Experimental results on several conditional and loop-intensive specifications demonstrate the relevance and effectiveness of both the performancemeasure and the scheduling algorithm.
Cerebrospinal fluid pressure monitoring after repair of cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

Abstract Objective To measure intracranial pressures (ICPs) via lumbar drains after surgical repair of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of ICP measurements through lumbar drains during the immediate postoperative period after CSF leak repair. Results Eight patients with spontaneous CSF leaks underwent surgery and postoperative CSF pressures were measured via lumbar drains. ICP was elevated in 7/8 patients (mean, 32.5 cm H2O). Diuretics reduced ICP (mean, 10 cm H2O). Three traumatic CSF leaks patients served as controls (mean, ICP 14 cm H2O). Conclusion Measurement of ICP through lumbar drains provides important information regarding the pathophysiology of CSF leaks that has an impact on subsequent medical and surgical treatment. Although the precise cause and mechanism of spontaneous CSF leaks are not fully understood, this study indicates that elevated ICP plays a role and that further medical or surgical treatment to correct the intracranial hypertension may be warranted.
Brewing a business strategy model

Strategic decision‐making is difficult because predicting the future in any detail is simply impossible. If we could get a handle on the relationships between decisions of the past and their effects on later business performance, though, we could probably discover which decisions were most significant to performance. This, in turn, would give us clues about the relationship between strategic decisions of the future and their effects on performance.
Antibody-dependent reductions in mouse hookworm burden after vaccination with Ancylostoma caninum secreted protein 1

Vaccination of mice with either third-stage Ancylostoma caninum infective hookworm larvae (L3) or alum-precipitated recombinant Ancylostoma secreted protein 1 from A. caninum (Ac-ASP-1) results in protection against hookworm challenge infections. Vaccine protection is manifested by reductions in lung hookworm burdens at 48 h postchallenge. Mice actively immunized 4 times with Ac-ASP-1 also exhibited reductions in hookworm burden in the muscles. Hookworm burden reductions from Ac-ASP-1 immunization were associated with elevations in all immunoglobulin subclasses, with the greatest rise observed in host IgG1 and IgG2b. The addition of a fourth immunization resulted in even higher levels of IgG and IgE. In contrast, L3-vaccinated mice exhibited marked elevations in IgG1 and IgM, including anti-Ac-ASP-1 IgM antibody. Passive immunization with pooled sera from recombinant Ac-ASP-1-vaccinated mice also resulted in lung hookworm burden reductions. It is hypothesized that recombinant Ac-ASP-1 vaccinations elicit antibody that interferes with parasite larval migration.
Theory of cascaded quarter wave shifted distributed feedback resonators

The theory of lambda /4 shifted DFB resonators, both series coupled and side coupled, is developed. The theory is limited to loss-free high-Q resonators. If the actual losses are too high, the internal losses of the structures, all of which are compatible with laser diode structures, can be compensated by gain via carrier injection. The theory of a simple transmission resonator is reviewed and extended to a side-coupled resonator. >
Gonadotropin secretion in lactating mice.

Summary1. Intraocular ovarian isotransplants in ovariectomized lactating BALB/c mice showed little growth and developed only vesicular follicles in the first part of the lactation interval. The first vaginal estrus occurred between 17 and 21 days after parturition, followed by abrupt appearance of pink or red corpora lutea. 2. These atypical corpora persisted from 5 to 8 days, concurrently with vaginal diestrus. They then became white and a second vaginal estrus occurred, unaccompanied by red corpora. Transplants showed considerable growth between the first and second estrus. 3. Similar transplants in ovariectomized virgin females developed vesicular follicles and corpora lutea from the 10th day onwards, with more or less normal estrus cycles. Corpora were typically white. Growth of transplants was moderate but continuous. 4. It is suggested that red corpora lutea indicate the action of LTH; and that pituitary release of LH, but not of FSH, is inhibited over most of the lactation interval.
fMRI Brain Image Retrieval Based on ICA Components

