cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Familial Decision-Making Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination

Objective The purpose of this review is to summarize the research regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV)vaccination uptake among families with adolescent/preadolescent daughters. Methods Literature searches(utilizing PubMed and PsychInfo databases) were conducted and research examining psychological and envi-ronmental factors which relate to HPV vaccine uptake and intentions was reviewed. Results Factors such asphysician recommendations, perceptions of the beliefs of peers and significant others, history of childhoodimmunizations, and communication with adolescents regarding sexual topics appear to influence HPVvaccination outcomes. Conclusions Although primary prevention of cervical and other cancers isavailable for preadolescent and adolescent girls, rates of HPV vaccine uptake are low. Future interventionsshould target vaccine intent and physician/family communication as a means to increasing HPV vaccination.Key words cancer and oncology; health promotion and prevention; parent–adolescent communication;sexually transmitted diseases.
Interactive effects of testosterone and superior cervical ganglionectomy on attraction thresholds to volatile urinary odors in gonadectomized mice.

Abstract Volatile urinary odors contribute to mate recognition in mice after their detection by the main olfactory epithelium (MOE). We used a habituation/dishabitution task to ask whether the capacity of gonadectomized mice of both sexes to detect and investigate decreasing concentrations of volatile urinary odors from either breeding males or estrous females is modulated by administering androgen or estrogen and if so, whether any effects of these sex steroids are altered by disrupting the sympathetic innervation of the MOE via bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy (SCGx). In tests given, beginning 51 days after gonadectomy without steroid treatment both male and female subjects detected even the lowest concentrations (1:120 and 1:160 dilutions by volume) of male urinary odors, provided they were SCGx as opposed to sham operated. In subsequent tests given after estradiol benzoate (EB) followed later by 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) treatments, neither male nor female subjects detected low concentrations of male urinary odors regardless of whether or not their SCG’s were intact. Administration of testosterone (T) prior to a final series of tests restored the ability of gonadectomized subjects of both sexes to detect low concentrations of male urinary odors regardless of their SCG status. This suggests that T, but not its neural metabolites estradiol, or DHT, facilitates responsiveness to low concentrations of male odors in mice of both sexes. In tests given 51 days after gonadectomy without steroid treatment most male and female subjects readily detected the three highest concentrations of estrous female urinary odors whereas SCGx males and females failed to detect the lowest concentrations of these odors. After treatment with EB and then with DHT, gonadectomized mice of both sexes generally failed to detect the three lowest concentrations of estrous female urinary odors regardless of their SCG status. After T treatment; however, subjects of both sexes again detected most dilutions of estrous female urine, provided their SCG’s were intact. Again, these results suggest that T, but not estradiol or DHT, facilitates responsiveness to estrous female urinary odors. Provided such an activational effect of T is present, sympathetic, noradrenergic inputs to the MOE may enhance odorant contrast, as previously suggested [Nat. Neurosci. 2 (1999) 106], by reducing the responsiveness of olfactory neurons to low (1:120 and 1:160 dilutions) concentrations of some biologically significant odorants (e.g. male urinary odors) while facilitating their responsiveness to low to moderate (1:80 dilution) concentrations of others (e.g. estrous female urinary odors).
Towards an artificial phonological loop: An assistive device for working memory and attentional control

We describe the initial development of an artificial phonological loop APL, a new technology to assist individuals with impairment of the working memory system. The phonological loop, along with the visuospatial sketchpad, is one of the two slave short-term memory subsystems that comprise working memory, a cognitive function closely associated with the control of attention. In the phonological loop, phonological speech information lasting for 1--2 second is maintained active by repetitive, subvocal silent speech rehearsal. Deficits in working memory, specifically in the phonological loop, occur in many disorders, including attention-deficit disorder and Alzheimer's disease. In these disorders, it appears that the ability for phonological rehearsal is intact, but the regulation or triggering of the rehearsal process is inadequate, thus causing the contents of working memory to be lost. The purpose, then, of the APL is to facilitate the phonological loop by artificially extending the duration of phonological rehearsals. The APL mimics the natural phonological loop by providing audible vocal echoes to take the place of subvocal rehearsals. In this system, the user talks to him/herself in short 1--2 second phrases; the device records these phrases, stores them in electronic memory, and then repeats---i.e., echoes---the phrases multiple times over an extended period. Two versions of this device have been developed: the Echo-APL and the Rearticulation-APL. In the Echo-APL, only echoing is involved. In the Rearticulation-APL, however, the user re-vocalizes rearticulates the phrase in response to an audible cue. The device repeats the cue until it detects hears the re-vocalization. Future research and development of the APL will require extensive testing and careful evaluation of possible echo-schedules: the predefined program controlling inter-echo time intervals and echo-amplitude echo loudness. The APL essentially exteriorizes the silent phonological loop and makes it audible. It is a system that helps the user to “talk to him/herself” to keep ideas in mind.
Electrodermal Hyporeactivity and Antisocial Behavior

