cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recovery from bud disappearance explains prolonged dormancy in Cleistes bifaria (Orchidaceae)

 Premise of the study : Virtually nothing is known about what actually happens during prolonged dormancy, the period during which signifi cant proportions of geophyte populations do not sprout after seasonal dormancy but remain alive underground, to emerge again 1 or more years later. This study investigated the fate of perennating buds on plants of the orchid Cleistes bifaria during prolonged dormancy, as well as effects of bud removal on dormancy and future sprouting.  Methods : Fates of healthy perennating buds were observed by examining underground plant structures over an annual cycle (fall, spring, fall). Effects of bud loss were assessed by removal of mature buds from one group of plants, followed by comparison with a control group a year later.  Key results : Of the 142 perennating buds under observation, 38% did not emerge in the spring, and all these were missing the buds that were present and healthy the previous fall. Removal of perennating buds in the fall did not affect whether a plant emerged in the spring; however, it reduced the number and size of perennating buds produced for the following year.  Conclusions : For C. bifaria in West Virginia, prolonged dormancy appears to be the time period during which plants are recovering from the disappearance of perennating buds. Although the cause of bud loss remains unknown, research can now be focused on whether other species fail to emerge for the same reason, what causes buds to disappear, and why removal had no effect on spring emergence but negatively affected future sprouting.
A Fully Passive Wireless Microsystem for Recording of Neuropotentials Using RF Backscattering Methods

The ability to safely monitor neuropotentials is essential in establishing methods to study the brain. Current research focuses on the wireless telemetry aspect of implantable sensors in order to make these devices ubiquitous and safe. Chronic implants necessitate superior reliability and durability of the integrated electronics. The power consumption of implanted electronics must also be limited to within several milliwatts to microwatts to minimize heat trauma in the human body. In order to address these severe requirements, we developed an entirely passive and wireless microsystem for recording neuropotentials. An external interrogator supplies a fundamental microwave carrier to the microsystem. The microsystem comprises varactors that perform nonlinear mixing of neuropotential and fundamental carrier signals. The varactors generate third-order mixing products that are wirelessly backscattered to the external interrogator where the original neuropotential signals are recovered. Performance of the neurorecording microsystem was demonstrated by wireless recording of emulated and in vivo neuropotentials. The obtained results were wireless recovery of neuropotentials as low as approximately 500 microvolts peak-to-peak (μVpp) with a bandwidth of 10 Hz to 3 kHz (for emulated signals) and with 128 epoch signal averaging of repetitive signals (for in vivo signals).
Silicon modulator based on anti-crossing between paired amplitude and phase tunable microring resonators

A modulator design based upon anti-crossing between coupled silicon microrings with independent amplitude-phase functionality, is presented. The device has a footprint of 0.003 mm , exhibits over 10times improvement in modulation sensitivity, and 14 dB extinction.
Asymmetric hypsarrhythmia : clinical electroencephalographic and radiological findings

Summary: Twenty-six children (16 boys and 10 girls) with hypsarrhythmia and infantile spasms (IS) were studied at the University of Michigan EEG Laboratory in a 4-year period. Six (2 boys, 4 girls), had asymmetric hypsarrhythmia with a preponderance of both slowing and epileptic form activity over one hemisphere. All 6 had the symptomatic form of IS, 4 with dysplastic conditions, 1 with porencephaly from a cerebral infarct, and 1 with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Five children had focal abnormalities on either physical examination or imaging studies. Four had the highest amplitude slowing and most epileptiform activity ipsilateral to the lesion, in 1, it was contralateral. Asymmetric hypsarrhythmia constituted 23% of cases with hypsarrhythmia examined at our EEG laboratory. The significant success in surgical therapy for some children with IS indicates the importance of identifying focal hemispheric abnormalities even if they are not apparent clinically. EEG may suggest focal changes not detected clinically or radiologically.
Open architecture considerations for aerospace computer systems

Typical features for open and non-open (or closed) computer systems are examined and compared, and advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed. Representative examples are shown for each system approach along with a trade of salient parameters. Requirements for good open system designs are then summarized as a composite interrelated set and discussed. Rationale is provided for the most significant requirements. Finally, the benefits of an open system approach to aerospace computer systems listed and discussed, also with supporting rationale. Those benefits and potentially may yield significant cost and/or schedule reduction to a project are especially highlighted. >
MPCS: Mobile-phone based patient compliance system for chronic illness care