This manuscript proposes a retrieval system for fMRI brain images. Our goal is to find a similarity-metric to enable us to support queries for "similar tasks" for retrieval on a large collection of brain experiments. The system uses a novel similarity measure between the result of probabilistic independent component analysis (PICA) of brain images. Specifically, the times series of an fMRI dataset will be represented using a number of ICA components as high level task- related features. The similarity between two datasets is the value of the maximum weight bipartite matching defined on the component-wise similarities. The component-wise similarities are calculated based on the size of the overlap between the "highly activated" regions in the corresponding activation maps. We evaluated the performance of the proposed method on a moderate size fMRI image database with considerable variety. The ICA-based component selection in combination with bipartite matching similarity measure outperforms several other component selection methods and similarity measurements. The results also suggest that there is a direct correlation between the involvement of ICA components in cognitive processes and their time course spectrum. Along with other heuristics, this property can be for fMRI image retrieval and classification.
Nurse Moral Distress and Ethical Work Environment

This study examined the relationship between moral distress intensity, moral distress frequency and the ethical work environment, and explored the relationship of demographic characteristics to moral distress intensity and frequency. A group of 106 nurses from two large medical centers reported moderate levels of moral distress intensity, low levels of moral distress frequency, and a moderately positive ethical work environment. Moral distress intensity and ethical work environment were correlated with moral distress frequency. Age was negatively correlated with moral distress intensity, whereas being African American was related to higher levels of moral distress intensity. The ethical work environment predicted moral distress intensity. These results reveal a difference between moral distress intensity and frequency and the importance of the environment to moral distress intensity.
Antitumor activity of enzastaurin as radiation sensitizer in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background. The antitumor effect of enzastaurin, a specific protein kinase C beta (PKC-b) inhibitor, was tested on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines, as well as HNSCC xenograft model. Methods. HNSCC cell lines and xenograft were treated with enzastaurin alone or in combination with radiation to evalu- ate its antitumor effect. Annexin V-FITC staining and Western blot were done to analyze enzastaurin-induced changes in apoptosis and the PIK3/AKTAKT signal transduction pathway. Results. Enzastaurin showed strong antitumor activity either alone or in combination with radiation both in HNSCC cell lines and in xenograft, with a corresponding reduction in the expres- sion of key radioresponsive proteins. Conclusion. Enzastaurin can inhibit tumor growth and improve the efficacy of radiation for HNSCC both in vitro and in vivo. This suggests that enzastaurin may represent a better strategy for the treatment of HNSCC patients, either as a mono- therapy or as a radiosensitizer. V C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 00: 000-000, 2010
New Family, Genus, and Species of Microsporida (Protozoa: Microsporida) from the Tropical Fire Ant, Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) (Insecta: Formicidae)*

SYNOPSIS. A new species of Microsporida, Burenella dimorpha sp. n., representing a new family, Burenellidae fam. n. and genus, is described on the basis of light- and electron-microscope observations. The family is characterized by 2 sequences of sporogony, each sequence having morphologically different sporonts and spores. The parasite infects the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius), producing distinct pathologic manifestations (clearing of the cuticle and eye malformation) and death in the pupal stage of development. Transmission of the infection per os to healthy S. geminata, to the Southern fire ant, Solenopsis xyloni McCook, and to the red and black imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren and Solenopsis richteri Forel, is reported.
SNEL: a switch-level simulator using multiple levels of functional abstraction

A novel switch-level simulator, called SNEL, is presented. The SNEL simulator preprocesses the circuit description to abstract its functionality prior to simulation. Functional abstraction is concisely defined in terms of the functional domain and the functional application of circuit constructs. SNEL uses four algorithms that operate on levels ranging from single circuit elements to multiple DC-connected components. Since the functional abstraction preserves the complete functionality of the circuit, the accuracy of the simulation is maintained. However, SNEL models the circuit at a higher and more abstract level, which increases its simulation speed. The presented algorithms were implemented and tested on commercial designs. Without functional abstraction, the simulation speed of SNEL is competitive with current simulators. When functional abstraction was used, the simulation speed increased by more than an order of magnitude. >
The Assembly of Cell-Encapsulating Microscale Hydrogels Using Acoustic Waves

