cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decentralized Sparsity-Regularized Rank Minimization: Algorithms and Applications

Given a limited number of entries from the superposition of a low-rank matrix plus the product of a known compression matrix times a sparse matrix, recovery of the low-rank and sparse components is a fundamental task subsuming compressed sensing, matrix completion, and principal components pursuit. This paper develops algorithms for decentralized sparsity-regularized rank minimization over networks, when the nuclear- and l1-norm are used as surrogates to the rank and nonzero entry counts of the sought matrices, respectively. While nuclear-norm minimization has well-documented merits when centralized processing is viable, non-separability of the singular-value sum challenges its decentralized minimization. To overcome this limitation, leveraging an alternative characterization of the nuclear norm yields a separable, yet non-convex cost minimized via the alternating-direction method of multipliers. Interestingly, if the decentralized (non-convex) estimator converges, under certain conditions it provably attains the global optimum of its centralized counterpart. As a result, this paper bridges the performance gap between centralized and in-network decentralized, sparsity-regularized rank minimization. This, in turn, facilitates (stable) recovery of the low rank and sparse model matrices through reduced-complexity per-node computations, and affordable message passing among single-hop neighbors. Several application domains are outlined to highlight the generality and impact of the proposed framework. These include unveiling traffic anomalies in backbone networks, and predicting networkwide path latencies. Simulations with synthetic and real network data confirm the convergence of the novel decentralized algorithm, and its centralized performance guarantees.
Estimating Duration of Short-Term Acute Effects of Capture Handling and Radiomarking

Radiotelemetry is used extensively in zoographic studies of wildlife species, including northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). These studies assume that radiomarking does not affect survival of marked individuals. However, most researchers implicitly acknowledge that capture, handling, and radiomarking may have short-term deleterious effects on individuals and, therefore, include in analyses only animals that survive an adjustment period of arbitrary length (often 7 days) following capture and marking. Length of adjustment period is rarely empirically based and may potentially bias survival estimates. We outline an analytical approach to determine an appropriate adjustment period and illustrate this approach by examining effects of time-since-marking on survival of 410 northern bobwhite captured during winter from 1997 to 2001, in Mississippi, USA. We modeled daily survival rates using time-since-marking as a covariate in the nest-survival model of Program MARK. Although survival varied among and within years, we found no evidence to suggest that standard adjustment periods of 7–14 days were appropriate for our sample. If adjustment periods are used in radiotelemetry studies, those that are empirically based may be more appropriate than arbitrarily set periods.
Motion, not Shape, Facilitates Association of Predation Risk with Novel Objects by Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas)

Injury-released chemical cues are reliable indicators of predation risk among many aquatic taxa. When a novel, neutral stimulus is presented in tandem with chemical cues from an injured conspecific, an association is formed between the novel stimulus and apparent risk. Learned recognition of predation risk is well documented for fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas. When minnows detect alarm cues in nature they are also potentially exposed to multiple environmental stimuli, few of which are likely to be relevant indicators of risk. How do minnows discern among candidate stimuli potentially associated with predation risk? Two possibilities are shape and motion. In this study, individual piscivore-naive minnows were presented simultaneously with conspecific chemical alarm cues and two stimulus objects. One object was a darkened tube with its long axis in the horizontal plane (fish-like). The second object was a black disk. Following introduction of chemical alarm cues, one of the objects was raised and lowered repeatedly. After a single conditioning trial, minnows associated risk significantly more with the previously moving object than the previously stationary object, as indicated by reduced activity. Object shape had no significant effect on response intensity in test trials. Our data suggest that minnows have been selected to form aversive responses to moving objects at a site of recent predation because movement is a more predictable indicator of predator identity than shape.
Preparation of 4-alkylthio-δ-1,3-oxathianes, novel endocyclic ketene dithioacetals, via an acetalization of β-hydroxydithioesters

Abstract The treatment of β-hydroxydithioesters with dimethyl or diethyl acetals in the presence of an acid catalyst resulted in the formation of the six-membered endocyclic ketene dithioacetals, 4-alkylthio-Δ 4 -1,3-oxathianes, via transacetalization.
Heterodyne efficiency of a detection system for partially coherent beams

We consider the heterodyne efficiency as a measure of quality for a coherent detection system. The heterodyne efficiency reflects the matching between the received beam and the local oscillator beam on the detector surface, and one can use this property for the alignment of the system. In this paper we derive a general expression for the heterodyne efficiency of a detection system for beams at any state of coherence, assuming that the propagation directions for the two signals (the received signal and the locally generated one) are slightly different. We derive an analytical expression for the heterodyne efficiency when mixing coherently two partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model beams on a photodetector surface. Numerical examples are given for the variation in the heterodyne efficiency with the misalignment angle, the detector radius, and the parameters of the overlapping beams. We show that partially coherent beams, although they suffer more than coherent beams from a decrease in the heterodyne efficiency, are less affected than coherent beams by the misalignment of the detection system.
The Use Of Binary And Ternary Paradoxes In Management

