cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Value-Based Multidisciplinary Techniques for Commercial Aircraft System Design

A quantitative tool is presented to perform program-level valuation of commercial aircraft designs. The algorithm used expands on traditional net present value methods through the explicit consideration of market uncertainty and the ability of the firm to react to such uncertainty through real-time decision making throughout the course of the aircraft program. The algorithm links three separate models, performance, cost, and revenue, into a system-level analysis by viewing the firm as a decision-making agent facing continuous choices between several different operating modes. An optimization problem is set up and solved using a dynamic programming approach to find a set of operating mode decisions that maximizes the firm's expected value from the aircraft project. The result is a quantification of value that can be used to make program-level design trades and to gain insight into the effects of uncertainty on a particular aircraft design. Examples are drawn from the blended-wing-body aircraft concept to demonstrate the operation of the program valuation tool.
Aneurysm of the Left Main Coronary Artery

Aneurysms of the left main coronary artery are rare; the estimated incidence is < 0.1%. They are usually associated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, and are incidental discoveries at the time of cardiac catheterization for the evaluation of cardiac symptoms. This report describes the clinical course of a patient with an isolated left main coronary artery aneurysm and generalized atherosclerosis.
Perforated Coated Tablets for Controlled Release of Drugs at a Constant Rate

Tablets with a central hole and a water-impermeable coating were prepared. These perforated coated tablets (PCTs) dissolve and release drug through the central hole only. In vitro release of the model drugs sodium benzoate and benzamide from PCTs occurred at a constant rate up to 80% release. The zero-order release rate varies with hole size, drug solubility, drug concentration, diluent solubility, and binder concentration. These results demonstrate that the PCT design can be used to prepare drug delivery devices which release at controllable constant rates.
Receptor-Interacting Protein Homotypic Interaction Motif-Dependent Control of NF-κB Activation via the DNA-Dependent Activator of IFN Regulatory Factors

DNA-dependent activator of IFN regulatory factors (IRF; DAI, also known as ZBP1 or DLM-1) is a cytosolic DNA sensor that initiates IRF3 and NF-κB pathways leading to activation of type I IFNs (IFNα, IFNβ) and other cytokines. In this study, induction of NF-κB is shown to depend on the adaptor receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIP)1, acting via a RIP homotypic interaction motif (RHIM)-dependent interaction with DAI. DAI binds to and colocalizes with endogenous RIP1 at characteristic cytoplasmic granules. Suppression of RIP1 expression by RNAi abrogates NF-κB activation as well as IFNβ induction by immunostimulatory DNA. DAI also interacts with RIP3 and this interaction potentiates DAI-mediated activation of NF-κB, implicating RIP3 in regulating this RHIM-dependent pathway. The role of DAI in activation of NF-κB in response to immunostimulatory DNA appears to be analogous to sensing of dsRNA by TLR3 in that both pathways involve RHIM-dependent signaling that is mediated via RIP1, reinforcing a central role for this adaptor in innate sensing of intracellular microbes.
Amplitude-based spatial signal processing using high-order statistics. Part II

This paper continues the characterization and analysis of a spatial signal processing problem using only signal amplitude information. The results generalize the "signal separator" or "eigenvector sorting" algorithm used in some very low frequency (VLF) receiver systems by removing the requirement that the solution vectors be orthogonal. An algebraic characterization of the solution is formulated and used to facilitate a numerical search. >
Exosomes released from M. tuberculosis infected cells can suppress IFN-γ mediated activation of naïve macrophages.

Background Macrophages infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) are known to be refractory to IFN-γ stimulation. Previous studies have shown that M.tb express components such as the 19-kDa lipoprotein and peptidoglycan that can bind to macrophage receptors including the Toll-like receptor 2 resulting in the loss in IFN-γresponsiveness. However, it is unclear whether this effect is limited to infected macrophages. We have previously shown that M.tb-infected macrophages release exosomes which are 30–100 nm membrane bound vesicles of endosomal origin that function in intercellular communication. These exosomes contain mycobacterial components including the 19-kDa lipoprotein and therefore we hypothesized that macrophages exposed to exosomes may show limited response to IFN-γ stimulation.
How Do Small Things Make a Big Difference? Activities to Teach about Human–Microbe Interactions

Recent scientific studies are providing increasing evidence for how microbes living in and on us are essential to our good health. However, many students still think of microbes only as germs that harm us. The classroom activities presented here are designed to shift student thinking on this topic. In these guided inquiry activities, students investigate human–microbe interactions as they work together to interpret and analyze authentic data from published articles and develop scientific models. Through the activities, students learn and apply ecological concepts as they come to see the human body as a fascinatingly complex ecosystem.
Etiology of Maternal-Student Role Stress:

