cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Throughput loss in task scheduling due to server state uncertainty

We consider a dynamic scheduling system where a single controller selects 'tasks' to service over U 'servers' of fluctuating quality/speed. The quality/speed of each server determines the likelihood of successful service should a task be assigned to that server. The goal is to maximize the total expected number of tasks successfully served over a fixed time horizon (aggregate throughput) given only one server can be used in each time slot. However, the state of the servers are not known to the scheduler with certainty; at best, only statistical distributions (estimates) of the realized server states are available. We consider how the uncertainty of server state information compromises the expected aggregate throughput compared to a 'clairvoyant' scheduler which has instantaneous, perfect information about the realized server states.The issue of operating in uncertain environments arises in a number of scheduling applications of interest from wireless applications to computing networks to revenue management systems. The results presented in this paper provide a framework for gauging the loss due to uncertainty in such scheduling systems.First, it is shown that opportunistic scheduling (on the server of current expected best state) is throughput optimal, under uncertain (unknown) server states. Then, the throughput of the 'clairvoyant' scheduler is found to be upper-bounded (in general) by U times the throughput under uncertain server states; this bound is tight. Third, for bimodal and uniform server qualities/speeds better bounds are obtained--down to a factor of 2. Of course, actual throughput loss due to server state uncertainty depends on the server state distributions which are available as partial information to the scheduler. Finally, via numerical experiments we evaluate the throughput loss in various operational scenarios for wireless packet scheduling applications.
The art of paper categorization

Authors of proposals to the SIGCSE symposia and ITiCSE conferences pick one to four subject areas for their work. Conference leaders use these categories to assign reviewers with appropriate expertise.
Pranks and policy: Martians, nuclear bombs and the 1992 ruling on broadcast hoaxes

In May 1992, the FCC issued a ruling prohibiting pranks that cause immediate “public harm”; or divert resources from law enforcement. This paper documents the incidence of broadcast hoaxes and government response to them from 1938 to 1992, and includes a case study of a broadcast hoax at KSHE‐FM in St. Louis, Missouri, that helped precipitate the 1992 FCC ruling. This paper will analyze the commission's move toward content regulation in the nineties, by examining recent actions taken against broadcasters for airing hoaxes and to a lesser extent indecent material.
Sensitivity Analysis of Micropart Motion on a Controlled Deformable Continuous Surface

Various approaches have been investigated for micropart (∼250 μm in size) manipulation especially for their controlled positioning for automated assembly of MEMS devices. The motion dynamics of a micropart in a dry-friction environment due to controlled deformation of a continuous flexible surface have been developed and are used to study the sensitivity of micropart motion and micropositioning as function of micropart and surface material properties and input actuator properties. The dynamics consider Van der Waal’s forces, effects of surface deformation profile, relative surface roughness, the dynamic compression of asperities and their effect on the dynamic friction coefficient based on extending Kogut-Etsion friction model through a quasi-dynamic coefficient of friction estimation. The motion of the micropart is affected by these parameters, and it is found that for some combinations of parameters a range exists that could cause motion while outside this range either there is no motion or the micropart detaches from the surface. The understanding of the effects of these parameters on micropart motion could pave the way towards controlled micropart translocation and manipulation employing a continuous flexible surface for microassembly, processes requiring controlled micropart handling for homogeneous or heterogeneous microdevice mass production, or for the development of microconveyor systems.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Improving model estimates of gross primary production

[1] Balancing the global carbon budget is a daunting task complicated by the fact that even the most essential values elude direct observation. Gross primary production, the amount of carbon used by terrestrial vegetation to fuel its annual growth, is often estimated by extrapolation from observations using climate models, including the Community Land Model (CLM). Terrestrial ecosystems are an extremely important sink for atmospheric carbon, so any misrepresentations of gross primary production can have strong effects on the understanding of the global carbon budget and may also potentially affect lawmakers' ability to plan around it. The widely used model, which is now in its fourth major version and seeks to represent the interplay between vegetation and climate, is known to overestimate global gross primary production by around 35 petagrams per year when compared to estimates derived from observations and other models, a surplus equivalent to about 6 times the annual carbon emissions of the United States. (Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, doi:10.1029/2010JG001593, 2011)
Comparison of Single- and Dual-Gate FET Frequency Doublers

The performance of single- and dual-gate FET frequency doublers is studied by analysis and computer simulation. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experimental results. It is shown that the superior performance of the dual-gate FET doubler is largely due to the higher intrinsic gain of the active device.
Critical care: American Board of Thoracic Surgery update