Conventional reality, or “reality by convention,” as portrayed by today’s corporate mainstream media, is revisited with alternative explanations proposed. Contrived Binary and Ternary Paradoxes are presented as unethical examples of duplicity that mislead and deceive consumers.
Rail and River Transportation Costs: Comparison of Rail and River Transportation Costs Relation to the Ohio River and Its Tributaries

The relation of the Ohio River and its tributaries to transportation in the United States may mean either of two things: First, how the one compares with the other as to amount, importance, expedit...
Introduction: A Personal Perspective

The philosophy of science, when it speaks directly to scientists, provides inspiration and guidance as to the best state of mind required to approach the process of scientific inquiry. It can provide guidance to those embarking on a research career and those entrusted with the education of young scientists.
Consulting Team: Robin Haskell

This set of three cases represents a mediation involving three professionals at a consulting firm: two disputants (a new MBA consultant and the manager of a group of programmers) both working on a client team, and an "interested" mediator with his own pressures and agenda, who would prefer to focus on business issues and resolve the dispute quickly. The dimensions of the dispute are both professional (whether changes should be made to a computer system being installed by the team) and personal (issues of respect and authority). The cases are designed to be used as part of a unit on mediation. We use the cases in a series of cases that permits each student to serve in disputant and mediator roles. Class discussion (see Teaching Note) focuses on skills, the process of mediation, resolutions reached, and the role of the "interested mediator," a role in which MBA graduates frequently find themselves.
Seismotectonics of the southern Appalachians

Abstract The southern Appalachians of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina is a region for which high quality instrumental seismic data have been very limited. In this paper, we report more than 100 new or relocated hypocenters obtained from the initial 2 1 2 yr of operation of the Southern Appalachian Regional Seismic Network (SARSN), a 16-station, four-state telemetered network of short-period vertical instruments. These data provide a first-order snapshot of southern Appalachian seismicity that confirms some previous observations and adds new results for the region. The most important new observations are well-constrained focal depths and focal mechanisms for southern Appalachian earthquakes. The level of activity exceeds expectations and concentrates more heavily in the Valley and Ridge Province of eastern Tennessee—as opposed to the Blue Ridge or Inner Piedmont—than is evident in historical listings. The large majority of these events lie between the New York-Alabama lineament and the Clingman/Ocoee lineaments, magnetic anomalies produced by deep-seated basement structures. An analysis of the uniqueness and stability of hypocentral depth yields reliable depths for 58 earthquakes and demonstrates that most southern Appalachian seismic activity occurs beneath the decollement, thus lending quantitative support to the argument that Appalachian seismicity is unrelated to surficial geological or tectonic features. Several new focal mechanisms of a higher quality than previously available indicate that the basement of the Valley and Ridge is under NE-SW compression and the principal mode of faulting is right-lateral strike-slip on nearly north-south faults. In both depth and type of faulting, the seismogenic model we propose for the southern Appalachians closely emulates the Giles County zone to the north of our study area.
Distinct patterns of brain oscillations underlie two basic parameters of human maze learning.

We examine how oscillations in the intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) relate to human maze learning. Theta- band activity (4–12 Hz in rodents; 4–8 Hz in humans) plays a significant role in me...
Pseudo-phosphatase Sbf1 contains an N-terminal GEF homology domain that modulates its growth regulatory properties.

Sbf1 (SET binding factor 1) is a pseudo-phosphatase related to the myotubularin family of dual specificity phosphatases, some of which have been implicated in cellular growth and differentiation by virtue of their mutation in human genetic disorders. Sbf1 contains germline-encoded alterations of its myotubularin homology domain that render it non-functional as a phosphatase. We report here the complete structure of Sbf1 and further characterization of its growth regulatory properties. In addition to its similarity to myotubularin, the predicted full-length Sbf1 protein contains pleckstrin (PH) and GEF homology domains that are conserved in several proteins implicated in signaling and growth control. Forced expression of wild-type Sbf1 in NIH 3T3 cells inhibited their proliferation and altered their morphology. These effects required intact PH, GEF and myotubularin homology domains, implying that growth inhibition may be an intrinsic property of wild-type Sbf1. Conversely, deletion of its conserved N-terminal 44 amino acids alone was sufficient to convert Sbf1 from an inhibitor of cellular growth to a transforming protein in NIH 3T3 cells. Oncogenic forms of Sbf1 partially localized to the nucleus, in contrast to the exclusively cytoplasmic subcellular localization of endogenous Sbf1 in all cell lines and mammalian tissues tested. These data show that the N-terminal GEF homology domain serves to inhibit the transforming effects of Sbf1, possibly sequestering the protein to the cytoplasm, and suggest that this region may be a modulatory domain that relays growth control signals.
Knowledge,attitude and behavior about AIDS prevention among college students