This paper details the refinement and testing of a proposition regarding the age-related effects of psychological involvement in both the maternal role and the student role, and total network support on maternal-student role stress. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that the independent variables contribute to an explanation of maternal-student role stress only for women aged 37 years and older. The proposition was further refined. It supports the propositions of both Neuman's systems model and Meleis et al.'s transition framework. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
A comparison of a multistate inpatient EHR database to the HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample

The growing availability of electronic health records (EHRs) in the US could provide researchers with a more detailed and clinically relevant alternative to using claims-based data. In this study we compared a very large EHR database (Health Facts©) to a well-established population estimate (Nationwide Inpatient Sample). Weighted comparisons were made using t-value and relative difference over diagnoses and procedures for the year 2010. The two databases have a similar distribution pattern across all data elements, with 24 of 50 data elements being statistically similar between the two data sources. In general, differences that were found are consistent across diagnosis and procedures categories and were specific to the psychiatric–behavioral and obstetrics–gynecology services areas. Large EHR databases have the potential to be a useful addition to health services researchers, although they require different analytic techniques compared to administrative databases; more research is needed to understand the differences.
The Relationships among Heritage Language Proficiency, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Esteem.

With the trend toward globalization and the continual change of the ethnic composition of the U.S. population, there is increasing awareness in the U.S. that not every child is raised in an English-only family. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationships among heritage language proficiency, ethnic identity, and self-esteem in the American-born Chinese (ABC) children who go to Chinese language schools for Chinese language learning on weekends. A total of 63 students and their 56 parents are surveyed in the quantitative study. Results show that there are positive relationships between Chinese heritage language proficiency and ethnic identity (r = .316, p = .006), language proficiency and self-esteem (r = .255, p = .022), and ethnic identity and self-esteem (r = .240, p = .029). The study provides implications for the Chinese language schools, parents, educators, and policymakers, as well as the implications for future study. The full text of the article can be found at 10.18275/fire201502021039
Role of Cysteine-rich 61 Protein (CCN1) in Macrophage-mediated Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus Clearance

Glioblastoma is a devastating disease, and there is an urgent need to develop novel therapies, such as oncolytic HSV1 (OV) to effectively target tumor cells. OV therapy depends on tumor-specific replication leading to destruction of neoplastic tissues. Host responses that curtail virus replication limit its efficacy in vivo. We have previously shown that cysteine-rich 61 protein (CCN1) activates a type 1 IFN antiviral defense response in glioblastoma cells. Incorporating TCGA data, we found CCN1 expression to be a negative prognostic factor for glioblastoma patients. Based on this, we used neutralizing antibodies against CCN1 to investigate its effect on OV therapy. Use of an anti-CCN1 antibody in mice bearing glioblastomas treated with OV led to enhanced virus expression along with reduced immune cell infiltration. OV-induced CCN1 increases macrophage migration toward infected glioblastoma cells by directly binding macrophages and also by enhancing the proinflammatory activation of macrophages inducing MCP-1 expression in glioblastoma cells. Activation of macrophages by CCN1 also increases viral clearance. Neutralization of integrin αMβ2 reversed CCN1-induced macrophage activation and migration, and reduced MCP-1 expression by glioblastoma cells. Our findings reveal that CCN1 plays a novel role in pathogen clearance; increasing macrophage infiltration and activation resulting in increased virus clearance in tumors.
Time of Day and the Decision to Prescribe Antibiotics

Clinicians make many patient care decisions each day. The cumulative cognitive demand of these decisions may erode clinicians’ abilities to resist making potentially inappropriate choices. Psychologists, who refer to the erosion of self-control after making repeated decisions as decision fatigue,1,2 have found evidence that it affects nonmedical professionals. For example, as court sessions wear on, judges are more likely to deny parole, the “easier” or “safer” option.3
Experimental evaluation of structural features for a speaker-independent voice recognition system

A preliminary investigation to evaluate a speaker-independent voice-recognition system based on speaker-invariant feature measurements is presented. The signal is represented as a trajectory in the first-order phase plane, from which a set of features is extracted including uncoded and coded intersection number with the x- and y-axes, respectively. Both nearest-neighbor and K-means clustering are used for classification. The feature set was evaluated for speaker-invariant recognition using an orthographic (written) vowel data. Among the features selected, the uncoded intersection number provided much tighter clustering in the decision space with an error rate of 10% using nearest-neighbor classification. >
Effect of the separate and combined administration of mestranol and phenobarbital on the development of altered hepatic foci expressing placental form of glutathione S-transferase in the rat