Electrodermal hyporeactivity has been widely reported for individuals variously described as psychopathic, sociopathic, antisocial, delinquent, hyperactive, or aggressive. The present chapter will attempt to provide an overview of this hyporeactivity and its association with undersocialized behavior and to consider one of the major theoretical interpretations of these findings. Although the bulk of this literature is based on adult and late-adolescent (delinquent) populations, the continuity of antisocial behavior from childhood to adulthood and the assumption that electrodermal hyporeactivity reflects stable effects of temperament point to direct implications for childhood disorders involving antisocial behavior. In view of these implications, the paucity of electrodermal research with children is a deficiency that needs correcting. To that end, paradigms that have proved successful with children will be reviewed at the end of the chapter.
A Review of: “Rhetoric and Incommensurability, by Randy Allen Harris.”

Whether they use the term or not, rhetoricians have been known to approach the concept of incommensurability with some reluctance. This reluctance has manifested itself in a variety of ways from Gr...
Structural variation and (+)-amphetamine-like discriminative stimulus properties

Abstract Rats were trained to discriminate (+)-amphetamine sulfate (5.43 μmol/kg, 1 mg/kg) from saline in a food-reinforced, two-lever drug discrimination paradigm. Side chain variations of the amphetamine molecular structure were analyzed for their effects on the discriminative stimulus properties of this prototype central nervous system stimulant. Partial generalization was observed for the α-ethyl homologue of (+)-amphetamine, (+)-AEPEA, and for 2-aminoindan (AI), while 5,6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindan (MDAI) elicited only saline-appropriate responding. By contrast, 2-amino-1,2-dihydronaphtahlene (ADN) and 2-aminotetralin (AT) completely substituted for (+)-amphetamine. Relative to the training drug, ADN was 1 4 as potent and AT was 1 8 as potent. The S-(−)-isomer of ADN was found to be responsible for the (+)-amphetamine-like discriminative properties of the racemate. The results suggest that constraining or extending the α-alkyl substituent of (+)-amphetamine has a deleterious effect on the ability of the resulting analogue to adopt the active conformation of (+)-amphetamine, thereby diminishing its characteristic discriminative stimulus properties.
Interpretable deep neural networks for enhancer prediction

Enhancers are short DNA sequences that modulate gene expression patterns. Recent studies have shown that enhancer elements could be enriched for certain histone modification combinatorial codes, leading to interest in developing computational models to predict enhancer locations. Here we present EP-DNN, a protocol for predicting enhancers based on chromatin features, in two different cell types, a human embryonic (H1) and a human lung fibroblast (IMR90) cell line. Specifically, we use a deep neural network (DNN)-based architecture to extract enhancer signatures. We train EP-DNN using distal p300 binding sites, as enhancers, and TSS and random non-DNase-I hypersensitivity sites, as non-enhancers. We find that EP-DNN has superior accuracy relative to other state-of-the-art algorithms, such as DEEP-EN and RFECS, and also scales well to large number of predictions. Then, we surmount the problem that DNN results are not interpretable and develop a method to interpret which histone modifications are important, and within that, which spatial features proximal or distal to the enhancer site, are important. We uncover that the important histone modifications vary between cell types. Further, whether the important features are clustered around the enhancer peak or more spread out also differs among the different histone modifications. Thus, we bring forth a new paradigm for automatically determining the important features and the important histone modifications, rather than the current computational standard of using the same fixed number of features from all the histone modifications for all cell types. Our results have implications for computational scientists who can now do feature selection for their classification task and for biologists who can now experimentally collect data only for the relevant histone modifications.
Shelter from the Storm: Natural Disasters and International Relations Theory

Natural disasters have largely been absent from International Relations [IR] scholarship, despite the complex international interactions involved in the response to disasters. There has been little discussion of how natural disasters relate to security issues, even though they are exogenous shocks that disrupt the status quo, allowing sudden opportunities for displays of military strength and the exploitation of rivals’ weaknesses during the crises. Natural disasters are arguably becoming more important as climate change, population growth, and rapid urbanization increase their potential consequences. This paper provides the platform for fresh debates about how natural disasters can be integrated into security studies. Natural disasters upset the status quo, allowing for the evaluation of the assumptions held by the prevailing theories of international politics when an exogenous crisis occurs in the international system. This paper identifies the scope within neorealism, neoclassical realism, neoliberalism, and constructivism for the integration of security studies and natural disasters. This discussion provides the theoretical foundation for future research into the implications of natural disasters for IR theory.
Structural impact mitigation of bridge piers using tuned mass damper

Abstract This paper proposed the application of tuned mass damper (TMD) systems to bridge piers for structural impact damage mitigation to reduce the risk of collapses. A bridge superstructure and substructure were designed in accordance with The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Bridge Design Specifications (BDS) (2012). A variety of vessel collision forces were obtained from collision testing of a scaled reinforced concrete pier. The optimal parameters of TMD systems were determined such that the drift and displacement of the bridge superstructure were minimized for various impact scenarios. Structural impact mitigation performance of the pier equipped with the proposed optimal TMD system was compared with four different TMD systems employing the benchmark TMD optimal parameters. The uncontrolled responses were used as a baseline. It was demonstrated from the extensive simulations that the control effectiveness of the proposed TMD system was 25% better than all of the existing TMD models in reducing the response of the structure.
Pharmacodynamic Effects of Low-Dose Pioglitazone in Patients with the Metabolic Syndrome without Diabetes Mellitus.