Dr Nevin Katz states in his editorial titled ‘‘It is time for certification in cardiothoracic critical care’’ that the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) deliberated on this very point beginning in summer 2008. After serious consideration, it was determined that, for a variety of reasons, it was too early to consider separate ABTS certification in the area of critical care. At this stage, in 2013, the ABTS continues to hold that opinion, which is explained in the following few paragraphs. After that 2008 meeting, Dr Valerie W. Rusch, Chair, ABTS Board of Directors, formed a Critical Care Committee within the ABTS structure. Working with a variety of directors, including Dr J.WayneMeredith, American Board of Surgery (ABS) Representative to the ABTS, Dr Rusch and her committee collaborated with the ABS to create a Critical Care Fellowship with a ‘‘cardiothoracic emphasis’’ within the current ABS certificate fellowship program for critical care. The requirements for this critical care fellowship are similar to the standard ABS critical care fellowship. Residents in a fellowship, 3 years after initiation of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education residency program, or certified ABTS Diplomates can participate. It requires 12 continuous months, with 4 to 6 months being dedicated to cardiothoracic surgery critical care. Successful completion of the fellowship results in the award of an ABS certificate. In the case of a resident, the certificate is granted after the completion of the primary certification process. This ABS certificate in critical care for cardiothoracic surgery was approved by the Surgery Residency Review Committee and was made available to programs in 2011. To date, we are aware of only one institution, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, that has developed such a program. It is of note that no resident has yet completed this specialized cardiothoracic critical care program. With the recent interest in critical care, the ABTS wanted to reemphasize that critical care has always been a core component of ABTS certification. It, along with adult cardiac, general thoracic, and congenital, make up the
An exact distribution-free one-sample test for equivalence

There are many exact distribution-free goodness-of-fit tests, but no equivalence testing analogues. This paper fills the gap by developing an exact one-sample distribution-free equivalence test for use with continuous distributions. We consider two continuous distributions equivalent if the pointwise distances between their distribution functions never exceed some specified constant, and we test equivalence using the supremum of the pointwise distances between the empirical distribution function and the fully specified continuous distribution of interest. The resulting test is much more powerful than a naive exact distribution-free equivalence test based on two one-sided Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests, and inversion of the test leads to distribution-free confidence bands for the unknown distribution function that are centred at the fully specified continuous distribution of interest.
COMBINED EFFECTS OF CURRENT AND WAVES ON FLUID FORCE

Abstract Combined effects of current and waves on the force exerted on an element of a cylinder in a random gravity wave field in deep water are studied. Wave-current interactions are taken into account. Statistical quantities of the fluid force such as force spectrum and root mean square value of the force are obtained numerically and presented in graphical forms. Comparisons are made of the cases in which wave-current interactions are considered and ignored. It is shown that wave-current interactions contribute to changes in fluid force to an appreciable extent and therefore should be considered in the evaluation of fluid forces on objects.
The Prevalence of Voice Disorders in 911 Emergency Telecommunicators

Summary Objective/Hypothesis Emergency 911 dispatchers or telecommunicators have been cited as occupational voice users who could be at risk for voice disorders. To test the theoretical assumption that the 911 emergency telecommunicators (911ETCs) are exposed to risk for voice disorders because of their heavy vocal load, this study assessed the prevalence of voice complaints in 911ETCs. Study Design A cross-sectional survey was sent to two large national organizations for 911ETCs with 71 complete responses providing information about voice health, voice complaints, and work load. Results Although 911ETCs have a higher rate of reported voice symptoms and score higher on the Voice Handicap Index-10 than the general public, they have a voice disorder diagnosis prevalence that mirrors the prevalence of the general population. Conclusions The 911ETCs may be underserved in the voice community and would benefit from education on vocal health and treatments for voice complaints.
Prevention of primary simian adenovirus type 7 (SA7) tumors in hamsters by adoptive transfer of lymphoid cells: role of different cell types.

Malignant neoplasms in general acquire neo-antigens, usually called tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA). Chemically induced tumors usually exhibit antigens unique to each tumor, whereas tumors induced by a virus share a common antigen specific for that virus regardless of the histological type of tumor or host species in which the tumor was induced (1–3). These TSTA invoke an immune response, mainly of cell-mediated type. The immune control or progressive growth of the tumor depends upon many factors including strength of the cellular immune response (degree of sensitization of lymphoid cells), “sneaking through” or appearance of serum blocking factor (1, 3–5), and suppressor cells (6–8). It has generally been accepted that thymus-dependent lymphocytes (T) are primarily responsible for rejection of tumors (9–15). There is considerable evidence that macrophages also contribute an important effector mechanism against tumors (16). Recently, natural killer (NK) cells are also thought to be involved in tumor surveillance (17–19). Most of the studies of effector mechanisms of tumor immunity have been carried out in vitro, using various cytotoxicity assays. To assess the role of in vivo cell-mediated immune responses in tumor immunity, two main approaches usually have been used. One consisted of studying the influence of immuno-suppression (x-irradiation, thymectomy, anti-lymphocyte serum) on the development of tumors (20–24). The alternate approach is to augment cellular immune responses either through non-specific stimulation such as Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), Corynebacterium parvum (CP), poly I:C, etc. (25–28), or through adoptive transfer of specifically sensitized lymphoid cells (29–31).
Novel silver(I)–organic coordination polymers: conversion of extended structures in the solid state as driven by argentophilic interactions

