cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Extreme precipitation and emergency room visits for influenza in Massachusetts: a case-crossover analysis
Creators: name: Crooks, James L
name: Messier, Kyle P
name: Smith, Genee S
name: Hilborn, Elizabeth D
name: Lin, Cynthia J
name: Wade, Timothy J
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2017

description: Abstract Background Influenza peaks during the wintertime in temperate regions and during the annual rainy season in tropical regions – however reasons for the observed differences in disease ecology are poorly understood. We hypothesize that episodes of extreme precipitation also result in increased influenza in the Northeastern United States, but this association is not readily apparent, as no defined ‘rainy season’ occurs. Our objective was to evaluate the association between extreme precipitation (≥ 99th percentile) events and risk of emergency room (ER) visit for influenza in Massachusetts during 2002–2008. Methods A case-crossover analysis of extreme precipitation events and influenza ER visits was conducted using hospital administrative data including patient town of residence, date of visit, age, sex, and associated diagnostic codes. Daily precipitation estimates were generated for each town based upon data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between extreme precipitation and ER visits for influenza were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results Extreme precipitation events were associated with an OR = 1.23 (95%CI: 1.16, 1.30) for ER visits for influenza at lag days 0–6. There was significant effect modification by race, with the strongest association observed among Blacks (OR = 1.48 (1.30, 1.68)). Conclusions We observed a positive association between extreme precipitation events and ER visits for influenza, particularly among Blacks. Our results suggest that influenza is associated with extreme precipitation in a temperate area; this association could be a result of disease ecology, behavioral changes such as indoor crowding, or both. Extreme precipitation events are expected to increase in the Northeastern United States as climate change progresses. Additional research exploring the basis of this association can inform potential interventions for extreme weather events and influenza transmission.
Field induced metamagnetic transitions in quasi-one-dimensional Ising spin chain CoV$_{2}$O$_{6}$
Creators: name: Nandi, M.
name: Mandal, P.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We have investigated the temperature and magnetic field dependence of magnetization ($M$), specific heat ($C_p$), and relative sample length change ($ΔL/L_0$) for understanding the field-induced metamagnetic transitions in quasi-one-dimensional monoclinic ($α$ phase) and triclinic ($γ$ phase) CoV$_2$O$_6$ spin chains. With the application of external magnetic field, a sharp peak emerges in $C_p$($T$) below $T_N$$=$15 K in $α$ phase and a hump-like feature appears above $T_N$$=$6.5 K in $γ$ phase due to the field-induced ferrimagnetic and ferromagnetic transitions, respectively. Strong field dependence of linear thermal expansion and large positive magnetostriction have been observed in $α$ phase. Though magnetization data indicate strong spin-orbit coupling for both phases, other measurements show that this effect is very weak for the $γ$ phase.
description: 7 pages, 5 figures Accepted for publication in J. Magn. Magn. Mater
The Source of Moral Identity Matters: Priming Abstract versus Social Group Sources of Moral Identity
Creators: name: Barnes, Tianna
name: Kammeyer-Mueller, John
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Business
subject: Organizational Behavior and Theory

description: We compare abstract moral sources that broadly reflect moral values to specific moral sources that directly reflect a person’s social identity group across three experimental studies. We consider the different moral motivations, contingencies, and outcomes that result from abstract values versus specific identity groups as moral sources.
Isometric immersions, energy minimization and self-similar buckling in non-Euclidean elastic sheets
Creators: name: Gemmer, John
name: Sharon, Eran
name: Shearman, Toby
name: Venkataramani, Shankar C.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
subject: Differential Geometry (math.DG)
subject: Pattern Formation and Solitons (nlin.PS)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 74K99, 53A05

description: The edges of torn plastic sheets and growing leaves often display hierarchical buckling patterns. We show that this complex morphology (i) emerges even in zero strain configurations, and (ii) is driven by a competition between the two principal curvatures, rather than between bending and stretching. We identify the key role of branch-point (or "monkey-saddle") singularities in generating complex wrinkling patterns in isometric immersions, and show how they arise naturally from minimizing the elastic energy.
description: 6 pages, 6 figures. This article supersedes arXiv:1504.00738
Cutaneous adverse reactions in B-RAF positive metastatic melanoma following sequential treatment with B-RAF/MEK inhibitors and immune checkpoint blockade or vice versa. A single-institutional case-series
Creators: name: Naqash, Abdul R
name: Ziemer, Carolyn M
name: Collichio, Frances A
name: Landman, Paula
name: File, Danielle M
name: Googe, Paul B
name: Whang, Young E
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2019

description: Abstract
                Background
                With the advent of immune-checkpoint inhibitors and targeted treatments (TT), there have been unprecedented response rates and survival in advanced melanoma, but the optimal sequencing of these two treatments modalities is unknown. Combining or sequencing these agents could potentially result in unique toxicities. Cutaneous adverse events (CAE) after sequential exposure to these agents represents one toxicity that needs further description.