More than 100 million Americans are currently living with at least one chronic health condition and expenditures on chronic diseases account for more than 75 percent of the $2.3 trillion cost of our healthcare system. To improve chronic illness care, patients must be empowered and engaged in health self-management. However, only half of all patients with chronic illness comply with treatment regimen. The self-regulation model, while seemingly valuable, needs practical tools to help patients adopt this self-centered approach for long-term care. In this position paper, we propose Mobile-phone based Patient Compliance System (MPCS) that can reduce the time-consuming and error-prone processes of existing self-regulation practice to facilitate self-reporting, non-compliance detection, and compliance reminders. The novelty of this work is to apply social-behavior theories to engineer the MPCS to positively influence patients' compliance behaviors, including mobile-delivered contextual reminders based on association theory; mobile-triggered questionnaires based on self-perception theory; and mobile-enabled social interactions based on social-construction theory. We discuss the architecture and the research challenges to realize the proposed MPCS.
Reciprocal relationships between symptoms of depression and parental support during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood

This study applies latent growth curve analysis to data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 10,828) and finds that symptoms of depression and social support interact with one another in a dynamic fashion across the transition from adolescence (mean age at Wave 1 = 15.28 years) to young adulthood (mean age at Wave 3 = 21.65 years). Parental support during adolescence is inversely associated with initial symptoms of depression for girls and boys, although adolescent girls with low levels of parental support begin the study period with significantly higher levels of depressive symptomatology than their male counterparts. In addition, adolescents who begin the study period with higher levels of depressive symptomatology report less parental support during young adulthood. Finally, regardless of their initial level of depressive symptoms, girls and boys who experience increased symptoms of depression over time also report lower levels of parental support at the end of the study period.
Robustness of Path-Vector Protocols without Independent Route Ranking

Recent work has presented theoretical frameworks that rigorously model the behavior of path-vector protocols [6, 7, 13], which are primarily used for inter-domain routing on the Internet. We expand the scope of these to include protocols with route-selection procedures that cannot be captured by a per-node linear order on paths; in particular, our generalized model captures the use of commonly deployed route attributes such as MED, which is used to fine-tune routing between networks that share more than one interconnection. Using the model, we give the best-known sufficient condition guaranteeing robust convergence of path-vector protocols in the generalized case and discuss its applications to protocol design.
A Historical Analysis of the Taylor Curve

Taylor (1979) shows that there is a permanent tradeoff between the volatility of the output gap and the volatility of inflation. Although a number of papers argue that the so-called Taylor curve is a policy menu, Friedman (2006) points out that it is more likely to serve as an efficiency locus that can be used to gauge the appropriateness of monetary policy. Using data from 1875 onward, we examine the efficiency of U.S. monetary policy by measuring the orthogonal distance between the observed volatilities of the output gap and inflation from the Taylor curve. In addition, we identify time periods in which the variability of the U.S. economy changed by observing shifts in this efficiency frontier.
Current controversies concerning patent rights and public health in a world of international norms

This chapter will examine current issues concerning the appropriate balance between patent rights and public health under TRIPS. After reviewing the background to TRIPS, it will analyze TRIPS members' efforts to address these issues and discuss their reactions to the recent trend towards increasing patent rights. Recent action taken by India (2005 amendment to patent laws) and Thailand (compulsory licenses) will be given particular emphasis.
When and Where I Enter…A FORWARD to Professorship Workshop

“When and Where I Enter…,” an effort to assist women of color in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) in the Midwest to become successful and sustaining members of the academy, was designed by a multicultural and multiethnic committee from The University of Toledo (UT). The goal was to provide professional development training in a safe environment, allowing the sharing of strategies for self-care and professional excellence for women working in an especially isolating and challenging geographic area. Formal lectures, panels, storytelling, and construction of a personal plan were used to impart techniques for healthy personal and professional growth to improve teaching, service, and scholarly activity. The combination of factual training and emotional support led by high-profile national and local women achieved a unique dynamic among the 19 attendees and organizers. Metrics designed to evaluate impact identified both psychological and concrete professional and personal decisions post-workshop. The organizers, likewise, evidenced personal and professional learning through the workshop.
Sexual dysfunction in the medically ill.

Abstract The psychological reaction to medical illness, the nuances of the illness itself, and various interpersonal stresses related to the sick role may all compromise sexuality. Some patients may minimize the importance of sexuality. This may be appropriate in the face of other concerns, but may also indicate a sense of denial, hopelessness, unattractiveness, and rejection. The author reviews major illness areas such as cardiovascular disease and cancer and presents treatment considerations based on clinical assessment of sexual dysfunction in terms of the three phases of the sexual response cycle–desire, arousal, and release.
The Appearance of Fibonacci Numbers and the Q Matrix in Electrical Network Theory

(1963). The Appearance of Fibonacci Numbers and the Q Matrix in Electrical Network Theory. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 84-97.
Polymer Conductivity through Particle Connectivity

Conducting polymers, especially those template-synthesized on polymer acids, have attracted considerable attention for applications in organic and polymer electronics because of their processabilit...
On the Similarity of China-ASEAN Export