Study Objective To determine the effects of low-dose pioglitazone on plasma adipocyte-derived cytokines, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and components of the metabolic syndrome in adults with the metabolic syndrome without diabetes mellitus. Design Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Setting University of Colorado Clinical and Translational Research Center. Patients Thirty-two men and women, aged 30–60 years, without diabetes who had a clinical diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome, as defined by the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria. Intervention Patients were randomly assigned to receive oral pioglitazone 7.5 mg daily or matching placebo for 8 weeks. Measurements and Main Results The primary end point was the change in plasma high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin level from baseline to week 8. Other end points were changes in plasma total adiponectin, omentin, and hs-CRP levels, and changes in components of the metabolic syndrome (e.g., insulin sensitivity) from baseline to week 8. Pioglitazone was associated with a significant increase in plasma HMW adiponectin from baseline to week 8 compared with placebo (+47% vs −10%, p<0.001). Insulin sensitivity increased significantly from baseline to week 8 in the pioglitazone group (+88%, p=0.02) but not in the placebo group (+15%, p=0.14). Change in HMW adiponectin was significantly correlated with the change in insulin sensitivity in the pioglitazone group (r = 0.784, p=0.003). No significant differences in mean percentage changes in plasma total adiponectin, omentin, and hs-CRP levels were observed between the pioglitazone and placebo groups. Likewise, changes in body weight, insulin sensitivity, glucose, lipids, and blood pressure did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion Low-dose pioglitazone favorably modulates plasma HMW adiponectin, which was associated with an improvement in insulin sensitivity, in patients with the metabolic syndrome without diabetes.
Abstract 217: Cardiac Dysfunction in Offspring of Obese Multiparous Females

Emerging evidence indicates that maternal events prior to birth have a powerful impact on the risk for age-related diseases. Indeed, mothers who are obese during pregnancy confer an increased risk on their offspring for developmental programming of metabolic diseases. An often-overlooked risk factor for female obesity, and thus developmental programming, is multiparity. We have developed a novel mouse model in which multiparous mice become obese and develop severe inflammation − mirroring the pathology of obese multiparous humans. We have previously reported that the adult offspring of multiparous mice exhibit increased adiposity and a reduction in expression levels of genes associated with energy expenditure when fed low fat diets, despite similar food consumption. Recent studies show that these defects are associated with reduced energy expenditure and reduced mitochondrial function in hepatocytes of these mice compared to adult offspring of primiparous mice. Since a change in mitochondrial function in cardiomyocytes can lead to abnormal heart function, we fed male offspring a high fat diet (41% calories; milk fat) to stress the metabolic system. All mice accrued the same amount of fat on the high fat diets. We then and measured cardiac function using an echocardiogram. We found that there were significant differences in the ejection time, left ventricle mass, fractional shortening, and importantly in stroke volume and cardiac output of male offspring from females in their 1st vs 4th (multiparous) pregnancy. No differences in heart rate and aorta diameter were observed. These data suggest that the offspring of obese multiparous females are more prone to develop reduced cardiac function on a high fat diet, possibly indicating that maternal environment may be a novel risk factor for heart disease.
RESEARCH ARTICLE: Democratic Deliberation and Environmental Practice: The Case of Natural Resource Management

In this article, techniques of deliberative democracy are described and their applications to problems of natural resource management are discussed. It is argued that deliberative approaches to res...
The cytomorphologic features of sclerosing mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thyroid gland with eosinophilia

Sclerosing mucoepidermoid carcinoma with eosinophilia (SMECE) is a recently described carcinoma of the thyroid gland associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and considered to have a relatively indolent clinical course. We describe two patients with SMECE and its aspiration and exfoliative cytologic features. Patient 1 was a 39-year-old woman with a goiter for many years. Examination of the lobectomy specimen revealed SMECE associated with Hashimoto's disease; 4 months later a total thyroidectomy was performed, metastases were found in nine lymph nodes in the neck. Two years later, fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of a paritracheal mass revealed recurrent tumor. After 2 more years, two pleural fluid samples contained metastatic carcinoma with eosinophils. Patient 2 was a 61-year-old man with thyromegaly and vocal cord paralysis. The FNAB revealed a poorly differentiated carcinoma. The subsequent thyroidectomy demonstrated SMECE. Two years later, an FNAB of a vertebral mass demonstrated metastatic mucoepidermoid carcinoma. In all specimens, malignant cells with definite glandular and squamoid differentiation were present in small cohesive aggregates; eosinophils associated with the tumor cells were present in all specimens.
Experiences Teaching Aircraft Design to Freshmen Non-Aerospace Engineering Students?