                Methods
                After retrospectively reviewing charts of patients from 2015 to 2018, we identified six patients who experienced CAEs after recent exposure to sequential immunotherapy and TT or vice versa for the treatment for metastatic melanoma at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Skin biopsies were available in five patients.
                Results
                Five patients received TT after immunotherapy, and one patient received immunotherapy after TT. TT consisted of vemurafenib/cobimetinib (V/C) in five patients with four patients starting V/C immediately before manifesting with a CAE. In patients receiving V/C after immunotherapy, the median time from beginning V/C to development of CAE was 14.5 days. The clinical presentation of diffuse morbilliform rash, fevers, hypotension, and end-organ damage raised concern for Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) syndrome. Histopathological features of lympho-eosinophilic infiltrate were supportive of a drug eruption. Immunotherapy or TT were re-initiated in five patients within 1–8 weeks after resolution of the index CAE. This resulted in two patients re-experiencing the CAE. Both of these patients were off prednisone at the time of therapy re-initiation, whereas none of the patients who were restarted on targeted therapy with a steroid overlap had a rash recurrence.
                Conclusions
                Sequential treatment using immunotherapy and TT, especially the sequence of V/C after immunotherapy appears to be the most common trigger for CAE with a median time to onset of approximately 2 weeks. Although the clinical presentation of these CAEs can be dramatic, they respond well to prednisone therapy. This unique presentation suggests that it may be reasonably safe to re-challenge certain patients with a steroid overlap after rash resolution.
פסיכולוגיה ניסויית
Creators: name: Carmeli, Shira
name: broida, Omer
name: Efraim, Shahaf
name: team, TAU
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: זוהי הרשמה מראש מתוקנת למחקר במסגרת הקורס פסיכולוגיה ניסויית באוניברסיטת תל אביב.
title: Wpływ miejskiej wyspy ciepła na parametry temperatury w oparciu o budynek mieszkalny w Poznaniu
Creators: name: Kosmatka, Jerzy
Publisher: name: Publishing House of Poznan University of Technology
Year: 2023

description: Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Poznańskiej. Architektura, Urbanistyka, Architektura Wnętrz, 13, 79-100
Relative symmetric monoidal closed categories I: Autoenrichment and change of base
Creators: name: Lucyshyn-Wright, Rory B. B.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Category Theory (math.CT)
subject: Algebraic Geometry (math.AG)
subject: K-Theory and Homology (math.KT)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: 18D15, 18D10, 18D20, 18D25, 18A40, 18D05, 18D30

description: Symmetric monoidal closed categories may be related to one another not only by the functors between them but also by enrichment of one in another, and it was known to G. M. Kelly in the 1960s that there is a very close connection between these phenomena. In this first part of a two-part series on this subject, we show that the assignment to each symmetric monoidal closed category $V$ its associated $V$-enriched category $\underline{V}$ extends to a 2-functor valued in an op-2-fibred 2-category of symmetric monoidal closed categories enriched over various bases. For a fixed $V$, we show that this induces a 2-functorial passage from symmetric monoidal closed categories $\textit{over}$ $V$ (i.e., equipped with a morphism to $V$) to symmetric monoidal closed $V$-categories over $\underline{V}$. As a consequence, we find that the enriched adjunction determined a symmetric monoidal closed adjunction can be obtained by applying a 2-functor and, consequently, is an adjunction in the 2-category of symmetric monoidal closed $V$-categories.
What instructions are available to health researchers for writing lay summaries? A pilot scoping review.