In year 2002,China-ASEAN free trade area was established,which connected economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN more closely.ASEAN has great similarities with China in natural conditions,resource endowment and levels of development,thus whether the trade relation between China and ASEAN is competitive or complimentary has always been a hot issue.This paper,based on SITC REV.2 3 digits export product data of China and six ASEAN countries,is to analyze trade relation of China and ASEAN in the US and Japan market,and calculate export similarity according to Lall trade product classification.The result showed the total export similarity index of China and ASEAN 6 is higher in Japan market than that in US market;the resource products and hi-tech products of China and Singapore is competitive in US market;trade competition between China and Four Tigers of Asian are diminishing in US market but still fierce in Japan market;and export similarity index between China and Vietnam has increased sharply both in Japan and US market recently.Finally,the paper refuted 'China threat theory' and proposed that China should take advantage of complementarities existed between China and different ASEAN countries in regards to merchandise of different technical level as well as promoting industrial structure in the environment of RMB appreciation.
Early Diagnosis and Surgical Treatment of Coregnital club－foot of child

Objective The diagnosis and surgical treatment of corgenital club－foot of child was discussed in this paper． Methods 14 cases 26 feet were collected in which 9 cases 16 feet suffered from congenital club－foot 5 cases 10 feet suffered from congenital vertical talas All there cases were corrected with different surgical methods． Results According to the scoring criterion written in this patper in all 14 cases 26 feet 8 feet were scored best 14 feet were secored better 4 feet were scored good． Conclusion The keys of surgical treatment are 1 Early operation 2 Complete release of constricted soft tissue 3 Complete relocation of talus scaphold joint 4 reliable stabilization after relocation．
GrAPPling With How to Teach Social Skills? Try Tapping Into Digital Technology

Socially appropriate behavior is required for a child to function successfully in home, recreational, community, and school settings. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may require specia...
Changes in mammary-gland acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase associated with lactogenic differentiation

The process leading to the rise of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in rat mammary tissue after the onset of lactation was investigated. The kinetics of change in enzyme activity and enzyme immunotitratable with antibody against avian liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase were determined during the course of lactogenic differentiation. The antibody inactivates and specifically precipitates acetyl-CoA carboxylase from rat mammary tissue as well as that from chicken liver cytosol. Characterization of the immunoprecipitate of the mammary tissue carboxylase by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis reveals a single biotin-containing polypeptide of about 230000mol.wt. This molecular weight is approximately twice that reported for the avian liver enzyme. However, chicken liver cytosol prepared in the presence of trypsin inhibitor and subjected to immunoprecipitation gives rise to a biotin-containing subunit of 230000mol.wt. as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis; omission of proteinase inhibitor leads to a subunit(s) approximately one-half this size. Throughout gestation both carboxylase activity and amounts of immunotitratable enzyme remained low; however, after parturition both parameters rose concomitantly to values 30–40 times the initial values. Therefore the elevated concentration of acetyl-CoA carboxylase appears to result from an increased rate of synthesis of enzyme relative to degradation rather than to activation of a pre-existing form of the enzyme.
Acute vascular injuries of the upper extremity

SUMMARY Heightened awareness of the pathologic conditions resulting in acute vascular trauma will govern the success of management. A thorough examination with appropriate vascular studies followed by meticulous surgical intervention and a carefully monitored postoperative course avoids the associated complications of these challenging injuries.
Quickr: Lazily Approximating Complex Ad-Hoc Queries in Big Data Clusters

We present a system that approximates the answer to complex ad-hoc queries in big-data clusters by injecting samplers on-the-fly and without requiring pre-existing samples. Improvements can be substantial when big-data queries take multiple passes over data and when samplers execute early in the query plan. We present a new universe sampler which is able to sample multiple join inputs. By incorporating samplers natively into a cost-based query optimizer, we automatically generate plans with appropriate samplers at appropriate locations. We devise an accuracy analysis method using which we ensure that query plans with samplers will not miss groups and that aggregate values are within a small ratio of their true value. An implementation on a cluster with tens of thousands of machines shows that queries in the TPC-DS benchmark use a median of 2x fewer resources. In contrast, approaches that construct input samples even when given 10x the size of the input to store samples improve only 22% of the queries, i.e. a median speed up of 0x. SIGMOD talk slides. Some errata in the conference version and proofs are here. Ships with Azure Data Lake Analytics; reference documentation is here and there.
Next-Generation Intersection Control Powered by Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Technologies

