cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity in Financial Incentives for High and Low Income School Districts I

Students who attend schools in low income communities have signicantly lower achievement and make smaller gains than their counterparts in high income communities. Explanations for this achievement gap are generally based on constraints in nancial resources. However, when equalizing nancial resources fails to close the gap in practice, the residual is attributed to student aptitude and family spillovers. This paper explicitly tests for the presence of heterogeneity in school district incentives as an alternative to these explanations. A rich data set of Ohio house sales, characteristics and construction quality is used to estimate the responsiveness of the property tax base to school quality across high and low income districts. Estimates indicate that house prices are more responsive to quality in high income suburban districts than in low income urban districts. This provides direct evidence that residents of high income districts are more willing and able to pay for education quality, which translates into stronger incentives for the districts that serve them.
Intermodal traffic, regulatory change and carbon energy conservation in US freight transport

Conserving transport carbon emissions is an important policy goal. Conventional wisdom often holds that conservation is best achieved by increased regulation, and that such gains are best achieved in passenger auto transport (fuel efficiency standards or diversion to transit). We argue that the growth of rail freight has conserved carbon fuel use in the United States, and that fuel-saving changes have been facilitated by reduced regulation since 1980. Methods used include estimation of translog cost functions (and related demand functions for fuel) for intermodal rail and for truck, allowing controlled comparisons of modal fuel use. We find intermodal rail (e.g. trailer on flatcar) to be a powerful conserver: if intermodal rail were eliminated, and traffic transferred to over-the-highway truck, extra annual carbon emissions would be nearly 25 Tg. By comparison, if urban passenger transit were eliminated and replaced by autos (according to one study) the extra annual emissions would be only 3.9 Tg.
Mobility-Aware Efficient Job Scheduling in Mobile Grids

In this paper, we present a node mobility prediction framework based on a generic mobile grid architecture. We show how this framework can be used to formulate a cost effective job scheduling scheme based on a predetermined pricing strategy at the wireless access point. The proposed scheme is for distributing grid computing jobs to the mobile nodes and considers the bandwidth constraints along with any internal job (e.g., call processing) arrival rate at the nodes. The simulation results point to the efficacy of our algorithm.
Microbial Antigen Triggers Rapid Mobilization of TNF-α to the Surface of Mouse Neutrophils Transforming Them into Inducers of High-Level Dendritic Cell TNF-α Production

Neutrophils play a critical role in early immunity to many microbial pathogens, and this may in part be due to their ability to release immunoregulatory cytokines and chemokines during infection. Here, we demonstrate by flow cytometric analysis that mouse polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) up-regulate surface expression of TNF-α within 10 min of stimulation with LPS, and that this is followed by gradual loss over a period of 18 h. Early increases in surface TNF-α expression correlated with loss of intracellular pools of preformed TNF-α. Nevertheless, extended incubation with LPS resulted in increased levels of TNF-α mRNA synthesis and replenishment of intracellular cytokine. After triggering with LPS, PMN acquired the ability to induce dendritic cell (DC) TNF-α and IL-12 production. Transwell assays demonstrated that high-level DC TNF-α production induced by LPS-triggered neutrophils was dependent upon cell-to-cell contact and neutrophil TNF-α, but neither was required for neutrophil instruction of DC IL-12 synthesis. The data suggest that microbial Ag-triggered mouse PMN acquire the capacity to deliver potent DC-activating signals through elaboration of cytokines and direct interactions at the cell surface.
Interferons: potential roles in affect.

A review of the literature on interferons was conducted and possible roles in neuropsychiatric disorders with affective disturbances are assessed. Interferons and interferon receptors are present in the limbic system where they appear to exert physiological effects pertinent to affect, most potently when levels rise during CNS infections. Interferons interact closely with cytokines and nitric oxide, signaling molecules implicated in depression. Results from knock-out mice suggest a role for interferon-gamma in moderating fear and anxiety, while other lines of evidence point to a role in arousal and circadian rhythms. The interferon-alpha receptor deploys an arginine methyltransferase affecting RNA editing and splicing, which seem to be disrupted in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe), an effective antidepressant, may owe its effects in the latter disorders in part to variations in the strength of interferon-alpha signaling impacting RNA processing. Antiviral effects of interferons are of interest in lieu of viral theories of affective disorders. Finally, the relative levels of interferons gamma and alpha might play important roles in neural, and glial, development, as well as the dialog between the CNS and the immune system.
Virtual-device framework for autonomous decentralized multi-robot systems