Structurally distinct coordination polymers [Ag(bpp)]ClO41 and [Ag(bpp)]PF62 [bpp = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane] have been assembled; the conversion of 1 into 2 on treatment with NaPF6 is driven by argentophilic interactions and is the first such transformation reported for silver(I)–organic coordination polymers.
Distributed coordination of fractional-order systems with extensions to directed dynamic networks and absolute/relative damping

This paper studies distributed coordination algorithms for multiple fractional-order systems under dynamic interaction and with absolute/relative damping. We first study a coordination algorithm in the case of a directed dynamic network topology. The convergence conditions on both the network topology and the fractional orders are presented. When the fractional-order α satisfies α ∈ (0, 1], necessary and sufficient conditions on the network topology are given to ensure coordination. When the fractional-order α satisfies α ∈ (1, 1 + 2/n ), sufficient conditions on the network topology are given to ensure coordination. We then propose fractionalorder coordination algorithms with absolute/relative damping and study the conditions on the network topology and the control gains such that coordination can be achieved under a directed fixed network topology. The final equilibria are also given explicitly.
Models for still image transmission over broadband networks

A statistical source model for a still image coder is presented and used to derive two queuing models for still image transmission over broadband networks. The first model is based on queuing the image data cells and is analyzed using an M(/sup x/)/D/1 queuing system. The second model is based on queueing the requests for images and is analyzed as an M/G/1 queuing system. The queuing delay is very short for both models. However, the results from the M(/sup x/)/D/1 model (queuing the image data) indicate that very large buffer sizes are required. The M/G/1 model is suitable for analyzing the behavior of an entry node to a network. >
Comparison and Temporal Trends of Three Groups with Cryptococcosis: HIV-Infected, Solid Organ Transplant, and HIV-Negative/Non-Transplant

Background The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) 2010 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of cryptococcosis outlined three key populations at risk of disease: (1) HIV-infected, (2) transplant recipient, and (3) HIV-negative/non-transplant. However, direct comparisons of management, severity and outcomes of these groups have not been conducted. Methodology/Principal Findings Annual changes in frequency of cryptococcosis diagnoses, cryptococcosis-attributable mortality and mortality were captured. Differences examined between severe and non-severe disease within the context of the three groups included: demographics, symptoms, microbiology, clinical management and treatment. An average of nearly 15 patients per year presented at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) with cryptococcosis. Out of 207 study patients, 86 (42%) were HIV-positive, 42 (20%) were transplant recipients, and 79 (38%) were HIV-negative/non-transplant. HIV-infected individuals had profound CD4 lymphocytopenia and a majority had elevated intracranial pressure. Transplant recipients commonly (38%) had renal dysfunction. Nearly one-quarter (24%) had their immunosuppressive regimens stopped or changed. The HIV-negative/non-transplant population reported longer duration of symptoms than HIV-positive or transplant recipients and 28% (22/79) had liver insufficiency or underlying hematological malignancies. HIV-positive and HIV-negative/non-transplant patients accounted for 89% of severe disease cryptococcosis-attributable deaths and 86% of all-cause mortality. Conclusions/Significance In this single-center study, the frequency of cryptococcosis did not change in the last two decades, although the underlying case mix shifted (fewer HIV-positive cases, stable transplant cases, more cases with neither). Cryptococcosis had a relatively uniform and informed treatment strategy, but disease-attributable mortality was still common.
Endovascular Treatment of Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms with Oculomotor Nerve Palsy: Clinical Outcomes and Predictors of Nerve Recovery

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ONP is a well-known presentation of PcomA aneurysms. Reports on recovery of ONP with endovascular coiling have been limited to small case series. We assessed the safety and efficacy of endovascular therapy in a series of PcomA aneurysms with ONP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 37 patients with ONP who underwent endovascular treatment in our institution between 2005 and 2011. Published studies were also reviewed to determine the overall rate of ONP recovery with endovascular therapy. RESULTS: Nineteen patients (51.4%) presented with complete ONP, and 18 (48.6%), with partial ONP. Conventional coiling was performed in 31 (83.8%) patients; stent-assisted coiling, in 4 (10.8%); and balloon remodeling, in 2 (5.4%). There was 1 (2.7%) procedural complication (a transient thromboembolic event). Twenty-seven (73%) patients were treated within 3 days from symptom onset. At the last available clinical follow-up, ONP resolution was complete in 14 (37.8%) patients and partial in 19 (51.4%). Only 4 (10.8%) patients showed no signs of nerve recovery. In multivariate analysis, partial ONP and longer follow-up durations were predictors of complete nerve recovery. Treatment timing, type of endovascular embolization, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and initial degree of aneurysm occlusion were not predictors of nerve recovery. Of 169 patients reported in the literature (including ours), ONP resolved completely in 73 (43.2%) patients and partially in 73 (43.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular therapy is a safe and highly efficient alternative to surgical clipping for PcomA aneurysms with ONP. ISAT : International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial ONP : oculomotor nerve palsy OR : odds ratio PcomA : posterior communicating artery
Moving beam shear wave reconstruction for both ultrasound and optical coherence tomography applications