Why teach aircraft design to freshmen, much less freshmen non-Aerospace engineering students? It can be somewhat intimidating for freshmen who know nothing or little about aircraft or aircraft design to think that by the end of the semester they will have designed, built and flown an (Remote control) aircraft. It is at least as empowering as it is intimidating for a freshman non-major to realize that without any prior knowledge of a multidisciplinary engineering domain, they can research, design, analyze, test, synthesize, work within the constraints of the resources available, and physically realize a product in one semester working from nothing more than a set of (very carefully posed) requirements. Part of the mission of the engineering First Year Experience (FYE) at the University of Dayton is to expose freshmen engineering students to as broad an array of engineering disciplines as possible. More specifically, the mission of the EGR101 Intro to Design class within the FYE is to expose engineering freshmen to hands-on engineering design exercises. This class is intended to balance the perceived (in the students’ eyes) absence of creativity and applications in the usual Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics courses required of engineering freshmen. The highly multidisciplinary nature of aircraft and aircraft systems design allows students to investigate in greater detail many aspects of a wide variety of engineering disciplines. This allows freshmen to identify with their preferred disciplines as they are exposed to them. Teams were initially broken down into management, aerodynamics, materials and structures, flight dynamics (controls, and electronics), and propulsion groups. Once the research, design and analysis phases were completed, the boundaries of these domains and respective task distribution within them became less well defined within each of the teams. Students were queried at even intervals several times throughout the semester on a variety of topics. Difficulties encountered included: roughly 1⁄4 of the class resisting the concept of a problem with a non-unique solution (throughout the semester), not having already been exposed to working in teams, difficulty learning MS Excel in a classroom environment, student schedules conflicting to the point where team meetings were difficult, and fresh high school graduates not used to having to work so hard outside of class on a problem without a solution in the back of the book. A number of different techniques were implemented in an effort to address these issues. The process and the results are discussed at length. Of the two teams in this class, one test flew their aircraft and the other aircraft was left almost completed (~95%) and was not test flown after running short on time. Regardless, 20 out of 23 students voluntarily braved the 30F temperatures and showed up to view the test flight of the team that successfully completed construction.
ECOLOGICAL ORIGIN OF MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY : A STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE TROPHIC PHENOTYPES IN LARVAL SALAMANDERS

The role of ecological factors in promoting morphological diversity within and among species is an area of debate among evolutionary biologists. Using morphological differences between sympatric species as evidence that competition promotes divergence (e.g., character displacement), has, in particular, drawn harsh criticism because morphological differences may have evolved during allopatry. In contrast to species, alternative phenotypes within a species have a common phylogenetic history, so differences between phenotypes are likely to result from ecological conditions experienced in sympatry. Using cannibal and typical larval phenotypes of the Arizona tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum, we tested two predictions of the hypothesis that resource competition promotes morphological divergence: (1) larval phenotypes should reduce competition by using different resources; and (2) the advantage to developing the alternative, cannibal phenotype should be highest when competition among typical larvae is most intense. We used field surveys and a field experiment to test these predictions. The two larval phenotypes used different resources, especially when competition was intense. The advantage to individual larvae of becoming cannibals was highest when competition for resources among typical larvae was high. These results support the hypothesis that resource competition can promote morphological divergence.
A Multi-level Analysis on Offshoring Decisions for Clinical Trials in the Pharmaceutical Industry

This paper identifies factors at the project, firm and country level that influence a firm’s offshore make-or-buy decision for research and development (R&D) activities. Specifically, the paper stu...
Abstract 1028: A mouse model of allelic loss of the core autophagy gene BECN1 in ovarian cancer

Autophagy, a process of protein and organelle recycling, can both suppress and promote tumors. Gliomas, KRAS mutant, and BRAF driven tumor models require functional autophagy for maximal tumorigenicity and/or tumor progression. Inhibition of autophagy is able to eliminate many human cancer cell lines. However, allelic loss of the autophagy gene BECN1 is present in the majority of ovarian cancers, and BECN1 loss incurs early tumorigenesis in mouse models free of other oncogenic stimuli. Recent sequencing efforts and analyses, depending on the study, have both supported and refuted the relevance of BECN1 allelic loss in ovarian and breast cancers. To directly address the role of BECN1 allelic loss in ovarian cancer, we crossed BECN1 heterozygous knockout dams with MISIIR-TAg sires. In this model, the MISIIR promoter induces expression of large T antigen specifically in the ovarian and fallopian epithelium, inhibiting p53 activity and driving ovarian cancers in a manner befitting its human analogue. Here we present our pre-publication findings relating to the oncogenesis and progression of this murine BECN1 allelic loss model of ovarian cancer. We compare the in vivo murine results to those of in vitro human cell line models of beclin depletion, which exhibit higher basal dsDNA break repair signaling, mitochondrial stress, and reactive oxygen species generation. Citation Format: Joe R. Delaney, Chandni Patel, Dwayne G. Stupack. A mouse model of allelic loss of the core autophagy gene BECN1 in ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1028.
Clustering Protein Structures with Hadoop