Autonomous decentralized multi-robot systems require a large number of robots to interact with each other in real-time to cooperatively perform some tasks. This paper systematically investigates the major issues that need to be addressed in methods of building multi-robot based virtual devices. A hierarchical structure is presented to enable the user to tele-control the system when some contingency occurs. Hence, the virtual device interface makes a user and multiple robots to cooperate seamlessly on various tasks that are difficult for a fully autonomous system or a fully tele-controlled system to perform. Specially, we present the virtual structure for a rigid-body transportation system that employs a large number of robots to lift a rigid body and transport it to a user specified location. Path and motion planners are designed to allow the system to move smoothly along an optimal path.
COMPARISON OF ORNAMENTAL AND WILD SALTCEDAR (TAMARIX SPP.) ALONG EASTERN MONTANA, USA RIVERWAYS USING CHLOROPLAST AND NUCLEAR DNA SEQUENCE MARKERS

Saltcedars (Tamarix ramosissima, T. chinensis, and their hybrids) have invaded riverways and lakeshores across the western USA and northern Mexico. In Montana, ornamental plantings of saltcedar have been hypothesized, to varying degrees, to be the origin of nearby, wild populations. To examine this hypothesis, we compared chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences from 36 ornamental and 182 wild saltcedars from Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming, USA. We found that ornamental and wild population genotype frequencies were highly dissimilar. Also, genotype frequencies of hypothetical propagule populations under scenarios of random mating, self-fertilization, and clonal reproduction in the ornamental population were highly dissimilar to the genotype frequencies of the wild populations. Assignment tests indicated that the majority of wild genotypes originated from other wild plants, not from ornamental plants. However, ornamental plants could not be excluded as contributors to wild populations because all chloroplast and nuclear haplotypes found in the ornamental plants were found at some frequency in the wild. These findings suggest that while ornamental saltcedars are not the sole source of wild saltcedar, they do have potential to contribute genetic material to an invasion or re-establish a population after existing wild saltcedars are removed.
Other-Directedness in Consumer-Goods Advertising: A Test of Riesman's Historical Theory

… In this paper an attempt will be made to formulate and test the historical trend toward other-directedness in American life posited in the work of David Riesman (Riesman et al., 1950).
The aging lens.

Failure of the aging lens to retain its accommodative and image-forming properties results in a natural condition called presbyopia, which is easily remedied by glasses or bifocals. When the lens loses its flawless transparency, however, blindness due to cataracts may develop. Cataracts account for about one-fifth of all blindness and may be nuclear (physiologic) or cortical (pathologic). The only recommended treatment for senile cataract is surgery. Serviceable vision is obtained in at least 90 per cent of cases.
HIV Testing Among Young People Aged 16–24 in South Africa: Impact of Mass Media Communication Programs

Knowing one's serostatus is critical in the HIV prevention, care and treatment continuum. This study examines the impact of communication programs on HIV testing in South Africa. Data came from 2204 young men and women aged 16-24 who reported to be sexually active in a population based survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the directions and causal pathways between communication program exposure, HIV testing discussion, and having a test in the last 12 months. Bivariate and multivariate probit regressions provided evidence of exogeneity of communication exposure and the two HIV-related outcomes. One in three sampled individuals had been tested in the last 12 months. Communication program exposure only had an indirect effect on getting tested by encouraging young people to talk about testing. The study suggests that communication programs may create an environment that supports open HIV-related discussions and may have a long-term impact on behavior change.
Are You Messing with Me?: Querying about the Sincerity of Interactions in the Open World

When interacting with robots deployed in the open world, people may often attempt to engage with them in a playful manner or test their competencies. Such engagements are often associated with language and behaviors that fall outside of designed task capabilities and can lead to interaction failures. Detecting when users are driven by play and curiosity can help a robot to understand why some interactions are breaking down, respond more appropriately by conveying its capabilities to its users, and enhance perceptions of its situational awareness and social intelligence. We have been studying the intentions of everyday users in their engagement with a long-lived robot system that provides directions within an office building. We report on a pilot field-study exploring the use of direct queries to elicit the sincerity of user requests, in terms of their actual need for directions. We discuss early results from this initial study and frame research directions and design implications for robots deployed in the wild.
Research on Long-term Abnormal Return Following Stock Dividend and Transfer of Reserveto Common Share

In this paper,the focus is put on the companies listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange,which distribute stock dividend and transfer the reserve to common share from January 1,1995 to December 31,2008.The long-term event study method is adopted to calculate the abnormal returns of those companies to test the earnings of listed companies after the month of stock dividend policy announcement. The empirical results show that the earnings changing after the announcement has a significant positive stock market reaction in the long term,which indicates that there are positive abnormal returns. This shows that the distribution of stock dividend and transfer of reserve to common share is a positive sign of good prospects of the company under Chinese weak-form efficient market.
Bladder Cancer: Factors Affecting Survival