Shear wave elasticity imaging can quantitatively estimate a stiffness map of biological tissues based on speckle-tracking shear wave propagation. However, current approaches cannot directly reconstruct elasticity properties in speckle-less or speckle-free regions, for example within the crystalline lens in ophthalmology. We propose an imaging sequence to reconstruct the elastic properties in speckle-free regions by sequentially launching shear waves with a laterally moving acoustic radiation force, and then detecting the displacement at a specific speckle-generating position. The imaging sequence was tested for both ultrasound and phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography imaging. Tissue-mimicking phantom studies were performed and results demonstrate that elastic properties can be imaged in speckle-free regions. This suggests that the method can potentially map the elasticity of the crystalline lens.
The Association of Body Mass Index With Health Outcomes: Causal, Inconsistent, or Confounded?

According to the definition of confounding in a causal diagram, the association of body mass index (weight (kg)/ height (m) 2 ) with health-related outcomes is almost always noncausal, attributable to confounding by weight and perhaps height. The same conclusion holds for any other deterministic derivation from weight and height. No causal knowledge is gained by estimating a nonexistent effect of body mass index.
How Cohorts, Education, and Ideology Shaped a New Sexual Revolution on American Attitudes toward Nonmarital Sex, 1972–1998:

Data from the 1972–98 General Social Surveys document changes in attitudes toward premarital, extramarital, homosexual, and teenage sex. This analysis demonstrates the liberalizing effect of cohort...
Long-range interactions, voltage sensitivity, and ion conduction in S4 segments of excitable channels

Forces acting on the S4 segments of the channel, the voltage-sensing structures, are analyzed. The conformational change in the Na channel is modeled as a helix-coil transition in the four S4 segments, coupled to the membrane voltage by electrical forces. In the model, repulsions between like charges make the S4 segment unstable, but field-dependent forces hold it in an alpha-helix configuration at resting potential. At threshold depolarization, the S4 helices cooperatively expand into random coils, breaking the hydrogen bonds connecting adjacent loops of the alpha helices. Exposed electron pairs left on the carbonyl oxygens constitute sites at which cations can bind selectively. The first hydrogen bond to break is at the channel exterior, then the second breaks, and so on in a zipper-like motion along the entire segment. The Na+ ions hop from one site to the next until all H bonds are broken and all sites are filled with ions. This completes the pathway over which the permeant ions move through the channel, driven by the electrochemical potential difference across the membrane. This microscopic mechanism is consistent with the thermodynamic explanation of ion-channel gating previously formulated as the ferroelectric-superionic transition hypothesis.
Future of endoscopy

Since the advent and wide spread adoption of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the late 1980s, the field of gastrointestinal (GI) surgery has continually evolved towards less invasive techniques. Endoscopy has been increasingly adopted to assist in laparoscopic and open abdominal surgery. Applications are as wide-ranging as evaluation of the myotomy during laparoscopic Heller, combined endoscopic and surgical techniques for placement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tubes, and intra-operative lesion identification during gastric or colon resection. This utilization of endoscopy by GI surgeons has coincided with the development of more advanced intraluminal procedures by gastroenterologists. These endoscopic interventions incorporate “surgical” techniques such as retraction, dissection of tissue planes, hemostasis, and respect for oncologic principles. The evolution of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a logical culmination of this hybridization.
Leuprolide acetate-prepared in vitro fertilization-gamete intrafallopian transfer cycles: efficacy versus controls and cost analysis.

Objective To evaluate the effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) when given through stimulation with gonadotropins versus stopping it as stimulation was initiated versus a control group unprepared in this manner. Also, to construct a cost analysis for this type of therapy in an in vitro fertilization-gamete intrafallopian transfer program (IVF-GIFT). Design Prospective, consecutive, randomized, with a control group. Setting An out-patient IVF-GIFT program. Patients One hundred new patients entering an IVF-GIFT program. Interventions In vitro fertilization or GIFT cycles with or without preparation (pituitary suppression) by GnRH-a administration in which suppression was continued or halted as gonadotropins were begun. Main Outcome Measures Cancellation rates, ampules, and days of gonadotropin use, costs, estradiol (E 2 ) level, egg numbers and quality, and pregnancy rates. Results Stopping GnRH-a (leuprolide acetate) therapy as stimulation was begun did not lessen the suppressive effect in reduction of spontaneous luteinizing hormone surge as seen with continued use of agonist. In contrast, the control group had a 30.3% cancellation rate before ovum retrieval. The E 2 and egg data among the groups were similar, but as expected, agonist use led to the need for more and longer duration of gonadotropin stimulation. Pregnancy rates were not different by group. Costs were approximately even by the third initiated cycle.
USER FRUSTRATION IN HIT INTERFACES: EXPLORING PAST HCI RESEARCH FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CLINICIANS' EXPERIENCES.