Creators: name: Gainey, Karen
name: Kamper, Steven
name: Williams, Christopher
name: O'Keeffe, Mary
name: Traeger, Adrian
name: Hall, Amanda
Publisher: name: Open Science Framework
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Communication
subject: Public Health
subject: Medicine and Health Sciences
subject: Life Sciences
subject: Health Communication
subject: Social and Behavioral Sciences
subject: plain language summaries

description: Consumers require access to trustworthy sources of health information to make informed decisions about their health care. Many scientific journals provide lay summaries alongside journals articles which provide consumers with a means of accessing health research findings of general interest, and information relevant to their health condition (1). Lay summaries are summaries of research articles written in plain, easy-to-understand language aimed at a non-scientific audience and require no specialised training to comprehend (1). Lay summaries can improve the health literacy of consumers and provide an opportunity for consumers with chronic health conditions to improve their health status (2). We plan to perform a scoping review of available lay summary instructions. A scoping review is ideally suited for this review for several reasons (11). First, this will be an overview of a broad topic covering a diverse range of clinical areas and information sources. Second, we will use several methodologies to identify source information (instructions for writing lay summaries). Last, we will provide a descriptive summary of key concepts rather than a structured synthesis of the evidence. This pilot review has two main objectives: 1. Compile a list of the instructions for writing lay summaries from leading medical journals, global health organisations, professional medical organisations and multi-disciplinary associations, consumer advocacy groups and funding bodies. 2. Identify common key components of instructions for writing lay summaries and determine whether the lay summary is mandatory or optional. Key components might include aspects such as word count and use of jargon.
A nutrition and conditioning intervention for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: case study
Creators: name: Smith-Ryan, Abbie
Publisher: name: BioMed Central
Year: 2015

description: Abstract Bodybuilding competitions are becoming increasingly popular. Competitors are judged on their aesthetic appearance and usually exhibit a high level of muscularity and symmetry and low levels of body fat. Commonly used techniques to improve physique during the preparation phase before competitions include dehydration, periods of prolonged fasting, severe caloric restriction, excessive cardiovascular exercise and inappropriate use of diuretics and anabolic steroids. In contrast, this case study documents a structured nutrition and conditioning intervention followed by a 21 year-old amateur bodybuilding competitor to improve body composition, resting and exercise fat oxidation, and muscular strength that does not involve use of any of the above mentioned methods. Over a 14-week period, the Athlete was provided with a scientifically designed nutrition and conditioning plan that encouraged him to (i) consume a variety of foods; (ii) not neglect any macronutrient groups; (iii) exercise regularly but not excessively and; (iv) incorporate rest days into his conditioning regime. This strategy resulted in a body mass loss of 11.7 kg’s, corresponding to a 6.7 kg reduction in fat mass and a 5.0 kg reduction in fat-free mass. Resting metabolic rate decreased from 1993 kcal/d to 1814 kcal/d, whereas resting fat oxidation increased from 0.04 g/min to 0.06 g/min. His capacity to oxidize fat during exercise increased more than two-fold from 0.24 g/min to 0.59 g/min, while there was a near 3-fold increase in the corresponding exercise intensity that elicited the maximal rate of fat oxidation; 21% V̇O2max to 60% V̇O2max. Hamstring concentric peak torque decreased (1.7 to 1.5 Nm/kg), whereas hamstring eccentric (2.0 Nm/kg to 2.9 Nm/kg), quadriceps concentric (3.4 Nm/kg to 3.7 Nm/kg) and quadriceps eccentric (4.9 Nm/kg to 5.7 Nm/kg) peak torque all increased. Psychological mood-state (BRUMS scale) was not negatively influenced by the intervention and all values relating to the Athlete’s mood-state remained below average over the course of study. This intervention shows that a structured and scientifically supported nutrition strategy can be implemented to improve parameters relevant to bodybuilding competition and importantly the health of competitors, therefore questioning the conventional practices of bodybuilding preparation.