The stages in the carcinogenesis process include initiation, promotion and progression. Although many characteristics of tumor promotion and promoting agents have been reported, relatively few studies on the effects of combinations of promoting agents have been detailed. For study of the combined effects of phenobarbital (PB) and mestranol (MS) in multistage rat hepatocarcinogenesis, an initiation-promotion protocol was developed. Female rats were injected i.p. at 5 days of age with either diethylnitrosamine (DEN) (10 mg/kg) or the solvent tricaprilyn. At weaning, approximately 10 rats from both the DEN-initiated and the solvent control groups were provided basal diet alone, PB (10, 100 or 500 mg/kg diet), MS (0.02 or 0.2 mg/kg diet) or various combinations of both PB and MS in the basal diet. At 8 months of age, the rats were killed and the livers removed, sectioned and fixed in ice-cold acetone. Sections of 5 microgram thickness were stained for placental glutathione S-transferase (PGST) expression, and the volume fraction of liver occupied by altered hepatic foci was determined by stereology. In addition, incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine into nuclei of PGST-expressing (focal) and non-PGST-expressing (non-focal) hepatocytes was determined. Administration of the highest dose of PB resulted in a significant decrease in non-focal hepatocyte labeling index, with a 4-fold differential between the focal and non-focal hepatocyte labeling index. Administration of 0.2 mg/kg diet MS resulted in effective promotion. The non-focal labeling index was increased and the focal labeling index was further enhanced (3-fold) relative to the non-focal index by this dose of MS. Combination of the lower MS dose with PB resulted in at least an additive promoting effect; however, a lower volume fraction was noted for the combination of low MS dose plus the highest PB dose. Combination of the higher MS dose with PB resulted in an elevation of volume fraction only for the middle PB dose. These findings indicate that the potency of promotion by mixtures is modulated by the dose of each component as well as by pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of each component of the mixture.
Reliability in Hot Switched Ruthenium on Ruthenium MEMS Contacts

Although metal-to-metal direct contact MEMS switches are a promising alternative to solid state switches in RF communication systems, the reliability of their electrical contacts has proven to be a barrier to entry to the market. Hot switching is known to have the most damaging effect on the contacts although an understanding of all the mechanisms leading to this damage is a work-in-progress. In this investigation, a customized Atomic Force Microscope was used to study the electrical contacts. The contacts were cycled at approach rates of 115 μm/s, 440 μm/s and 4400 μm/s and at different polarities. While material transfer is confirmed to be the primary source of contact damage, the results suggest that two different mechanisms could be at play at the leading and trailing edge of a hot switched cycle. A polarity driven mechanism and a contact separation rate dependent mechanism were observed. Low-level transient currents up to a few μA that may or may not be related to the material transfer, were observed at the leading edge of the switching cycle.
The DNA Ligase IV Syndrome R278H Mutation Impairs B Lymphopoiesis via Error-Prone Nonhomologous End-Joining

Hypomorphic mutations in the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair protein DNA ligase IV (LIG4) lead to immunodeficiency with varying severity. In this study, using a murine knock-in model, we investigated the mechanisms underlying abnormalities in class switch recombination (CSR) associated with the human homozygous Lig4 R278H mutation. Previously, we found that despite the near absence of Lig4 end-ligation activity and severely reduced mature B cell numbers, Lig4(R278H/R278H) (Lig4(R/R)) mice exhibit only a partial CSR block, producing near normal IgG1 and IgE but substantially reduced IgG3, IgG2b, and IgA serum levels. In this study, to address the cause of these abnormalities, we assayed CSR in Lig4(R/R) B cells generated via preassembled IgH and IgK V region exons (HL). This revealed that Lig4(R278H) protein levels while intact exhibited a higher turnover rate during activation of switching to IgG3 and IgG2b, as well as delays in CSR kinetics associated with defective proliferation during activation of switching to IgG1 and IgE. Activated Lig4(R/R)HL B cells consistently accumulated high frequencies of activation-induced cytidine deaminase-dependent IgH locus chromosomal breaks and translocations and were more prone to apoptosis, effects that appeared to be p53-independent, as p53 deficiency did not markedly influence these events. Importantly, NHEJ instead of alternative end-joining (A-EJ) was revealed as the predominant mechanism catalyzing robust CSR. Defective CSR was linked to failed NHEJ and residual A-EJ access to unrepaired double-strand breaks. These data firmly demonstrate that Lig4(R278H) activity renders NHEJ to be more error-prone, and they predict increased error-prone NHEJ activity and A-EJ suppression as the cause of the defective B lymphopoiesis in Lig4 patients.
On the Geometric and Thermal Errors of a Hexapod Machine Tool

This paper describes the measurement and analysis of the quasi-static errors of a prototype hexapod milling machine located at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Emphasis is placed on a) identification of the most important parametric errors and their potential impact on performance, b) description of the techniques used to measure and estimate the parametric errors, and c) application of various concepts to model the geometric and thermal errors of the hexapod.
Defect Analysis of Silicon Irradiated by Pulsed Ion Beams

Silicon wafers with (001), (011), and (111) orientations were irradiated with pulsed Ba beams that caused shallow surface melting. Upon resolidification the dislocations are trapped with configurations which are characteristically different for each orientation. A novel feature are dislocations with a [100] Burgers vectors. The dislocations accommodate part of the thermal misfit between substrate and solidifying layer.
Safety Issues in Local/Short Haul Trucking: The Drivers' Perspective:

Focus groups were conducted to gain an understanding, from the local/short haul (L/SH) drivers' perspective, of the general safety concerns related to L/SH trucking and, specifically, the degree to...
Influence of Sodium Thiosulfate on Reducing Capacity of Human Erythrocytes in vivo.