AbstractThe identification of factors present at the time of initial evaluation may be important to predict the prognosis in patients with bladder tumor. Attempts were made to identify predictive factors of recurrence involving comparisons based on the 12-month recurrence rate and time to recurrence in a prospective clinical investigation of 468 patients with bladder tumor observed during a 5-year interval. In newly diagnosed bladder cancer patients stage, grade and size of the largest tumor at initial evaluation were significant factors affecting survival, and these factors acted independently. Age and stage were significant factors in patients with a history of bladder tumor. We herein estimated survival curves using the product-limit estimate. Comparisons of survival curves and analyses involving more than 1 potential prognostic factor were accomplished using Cox’s proportional hazard model.
Stimulation Frequency Alters the Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurite Growth and Directionality In Vitro

Objective: To improve peripheral nerve repair, new techniques to increase the speed of regeneration are required. Studies have shown that the electrical stimulation can enhance nerve regeneration; however, stimulation parameters that regulate the growth increases are unknown. The objective of this study was to examine dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurite extension, directionality, and density after using methods to specifically control ac electrical field intensity and frequency exposure. Methods: Chick DRG explants were exposed to 20-Hz, 200-Hz, 1-MHz, and 20-MHz sinusoidal electric field of 17.86 V/m, and tissue parameters were measured. Results: Results show that neurite extension and directionality were influenced by frequency; however, the ratio of support cell emigration with respect to neurite extension from the DRG body was not. These results were further verified through finite-element modeling of intracellular calcium, which show that higher frequencies have minimal effect on intracellular calcium. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results demonstrate that 1) directional growth of neurites within EFs can be achieved, 2) high-frequency stimulation in megahertz does not enhance or impair the neurite growth, and 3) low-frequency stimulation affects the growth and directionality. Significance: The significance of this study is the direct comparison of neurite extension after high stimulation frequencies (megahertz) with typical low-frequency fields (20 and 200 Hz), and modeling the results with finite-element modeling.
Dietary electrolytes and hypertension I. Sodium: complexities in a simple relationship.

The widespread perception that universal restriction of sodium intake is appropriate in the management of hypertension is of dubious validity. Indeed in some patients, blood pressure may rise in response to sodium restriction. In others, low-salt diets can be useful as adjunctive therapy. Overweight is generally a more significant risk factor than intake of any dietary electrolyte.
A Carbon-balance Model of Stand Growth: a Derivation Employing Pipe-model Theory and the Self-thinning Rule

The pipe-model theory is used as a framework for the derivation of models describing the growth of average stem length, total basal area, and total volume of an even-aged, self-thinning, mono-species stand. Variations of the models are derived for two situations: (1) where the annual rates of substrate production and feeder-root turnover can be assumed constant over time, and (2) where these rates are expected to change over time, such as in polluted environments. The model describing the growth of stand volume for the first situation has been studied previously and shows good agreement with yield tables. Growth rate models applicable to individual trees are described and preferred over similar models derived previously by the author.
In vivo effect of bile salts and cholestyramine on intestinal anaerobic bacteria.

In vitro studies have shown that some bile salts inhibit the growth of intestinal bacteria. We investigated the possibility that bile salts might have a similar action in vivo in the ileum by performing serial anaerobic cultures and bile salt analyses on postprandial ileal fluid obtained anaerobically via intestinal tube. Five subjects were studied under control conditions, and after a 1-week course of orally administered conjugated bile salts in a dose shown to increase the bile salt pool. Three of the subjects were also studied after a 1-week course of cholestyramine. The number of ileal anaerobic microorganisms decreased significantly after both bile salt and cholestyramine treatment. Ileal bile salt concentrations were generally high (mean 9.2 m m ) and did not change significantly after either bile salt or cholestyramine treatment. The results of this study are unexplained. Although it is possible that bile salts play a role in the regulation of small intestinal anaerobic flora, the lack of a relationship between ileal bile salt concentration and population levels of anaerobic organisms is puzzling and raises further questions about such a role for bile salts.
Thermodynamic stability of the asymmetric doubly-ligated hemoglobin tetramer (alpha+CNbeta+CN)(alphabeta) : methodological and mechanistic issues

Free energy contributions to cooperativity by the eight ligation intermediates of human hemoglobin (Hb) have been characterized extensively using six oxygenation analogs [cf. Huang et al. (1996) Biophys. J. 71, 2094-2105, Table 2]. These unprecedented data bses have strongly supported the molecular code mechanism of Hb cooperativity [Ackers et al. (1992) science 255, 54-83]. The present study addresses a recent argument against this work [Shibayama et al. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 4375-4381] based on "free energy" determinations for a doubly-ligated species of the CN-met analog. Shibayama et al. (1997) have claimed that, in the hybridization experiments that have been used to determine free energy of the asymmetric "species[21]" tetramer, a portion of the bound cyanide is allegedly released from CN-met Hb during the incubation with deoxy Hb that is used to achieve hybrid equilibrium. These authors have claimed that cyanide release has resulted in extensive electron exchange between heme sites of the hybridizing sample, leading to incorrect evaluation of the equilibrium species population by the cryogenic techniques that have been employed. In this report, we demonstrate that neither appreciable cyanide loss nor electron exchange occurs with the methods that have been used extensively by our two laboratories for these equilibrium determinations [Perrella et al. (1990) Biophys. Chem. 35, 97-103; Daugherty et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 1110-1114]. An alternative experiment, which Shibayama et al. (1997) have carried out to illustrate their claim, does not evaluate a thermodynamic equilibrium property of the species [21] hybrid. The relevance of their newly-estimated "free energy" is therefore unclear. Nevertheless, Shibayama et al. (1997) have claimed that their proposed "free energy" (which is approximately 1.3 kcal more positive than the free energy of -11.4 kcal found independently by our two laboratories) renders invalid the molecular code mechanism of hemoglobin cooperativity. This representation is utterly without foundation since a free energy even more positive than suggested by Shibayama et al. (1997) would be fully consistent with the molecular code mechanism.
Nursing Perspectives: Neonatal Nurses: Key Stakeholders in the International Neonatal Consortium