Objective To examine the status of acquired immune deficiency syndrome( AIDS)-related knowledge and the way to get the knowledge among college students and to provide evidences for conducting AIDS-related health education in the students. Methods By using cluster random sampling,we collected 800 students of grade 1 to 3 from a university in Jinzhou city of Liaoning province for an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey. Results Among thestudents,the overall awareness rate of AIDS-related knowledge was 78. 76% and the awareness rate of the girls was significantly higher than that of the boys( 82. 35% vs. 76. 09%,P 0. 05). The awareness rate of AIDS prevention and treatment knowledge were 71. 48%,81. 35%,and 83. 95% among the students of grade one,two,and three,respectively,and increased with the study years in the university( P 0. 05); the awareness rates for the three major transmission routes( sexual,blood,and vertical transmission) of human immunodeficiency virus( HIV) were all higher than 90% among the students but the awareness rate for knowledge about non-transmission routes of HIV such as whether a mosquito bite could transmit HIV was low. Of the students,64. 02% manifested HIV / AIDS discrimination; 7. 39%reported sexual behavior,of which,39. 29% used condom in their first sexual experience,40. 91% used condom in every sexual activity,and 14. 29% reported commercial sexual behaviors. Conclusion College students do not have a good knowledge about AIDS prevention and treatment and the knowledge level is different among the students of various grade,suggesting health education on AIDS control and safe sexual behavior needs to be promoted among the students.
Primary care. Participants or gatekeepers

Health systems that have a strong orientation toward primary care achieve lower overall costs, better satisfaction of their populations, and better health. The role of specialists in such systems is to provide consultative services on a short-term basis (secondary care) or long-term services for rare or complicated problems (tertiary care). Among both primary-care and specialist physicians, opinions vary considerably as to the specific tasks that are appropriate in primary and specialist care. Medical education has not proved an adequate basis for judging either the relative appropriateness of care by primary-care physicians and specialists or criteria for referral. Recent studies indicate that conventional wisdom concerning the nature and treatment of disease that is derived from research in tertiary medical centers is contradicted by collaborative practice-based studies in primary care. Better collaboration between primary-care physicians and specialists both in research and in the design of services will be the key to more informed decisions about improvement in the care of patients with diabetes and other important and common health-care problems.
DIFFUSION AND PERFUSION IMAGING TECHNIQUES

Abstract Diffusion imaging techniques including the Stejskal-Tanner and the stimulated emission of amplitude echoes (STEAM) pulse sequences are discussed. The calculation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps is reviewed. The perfusion imaging techniques of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) and first pass bolus perfusion techniques as well as the newer technique of echo-planar imaging with signal targeting and altering radiofrequency (EPISTAR) are also discussed. Finally, the theory of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and its relationship to both diffusion and perfusion phenomena is examined.
Effect of Pilocarpine Hydrochloride on the Schlemm Canal in Healthy Eyes and Eyes With Open-Angle Glaucoma.

Importance The in vivo effect of pilocarpine hydrochloride on the Schlemm canal may help explain its pharmacologic mechanism of action and better indicate its clinical use. Objective To investigate the effect of pilocarpine on the structure of the Schlemm canal in vivo in healthy eyes and eyes with glaucoma. Design, Setting, and Participants In this case-control study, healthy individuals and patients with open-angle glaucoma were prospectively enrolled between September 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, after a complete ophthalmologic examination at a tertiary glaucoma referral practice. Eighty-one serial, horizontal, enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomographic B-scans (interval between B-scans, approximately 35 µm) of the nasal corneoscleral limbus were performed before and 1 hour after topical administration of pilocarpine, 1%, in 1 eye of healthy volunteers and pilocarpine, 2%, in 1 eye of patients with glaucoma. Fifty B-scans in the overlapping area (circumferential length, approximately 1.7 mm) between the 2 sets of serial scans (before and after pilocarpine administration) were selected for analysis based on the structures of aqueous and blood vessels as landmarks. The cross-sectional area of the Schlemm canal was measured in each selected B-scan. Volume of the Schlemm canal was calculated using commercially available 3-dimensional reconstruction software. Main Outcomes and Measures Mean cross-sectional area of the Schlemm canal. Results Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomographic scans of the Schlemm canal were performed successfully before and after administration of pilocarpine, 1%, in 9 healthy eyes (9 individuals) and pilocarpine, 2%, in 10 eyes with glaucoma (10 patients) (mean [SD] age, 31.9 [7.8] and 68.7 [13.2] years, respectively). Following pilocarpine administration, mean (SD) intraocular pressure decreased from 14.3 (1.3) to 13.7 (1.1) mm Hg in healthy eyes ( P = .004) and from 17.5 (6.0) to 16.6 (6.1) mm Hg in eyes with glaucoma ( P = .01). The mean (SD) cross-sectional area of the Schlemm canal increased by 21% (4667 [1704] to 5647 [1911] µm 2 ) in healthy eyes ( P 2 ) in eyes with glaucoma ( P 3 in healthy eyes ( P 3 in eyes with glaucoma ( P Conclusions and Relevance These data suggest that pilocarpine expands the Schlemm canal in eyes with and without glaucoma. No differences in the effect were identified between the 2 groups. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography may be useful in investigating the effect of pharmacologic agents on the Schlemm canal.
Politics and Economics and Farmers

