cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The endocrine regulation of wing polymorphism in insects: state of the art, recent surprises, and future directions.

SYNOPSIS. The endocrine mechanisms controlling the development and reproduction of flight-capable (longwinged) and flightless (short-winged or wingless) morphs of wing-polymorphic insects have been intensively investigated. The ‘‘classical model,’’ put forward in the early 1960s, postulates that morph-specific differences in development and reproduction are caused by variation in the titers of juvenile hormone (JH) and/ or ecdysone. Despite decades of study, the importance of these hormones in regulating wing polymorphism in aphids and planthoppers remains uncertain. This uncertainly is largely a consequence of technical and size constraints which have severely limited the types of endocrine approaches that can be used in these insects. Recent studies in wing-polymorphic crickets (Gryllus) have provided the first direct evidence that the in vivo blood titers of juvenile hormone and ecdysone, and especially the activity of the JH regulator, juvenile hormone esterase, differ between nascent morphs. Morph differences are largely consistent with the classical model, although some types of data are problematic, and other explanations are possible. Adult morphs differ dramatically in the JH titer but titer differences are more complex than those proposed by the classical model. Detailed endocrine information is thus far available only for a few species of crickets, and the hormonal control of wing polymorphism for insects as a whole remains poorly understood. Future studies should continue to investigate the role of JH and ecdysteroids in morph development and reproduction, and should expand to include studies of morph-specific differences in hormone receptors and neurohormones.
“Fluidity” of Membranes — An NMR Approach

It is common to describe biological membranes in terms of their “fluidity”. This rather loose term needs some definition before we can deal with its determination by NMR. Figure 1 shows some of the conformations available to the acyl (alkyl) chains of membrane lipids. In most of these conformations particular angles are made between the normal to the bilayer and a given carbon-hydrogen bond. An assessment of the conformational preferences for a given position can be made in terms of the average value of the function ((3cos2 θ−1)/2), which is known as the bond order parameter, SCD. After correcting for differences in intrinsic geometry, we have the molecular order parameter, Smol = SCD/SGEO. Smol varies from 0 for no conformational preference, to 1 for an extended all-trans conformation. This is the spatial aspect of “fluidity”. The other aspect concerns the rates of motion of individual positions within the allowed ordered region. Of course many motions are possible, and a unique analysis of the various modes and their rates may be difficult. Nevertheless, one can define an “effective” rate of motion. Thus, we see that there are both spatial and temporal components to “fluidity”; specifying only one of them cannot describe the system adequately.
Socioeconomic Aspects of Peritoneal Dialysis in North America: Role of Non Medical Factors in the Choice of Dialysis:

Patients initiating dialysis therapy must make a choice between hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). Controversy persists over the relative merits of each modality in the treatment of en...
Evaluation of Vaccinium spp. for Illinoia pepperi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Performance and Phenolic Content

Abstract Host acceptance and population parameters of the aphid Illinoia pepperi (MacGillivray) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) were measured on highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L. ‘Elliott’, and the wild species Vaccinium boreale Hall and Aalders, Vaccinium tenellum Aiton, Vaccinium pallidum Aiton, Vaccinium hirsutum Buckley, Vaccinium myrsinites Lamarck, and Vaccinium darrowi Camp. After 24 h of exposure, significantly fewer aphids remained in contact with V. boreale and V. hirsutum compared with V. corymbosum Elliott, V. darrowi, and V. pallidum. Length of the prereproductive period of I. pepperi was significantly longer on V. boreale and V. myrsinites, in contrast to V. corymbosum. Fecundity was also lower on V. boreale, V. hirsutum, V. myrsinites, and V. darrowi. Survivorship of I. pepperi 42 d after birth was significantly lower on V. hirsutum compared with the remaining Vaccinium spp. Reduced I. pepperi performance resulted in significantly lower intrinsic rate of increase (rm) values being associat...
An optical method for the determination of the coercive field in ferroelectric crystals

We propose an optical method for determining the value of the coercive field in a ferroelectric crystal. The experiment is carried out in photorefractive Sr0.60Ba0.40Nb2O6 (SBN:60), where the crystal is used as a Fabry-Perot interferometer. An extraordinarily polarized He-Ne beam enters the a face of the crystal, while a single 20 V/s triangular electrical pulse (from 0 to 1.9 kV) is applied to the crystal along the c-axis and opposite to the direction of the initial poling field. We describe how the number and direction of fringe shifts with respect to the applied field is used to obtain the value of the coercive field. We find the coercive field value of SBN:60 to be 1.55 kV ± 20 V. We present a similar technique, using an electric pulse in the same direction as the initial poling field to measure the electro-optic coefficient of the crystal. We measure a value of 147 ± 6 pm/V for the r 33 coefficient at 632.8 nm.
Primary intracranial adenoid cystic carcinoma (cylindroma). An electron microscopic study.

