cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for laryngeal trauma and granuloma formation in pediatric intubations.

Abstract Objective Intubation has been associated with laryngeal injury that often resolves spontaneously without complication. We present a case of a child intubated for less than 48 hours, who presented with dysphonia and intermittent dyspnea two months after intubation due to epiglottic and vocal process granulomas. This is unusual in that multiple granulomas were found in the posterior glottis and supraglottis after short-term intubation. Our objective was to determine if there are risk factors for developing persistent post-intubation sequelae, including the delayed presentation and unusual location of post-intubation granulomas in our case. Study design Case report and systematic literature review. Methods Pubmed database, which is inclusive of MEDLINE, was used to perform a literature review with the search terms ((pediatric OR children OR neonatal OR infant) AND (laryngeal OR supraglottic) AND intubation AND (granuloma OR injury OR complication)). Only English language results were reviewed. Titles and abstracts from 379 results were reviewed. Full text was reviewed from all original studies which included human pediatric subjects and endoscopic examinations after endotracheal intubation. Results In our case, laryngeal granuloma size reduced significantly after starting anti-reflux medications. The remainder was removed with laryngeal microdebrider with no recurrence at 3 weeks and 2.5 years post-operatively. Overall, 28 of the 379 studies reviewed identified evidence of laryngeal trauma due to intubation, however only 6 studies documented any type of supraglottic injury. Risk factors identified for developing post-intubation sequelae included intubation duration greater than 24 h; trauma to the larynx via various mechanisms including traumatic intubation, need for reintubation and tube changes, and increased movement while intubated; and presence of respiratory tract infection during intubation. Conclusion Trauma to the larynx during intubation should be avoided to minimize post-intubation injury in pediatric patients, by using appropriate intubation protocols, endotracheal tube size, and adequate sedation.
A Conceptual Model for Alpine Slope Process Study

This paper presents the model around which a geomorphic study of the impact of artificially augmented snowfall on alpine terrain has been designed. It consists of a two-order hierarchy which can be...
Intermittent coupling between grip force and load force during oscillations of a hand-held object

Tightly coordinated grip force adaptations in response to changing load forces have been reported as continuous, stable, and proportional to the load force changes. Considering the existence of inherent sensorimotor feedback delays, current accounts of grip force-load force coupling invoke explicit predictive mechanisms in the form of internal models for feedforward control to account for anticipatory grip force modulations. However, recent findings suggest that the stability and regularity of grip force-load force coupling is less persistent than previously thought. Thus, the objective of the current study was to comprehensively quantify the time-varying characteristics of grip force-load force coupling. Investigations into the coupling's dynamics during continuous 30 s bouts of load force oscillation revealed intermittent phases of coordination, as well as phases that varied in stability, rather than a persistent and continuously stable pattern of coordination. These findings have important implications for accounts of grip force-load force coupling and of anticipation in motor control, more broadly.
An Experimental Comparison of Three Methods for Collision Handling in Virtual Environments

This study compares three common strategies for handling collisions between the user's virtual body and other objects in a cluttered virtual environment. Test subjects sought “treasures” in a maze of narrow corridors which were embedded in a jumble of irrelevant shapes. The application ran on a PC, with the mouse and screen as the interface. When encounters an object, he either passes through it, stops completely, or is deflected around it. Data show that the third strategy best facilitates goal-seeking behavior with this interface and for this type of problem. This result is significant because collision handling is critically important to the usefulness of Virtual Reality applications. Furthermore, the screen-and-mouse interface is both the most common and least studied for virtual environments.
2 – Assessing Available Information

Access to information is no longer a limiting factor in scientific progress. All the data generated in a study should be made available for scrutiny. Internet technology has made space limitations imposed by print journals obsolete. Data sets that are prohibitively large to be included in print form, such as those arising from DNA microarray studies, are being made available via Internet web sites. Similarly, comprehensive data sets should be made available for all studies, including clinical trials. All raw data and calculations should be made available, including those for individual experiments that “failed to work” for whatever reason. The practice of reporting data only from the subset of experiments that yielded data consistent with the hypothesis should be abandoned. The results of all studies, even ones in which the null hypothesis was supported (negative studies), should be reported. Such negative results, assuming the study was conducted and interpreted correctly, provide valid and potentially important information. This should be a requirement for all studies conducted with public funds, even incorrectly conducted studies. This information would be useful in making funding decisions. Regardless of how scientific information is communicated, its critical evaluation always will remain central to the scientific enterprise. This skill must be learned and practiced by its participants.
Food Insecurity Is More Strongly Associated with Poor Subjective Well-Being in More-Developed Countries than in Less-Developed Countries.

