cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Historical Application of a Social Amplification of Risk Model: Economic Impacts of Risk Events at Nuclear Weapons Facilities

Public perception of risk is being cited as a documented reason to rethink a very contentious congressionally mandated process for siting interim storage and permanent disposal facilities for high-level radioactive waste. Rigorous survey research has shown that the public holds intense, negative images of {open_quotes}nuclear{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}radioactive{close_quotes} technologies, activities, and facilities. Potential host states and opponents claim that these negative images, coupled with an amplification of negative risk events, will potentially stigmatize the area surrounding such facilities and result in significant economic losses. At issue is whether a supporting social amplification of risk model is applicable to communities hosting facilities that are part of the U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Complex. An initial assessment of high-profile discrete and cumulative key negative risk events at such nuclear facilities does not validate that there has been stigmatization or substantial social and economic consequences in the host areas. Before any changes to major national policy are implemented, additional research is required to determine if the nearby public`s {open_quotes}pragmatic logic,{close_quotes} based on practical knowledge and experience, attenuates the link between public opinion and demographic and economic behaviors. 40 refs.
Establishment and characterization of paclitaxel-resistant prostate cancer cell lines

1253 Despite an initial response to androgen deprivation therapy, prostate cancer (PCa) eventually progresses from an androgen-dependent to an androgen-independent phenotype. After PCa recurs, we often treat with chemotherapy using paclitaxel or docetaxel. These anticancer drugs are effective to 60% of recurred PCa. However, PCa becomes resistant to chemotherapy again and the patients die after several months. In order to know the mechanism of paclitaxel-resistance of PCa, we established paclitaxel-resistant DU145 and PC-3 cell lines (DU145-TxR and PC-3-TxR) by a gradual increase of paclitaxel concentration. DU145-TxR and PC-3-TxR cells were 34-fold and 43-fold more resistant than parent cells, respectively. Furthermore, these cells showed cross resistance in estramustine, docetaxel, vinblastin, and doxorubicin but did not show resistance in CDDP and VP-16. In order to know the mechanism of paclitaxel-resistance, we examined the expression level of MDR-1, MRP1-7, apoptosis-related genes (Bcl-2, Bax, Fas, caspase-8) in DU145-TxR and PC-3-TxR cells. Only MDR-1 mRNA was up-regulated in DU145-TxR and PC-3-TxR compared to parent cells. To confirm if MDR-1 contributes to paclitaxel-resistance in PCa, we transfected MDR-1 siRNA into DU145-TxR and PC-3-TxR to decrease MDR-1 expression and investigated paclitaxel sensitivity of these cells. Transfection of MDR-1 siRNA recovered from paclitaxel-resistance in DU145-TxR but not in PC-3-TxR, suggesting that MDR-1 plays an important role in paclitaxel-resistance but other factors may be involved in this phenomenon in some PCa cells.
Challenges in intermetallics: synthesis, structural characterization, and transitions.

Intermetallics that contain rare-earth elements are particularly interesting because of their temperature-and pressure-dependent structural and physical transitions that make them potential candidates for magnetic applications. This article highlights synthetic routes and structural characterization advancements used to investigate intermetallic materials. Experimental and theoretical examples of three intermetallic structure types – ThCr2Si2, Heusler and Laves – are discussed to present a historical review and to illustrate the grand challenges in unravelling structure–property relationships of intermetallic compounds.
Multiple α1 Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes Support Synergistic Stimulation of Vasopressin and Oxytocin Release by ATP and Phenylephrine

Simultaneous exposure of explants of the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system (HNS) to ATP and the α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-R) agonist, phenylephrine (ATP+PE) induces a synergistic stimulation of ...
Investment Taxation and Portfolio Performance

Taxes have a first-order impact on portfolio returns. Most research mistakenly assumes that portfolios command similar tax burdens, or that tax burdens are proportional to dividend yields. Portfolio strategies differ in the pace of capital gains realization. We use the federal tax codes from 1926 through 2007 to construct the after-tax returns that individual investors, corporations, and broker-dealers would have generated on a set of benchmark portfolios. For an individual at the 99th income percentile, the effective tax rates on SMB and HML, respectively, are 7 and 15 times greater than the tax rate on the market premium.
Digital Filtering With Unreliable Molecular Electronics

Molecular electronics such as silicon nanowires (NWs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as the potential fabrics for building future nanocomputing systems. However, the non-ideal fabrication process and the consequent excessive defect rates make reliable molecular computing a challenging task. Existing solutions addressing this problem aim at achieving the absolute correctness, which becomes increasingly infeasible due to the prohibitive cost involved. It is noticed that in the context of signal processing applications, absolute correctness is generally unnecessary. This could relax the design constraints on defect tolerance in molecular-scale integration. In this paper, we propose a new approach based on defect-insensitive signal processing. By allowing molecular-scale DSP architectures to bear defects, the proposed framework achieves reliable signal processing while ensures the effectiveness of defect tolerance.
Bereavement and College Students: The Role of Counseling Psychology