A case of Gasserian ganglion region adenoid cystic carcinoma (cylindroma) is presented. Electron microscopic studies of a surgical biopsy specimen from this tumor revealed many morphologic features similar to those described in adenoid cystic carcinomas elsewhere in the body. An unusual feature of this tumor was the presence of glycogen in some of the tumor cells. Possible etiologic significances of the ultrastructural findings are discussed.
Pyroelectric Crystal Generated Very Low Dose X-ray Radiation Enhanced NQO1 Upregulation and Apoptotic Cell Death in Beta-lapachone Treated NQO1-deficient LNCaP Prostate Cancer Cells

Plethora of studies has reiterated the importance of chemoprevention in the reduction of prostate cancer (PCa) incidence and death rate in recent years. However an estimated 220,800 new prostate cancer cases and 27,540 deaths are expected to occur in US men by the end of 2015. Beta-lapachone is a promising anticancer bioreductive ortho-naphthoquinone that was initially isolated from the bark of the South American Lapacho tree. Recent studies suggest that β-lap kills cancer cells targeting the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) enzyme levels in cancer tissues. But LNCaP, a cell line of primary and metastatic hormone dependent PCa is deficient in NQO1 enzyme. In this study, the potential role of very low doses of x-ray radiation (VLDR) from a portable pyroelectric generator at 20mGy/hr in enhancing the chemopreventive effects of beta-lapachone in LNCaP cells were investigated. This generator uses the pyroelectric principle to generate low doses of low energy radiation from polarized pyroelectric crystal when heated or cooled. Chemosensitivity by exposing LNCaP (and/or PC3) cells to 20mGy/hr of x-ray radiation prior to treatment with varied dose concentrations of beta-lapachone, we assessed the using MTT and Trypan blue exclusion assays. Dicoumarol (an NQO1 inhibitor) was administered to assess the effect of VLDR on NQO1 activation. Nitroblue tetrazolium assay was used to assess the intracellular ROS levels. Fluorescence microscopy and DNA Fragmentation were used to assess the mode of cell death. LNCaP cells were found to be slightly more radiosensitive compared to PC3 cells after exposure to VLDR. The data suggests that VLDR induced a rise in ROS levels, followed by upregulation in NQO1 levels. The major mode of cell death by this combination therapy was found to be via Apoptosis. In conclusion, our results confirm that VLDR-induced NQO1 levels contribute to LNCaP cell death by enhancing the chemopreventive effects of beta-lapachone.
Transplantation: Biomarkers in transplantation - The devil is in the detail

Numerous studies have suggested the utility of non-invasive molecular biomarkers to monitor recipients of kidney transplants. A new correlation-based algorithm using stepwise analysis of gene expression data from peripheral blood samples, claiming to detect subclinical, and predict clinical acute allograft rejection, requires corroboration before testing in prospective validation studies.
Donor Policies In Post-War Sierra Leone

AbstractThe Sierra Leone peace process following the country’s 1991–2002 civil war between the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) benefited immensely from the energetic involvement of an eclectic mix of donors. Traditional inter-governmental financial institutions and relatively new private funding foundations all channelled aid money and technical expertise through various multilateral and bilateral mechanisms for rebuilding the country. Without a doubt Sierra Leone’s recovery from the debilitating 11-year war would not have come to pass in the time and manner it did without the robust intervention of such funders. Based on fieldwork conducted in Sierra Leone at the height of the peacebuilding process, this article outlines the role played by international donors in rebuilding post-war Sierra Leone. It posits that understanding the modus operandi of the assorted mix of donor agencies in creating the country’s aid architecture is key to grasping the nuances of the S...
Quality Improvement in Cystectomy Care with Enhanced Recovery (QUICCER) study

Objectives To determine if patients managed with a cystectomy enhanced recovery pathway (CERP) have improved quality of care after radical cystectomy (RC), as defined by a decrease in length of hospital stay (LOS) without an increase in complications or readmissions compared with those not managed with CERP. Subjects and Methods The Quality Improvement in Cystectomy Care with Enhanced Recovery (QUICCER) study was a non-randomized quasi-experimental study. Data were collected between June 2011 and April 2015. The CERP was implemented in July 2013. The primary endpoint was LOS. Secondary endpoints were quality scores, complications and readmissions. Multivariable regression was performed. Propensity score matching was carried out to further simulate randomized clinical trial conditions. A CERP quality composite score was created and evaluated with regard to adherence to CERP elements. Results The study included 79 patients managed with CERP and 121 who were not managed with CERP. After matching, there were 75 patients in the non-CERP group. The LOS was significantly different between the groups: the median LOS was 5 and 8 days for the CERP and non-CERP group, respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariable linear regression showed that any complication was the most significant predictor of total LOS at 90 days after RC. The higher the quality composite score the shorter the LOS (P < 0.001). There was no association between CERP and a greater number of complications or readmissions. Conclusions Audited quality measures in the CERP are associated with a reduction in LOS with no increase in readmissions or complications. The CERP is important for the future improvement of peri-operative care for RC and provides an opportunity to improve the quality of care provided.
Study on the Pilot Test of Steam Flooding in Type II Heavy Oil Reservoir