Patients are entitled to receive safe, appropriate, and equitable care, including safe medication administration; however, many medications are not adequately studied in the neonate. As an essential condition conducive to safe medication practices, nurses have the right of access to drug information. Yet information for the neonatal nurse is lacking. Legislation in the United States and Europe encouraged the evaluation of pediatric therapeutics to provide information on prescribing and administering medications. However, despite such efforts, most studies either do not include neonates or have been unable to establish efficacy in neonates. New therapies developed specifically for neonatal diseases are lacking. Recognition of the unmet medical needs of neonates increased worldwide among multiple stakeholders. The International Neonatal Consortium (INC) was launched to accelerate the development of safe and effective therapies for neonates. Neonatal nurses have unique perspectives and skill sets that are critical to the success of the INC goals. This article will outline the role of nurses as key stakeholders in the efforts of INC.
Is There a Difference in Revision Risk Between Metal and Ceramic Heads on Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene Liners

The most common bearing surface used among primary THAs worldwide is a metal or ceramic femoral head that articulates against a highly crosslinked ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (HXLPE) acetabular liner. Despite their widespread use, relatively little is known about the comparative effectiveness of ceramic versus metal femoral heads with respect to risk of revision and dislocation as well as the role of head size in this relationship. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of (1) all-cause revision in metal versus ceramic femoral heads when used with an HXLPE liner, including an evaluation of the effect of head size; and (2) dislocation in metal versus ceramic femoral heads when used with an HXLPE liner as well as an assessment of the effect of head size. Data were collected as part of the Kaiser Permanente Total Joint Replacement Registry between 2001 and 2013. Patients in this study were on average overweight (body mass index = 29 kg/m2), 67 years old, mostly female (57%), and had osteoarthritis (93%) as the primary indication for surgery. The material of the femoral head (metal, ceramic) was crossed with head size ( 36 mm), yielding eight device groupings. Only uncemented devices were evaluated. The primary outcome was all-cause revision (n = 28,772) and the secondary outcome was dislocation within 1 year (n = 19,623). Propensity scores were used to adjust for potential confounding at the implant/patient level using between-within semiparametric survival models that control for surgeon and hospital confounding and adjust estimates for the within-cluster correlation among observations on the response. For all-cause revision, there was no difference between ceramic versus metal (reference) heads in combination with an HXLPE liner (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.82 [0.65–1.04], p = 0.099). Smaller metal head sizes of < 32 mm were associated with increased risk of revision relative to 36 mm (HR = 1.66 [1.20–2.31], p = 0.002, adjusted p = 0.025). For dislocation, ceramic heads increased risk relative to metal at < 32 mm only (HR = 4.39 [1.72–11.19], p = 0.002, adjusted p = 0.020). Head sizes < 32 mm were associated with increased risk of dislocation relative to 36 mm for metal (HR = 2.99 [1.40–6.39], p = 0.005, adjusted p = 0.047) and ceramic heads (HR = 15.69 [6.07–40.55], p < 0.001, adjusted p < 0.001). The results did not provide evidence for use of one femoral head material over another when used with HXLPE liners for the outcome of revision, but for dislocation, metal performed better than ceramic with < 32-mm heads. Overall, the findings suggest increased risk of revision/dislocation with head sizes < 32 mm. Level III, therapeutic study.
Resumiendo hipnosis y cirugía

L a se nora P . C. te ni a 21 anos cuando a prendio algunas tecnicas d e rel a j a mi e nto durant e e l cuidado d e su e mb arazo . Previ a ment e habia tenido un a cesare a y tam bien como consecuencia d e s u h a bilidad p a ra a pr e nder a r e l a j ar se, se inter eso p o r ten e r su b ebe bajo hipnoanestesia.
“Whatdunit?” Developmental changes in children's syntactically based sentence interpretation abilities and sensitivity to word order