In this review article, the authors integrate the theoretical, empirical, and clinical literature relevant to the phenomenon of college student bereavement. They synthesize information on two theories of mourning that appear to fit well with the experience of bereaved college students with information about the developmental, cohort, and contextual situation of college students. They end the article with an integrated illustration and practical recommendations for counseling psychologists who work with bereaved college students in various capacities within higher education (e.g., administrators, clinicians, educators, and researchers).
Generalized energy demodulation for large frequency deviations and wideband signals

The Teager-Kaiser energy operator and the related energy separation algorithm (ESA) find numerous applications in various problems related to monocomponent AM-FM demodulation. This energy-operator-based approach, however, applies only to signals with narrowband frequency content, i.e., the information bandwidth and frequency deviation about the carrier are small relative to the carrier frequency. For signals with large frequency deviation, modulation indices, this approximation fails, and the ESA incurs large frequency/amplitude demodulation errors. In this letter, we develop a generalized energy-operator-based approach that uses frequency transformations derived from multirate operations such as decimation/interpolation and heterodyning. This generalized approach is shown to produce significant reduction of the demodulation error over the conventional ESA, particularly where the modulation index or frequency deviation is large.
The relationship between grit and resident well-being

Abstract Background The well-being of residents in general surgery is an important factor in their success within training programs. Consequently, it is important to identify individuals at risk for burnout and low levels of well-being as early as possible. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that resident well-being may be related to grit, a psychological factor defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Methods One hundred forty-one residents across 9 surgical specialties at 1 academic medical center were surveyed; the response rate was 84%. Perseverance was measured using the Short Grit Scale. Resident well-being was measured with (1) burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and (2) psychological well-being using the Dupuy Psychological General Well-Being Scale. Results Grit was predictive of later psychological well-being both as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory ( B = −.20, P = .05) and as measured by the Psychological General Well-Being Scale ( B = .27, P Conclusions Measuring grit may identify those who are at greatest risk for poor psychological well-being in the future. These residents may benefit from counseling to provide support and improve coping skills.
Advancing epilepsy genetics in the genomic era

Epilepsy is a group of disorders characterized by recurrent seizures, and is one of the most common neurological conditions. The genetic basis of epilepsy is clear from epidemiological studies and from rare gene discoveries in large families. The three major classes of epilepsy disorders are genetic generalized, focal and encephalopathic epilepsies, with several specific disorders within each class. Advances in genomic technologies that facilitate genome-wide discovery of both common and rare variants have led to a rapid increase in our understanding of epilepsy genetics. Copy number variant and genome-wide association studies have contributed to our understanding of the complex genetic architecture of generalized epilepsy, while genetic insights into the focal epilepsies and epileptic encephalopathies have come primarily from exome sequencing. It is increasingly clear that epilepsy is genetically heterogeneous, and novel gene discoveries have moved the field beyond the known contribution of ion channels to implicate chromatin remodeling, transcriptional regulation and regulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein in the etiology of epilepsy. Such discoveries pave the way for new therapeutics, some of which are already being studied. In this review, we discuss the rapid pace of gene discovery in epilepsy, as facilitated by genomic technologies, and highlight several novel genes and potential therapies.
Genetic control of the rate of wound healing in mice

There have been few studies of the inheritance of wound healing in mammals. In this study, we demonstrate that inbred strains of mice differ significantly in the rate of wound healing. Of the 20 strains tested, fast healers (MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr) and LG/J) healed wounds four times faster than slow healers (Balb/cByJ and SJL/J). The genetic basis underlying the difference in the healing capacity was analysed using F2 populations of two different crosses. We show that the wound healing is a polygenically determined quantitative trait with an average estimated heritability of 86%. The modes of gene action in these two crosses are different. In the (MRL/MpJ x SJL/J) cross, genes regulating fast healing in MRL/MpJ mice exhibited additive effects, whereas these effects were suppressed by a dominant repressor gene in CBA/J mice in the (MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr) x CBA/J) cross. Information gained from this investigation provides insight into further study of molecular mechanisms underlying the rate of wound healing in mammals.
Biogeomorphic feedbacks drive dynamics of vegetation–landform complex in a coastal riparian system