SummaryReducing capacity of erythrocytes has been measured. Followng intravenous infusion of sodium thiosulfate, there occurs a significant diminution in this capacity. A reductivity index (R.I.) was established relating diminution in this capacity with amount of sodium thiosulfate infused. R. I. of erythrocytes of women is more than double that of normal men. Preliminary studies suggest that estrogen and androgen may influence R.I.
Fast estimation from above of the maximum wave speed in the Riemann problem for the Euler equations

This paper is concerned with the construction of a fast algorithm for computing the maximum speed of propagation in the Riemann solution for the Euler system of gas dynamics with the co-volume equation of state. The novelty in the algorithm is that it stops when a guaranteed upper bound for the maximum speed is reached with a prescribed accuracy. The convergence rate of the algorithm is cubic and the bound is guaranteed for gasses with the co-volume equation of state and the heat capacity ratio γ in the range ( 1 , 5 / 3 .
Intra-Abdominal Desmoid Tumor: An Unusual Case of Recurrent Tumor in a Testis Cancer Patient

AbstractRecurrence of teratoma or carcinoma in testis cancer patients found to have teratoma at post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy is well recognized. We report a case of an intra-abdominal desmoid tumor discovered 2 years following post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in a testis cancer patient who had teratoma at the time of lymphadenectomy. To our knowledge this is the first case of an intra-abdominal desmoid tumor discovered in this setting. The characteristics and treatment considerations of this unusual tumor are described. Desmoid tumor should be included in the differential diagnosis of tumor recurrence in testis cancer patients previously subjected to post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy.
Understanding the Impact of the Transnational Promotional Class on Political Communication

This article is an overture to political communication researchers to broaden their categories and contexts of analysis when assessing the role of promotional practices in political life. It aims to make both methodological and empirical contributions to qualitative political communication research. Drawing on ongoing research into the proliferation of political communication strategies around the exploitation of oil in Canada and the United States, the article analyzes efforts by promotional intermediaries to achieve legitimacy for their clients in three sites: Montreal, Canada; Houston, Texas; and Fort McMurray, Alberta. Bringing to light the tools, techniques, and claims to authority of promotional actors and their practices, the article demonstrates the importance of field research to the analysis of political communication. By getting inside the social worlds of the actors and processes involved, researchers can make sense of the ways that political communication is defined, understood, and acted upon by interlocutors and audiences. The article also addresses specific methodological challenges of undertaking this research.
A Quantitative Rebuck Technic

A Simple technic is described by which the cells exuded from a skin abrasion can be collected as a cell suspension suitable for quantitation and for further study of the living cells. The technic is identical in principle to the quantitative modification of Rebuck’s "skin window" technic which was devised by Perillie and Finch, but the smaller flatter chamber is more easily affixed to the arm and rarely leaks and can be left in place overnight without interfering with sleep. Hence, it is more acceptable to the subjects under study and technically more satisfactory. It provides a method of obtaining normal cells and of studying the cellular reaction to various antigenic or nonantigenic stimuli.
Loss of β-adrenergic–stimulated phosphorylation of CaV1.2 channels on Ser1700 leads to heart failure

L-type Ca2+ currents conducted by voltage-gated calcium channel 1.2 (CaV1.2) initiate excitation–contraction coupling in the heart, and altered expression of CaV1.2 causes heart failure in mice. Here we show unexpectedly that reducing β-adrenergic regulation of CaV1.2 channels by mutation of a single PKA site, Ser1700, in the proximal C-terminal domain causes reduced contractile function, cardiac hypertrophy, and heart failure without changes in expression, localization, or function of the CaV1.2 protein in the mutant mice (SA mice). These deficits were aggravated with aging. Dual mutation of Ser1700 and a nearby casein-kinase II site (Thr1704) caused accelerated hypertrophy, heart failure, and death in mice with these mutations (STAA mice). Cardiac hypertrophy was increased by voluntary exercise and by persistent β-adrenergic stimulation. PKA expression was increased, and PKA sites Ser2808 in ryanodine receptor type-2, Ser16 in phospholamban, and Ser23/24 in troponin-I were hyperphosphorylated in SA mice, whereas phosphorylation of substrates for calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II was unchanged. The Ca2+ pool in the sarcoplasmic reticulum was increased, the activity of calcineurin was elevated, and calcineurin inhibitors improved contractility and ameliorated cardiac hypertrophy. Cardio-specific expression of the SA mutation also caused reduced contractility and hypertrophy. These results suggest engagement of compensatory mechanisms, which initially may enhance the contractility of individual myocytes but eventually contribute to an increased sensitivity to cardiovascular stress and to heart failure in vivo. Our results demonstrate that normal regulation of CaV1.2 channels by phosphorylation of Ser1700 in cardiomyocytes is required for cardiovascular homeostasis and normal physiological regulation in vivo.
Conversion for the Better: A Broadband Highly Efficient Microwave Photonics Detector