Urban intersections are one of the key bottlenecks that cause recurring congestions. Traditional signalized control is effective but capacity-restrained. Availability of autonomous and connected vehicle technologies provides the possibility to improve intersection capacity. Powered by autonomous and connected vehicle technologies, a next-generation intersection control strategy ACUTA was developed by employing a reservation-based centralized control strategy. ACUTA converts the conflicts between traffic movements into conflicts between individual vehicles, hence enhancing intersection capacity. Comparison between ACUTA and optimized signal control revealed that ACUTA increased the intersection capacity by 33 %, resulting substantially lower delays. Particularly, comparison of the v/c ratios indicated that ACUTA could process 163 more vehicles per hour per lane without being oversaturated when compared to optimized signal control. Sustainability-wise, as ACUTA minimizes vehicle stops at intersections, it reduces emission and energy consumption as well. Sustainability effects compared with signalized intersection control include: (1) ACUTA reduces CO and PM 2.5 emissions by about 5 % under low to moderate volume conditions and by about 3 % under high volume condition; and (2) energy consumption is reduced by about 4 % under low to moderate volume conditions and by about 12 % under high volume condition. All these enhancements validate the potential benefits of implementing the next-generation intersection control.
Use of cryopoor plasma for albumin replacement and continuous antimicrobial infusion for treatment of septic peritonitis in a dog.

Objective To report the successful management of a dog with septic peritonitis and septic shock secondary to enterectomy dehiscence using novel techniques for identification of intestinal dehiscence and for septic shock treatment. Case Summary A 5-year-old castrated male Bernese Mountain Dog presented for lethargy 6 days following enterotomy for foreign body obstruction. Septic peritonitis was identified due to dehiscence of the enterotomy site, and resection and anastomosis were performed using a gastrointestinal anastomosis and thoracoabdominal stapling device. Postoperatively the patient experienced severe hypotension, which responded to norepinephrine constant rate infusion (CRI) after failing to improve with fluid therapy or dopamine CRI. Further treatment included antimicrobial CRI and supportive care including careful fluid therapy. Due to low effective circulating volume paired with intersititial fluid overload and large volume abdominal effusion, fluid therapy consisted of a combination of human serum albumin, canine albumin, synthetic colloids, and isotonic crystalloids. Cryopoor plasma (CPP) was used as a source of canine albumin and intravascular volume. On Day 4, food dye was given through a nasogastric tube due to suspicion of dehiscence of the anastomosis site. Dehiscence was confirmed during abdominal exploratory, and a second resection and anastomosis was performed. Abdominal partial closure with vacuum-assisted closure device was performed. Supportive care was continued with CPP CRI and imipenem CRI. Planned relaparotomy to change the vacuum-assisted closure device was performed 48 hours later, with abdominal closure 96 hours after anastomosis. The patient was discharged on Day 15. Recheck 12 months later was normal. New or Unique Information Provided This case includes novel techniques such food dye via nasogastric tube to identify anastomosis dehiscence, use of CPP as a source of canine albumin, and antimicrobial CRI in a dog with septic peritonitis.
Cross-cultural differences in the neural correlates of specific and general recognition

Research suggests that culture influences how people perceive the world, which extends to memory specificity, or how much perceptual detail is remembered. The present study investigated cross-cultural differences (Americans vs East Asians) at the time of encoding in the neural correlates of specific versus general memory formation. Participants encoded photos of everyday items in the scanner and 48 h later completed a surprise recognition test. The recognition test consisted of same (i.e., previously seen in scanner), similar (i.e., same name, different features), or new photos (i.e., items not previously seen in scanner). For Americans compared to East Asians, we predicted greater activation in the hippocampus and right fusiform for specific memory at recognition, as these regions were implicated previously in encoding perceptual details. Results revealed that East Asians activated the left fusiform and left hippocampus more than Americans for specific versus general memory. Follow-up analyses ruled out alternative explanations of retrieval difficulty and familiarity for this pattern of cross-cultural differences at encoding. Results overall suggest that culture should be considered as another individual difference that affects memory specificity and modulates neural regions underlying these processes.
Cross-Cultural Reactions to Crisis Events via Language and Emoticon Use

We analyze language and emoticon use on a social media platform to describe large-scale human reaction to a crisis event. We focus on a targeted corpus of 2 million tweets defined by a set of hashtags and posted on the social media platform Twitter. We analyze these data under the framework of Construal Level Theory and compute lexical diversity and concreteness values of words across subsets of the data that differ with respect to geographical distance from the event. We find that word count and lexical variation among concrete words (but not average concreteness) decreased with increasing geographical distance. In addition, we investigate the use of non-verbal signals through the use of emoticons and emojis in these subsets. Overall, our findings make significant contributions in quantifying and contrasting cross-cultural communication with respect to large-scale human response to a crisis event, specifically a terrorist attack. The results presented here are novel in that they demonstrate what we learn from large-scale nonverbal as well as verbal communication analyzed in the framework of the Construal Level Theory.
Impact of the Coagulation System on the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) leads to cognitive impairment and is eventually fatal. The cognitive decline is associated with extensive neuronal degeneration. The most well-known pathological features of AD are extracellular Aβ plaques, intracellular tau tangles, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss. Less discussed is that AD is often associated with cerebrovascular abnormalities. The symptoms of AD and cerebrovascular pathology could be independent co-morbidities, with both being increased in aging populations. However, it is also possible that there is a mechanistic link between AD and vascular pathology. The interaction of Aβ with fibrin(ogen) can lead to increased fibrin deposition in cerebral blood vessels, and these accumulated fibrin deposits may disrupt cerebral blood flow and induce microinfarcts, inflammation, and BBB damage, all of which are aspects of cerebrovascular dysfunction observed in AD. At the same time, Ab's ability to activate FXII may contribute to increased fibrin generation through the intrinsic coagulation pathway as well as to increased inflammation and vascular permeability through bradykinin release from HK. These possible roles of Aβ in thrombosis, fibrinolysis, and inflammation via its interaction with fibrinogen and FXII, summarized in Figure 1, will be discussed. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
From Crayons to Computers