Aim 1 of this study was to examine the developmental changes in typically developing English-speaking children's syntactically based sentence interpretation abilities and sensitivity to word order. Aim 2 was to determine the psychometric standing of the novel sentence interpretation task developed for this study, because we wish to use it later with children with specific language impairment. Children listened to semantically implausible sentences in which noun animacy and the natural affordance between the nouns were removed, thus controlling for event probability. Using this novel “whatdunit?” agent selection task, 256 children 7–11 years old listened to two structures with canonical word order and two with noncanonical word order. After each sentence, children selected as quickly as possible the picture of the noun they believed was “doing the action.” Children interpreted sentences with canonical word order with greater accuracy and speed than those with noncanonical word order. Older children (mean age = 10 years, 8 months) were more accurate and faster than younger children (mean age = 8 years, 1 month) across all sentence forms. Both older and younger children demonstrated similar error patterns across sentence type. The “whatdunit?” task also proved to have strong validity and reliability, making it suitable for studies with children with specific language impairment.
A Systematic Review of Treatment Strategies for Degenerative Lumbar Spine Fusion Surgery in Patients With Osteoporosis.

Purpose:To evaluate the current evidence in the literature on treatment strategies for degenerative lumbar spine fusion in patients with osteoporosis.Methods:A systematic review of the literature from 1950 to 2015.Results:The review of the literature yielded 15 studies on the effect of treatment options for osteoporosis on lumbar fusion rates. This study evaluated only degenerative lumbar spine conditions and excluded deformity patients. One study demonstrated an association between low bone mass as measured by Hounsfield units and lower fusion rates. Six studies evaluated perioperative medical treatment of osteoporosis and showed higher fusion rates in patients treated with alendronate and teriparatide. The strongest evidence was for perioperative teriparatide. Eight studies evaluated surgical treatment strategies in patients with osteoporosis and showed that cement augmentation of pedicle screws and expandable pedicle screws demonstrated improved fusion rates than traditional pedicle screws. The stronge...
Disparities in Obesity, Physical Activity Rates, and Breast Cancer Survival

The significantly higher breast cancer (BCa) mortality rates of African-American (AA) women compared to non-Hispanic (NHW) white women constitute a major US health disparity. Investigations have primarily focused on biological differences in tumors to explain more aggressive forms of BCa in AA women. The biology of tumors cannot be modified, yet lifestyle changes can mitigate their progression and recurrence. AA communities have higher percentages of obesity than NHWs and exhibit inefficient access to care, low socioeconomic status, and reduced education levels. Such factors are associated with limited healthy food options and sedentary activity. AA women have the highest prevalence of obesity than any other racial/ethnic/gender group in the United States. The social ecological model (SEM) is a conceptual framework on which interventions could be developed to reduce obesity. The SEM includes intrapersonal factors, interpersonal factors, organizational relationships, and community/institutional policies that are more effective in behavior modification than isolation from the participants' environmental context. Implementation of SEM-based interventions in AA communities could positively modify lifestyle behaviors, which could also serve as a powerful tool in reducing risk of BCa, BCa progression, and BCa recurrence in populations of AA women.
Alcohol and stroke: the splitters win again

Study of the relationships of alcohol drinking and risk of stroke can readily become mired in the labyrinthine interactions of drinking categorizations, non-linear associations, disparate cardiovascular conditions, and the heterogeneous types of stroke. This Commentary discusses the recent article by Larsson et al. (BMC Medicine 14:178, 2016). The authors split their material into separate meta-analyses of subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, and ischemic stroke, finding disparate alcohol–stroke relationships. Our Commentary pursues the disparity theme, using the lumpers versus splitters paradigm to explore several aspects of this complex area. Please see related article: http://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-016-0721-4 .
Marriage: From Woman as Object to a Decision-Maker

Marked changes in Havik marriages include the self-assured educated bride replacing the petrified pre-pubertal child bride, the couple’s choice in whom to marry, a change in power structure from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law, and even divorce and remarriage for the unhappily married. This chapter focuses on the transition from patrifocal to companionate marriages including the option for women to remain unmarried.
American Bushido: A Kabuki Play Transplanted

“A Mirror of the Sugawara Calligraphy Secrets,” a still-popular kabuki play first performed in 1746, is based on the historical court poet and politician Sugawara no Michizane (845–903). In a climactic scene, as Michizane’s heir is about to be killed, a retainer arranges to have his own son sacrificed instead. Alien to the courtly culture of Michizane’s own day, this stress on loyalty to one’s lord reflects the warrior values commonly portrayed in eighteenth-century theater. The 1916 English version of the play, despite the anti-Japanese sentiment rampant, was performed as “Bushido,” first in New York and then throughout the USA to popular acclaim. This chapter attempts to explain why a play that some in Japan condemned as “feudal” was well received in American “progressive” circles.
T-bet is not required for the generation of T cells with antitumor effector activity.