Most short statements leave an impression that is partially untrue. The title World Agriculture in Disarray is no exception. Although most of the impression that it transmits is true, there is also an element of untruth, if the statement is taken too literally. Farm products are produced and sold at high cost in many parts of the world while elsewhere similar products that could be produced at low cost cannot be sold at all or only with great difficulty. The prices of farm products are manipulated by most governments and without any real knowledge of the consequences. In some countries consumers are forced to pay extremely high prices for many foods when comparable products could be available at much lower prices. Economic relations among friendly nations are soured by rigid adherence to economically unjustified restrictions on trade in farm products and by the use of large and variable export subsidies.
Hideyoshi’s Diplomacy and the Diplomatic Rupture with Korea

As discussed in the previous chapters, the relations between Muromachi Japan and early Chosŏn Korea were more than mere neighbourly relations with the evolution of ethnocentric diplomatic ideology on each part. Japanese foreign relations with Korea were engineered more for trade profit than from any principle of state. The following statement by a Korean bureaucrat in 1485 manifests the Korean government’s attitude towards Japanese traders: To allow private trade is detrimental [to our state]. Firstly, [traders] engage in smuggling. Secondly, [they] leak intelligence. Thirdly, [merchants] dispute over their profit. For centuries [our] trade policy was to control and restrain [oe i ki mi*, wai i chi mi**] barbarians, but not to make a profit.1
Benefit of MGMT methylation in glioblastoma in relation to hTERT promoter mutation.

2006Background: Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter mutation occurs in 70-80% of glioblastoma (GBM) and has been shown to enhance telomerase expression. No consensus has been es...
Socioeconomic Disparities in Heart Transplantation: A Universal Fix?

Heart transplantation is a definitive therapy for advanced heart failure refractory to standard medical and surgical therapy. Although over 4000 transplants are performed annually worldwide, approximately half of which are performed in the United States, this is not enough to meet the current need of those waiting.1 Selection of candidates is a comprehensive process to ensure appropriate medical necessity, absence of prohibitive contraindications, as well as adequate social and financial resources to maintain graft longevity and recipient survival.2 Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with increased incidence, earlier presentation, and worse survival in an array of cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure.3 Socioeconomic disparities have been demonstrated after heart transplant4–7; however, the impact of these disparities in a universal healthcare system is largely unknown. Article, see p 695 In this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes , Evans et al8 address this knowledge gap by assessing the impact of socioeconomic deprivation on outcomes after heart transplantation in a system of universal healthcare in England. Under the auspices of the National Health Service, universal healthcare is free to all residents with small charges for prescribed medications, though patients with long-term conditions or those living in low-income households are exempt. All patients entitled to care under the National Health Service may be referred for heart transplant evaluation regardless of socioeconomic status (SES) or ethnicity, with national consensus guidelines9 applied for patient selection. The degree of socioeconomic deprivation was assessed …
Vapour-liquid phase equilibrium and surface tension of fully flexible Lennard-Jones chains

ABSTRACTWe report measurements of the vapour–liquid coexistence densities and surface tension of fully flexible Lennard–Jones chain molecules ranging in length from 4 to 60 beads. We demonstrate that the surface tension for all chain lengths collapses to a single master curve when plotted according to the universal parachor correlation. We find a universal parachor exponent 3.79 ± 0.05 for conditions close to the critical point, with a deviation observed for the longest chains far below the critical point.
Updates in hepatic oncology imaging

The utilization of advanced imaging modalities play an important role in the detection and differentiation of benign and malignant hepatic lesions. Imaging characteristics of hepatic tumors can sometimes be atypical, often leading to diagnostic challenges. Recent technical improvements in contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have helped to better characterize hepatic lesions. For example, contrast agents used in US can now better delineate liver lesions, while the ability to reliably produce multiplanar and 3-D reconstructions through the use of MDCT provides an additional advantage in the context of therapeutic decision making for patients with hepatic lesions. In addition, modern MR that includes the use of biliary excreted contrast material, various post-processing techniques like multiplanar reformation (MPR), as well as volume rendering (VR) allow detailed evaluation of the biliary tract, hepatic vasculature, and better characterization of hepatic tumors. As the imaging technologies available continue to evolve and advance, understanding how to effectively utilize these modalities is key to clinical practice. We herein provide a review of the various hepatic oncologic imaging modalities with a focus on how advancements and novel techniques within the different fields may be utilized in the diagnosis, treatment and management of different benign and malignant hepatic lesions.
Finding rigid sub-structure patterns from 3D point-sets