Microscale hydrogels find widespread applications in medicine and biology, e.g., as building blocks for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In these applications, these microgels are assembled to fabricate large complex 3D constructs. The success of this approach requires non-destructive and high throughput assembly of the microgels. Although various assembly methods have been developed based on modifying interfaces, and using microfluidics, so far, none of the available assembly technologies have shown the ability to assemble microgels using non-invasive fields rapidly within seconds in an efficient way. Acoustics has been widely used in biomedical arena to manipulate droplets, cells and biomolecules. In this study, we developed a simple, non-invasive acoustic assembler for cell-encapsulating microgels with maintained cell viability (>93%). We assessed the assembler for both microbeads (with diameter of 50 μm and 100 μm) and microgels of different sizes and shapes (e.g., cubes, lock-and-key shapes, tetris, saw) in microdroplets (with volume of 10 μL, 20 μL, 40 μL, 80 μL). The microgels were assembled in seconds in a non-invasive manner. These results indicate that the developed acoustic approach could become an enabling biotechnology tool for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, pharmacology studies and high throughput screening applications.
Young Girls' Eating Attitudes and Body Image Dissatisfaction Associations with Communication and Modeling

The relationships among communication, modeling, body image dissatisfaction, and maladaptive eating attitudes and behaviors in preadolescent girls were investigated in a cross-sectional study of 69...
METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF VITAMIN B6 IN BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS.

Publisher Summary Any consideration of vitamin B 6 methodology for biological materials must take into account procedures that have been developed for the determination of urinary 4-pyridoxic acid, the principal end product of vitamin Be metabolism in mammalian species. Blood is the biological material of primary interest in the laboratory as it is the tissue most practically available for direct analysis of any nutritional constituent. Although microbiological, chemical, and enzymatic methods of determination have proved satisfactory for measuring vitamin B 6 in pure solution, the application of these methods to biological materials, particularly blood, presents problems. The existence of the vitamin as phosphorylated and protein-bound complexes in biological materials usually necessitates preliminary extraction to liberate the vitamin in measurable form. This procedure appears to be responsible for most of the difficulties encountered in developing satisfactory methods of blood analysis. Final solution of the problem of assaying biological materials must await resolution of these extraction difficulties.
Preliminary results of a phase I study of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), oxaliplatin (OX), bevacizumab (BV), and capecitabine (CAP) for locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the rectum

3543 Background: BV, a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor, increases survival when added to first and second line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. Preclini...
Effect of Ramadan fasting on diabetes mellitus: a population-based study in Qatar.

BACKGROUND Over one billion Muslims fast worldwide during the month of Ramadan. Fasting during Ramadan is a radical change in lifestyle for the period of a lunar month, and it might affect the biochemical parameters among diabetic patients. AIM This study aimed to investigate the effect of Ramadan fasting on the blood levels of glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and lipid profile among diabetic patients observing fast during the Ramadan. PATIENTS AND METHODS An observational study recruiting 1301 Muslim diabetic patients above 18 years age was conducted in diabetic outpatient clinic of Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, and Primary Health Care Center, Qatar, from July 2012 to September 2013. Data on sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, nationality, marital status, education level, and occupation) and lifestyle habits (smoking and physical activity), blood pressures, and anthropometric measurements were obtained by a face-to-face interview and measurement using a structured questionnaire. Blood samples were collected for testing glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), lipid profile, urea, and creatinine (by the licensed research assistants). RESULTS Slightly less than half of the participants were overweight (BMI: 25-29.9). Significantly higher proportion of female participants were obese as compared with male participants (P<0.001). Among both male participants and female participants, the average level of blood glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, albumin, bilirubin, uric acid, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly lower during the Ramadan as compared with before Ramadan (P<0.001 each). CONCLUSION Results revealed that fasting during Ramadan is significantly associated with decrease in blood lipid profile, blood pressures, glucose, and HbA1C level among diabetic patients. Muslim diabetic patients after the consultation of their primary physician can fast during the month of Ramadan and it might be beneficial for their health.
Global Analysis of Protein Folding Thermodynamics for Disease State Characterization