User frustration research has been one way of looking into clinicians’ experience with health information technology use and interaction. In order to understand how clinician frustration with Health Information Technology (HIT) use occurs, there is the need to explore Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) literature that addresses both frustration and HIT use. In the past three decades, HCI frustration research has increased and expanded. Researchers have done a lot of work to understand emotions, end-user frustration and affect. This paper uses a historical literature review approach to review the origins of emotion and frustration research and explore the research question; Does HCI research on frustration provide insights on clinicians’ frustration with HIT interfaces? From the literature review HCI research on emotion and frustration provides additional insights that can indeed help explain user frustration in HIT. Different approaches and HCI perspectives also help frame HIT user frustration research as well as inform HIT system design. The paper concludes with a suggested directions on how future design and research may take.
Abstract 431: ScaRNAs Regulate Cardiac Differentiation and Development by Fine Tuning the Spliceosome

Alternative splicing (AS) of mRNA adds diversity to the proteome and precise regulation of AS is essential for proper development. We recently showed that multiple genes critical for heart development are irregularly spliced in the right ventricle of babies with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). We also observed reduced expression of several noncoding small cajal body associated RNAs (scaRNAs). scaRNAs direct the biochemical modification of spliceosomal RNAs and are essential for the stability and function of the spliceosome. Our results provide compelling evidence for a direct role of scaRNAs in regulating splicing of genes that are critical for heart development. To further explore this novel paradigm of developmental regulation, we analyzed the transcriptome of stem cells as they differentiated to beating cardiomyocytes. We observed significant alternative splicing with respect to timepoint (with Bonferroni correction and fdr of 5%) in 3,165 of 20,301 (15.6%) total genes. Importantly, there were 79 alternativ...
Politics and Local Economic Growth: Evidence from India

Political favoritism affects the allocation of government resources, but is it consequential for growth? Using a close election regression discontinuity design and data from India, we measure the local economic impact of being represented by a politician in the ruling party. Favoritism leads to higher private sector employment, higher share prices of firms, and increased output as measured by night lights; the three effects are similar and economically substantive. Finally, we present evidence that politicians influence firms primarily through control over the implementation of regulation.
An Answered Prayer.

Through the generosity of Charles R. Millikan, D. Min., vice president for Spiritual Care and Values Integration, an annual award competition was established at Houston Methodist Hospital among the resident staff. To enter the writing competition, residents must submit a poem or essay of 1,000 words or less on the topic, “On Being a Doctor.” A committee of seven was selected from Houston Methodist Hospital Education Institute to establish the judging criteria and select the winning entries. The following is the second-place winning entry for 2016; the third-place winning entry will be published in the December issue.
Going Back to Move Us Forward: A Conversation with Dr. Cynthia Dillard (Nana Mansa II of Mpeasem, Ghana, West Africa)

ABSTRACTThe Black Lives Matter movement has brought much needed attention to the police brutality that has plagued Black communities nationwide for decades. This increased attention has sparked much needed dialogue about what it means to be Black in America. Unfortunately, many of these conversations continue to leave Black women voiceless. This lack of voice within the movement allows for the continued oppression of Black women and girls. This essay explores wellness as resistance and survival for Black girls and women. In order to understand wellness, the essay explores what wellness could look like and what steps one could take to be well.
Computational Assessment of Potassium and Magnesium Ion Binding to a Buried Pocket in GTPase-Associating Center RNA.

An experimentally well-studied model of RNA tertiary structures is a 58mer rRNA fragment, known as GTPase-associating center (GAC) RNA, in which a highly negative pocket walled by phosphate oxygen atoms is stabilized by a chelated cation. Although such deep pockets with more than one direct phosphate to ion chelation site normally include magnesium, as shown in one GAC crystal structure, another GAC crystal structure and solution experiments suggest potassium at this site. Both crystal structures also depict two magnesium ions directly bound to the phosphate groups comprising this controversial pocket. Here, we used classical molecular dynamics simulations as well as umbrella sampling to investigate the possibility of binding of potassium versus magnesium inside the pocket and to better characterize the chelation of one of the binding magnesium ions outside the pocket. The results support the preference of the pocket to accommodate potassium rather than magnesium and suggest that one of the closely bindin...
Abortion law reform in Victoria: lessons for the UK

The decriminalisation of abortion in Victoria was greeted by one commentator as changing both nothing and everything: “[n]othing, because the number, rate and incidence of abortion will not change. And everything, because for the first time women will be recognised as the authors of our own lives. With that comes our full citizenship”.1 Victoria does not collect data regarding the incidence of abortion and, until now, the only evidence against which to assess these predictions has been anecdotal. Keogh et al. 's2 study in this issue provides the first robust …
Phenotypic and evolutionary adaptation of a model bacterial system to stressful thermal environments.