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 5569 INTRODUCTION: T-helper-1 cells have been postulated to be the key effectors responsible for specific antitumor immunity. Precursor T cell differentiation is dependent upon the activation of the transcription factor t-bet (T-box expressed in T cells), and the resultant transcription of Th-1 specific cytokines, with the suppression of Th-2 type cytokine expression. The purpose of this study was to determine whether t-bet protein expression and function was an absolute requirement for T cell mediated regression of established tumors in an in vivo model of adoptive therapy for cancer. METHODS: Previous studies have demonstrated that lymphocytes derived from tumor draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) can be activated with anti-CD3/IL-2 in vitro and mediate the regression of established tumor on adoptive transfer in vivo . TDLN derived from wild-type and t-bet deficient mice were compared for t-bet protein expression, cell surface phenotype, cytokine secretion, and therapeutic efficacy on adoptive transfer in vivo . RESULTS: 4T1 TDLNs from wild-type and t-bet deficient mice demonstrate similar expression of CD4/CD8, CD62L, CD30, B220, and Thy1.2. TDLN from both wild-type and t-bet deficient mice demonstrate similar tumor-stimulated cytokine release in vitro . When subfractionated on the basis of CD4 and CD8 expression, wild-type TDLN effectors exhibited similar tumor stimulated cytokine secretion, whereas t-bet deficient TDLN exhibited significantly greater CD8+ derived interferon gamma secretion relative to CD4+ cells. Finally, on adoptive transfer, TDLN from wild-type and t-bet deficient mice were able to mediate regression of 3-day established 4T1 subcutaneous tumors whether in wild-type or t-bet deficient hosts, though TDLN from t-bet deficient mice did so with diminished efficacy in wild-type animals. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that t-bet expression and function is not essential to the generation of therapeutic effector T cells in the adoptive therapy for cancer. t-bet does not appear to be required for the generation of T cell mediated antitumor immunity, suggesting the presence of a Th-1 independent mechanism for the generation of specific T cell based antitumor effector activity.
DeftNN: addressing bottlenecks for DNN execution on GPUs via synapse vector elimination and near-compute data fission

Deep neural networks (DNNs) are key computational building blocks for emerging classes of web services that interact in real time with users via voice, images and video inputs. Although GPUs have gained popularity as a key accelerator platform for deep learning workloads, the increasing demand for DNN computation leaves a significant gap between the compute capabilities of GPU-enabled datacenters and the compute needed to service demand. The state-of-the-art techniques to improve DNN performance have significant limitations in bridging the gap on real systems. Current network pruning techniques remove computation, but the resulting networks map poorly to GPU architectures, yielding no performance benefit or even slowdowns. Meanwhile, current bandwidth optimization techniques focus on reducing off-chip band-width while overlooking on-chip bandwidth, a key DNN bottleneck. To address these limitations, this work introduces DeftNN, a GPU DNN execution framework that targets the key architectural bottlenecks of DNNs on GPUs to automatically and transparently improve execution performance. DeftNN is composed of two novel optimization techniques–(l) synapse vector elimination, a technique that identifies non-contributing synapses in the DNN and carefully transforms data and removes the computation and data movement of these synapses while fully utilizing the GPU to improve performance, and (2) near-compute data fission, a mechanism for scaling down the on-chip data movement requirements within DNN computations. Our evaluation of DeftNN spans 6 state-of-the-art DNNs. By applying both optimizations in concert, DeftNN is able to achieve an average speedup of $2.1\times$ on real GPU hardware. We also introduce a small additional hardware unit per GPU core to facilitate efficient data fission operations, increasing the speedup achieved by DeftNN to $2.6\times$CCS CONCEPTS• Computing methodologies $\rightarrow $Neural networks;• Computer systems organization $\rightarrow $Single instruction, multiple data; • General and reference $\rightarrow $Performance;
The Effect of Chart Type on Pilots’ Response Time

Electronic flight bags have become common place in commercial and general aviation flight decks. These tools provide for a compact and concise methods of carrying charts, procedure manuals, policie...
A novel approach to multiple criteria based test case prioritization

When software is modified, it is retested to ensure that no new faults have been introduced in the previously tested code and it still works correctly. Such testing is known as regression testing. The cost of regression testing is high because the original program has large number of test cases. It is not feasible to execute all test cases for regression testing. Test suite minimization, test case selection and test case prioritization are cost commonly used techniques in regression testing to reduce the cost of regression testing. While test suite minimization and test case selection techniques select a subset of test cases, test case prioritization does not eliminate any test case, it only orders the test cases with the objective of increasing the fault detection rate. Prioritization is usually preferred over other two approaches because it does not involve the risk of losing useful test cases. Prioritization techniques assign priority to each test case on the basis of some coverage criteria. A number of different single criterion and multiple criteria based prioritization techniques have been proposed in the literature. Multiple criteria based prioritization techniques perform better than single criterion based prioritization techniques. The existing multiple criteria based prioritization techniques combine the criteria in such a way that “Additional” strategy cannot be applied on them. In this paper, we propose a new multiple criteria based test case prioritization algorithm that considers two criteria to prioritize test cases using “Additional” strategy. One criterion is considered as primary and other is considered as secondary. Primary criterion is used to prioritize the test cases whereas secondary criterion is used to break the tie among test cases when two or more test cases provide equal coverage of entities of first criterion. Our proposed multiple criteria based prioritization algorithm performs better than the existing prioritization techniques.
Design and Comparison of Fuel-Saving Speed Planning Algorithms for Automated Vehicles