Vegetation succession in riparian zones is traditionally considered to be mainly driven by allogenic hydrogeomorphological factors, while the importance of autogenic, plant-induced processes may become more significant as landform stability is achieved. This conventional notion was tested at selected point bars and cutbank edges along a salt marsh creek system in southwestern Denmark. It was predicted that, within each narrow habitat (ca. 5 m width), sites closer to creeks experience more dynamic changes in hydrogeomorphology, and hence, more changes in plant species composition than those farther away from creeks. These sites were compared in terms of the rate of vegetation succession between 2006 and 2011, using nonmetric multidimensional scaling. In the resulting two-dimensional diagram, the Euclidean distance between any two samples representing the same quadrat of different time periods was interpreted as the degree of change in species composition. The predicted differences in succession rates among sites with varying distances from the channel were not observed. Locations adjacent to the creek have experienced the most intensive allogenic fluvial-geomorphic processes. However, the rate of allogenic succession under such physical dynamism has not necessarily been greater than that of the autogenic succession that was highly dominant at locations slightly away from creeks. Allogenic and autogenic factors are probably equally, or at least simultaneously, important to vegetation dynamics even under dynamic hydrogeomorphology. Such a view is in disagreement with the conventional belief in fluvial ecology, calling for a more explicit inclusion of autogenic processes in modeling the evolution of vegetation–landform complexes in the riparian zone. In other words, a true biogeomorphic nonlinearity exists in highly dynamic fluvial systems in that output (i.e., vegetation and landform dynamics) is not necessarily a direct product of input (i.e., hydrogeomorphic effects), due to an unexpectedly significant intervening variable, autogenesis.
Balancing Performance, Accuracy, and Precision for Secure Cloud Transactions

In distributed transactional database systems deployed over cloud servers, entities cooperate to form proofs of authorizations that are justified by collections of certified credentials. These proofs and credentials may be evaluated and collected over extended time periods under the risk of having the underlying authorization policies or the user credentials being in inconsistent states. It therefore becomes possible for policy-based authorization systems to make unsafe decisions that might threaten sensitive resources. In this paper, we highlight the criticality of the problem. We then define the notion of trusted transactions when dealing with proofs of authorization. Accordingly, we propose several increasingly stringent levels of policy consistency constraints, and present different enforcement approaches to guarantee the trustworthiness of transactions executing on cloud servers. We propose a Two-Phase Validation Commit protocol as a solution, which is a modified version of the basic Two-Phase Validation Commit protocols. We finally analyze the different approaches presented using both analytical evaluation of the overheads and simulations to guide the decision makers to which approach to use.
Secure location sharing

In the last decade, the number of location-aware mobile devices has mushroomed. Just as location-based services grow fast, they lay out many questions and challenges when it comes to privacy. For example, who owns the location data and for what purpose is the data used? To answer these questions, we need new tools for location privacy. In this paper, we focus on the problem of secure location sharing, where a group of n clients want to collaborate with each other to anonymously share their location data with a location database server and execute queries based on them. To become more realistic, we assume up to a certain fraction of the clients are controlled arbitrarily by an active and computationally unbounded adversary. A relaxed version of this problem has already been studied in the literature assuming either a trusted third party or a weaker adversarial model. We alternatively propose a scalable fully-decentralized protocol for secure location sharing that tolerates up to n/6 statically-chosen malicious clients and does not require any trusted third party. We show that, unlike most other location-based services, our protocol is secure against traffic-analysis attacks. We also show that our protocol requires each client to send a polylogarithmic number of bits and compute a polylogarithmic number of operations (with respect to n) to query a point of interest based on its location.
Haplotype assembly in polyploid genomes and identical by descent shared tracts

Motivation: Genome-wide haplotype reconstruction from sequence data, or haplotype assembly, is at the center of major challenges in molecular biology and life sciences. For complex eukaryotic organisms like humans, the genome is vast and the population samples are growing so rapidly that algorithms processing high-throughput sequencing data must scale favorably in terms of both accuracy and computational efficiency. Furthermore, current models and methodologies for haplotype assembly (i) do not consider individuals sharing haplotypes jointly, which reduces the size and accuracy of assembled haplotypes, and (ii) are unable to model genomes having more than two sets of homologous chromosomes (polyploidy). Polyploid organisms are increasingly becoming the target of many research groups interested in the genomics of disease, phylogenetics, botany and evolution but there is an absence of theory and methods for polyploid haplotype reconstruction. Results: In this work, we present a number of results, extensions and generalizations of compass graphs and our HapCompass framework. We prove the theoretical complexity of two haplotype assembly optimizations, thereby motivating the use of heuristics. Furthermore, we present graph theory–based algorithms for the problem of haplotype assembly using our previously developed HapCompass framework for (i) novel implementations of haplotype assembly optimizations (minimum error correction), (ii) assembly of a pair of individuals sharing a haplotype tract identical by descent and (iii) assembly of polyploid genomes. We evaluate our methods on 1000 Genomes Project, Pacific Biosciences and simulated sequence data. Availability and Implementation: HapCompass is available for download at http://www.brown.edu/Research/Istrail_Lab/. Contact: ude.nworb@liartsI_niroS Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF PARAPROSTATIC CYSTS IN NINE DOGS