9 well groups of Jin 45 is optimized in Liaohe Oilfield whose structural development are much completed as type Ⅱ heavy oil reservoir and do pilot test of steam flooding experiment.During the test,steam quality is guarantee ingected stricty and strengthen enhancing effective injection to production ratio.After production by steam flooding over 1 year,most oil wells were obviously affected.Steam chamber is getting to extend,and the test enter the effective displacing stage;the daily liquid rate and oil rate obviously increase in the test region,at the same time,formation pressure keep stable,oil layer temperature generally increase,production to injection ratio and oil to steam ratio continues increase.The test preliminary prove that it is feasible in technique and economic to implement steam flooding in the type Ⅱ heavy oil reservoir as Jin 45 Block.This will provide important instruction and references for the steam flooding in such type Ⅱ heavy oil reservoir with 1.8 × 108 t in Liaohe oil province.
Teaching NeuroImages: Eagle syndrome: Cerebrovascular complications.

A 70-year-old man developed acute onset of aphasia and right-sided hemiplegia in the setting of mild hypotension after hemodialysis. Brain MRI (figure, D and E) revealed diffusion restriction in the left anterior and middle cerebral artery territories. Brain CT (figure, A–C) was significant for an elongated styloid process causing mild compression of the left internal carotid artery. A comprehensive workup for stroke etiology was otherwise unremarkable.
The Counter-Revolutionary Nature of Justice Scalia's 'Traditionalism'

This essay is an investigation of Justice Scalia's "traditional" jurisprudence in the area of personal jurisdiction. After a discussion of his opinion in Burnham v. SuperiorCourt,' this essay will compare his notion of "traditionalism" with the history of the doctrines of personal jurisdiction in the American legal system. The key difference between Justice Scalia's jurisprudence and the historical jurisprudence of American personal jurisdiction is that his "tradition" is one of fixed practices, not an ideological system based on values.This essay then seeks to clarify Justice Scalia's "traditionalism" by comparing his approach to that of two rival religious traditions: those of Roman and Anglican Catholicism. There is a current intellectual debate on whether Justice Scalia's thought can be characterized as Roman Catholic. Professor George Kannar argues that Justice Scalia's thought can be traced to the rigid "Baltimore" catechism of the American Roman Catholic Church of the early 1900s,2 while Professor Donald Beschle states that such a view misconceives the social principles held by the majority of American Roman Catholics.
Spirit of the New England Tribes: Indian History and Folklore, 1620–1984

Spanning three centuries, this collection traces the historical evolution of legends, folktales, and traditions of four major native American groups from their earliest encounters with European settlers to the present. The book is based on some 240 folklore texts gathered from early colonial writings, newspapers, magazines, diaries, local histories, anthropology and folklore publications, a variety of unpublished manuscript sources, and field research with living Indians.
The Virulence Regulator Rns Activates the Expression of CS14 Pili

Although many viral and bacterial pathogens cause diarrhea, enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is one of the most frequently encountered in impoverished regions where it is estimated to kill between 300,000 and 700,000 children and infants annually. Critical ETEC virulence factors include pili which mediate the attachment of the pathogen to receptors in the intestinal lumen. In this study we show that the ETEC virulence regulator Rns positively regulates the expression of CS14 pili. Three Rns binding sites were identified upstream of the CS14 pilus promoter centered at −34.5, −80.5, and −155.5 relative to the Rns-dependent transcription start site. Mutagenesis of the promoter proximal site significantly decreased expression from the CS14 promoter. In contrast, the contribution of Rns bound at the promoter distal site was negligible and largely masked by occupancy of the promoter proximal site. Unexpectedly, Rns bound at the site centered at −80.5 had a slight but statistically significant inhibitory effect upon the pilin promoter. Nevertheless, this weak inhibitory effect was not sufficient to overcome the substantial promoter activation from Rns bound to the promoter proximal site. Thus, CS14 pili belong to a group of pili that depend upon Rns for their expression.
Age differences in perceptions of memory strategy effectiveness for recent and remote memory

ABSTRACTWe examined whether young and older adults hold different beliefs about the effectiveness of memory strategies for specific types of memory tasks and whether memory strategies are perceived to be differentially effective for young, middle-aged, and older targets. Participants rated the effectiveness of five memory strategies for 10 memory tasks at three target ages (20, 50, and 80 years old). Older adults did not strongly differentiate strategy effectiveness, viewing most strategies as similarly effective across memory tasks. Young adults held strategy-specific beliefs, endorsing external aids and physical health as more effective than a positive attitude or internal strategies, without substantial differentiation based on task. We also found differences in anticipated strategy effectiveness for targets of different ages. Older adults described cognitive and physical health strategies as more effective for older than middle-aged targets, whereas young adults expected these strategies to be equally...
Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU): The Future of Acute Stroke Treatment?