Machine learning is a widely used technique in structural biology, since the analysis of large conformational ensembles originated from single protein structures (e.g. derived from NMR experiments or molecular dynamics simulations) can be approached by partitioning the original dataset into sensible subsets, revealing important structural and dynamics behaviours. Clustering is a good unsupervised approach for dealing with these ensembles of structures, in order to identify stable conformations and driving characteristics shared by the different structures. A common problem of the applications that implement protein clustering is the scalability of the performance, in particular concerning the data load into memory. In this work we show how it is possible to improve the parallel performance of the GROMOS clustering algorithm by using Hadoop. The preliminary results show the validity of this approach, providing a hint for future development in this field.
Treatment Using Subsurface Soil Infiltration

Subsurface soil infiltration is a form of land-based treatment where effluent from a tank-based wastewater treatment unit is infiltrated into soil below the ground surface and treatment occurs during percolation through a soil profile and assimilation into the subsurface soil and groundwater environment. Land-based systems have been used for more than 100 years, initially for simple waste disposal but later for effective treatment purposes also. A modern version of a land-based system is a soil treatment unit that is designed to achieve tertiary treatment and natural disinfection. This Chapter presents the principles and processes involved in wastewater treatment in soil and the considerations important to design and implementation of soil treatment units that rely on subsurface soil infiltration and recharge of local groundwater.
Sirtuins in Cancer – Emerging Role as Modulators of Metabolic Reprogramming

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Among the many alterations found in cancer cells compared to normal cells is a rewiring of cellular metabolism. Many cancer cells exhibit increased glucose consumption, high glycolysis, and elevated lactate secretion. These alterations occur independent of obvious physiologic need, such as hypoxia when oxygen supply is limited and mitochondrial oxidation of glucose becomes restricted. While this increased aerobic glycolysis – now termed the Warburg effect – is the best characterized metabolic reprogramming in cancers, cancer cells also utilize glutamine and fatty acids differently from normal cells. Together, these metabolic changes offer proliferative advantage by fueling biosynthetic pathways. Sirtuin proteins are critical nutrient sensors within the cell that modulate metabolism and have been found to play important roles in rewiring tumor metabolism. In this chapter, we will discuss the role of sirtuins in cancer, especially focusing on how they modulate cancer cell metabolism.
Subaxial cervical spine trauma

Subaxial cervical spine trauma is common and an often missed diagnosis. Accurate and efficient diagnosis and management is necessary to avoid devastating complications such as spinal cord injury. Several classification schemes have been devised to help categorize fractures of the subaxial spine and define treatment algorithms. The Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification System (SLIC) is widely used and evaluates not only fracture morphology but also considers ligamentous injury and neurological status in surgical decision making. However, interobserver reliability is poor, which proves to be the defining pitfall of this tool. More modern classification systems have been developed, which aim to improve the interobserver reliability; however, further large-scale studies are needed for more definitive evaluation. Overall, treatment of subaxial cervical spine injuries should include a protocol with initial trauma evaluation, leading to expedient operative intervention if indicated. Surgical techniques include both anterior and posterior approaches to the cervical spine depending on fracture classification.
The validity and structure of mating intelligence

Mating Intelligence (MI) is a hypothesized constellation of mental adaptations that generate adaptive strategies in human mating (Geher & Miller, 2008). Although past research has theoretically explored and empirically evaluated the construct, using a MI scale that was borne of the ideas from Geher and Miller’s work, this study seeks further understanding of this construct by demonstrating incremental validity. Two studies, each with large samples, demonstrate that MI predicts important outcomes beyond traditional conceptions of personality and intelligence. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that the factor structure suggested in previous work was generally congruent with predictions. Further, MI accounted for a significant portion of variance in mating success after controlling for age, the five-factor model of personality and general intelligence.
pak2a Mutations Cause Cerebral Hemorrhage in Redhead Zebrafish.