The ultrasonographic features of paraprostatic cysts in nine dogs are described along with historical, clinical, surgical and pathologic findings. Cysts occurred predominantly in older, large breed dogs (mean age 8 years, range 3–11 years). The most common presenting complaints were depression, inappetance, stranguria, tenesmus and bloody penile discharge. A palpable abdominal mass was the most common physical finding. Ultrasonographically, paraprostatic cysts were usually large anechoic structures; many contained internal septa. Moderately large anechoic cavities or cysts were also detected in the prostatic parenchyma of five dogs, and in two of these communication with the paraprostatic cyst was visualized. There were no clearly distinct ultrasonographic criteria to discriminate septic from nonseptic paraprostatic cysts.
Applying handheld computers in the construction industry

Handheld computers are becoming more powerful and their application to construction projects is becoming increasingly feasible. Wireless connectivity allows handheld computers to access the Internet for Web-browsing and data transfer. Potential construc- tion handheld computer applications include data collection, electronic books and reference materials, access to computer-aided design drawings, estimating, and scheduling applications. Mobile construction applications can be differentiated into two categories. They are general applications that can be used on many projects, and project-specific applications that must be tailored to a specific project. The capabilities of the two most popular handheld devices, the Palm and Pocket PC devices, are discussed and compared. The potential and costs of using handheld devices for Web access are discussed. A prototype Palm Web-clipping application is described. The capabilities of commercially available software packages and several prototype construction applications are discussed.
Resolution enhancement of spaceborne scatterometer data

A method for generating enhanced resolution radar images of the Earth's surface using spaceborne scatterometry is presented. The technique is based on an image reconstruction technique that takes advantage of the spatial overlap in scatterometer measurements made at different times to provide enhanced imaging resolution. The reconstruction algorithm is described, and the technique is demonstrated using both simulated and actual Seasat-A Scatterometer (SASS) measurements. The technique can also be used with ERS-1 scatterometer data. The SASS-derived images, which have approximately 4-km resolution, illustrate the resolution enhancement capability of the technique, which permits utilization of both historic and contemporary scatterometer data for medium-scale monitoring of vegetation and polar ice. The tradeoff between imaging noise and resolution inherent in the technique is discussed. >
The role of blood rheology in regulating blood pressure

Review of the role of blood rheology in regulating blood pressure discloses that macromolecular binding to the erythrocyte membrane is a significant factor. Evidence is summarized supporting the thesis that blood viscosity is a prime regulator of blood pressure. Macromolecules may bind to erythrocytes and other macromolecules forming structures that increase blood viscosity when the blood stream flow rate is decreased. Review of the nature and extent of RBC membrane binding and a model for relating these bonds to blood pressure are presented.
A psychophysical study of rate of continuous speech stimuli by means of direct magnitude estimation scaling.

The psychological scaling procedure of direct magnitude estimation was employed to establish the relationship of measured and perceived rate of continuous speech stimuli. Time-altered recordings of a standard prose passage were prepared with a speech compressor to provide six variable rates: 75, 125, 175, 225, 275, and 325 w.p.m. A total of 30 master tapes were constructed, one for each of the 30 subjects who participated in the study. Each tape included the six variable stimuli and the standard stimulus to be used in each of three experimental sessions. For each session, one standard stimulus (125, 175, or 225 w.p.m.) and a total of three randomized series of six variable stimuli were used. Results of subjects' magnitude estimations indicate that although a linear trend is evident, there is no one-to-one relationship between measured and perceived rate of continuous speech stimuli. Stevens' power function law appears applicable in describing this relationship. Comparisons of the present results with prev...
Characterization of sonar target data using Gabor wavelet features

We present a method of characterization of active sonar target response that makes use of physics-driven Gabor dictionaries. Key innovation is the combination of the useful characteristics of the Gabor wavelet (time/frequency localization) with an empirical approach to dictionary selection for underwater acoustics. We demonstrate over experimental field data that these features are both visually distinct and ideal for separation and classification via support vector machine.
Probing peptide cation-radicals by near-UV photodissociation in the gas phase. Structure elucidation of histidine radical chromophores formed by electron transfer reduction.