Optical fibers have many advant ages over traditional electrical cables and interconnects when it comes to transmitting high-frequency signals. These advantages include lower loss, higher bandwidth, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and lower power consumption. It is due to these advantages that fiber optic links have found widespread use in applications such as radioover-fiber and antenna remoting, where coaxial cable loss increases prohibitively versus frequency.
583. Nonionic Block Copolymers Guide Macrophages To Transfect Skeletal Muscle Cells Upon Direct i. m. Injections

Purpose: Skeletal muscle offers a clinically feasible site for i. m. delivery of genes for therapeutic proteins expression and prophylactic DNA vaccine purposes. Though much research has been focused on development of cationic lipids and polymers for encapsulating plasmid DNA (pDNA) for in vitro transfections, direct i. m. injection of pDNA still results in higher muscle transfection levels. In comparison to existing technologies such as viral vectors there still is a need to further improve muscle transfection levels with pDNA injections. Non-ionic block copolymers, Pluronic P85 and SP1017 (mixture of L61 and F127), when mixed with pDNA, enhance skeletal muscle transfection in euthymic (BALB/c and C57BL/6) mouse and not athymic (BALB/c nu/nu) mouse. Therefore, we studied role of immune cells in muscle transfection.Methods and Results: pDNA alone or an admix of pDNA+Pluronic were injected into tibialis anterior (TA) muscle in presence or absence of local inflammation to demonstrate the effect of immune cells in muscle transfection. Local-inflammation drastically enhanced DNA, RNA and gene expression levels when pDNA was co-delivered with P85 or SP1017 and not pDNA alone. Pluronics enhanced in vitro gene expression in MPs to upto 4 orders in magnitude and not muscle cells. Moreover, adoptive transfer of ex vivo transfected MPs with GFP DNA to ischemic mice resulted in GFP expression in muscle fibers along with MPs. Therefore, in vitro muscle inflammation model was developed by co-culturing DNA transfected macrophages (MPs) with myotubes (MTs) to see the effect of P85 on gene transfer to MTs. Treatment of co-culture (pDNA transfected MPs with MTs) with P85 resulted in increase in total and muscle specific gene expression ca. 30 and 120 times respectively, confirming pDNA transfer from MPs to MTs. Moreover, in vivo depletion of MPs resulted in significant decrease in gene expression confirming the role of MPs in Pluronic based muscle transfection. Finally, pre-injection with P85 on day 1.5 and not day 5 at subsequent sites of DNA injections, recruited MPs to the site of injections and further enhanced the gene expression levels of muscles injected with pDNA+P85 and not pDNA alone. View Large Image | Download PowerPoint SlideConclusions: Pluronic block copolymers utilize immune cells, specifically MPs, to deliver genes to otherwise very hard to transfect skeletal muscle fibers and hence constitute a novel class of biopharmaceuticals or a platform technology for in vivo gene delivery.
Differentiating code from data in x86 binaries

Robust, static disassembly is an important part of achieving high coverage for many binary code analyses, such as reverse engineering, malware analysis, reference monitor in-lining, and software fault isolation. However, one of the major difficulties current disassemblers face is differentiating code from data when they are interleaved. This paper presents a machine learning-based disassembly algorithm that segments an x86 binary into subsequences of bytes and then classifies each subsequence as code or data. The algorithm builds a language model from a set of pre-tagged binaries using a statistical data compression technique. It sequentially scans a new binary executable and sets a breaking point at each potential code-to-code and code-to-data/data-to-code transition. The classification of each segment as code or data is based on the minimum cross-entropy. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Unfamiliar Brands and Exaggerated Warranty: Is It a Recipe for Success? – Structured Abstract

Unfamiliar brands face the formidable challenge of effectively signaling the quality of their products to consumers. Yet, a current market search reveals that unfamiliar brands attempt to signal quality by offering product warranties. Furthermore, many of these unfamiliar brands offer warranties that are considerably longer than the warranty lengths for comparable products from recognized brands. We label these warranties as exaggerated since they clearly outlive the consumers’ expected period of use for such products (e.g., 10 years warranty on a hoodie).
Water Requirements for Aquacultural Ponds