We studied both phenotypic and evolutionary adaptation to various thermal environments using the bacterium Escherichia coli as an experimental model system. We determined that 42°C was stressful to a bacterial clone adapted to 37°C, based on reductions in both absolute and competitive fitness, as well as induction of a heat stress response. This clone was also used to found replicated populations that were propagated for thousands of generations under several different thermal regimes, including 42°C. Evolutionary adaptation of the populations to 42°C resulted in an increase in both absolute and relative fitness at that temperature, measured respectively as an increase in the number of descendants (and their biovolume) and in competitive ability relative to the ancestral clone. The replicated experimental lineages achieved their evolutionary improvement by several distinct pathways, which produced differential preadaptation to a non-stressful nutrient environment. Adaptation to this stressful temperature entailed neither a change in the ancestral thermal niche nor any pronounced tradeoffs in fitness within the thermal niche, contrary to a priori predictions. This study system has several important advantages for evaluating hypotheses concerning the effects of stress on phenotypic and evolutionary adaptation, including the ability to obtain lineages that have evolved in controlled and defined environments, to make direct measurements of fitness and to quantify the degree of stress imposed by different environments.
Advertising Literacy and Executive Function: Testing Their Influence on Children’s Consumer Behavior

ABSTRACTFor decades, researchers have theorized that children’s persuasion understanding should help them cope with commercial messages. Yet, to date, there is little evidence to support this hypothesized relationship. Recently, scholars have suggested 2 potential reasons for the lack of findings. The first is that the measure of children’s persuasion understanding has not been thoroughly conceptualized, as previous work has confused knowledge of persuasive intent with knowledge of selling intent. The second is that previous research on the subject has not appropriately considered the role that cognitive development plays in helping children respond to commercial messages with a particular focus on the role that executive function should play. Working with 79 elementary school children and their parents, this study tested whether children’s advertising knowledge was associated with parent-reported consumer behavior (i.e., purchase requests) and if children’s executive function moderated this relationship....
A crawling robot driven by multi-stable origami

Using origami folding to construct and actuate mechanisms and machines offers attractive opportunities from small, scalable, and cheap robots to deployable adaptive structures. This paper presents the design of a bio-inspired origami crawling robot constructed by folding sheets of paper. The origami building block structure is based on the Kresling crease pattern (CP), a chiral tower with a polygonal base, which expands and contracts through coupled longitudinal and rotational motion similar to a screw. We design the origami to have multi-stable structural equilibria which can be tuned by changing the folding CP. Kinematic analysis of these structures based on rigid-plates and hinges at fold lines precludes the shape transformation associated with the bistability of the physical models. To capture the kinematics of the bi-stable origami, the panels' deformation behavior is modeled utilizing principles of virtual folds. Virtual folds approximate material bending by hinged, rigid panels, which facilitates the development of a kinematic solution via rigid-plate rotation analysis. As such, the kinetics and stability of folded structures are investigated by assigning suitable torsional spring constants to the fold lines. The results presented demonstrate the effect of fold-pattern geometries on the snapping behavior of the bi-stable origami structure based on the Kresling pattern. The crawling robot is presented as a case study for the use of this origami structure to mimic crawling locomotion. The robot is comprised of two origami towers nested inside a paper bellow, and connected by 3D printed end plates. DC motors are used to actuate the expansion and contraction of the internal origami structures to achieve forward locomotion and steering. Beyond locomotion, this simple design can find applications in manipulators, booms, and active structures.
Cloning, Over-Expression, and Purification of Carbonic Anhydrase from an Extremophilic Bacterium: An Introduction to Advanced Molecular Biology

The photosynthetic bioreactor research program is a training platform appropriate for introducing advanced molecular biology techniques to undergraduate students and advanced high school biology students. For this advanced molecular biology training exercise, the enzyme carbonic anhydrase was cloned, over-expressed, purified, and functionally characterized. Carbonic anhydrases are industrially important enzymes with potential use in carbon sequestration and biofuel production. Alpha and beta carbonic anhydrases from Photobacterium profundum, a psychrophilic, halotolerant bacterium, were characterized in this study. Carbonic anhydrases that can withstand high salinity and are active at low temperatures can be transformed into oleaginous marine microalgae to enhance biofuel production. Our research program started with a three-day boot camp with lectures in relevant topics of molecular biology, microbiology, and research methods. After the boot camp, the lab phase of the project involved training students to perform polymerase chain reaction, DNA gel electrophoresis, DNA ligation, and bacterial transformation. In the final phase of the project, students were trained in recombinant protein over-expression and protein purification techniques. Here we report successful cloning and over-expression by high school students of two novel carbonic anhydrases from a psychrohalophile with application in biofuel production.
An Investigation of Socially Responsible Consumers’ Behavior in Thrift Stores