Current methods for the large-scale characterization of disease states generally rely on the analysis of gene and/or protein expression levels. These existing methods fail to detect proteins with disease-related functions and unaltered expression levels. Here we describe the large-scale use of thermodynamic measurements of protein folding and stability for the characterization of disease states. Using the Stable Isotope Labeling with Amino Acids in Cell Culture and Stability of Proteins from Rates of Oxidation (SILAC-SPROX) technique, we assayed ∼800 proteins for protein folding and stability changes in three different cell culture models of breast cancer including the MCF-10A, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The thermodynamic stability profiles generated here created distinct molecular markers to differentiate the three cell lines, and a significant fraction (∼45%) of the differentially stabilized proteins did not have altered expression levels. Thus, the differential thermodynamic profiling strategy reported here created novel molecular signatures of breast cancer and provided additional insight into the molecular basis of the disease. Our results establish the utility of protein folding and stability measurements for the study of disease processes, and they suggest that such measurements may be useful for biomarker discovery in disease.
The impact of code-switching, language context, and language dominance on suprasegmental phonetics: Evidence for the role of predictability

Purpose:The present study investigates the suprasegmental reflexes of code-switching, considering both language context (i.e., language mode) and language dominance.Design:To this end, an experimen...
Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Bangkok: Factors Influencing Vector Infections in Three Suburban Communities

An unexpected outbreak of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Bangkok in 1985 led us to investigate the vector ecology of urban JE from January 1986 to June 1987 at three suburban sites that displayed a wide range of factors imputed to influence JE transmission. Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles and Cx. gelidus Theobald, suspected vectors, comprised 71-96% of all mosquitoes collected by CO2-baited CDC traps at the three sites. Mean of mosquito abundance per two trap-nights per month ranged from 28 to 5,728 mosquitoes at the sites of lowest and highest abundance, respectively. Cx. tritaeniorhynchus yielded more JE isolates (n = 16) than Cx. gelidus (n = 7), but the minimum infection rates of the two species (number of JE isolates per 1,000 mosquitoes tested; MIR, 0.17 and 0.47, respectively) were comparable and covaried with vector abundance. Moreover, the proportion of sentinel pigs that had JE antibodies generally increased proportionately with vector abundance at the sites. Vector abundance was high in monsoon (May-October), moderate in transition (March-April and November-December), and low in dry (January-February) seasons. Mosquitoes collected in monsoon seasons yielded 96% of the JE isolates, whereas 4 and 0% of the isolates were obtained from transition and dry season collections, respectively. More pigs seroconverted in monsoon and transition seasons than in dry seasons. Indices of JE transmission activity (vector abundance, pig seroconversions, and MIRs) increased proportionately with rainfall. Despite higher indices at the site of greatest vector abundance than elsewhere, the risk of human infection appeared greatest at the site with moderate vector abundance because of its greatest human population density.
Phenanthrene in Relation to Growth of Rats Maintained on a Low-Casein Diet

Summary1. Phenanthrene was fed to growing rats which were maintained on a low-casein diet. The growth ceased. It was resumed upon incorporation, into the phenanthrene diet, of 1-cystine, dl-methionine but not taurine. 2. Assumption is made that phenanthrene is detoxicated in the rat to yield a mercapturic acid, the formation of which is responsible, at least in part, for the cessation of growth of rats ingesting phenanthrene.
There and Back Again: Hippocampus and Retrosplenial Cortex Track Homing Distance during Human Path Integration.