Following the most recent round of redistricting, observers across the political spectrum warned that computing technology had fundamentally changed redistricting, for the worse. They are concerned that computers enable the creation of finely crafted redistricting plans that promote partisan and career goals, to the detriment of electoral competition, and that, ultimately, thwart voters' ability to express their will through the ballot box. In this article, we provide an overview of the use of computers in redistricting, from the earliest reports of their utilization, through today. We then report responses to our survey of state redistricting authorities'computer use in 1991 and 2001. With these data, we assess the use of computers in redistricting, and the fundamental capabilities of computer redistricting systems.
Vehicle-Trip Estimation Models

This chapter discusses the techniques available for estimation of vehicle trips, both loaded and empty, using the output of commodity-based models. To this effect, the chapter analyses the interconnections between mode and vehicle choice and the generation of loaded trips. In doing this, the chapter establishes the importance of producing solid estimates of the average amount of cargo that they transport. The chapter critically reviews the methodologies available for estimation of empty trips, analyses the empirical evidence, and produces a set of recommendations intended to help practitioners and researchers select the most appropriate modelling techniques. The chapter ends with concluding remarks.
Probing Experiments on Pressure Oscillations in Two-Phase and Supercritical Hydrogen with Forced Convection Heat Transfer

Although heat transfer has been known to be capable of inducing acoustic phenomena [1], this investigation was initiated as a result of some observations made in recent heat transfer experiments. In studies of heat transfer to gaseous hydrogen and helium, McCarthy and Wolf [2] observed that the appearance of pressure oscillations in their apparatus caused heat transfer to become independent of Reynolds number. Hines and Wolf [3] reported the destruction of thin-walled test sections as a result of severe pressure oscillations accompanying heat transfer to supercritical hydrocarbons. Goldmann [4,5] has observed the production of acoustic noise, which he described as “heat transfer with a whistle” in forced convection heat transfer to two-phase and supercritical water. He has attributed this to large property variations under nonequilibrium conditions. Platt and Wood [6] reported flow oscillations and a means for eliminating them in the development of a liquid-oxygen heat exchanger. In view of this background, probing experiments were undertaken to establish the identity of such oscillations and to obtain some information of the conditions under which they occur.
Die Führungspersönlichkeit und ihre Mitarbeiter: Wie Leader Mitarbeiterpotenziale wecken und Stärken entwickeln

„Man kann nicht nicht kommunizieren“, lautet das erste Axiom des Kommunikationswissenschaftlers Watzlawick (Anleitung zum Unglucklich sein, Aulf. 9, 2010). Es ist mittlerweile Allgemeingut geworden. Der Satz sagt jedoch noch nichts aus uber die Qualitat der Verstandigung untereinander. Mit einer wirksamen Art zu kommunizieren konnen Sie als Fuhrungspersonlichkeit die Zusammenarbeit mit Ihren Mitarbeitern substantiell fordern. Sie konnen aber auch mit wenigen Worten oder Satzen Turen zuschlagen.
Preface to the National Lawyers Guild Review, 66-3

Introduces: 1. Reclaiming the Judiciary: Notes fro the Next Supreme Court Nomination by Zachary Wolfe; 2. Freeing Jane: The Right to Privacy and the World's Oldest Profession by Benjamin David Novak; 3. The Radicalism of Legal Positivism by Brian Leiter; 4. Carlos Alberto Torres -- Free, After a Fashion, at Last by David Gespass; 5. Book Review: Freedom for the Thought that We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment by Nathan Goetting; 6. Letter to Editor by Staughton Lynd.
Abstract 3946: Tumor checkpoint inhibitor profiling for an optimal clinical response