The annual revenue of U.S. thrift stores is estimated to be $12 billion (First Research, 2014). Apparel products represent the majority of the products sold in these stores (Shim, 2010). While sales of apparel at thrift stores increased steadily during the economic downturn that began in 2008 (Tully, 2012), sales are expected to decrease as the economy improves (IBISWorld, 2012). To remain viable, thrift store managers need to have a solid understanding of their core apparel consumers in order to satisfy their needs (Carrigan & De Pelsmacker, 2009).
Paying Mind to Generational Differences in Medical Education: A Dialectical Book Review

The newest Alliance for Clinical Education edited volume, Mind the Gap: Generational Differences in Medical Education, comprises 10 chapters discussing intergenerational differences and their impli...
Lipids, Apolipoproteins and Lipoproteins

Lipids are transported in the circulation by lipoproteins, macromolecular complexes that consist of lipids (unesterified and esterified cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids) and proteins, termed apolipoproteins. Apolipoproteins serve a variety of physiological functions in lipoprotein metabolism, including cofactors for enzymes, ligands for cell-surface receptors, and structural proteins for lipoprotein biosynthesis. A summary of the major apolipoproteins and their known functions is provided in Table 6.1 (reviewed in Reference 1).
Latex allergy in adults with spinal cord injury: a pilot investigation.

Latex allergy is a well-known complication of repeated exposure to natural rubber latex (NRL) products. The medical literature is replete with studies investigating the prevalence of NRL allergy in...
Mechanism of phospholipid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: acyl-CoA synthetase is not required for the incorporation of intracellular free fatty acids into phospholipid.

Abstract Previous results have shown that acyl-CoA synthetase is required both for the incorporation of exogenous fatty acids into the phospholipids of E. coli and for the transport of fatty acids into the cell. We have demonstrated that acyl-CoA synthetase is not required for the incorporation of intracellular free fatty acids into phospholipid. This finding indicates that the role of this enzyme in the incorporation of exogenously supplied fatty acids is primarily at the level of fatty acid transport.
Targeting Endoglin to Treat Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Lessons from Osler‐Weber‐Rendu Syndrome

This commentary reviews the novel mechanism of action of TRC105 in the context of treatments currently available for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, highlighting the recent findings of Choueiri and colleagues.
Does the composition of financial services in a community relate to an Individual’s savings account ownership?

ABSTRACTThis study extends research on financial inclusion by exploring the composition of financial services within communities. Using propensity-score-adjusted probit regression, we explored asso...
Ureteroarterial Fistula in a Patient with an Ileal Conduit and Chronic Nephroureteral Catheter.

Abstract Background: Ureteroarterial fistula (UAF) is a rare and potentially devastating diagnosis most often associated with a combination of pelvic oncologic or vascular surgery, radiation, and c...
Temperature-Responsive Hydrophobic Silica Nanoparticle Ultrasound Contrast Agents Directed by Phospholipid Phase Behavior

In this paper, we report ultrasonically active nanoscale contrast agents that behave as thermometric sensors through phase change in their stabilizing phospholipid monolayer. Phospholipid-stabilized, hydrophobic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (P@hMSNs) are known to interact with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to promote cavitation at their surfaces, which can be used for both imaging and therapy. We show that the lateral lipid phase behavior of the phosphocholine lipid dictates the acoustic contrast of the P@hMSNs. When the lipids are in the gel phase below their melting temperature, the P@hMSNs generate detectable microbubbles when exposed to HIFU. However, if the lipids exhibit a liquid expanded phase, the P@hMSNs cease to generate bubbles in response to HIFU insonation. We verify that the heating and subsequent transition of lipid coating the hMSN are associated with the loss of acoustic response by doping laurdan dye into the lipid monolayer and imaging lipid phase through red shifts in emission spectra. Similarly, cessation of cavitation was also induced by adding a fluidizing surfactant such as Triton X, which could be reversed upon washing away the excess surfactant. Finally, by controlling for the partial fluidization caused by the adsorption of protein, P@hMSNs may be used as thermometric sensors of the bulk fluid temperature. These findings not only impact the utilization of nanoscale agents as stimulus-responsive ultrasound contrast agents but also have broader implications for how cavitation may be initiated at surfaces coated by a surfactant.
Nonlinear evolution of perturbations in high Mach number wall-bounded flow: Pressure-dilatation effects