Path integration, the updating of position and orientation during movement, often involves tracking a home location. Here, we examine processes that could contribute to successful location tracking in humans. In particular, we investigate a homing vector model of path integration, whereby a navigator continuously tracks a trajectory back to the home location. To examine this model, we developed a loop task for fMRI, in which participants viewed movement that circled back to a home location in a sparse virtual environment. In support of a homing vector system, hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and parahippocampal cortex were responsive to Euclidean distance from home. These results provide the first evidence of a constantly maintained homing signal in the human brain. In addition, hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and parahippocampal cortex, as well as medial prefrontal cortex, were recruited during successful path integration. These findings suggest that dynamic processes recruit hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and parahippocampal cortex in support of path integration, including a homing vector system that tracks movement relative to home. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Path integration is the continual updating of position and orientation during navigation. Animal studies have identified place cells and grid cells as important for path integration, but underlying models of path integration in humans have rarely been studied. The results of our novel loop closure task are the first to suggest that a homing vector tracks Euclidean distance from the home location, supported by the hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and parahippocampal cortex. These findings suggest a potential homing vector mechanism supporting path integration, which recruits hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex to track movement relative to home. These results provide new avenues for computational and animal models by directing attention to homing vector models of path integration, which differ from current movement-tracking models.
The first year as a neophyte RSO at a liberal arts college.

Union College is a small liberal arts college in the northeast with a good reputation in science. It is also one of the oldest schools in the nation, having been founded in 1795. Langmuir and Steinmetz taught here as did Chandler, the founder of the American Chemical Society and Ellery, one of the longest tenured Secretaries of Sigma Xi. Arthur and Carter became U.S. Presidents. We claim a Nobel Prize winner, the inventor of transistors, the person who developed the methods for producing quartz crystals and fiber optics. The presidents of du Pont and Kodak attended Union College. We are referred to as the "Mother of Fraternities," and we had the first radio station on a college campus (although not through the airways). Still, until recently, our reputation has been less than admirable among radiation safety experts. This article highlights some of the experiences of a new RSO at this well-acknowledged institution.
Imaging the Scottish Highlands

Illustrations of 18th-, 19th-, and early-20th-century settlements and people in the Highlands of Scotland structure images of rural life in these areas. Published illustrations often emphasize the poverty, isolation, and hardship of Highland rural life, and these themes are mirrored in many historical and archaeological accounts of the period. Popular literature, in particular literature about the Highland clearances, also emphasizes hardship and powerlessness. These photographs, documents, and accounts interact in constructing a particular kind of Highland past, and a simplified set of power relations, that may not adequately examine the complexities of rural life. By integrating an analytical study of images with a study of reminiscences and of archaeological remains, the historical relationships that produced them may be better understood.
Developing Big Data Curriculum with Open Source Infrastructure (Abstract Only)

This lightning talk will focus on our experience of developing and managing large undergraduate and graduate Big Data courses. The demand for trained professionals in the field of Big Data technologies is huge, and there is urgent need to develop and update courses in this area. One of the biggest hurdles for many schools is establishment, maintenance, and constant update of high performance computing infrastructure. Further, the technology landscape for Big Data is constantly evolving, and newer technologies, such as Apache Spark, require significant expenditure to set up and upgrade at the cluster level. Traditional infrastructure at most higher educational institutions is insufficient for this, and is also not able to scale up to meet the expectations of large class sizes and multiple simultaneous sessions. In this lightening talk, we will share our experience of running large undergraduate and graduate Big Data courses using open source infrastructure. Some of this infrastructure is cloud based, while others require students to create virtualized environment on their personal computers. Both types of resources are freely available, easy to setup, and provide students with enough computational power to run most academic tasks and projects. We will provide specific examples of using such technologies for common tasks, such as setting up a distributed file system, running MapReduce algorithms on large datasets, performing large scale machine learning and graph mining using Apache Spark, and maintaining a high availability Cassandra instance.
Harnessing the Flow: A Case Study in Developing the National River Recreation Database