Background Food insecurity is strongly associated with subjective well-being. People compare their well-being to a subjective reference that adjusts over time, which is called hedonic adaptation. Objective We aimed to deepen understanding of the relation between food insecurity and subjective well-being among countries from the perspective of possible hedonic adaptation between food insecurity and subjective well-being. Methods Global data from the Gallup World Poll 2014 were collected from 152,206 individuals in 147 countries. Telephone and face-to-face surveys were conducted in 37 and 111 countries, respectively, collecting data on law and order; food and shelter; institutions and infrastructure; job climate; and financial, social, physical, and evaluative well-being, including the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Data were aggregated to country level and merged with economic and social measures from World Bank and United Nations sources: infant mortality, gross domestic product, economic inequality, agricultural value added, fertility, maternal mortality, female schooling, and female participation in the labor force. Multilevel linear regression was used to examine associations between well-being and food insecurity. Results Experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity was prevalent among countries, with a mean probability of 0.273 ± 0.220. Countries that were less developed economically and socially had a higher probability of experiencing food insecurity, lower subjective well-being as measured by the daily experience index, and less negative slopes for the relation between daily experience index and food insecurity. Food insecurity was the strongest predictor of daily experience from among the measures of economic and social development. Conclusions The prevalence of food insecurity was strongly and negatively associated with subjective well-being across 147 countries. The association between food insecurity and poor subjective well-being within countries was stronger for more-developed countries, providing evidence of hedonic adaptation between food insecurity and subjective well-being. Food insecurity explained substantial variation in subjective well-being both among and within countries.
Disparities in opioid related mortality between United States counties from 2000 to 2014.

Abstract Background The general increase in opioid-related deaths is well documented, and disparities by geographic regions and demographic characteristics have been observed as well. However, the distribution of opioid-related deaths among U.S. counties and the trends in that distribution have not been fully explored. This study examines the inequality in opioid death rates to assess convergence or divergence in opioid-related mortality between counties. Methods Using mortality data from the NVSS for 2000–2014, this study examines the Gini coefficient of the county opioid mortality distribution. Results The distribution of opioid mortality became more equal, with the Gini coefficient falling from 0.81 in 2000 to 0.61 in 2014. Counties with lower initial opioid mortality rates experienced faster growth in mortality than counties with high initial mortality. Conclusions Counties have experienced a convergence in opioid mortality rates. This poses potential challenges for addressing the crisis, as measures must become much broader in scope and be implemented in areas in which the dangers of the opioid crisis are not as apparent.
Rapid Prototyping of Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality Interfaces

This course introduces participants to rapid prototyping techniques for augmented reality and virtual reality interfaces. Participants will learn about both physical prototyping with paper and Play-Doh as well as digital prototyping via new visual authoring tools for AR/VR. The course is structured into four sessions. After an introduction to AR/VR prototyping principles and materials, the next two sessions are hands-on, allowing participants to practice new physical and digital prototyping techniques. These techniques use a combination of new paper-based AR/VR design templates and smartphone-based capture and replay tools, adapting Wizard of Oz for AR/VR design. The fourth and final session will allow participants to test and critique each other's prototypes while checking against emerging design principles and guidelines. The instructor has previously taught the techniques to broad student audiences with a wide variety of non-technical backgrounds, including design, architecture, business, medicine, education, and psychology, who shared a common interest in user experience and interaction design. The course is targeted at non-technical audiences including HCI practitioners, user experience researchers, and interaction design professionals and students. A useful byproduct of the course will be a small portfolio piece of a first AR/VR interface designed iteratively and collaboratively in teams.
Promyelocytic Leukemia-Retinoic Acid Receptor α Binds and Prevents Activation of the Fas Receptor and Suppresses Fas-Mediated Apoptosis.