Electron transfer reduction of gas-phase ions generated from histidine-containing peptides forms stable cation–radicals that absorb light at 355 nm, as studied for AAHAR, AAHAK, DSHAK, FHEK, HHGYK, and HHSHR. Laser photodissociation of mass-selected cation–radicals chiefly resulted in loss of H atoms, contrasting dissociations induced by slow collisional heating. The 355 nm absorption was due to new chromophores created by electron transfer and radical rearrangements in the cation–radicals. The chromophores were identified by time-dependent density functional theory calculations as 2H,3H-imidazoline and 2H-dihydrophenol radicals, formed by hydrogen atom transfer to the histidine and tyrosine side chain groups, respectively. These radicals undergo facile C–H bond dissociations upon photon absorption. In contrast, dissociations of histidine peptide cation–radicals containing the 1H,3H-imidazoline ring prefer loss of 4-methylimidazole via a multistep reaction pathway. The isomeric cation–radicals can be dist...
Pre-existing diabetes and lung cancer prognosis

The aims of this study are to investigate the impact of pre-existing diabetes and diabetes treatments on lung cancer prognosis. A total of 2484 women with confirmed incident lung cancer from the Women’s Health Initiative were followed for an average of 2.9 years through the date of death or 29 August 2014. Compared with women with lung cancer but without diabetes, women with lung cancer and diabetes had significantly increased risk of overall mortality (HR=1.27, 95% CI: 1.07–1.50). Women with diabetes receiving insulin or metformin or women who had long duration of diabetes also had increased risk of overall mortality. Our large prospective study provides evidence that pre-existing diabetes is associated with poor overall survival among women with lung cancer, but do not support the hypothesis that metformin use may have a protective effect in women with lung cancer and diabetes.
Wide-Field Imaging of Retinal Dystrophies

Hereditary degenerations of the retina, choroid, and vitreous are a heterogeneous group of disorders with variable age of onset and a diverse spectrum of symptoms, signs, inheritance patterns, and systemic associations. Wide-field imaging can serve as an important resource in the diagnosis and management of these challenging conditions. This chapter reviews the various dystrophies of the retina, choroid, and vitreous with particular attention to the application of wide-field photography, fluorescein angiography, and autofluorescence imaging in the evaluation of these disorders.
CHAPTER 34 – Pesticides as Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals*

Given the central role of the endocrine system in regulating homeostasis and controlling developmental processes, it is not surprising that interference with their normal action leads to alterations in either function or morphology. Disruption of the endocrine system may be caused by a number of different chemical classes and structures, including a number of pesticides. One common underlying theme is that the reproductive system, particularly that of the developing organism, is especially vulnerable to the toxicity manifested by alterations in endocrine function; a number of pesticidal agents have been shown to exert their effects by this mode of action. Some pesticides, such as the insect growth regulators, are specifically developed for those abilities, whereas for others, the endocrine effects exhibited by target and non-target organisms are clearly secondary to their primary mode of toxicity. Four basic modes of action can be used to classify endocrine-disrupting pesticides: the ability to interact directly with steroid receptors (for example, methoxychlor, pyrethroids, and kepone); the ability to modify steroid hormone metabolizing enzymes (for example, dibromochloropropane, tributyltin, triazole, and molinate); the ability to perturb hypothalamic-pituitary release of trophic hormones (for example, dithiocarbamates, formamidines, and atrazine); and as yet uncharacterized proximate modes of action (for example, nitrofen). This chapter provides an overview of the pesticides that act via these mechanisms and of the types of effects observed in experimental situations.
Will You Miss Me When I Am Gone? Death and Our Significance to Others: A Discussion of Frommer’s “Death Is Nothing at All”

In this discussion of Martin Stephen Frommer’s admirable project to fill in the gap in Freud’s thinking with regard to death anxiety I critique Frommer’s emphasis on what minds need from other minds to confront death as overly cerebral. When viewed from within the embodied, emotional immediacy of our subjectivity, there is validity in dreading the transition from something to nothing. To help us overcome our fear of becoming nothing, we must feel that our offerings have been internalized as significant contributions in the hearts and memories of others so that we are remembered when we are gone. In the treatment with Karen, Frommer’s generous personal accessibility allowed Karen to feel reborn as a significant presence in his life and thereby helped modify her extreme fear of death.
Study of the relations between the dissipation factor and the acceptance test properties of a cast epoxy material

1. It was demonstrated that the room-temperature dissipation factor at 1000 cps correlated with the room-temperature tensile strength of a cast epoxy material for wide variations in the cure cycle and the formulation, and that the correlation was significant below the 1% level. Thus, tan δ measurements appear to he a promising means for monitoring the tensile strength of the material, 2. Tan δ measurements also appear to be promising for monitoring the ablation weight loss of the material, 3. Barcol hardness and specific gravity were shown to be poor indicators of variations within the material. It was felt that tan δ measurements could possibly be used in place of the heat distortion test. 4. It is recommended that the use of electrical measurements be considered in similar applications involving other materials.
Accidental Histories: Fieldwork Among the Maroons of Jamaica