Exploring the Parameter Space of Warm-Inflation Models
Creators: name: Bastero-Gil, Mar
name: Berera, Arjun
name: Kronberg, Nico
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Warm inflation includes inflaton interactions with other fields throughout the inflationary epoch instead of confining such interactions to a distinct reheating era. Previous investigations have shown that, when certain constraints on the dynamics of these interactions and the resultant radiation bath are satisfied, a low-momentum-dominated dissipation coefficient $\propto T^3/m_χ^2$ can sustain an era of inflation compatible with CMB observations. In this work, we extend these analyses by including the pole-dominated dissipation term $\propto \sqrt{m_χT} \exp(-m_χ/T)$. We find that, with this enhanced dissipation, certain models, notably the quadratic hilltop potential, perform significantly better. Specifically, we can achieve 50 e-folds of inflation and a spectral index compatible with Planck data while requiring fewer mediator field ($O(10^4)$ for the quadratic hilltop potential) and smaller coupling constants, opening up interesting model-building possibilities. We also highlight the significance of the specific parametric dependence of the dissipative coefficient which could prove useful in even greater reduction in field content.
description: 18 pages, 8 figures
A High Throughput List Decoder Architecture for Polar Codes
Creators: name: Lin, Jun
name: Xiong, Chenrong
name: Yan, Zhiyuan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Hardware Architecture (cs.AR)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: While long polar codes can achieve the capacity of arbitrary binary-input discrete memoryless channels when decoded by a low complexity successive cancelation (SC) algorithm, the error performance of the SC algorithm is inferior for polar codes with finite block lengths. The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) aided successive cancelation list (SCL) decoding algorithm has better error performance than the SC algorithm. However, current CRC aided SCL (CA-SCL) decoders still suffer from long decoding latency and limited throughput. In this paper, a reduced latency list decoding (RLLD) algorithm for polar codes is proposed. Our RLLD algorithm performs the list decoding on a binary tree, whose leaves correspond to the bits of a polar code. In existing SCL decoding algorithms, all the nodes in the tree are traversed and all possibilities of the information bits are considered. Instead, our RLLD algorithm visits much fewer nodes in the tree and considers fewer possibilities of the information bits. When configured properly, our RLLD algorithm significantly reduces the decoding latency and hence improves throughput, while introducing little performance degradation. Based on our RLLD algorithm, we also propose a high throughput list decoder architecture, which is suitable for larger block lengths due to its scalable partial sum computation unit. Our decoder architecture has been implemented for different block lengths and list sizes using the TSMC 90nm CMOS technology. The implementation results demonstrate that our decoders achieve significant latency reduction and area efficiency improvement compared with other list polar decoders in the literature.
description: submitted to IEEE TVLSI
A whole genome association study of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Malawi
Creators: name: Lange, Ethan
name: Joubert, Bonnie R
name: North, Kari
name: Meshnick, Steven R.
name: Franceschini, Nora
Publisher: name: BioMed Central Ltd
Year: 2010

description: Abstract: Background: More than 300,000 children are newly infected with HIV each year, predominantly through mother-to-child transmission (HIV MTCT). Identification of host genetic traits associated with transmission may more clearly explain the mechanisms of HIV MTCT and further the development of a vaccine to protect infants from infection. Associations between transmission and a selection of genes or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)s may give an incomplete picture of HIV MTCT etiology. Thus, this study employed a genome-wide association approach to identify novel variants associated with HIV MTCT. Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study of HIV MTCT using infants of HIV(+) mothers, drawn from a cohort study of malaria and HIV in pregnancy in Blantyre, Malawi. Whole genome scans (650,000 SNPs genotyped using Illumina genotyping assays) were obtained for each infant. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between each SNP and HIV MTCT. Results: Genotype results were available for 100 HIV(+) infants (at birth, 6, or 12 weeks) and 126 HIV(-) infants (at birth, 6, and 12 weeks). We identified 9 SNPs within 6 genes with a P-value <5 × 10-5 associated with the risk of transmission, in either unadjusted or adjusted by maternal HIV viral load analyses. Carriers of the rs8069770 variant allele were associated with a lower risk of HIV MTCT (odds ratio = 0.27, 95% confidence interval = 0.14, 0.51), where rs8069770 is located within HS3ST3A1, a gene involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis. Interesting associations for SNPs located within or near genes involved in pregnancy and development, innate immunological response, or HIV protein interactions were also observed. Conclusions: This study used a genome-wide approach to identify novel variants associated with the risk of HIV MTCT in order to gain new insights into HIV MTCT etiology. Replication of this work using a larger sample size will help us to differentiate true positive findings.