Time is the key factor in brain survivability in acute stroke treatment.1 The therapeutic effects of intravenous recombinant tissue Plasminogen Activator (IV rtPA) are highly dependent on time.1-3 Stroke patients presenting within the first 60 minutes, or the golden hour, are the most likely to benefit from recanalization therapy.1-3 Thus, making rapid clinical and imaging evaluation of stroke patients of upmost importance and very difficult to complete within the golden hour time window. Based on Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Program (April 2003 to October 2009), less than one-third of patients treated with IV rtPA have door-to-needle times of less than 60 minutes.4
Recirculation over complex terrain

This study generated eddy covariance data to investigate atmospheric dynamics leeward of a small, forested hillside in upstate New York. The causes and effects of recirculation eddies were examined to support the larger goal of improving measurement of the exchange of energy, moisture and trace gases between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere over complex terrain. Sensors operated at five different altitudes on two separate towers – one at the top of the hill and one down the slope to the east – for approximately eight weeks in the spring of 2013. During the experiment, the vertical potential temperature gradient was found to be the primary factor for determining whether winds interacting with the terrain features caused a recirculating eddy leeward of the hill. The study found evidence that the recirculation influenced carbon dioxide flux and caused the air column to be vertically well-mixed.
Self-Concept Clarity and Romantic Relationships

This chapter reviews the empirical evidence examining the link between self-concept clarity and close romantic relationships. Overall, increased self-concept clarity among partners predicts a variety of positive relationship outcomes, including relationship quality (e.g., satisfaction and commitment), investment, and self-other correspondence that may facilitate relationship functioning. Moreover, relationship dissolution leads to the reduction of self-concept clarity (i.e., self-concept confusion) and subsequent emotional distress. We also review the literature examining the mediating variables in the association between self-concept clarity and romantic relationships, including psychological well-being, self-esteem, identity construction, and prototype matching. Finally, we examine the moderating role that self-concept clarity plays in romantic relationships, specifically related to relationship-induced self-concept change (e.g., self-expansion). This review suggests that self-concept clarity is a valuable construct, which is ripe for future research on the dynamic interplay of self-concept and romantic relationships.
Using Competency-based Portfolios as a Pedagogical Tool and Assessment Strategy in MPA Programs

The development and use of the portfolio has become a critical feature of many Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs. The portfolio assignment has grown out of deepened appreciation of lea...
Only Intervals Preserve the Invertibility of Arithmetic Operations

In standard arithmetic, if we, e.g., accidentally added a wrong number y to the preliminary result x, we can undo this operation by subtracting y from the result x+y. A similar possibility to invert (undo) addition holds for intervals. In this paper, we show that if we add a single non-interval set, we lose invertibility. Thus, invertibility requirement leads to a new characterization of the class of all intervals.
A Hierarchical Algorithm for Vehicle-to-Grid Integration under Line Capacity Constraints

Abstract This work deals with the coordinated charging/discharging of a population of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) under energy efficiency, SOC, battery capacity, and power-line capacity constraints, to minimize energy cost. To address this, we introduce a framework in which the power grid is modeled as an undirected rooted tree, the root of this tree represents the generation/transmission side of the system and the leaves represent PEVs. Due to the several constraints, we are led to a non-convex optimization problem formulation subject to a complementarity constraint. We then show how a relaxed version of the problem can capture a wide set of optimal solutions for the original problem. After this, we propose a hierarchical algorithm for the computation of the PEVs’ charging/discharging profiles based on the relaxed problem formulation. The root generates a control signal based on the price per unit of power according to the demand for each time. Intermediate nodes represent congestible elements on the distribution side (e.g., transformers), which have a bound on the demand they can satisfy. In the proposed algorithm, intermediate nodes modify the control signal according to the difference between the demand they take care of, and its capacity upper bound. PEVs update their charging/discharging strategies according to this pricing signal. A proof of algorithm convergence to the optimizer of the problem is provided. Simulations demonstrate the algorithm performance and convergence rate.
Fuel performance evaluation of annular metallic fuels for an advanced fast reactor concept