Balancing conservation with resource use reflects a longstanding mandate for park and recreation administration in the United States and elsewhere. An important aspect of park management and resource use (i.e., recreation) is communicating with the public regarding resource access and critical use variables; communication that is increasingly being mitigated through technology that allows near real-time sharing of critical data between managers and to the public (i.e., through online platforms). Sparked by discussions at a semi-annual meeting of river resource professionals, coupled with efforts at a number of public and private organizations, first steps were proposed to develop a National River Recreation Database (NRRD). The proposed NRRD would leverage online access and create a central data repository for which river recreationists and managers could find relevant and accurate information. To create such a database, two initial action steps were identified: creating a vision for the project and addressing the critical factors for success (i.e., challenges). In the case of developing a broadly applicable database such the NRRD, the critical question became: which river recreation attributes are most important for inclusion based on the needs of expected users (i.e., river recreationists and managers)? This paper reports on the application and outcomes of a Delphi Technique that was undertaken to address these initial steps and answer the noted questions. The Delphi is a method for finding consensus amongst a variety of stakeholders regarding a particular issue, problem, or question where competing interests exist and/or little to no widely accepted information is available. Replete parks and recreation management contexts whereby tradeoff decisions must be made in the midst of weighing stakeholder interests stand to benefit from the consensus building offered by the Delphi. Using a case study approach, the resultant vision and a priori attributes are explored, including applicability of findings to river recreation provision more generally (i.e., outside NRRD development). Vision development hinged on the need for consideration of data centrality and broad-based stakeholder relevance while prioritized river recreation attributes fell into two categories based on level of agreement to the question of database inclusion. Those with complete agreement ( n = 10) focused on basic identification, geographic, and management information (i.e., name, location, jurisdiction) and those with strong majority consensus ( n = 19) provided data depth and reinforcement of primary attributes (e.g., whitewater classification, recreation opportunities). The article concludes with a supplementary discussion of Delphi application in similar park and recreation administration contexts, and future considerations for study findings. Subscribe to JPRA
Adult Primary Bone Sarcoma and Time to Treatment Initiation: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database.

Objective The time to treatment interval (TTI), defined as the period from diagnosis to first definitive treatment, has very limited descriptions toward understanding delays in primary bone sarcoma (PBS) care. Our primary goal was to determine the national standard for time to treatment initiation (TTI) in PBS in adults and to identify characteristics associated with TTI variability. Methods An analysis of the National Cancer Database identified 15,083 adult patients with PBS diagnosed from 2004 to 2013. Kruskal-Wallis analysis identified differences between covariates regarding TTI and regression modeling identified covariates that independently influenced TTI. Results The median TTI was 22 days. Approximately 60% of patients were definitively treated in the same center where the index diagnosis was made. Increased TTI was correlated with a transition in care institution (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.89; P < 0.001), being uninsured (IRR = 1.36; P < 0.001), primary tumor site in the pelvis (IRR = 1.26; P < 0.001), Medicaid insurance status (IRR = 1.22; P < 0.001), care at an academic center (IRR = 1.14; P < 0.001), non-white race (IRR = 1.12; P=0.002), and Medicare insurance status (IRR = 1.08; P=0.017). Decreased TTI was correlated with a diagnosis of chondrosarcoma (IRR = 0.85; P < 0.001), having surgery as the index treatment (IRR = 0.88; P < 0.001), a primary tumor site of the lower (IRR = 0.91; P=0.001) or upper extremity (IRR = 0.92; P=0.023), and stage II or stage III disease (IRR = 0.91; P=0.010). Conclusions TTI is associated with tumor, treatment, and socioeconomic and healthcare system characteristics. Transitions in care between institutions are responsible for the greatest increase in TTI. As TTI is more commonly used as a quality metric, physicians need to be aware of the causes for prolonged TTI, as we work to improve national delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation.
Theorizing Sino-capitalism: implications for the study of comparative capitalisms

Although not central in the literature on Comparative Capitalisms (CC), the case of China is highly salient. This is not just because of the country’s sheer size and international economic influenc...
Towards a Tensor Network Representation of Complex Systems