This chapter examines what happens when a scholar trained in literary and cultural criticism confronts indigenous people whose histories fail to coincide with documentary accounts. The experience of organizing an annual conference with the Maroons of Charles Town, Jamaica, provides an occasion for the author to ponder the limits of documentary history and the value of vernacular and popular memories of Maroon traditions. Mixing personal observation with scholarly reflection, the chapter shows how fieldwork combines immersive perception with ambient knowledge to yield a synoptic view of Maroons today.
Anemia in nephrotic syndrome: approach to evaluation and treatment

Nephrotic syndrome is one of the most common glomerular diseases that affect in children. Complications may occur in nephrotic syndrome as a result of the disease itself as well as its treatment. Most of these complications result from excessive urinary protein losses, and control of proteinuria is the most effective treatment strategy. Anemia is one of the many complications seen in patients with persistent nephrotic syndrome and may occur as a result of excessive urinary losses of iron, transferrin, erythropoietin, transcobalamin and/or metals. This leads to a deficiency of substrates necessary for effective erythropoiesis, requiring supplementation in order to correct the anemia. Supplementation of iron and erythropoietin alone often does not lead to correction of the anemia, suggesting other possible mechanisms which need further investigation. A clear understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of anemia in nephrotic syndrome is necessary to guide appropriate therapy, but only limited evidence is currently available on the precise etiologic mechanisms of anemia in nephrotic syndrome. In this review we focus on the current state of knowledge on the pathogenesis of anemia in nephrotic syndrome.
Human-machine interaction to disambiguate entities in unstructured text and structured datasets

Creating entity network graphs is a manual, time consuming process for an intelligence analyst. Beyond the traditional big data problems of information overload, individuals are often referred to by multiple names and shifting titles as they advance in their organizations over time which quickly makes simple string or phonetic alignment methods for entities insufficient. Conversely, automated methods for relationship extraction and entity disambiguation typically produce questionable results with no way for users to vet results, correct mistakes or influence the algorithm’s future results. We present an entity disambiguation tool, DRADIS, which aims to bridge the gap between human-centric and machinecentric methods. DRADIS automatically extracts entities from multi-source datasets and models them as a complex set of attributes and relationships. Entities are disambiguated across the corpus using a hierarchical model executed in Spark allowing it to scale to operational sized data. Resolution results are presented to the analyst complete with sourcing information for each mention and relationship allowing analysts to quickly vet the correctness of results as well as correct mistakes. Corrected results are used by the system to refine the underlying model allowing analysts to optimize the general model to better deal with their operational data. Providing analysts with the ability to validate and correct the model to produce a system they can trust enables them to better focus their time on producing higher quality analysis products.
Turning Point: From Vienna to Dachau

Viennese Jewish Men Arrested and Deported to the Dachau Concentration Camp 1938, by Ilana F. Offenberger
Abstract 3589: A systematic approach toward gene annotation of the hallmarks of cancer

The hallmarks of cancer consist of ten categories that serve as an organizing principle and framework for understanding neoplastic disease. The ten hallmarks include activating invasion and metastasis, avoiding immune destruction, deregulating cellular energetics, enabling replicative immortality, evading growth suppressors, genome instability and mutation, inducing angiogenesis, resisting cell death, sustaining proliferative signaling, and tumor-promoting inflammation. In order to facilitate the use of the hallmarks of cancer in genomic studies, we have undertaken a systematic methodology to map genes to each individual hallmark of cancer. Assignment of genes to the individual hallmarks was performed leveraging gene ontology (GO) annotations. Specifically, for each hallmark, a term list was generated by cancer research experts, with biological terms associated with each hallmark. This term list was used to search and identify matching GO terms. Matched terms were then mapped to the highest, most specific, representative, non-redundant GO term in the GO hierarchy. Genes for each term were restricted by selecting only human taxon, and high confidence experimental evidence codes. For specific GO terms, where present, the Regulation of ‘GO term’ category was included. The genes for each GO term for each hallmark were combined in a non-redundant list of genes for each hallmark. In the case of the evading growth suppressors category, a different strategy was employed. In this instance, genes were identified through ‘tumor suppressor’ gene/protein annotation in the DGIdb resource and UniProt. Additionally, text-mining methods on biomedical research literature were used to defined a high confidence list of genes for this hallmark. As an example use case of the hallmarks we applied them to the analysis of the TCGA Pan-Cancer RNAseq data set. Clustering across the individual hallmarks led to interesting differences within particular tumor tissue types, as well as shared hallmarks for other tumor types. For example, use of the genome instability and mutation hallmark for Pan-Cancer clustering, revealed a tight tissue-based cluster of low-grade gliomas and GBMs. This result suggests the importance of this hallmark expression in this tumor type. This high confidence mapping of genes to hallmarks of cancer provides a unique dataset to facilitate analyses of cancer genome data. Citation Format: Jeff Kiefer, Sara Nasser, John Graf, Chinnappa Kodira, Fiona Ginty, Lee Newberg, Anup Sood, Michael E. Berens. A systematic approach toward gene annotation of the hallmarks of cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3589. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3589
Comparison of Two Electromagnetic Models for Microwave Surface Crack/Slot Detection Using Open-Ended Waveguides