Abstract Zebrafish are a powerful vertebrate model system for the study of human disease as they share many molecular pathways with mammals. Of note, nearly all of the mammalian coagulation factors are also highly conserved in fish. As part of a whole genome ENU mutagenesis screen, we identified a mutant zebrafish which displayed intraventricular hemorrhage between 2–3 days post fertilization (dpf), which we named redhead. Using an F2 intercross strategy, we mapped this recessive mutant to a 100 kilobase interval on chromosome 2 and identified a splice site mutation in the gene for an ortholog of the p21-activated kinase Pak2. This IVS9 T+2A mutation renders greater than 90% of transcripts nonfunctional, resulting in a hypomorphic allele. Surveying zebrafish expressed sequence tag databases, we identified two Pak2 orthologs in zebrafish, designated Pak2a and Pak2b, with the redhead mutation in pak2a. Central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage in redhead embryos was rescued by injection of wild type pak2a mRNA. Morpholino knockdown of pak2a in wild type fish phenocopies the redhead mutant, but with an increase in penetrance and severity, including hydrocephalus and pericardial edema secondary to severe hemorrhage. Injection of either pak2a or pak2b mRNA was able to rescue this phenotype. In addition, pak2b knockdown worsened the bleeding phenotype in redhead embryos, with no effect on wild type fish. These results suggest a partial overlap in function between Pak2a and Pak2b. Confocal microscopy was performed at 2.5 dpf in pak2a knockdown embryos transgenic for Gata1-dsRED and Flk1-eGFP, distinctively labeling erythrocytes and endothelial cells, respectively. The sites and magnitude of hemorrhage were variable between individual embryos, but there were no obvious abnormalities in vessel patterning. In summary, we have identified a critical role for Pak2 in maintaining CNS vessel integrity in zebrafish, without apparent effects on other vascular beds. Further analysis of this signaling pathway in the vessel wall may provide novel insight into the mechanisms underlying vascular heterogeneity in mammals, and the tissue specific function of Pak2 in the CNS vasculature.
Impact of massive deep-seated rock slope failures on mountain valley morphology in the northern Cottian Alps (NW Italy)

ABSTRACTDeep-seated rock slope failures represent effective mechanisms of natural rock mass-wasting, able to radically change mountain-valley morphology. In the northern Cottian Alps, an extraordinary concentration of instability phenomena occurs in extensive areas of the Susa and Chisone valleys. In the Main Map, at a scale of 1:30,000, a new representation of these deep-seated rock slope failures is proposed. Major effort has been invested in properly distinguishing between sackung-type deep-seated gravitational slope deformations and large landslides. Gravitational phenomena have affected the mountain landscape, with the development of impressive morphostructural features such as multiple-crested ridges and ridge top depressions. In the middle and distal portions of the slopes, sagging and toe bulging impose a marked change in the valley-slope profiles, in turn inducing secondary slope instabilities. Furthermore, mature deep-seated gravitational deformations and large landslides have, in some cases, ma...
Compressed Singular Value Decomposition for Image and Video Processing

We demonstrate a heuristic algorithm to compute the approximate low-rank singular value decomposition. The algorithm is inspired by ideas from compressed sensing and, in particular, is suitable for image and video processing applications. Specifically, our compressed singular value decomposition (cSVD) algorithm employs aggressive random test matrices to efficiently sketch the row space of the input matrix. The resulting compressed representation of the data enables the computation of an accurate approximation of the dominant high-dimensional left and right singular vectors. We benchmark cSVD against the current state-of-the-art randomized SVD and show a performance boost while attaining near similar relative errors. The cSVD is simple to implement as well as embarrassingly parallel, i.e, ideally suited for GPU computations and mobile platforms.
Non-monotonic variations of the nucleation free energy in a glass-forming ultra-soft particles fluid

Using molecular dynamics simulation, we study the impact of the degree of supercooling on the crystal nucleation of ultra-soft particles, modeled with the Gaussian core potential. Focusing on systems with a high number density, our simulations reveal dramatically different behaviors as the degree of supercooling is varied. In the moderate supercooling regime, crystal nucleation proceeds as expected from classical nucleation theory, with a decrease in the free energy of nucleation, as well as in the size of the critical nucleus, as supercooling is increased. On the other hand, in the large supercooling regime, we observe an unusual reversal of behavior with an increase in the free energy of nucleation and in the critical size, as supercooling is increased. This unexpected result is analyzed in terms of the interplay between the glass transition and the crystal nucleation process. Specifically, medium range order crystal-like domains, with structural features different from that of the crystal nucleus, are found to form throughout the system when the supercooling is very large. These, in turn, play a pivotal role in the increase in the free energy of nucleation, as well as in the critical size, as the temperature gets closer to the glass transition.
Chapter 1: Prosperity

In J. K. Galbraith’s 1950s book The Affluent Society, the American economist pointed out that the ideas guiding the modern welfare state originated in the conditions of serious poverty that have prevailed since the dawn of man. The failure of society to adapt its underlying ideas to new conditions has caused a range of problems that may jeopardize the prosperity that has been acquired. Poverty and scarcity still exist in much of the world with the exception of a relatively small number of countries inhabited or claimed by Europeans. Until relatively recently, only Western Europe and North America could boast of prosperity. Poor and hungry people have limited choices and few can afford to focus on goals beyond survival. Only the rich face the question of what to do with their wealth. Thus it is more probable that the wealthy will engage in activities that will threaten their very position and prosperity. This is particularly true when the status of affluence came suddenly and represents a radical change from previous conditions.
The clinical effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination: a brief review