Abstract Abstract 3976 Poster Board III-912 Fas plays a critical role in cell proliferation and in the selective killing of autoreactive lymphocytes and abnormal cells, including infected cells. To explain the common expression of Fas and the resistance to the Fas killing observed in some normal and cancer cells, we have screened cells for potential regulators of the Fas death receptor. By using mass spectroscopy analysis of Fas-associated proteins, we identified a group of peptides derived from promyelocytic leukemia (PML). PML enhances pro-apoptotic signaling, while the promyelocytic leukemia–retinoic acid receptor α (PMLRARα) activates pro-survival pathways. Given these opposing functions, we tested whether PMLRARα, which typically operates in a dominant-negative manner, blocks Fas-mediated apoptosis. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that PMLRARα interacts with Fas in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)-derived NB4 cells, U937-PR9 cells and in APL primary cells. The binding of PMLRARα to Fas was mapped to the B-box domain of PMLRARα. Flow cytometry analysis of propidium iodide-stained and Annexin-V-stained cells challenged with Fas ligand (FasL) or agonistic anti-Fas antibody (CH-11) indicated that the presence of PMLRARα was associated with blocked Fas-mediated apoptosis at early and late stages. The knockdown of PMLRARα with shRNA sensitized the NB4 cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Expression of PMLRARα in U937-PR9 cells prevented Fas-mediated cleavage of procaspase-8 and also prevented procaspase-8 from binding to the Fas complex upon stimulation with the agonistic anti-Fas antibody (CH-11). Further analysis indicated that PMLRARα bound to FLIPL/S and forms an apoptotic inhibitory complex with Fas, which prevents Fas activation. The data suggest that tissue-specific inhibitors of Fas such as PMLRARα block Fas-mediated apoptosis and thus can contribute to cancer development. Our results may provide an explanation for the long-known role of PMLRARα and PML in the regulation of Fas signaling, which we have shown to occur by direct regulation. We have identified an attractive potential target to the regulation of apoptosis at the PMLRARα-Fas and PML-Fas interfaces. By neutralizing the effect of death receptor inhibitors such as PMLRARα and other potential inhibitors, we can improve on the success of the many chemotherapeutic treatments that depend on activation of death receptors for effective elimination of cancer cells. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The Latent Functions of Welfare and Need-Satisfaction of the Disadvantaged

In a study carried out among a representative sample of Jewish Israeli adults, a paradigm of need-satisfaction by direct welfare assistance has been developed and, to a great extent, empirically supported. Multivariate analysis revealed that, despite the fact that it is recognized as indispensible in facilitating basic living conditions, direct welfare assistance, whatever its kind, predicts frustration rather than need-satisfaction. The data ascertain that attributing to the welfare assistance the latent functions of preserving consumers' inferiority and of pursuing the agencies' and the welfare workers' interests rather than those of the consumers, constitute a major factor in the resulting feeling of frustration. Dependence, a sense of deprivation, and the attribution of these latent functions, rather than need-satisfaction beyond those of facilitating basic living conditions, are greatly predicted by receiving direct welfare assistance. *This paper is based on a research project on "interethnic relations in the Israeli Jewish society: Identification, Alienation and Integrative Mechanisms," funded by a grant from the Israeli National Council of Research and Development, and carried out in the framework of the Israeli Institute of Applied Social Research. My gratitude is expressed to the Council whose funding made this study possible, and for their permission to use the data. I am particularly indebted to Haya Gratch from the IIASR for her indispensible assistance and help in editing the paper.
Tachyarrhythmia discriminator for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in bundle branch block

Background Inaccurate arrhythmia classification by implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) contributes to inappropriate shocks and increased health care utilization. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of a novel discriminator using far-field (FF) and near-field (NF) right ventricular lead electrograms (EGMs) to differentiate ventricular tachycardia (VT) from supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in patients with underlying conducted narrow QRS, right bundle branch block (RBBB), and left bundle branch block (LBBB). Methods ICD interrogations were reviewed, identifying subjects with tachycardia events at least 5 beats in duration with stable morphology and cycle length. FF to NF (FF–NF) EGM intervals during tachycardia and baseline conducted rhythm were measured using digital calipers. Events with uncertain tachycardia rhythm mechanism were excluded. Results Ninety-five subjects were included. Mean FF–NF interval during tachycardia was significantly lower during SVT than VT (25.8 ± 12.0 ms vs 91.0 ± 37.2 ms; P Conclusion Prolonged FF–NF interval on intracardiac EGM during tachycardia is a highly specific discriminator for VT, regardless of baseline QRS morphology.
Superior mechanical recovery in male and female MRL/MpJ tendons is associated with a unique genetic profile

Tendon ruptures heal by forming a mechanically inferior scar. We have shown that male Murphy Roths large (MRL/MpJ) mice exhibit improved tendon healing, suggesting that they can inform biological mechanisms that lead to effective tendon healing. As sex impacts healing, we assessed the effect of sex on tendon healing in MRL/MpJ and normal healer C57BL/6 (B6) mice and compared the associated biological environment with identify genes that may be integral to the improved healing outcome. We hypothesized that (a) male MRL/MpJ mice will heal with improved mechanical properties compared to females; and (b) that regenerative tendon healing will be associated with decreased fibrotic pathways, decreased inflammation, and increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). A midsubstance punch was introduced, and tendons were harvested after (a) 1 or 7 days for profiling of 84 genes; (b) 7 or 14 days for the assessment of MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity; and (c) 6 weeks for mechanical assessment. MRL/MpJ tendons healed with the better restoration of mechanical properties than B6 tendons. Sex did not affect the mechanical properties of healing B6 or MRL/MpJ tendons. Comparison of the gene expression profiles in the context of the mechanical outcome revealed several differences between MRL/MpJ and B6 tendon healing, including, lower inflammation, an earlier higher expression of TGF-β-related genes that diminish by 7 days, and genes associated with enhanced cell migration in MRL/MpJ in comparison to B6 tendons. We expect that the timecourse and expression levels of these genes in scarless MRL/MpJ tendon healing represent the balanced environment that leads to improved tendon healing.
Single-Molecule Studies of Actin Assembly and Disassembly Factors