The two most common types of aquaculture ponds are levee ponds, constructed by building levees around areas where water is to be impounded, and watershed ponds, made by erecting dams across watersheds. Levee ponds are filled and maintained by water from wells, streams, or storage reservoirs. Watershed ponds usually are supplied by runoff; some depend entirely on overland flow, and others also receive inflow of intermittent or permanent streams. Pond design and construction is discussed in Chapter 13.
Modeling Biological Structure

This chapter describes the University of Washington FMA (UW FMA) that uses knowledge representation ideas and formalisms to create ontology of biological structure. Structure and function are the dual frameworks for understanding health, disease, diagnosis, and treatment. They are also the essential framework for describing biological knowledge from molecular biology to ecology and evolution. Anatomy ontology, formal representations of the body, organs, organ parts, and tissues, including their properties and relationships, is a significant example to accomplish such task used in UW FMA. In addition to describing its principles and content, it describes how to write programs that retrieve entities and compute results from the information stored about each entity. In order to serve as a basis for sound reasoning, the FMA must satisfy some consistency criteria. It also discusses how these constraints can be checked, which should also shed some light on the general problem of automated auditing of large scale ontologies. The FMA project, with its goal to develop a consistent computational theory of anatomy, is one of the most ambitious ontology building projects in biomedical informatics. It helps to learn that the expressivity of the metaclass idea and the representation of relations themselves as entities are both key elements of complex biomedical theories.
Network based model of social media big data predicts contagious disease diffusion.

Purpose Predicting future outbreaks and understanding how they are spreading from location to location can improve patient care provided. Recently, mining social media big data provided the ability to track patterns and trends across the world. This study aims to analyze social media micro-blogs and geographical locations to understand how disease outbreaks spread over geographies and to enhance forecasting of future disease outbreaks. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors use Twitter data as the social media data source, influenza-like illnesses (ILI) as disease epidemic and states in the USA as geographical locations. They present a novel network-based model to make predictions about the spread of diseases a week in advance utilizing social media big data. Findings The authors showed that flu-related tweets align well with ILI data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (p < 0.049). The authors compared this model to earlier approaches that utilized airline traffic, and showed that ILI activity estimates of their model were more accurate. They also found that their disease diffusion model yielded accurate predictions for upcoming ILI activity (p < 0.04), and they predicted the diffusion of flu across states based on geographical surroundings at 76 per cent accuracy. The equations and procedures can be translated to apply to any social media data, other contagious diseases and geographies to mine large data sets. Originality/value First, while extensive work has been presented utilizing time-series analysis on single geographies, or post-analysis of highly contagious diseases, no previous work has provided a generalized solution to identify how contagious diseases diffuse across geographies, such as states in the USA. Secondly, due to nature of the social media data, various statistical models have been extensively used to address these problems.
Opting Out of Social Media: Online Communication Attitudes Mediate the Relationship Between Personality Factors and Facebook Non-Use

Social networking sites (SNSs) are becoming an increasingly normalized aspect of people’s daily social lives. Although questions relating to how individuals use SNSs such as Facebook for social pur...
Improving Early Palliative Care with a Scalable, Stepped Peer Navigator and Social Work Intervention: A Single-Arm Clinical Trial.

Abstract Background: Patients with cancer could benefit from early primary (i.e., basic) palliative care. Scalable models of care delivery are needed. Objective: Examine the feasibility of a stepped peer navigator and social work intervention developed to improve palliative care outcomes. Design: Single-arm prospective clinical trial. The peer navigator educated patients to advocate for pain and symptom management with their healthcare providers, motivated patients to pursue advance care planning, and discussed the role of hospice. The social worker saw patients with persistent psychosocial distress. Setting/Subjects: Patients with advanced cancer at a VA Medical Center not currently in palliative care or hospice whose oncologist would not be surprised if the patient died in the subsequent year. Measurements: Participation and retention rates, patient-reported symptoms and quality of life, advance directive documentation, patient satisfaction survey, and semistructured interviews. Results: The participati...
Neurological injuries from skateboards in paediatric and adolescent populations: injury types and severity

BackgroundSkateboarding is a popular recreation among children and adolescents. Injuries that result in presentation to emergency departments are varied including head injuries. The study aims to assess the type and severity of neurological damage to the brain and spine in children from injuries incurred while using a skateboard.MethodsAfter obtaining Ethics approval, a retrospective case review was performed of all admissions to all Brisbane, Australia public hospital neurosurgery departments of children 18 years and less who experienced injuries to the brain and spine for the years 2010-2014.ResultsThere were 51 skateboard-related admissions over the study period of which 94% were male. The mean age was 14.3 years. The Injury Severity Score (ISS) ranged from 1 to 38 with a mean of 11.4. A total of 70.5% of the ISS scores fell within the minor or moderate categories and 29.5% fell within the serious and severe categories. There were no ISS scores in the critical category. A total of 16 skull vault fractures and 14 skull base fractures were recorded. There were 13 extradural haematomas of which five were evacuated by craniotomy and one of whom experienced hemiplegia. There was a spinal cord injury with paraplegia. A range of other neurological complications occurred. There were no deaths.ConclusionUncommon but serious neurological morbidity accompanies skateboard use. Concerns remain about the level of helmet use and choice of unsafe locations for skateboarding.
Experimental Stone-Cutting with the Mycenaean Pendulum Saw