Microwaves have been shown to be able to detect surface breaking hairline cracks on metal specimens [1]. A microwave signal is typically fed through a rectangular waveguide probe. The incident and reflected signals in the waveguide form a standing wave, whose characteristics change depending on the relative position of a crack and the rectangular waveguide probe. Two separate electromagnetic models have been developed to mathematically predict the crack characteristic signal, i.e. the variation of the measured standing wave in the waveguide when it is scanned across a surface breaking crack. These models can be used to optimize measurement parameters. One model uses a mode matching approach, whereas the other model involves a moment solution approach. This paper presents a comparision of these two methodologies, which demonstrates the major advantages in the use of a moment solution approach. The most important result shown is that a moment solution approach is more general, eliminating the destinction between a crack being at the edge or in the middle of a rectangular waveguide probe. The convergence behavior is also studied for both methodologies. Faster convergence is observed using the moment solution approach. Finally, a moment solution approach allows for an easy expansion of the electromagnetic model to the analysis of finite cracks, and can be more readily expanded to encompass covered cracks as well.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of the interleukin (IL)-12/23 and IL-17 inhibitors ustekinumab, secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab, guselkumab and tildrakizumab for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Objective: To systematically analyze the efficacy and safety of interleukin (IL)-12/23, IL-17, and selective IL-23 inhibitors in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.Methods and results: Twenty-four...
In vitro and in vivo inhibition of rat liver cathepsin L by epidermal proteinase inhibitor.

Abstract An SH-proteinase inhibitor (EPI) purified from newborn rat epidermis was shown to inhibit casein and BAPNA hydrolytic activities of rat liver extract in vitro . The greatest inhibition was seen in the cathepsin L fraction purified by CM Sephadex C-50. Fifty percent inhibition of 1 U cathepsin L and papain were seen with 325 μg and 50 μg EPI, respectively. Intradermal injection of cathepsin L in newborn rats caused inflammatory reactions and a reduction of EPI from living epidermal cells of the skin site. The findings suggest that EPI is excreted from the epidermal cells into the dermis where SH-proteinase activity is involved in the inflammatory process.
Comparison, Triangulation, and Embedding Research in History: A Methodological Self-Analysis:

Over the course of five decades, a social scientist can register many achievements – but can make many mistakes as well. This paper details some of those achievements but also admits to some of tho...
Growth Effects on Velopharyngeal Anatomy From Childhood to Adulthood

Purpose The observed sexual dimorphism of velopharyngeal structures among adult populations has not been observed in the young child (4- to 9-year-old) population. The purpose of this study was to ...
Object relative clauses in archaic Chinese

This article proposes that Late Archaic Chinese object relative clauses were reduced relative clauses consisting of a TP dominated by DP. They contained a functional morpheme suo, which attracted an operator to the edge of the vP before moving to T in order to provide T with an [N] feature that could be selected by D. The embedded subject moved to the specifier of the nominalized T, where it valued genitive case with D under Agree. The reduced nature of SUO relative clauses accounts for the fact that a unique strategy was required for relativization on VP-internal positions, as opposed to subject position, since the lack of a CP layer denied the clause a uniform landing site for operators originating internal and external to vP. This analysis also accounts for the loss of the relativization asymmetry by correlating it with the loss of nominalizing morphology such as genitive case.
Tunability of martensitic transformation in Mg-Sc shape memory alloys: A DFT study