The last three decades have seen a steady rise in melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. The discovery of checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment landscape for melanoma; anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1 showing great successes in clinic. While checkpoint molecules and co-stimulatory molecules are traditionally present on cells involved in immune activation, mounting evidence suggests that tumor cells also express these molecules. Our laboratory has characterized five patient-derived melanoma cell lines, MEL-2, MEL-V, 3MM, KFM, and GLM-2 and screened them for the expression of a comprehensive list of 29 co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules compared to normal adult melanocytes. We see a differential mRNA expression of many of these immune-regulatory molecules, including BTLA, HVEM, CD160, CD226 and TIM1. Western blots and immunofluorescence confirmed the presence of these molecules at the protein level. A flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that BTLA, HVEM, CD160, TIM1 and CD226 are present on the membrane of these patient derived melanoma cells; implying that they are capable of engaging their respective ligands and exerting a functional role in immunomodulation. These findings were additionally validated in melanoma tissues, obtained from patients, by immunohistochemistry. Interestingly, treatment of MEL-2, MEL-V, KFM and GLM-2, our BRAFV600E containing patient derived cells, with BRAFV600E inhibitor PLX4032 led to the upregulation of these molecules. This upregulation was coupled with an increase in transcription factor MITF, a binding site for which is present in the promoter region of all the upregulated molecules. Co-culture experiments with immune cells, demonstrate a modulatory role played by the HVEM/BTLA/CD160 axis molecules that are present on tumor cells. The presence of these additional immune-regulatory molecules signify the existence of a robust tolerance mechanism induced by these checkpoint inhibitors. Our studies underscore the importance of characterizing tumor profiles to enable the selection of an optimal treatment regimen combining targeted small molecule inhibitors, and checkpoint inhibitors to maximize T cell killing, and tumor clearance. Citation Format: Rachana R. Maniyar, Sanjukta Chakraborty, Ghada Ben Rahoma, John J. Degliuomini, Marc Wallack, Jan Geliebter, Raj K. Tiwari. Tumor checkpoint inhibitor profiling for an optimal clinical response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3946.
Effect of Adding HECM to the Base

The descriptive statistics for the model adding HECM to the base success rates and eligibility are discussed. Data is further analyzed using scaling factors by states of residence, age cohorts by gender, net worth ranges, and socioeconomic cohort groups of business ownership, mortgage balances, and rental incomes.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) influences growth and insect community dynamics in Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum x drummondii)

Beneficial plant–microbe interactions in the rhizosphere have been found to enhance plant growth and development. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a major group among these microbes, have been found to improve plant fitness through mycorrhizal symbiosis. Despite being well documented in various natural and domesticated study systems, few studies have examined whether AMF also has cascading effects on other traits, such as influencing insect community dynamics through attraction/repulsion of beneficial and harmful insects. To test this, we planted Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum x drummondii), a fast-growing annual grain/forage crop, either inoculated with commercial AMF mix or left as control in lab and field experiments. We hypothesized that AMF would enhance plant growth and influence the recruitment of insect herbivores and their natural enemies due to possible alterations in plant defense pathways. Our results suggest that while AMF-inoculated plants had significantly better germination, growth, and establishment; they also experienced a lower initial incidence of Spodoptera frugiperda, a major herbivore on Sorghum in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. In addition, our insect community trapping experiment revealed that AMF-inoculated plants attracted significantly more beneficial insects (predators and parasitoids) and a lower number of damaging herbivores. Taken together, our field and lab data show that AMF can not only positively influence plant growth traits but can also provide defenses against herbivores by selectively attracting beneficial insects and repelling herbivores, with implications for sustainable pest management strategies.
Contingent Abstract Objects

It is usual to claim that mathematical objects, which are typically thought of as abstract entities, exist necessarily and that mathematical truths are necessary. In this paper, I resist this view, arguing instead that mathematical objects are contingent and that statements about them are not necessarily true (if true at all). I provide an account of the source of the apparent necessity of mathematics, and argue that, despite its ubiquity, nothing requires the acceptance of this received view. As an alternative, I offer an alternative, non-necessitarian conception of abstract objects, which recognizes the contingency of mathematical objects.
Exploring Abstract Concepts for Image Privacy Prediction in Social Networks (Student Abstract)

Automatically detecting the private nature of images posted in social networks such as Facebook, Flickr, and Instagram, is a long-standing goal considering the pervasiveness of these networks. Several prior works to image privacy prediction showed that object tags from images are highly informative about images' privacy. However, we conjecture that other aspects of images captured by abstract concepts (e.g., religion, sikhism, spirituality) can improve the performance of models that use only the concrete objects from an image (e.g., temple and person). Experimental results on a Flickr dataset show that the abstract concepts and concrete object tags complement each other and yield the best performance when used in combination as features for image privacy prediction.
Factors Associated With Medication Adherence in Vascular Surgery Patients.