The actin cytoskeleton is very dynamic and highly regulated by multiple associated proteins in vivo. Understanding how this system of proteins functions in the processes of actin network assembly and disassembly requires methods to dissect the mechanisms of activity of individual factors and of multiple factors acting in concert. The advent of single-filament and single-molecule fluorescence imaging methods has provided a powerful new approach to discovering actin-regulatory activities and obtaining direct, quantitative insights into the pathways of molecular interactions that regulate actin network architecture and dynamics. Here we describe techniques for acquisition and analysis of single-molecule data, applied to the novel challenges of studying the filament assembly and disassembly activities of actin-associated proteins in vitro. We discuss the advantages of single-molecule analysis in directly visualizing the order of molecular events, measuring the kinetic rates of filament binding and dissociation, and studying the coordination among multiple factors. The methods described here complement traditional biochemical approaches in elucidating actin-regulatory mechanisms in reconstituted filamentous networks.
Overview of Data Systems Sources

This chapter sets the stage for Part III of this textbook. We provide an overview of the spectrum of *sources* of data. We review the data sources we encountered in Part II, local files, and local and remote database systems, and then extend to those network-based data sources that are central to the client–server systems to be explored in the chapters to come. These include web servers and providers that offer data through APIs.
Visualization of brain microvasculature and blood flow in vivo: Feasibility study using confocal laser endomicroscopy.

Objective Qualitative and quantitative analyses of blood flow in normal and pathologic brain and spinal cord microvasculature were performed using confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE). Methods Blood flow in cortical, dural, and spinal cord microvasculature was assessed in vivo in swine. We assessed microvasculature under normal conditions and after vessel occlusion, brain injury due to cold or surgical trauma, and cardiac arrest. Tumor-associated microvasculature was assessed in vivo and ex vivo in 20 patients with gliomas. Results We observed erythrocyte flow in vessels 5-500 µm in diameter. Thrombosis, flow arrest and redistribution, flow velocity changes, agglutination, and cells rolling were assessed in normal and injured brain tissue. Microvasculature in in vivo CLE images of gliomas was classified as normal in 68% and abnormal in 32% of vessels on the basis of morphological appearance. Dural lymphatic channels were discriminated from blood vessels. Microvasculature CLE imaging was possible for up to 30 minutes after a 1 mg/kg intravenous dose of fluorescein. Conclusions CLE imaging allows assessment of cerebral and tumor microvasculature and blood flow alterations with subcellular resolution intraoperative imaging demonstrating precise details of real-time cell movements. Research and clinical scenarios may benefit from this novel intraoperative in vivo microscopic fluorescence imaging modality.
Cognitive and behavioural flexibility: neural mechanisms and clinical considerations.

Cognitive and behavioural flexibility permit the appropriate adjustment of thoughts and behaviours in response to changing environmental demands. Brain mechanisms enabling flexibility have been examined using non-invasive neuroimaging and behavioural approaches in humans alongside pharmacological and lesion studies in animals. This work has identified large-scale functional brain networks encompassing lateral and orbital frontoparietal, midcingulo-insular and frontostriatal regions that support flexibility across the lifespan. Flexibility can be compromised in early-life neurodevelopmental disorders, clinical conditions that emerge during adolescence and late-life dementias. We critically evaluate evidence for the enhancement of flexibility through cognitive training, physical activity and bilingual experience. Flexibility is critical for the optimal adaptation of thoughts and actions under changing circumstances. In this Review, Uddin summarizes research that has identified cognitive processes and neural systems supporting flexibility and discusses ways to improve flexibility across the lifespan.
Priority-Setting to Address the Geriatric Pharmacoparadox for Pain Management: A Nursing Home Stakeholder Delphi Study