Complex networks are composed of nodes (entities) and edges (connections) with any arbitrary topology. There may also exist multiple types of interactions among these nodes and each node may admit different states in each of its interactions with its neighbors. Understanding complex networks dwells on understanding their structure and function. However, current representations model nodes as single-state entities that are connected to each other differently and treat their dynamics separately with some differential equations. Alternatively, a unified framework might be accessible using the tensor network representation that is already utilized in physics communities. In a sequel of chapters we introduce tensor network representation and renormalization as an alternative framework to explore the universal behaviors of complex systems. We hope that tensor networks can particularly pave the way for better understanding of the sustainable interdependent networks (Amini et al., Sustainable interdependent networks: from theory to application, 2018) through proposing efficient computational strategies and discovering insightful features of the network behaviors.
Abstract B55: Tumor-derived MCP-1 regulates invasiveness in triple-negative breast cancer via the MAP kinase pathway

Background : Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer compared to other breast cancer subtypes. The frequency of TNBC expression is highest in young African-American women, leading to significant cancer health disparity in this population. Furthermore, TNBC is difficult to treat due to lack of known receptor targets at protein or gene level. Hence, it is imperative to identify novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of TNBC. Here we aim to show that the Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein -1 (MCP-1) is a reliable biochemical marker to assess TNBC progression. Experimental Design : We employed ELISA method to measure secreted MCP-1 in cell conditioned media, and real-time PCR to determine the mRNA status of MCP-1 in different TNBC cell lines. Boyden chamber assay was used to determine the effect of recombinant MCP-1 on cellular invasiveness. Immunohistochemistry staining was utilized for detecting protein of interest in tissue samples from breast cancer patients. MCP-1 knockdown was performed using lentiviral vector with shRNA targeting MCP-1 coding regions. RNAseq was performed with recombinant human MCP-1. Results : Our data show that MCP-1 is upregulated in TNBC cell lines, both transcriptionally and in secreted protein levels compared to ER-positive cell line, MCF-7. Breast cancer patients also showed high expression of MCP-1. MCP-1 treatment induced MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell invasion, without affecting cell proliferation. Small-molecule antagonists against chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2), cognate receptor for MCP-1, and the MAP kinase pathway inhibitor U0106 negatively affected MDA-MB-231 cell invasion as measured by the Boyden chamber assay. This suggests that MCP-1-CCR2 axis may regulate invasiveness via the MAP kinase pathway. Knocking down MCP-1 by shRNA decreased cell invasion in TNBC cell line, BT-549, along with downregulation of key epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers, N-cadherin and Vimentin. Recombinant MCP-1 treatment in TNBC MDA-MB-231 cells upregulated genes associated with cytokine signaling. Conclusion : Our study suggests that a high MCP-1 level in TNBC cells may be responsible for increase in cell invasion via the MAP kinase pathway. Thus, MCP-1-mediated pathways could be potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of TNBC and reduce cancer health disparities. Citation Format: Pranabananda Dutta, Kimberly Paico, Yanyuan Wu, Marianna Sarkissyan, Jaydutt Vadgama. Tumor-derived MCP-1 regulates invasiveness in triple-negative breast cancer via the MAP kinase pathway [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr B55.
Identifying tween fashion consumers’ profile concerning fashion innovativeness, opinion leadership, internet use for apparel shopping, interest in online co-design involvement, and brand commitment

This study identifies tween fashion consumers’ profiles in relation to fashion change agent (FCA) characteristics, such as fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership, and examines how the tweens’ FCA characteristics influence their Internet innovativeness, interest in online co-design involvement, and brand commitment. A survey was conducted with tween-aged girls in the Midwest region of the U.S., who were recruited through the snow ball sampling method. A total of 53 responses were acceptable for data analysis including cluster analysis, MANOVA, and multiple regression analyses. Results show the tween consumers were divided into two fashion consumer groups—fashion leaders and fashion followers—significantly different in fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership. This study also found positive effects of tweens’ FCA characteristics on Internet innovativeness, interest in online co-design involvement, and brand commitment. As FCAs with higher fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership influence the adoption and purchase behavior of other tween fashion consumers, marketers and retailers need to develop more fashion innovative, Internet-mediated, interactive, and brand-oriented marketing efforts. While the tween consumers in the children’s wear market has been featured, the prevailing literature on tween consumers’ fashion adoption and consumption is limited, particularly with regards to their FCA characteristics. This study highlights the important role of tween fashion consumers’ FCA characteristics in their online shopping orientation and brand commitment.
A tool for empirical equipoise assessment in multigroup comparative effectiveness research