Supernova 1987A: a Template to Link Supernovae to their Remnants
Creators: name: Orlando, S.
name: Miceli, M.
name: Pumo, M. L.
name: Bocchino, F.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The emission of supernova remnants reflects the properties of both the progenitor supernovae and the surrounding environment. The complex morphology of the remnants, however, hampers the disentanglement of the two contributions. Here we aim at identifying the imprint of SN 1987A on the X-ray emission of its remnant and at constraining the structure of the environment surrounding the supernova. We performed high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations describing SN 1987A soon after the core-collapse and the following three-dimensional expansion of its remnant between days 1 and 15000 after the supernova. We demonstrated that the physical model reproducing the main observables of SN 1987A during the first 250 days of evolution reproduces also the X-ray emission of the subsequent expanding remnant, thus bridging the gap between supernovae and supernova remnants. By comparing model results with observations, we constrained the explosion energy in the range $1.2-1.4\times 10^{51}$~erg and the envelope mass in the range $15-17 M_{\odot}$. We found that the shape of X-ray lightcurves and spectra at early epochs (<15 years) reflects the structure of outer ejecta: our model reproduces the observations if the outermost ejecta have a post-explosion radial profile of density approximated by a power law with index $α= -8$. At later epochs, the shapes of X-ray lightcurves and spectra reflect the density structure of the nebula around SN 1987A. This enabled us to ascertain the origin of the multi-thermal X-ray emission, to disentangle the imprint of the supernova on the remnant emission from the effects of the remnant interaction with the environment, and to constrain the pre-supernova structure of the nebula.
description: 16 pages, 11 Figures; accepted for publication on ApJ
Low redshift quasars in the SDSS Stripe 82. Host galaxy colors and close environment
Creators: name: Bettoni, D.
name: Falomo, R.
name: Kotilainen, J. K.
name: Karhunen, K.
name: Uslenghi, M.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present a photometrical and morphological multicolor study of the properties of low redshift (z<0.3) quasar hosts based on a large and homogeneous dataset of quasars derived from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (DR7). We used quasars that were imaged in the SDSS Stripe82 that is up to 2 mag deeper than standard Sloan images. This sample is part of a larger dataset of ~400 quasars at z<0.5 for which both the host galaxies and their galaxy environments were studied (Falomo et al. 2014,Karhunen et al. 2014). For 52 quasars we undertake a study of the color of the host galaxies and of their close environments in u,g,r,i and z bands. We are able to resolve almost all the quasars in the sample in the filters g,r,i and z and also in $u$ for about 50% of the targets. We found that the mean colors of the QSO host galaxy (g-i=0.82+-0.26; r-i=0.26+-0.16 and u-g=1.32+-0.25) are very similar to the values of a sample of inactive galaxies matched in terms of redshift and galaxy luminosity with the quasar sample. There is a suggestion that the most massive QSO hosts have bluer colors.Both quasar hosts and the comparison sample of inactive galaxies have candidates of close ($
description: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 13 pages
Recruitment of young adults into a randomized controlled trial of weight gain prevention: message development, methods, and cost
Creators: name: Robichaud, Erica F
name: Wing, Rena R
name: Espeland, Mark A
name: Griffin, Leah P
name: Tate, Deborah
name: LaRose, Jessica G
name: Perdue, Letitia
name: Erickson, Karen E
Publisher: name: BioMed Central Ltd
Year: 2014

description: Abstract Background Young adulthood (age 18 to 35) is a high-risk period for unhealthy weight gain. Few studies have recruited for prevention of weight gain, particularly in young adults. This paper describes the recruitment protocol used in the Study of Novel Approaches to Prevention (SNAP). Methods We conducted extensive formative work to inform recruitment methods and message development. We worked with a professional marketing firm to synthesize major themes and subsequently develop age-appropriate messages for recruitment. A variety of approaches and channels were used across two clinical centers to recruit young adults who were normal or overweight (body mass index (BMI) 21 to 30 kg/m2) for a 3-year intervention designed to prevent weight gain. We tracked recruitment methods, yields, and costs by method. Logistic regression was used to identify recruitment methods that had the highest relative yield for subgroups of interest with covariate adjustments for clinic. Results The final sample of 599 participants (27% minority, 22% male) was recruited over a 19-month period of sustained efforts. About 10% of those who initially expressed interest via a screening website were randomized. The most common reason for ineligibility was already being obese (BMI >30 kg/m2). The top two methods for recruitment were mass mailing followed by email; together they were cited by 62% of those recruited. Television, radio, paid print advertising, flyers and community events each yielded fewer than 10% of study participants. Email was the most cost-effective method per study participant recruited. Conclusions These findings can guide future efforts to recruit young adults and for trials targeting weight gain prevention. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01183689 (registered 13 August 2010).