Evidence to guide clinical decision making for pain management in nursing home residents is scant. Our objective was to explore the extent of consensus among expert stakeholders regarding what analgesic issues should be prioritized for comparative-effectiveness studies of beneficial and adverse effects of analgesic regimens in nursing home residents. Two stakeholder panels (nurses only and a mix of clinicians/researchers) were engaged (n = 83). During a three-round online modified Delphi process, participants rated and commented on the need for new evidence on nonopioid analgesic regimens and opioid regimens, short-term adverse effects, long-term adverse effects, comorbid conditions, and other factors in the nursing home setting (9-point scale; 1 = not essential to 9 = very essential to obtain new evidence). The quantitative data were analyzed to determine the existence of consensus using an approach from the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method User’s Manual. The qualitative data, consisting of participant explanations of their numeric ratings, were thematically analyzed by an experienced qualitative researcher. For nursing home residents, evidence generation was deemed essential for opioids, gabapentin (alone or with serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [SNRIs]), and nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs with SNRIs. Experts prioritized the following outcomes as essential: long-term adverse effects, including delirium, cognitive decline, and decline in activities of daily living (ADLs). Kidney disease and depression were deemed essential conditions to consider in studies of pain medications. Coprescribing analgesic regimens with benzodiazepines, sedating medications, serotonergic medications, and non-SNRI antidepressants were considered essential areas of study. Experts noted that additional study was essential in residents with moderate/severe cognitive impairment and limitations in ADLs. Stakeholder priorities for more evidence reflect concerns related to treating medically complex residents with complex drug regimens and included long-term adverse effects, coprescribing, and sedating medications. Carefully conducted observational studies are needed to address the vast evidence gap for nursing home residents.
The Impact of Depressive Symptoms on Response to Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders and Intimate Partner Violence.

Purpose Past studies demonstrated the efficacy of integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for substance use disorder (SUD) and intimate partner violence (IPV) as well as high rates of depressive symptoms in this population. However, little is known about how depressive symptoms impact treatment outcomes. We hypothesized that integrated CBT, but not standard drug counseling (DC), would buffer the negative effects of depressive symptoms on treatment response. Design/methodology/approach A secondary analysis of a randomized trial compared men assigned to 12 weeks of integrated CBT for SUD and IPV (n=29) to those in DC (n=34). Findings Most (60%) of the sample reported any depressive symptoms. Controlling for baseline IPV, reporting any depressive symptoms was associated with more positive cocaine screens during treatment. Among men with depressive symptoms, integrated CBT but not DC was associated with fewer positive cocaine screens. Controlling for baseline alcohol variables, integrated CBT and depressive symptoms were each associated with less aggression outside of intimate relationships (e.g., family, strangers) during treatment. For men without depressive symptoms, integrated CBT was associated with less non-IPV aggression compared to DC. Effects were not significant for other substances, IPV, or at follow-up. Originality Although integrated CBT's efficacy for improving SUD and IPV has been established, moderators of treatment response have not been investigated. Practical Implications Integrated CBT buffered depressive symptoms' impact on cocaine use, yet only improved non-IPV aggression in men without depressive symptoms. Research Limitations/Implications This study found some evidence for differential response to CBT by depressive symptoms on cocaine and aggression at end of treatment, which did not persist three months later. Future studies should explore mechanisms of integrated CBT for SUD and IPV, including mood regulation, on depressive symptoms in real-world samples.
It’s Alive!! Ray Kurzweil, AI, and Frankentelligence

AI will not emerge as a product of computing speed alone. AI which fails to incorporate a thoroughgoing appreciation of the value and sanctity of “human being” will be nothing more than a monstrous, Frankintelligent perversion of that humanity.
Incongruence between dominant commensal donor microbes in recipient feces post fecal transplant and response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND To understand inter-individual variability of fecal microbe transplantation (FMT) to enhance anti-PD-1 immunotherapy (IT) for melanoma, we analyzed the data sets from two recent publications with a microbial strain-tracking tool to determine if donor strains were dominant in the recipient feces following FMT. RESULTS Analysis of the Baruch et al. data set found that the presence of commensal donor microbes in recipient feces post-FMT did not correlate with the patient response to IT. From the Davar et al., data set, we found 4 patients that responded to IT had donor's related strain post-FMT, while 2 patients that did not respond to the IT also had donor's strain post-FMT. Importantly, we identified no donor microbes in the feces in one recipient post-FMT that responded to IT. Furthermore, in depth analysis from two patients who responded to IT revealed both donor and recipient strains at different times post-FMT. Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract niches is important for the interaction with the host immune system. Using a separate data set, we show that mucosa from the cecum, transverse colon, and sigmoid colon share strains, providing a large reservoir of niches containing recipient microbes. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated using strain-tracking analysis individual variation with the respect to the presence of fecal dominant donor microbes in the recipient following FMT that did not correlate with the response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. The inter-individual differences of FMT to enhance IT might be explained by the variability of the donor microbes to occupy and outcompete recipient microbes for the gastrointestinal niches. The result from our study supports the use of new approaches to clear the niches in the gastrointestinal tract to promote donor colonization to reduce inter-individual variability of IT for melanoma and potentially other cancers.
Prediction in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence

According to a recent influential proposal, several phenotypic features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be accounted for by differences in predictive skills between individuals with ASD and neurotypical individuals. In this systematic review, we describe results from 47 studies that have empirically tested this hypothesis. We assess the results based on two observable aspects of prediction: learning a pairing between an antecedent and a consequence and responding to an antecedent in a predictive manner. Taken together, these studies suggest distinct differences in both predictive learning and predictive response. Studies documenting differences in learning predictive pairings indicate challenges in detecting such relationships especially when predictive features of an antecedent have low salience or consistency, and studies showing differences in habituation and perceptual adaptation suggest low-level predictive processing differences in ASD. These challenges may account for the observed differences in the influence of predictive priors, in spontaneous predictive movement or gaze, and in social prediction. An important goal for future research will be to better define and constrain the broad domain-general hypothesis by testing multiple types of prediction within the same individuals. Additional promising avenues include studying prediction within naturalistic contexts and assessing the effect of prediction-based intervention on supporting functional outcomes for individuals with ASD. LAY SUMMARY: Researchers have suggested that many features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be explained by differences in the prediction skills of people with ASD. We review results from 47 studies. These studies suggest that ASD may be associated with differences in the learning of predictive pairings (e.g., learning cause and effect) and in low-level predictive processing in the brain (e.g., processing repeated sounds). These findings lay the groundwork for research that can improve our understanding of ASD and inform interventions. Autism Res 2021, 14: 604-630. © 2021 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
The Invisible FAANG

We present a model of seller expertise, expressed in our setting as the accuracy of seller beliefs about buyers. Principally, both buyers and sellers are heterogeneous ex-ante, the former with respect to their marginal valuation for quality of a good and the latter with respect to expertise. Information asymmetries from both private buyer valuations and uncertainty regarding the number of competing sellers per buyer give rise to imperfectly competitive equilibria, in which sellers offer screening menus. We characterize equilibria generically through results concerning existence, uniqueness, a ranking property of menus with respect to the indirect utilities offered to each type of buyer, as well as link between the sellers' belief about being in a high valuation buyer match and the generosity of their bids. Using our analytic characterization, we explore variations in market structure to study the effects of expertise on trade. Expertise is uniformly efficiency enhancing but inherently redistributive. On the demand side, low valuation buyers benefit while high valuation buyers suffer. On the supply side, expertise not only benefits sellers who possess it, but even those who do not.
Representative Bridging Voluntary Associations’ Potential for Creating Bridging Ties in Demographically Diverse Urban Areas

Do urban voluntary associations foster bridging social ties? Recent research on diverse urban areas suggests that local voluntary associations may be forming ties between different social groups. R...
Clarence X?: The Black Nationalist Behind Justice Thomas's Constitutionalism

To anyone who cares to listen, Justice Thomas’s opinions thunder with the strong black-nationalist voice typically associated with one of Thomas’s personal heroes, Malcolm X. Like Malcolm X, Justice Thomas categorically rejects the idea that white racism remains an insurmountable obstacle to meaningful black progress in America. Although racism unquestionably exists, enormous progress has been made in American race relations - progress that was dramatically confirmed last year by the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first black president. In this climate, with legal protections against discrimination finally enshrined into law after generations of struggle and suffering, blacks need not look to race-based remedies or preferential treatment from society in order to succeed. They need only look within, to the genius, creativity, and capacity for hard work that resides in the heart and mind of every black person. So, if we care to know who the “unknown” Justice Thomas is, the answer is as provocative as it is obvious from his opinions. He is, quite simply, Clarence X - a jurist who is not only a constitutionalist, but a black nationalist as well.
Restricted N-terminal truncation of cardiac troponin T: a novel mechanism for functional adaptation to energetic crisis.

The N-terminal variable region of cardiac troponin T (TnT) is a regulatory structure that can be selectively removed during myocardial ischaemia reperfusion by μ-calpain proteolysis. Here we investigated the pathophysiological significance of this post-translational modification that removes amino acids 1–71 of cardiac TnT. Working heart preparations were employed to study rat acute myocardial infarction and transgenic mouse hearts over-expressing the N-terminal truncated cardiac TnT (cTnT-ND). Ex vivo myocardial infarction by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery induced heart failure and produced cTnT-ND not only in the infarct but also in remote zones, including the right ventricular free wall, indicating a whole organ response in the absence of systemic neurohumoral mechanisms. Left ventricular pressure overload in mouse working hearts produced increased cTnT-ND in both ventricles, suggesting a role of haemodynamic stress in triggering an acute whole organ proteolytic regulation. Transgenic mouse hearts in which the endogenous intact cardiac TnT was partially replaced by cTnT-ND showed lowered contractile velocity. When afterload increased from 55 mmHg to 90 mmHg, stroke volume decreased in the wild type but not in the transgenic mouse hearts. Correspondingly, the left ventricular rapid-ejection time of the transgenic mouse hearts was significantly longer than that of wild type hearts, especially at high afterload. The restricted deletion of the N-terminal variable region of cardiac troponin T demonstrates a novel mechanism by which the thin filament regulation adapts to sustain cardiac function under stress conditions.
DNA damage and cell cycle checkpoints in hyperoxic lung injury: braking to facilitate repair