The development of an advanced stone-working technology in the Aegean Bronze Age is suggested by the putative Mycenaean pendulum saw. This device seems to have been used to cut through hard sedimentary rock at a number of sites on the Greek mainland and, according to some scholars, also in central Anatolia. As no pendulum saws are preserved in the archaeological record, understanding the machine relies on preserved tool marks and experimental research. This paper presents the results of stone-cutting experiments conducted with a modern reconstruction of a pendulum saw. The research investigates blade shape, size, design and the mechanics of the device, while questioning the accuracy of earlier reconstructions
Will reduced portion size compromise restaurant customer’s value perception?

Abstract The restaurant industry’s increased portion sizes have led to accusations that they contribute to food overconsumption. Reducing excessive food portions in restaurants, however, may be considered risky by foodservice operators concerned about consumers’ perceived value of the food. Two quasi-experiments were conducted examining how changes in portion and plate size would affect restaurant consumers’ perceived reasonable price of food and their willingness to pay. A two-by-two, between-subject factorial design was used in study 1 (n = 101) with plate size (small & medium) and portion size (regular & reduced) as independent variables. Study 2 used a between subject design with three experimental conditions: large portion, medium portion, and small portion (n = 71). Results showed that the impact of a reduced portion size on consumer’s perceived value of the food depended on the consumers’ perceived quality of the food and their purchase intention.
Research: A comprehensive and quantitative exploration of thousands of viral genomes

The complete assembly of viral genomes from metagenomic datasets (short genomic sequences gathered from environmental samples) has proven to be challenging, so there are significant blind spots when we view viral genomes through the lens of metagenomics. One approach to overcoming this problem is to leverage the thousands of complete viral genomes that are publicly available. Here we describe our efforts to assemble a comprehensive resource that provides a quantitative snapshot of viral genomic trends – such as gene density, noncoding percentage, and abundances of functional gene categories – across thousands of viral genomes. We have also developed a coarse-grained method for visualizing viral genome organization for hundreds of genomes at once, and have explored the extent of the overlap between bacterial and bacteriophage gene pools. Existing viral classification systems were developed prior to the sequencing era, so we present our analysis in a way that allows us to assess the utility of the different classification systems for capturing genomic trends.
On an Observer’s Reaction to Hearing of Someone Harming Him or Herself

Anthropological studies in India inspired the idea of a distinct domain of moral purity, but a precise characterization of that domain has been elusive. One proposal based on current theorizing in psychology is that prototypical purity violations are self-harming actions, which are perceived as disgusting and immoral whether done accidentally or intentionally. In three studies (Ns = 400, 80, 132), we examined judgments of self-harming actions in two cultural groups—American and Indian. There was little support for the proposed characterization of the purity domain: Self-harms were slightly to modestly immoral for Indians and Americans. Both Indians and Americans found self-harms to be sad, not disgusting. And intentionality influenced how immoral and how sad the action was judged. Instead, the findings supported a view that all immorality, including those concerning self-harm, depends on perceived harm.
Development of T Cells with Memory Phenotype in Infancy

Studies in mice give a reasonably clear view of the genes in he germline which are rearranged to give the αβ heterodimer of the T cell receptor for antigen. The role of the thymus in modulating the germline repertoire through positive and negative selection has been demonstrated in transgenic mice1 and in the context of the mixed lymphocyte stimulatory (MIs) antigens, which result in the deletion of entire families T cells using certain β chain families for their V regions2. Comparable T cell selection events are likely to occur during the production of thymus cells in human infants. It is T cell maturation in he thymus which provides the fetus and newborn with a clonally diverse population of naive T cells which is available for a response to an environmental antigen. T cell responses to antigen are characterized by proliferation (synonymous with clonal expansion) and the production of memory T cells. The recognition that human T cells express different isoforms of the T200 common leukocyte antigen (CD45) depending on their prior proliferative responses has made the process by which the naive T cell pool is educated by antigen open to examination3.
Erections and Sexual Function in Post-Sphincterotomy Bladder Neck Patients

AbstractA study of 131 patients who underwent sphincterotomy and bladder neck incision was done to determine changes in postoperative erectile and sexual function. A complete, permanent loss of erectile function was noted in 8.2 per cent of the patients and diminished erectile function was noted in 16.8 per cent. Unchanged or improved erections were noted in 74.8 per cent of the patients, while a complete loss of ability to engage in vaginal sexual intercourse, which had been present preoperatively, was sustained by 3.9 per cent. The 16.8 per cent of patients with diminished erections suffered no impairment of their preoperative sexual ability. Unaltered, improved or induced sexual function was present in 96.1 per cent of the patients postoperatively.
Chapter 19 Comparative Investigations of Speech and other Neuromotor Systems