In this paper, we study the following rigid substructure pattern reconstruction problem: given a set of n input structures (i.e. point-sets), partition each structure into k rigid sub-structures so that the nk rigid substructures can be grouped into k clusters with each of them containing exact one rigid substructure from every input structure and the total clustering cost is minimized, where the clustering cost of a cluster is the total distance between a pattern reconstructed for this cluster and every member rigid substructure. Different from most of the existing models for pattern reconstruction (where each input point-set is often treated as a single structure), our model views each input point-set as a collection of k rigid substructures, and aims to extract similar rigid substructures from each input point-set to form k rigid clusters. The problem is motivated by an interesting biological application for determining the topological structure of chromosomes inside the cell nucleus. We propose a highly effective and practical solution based on a number of new insights to pattern reconstruction, clustering, and motion detection. We validate our method on synthetic, biological and motion tracking datasets. Experimental results suggest that our approach yields a near optimal solution.
Defining the elite: normative values for scat major components in healthy elite athletes

Objective Describe normative baseline SCAT 2 and 3 (SCAT) performance in elite athletes. Design Retrospective cohort. Setting United States Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Clinics. Participants Six hundred and forty-one SCAT baseline evaluations were performed on a population of 565 elite athletes (291 women and 350 men, mean age 24.9±5.2 years) representing 23 Summer and Winter Olympic sports as part of a multimodal concussion management program. Intervention No intervention was applied. The SCAT evaluations were administered as a component of baseline testing on healthy athletes. Main Outcome Measurements Baseline SCAT performance on major components is described. T-tests were used to compare differences in baseline performance by sex. Results During baseline evaluation elite athletes reported a mean of 2.1 (1.8–2.4) symptoms with average symptom severity scores of 3.4 (3.0–3.9). Mean scores on SCAT 3 components in this population were; orientation 4.9 (4.8–4.9), immediate memory 14.5 (14.4–14.5), concentration 3.9 (3.8–4.0), tandem gait 11.7 (11.4–12.0), delayed recall 3.7 (3.6–3.8), balance 2.83 (2.2–3.4), SAC total 26.9 (26.8–27.1). This population reported historys of 1.19 (1.0–1.4) previous concussions. Females reported significantly more symptoms (3.9 vs 3.0, P=0.04), and scored significantly higher on the orientation (4.9 vs. 4.8, P=0.004), immediate memory (14.6 vs. 14.4, P=0.003), concentration (4.1 vs 3.8, P=0.0013) SAC total score (27.3 vs. 26.6, P Conclusions Population specific normative values for baseline SCAT performance in a population of elite athletes are presented in this case series. Clinical relevance Clinicians are encouraged to reference population specific normative values when interpreting SCAT performance. Acknowledgements None. Competing interests None.
Comparison between Short and Long Echo Time Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging at 3T and 7T for Evaluating Brain Metabolites in Patients with Glioma.

Three-dimensional proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is a powerful non-invasive tool for characterizing spatial variations in metabolic profiles for patients with glioma. Metabolic parameters obtained using this technique have been shown to predict treatment response, disease progression, and transformation to a more malignant phenotype. The availability of ultra-high-field MR systems has the potential to improve the characterization of metabolites. The purpose of this study was to compare the metabolite profiles acquired with conventional long echo time (TE) MRSI at 3T with those obtained with short TE MRSI at 3T and 7T in patients with glioma. The data acquisition parameters were optimized separately for each echo time and field strength to obtain volumetric coverage within clinically feasible data acquisition times of 5–10 min. While a higher field strength did provide better detection of metabolites with overlapping peaks, spatial coverage was reduced and the use of inversion recov...
A New Public Release of the GIZMO Code

We describe a major update to the public GIZMO code. GIZMO has been used in simulations of cosmology; galaxy and star formation and evolution; black hole accretion and feedback; proto-stellar disk dynamics and planet formation; fluid dynamics and plasma physics; dust-gas dynamics; giant impacts and solid-body interactions; collisionless gravitational dynamics; and more. This release of the public code supports: hydrodynamics (using various mesh-free finite-volume Godunov methods or SPH), ideal and non-ideal MHD, anisotropic conduction and viscosity, radiative cooling and chemistry, star and black hole formation and feedback, sink particles, dust-gas (aero)-dynamics (with or without magnetic fields), elastic/plastic dynamics, arbitrary (gas, stellar, degenerate, solid/liquid material) equations of state, passive scalar/turbulent diffusion, large-eddy and shearing boxes, self-gravity with fully-adaptive force softenings, arbitrary cosmological expansion, and on-the-fly group-finding. It is massively-parallel with hybrid MPI+OpenMP scaling verified up to >1 million threads. The code is extensively documented, with test problems and tutorials provided for these different physics modules.
The Development and Validation of a Chinese Proactive Coping Inventory Among Chinese College Students