The beneficial use of supplemental oxygen therapies to increase arterial blood oxygen levels and reduce tissue hypoxia is offset by the knowledge that it injures and kills cells, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Although many studies have focused on understanding how hyperoxia kills cells, recent findings reveal that it also inhibits proliferation through activation of cell cycle checkpoints rather than through overt cytotoxicity. Cell cycle checkpoints are thought to be protective because they allow additional time for injured cells to repair damaged DNA and other essential molecules. During recovery in room air, the lung undergoes a burst of proliferation to replace injured and dead cells. Failure to terminate this proliferation has been associated with fibrosis. These observations suggest that growth-suppressive signals, which inhibit proliferation of injured cells and terminate proliferation when tissue repair has been completed, may play an important role in the pulmonary response to hyperoxia. Because DNA replication is coupled with DNA repair, activation of cell cycle checkpoints during hyperoxia may be a mechanism by which cells protect themselves from oxidant genotoxic stress. This review examines the effect of hyperoxia on DNA integrity, pulmonary cell proliferation, and cell cycle checkpoints activated by DNA damage.
Patent Ductus Arteriosus Ligation in Premature Infants: Unproven Long Term Benefit at the Cost of Short Term Morbidities?

Patent Ductus Arteriosus Ligation in Premature Infants: Unproven Long Term Benefit at the Cost of Short Term Morbidities?
The use of remote sensing and landscape metrics to describe structures and changes in urban land uses

Remote sensing technology has great potential for acquisition of detailed and accurate land-use information for management and planning of urban regions. However, the determination of land-use data with high geometric and thematic accuracy is generally limited by the availability of adequate remote sensing data, in terms of spatial and temporal resolution, and digital image analysis techniques. This study introduces a methodology using information on image spatial formlandscape metricsto describe urban land-use structures and land-cover changes that result from urban growth. The analysis is based on spatial analysis of land-cover structures mapped from digitally classified aerial photographs of the urban region Santa Barbara, CA. Landscape metrics were calculated for segmented areas of homogeneous urban land use to allow a further characterization of the land use of these areas. The results show a useful separation and characterization of three urban land-use types: commercial development, high-density residential, and low-density residential. Several important structural land-cover features were identified for this study. These were: the dominant general land cover (built up or vegetation), the housing density, the mean structure and plot size, and the spatial aggregation of built-up areas. For two test areas in the Santa Barbara region, changes (urban growth) in the urban spatial land-use structure can be described and quantified with landscape metrics. In order to discriminate more accurately between the three land-cover types of interest, the landscape metrics were further refined into what are termed 'landscape metric signatures' for the land-use categories. The analysis shows the importance of the spatial measurements as second-order image information that can contribute to more detailed mapping of urban areas and towards a more accurate characterization of spatial urban growth pattern.
Social spring: encounter-based path refinement for indoor tracking systems

Indoor localization is poised to catalyze the development of smarter buildings and the creation of reactive indoor spaces, allowing for user-optimized energy expenditure and a more intimate user experience. This paper presents Social Spring, an architecture and corresponding software suite for refining indoor path estimation algorithms. Given an underlying indoor localization scheme, Social Spring attempts to reduce path estimation errors by leveraging encounters between users in real time. The driving concept behind Social Spring is that paths are treated as strings of nodes connected edgewise in a graph, while encounters are treated as additional edges in that graph. Each node attempts to minimize a local potential function dictated by a network of springs, the minimum of which is designed such that nodes converge to a lower energy (equivalently lower error) state. We further provide simulations and preliminary tests on real indoor localization datasets in order to lend credence to Social Spring's effectiveness over a range of environmental factors, demonstrating between 10% and 30% error reduction.
The perception of stop consonant voicing by Spanish-English bilinguals