Intelligent planning and accurate execution of connected automated vehicles (CAVs) enable not only improved traffic safety but also better fuel economy. This paper presents two longitudinal speed planning algorithms for fuel-saving driving on highways with varying road slopes. One is designed on the top of the model predictive control (MPC) and the other is called equivalent kinetic-energy and fuel conversion method. The MPC algorithm solves the optimal speed profile in a receding finite horizon with repeated optimization, which is numerically solved by the Legendre pseudospectral method. The latter is designed based on an instantaneous optimization, which considers vehicle kinetic energy an admissible power source, and then minimizes a weighted sum of fuel energy and kinetic energy. This strategy is capable of generating analytical rules to get the economical speed as well as the corresponding commands of the engine, transmission, and brake. The two algorithms are featured by near-global optimization and local optimization, respectively. Their performances in fuel economy and computational load are quantitatively explored and compared in order to distinguish the potential of real implementation in CAVs.
Finding "It": Weakly-Supervised Reference-Aware Visual Grounding in Instructional Videos

Grounding textual phrases in visual content with standalone image-sentence pairs is a challenging task. When we consider grounding in instructional videos, this problem becomes profoundly more complex: the latent temporal structure of instructional videos breaks independence assumptions and necessitates contextual understanding for resolving ambiguous visual-linguistic cues. Furthermore, dense annotations and video data scale mean supervised approaches are prohibitively costly. In this work, we propose to tackle this new task with a weakly-supervised framework for reference-aware visual grounding in instructional videos, where only the temporal alignment between the transcription and the video segment are available for supervision. We introduce the visually grounded action graph, a structured representation capturing the latent dependency between grounding and references in video. For optimization, we propose a new reference-aware multiple instance learning (RA-MIL) objective for weak supervision of grounding in videos. We evaluate our approach over unconstrained videos from YouCookII and RoboWatch, augmented with new reference-grounding test set annotations. We demonstrate that our jointly optimized, reference-aware approach simultaneously improves visual grounding, reference-resolution, and generalization to unseen instructional video categories.
Chapter 6 – Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a broad grouping of neurodevelopmental disorders that result in deficits in social communication and social interaction and in restricted repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. ASD begins prenatally and is associated with morphological abnormalities and changes in functioning in the developing brain. The lack of social engagement is perplexing and demoralizing to family members who seek to make meaningful contact with their children. Advances in genetics, neuroimaging, neuropathology, and neurochemistry are leading to better understanding of the neurobiology. The diagnostic criteria have been revised in DSM-5 to designate a broad spectrum with elimination of earlier subtypes. Early initiation of psychosocial treatments and careful psychopharmacological management of co-occurring diagnoses are required for the best behavioral outcomes.
A New Transient Hot Wire Thermal Conductivity Instrument for Use with Both Step Power and Ramp Power Forcing

A new transient-hot-wire thermal conductivity instrument is described for use with non-electrolytic liquids. The initial state of the fluid of interest can be varied from ambient to 500 C and 200 atmospheres. This range of experimental conditions allows most hydrocarbon liquids to be studied up to either their critical point or their limit of thermal stability. The hot wire is 12.7 micrometers in diameter and 12 centimeters long. The hot wire is constructed of platinum, with all electrical connections silver-soldered, and has been proven reliable in a wide range of liquids including several unstable coal liquid fractions.
Short-pulse induced photocurrent and photoluminescence in organic materials

This chapter discusses short pulse photoexcitation in organic materials, mostly organic molecular crystals, and the resulting time dynamics of excited states as can be observed by detecting photoluminescence and photoconductivity. The chapter will review the electronic detection of a transient photoconductivity after photoexcitation and the relevant experimental limits. It will then discuss the typical photoluminescence dynamics expected in molecular crystals when initially photoexcited singlet excitons can undergo fission into triplet excitons, and the related onset of photoconductivity because of exciton dissociation. Rubrene single crystals will be used to illustrate how exciton dynamics is reflected in different ways in the time-evolution of the photocurrent and the photoluminescence.
SURFING FOR A SHAMAN: Analyzing an Ayahuasca Website