Abstract Mg-Sc shape memory alloys are attractive for a wide range of applications due to their low density. Unfortunately, the use of these alloys is hindered by a low martensitic transformation temperature (173 K). We used density functional theory to characterize the energetics associated with the martensitic transformation in a Mg-Sc (19.44 at.% Sc) alloy from a disordered body centered cubic (BCC) austenite to a disordered orthorhombic martensite. The simulations predict lattice parameters and diffraction patterns in good agreement with experiments and the martensite phase to be 11 ∓ 1 meV/atom lower in energy than austenite at zero temperature, consistent with the low martensitic transformation temperature. A local ordering analysis of various structures revealed the origin of stacking faults in the HCP ordering in the martensite phase. In addition, we explore the effect of epitaxial strain on the relative energy between the two phases with the objective of increasing the martensitic transformation temperature. Compressive strain along [100] and tensile strain along [ 0 1 ¯ 1 ] on the closest packed plane (011) stabilize the martensite phase with respect to austenite. Bi-axial strain between 5 and 7% increases the zero-temperature energy difference between the phases by over 60%. Similar stabilization of the martensite phase can be achieved by the addition of pure Mg as a coherent second phase. Superlattices with 50 at.% Mg result in an energy difference of 18.1 meV/atom between the two phases at zero temperature. These results indicate that coherency strains can be used to increase the martensitic transformation and operation temperature of Mg-Sc alloys to room temperature.
Implementing a Design Thinking Project in a Biomedical Instrumentation Course

Contribution: This article illustrates how to design and implement a Design Thinking project in a biomedical instrumentation course as a bridge between education and industry. It also presents the effect of the project on student perceptions of their learning gains and their postgraduate preparedness. Background: Biomedical engineering continues to experience strong growth, with instrumentation being one of the top three segments of the industry. Design Thinking is a desirable skill in the industry, is highly applicable to the human-centered outcomes of biomedical instrumentation, and has documented a positive impact on student learning. Therefore, Design Thinking implementation in a biomedical instrumentation course would be valuable, but has yet to be accomplished. Intended Outcomes: The implementation of a Design Thinking project is expected to increase student learning and postgraduate preparedness. Application Design: A Design Thinking project was designed and implemented in an upper level biomedical instrumentation course. This article describes the structure of the project, for example, student outcomes and its assessment. The “Student Assessment of Learning Gains” instrument and a postgraduate survey were used to evaluate student perception of their learning and postgraduate preparedness. Findings: The critical elements of Design Thinking were successfully implemented into a four-week biomedical instrumentation project experience within the instrumentation course. Students perception of their learning was significantly increased by the Design Thinking project. A postgraduate survey indicated a positive influence of the project on student preparedness for industry and graduate studies.
Yohimbine as a Starting Point to Access Diverse Natural Product-Like Agents with Re-programmed Activities against Cancer-Relevant GPCR Targets.

Abstract G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest protein superfamily in the human genome. GPCRs play key roles in mediating a wide variety of physiological events including proliferation and cancer metastasis. Given the major roles that GPCRs play in mediating cancer growth, they present promising targets for small molecule therapeutics. One of the principal goals of our lab is to identify complex natural products (NPs) suitable for ring distortion, or the dramatic altering of the inherently complex architectures of NPs, to rapidly generate an array of compounds with diverse molecular skeletal systems. The overarching goal of our ring distortion approach is to re-program the biological activity of select natural products and identify new compounds of importance to the treatment of disease, such as cancer. Described herein are the results from biological screens of diverse small molecules derived from the indole alkaloid yohimbine against a panel of GPCRs involved in various diseases. Several analogues displayed highly differential antagonistic activities across the GPCRs tested. We highlight the re-programmed profile of one analogue, Y7g, which exhibited selective antagonistic activities against AVPR2 (IC50 = 459 nM) and OXTR (IC50 = 1.16 µM). The activity profile of Y7g could correlate its HIF-dependent anti-cancer activity to its GPCR antagonism since these receptors are known to be upregulated in hypoxic cellular environments. Our findings demonstrate that the ring distortion of yohimbine can lead to the identification of new compounds capable of interacting with distinct cancer-relevant targets.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in a Young Athlete at Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death

A 15 year-old patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) was evaluated in electrophysiology clinic for consideration of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Given his risk factors for sudden cardiac death, an ICD was recommended. The next decision was whether a transvenous or subcutaneous ICD would be best option. Following a meticulous screening process and subsequent implantation, formal exercise testing with interrogation of the patient’s device vectors during exercise was performed. This guided selection of his primary vector as the sensing channel to ensure appropriate device therapy for malignant ventricular arrhythmias while reducing his risk for inappropriate shocks. In follow-up, the patient was successfully treated for an episode of ventricular fibrillation, but had been able to exercise without sustaining any inappropriate shocks.
Emergency Department Admission Triggers for Palliative Consultation May Decrease Length of Stay and Costs.

Background: Emergency department (ED) initiated palliative consultation impacts downstream care utilization. Various admission consult triggers have been proposed without clear best practice or out...