Nonradioactive heteroduplex tracking assay for the detection of minority-variant chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Madagascar
Creators: name: Meshnick, Steven R.
name: Juliano, Jonathan
Publisher: name: BioMed Central Ltd
Year: 2009

description: Abstract Background Strains of Plasmodium falciparum genetically resistant to chloroquine (CQ) due to the presence of pfcrt 76T appear to have been recently introduced to the island of Madagascar. The prevalence of such resistant genotypes is reported to be low (< 3%) when evaluated by conventional PCR. However, these methods are insensitive to low levels of mutant parasites present in patients with polyclonal infections. Thus, the current estimates may be an under representation of the prevalence of the CQ-resistant P. falciparum isolates on the island. Previously, minority variant chloroquine resistant parasites were described in Malawian patients using an isotopic heteroduplex tracking assay (HTA), which can detect pfcrt 76T-bearing P. falciparum minority variants in individual patients that were undetectable by conventional PCR. However, as this assay required a radiolabeled probe, it could not be used in many resource-limited settings. Methods This study describes a digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled chemiluminescent heteroduplex tracking assay (DIG-HTA) to detect pfcrt 76T-bearing minority variant P. falciparum. This assay was compared to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and to the isotopic HTA for detection of genetically CQ-resistant parasites in clinical samples. Results Thirty one clinical P. falciparum isolates (15 primary isolates and 16 recurrent isolates) from 17 Malagasy children treated with CQ for uncomplicated malaria were genotyped for the pfcrt K76T mutation. Two (11.7%) of 17 patients harboured genetically CQ-resistant P. falciparum strains after therapy as detected by HTA. RFLP analysis failed to detect any pfcrt K76T-bearing isolates. Conclusion These findings indicate that genetically CQ-resistant P. falciparum are more common than previously thought in Madagascar even though the fitness of the minority variant pfcrt 76T parasites remains unclear. In addition, HTAs for malaria drug resistance alleles are promising tools for the surveillance of anti-malarial resistance. The use of a non-radioactive label allows for the use of HTAs in malaria endemic countries.
Development and initial testing of a computer-based patient decision aid to promote colorectal cancer screening for primary care practice
Creators: name: Googe, Sue
name: Lewis, Carmen L.
name: Whitney, Annie
name: Sutherland, Lisa
name: Hayter, Sarah
name: Fowler, Beth
name: Kim, Jane
name: Campbell, Marci
name: McCoy, Regina
name: Pignone, Michael
Publisher: name: BioMed Central Ltd
Year: 2005

description: Abstract Background Although colorectal cancer screening is recommended by major policy-making organizations, rates of screening remain low. Our aim was to develop a patient-directed, computer-based decision aid about colorectal cancer screening and investigate whether it could increase patient interest in screening. Methods We used content from evidence-based literature reviews and our previous decision aid research to develop a prototype. We performed two rounds of usability testing with representative patients to revise the content and format. The final decision aid consisted of an introductory segment, four test-specific segments, and information to allow comparison of the tests across several key parameters. We then conducted a before-after uncontrolled trial of 80 patients 50–75 years old recruited from an academic internal medicine practice. Results Mean viewing time was 19 minutes. The decision aid improved patients' intent to ask providers for screening from a mean score of 2.8 (1 = not at all likely to ask, 4 = very likely to ask) before viewing the decision aid to 3.2 afterwards (difference, 0.4; p < 0.0001, paired t-test). Most found the aid useful and reported that it improved their knowledge about screening. Sixty percent said they were ready to be tested, 18% needed more information, and 22% were not ready to be screened. Within 6 months of viewing, 43% of patients had completed screening tests. Conclusion We conclude that a computer-based decision aid can increase patient intent to be screened and increase interest in screening. Practice Implications: This decision aid can be viewed by patients prior to provider appointments to increase motivation to be screened and to help them decide about which modality to use for screening. Further work is required to integrate the decision aid with other practice change strategies to raise screening rates to target levels.