The current study reports the development of a dispositional Chinese Proactive Coping (CPC) Inventory to assess proactive coping activities, which intend to interfere with or prepare for potential ...
Sensitivity of Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Lines to TNF, Adriamycin, and Combination: Role of TNF mRNA Induction in Overcoming Resistance

Abstract We have examined 6 human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines for their sensitivity and resistance to the cytolytic effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and adriamycin (ADR), alone or in combination. The results of cytotoxicity mediated by TNF and ADR showed no direct correlation as TNF resistant lines were sensitive to ADR while the TNF sensitive lines were resistant. The combination of TNF and ADR resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity against the tumor lines. Induction of TNF mRNA and protein has been suggested as a mechanism of resistance to TNF in certain tumors. Resistant and sensitive lines were capable of upregulating TNF mRNA after treatment with TNF or PMA+ionophore for periods as short as 1 hour, but only the resistant lines were able to secrete detectable levels of TNF protein. Therefore, a positive correlation existed between resistance to TNF and production and secretion of TNF by the cell lines. In the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX), the TNF mRNA level in the TNF resistant lines was increased while the sensitive lines required an additional signal, such as exogenous TNF, to upregulate the mRNA. Due to the enhanced cytotoxicity seen with the combination of TNF and ADR, we determined the effect of this combination on the levels of TNF mRNA. As examined in a constitutively TNF expressing line, ADR alone reduced the constitutive mRNA level and, in combination with TNF, reduced the level of induction produced by TNF. This downregulation of TNF mRNA by ADR may play a role in the enhanced cytotoxicity seen with combined TNF and ADR treatment. The present study demonstrates that RCC cell lines differ in their sensitivity and/or resistance to TNF. Further, ADR and/or TNF resistant RCC lines can be rendered sensitive by combining TNF and ADR. The constitutive and/or inductive secretion of TNF by certain lines and its relationship to tumor pathogenesis as well as overcoming resistance are discussed.
Extended Depth of Field in Confocal Microscopy

We present a new type of confocal microscope that simultaneously image a specimen at four different depths, thus providing volumetric imaging at video rate. Our technique is an attractive tool for in vivo high-speed volumetric calcium imaging.
The Democratization of Higher Education: An Historical Overview and Prospects for the Future

The United States system of higher education, including colleges and universities, technical/vocational schools and community colleges, is comprised of over four thousand schools with enrollment of almost sixteen million students. 1 "Prestigious and knowledgeable observers have said that this system is 'the most advanced in the world,' 'the envy of the world,' and 'the most effective system of higher education the world has ever known.'" 2 In addition to the primary mission of preparing students for success in their chosen endeavors, these institutions annually produce research and scientific discovery across a broad range of topics. However, there are a growing number of critics who feel that as the number of students increases, programs at all levels of higher education are reducing quality. This paper will examine the development of higher education including landmark legislation, the impact of that legislation in making a college education more accessible to the masses, and the changing attitudes and expectations of students over time. Finally, it examines the system's prospects for the future which contemporary trends suggest-that a college education has become a commodity rather than an intellectual experience.
Impact of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device on controlled ovarian stimulation outcomes.

Objective To report differences in ovarian stimulation outcomes in women using a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (LNG-IUD). Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University-based infertility practice. Patient(s) Female patients pursuing either social oocyte cryopreservation or oocyte donation. Intervention(s) Chart review of all female patients presenting from January 1, 2012, to June 30, 2017, for social oocyte cryopreservation or oocyte donation. Demographic data, cycle performance data, and the presence or absence of an LNG-IUD at the time of ovarian stimulation were compared. Main Outcome Measure(s) Total oocyte yield and total mature oocyte yield. Secondary measures included clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in recipients of donor oocytes. Result(s) Univariate analysis of predicted oocyte yield and mature oocyte yield showed no significant difference between subjects with and without an LNG. When controlling for history of recent hormonal contraceptive use, initial antral follicle count (AFC), age, body mass index (BMI), gonadotropin dose, and stimulation day/protocol, no significant differences were seen in total oocyte yield or mature oocyte yield in the presence or absence of an LNG-IUD. Univariate analysis of the effect of LNG-IUDs on the predicted clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate did not significantly differ for oocyte recipients. Controlling for history of recent hormonal contraceptive use, initial AFC, age, BMI, gonadotropin dose, and stimulation day/protocol also showed no significant differences in the predicted clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. Conclusion(s) LNG-IUDs do not affect cycle performance in women undergoing ovarian stimulation cycles.
Public Economies and the Endogenous Choice of Institutions