Abstract The annular metallic fuel design has been considered as a promising solution to relieve the fuel-cladding mechanical interaction (FCMI) caused by significant swelling of metallic fuels at high burnup. In this paper, the fuel performance of annular metallic fuel with HT9 cladding in a novel advanced fast reactor design optimized for high-burnup performance was evaluated. The BISON code was utilized to perform fuel performance simulations using a modified fuel swelling correlation for conservative evaluation. Three representative fuel pins, which feature highest peak burnup (26.8 %FIMA, fission per initial metal atom), highest fuel temperature (645 °C), and highest fast neutron flux (2.68 × 1015 n/cm2·s), were investigated. A series of key fuel performance parameters, such as peak fuel temperature, reduction of fuel central void, and cumulative damage fraction (CDF) of the cladding, were predicted for both upper and lower plenum configurations. It is evident that annular fuel design with a lower smeared density is capable of accommodating the significant swelling of metallic fuel at high burnup. Meanwhile, the adoption of a lower plenum configuration effectively lowers the gas pressure inside the rod and reduces the creep damage accumulation in the HT9 cladding.
Sleep regulates the glial engulfment receptor Draper to promote Wallerian degeneration

Sleep, a universal behavior, is critical for diverse aspects of brain function. Chronic sleep disturbance is associated with numerous health consequences, including neurodegenerative disease and cognitive decline. Neurite damage due to apoptosis, trauma, or genetic factors is a common feature of aging, and clearance of damaged neurons is essential for maintenance of brain function. In the central nervous system, damaged neurites are cleared by Wallerian degeneration, in which activated microglia and macrophages engulf damaged neurons. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster provides a powerful model for investigating the relationship between sleep and Wallerian degeneration. Several lines of evidence suggest that glia influence sleep duration, sleep-mediated neuronal homeostasis, and clearance of toxic substances during sleep, raising the possibility that glial engulfment of damaged axons is regulated by sleep. To explore this possibility, we axotomized olfactory receptor neurons and measured the effects of sleep loss or gain on the clearance of damaged neurites. Mechanical sleep deprivation impaired the clearance of damaged neurites, whereas the sleep-promoting drug gaboxadol accelerated clearance. In sleep-deprived animals, multiple markers of glial activation were delayed, including activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, upregulation of the cell corpse engulfment receptor Draper, and innervation of the antennal lobe by glial membranes. These markers were all enhanced when sleep was induced in gaboxadol-treated flies. Taken together, these findings reveal a critical role for sleep in regulation glial activation and engulfment following axotomy, providing a platform for further investigations of the molecular mechanisms underlying sleep-dependent modulation of glial function and neurite clearance.nnHighlightsO_LISleep deprivation impairs Wallerian degeneration in fruit flies.nC_LIO_LIPharmacological induction of sleep accelerates Wallerian degeneration.nC_LIO_LISleep promotes innervation surrounding damaged neurites by phagocytic glia.nC_LIO_LISleep increases levels of the glial activation markers Draper and Stat92E.nC_LI
Obesity, rather than fat content of diet, contributes to reduced influenza vaccine efficacy in mice fed a high fat diet

Recent studies have suggested that obesity may be associated with impaired immune function as well as the related reduction in resistance to infection. The most commonly utilized animal model for d...
Key to the Genera of Adult Female Mosquitoes of Texas

Abstract Identification keys are provided for the genera of adult female mosquitoes of Texas. Illustrations and photographs of selected diagnostics morphological characters are used in the keys. Twelve genera are presented in this chapter, including Aedes, Anopheles, Coquillettidia, Culex, Culiseta, Deinocerites, Haemagogus, Mansonia, Orthopodomyia, Psorophora, Toxorhynchites, and Uranotaenia.
Light environment drives evolution of color vision genes in butterflies and moths

Abstract Opsins are the primary light-sensing molecules in animals. Opsins have peak sensitivities to specific wavelengths which allows for color discrimination. The opsin protein family has undergone duplications and losses, dynamically expanding and contracting the number of opsins, throughout invertebrate evolution, but it is unclear what drives this diversity. Light availability, however, appears to play a significant role. Dim environments are associated with low opsin diversity in deep-sea fishes and cave-dwelling animals. Correlations between high opsin diversity and bright environments, however, are tenuous. Insects are a good system to test whether opsin expansion is associated with greater light availability because they are enormously diverse and consequently display large variation in diel activity. To test this, we used 200 insect transcriptomes and examined the patterns of opsin diversity associated with diel-niche. We focused on the butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) because this group has significant variation in diel-niche, substantial opsin recovery (n=100), and particularly well-curated transcriptomes. We identified opsin duplications using ancestral state reconstruction and examined rates of opsin evolution, and compared them across diel-niches. We find Lepidoptera species active in high light environments have independently expanded their opsins at least 10 times. Opsins from diurnal taxa also evolve faster; 13 amino acids were identified across different opsins that were under diversifying selection. Structural models reveal that four of these amino acids overlap with opsin color-tuning regions. By parsing nocturnal and diurnal switches, we show that light environment can influence gene diversity, selection, and protein structure of opsins in Lepidoptera.
Neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a propensity matched analysis.