Randomized controlled trials have shown that pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is efficacious in preventing pneumococcal bacteraemia and pneumococcal pneumonia in young adults. Clinical trials in older adults, however, have been inconclusive, usually because the studies have been too small. Retrospective studies have shown that pneumococcal vaccination is approximately 50-80% effective in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease among older persons. Vaccination in this age group is also very cost-effective. These findings are the basis for the recent expansion of immunisation policies and the growth in vaccine use in many developed countries. Serologic and clinical studies, however, suggest that vaccine-induced protection declines after 3-5 years, leading to widespread concern about the need for routine revaccination. Because pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine does not induce immunologic memory, the benefits of revaccination can also be expected to be relatively short-lasting. Alternative strategies of immunological priming of adults with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine followed by boosting with polysaccharide vaccine, or perhaps vaccination with one of the newer protein vaccines, should be considered. Because these new generation pneumococcal vaccines could provide a foundation of life-long protection against pneumococcal infection, their widespread use among adults could have an immense impact on public health worldwide.
Optimal granularity of MPLS tunnels

We consider the problem of tunneling MPLS label switched paths (LSPs) over an optical network in which λ-channels (lightpaths) of a fixed capacity are the main mechanism of transport. While any set of LSPs, each LSP having an arbitrary rate, can be tunneled over a given λ-channel as long as the aggregate rate does not exceed the channel's capacity, intuition suggests that this flexibility has a limit. In other words, we believe that it is sufficient for the network to provide a small set of fixed service levels in terms of the LSP data rate. We present an efficient dynamic programming algorithm to obtain an optimal set of service levels given (a) a fixed set of LSPs and corresponding bandwidth requests, or (b) the probability distribution of LSP bandwidth requests. The set of optimal service levels strikes a balance between the conflicting goals of simplicity and performance. Numerical results indicate that with as few as ten service levels, the performance penalty compared to a continuous-rate network is less than 10% of the total amount of bandwidth requested for a wide variety of LSP data rate distributions.
Effects of radiation field geometry on line driven disc winds

We study line driven winds for models with different radial intensity profiles: standard Shakura-Sunyaev radiating thin discs, uniform intensity discs and truncated discs where driving radiation is cutoff at some radius. We find that global outflow properties depend primarily on the total system luminosity but truncated discs can launch outflows with $\sim 2$ times higher mass flux and $\sim 50\%$ faster outflow velocity than non-truncated discs with the same total radiation flux. Streamlines interior to the truncation radius are largely unaffected and carry the same momentum flux as non-truncated models whereas those far outside the truncation radius effectively carry no outflow because the local radiation force is too weak to lift matter vertically away from the disc. Near the truncation radius the flow becomes more radial, due to the loss of pressure/radiation support from gas/radiation at larger radii. These models suggest that line driven outflows are sensitive to the geometry of the radiation field driving them, motivating the need for self-consistent disc/wind models.
Modeling the sustained use of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine compared to switching to the 10-valent vaccine in Mexico.

Introduction: Pneumococcal diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae represent a significant health and economic burden. Mexico has benefited from the inclusion of the 7-valent (PCV7) and 13-vale...
Real-world effectiveness of daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir and velpatasvir/sofosbuvir in hepatitis C genotype 2 and 3

Background & Aim Understanding the real-world effectiveness of all-oral hepatitis C virus (HCV) regimens informs treatment decisions. We evaluated the effectiveness of daclatasvir + sofosbuvir ± ribavirin (DCV + SOF ± RBV) and velpatasvir/sofosbuvir (VEL/SOF) ± RBV in patients with genotype 2 and genotype 3 infection treated in routine practice. Methods This observational analysis was carried out in an intent-to-treat cohort of patients with HCV genotype 2 and genotype 3. Sustained virologic response (SVR) analysis was performed in 5,400 patients initiated on DCV + SOF ± RBV or VEL/SOF ± RBV at any Department of Veterans Affairs facility. Results For genotype 2, SVR rates did not differ between DCV + SOF (94.5%) and VEL/SOF (94.4%) or between DCV + SOF + RBV (88.1%) and VEL/SOF + RBV (89.5%). For genotype 3, SVR rates did not differ between DCV + SOF (90.8%) and VEL/SOF (92.0%) or between DCV + SOF + RBV (88.1%) and VEL/SOF + RBV (86.4%). In multivariate models of patients with genotype 2 and 3 infection, the treatment regimen was not a significant predictor of the odds of SVR. For genotype 3, significant predictors of reduced odds of SVR were prior HCV treatment-experience (odds ratio [OR] 0.51, 95% CI 0.36–0.72; p 3.25 (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.43–0.84; p = 0.002) and a history of decompensated liver disease (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.47–0.98; p = 0.04). For patients with genotype 2 and 3, treated with VEL/SOF ± RBV, 89% and 85% received 12-weeks of treatment, respectively. For DCV + SOF ± RBV, 56% and 20% of patients with HCV genotype 2 received 12-weeks and 24-weeks of treatment, respectively; while 53% and 23% of patients with HCV genotype 3 received 12-weeks and 24-weeks, with most direct-acting antiviral experienced patients receiving 24-weeks. Conclusions In patients infected with HCV genotype 2 and 3, DCV + SOF ± RBV and VEL/SOF ± RBV produced similar SVR rates within each genotype, and the regimen did not have a significant impact on the odds of SVR. For patients with genotype 3, prior treatment-experience and advanced liver disease were significant predictors of reduced odds of SVR regardless of regimen. Lay summary In clinical practice, cure rates for hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 were 94% and cure rates for HCV genotype 3 were 90%. The chance of achieving cure was the same whether a person received daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir or velpatasvir/sofosbuvir. Ribavirin did not affect cure rates. The chance of a cure was lowest in people who had received HCV medication in the past.
Ability of the Fitbit Alta HR to quantify and classify sleep in patients with suspected central disorders of hypersomnolence: A comparison against polysomnography