Introduction:Patients with vascular disease have higher mortality rates than age-matched peers and medical management of coexisting diseases may alter these outcomes. We sought to understand factor...
Hypertension management in older adults

Vascular aging leads to arterial hypertension, which is the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in older adults. Blood pressure reduction is effective in reducing the cardiovascular risk and is safe in ambulatory older adults. It is important to note that blood pressure control in this group of patients is challenging because of comorbidities, polypharmacy, and frailty. Choice of pharmacotherapy is not simple and should be individualized.
Protecting Connections from Synapse Elimination

A recent paper by Cong et al. provides exciting evidence that neurons contain proteins that protect synapses from complement-mediated synapse elimination. SRPX2 binds C1q and blocks microglial synapse engulfment. The findings point at SRPX2, and potentially other related sushi domain proteins, as possible targets for therapies for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
A cochlea with three parts? Evidence from otoacoustic emission phase in humans

The apical and basal regions of the cochlea appear functionally distinct. In humans, compelling evidence for an apical-basal transition derives from the phase of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), whose frequency dependence differs at low and high frequencies. Although OAEs arising from the two major source mechanisms (distortion and reflection) both support the existence of an apical-basal transition—as identified via a prominent bend (or “break”) in OAE phase slope—the two OAE types disagree about its precise location along the cochlea. Whereas distortion OAEs at frequency 2 f 1 − f 2 suggest that the apical-basal transition occurs near the 2.5 kHz place, reflection OAEs locate the transition closer to 1 kHz. To address this discrepancy, distortion and reflection OAEs were measured and analyzed in 20 young human adults from 0.25–8 kHz and at eight primary-frequency ratios f 2 / f 1 in the range 1–1.5. Break frequencies and OAE phase-gradient delays were estimated by fitting segmented linear models to the unwrapped phase. When distortion- and reflection-OAE phase are considered as functions of ln f 2—that is, as linear functions of the location of their putative site of generation within the cochlea—the analysis identifies not just two but three main cochlear segments, meeting at transition frequencies of approximately 0.9 and 2.6 kHz, whose locations are largely independent both of primary-frequency ratio and emission type. A simple model incorporating an abrupt transition from wave- to place-fixed behavior near the middle of the cochlea accounts for key features of distortion-OAE phase.
Demand Modeling in the Presence of Unobserved Lost Sales

We present an integrated optimization approach to parameter estimation for discrete choice demand models where data for one or more choice alternatives are censored. We employ a mixed-integer progr...
The effects of ring-shaped porous inert media on equivalence ratio oscillations in a self-excited thermoacoustic instability:

Gas turbine operation increasingly relies on lean premixed (LPM) combustion to reduce harmful emissions, which is susceptible to thermoacoustic instabilities. Most combustion systems are technicall...
FROM F2F TO ERT: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF REMOTE LEARNING DURING THE FIRST COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

In the spring of 2020, the University of South Bohemia was one of the innumerable higher education institutions which was obliged to move its instruction online in order to comply with the COVID-19 regulations. This article explores the evaluation of emergency remote teaching (ERT) measures taken by the English department from the perspective of its students. It presents and discusses findings gathered from a questionnaire completed by 99 respondents. The questionnaire centres around four areas of interest: satisfaction with ERT, comparison of face-to-face (F2F) vs. online learning experiences, perceived stress level during ERT, and acquisition of skills. The results show how students responded to the emergency procedures and which factors they considered essential in terms of satisfaction and stress. Furthermore, they reveal thought-provoking insights on aspects such as integrating elements of online teaching into F2F instruction, developing various skills in lockdown, and motivation for learning. Our findings are analysed in terms of aspects and factors which are viewed as efficient or inefficient by students in a time of crisis. Thus, this research may contribute not only to better preparedness should circumstances requiring ERT return, but also to a more complex re-evaluation of instructional approach at university level.
New bounds on adaptive quantum metrology under Markovian noise

We analyse the problem of estimating a scalar parameter $g$ that controls the Hamiltonian of a quantum system subject to Markovian noise. Specifically, we place bounds on the growth rate of the quantum Fisher information with respect to $g$, in terms of the Lindblad operators and the $g$-derivative of the Hamiltonian $H$. Our new bounds are not only more generally applicable than those in the literature -- for example, they apply to systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians and/or Lindblad operators, and to infinite-dimensional systems such as oscillators -- but are also tighter in the settings where previous bounds do apply. We derive our bounds directly from the stochastic master equation describing the system, without needing to discretise its time evolution. We also use our results to investigate how sensitive a single detection system can be to signals with different time dependences. We demonstrate that the sensitivity bandwidth is related to the quantum fluctuations of $\partial H/\partial g$, illustrating how 'non-classical' states can enhance the range of signals that a system is sensitive to, even when they cannot increase its peak sensitivity.
Amicus Curiae Brief of Disability Rights Organizations, Advocates and Academics on Rehearing En Banc in Pre-Term Cleveland v. Acton