BACKGROUND We compared survival outcomes among patients who received either NAC or AC and RC. METHODS We identified patients in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) diagnosed with clinical T2-T4, N0, M0 urothelial carcinoma who underwent RC. Patients who received NAC were propensity matched by age, race, ethnicity, sex, insurance type, academic/research program, comorbidity, and clinical stage to patients receiving AC within 90 days of RC. Median survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated from multivariable Cox regression models to compare overall survival (OS), downstaging to non-MIBC (NMIBC), and N upstaging. RESULTS A total of 417 patients treated with NAC and 272 patients treated with AC were identified from 2004-2013. Patients who received NAC had better 5-year OS (46.2%, 95% CI: 39.2-53.0%) compared to patients who received AC (37.6%, 95% CI: 31.5-43.7%). NAC was a significant predictor of decreased mortality, decreased progression to node positivity, and downstaging to NMIBC (0.76, 0.60-0.96, P=0.023; 0.19, 0.13-0.28, P<0.001; 23.96, 8.91-64.42, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The use of NAC+RC was associated with improved OS compared to RC+AC for patients diagnosed with T2-T4, N0, M0 bladder cancer. The increased survival benefit associated with NAC compared to AC among patients undergoing RC may be due to decreased progression to node positivity and pathological downstaging.
Abstract MP09: Effect of Estradiol Therapy on Arterial Wall Echomorphology in the Early versus Late Intervention Trial With Estradiol(elite)

Objective: The effect of estradiol therapy (ET) has been evaluated on atherosclerosis progression measured by carotid artery wall thickness. Echogenicity of the arterial wall, a measure of lipid de...
Control and Dispatch of Distributed Energy Resources with Improved Frequency Regulation using Fully Active Hybrid Energy Storage System

In this paper a new approach is presented for improving grid inertia based on a Photo-Voltaic (PV) farm in conjunction with a fully active Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS) comprising of battery and ultra-capacitor. The approach captures grid dynamics using the inverter voltage angle deviation and an error minimization based control is designed for frequency regulation. For this purpose, PV and HESS are integrated at a common DC link that feeds a three phase voltage source inverter (VSI). For demonstration and validation of the proposed approach, a modified IEEE 13 bus and modified IEEE 123 bus power distribution system models are used. It has been observed that the proposed architecture control the Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) and primary frequency and secondary frequency response without the need of frequency-droop information of the system, there by ensuring grid stability that utilize renewable energy based resources.
Chapter 5 – Nuclear Technologies

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the nuclear technologies used in the detection of explosives. Nuclear explosive detection approaches typically use particles to probe the nucleus of the target material, where the interrogation procedure involves the measurement of transmitted/emitted neutron or gamma radiation. Trade-offs in the detector selection involve the sensitivity of the detector, interferent reactions, cost of the detector material, logistic issues such as the need for cryogenic cooling, and possibility of radiation damage to the detector during the measurement process from other types of radiation in the operational environment. As neutrons have the ability to penetrate deep into dense materials, neutron interrogation is proposed for explosive detection in small items, such as passenger bags, as well as for large cargo containers. Non-neutron-based detection, on the other hand, is based on probing the atom with other particles, such as photons, protons, or muons, or by electromagnetic interrogation. Despite the various advantages, nuclear technologies also have some important disadvantages. The nuclear detection approaches have to obtain state and federal licenses to field the equipment and abide by applicable health and safety regulations, which increase cost and restrict the easy movement of the detection equipment to new locations. The operations and maintenance personnel who come into close proximity to the radioactive source material are required to use personal dosimeters to monitor their yearly exposure to radiation, which leads to logistic issues and added costs. Negative public perception of radiation is also another factor, as most people have difficulty in putting into perspective low probability high consequence events.
Evaluating the Sensitivity of Resting-State BOLD Variability to Age and Cognition after Controlling for Motion and Cardiovascular Influences: A Network-Based Approach.

Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies report that moment-to-moment variability in the BOLD signal is related to differences in age and cognition and, thus, may be sensitive to age-dependent decline. However, head motion and/or cardiovascular health (CVH) may contaminate these relationships. We evaluated relationships between resting-state BOLD variability, age, and cognition, after characterizing and controlling for motion-related and cardiovascular influences, including pulse, blood pressure, BMI, and white matter hyperintensities (WMH), in a large (N = 422) resting-state fMRI sample of cognitively normal individuals (age 43-89). We found that resting-state BOLD variability was negatively related to age and positively related to cognition after maximally controlling for head motion. Age relationships also survived correction for CVH, but were greatly reduced when correcting for WMH alone. Our results suggest that network-based machine learning analyses of resting-state BOLD variability might yield reliable, sensitive measures to characterize age-related decline across a broad range of networks. Age-related differences in resting-state BOLD variability may be largely sensitive to processes related to WMH burden.
Meckel’s Diverticulum & Vitelline Duct Remnants