Investigators searching for principles underlying the control and coordination of complex movement sequences recently have explored a variety of experimental paradigms in which measures from performance of different effector systems are compared. These comparative methodologies have yielded data relevant to a number of significant theoretical issues in motor control, for example, the question of shared features of temporal and spatial organization in speech and limb movements. In this chapter, we review studies that have implemented analyses of a broad range of motor behaviors: finger tapping, speech, bimanual coordination in the production of American Sign Language, repetitive ‘voluntarily-controlled’ movements of finger, forearm, and jaw, and finally, relatively ‘automatic’ repetitive behaviors, respiration and mastication. Evidence from these studies converges to suggest that the central nervous system employs common strategies to generate the movement sequences that give rise to speech sounds and those that accomplish a variety of other goals.
WESP (Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol): A Suite of Regionalized RAMs

Abstract Agencies in Oregon, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland-Labrador, and Southeast Alaska have tested, calibrated, and refined the Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol (WESP) template to create a well-documented wetlands RAM for their state, province, or region. These RAMs together apply to wetlands over a larger geographic area—currently 480,671 mile2—than perhaps any other functions-focused wetland RAM. Hundreds of potential users have been trained. Although the free WESP template has been available online for nearly a decade, its availability for developing regionalized wetland RAMs has not been widely publicized. Application of this template allows a region-specific RAM to be developed, tested, and calibrated quickly (1–2 years) at relatively low cost ($40,000–$100,000 per region USD). Required inputs include both field observations and landscape-level measurements. Ability to identify plants to species is not required. In several areas the repeatability of the RAM results among independent users has been quantified and used to place confidence intervals around the generated scores to aid their valid interpretation. Agencies and other entities are using the WESP-sourced RAMs to help prioritize wetlands for avoidance of impacts as well as assess the likely effects of wetland alteration or restoration on the functions, values, and ecosystem services provided by an individual wetland. In mitigation actions associated with wetland regulatory programs, regionalized WESPs can be used to help quantify credits and debits associated with compensatory wetland mitigation.
Updates in Cervical Cytology: The 90-Year-Long Journey from Battle Creek to Today.

Ninety years ago, at the Battle Creek conference, Papanicolaou introduced cervical exfoliative cytology. Since then, the "Pap test" has come a long way. The discovery of a causal relationship between cervical carcinoma and HPV infection opened the door for molecular testing and immunomarkers for HPV. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, 1988, established quality assurance and quality control programs to monitor performance of cytology laboratories. The Bethesda System for reporting cervical cytology laid the foundations for cervical cytology education, implementation of management guidelines, and further research on cervical carcinogenesis. HPV vaccine penetration in both genders remains 62% or less.
ECOSTRESS End-to-End Radiometric Validation

The ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) will measure the brightness temperature (BT) of plants from the space station. This information will be used to generate products such as evapotranspiration (ET) over an effective diurnal cycle to better understand how much water plants need and how they respond to stresses (i.e. lack of water, sun, nutrients). The imaging radiometer on board the ECOSTRESS payload provides five thermal infrared (TIR) spectral bands with approximately 70m pixels and a nearly 400km swath. It incorporates many new technologies such as a high-speed Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) focal plane array (FPA), black silicon calibration targets, and a thermal suppression filter allowing shortwave infrared (SWIR) bandpass. This radiometer has two on-board black-bodies to maintain calibration every sweep of the scan mirror (1.29s). The system has undergone an end-to-end test in a thermal-vacuum (TVAC) chamber showing excellent pre-flight radiometric results. This performance is in part enabled by newly developed, high-speed, low noise, readout electronics. The readout electronics converts all 32-analog channels to digital for downstream on board processing and downlink. Noise equivalent delta temperature (NEΔT) measurements and BT retrievals are well within requirements. The optical modulation transfer function (OMTF) is also within specification. The instrument was launched on SpaceX CRS-15 along with the Latching End Effector for Canadaarm2 as well as three Biarri-Squad cubesats. ECOSTRESS passed In-Orbit Checkout (IOC). This is where all systems as well as science/calibration data are checked and verified to be operational. The payload is currently in Phase E operations. ECOSTRESS uses a local WiFi that sends data from the payload to the ISS. Data packets are then downlinked to the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) and subsequently archived in the science data system (SDS) servers. A series of calibration targets (Lake Tahoe and the Salton Sea) have been utilized to verify the top of atmosphere radiometric integrity of the science data. Other geometrical targets such as the crop fields of California and a few large bridges around CONUS have been used to verify the geolocation accuracy when compared with previous data from (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) VIIRS and ASTER.