In this paper we provide a framework in which to formalize the seminal work of Elinor Ostrom on the study of public economies, a prominent theoretical construct aimed at providing answers to the following questions: (1) why are some societies able to solve their collective action problems and others are not? and (2) why do societies choose the particular institutions they choose from a vast array of possible choices?
Psychological Factors in the Causation and Course of Cancer

The influence of psychological factors on the development and course of cancer, long a topic of speculation, is now a subject of growing scientific interest. This chapter reviews relevant evidence from psychological studies of patients with (or at risk of) cancer, experiments with animal tumor models, and studies of the effects of stress on the neuroendocrine and immune systems.
A Surprising Role for Conformational Entropy in Protein Function

Formation of high-affinity complexes is critical for the majority of enzymatic reactions involving proteins. The creation of the family of Michaelis and other intermediate complexes during catalysis clearly involves a complicated manifold of interactions that are diverse and complex. Indeed, computing the energetics of interactions between proteins and small molecule ligands using molecular structure alone remains a great challenge. One of the most difficult contributions to the free energy of protein–ligand complexes to access experimentally is that due to changes in protein conformational entropy. Fortunately, recent advances in solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation methods have enabled the use of measures-of-motion between conformational states of a protein as a proxy for conformational entropy. This review briefly summarizes the experimental approaches currently employed to characterize fast internal motion in proteins, how this information is used to gain insight into conformational entropy, what has been learned, and what the future may hold for this emerging view of protein function.
Is C.C. Sabathia Worth $161 Million? Valuing Long-Run Contracts

In December 2008, the hot stove league received its biggest jolt in years when the New York Yankees signed ace C.C. Sabathia to a contract that would pay him $161 million over the seven following seasons. There was little debate that Sabathia was the best pitcher among the available free agents; but, to many observers, an average salary of $23 million a year was just too much, especially in the climate of a recession. Mike Cramer, a former Texas Rangers president turned Sport Management Professor commented, “I think it’s crazy and I think the numbers are out of whack.” During a radio interview, Florida Marlins President David Sampson commented that the Sabathia signing was irresponsible and compared the Yankees to “drunken sailors.”
Effect of micro-roughness shapes on jet impingement heat transfer and fin-effectiveness

Abstract With recent advancements in the field of additive manufacturing, the design domain for development of complicated cooling configurations has significantly expanded. The motivation of the present study is to develop high performance impingement cooling designs catered towards applications requiring high rates of heat removal, e.g. gas turbine blade leading edge and double-wall cooling, air-cooled electronic devices, etc. In the present study, jet impingement is combined with strategic roughening of the target surface, to achieve high heat removal rates. Steady state experiments have been carried out to calculate the heat transfer coefficient for jet impingement onto different target surface configurations. The jet-to-jet spacing (x/d = y/d) was varied from 2 to 5, and jet-to-target distance (z/d) was varied from 1 to 5. The target surface configurations featured cylindrical, cubic and concentric shaped roughness elements, fabricated through binder jetting process. The baseline case for the roughened target surface was a smooth target. Heat transfer and pressure drop experiments were carried out at Reynolds numbers ranging from 2500 to 10,000. Further, numerical simulations were carried out to model flow and heat transfer for all configurations at a representative Reynolds number. Through our experiments and numerical results, we have demonstrated that the novel “concentric” roughness shape was the best in terms of fin effectiveness and Nusselt numbers levels, amongst the investigated shapes. The concentric-shape roughened target resulted in fin effectiveness up to 1.6, whereas the cubic- and cylindrical-shape roughened targets yielded in fin effectiveness up to 1.4 and 1.3, respectively. Further, it was experimentally found that the addition of micro-roughness elements does not result in a discernable increment in pressure losses, compared to the impingement on the smooth target surface. Hence, the demonstrated configuration with the highest heat transfer coefficient also resulted in highest thermal hydraulic performance.
Active Supervision: Preventing Behavioral Problems Before They Occur:

The current body of research on classroom environments identifies key proactive instructional strategies that when implemented effectively can reduce the likelihood of problematic behavioral incide...
Induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) suppresses porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) replication