The vitelline, or omphalomesenteric, duct usually regresses during the first trimester of fetal development. Several structures can remain if the duct fails to regress. The clinical presentation can be variable. The most common vitelline duct remnant is the Meckel’s diverticulum. Imaging selection to evaluate for vitelline duct remnants is dictated by the patient’s symptoms at presentation. In all symptomatic cases, surgical resection is recommended.
In God We Trust: Religiosity, Religions, and Capital Structure Choice

The empirical impact of religiosity on leverage is unclear. I provide causal evidence that this unclarity is due to lack of control for the concentration of religions with different views on the usage of corporate debt in previous studies. Utilizing a worldwide sample, I identify and verify the causal relationship using earthquake events that and its descriptive parameters as instruments for the endogenous religious variables. I find that the concentration of religions is able to completely reverse the positive impact of religiosity on leverage when the concentration of religions is greater than or equal to 50%.
Momentum-Space SFT

In this chapter, we describe the general properties of SFT actions in the momentum space. This allows to make SFT more intuitive, but also to use standard QFT methods to prove various properties of string theory. We explain how the Wick rotation is generalized for theories with vertices diverging at infinite real energies (Lorentzian signature). This allows to prove important properties of string theory, such as unitarity or crossing symmetry.
Portfolio Concentration and the Performance of Individual Investors

This paper tests whether information advantages help explain why some individual investors concentrate their stock portfolios in a few stocks. Stock investments made by households that choose to concentrate their brokerage accounts in a few stocks outperform those made by households with more diversified accounts (especially among those with large portfolios). Excess returns of concentrated relative to diversified portfolios are stronger for stocks not included in the S&P 500 index and local stocks, potentially reflecting concentrated investors’ successful exploitation of information asymmetries. Controlling for households’ average investment abilities, their trades and holdings perform better when their portfolios include fewer stocks.
Reflexivity and the Decentered Self in Tristram Shandy

There is something a little startling at first in the discovery that Friedrich Nietzsche, the solitary and sickly philosopher, who wrung from his tortured life a profound vision of the end of a cultural epoch, should have adopted as his favorite novel Laurence Sterne’s great comic work, Tristram Shandy. The apparent incongruity, especially to English readers, who tend to see Nietzsche as self-indulgent, melodramatic, and blasphemous, is between a kind of extravagant gravity in the one writer and a prankish good humor in the other. This exuberant novel with its profusion of wit and wisdom, published in five installments between the years 1760–67, may be alien to the style of “blood and aphorisms,” but it is one with Nietzsche’s own Dionysian wit, with his attacks on the spirit of gravity, and with his celebration of Ubermut and laughter. Both are thinkers with “light feet,” as Zarathustra might say, who step easily from peak to mountain peak; and they can commune in perfect harmony over Sterne’s definition of gravity (adapted from la Rochefoucauld) as “A mysterious carriage of the body to cover the defects of the mind.”1
The role of statistics on health status in the context of measuring quality of life

International initiatives are currently underway to develop improved measures of health status within an overall framework of health statistics. These efforts identify functioning as the key dimension by which the health of a population can be summarized. Functioning is also the aspect of health that is most closely related to quality of life. Functioning and disability represent the impact of pathologies at the cellular, organ and body system level on the person’s ability to participate fully in society. The social, political and physical environment in which a person lives can modify the effect of functional limitations in core domains with the effect of maximizing participation in society. While complex, these relationships are central to improving quality of life. However, these key indicators of health have proven among the most difficult to measure in valid, reliable and comparable ways. The Washington Group on Disability Statistics and the Budapest Initiative on the Measurement of Health State are developing and testing question sets that can be included in national statistical data collection efforts. The information generated can be used as core measures of health and health related quality of life. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the work of these two groups and explore the role of functioning in measuring quality of life.
Mammalian Erythrocyte Receptors: Their Nature and their Significance in Immunopathology

Immunity reactions are interactions between the host and his environment. In this interaction “receptors” in the sense of Paul Ehrlich (1901) play a paramount role. The study of immunity reactions is not only important in itself but it furthers comprehension of other host-environment interactions including those of toxins, drugs or even live agents such as viruses. In all instances the agent or its products, be they noxious or beneficial, have first to attach to a receptor before they can begin to exert their influence.
The geometric-mean principle revisited: A reply

Abstract As far as I know neither Samuelson nor Merton nor indeed Ophir has challenged the basic principle imbedded in the geometric-mean principle for long-run portfolio selection. If they or he wishes to adopt a significantly different policy and I follow the G policy, in the long run I become3almost certain to have more wealth than they. This hardly seems an erroneous or trivial proposition.
Schwann Cells and Plasticity of the Neuromuscular Junction