We characterize the nonlinear evolution of perturbations in a high Mach number Poiseuille flow and contrast the behavior against an equivalent incompressible flow. The focus is on the influence of pressure–dilatation on (i) internal energy evolution, (ii) kinetic–internal energy exchange, and (iii) kinetic energy spectrum evolution. We perform direct numerical simulations of plane Poiseuille flow at different Mach numbers subject to a variety of initial perturbations. In all high-speed cases considered, pressure dilatation leads to energy equipartition between wall-normal velocity fluctuations (dilatational kinetic energy) and pressure fluctuations (a measure of internal energy). However, the effect of pressure–dilatation on the kinetic energy spectral growth can be varied. In cases wherein pressure–dilatation is larger than the turbulent kinetic energy production, spectral growth is considerably slow relative to an equivalent low Mach number case. When pressure–dilatation is smaller than production, the spectral growth is only marginally affected. As a consequence, in a high-speed Poiseuille flow, the spectral growth rate varies with the wall-normal distance depending on the local pressure effects. These findings provide valuable insight into the nonlinear aspects of breakdown toward turbulence in high speed wall-bounded shear flows.
The Role of the Speaker, the Listener, and Their Joint Contributions During Communicative Interactions: A Tripartite View of Intelligibility in Individuals With Dysarthria

Purpose We present a tripartite view of intelligibility in which the contributions of both the speaker and listener, as well as their joint effort during interaction, are considered. While consider...
Neuroendovascular Treatment of Acute Stroke During COVID-19: A Guide From the Frontlines.

Since the initial reports surfaced of a novel coronavirus causing illness and loss of life in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has rapidly spread across the globe, infecting millions and leaving hundreds and thousands dead. As hospitals cope with the influx of patients with COVID-19, new challenges have arisen as health-care systems care for patients with COVID-19 while still providing essential emergency care for patients with acute strokes and acute myocardial infarction. Adding to this complex scenario are new reports that patients with COVID-19 are at increased risk of thromboembolic complications including strokes. In this article, we detail our experience caring for acute stroke patients and provide some insight into neurointerventional workflow modifications that have helped us adapt to the COVID-19 era.
Plasma TNFα and Unknown Factor/s Potentially Impede Erythroblast Enucleation Obstructing Terminal Maturation of Red Blood Cells in Burn Patients.

INTRODUCTION In this study, using burn patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we have shown that the Epo independent stage of terminal enucleation to reticulocyte formation is impeded in the presence of autologous plasma (BP). Furthermore, substitution with allogeneic control plasma (CP) from the healthy individual in place of BP rectified this enucleation defect. The exclusive role of burn microenvironment in late-stage erythropoiesis defect was further demarcated through control healthy human bone marrow cells cultured in the presence of CP, BP, and cytokines. METHODS PBMCs and human bone marrow (huBM) were differentiated ex vivo to enucleated reticulocytes in the presence of required growth factors and 5% CP or BP. Effect of systemic mediators in burn microenvironment like IL-6, IL-15, and TNFα was also explored. Neutralization experiments were carried out by adding varying concentrations (25 ng-400 ng/mL) of Anti-TNFα Ab to either CP+TNFα or BP. RESULTS Reticulocyte proportion and maturation index were significantly improved upon substituting BP with CP during differentiation of burn PBMCs. In the huBM ex vivo culture, addition of IL-6 and IL-15 to CP inhibited the proliferation stages of erythropoiesis, whereas TNFα supplementation caused maximum diminution at erythroblast enucleation stage. Supplementation with anti-TNFα in the BP showed significant but partial restoration in the enucleation process, revealing the possibility of other crucial microenvironmental factors that could impact RBC production in burn patients. CONCLUSION Exogenous TNFα impairs late-stage erythropoiesis by blocking enucleation, but neutralization of TNFα in BP only partially restored terminal enucleation indicating additional plasma factor(s) impair(s) late-stage RBC maturation in burn patients.
Supervised t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding for data visualization and classification.

We propose a novel supervised dimension-reduction method called supervised t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (St-SNE) that achieves dimension reduction by preserving the similarities of d...
Data driven mathematical model of colon cancer progression

Abstract Every colon cancer has its own unique characteristics, and therefore may respond differently to identical treatments. Here, we develop a data driven mathematical model for the interaction network of key components of immune microenvironment in colon cancer. We estimate the relative abundance of each immune cell from gene expression profiles of tumors, and group patients based on their immune patterns. Then we compare the tumor sensitivity and progression in each of these groups of patients, and observe differences in the patterns of tumor growth between the groups. For instance, in tumors with a smaller density of naive macrophages than activated macrophages, a higher activation rate of macrophages leads to an increase in cancer cell density, demonstrating a negative effect of macrophages. Other tumors however, exhibit an opposite trend, showing a positive effect of macrophages in controlling tumor size. Although the results indicate that for all patients, the size of the tumor is sensitive to the parameters related to macrophages such as their activation and death rate, this research demonstrates that no single biomarker could predict the dynamics of tumors.