Ohio Rev. Code § 2919.10(C) [“Abortion Ban”] criminalizes abortion if the physician performing the abortion knows that one reason, in whole or in part, for the woman’s decision to terminate her pregnancy is a fetal indication of Down syndrome. While the state defends the Abortion Ban as an effective means of countering coercion of a pregnant woman, it does exactly the opposite. The Abortion Ban precludes the effective implementation of Ohio’s Down Syndrome Pro-Information statute, Ohio Rev. Code § 3701.69, which seeks to overcome stereotypes about Down syndrome. The Abortion Ban muzzles pregnant women at the moment when they receive the state’s Down syndrome fact sheet and does not improve the lives of those born with Down syndrome.
Conformational Changes in the Orai1 C-Terminus Evoked by STIM1 Binding

Store-operated CRAC channels regulate a wide range of cellular functions including gene expression, chemotaxis, and proliferation. CRAC channels consist of two components: the Orai proteins (Orai1-3), which form the ion-selective pore, and STIM proteins (STIM1-2), which form the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ sensors. Activation of CRAC channels is initiated by the migration of STIM1 to the ER-plasma membrane (PM) junctions, where it directly interacts with Orai1 to open the Ca2+-selective pores of the CRAC channels. The recent elucidation of the Drosophila Orai structure revealed a hexameric channel wherein the C-terminal helices of adjacent Orai subunits associate in an anti-parallel orientation. This association is maintained by hydrophobic interactions between the Drosophila equivalents of human Orai1 residues L273 and L276. Here, we used mutagenesis and chemical cross-linking to assess the nature and extent of conformational changes in the self-associated Orai1 C-termini during STIM1 binding. We find that linking the anti-parallel coiled-coils of the adjacent Orai1 C-termini through disulfide cross-links diminishes STIM1-Orai1 interaction, as assessed by FRET. Conversely, prior binding of STIM1 to the Orai1 C-terminus impairs cross-linking of the Orai1 C-termini. Mutational analysis indicated that a bend of the Orai1 helix located upstream of the self-associated coils (formed by the amino acid sequence SHK) establishes an appropriate orientation of the Orai1 C-termini that is required for STIM1 binding. Together, our results support a model wherein the self-associated Orai1 C-termini rearrange modestly to accommodate STIM1 binding.
Relationships among Amygdaloid and Other Limbic Structures in Influencing Activity of Lateral Hypothalamic Neurons

The term, “limbic system,” has come into vogue during the past decade or two, but it is difficult to find either anatomical or physiological justification for lumping a diverse, multifunctional collection of cortical areas and subcortical structures together as the limbic system, and this designation appears not to have sufficient descriptive value to justify its continued use (Livingston and Escobar, 1971). However, there seems to be little doubt that certain limbic structures are important in the initiation and control of motivational and emotional processes, and this has been made particularly clear through studies of brain and behavioral correlates in a wide range of mammalian species from rodents to primates. Furthermore, anatomical study of limbic structures and their fiber projection systems has demonstrated rich and intricate interconnections among them which appear to be increasingly complex as newer techniques are developed for detecting finer fiber systems and degenerated axon terminals.
The Lessons of QUANTEC (Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic): Recommendations for Reporting and Gathering Data on Dose-Volume Dependencies of Treatment Outcome

Severe normal tissue complications are, by good medical practice, relatively uncommon. Investigations of their causes will inevitably be plagued by the small numbers of events in individual series. It is therefore important to be able to combine complication data from different institutions and protocols. This can be achieved in two ways: by the direct combination of raw data (i.e. pooling of dose distribution and outcome information); or by combination of published results (literature-based meta-analysis).
Role of Aging, Frequency, and Size in Web Cache Replacement Policies

Document caching on is used to improve Web performance. An efficient caching policy keeps popular documents in the cache and replaces rarely used ones. The latest web cache replacement policies incorporate the document size, frequency, and age in the decision process. The recently-proposed and very popular Greedy-Dual-Size (GDS) policy is based on document size and has an elegant aging mechanism. Similarly, the Greedy-Dual-Frequency (GDF) policy takes into account file frequency and exploits the aging mechanism to deal with cache pollution. The efficiency of a cache replacement policy can be evaluated along two popular metrics: file hit ratio and byte hit ratio. Using four different web server logs, we show that GDS-like replacement policies emphasizing size yield the best file hit ratio but typically show poor byte hit ratio, while GDF-like replacement policies emphasizing frequency have better byte hit ratio but result in worse file hit ratio. In this paper, we propose a generalization of Greedy-Dual-Frequency-Size policy which allows to balance the emphasis on size vs. frequency. We perform a sensitivity study to derive the impact of size and frequency on file and byte hit ratio, identifying parameters that aim at optimizing both metrics.