Purpose In observational research, equipoise concerns whether groups being compared are similar enough for valid inference. Empirical equipoise was previously proposed as a tool to assess patient similarity based on propensity scores (PS). We extended this work for multigroup observational studies. Methods We modified the tool to allow for multinomial exposures such that the proposed definition reduces to the original when there are only two groups. We illustrated how the tool can be used as a method to assess study design within three-group clinical examples. We then conducted three-group simulations to assess how the tool performed in a setting with residual confounding after PS weighting. Results In a clinical example based on rheumatoid arthritis, 44.5% of the sample fell within the region of empirical equipoise when considering first-line biologics, whereas 57.7% did so for second-line biologics, consistent with the expectation that a second-line design results in better equipoise. In a simulation where the unmeasured confounder had the same magnitude of association with the treatment as the measured confounders and a 25% greater association with the outcome, the tool crossed the proposed threshold for empirical equipoise at a residual confounding of 20% on the ratio scale. When the unmeasured variable had a twice larger association with treatment, the tool became less sensitive and crossed the threshold at a residual confounding of 30%. Conclusion Our proposed tool may be useful in guiding cohort identification in multigroup observational studies, particularly with similar effects of unmeasured and measured covariates on treatment and outcome.
High-quality factor, nonlinear indium tin oxide nanoparticle-coated silica microsphere

We report an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) nanoparticle-coated silica microsphere with a high nonlinear refractive index and quality factor. The nonlinear index of the coated microresonator is 5 times higher than the uncoated ones.
Mechanistic role of water in HSSZ-13 catalyzed methanol-to-olefins conversion

Co-feeding water leads to a simultaneous attenuation of chain initiation and chain termination rates in HSSZ-13 catalyzed methanol-to-olefins (MTO) conversion. Density functional theory calculations and transient stoichiometric experiments support the plausibility of formaldehyde hydrolysis occurring over zeolitic Bronsted acid sites at MTO-relevant temperatures. A monotonic decrease in MTO chain initiation and termination rates, and a concurrent monotonic increase in total turnovers as a function of water co-feed partial pressure are consistent with the occurrence and mechanistic relevance of formaldehyde hydrolysis effected by co-fed water. Initiation/termination rates and total turnovers normalized by their corresponding values in the absence of water co-feeds at the same temperature show the expected trends as a function of reaction temperature, assuming equilibrium between formaldehyde and methanediol. These results underscore the implications of formaldehyde hydrolysis chemistry when assessing the mechanistic role of water in methanol-to-olefins conversion specifically, and deactivation mechanisms in zeolite-catalyzed hydrocarbon conversion processes more generally.
Temporal bone histopathology: Superior semicircular canal dehiscence

Objectives To present a histopathological case of a 91-year-old woman who was diagnosed with superior semicircular canal dehiscence postmortem. Methods The patient was a registered donor with the National Temporal Bone Donor Program at the NIDCD National Temporal Bone, Hearing and Balance Pathology Resource Registry. Computed tomography imaging was performed on each temporal bone. The temporal bones were decalcified with ethylenediaminetetracetate and embedded in celloidin, and tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Horizontal sections were taken through the left temporal bone, and vertical sections were taken through the right temporal bone. Results Histopathological sections taken through the right temporal bone demonstrated no bone between the membranous wall of the superior semicircular canal and the middle fossa dura. There was no histopathological evidence of superior semicircular canal dehiscence in the left temporal bone; however, a small dehiscence would not be identified on horizontal sections. Microcavitations were observed in the common crus of the left temporal bone. Conclusion This reports describes the case of a woman who was diagnosed with superior semicircular canal dehiscence postmortem. The presence of microcavitations in the temporal bone is consistent with osteoclastic activity, which may play a role in the development of superior canal dehiscence.