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is composed of three cellular elements: the presynaptic nerve terminal, the postsynaptic specialization, and perisynaptic Schwann cells (PSCs; also called terminal Schwann cells). In developing muscles, PSCs guide extending nerve terminals and promote synaptic growth and maintenance. In adult muscles, PSCs play an essential role in the long-term maintenance of synaptic structure and function. PSC sprouts lead nerve terminal sprouts during synaptic remodeling in intact muscles. After nerve injury, PSCs sprout extensive processes, which also guide regenerating nerve terminals. Thus, PSCs play multiple roles in the plasticity of the vertebrate NMJ, and should be considered as an active and integral partner of the tripartite synapse.
New orthogonal binary user codes for multiuser spread spectrum communications

Walsh codes are perfectly orthogonal binary (antipodal) block codes that found many popular applications over many decades including synchronous multi-user communications. It is well known that they perform poorly for asynchronous multi-user communications. Therefore, the Gold codes are the preferred user codes in asynchronous CDMA communications. In this paper, new sets of binary orthogonal user codes are introduced for asynchronous spread spectrum multi-user communications. It is shown in this paper that the proposed binary user code family outperforms the Walsh codes significantly and they match in performance with the popular, nearly orthogonal Gold codes closely for asynchronous multi-user communications. We present that there are a good number of such independent code sets of different sizes available in the binary space. They might help us to increase service/multi-service capabilities of future communications systems.
Modeling adaptive bandwidth allocation scheme for multi-service wireless cellular networks

This paper presents an analytical model of adaptive bandwidth allocation scheme, called complete sharing with preemptive priority (CSPP) scheme, for multi-service wireless cellular networks. It employs movable boundaries to consider distinguishing the performance between multiple services, and uses the complete sharing approach to maximize the bandwidth utilization. Besides, the CSPP scheme captures the elastic data traffic by using a degradation/compensation mechanism and considers preemptive priority (PP) mechanism for voice traffic, while the degradation of data traffic by PP mechanism is compensated through a victim buffer. The analysis and numerical results demonstrate that our scheme can guarantee different QoS requirements from different traffic classes and improve the bandwidth utilization efficiency.
The Feedback Lecture: An Illustration:

While very popular in U.S. academic institutions, the lecture method suffers from a number of problems, most of which center around the lack of student involvement. The feedback lecture addresses this issue while satisfying both faculty and students. This article presents a case example and a discussion of the applicability of the feedback lecture.
Crowds and Machines: Systems for Social Creativity

Design is a process that shapes the world. At the same time, the world shapes the process of design. Over time, our image of the designer has changed. For example, product designers were often imagined as sole inventors, tinkering. Computers have, since their advent, been thought of as potentially replacing, or as assisting in, this individualistic design process. Recently, product design has been re-imagined as a team-based collaborative activity. This both reflects a reality that has been present in design for a long time – for example, architects tend to work in studios – and also acknowledges the growth of specialization: it is difficult, for example, for a lone architect to master and practice all skills involved in designing a modern skyscraper. In our work, we consider a new model in which crowds design.
A hierarchical peer-to-peer reduction and merging framework for efficient operational transformations in collaborative editing

The primary goals in a synchronous, real-time collaborative editing system (RTCES) involve ensuring a high level of concurrent access (editability) to users while maintaining the properties of the CCI model (consistency, causality-preservation, and intention-preservation). The field of RTCES research has advanced in techniques to overcome some of the challenges inherent in the support of synchronous editing of a shared document via Operational Transformation (OT), however current OT techniques require high message and storage costs. Their performances degrade as the storage for past operations into history buffers increases. In this paper, we present a novel algorithmic framework for history buffer reduction, which minimizes the size of the history of operations and reduces storage overheads. We show how this algorithm can be pipelined within a hierarchical document tree, enabling for further efficiency and opportunities for intention preservation — currently a hard problem. Further, we show how to distribute this algorithm in a peer-to-peer RTCES and present empirical simulation results that demonstrate the validity of our approach. Our contributions are breaking new grounds in the field of synchronous collaborative editing.
MAGI1 signaling in cerebral cavernous malformations (664.11)

Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCMs) are vascular brain lesions affecting 0.5% of humans. Late stage lesions are clusters of grossly dilated capillaries lacking smooth muscle cell or pericyte support, and can cause hemorrhagic stroke. No treatment exists other than surgical removal of symptomatic lesions. CCMs occur sporadically through spontaneous mutations, or by familial autosomal dominant transmission of mutations in three genes : KRIT1, CCM2 or CCM3 (PDCD10). Our lab’s previous work showed that KRIT1 and CCM2 normally regulate endothelial permeability through regulation of RhoA and ROCK1/2. We now used proteomics and CHO cell co-immunoprecipitations to identify a signalosome consisting of a unique brain microvascular endothelial cell-specific splice variant of Rap1-interacting junctional protein MAGI, “MAGI1C-beta2”, that binds to KRIT1 and CCM2 through a PDZ domain to mediate translocation of two CCM proteins to endothelial junctions, and is required to maintain barrier function. We further ident...