The performance of Spanish-English bilinguals in two perception tasks, using a synthetic speech continuum varying in voice onset time, was compared with the performance of Spanish and English monolinguals. Voice onset time in speech production was also compared between these groups. Results in perception of bilinguals differed from that of both monolingual groups. Results of bilingual production in their two languages conformed with results obtained from each monolingual group. The perceptual results are interpreted in terms of differences in the use of available acoustic cues by bilingual and monolingual listeners of English and Spanish.
Measurements of adiposity as clinical biomarkers for first-line bevacizumab-based chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract Objective There is a lack of reliable indicators to predict who will benefit most from anti-angiogenic therapy, such as bevacizumab. Recognizing obesity is associated with increased levels of VEGF, the main target of bevacizumab, we sought to assess if adiposity, measured in terms of BMI, subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and visceral fat area (VFA) was prognostic. Methods Reviewed 46 patients with advanced EOC who received primary treatment with bevacizumab-based chemotherapy (N=21) or chemotherapy alone (N=25) for whom complete records, CT prior to the first cycle of chemo, and serum were available. CT was used to measure SFA and VFA by radiologists blinded to outcomes. ELISA was used to measure serum levels of VEGF and angiopoietin-2 in the bevacizumab group. Results BMI, SFA, and VFA were dichotomized using the median and categorized as "high" or "low". In the bevacizumab group median PFS was shorter for patients with high BMI (9.8 vs. 24.7months, p=0.03), while in the chemotherapy group median PFS was similar between high and low BMI (17.6 vs. 11.9months, p=0.19). In the bevacizumab group patients with a high BMI had higher median levels of VEGF and angiopoietin-2, 371.9 vs. 191.4pg/ml (p=0.05) and 45.9 vs. 16.6pg/ml (p=0.09) respectively. On multivariate analysis neither BMI, SFA, nor VFA were associated with PFS (p=0.13, p=0.86, p=0.16 respectively) or OS (p=0.14, p=0.93, p=0.28 respectively) in the chemotherapy group. However, in the bevacizumab group BMI was significantly associated with PFS (p=0.02); accounting for confounders adjusted HR for high vs. low BMI was 5.16 (95% CI 1.31–20.24). Additionally in the bevacizumab group SFA was significantly associated with OS (p=0.03); accounting for confounders adjusted HR for high vs. low SFA was 3.58 (95% CI 1.12–11.43). Conclusion Results provide the first evidence in EOC that patients with high levels of adiposity may not derive benefit from bevacizumab and that measurements of adiposity are likely to be a useful biomarker.
Image-side perspective and stereoscopy

Correct perspective is crucial to orthostereoscopy. That is to say, the observer must view from the same points in space, relative to the image, that the stereo camera's lenses had relative to the scene. Errors in placement of the observation points result in distortion of the reconstructed stereo image. Although people adapt easily to visual distortions, they may not do it well enough or quickly enough for critical telepresence and telerobotic applications. Further, it is difficult for humans to reliably determine by sight the correct observation point relative to an image. A mathematical guide to correct perspective is therefore useful. The mathematical key to perspective is that all images must subtend at the eye the same angles which the objects that generated them subtended at the camera. The center of perspective on the object side of a camera is the entrance pupil, but where is the center of perspective on the image side of an asymmetrical lens? A simple formula simply derived answers that question. By way of background, pertinent optics and stereoscopic reconstruction errors, including perspective error, are reviewed in this paper. New work begins in the fourth section.
Cover Picture: Thermotropic Liquid Crystals as Substrates for Imaging the Reorganization of Matrigel by Human Embryonic Stem Cells (Adv. Funct. Mater. 5/2006)

New approaches to the culture of cells and measurements of cell–extracellular-matrix interactions are suggested in the Full Paper by Abbott and co-workers on p. 618. The culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) on interfaces of a thermotropic liquid crystal that are decorated with thin films of the extracellular matrix, Matrigel, are investigated. The cover image shows the polarized light microscopy image of hESCs cultured for three days on a Matrigel-coated film of liquid crystal hosted within a TEM grid. The hESCs reorganized the Matrigel, leading to patterned orientations of the liquid crystal. We have investigated the culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) on interfaces of the thermotropic liquid crystal, TL205, that are decorated with thin films of the extracellular matrix, Matrigel. hESCs seeded at the liquid-crystal/Matrigel interface survive for weeks, and cell colonies grow over this time. The cells show levels of differentiation comparable to that observed for cells on Matrigel-coated glass controls. Polarized and fluorescence microscopy reveal that the orientational order of the liquid crystal is coupled to the presence and organization of Matrigel. This enables straightforward imaging of the reorganization of Matrigel by the hESCs through changes in the appearance of the liquid crystal when observed using polarized light microscopy. The coupling between Matrigel and TL205 thus provides a simple tool for monitoring the reorganization of the Matrigel film over time. Our results suggest new approaches to the culture of cells and measurements of cell–extracellular-matrix interactions.
Group additivity values for standard heats of formation of gaseous chlorofluorocarbons and related species

Group additivity values are presented which can be used to estimate standard heats of formation for a variety of gaseous fluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (molecules, radicals, diradicals and carbenes). Wherever these values cannot be obtained directly from standard heats of formation, they are estimated by requiring bond dissociation enthalpies to follow monotonic trends across homologous series of species. For cases where there is insufficient information to establish these trends, an alternative empirical procedure that stems from ab initio results is used. An estimate of the uncertainty in each group additivity value is provided.