Abstract While niche tourism has been explored in multiple and varied contexts, few studies have examined spiritual tourism in the context of the Amazon. Through a detailed textual analysis, this study discursively explores the complex social and cultural phenomenon of spiritual tourism, as examined through an ayahuasca tourism website. Ayahuasca tourism involves traveling to the Amazon to participate in a shaman-led ceremony and drink the hallucinogenic tea ayahuasca. This paper analyzes a study of one of the most frequently visited websites, Blue Morpho Tours. Findings suggest that the appropriation and commodification represented on this site have significant implications for the local peoples of the Peruvian Amazon, and, as spiritual tourism increases, to other cultures and peoples as well.
High Order Volumetric Directional Pattern for Video-Based Face Recognition

Describing the dynamic textures has attracted growing attention in the field of computer vision and pattern recognition. In this paper, a novel approach for recognizing dynamic textures, namely, high order volumetric directional pattern (HOVDP), is proposed. It is an extension of the volumetric directional pattern (VDP) which extracts and fuses the temporal information (dynamic features) from three consecutive frames. HOVDP combines the movement and appearance features together considering the order volumetric directional variation patterns of all neighboring pixels from three consecutive frames. In experiments with two challenging video face databases, YouTube Celebrities and Honda/UCSD, HOVDP clearly outperformed a set of state-of-the-art approaches.
A multimodal investigation of cerebellar integrity associated with high‐risk cannabis use

With legalization efforts across the United States, cannabis use is becoming increasingly mainstream. Various studies have documented the effects of acute and chronic cannabis use on brain structure and cognitive performance, including within the frontal executive control network, but little attention has been given to the effects on the cerebellum. Recent evidence increasingly points to the role of the cerebellum in various nonmotor networks, and the cerebellum's expression of cannabinoid receptors may pose particular vulnerabilities to the consequences of cannabis use. Using a combined approach of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), the present study aims to assess how cannabis use relates to the cerebellum's intrinsic functional connectivity and underlying white matter structure and whether these properties are associated with craving or severity of cannabis use. Resting-state fMRI and DTI data, as well as self-reports of substance use history, were analyzed from a sample of 26 adults at risk for cannabis use disorder (CUD) and an age- and sex-matched comparison group of 25 cannabis-naive adults (control). Results demonstrated that individuals at risk for a CUD showed key differences in cerebellar functional connectivity, with specific impacts on the dorsal attention and default mode networks. In addition, group differences in white matter were localized to the middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), with a relationship between lower MCP diffusivity and higher levels of self-reported craving. These findings lend further support to the cerebellum's role in key cognitive networks and potential consequences for substance use disorders.
Bile Acid Diarrhea and NAFLD: Shared Pathways for Distinct Phenotypes

Irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) and NAFLD are both common conditions that may be influenced by shared pathways of altered bile acid (BA) signaling and homeostatic regulation. Pathophysiological links between IBS-D and altered BA metabolism include altered signaling through the ileal enterokine and fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) as well as increased circulating levels of 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one, a metabolic intermediate that denotes increased hepatic BA production from cholesterol. Defective production or release of FGF19 is associated with increased BA production and BA diarrhea in some IBS-D patients. FGF19 functions as a negative regulator of hepatic cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase; therefore, reduced serum FGF19 effectively de-represses hepatic BA production in a subset of IBS-D patients, causing BA diarrhea. In addition, FGF19 modulates hepatic metabolic homeostatic response signaling by means of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 4/klotho beta receptor to activate cascades involved in hepatic lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, and insulin sensitivity. Emerging evidence of low circulating FGF19 levels in subsets of patients with pediatric and adult NAFLD demonstrates altered enterohepatic BA homeostasis in NAFLD. Conclusion: Here we outline how understanding of shared pathways of aberrant BA homeostatic signaling may guide targeted therapies in some patients with IBS-D and subsets of patients with NAFLD.
Fine structure of viral dsDNA encapsidation

Unraveling the mechanisms of packing of DNA inside viral capsids is of fundamental importance to understanding the spread of viruses. It could also help develop new applications to targeted drug delivery devices for a large range of therapies. In this article, we present a robust, predictive mathematical model and its numerical implementation to aid the study and design of bacteriophage viruses for application purposes. Exploiting the analogies between the columnar hexagonal chromonic phases of encapsidated viral DNA and chromonic aggregates formed by plank-shaped molecular compounds, we develop a first-principles effective mechanical model of DNA packing in a viral capsid. The proposed expression of the packing energy, which combines relevant aspects of the liquid crystal theory, is developed from the model of hexagonal columnar phases, together with that describing configurations of polymeric liquid crystals. The method also outlines a parameter selection strategy that uses available data for a collection of viruses, aimed at applications to viral design. The outcome of the work is a mathematical model and its numerical algorithm, based on the method of finite elements, and computer simulations to identify and label the ordered and disordered regions of the capsid and calculate the inner pressure. It also presents the tools for the local reconstruction of the DNA "scaffolding" and the center curve of the filament within the capsid.