Replication of most RNA viruses is closely associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) within permissive cells. As such, viruses often induce tremendous amounts of stress on cells during viral replication. To cope with the stress, cells initiate the unfolded protein response (UPR) to promote cellular survival. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), an economically important swine pathogen, was previously shown to induce cellular stress at late stages post-infection resulting in the formation of stress granules (SGs). Here in this study, we demonstrate that PRRSV also induces additional cellular response pathways, including the UPR. Confocal microscopy analysis demonstrated significant morphological changes in the ER of PRRSV-infected cells, indicative of pronounced ER stress. Further investigation revealed induction of all three branches of the UPR, including eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-alpha kinase 3 (PERK), serine-threonine protein kinase/endoribonuclease (IRE1), and cyclic AMP-dependent transcription factor (ATF6). Activation of these sensors resulted in significant transcriptional upregulation of downstream UPR effectors. Additionally, UPR activation was shown to be detrimental to PRRSV replication, as treatment of cells with chemical ER stress inducers potently suppressed viral replication and RNA synthesis. Further investigation into the molecular mechanisms of UPR suppression of PRRSV replication revealed that PERK exacerbates the PRRSV-induced cytokine response. Collectively, these results demonstrate that PRRSV infection induces UPR activation through all three branches, and that UPR signaling may play a role in PRRSV pathogenesis. The results of this study further our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of PRRSV replication and host-pathogen interactions.
Specific Learning Disorder in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Current Issues and Future Implications

Past studies have reported high comorbidity of specific learning disorder (SLD) among school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, specific approaches designed to enhance academic progress and academic experiences for ASD children with SLD are still lagging due to various reasons. Most SLD research involving ASD populations have focused on reading disorders (RD). The purpose of this paper is to explore the current educational, clinical, and research issues surrounding SLD in children with ASD. A critical narrative review was carried out to explore issues and future directions surrounding the DSM-5 specific learning disorder (SLD) among school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The available research and its applications, particularly on the prevalence, comorbidities, possible factors and mechanisms, assessment and diagnostics, and treatments and interventions were examined. Specific current issues and implications for future work in the area were addressed.
The Executive Branch Anticanon

The current presidency has given rise to a raft of concerns not just about the wisdom of particular policy decisions, but also about the prospect that executive actions might have troubling longer term “precedential” effects. While critics tend to leave undefined what “precedent” in this context means, existing constitutional structures surely provide multiple mechanisms by which presidential practice can influence future executive branch conduct. Judicial actors rely on practice as gloss on constitutional meaning; executive branch officials rely on past practice in guiding institutional norms of behavior; elected officials outside the executive branch and the People themselves draw on past practice to help evaluate the political legitimacy of presidential conduct in the present day. Yet while the prospect of precedential impact surely exists, it is equally apparent that not every executive action ends up having any of these effects. Quite the contrary, from the Roosevelt Administration’s action targeting Japanese-Americans on the basis of race, to President Nixon’s behavior in the Saturday Night Massacre, one might equally hypothesize the existence of an executive branch anticanon of sorts – executive actions that have produced none of the standard precedential effects, save inasmuch as they have served to establish an interpretive or normative understanding rejecting such executive behavior. Identifying how certain instances of presidential practice achieve such anticanonical status seems today an especially pressing exercise. In addition to helping refine our thinking about the interpretive impact of presidential practice on constitutional meaning, establishing how anticanonical status is achieved may help clarify the agreed-on scope of at least some of the norms of democratic governance that have proven rich fodder in recent years for “constitutional hardball” – resort to practices that are technically constitutional, but that one might once have thought run afoul of normative principles of governance that could “’go without saying.’” Surfacing the existence of anticanonical practice can likewise help guard against the prospect that disfavored presidential behaviors might reset default normative expectations among government officials and the public, expectations that tend to assume because past presidents have taken some action, future presidents can defensibly take the same approach. And tracing anticanonical development can help to identify pathways for forestalling emergent presidential precedent from developing. Examining anticanonical development through several concrete examples, this Article aims to demonstrate how presidential “precedent” is established less by presidential action, more by systemic reaction to what presidents do.
Semantic Types: Two Is Better Than Too Many

In studies of linguistic meaning, it is often assumed that the relevant expressions exhibit many semantic types: for entity denoters; for truth-evaluable sentences; and the non-basic types such that and are types. Expressions of a type —e.g., or , , t>—are said to signify functions, from things of the sort associated with expressions of type to things of the sort associated with expressions of type . On this view, children acquire languages that are importantly like the language that Frege invented to study the foundations of arithmetic. I think this conception of human linguistic meaning overgenerates wildly, even distinguishing—as we should—competence from performance. I sketch an alternative, defended elsewhere, to illustrate a broader point: when offering theories of natural languages, we shouldn’t be surprised if vocabulary designed for other purposes is inadequate, and attention to relevant phenomena motivates a spare semantic typology.
Preoperative hematocrit and platelet count are associated with blood loss during spinal fusion for children with neuromuscular scoliosis.

AimTo assess the relationship of preoperative hematology laboratory results with intraoperative estimated blood loss and transfusion volumes during posterior spinal fusion for pediatric neuromuscul...