Measuring sleep duration and early onset rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) is critical in the assessment of suspected central disorders of hypersomnolence (CDH). Current multi-sensor activity trackers that integrate accelerometry and heart rate are purported to accurately quantify sleep time and REMS; however, their utility in suspected CDH has not been established. This investigation aimed to determine the ability of a current, multi-sensor tracker, Fitbit Alta HR (FBA-HR), to quantify and classify sleep in patients with suspected CDH relative to polysomnography (PSG). Forty-nine patients (46 female; mean age, 30.3 ± 9.84 years) underwent ad libitum PSG with concurrent use of the FBA-HR. FBA-HR sleep variable quantification was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis. FBA-HR all sleep (AS), light sleep (LS; PSG N1 + N2), deep sleep (DS; PSG N3) and REMS classification was evaluated using epoch-by-epoch comparisons. FBA-HR-detected sleep-onset rapid eye movement periods (SOREMPs) were compared against PSG SOMREMPs. FBA-HR displayed significant overestimation of total sleep time (11.6 min), sleep efficiency (1.98%) and duration of deep sleep (18.2 min). FBA-HR sensitivity and specificity were as follows: AS, 0.96, 0.58; LS, 0.73, 0.72;DS, 0.67, 0.92; REMS, 0.74, 0.93. The device failed to detect any nocturnal SOREMPs. Device performance did not differ appreciably among diagnostic subgroups. These results suggest FBA-HR cannot replace EEG-based measurements of sleep and wake in the diagnostic assessment of suspected CDH, and that improvements in device performance are required prior to adoption in clinical or research settings.
Poly(vinylpyridine) Segments in Block Copolymers: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Versatility

This Perspective provides a current survey on the synthesis, self-assembly, and vast variety of applications possible from block copolymer (BCP) systems containing at least one segment of either poly(2-vinylpyridine), P2VP, or poly(4-vinylpyridine), P4VP. Strategies and insight toward P2VP or P4VP as the segment of choice and their influence on material properties, effective interaction parameters, and hosting a variety chemistries from small molecules to nanoparticles are provided. It is with hope that this work serves as a modern field guide to the versatility and utility of these chemistries for those new to or continuing research with these BCP systems.
Abstract WP394: Impact of MRI/A versus CTA/P versus Direct Angiosuite Triage Protocols in Stroke Care Performance and Outcome of Transferred Patients for Endovascular Thrombectomy

Introduction: Transferred thrombectomy patients face additional time delays that might worsen outcome when compared to direct admission. In 2015, we moved from an MRI/A to a CTA/P protocol to decre...
A Cyber Topology Model for the Texas 2000 Synthetic Electric Power Grid

Numerous works have modeled the synthetic power system network that represents the U.S. electricity transmission system. In this paper, the Texas 2000 synthetic bus model is adopted as a use case; however, the Texas 2000 synthetic bus model only contains the physical elements of the electric grid, such as power buses, substations, and transmission lines. Our research seeks to model the communication infrastructure for this synthetic grid to create a comprehensive cyber-physical model of the electric grid. Our communication model relies on the information gathered from the synthetic power system model as well as the network topologies used in substations, utility control centers, and balancing authorities like the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). A Python program generates the communication model as a collection of JSON objects with lists of nodes and links, similar to the Cyber-Physical Topology Language (CPTL). The nodes represent the cyber components such as routers, firewalls, switches, relay controllers, relays, or remote terminal units (RTUs). The links represent the communication channel types such as microwave links, Ethernet, or MPLS/fiber links. Finally, the proposed communication model is applied to one region in the Texas 2000 synthetic model and Splunk is used to create the visualization for the cyber-physical model of this region.