Diffusive superconductors beyond Usadel approximation: Electron-hole asymmetry and large photoelectric effect
Creators: name: Kalenkov, Mikhail S.
name: Zaikin, Andrei D.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We extend the quasiclassical formalism for diffusive superconductors by deriving anisotropic (gradient) corrections to the Usadel equation. We demonstrate that in a number of physical situations such corrections may play a crucial role being responsible for the effects which cannot be recovered within the standard Usadel approximation. One of them is the so-called photoelectric effect in superconductors and superconducting-normal (SN) hybrid structures. Provided a superconducting part of the system is irradiated by an external ac electromagnetic field the charge imbalance develops and a non-vanishing dc voltage is induced across the SN interface. In the presence of magnetic impurities in a superconductor the magnitude of this effect becomes large and can easily be detected in modern experiments.
description: 8 pages, 2 figures
A mechanical model of the smartphone's accelerometer
Creators: name: Gallitto, Aurelio Agliolo
name: Lupo, Lucia
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Physics Education (physics.ed-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: To increase the attention of students, several physics experiments can be performed at school, as well at home, by using the smartphone as laboratory tools. In the paper we describe a mechanical model of the smartphone's accelerometer, which can be used in classroom to allow students to better understand the principle of the accelerometer even by students at the beginning of the study in physics.
description: 4 pages, 1 embedded figure
Gone in a Blaze of Glory: the Demise of Comet C/2015 D1 (SOHO)
Creators: name: Hui, Man-To
name: Ye, Quan-Zhi
name: Knight, Matthew
name: Battams, Karl
name: Clark, David
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present studies of C/2015 D1 (SOHO), the first sunskirting comet ever seen from ground stations over the past half century. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) witnessed its peculiar light curve with a huge dip followed by a flareup around perihelion: the dip was likely caused by sublimation of olivines, directly evidenced by a coincident temporary disappearance of the tail. The flareup likely reflects a disintegration event, which we suggest was triggered by intense thermal stress established within the nucleus interior. Photometric data reveal an increasingly dusty coma, indicative of volatile depletion. A catastrophic mass loss rate of $\sim$10$^{5}$ kg s$^{-1}$ around perihelion was seen. Ground-based Xingming Observatory spotted the post-perihelion debris cloud. Our morphological simulations of post-perihelion images find newly released dust grains of size $a \gtrsim 10$ $μ$m in radius, however, a temporal increase in $a_{\min}$ was also witnessed, possibly due to swift dispersions of smaller grains swept away by radiation forces without replenishment. Together with the fading profile of the light curve, a power law dust size distribution with index $γ= 3.2 \pm 0.1$ is derived. We detected no active remaining cometary nuclei over $\sim$0.1 km in radius in post-perihelion images acquired at Lowell Observatory. Applying radial non-gravitational parameter, $\mathcal{A}_{1} = \left(1.209 \pm 0.118 \right) \times 10^{-6}$ AU day$^{-2}$, from an isothermal water-ice sublimation model to the SOHO astrometry significantly reduces residuals and sinusoidal trends in the orbit determination. The nucleus mass $\sim$10$^{8}$--10$^{9}$ kg, and the radius $\sim$50--150 m (bulk density $ρ_{\mathrm{d}} = 0.4$ g cm$^{-3}$ assumed) before the disintegration are deduced from the photometric data; consistent results were determined from the non-gravitational effects.
description: Accepted by ApJ; 13 figures
Prediction of noise from serrated trailing-edges
Creators: name: Lyu, B.
name: Azarpeyvand, M.
name: Sinayoko, S.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: A new analytical model is developed for the prediction of noise from serrated trailing-edges. The model generalizes Amiet's trailing-edge noise theory to sawtooth trailing-edges, resulting in an inhomogeneous partial differential equation. The equation is then solved by means of a Fourier expansion technique combined with an iterative procedure. The solution is validated through comparison with finite element method for a variety of serrations at different Mach numbers. Results obtained using the new model predict noise reduction of up to 10 dB at 90 degree above the trailing-edge, which is more realistic than predictions based on Howe's model and also more consistent with experimental observations. A thorough analytical and numerical analysis of the physical mechanism is carried out and suggests that the noise reduction due to serration originates primarily from interference effects near the trailing-edge. A closer inspection of the proposed mathematical model has led to the development of two criteria for the effectiveness of the trailing-edge serrations, consistent but more general than those proposed by Howe. While experimental investigations often focus on noise reduction at ninety degrees above the trailing-edge, the new analytical model shows that the destructive interference scattering effects due to the serrations cause significant noise reduction at large polar angles, near the leading edge. It has also been observed that serrations can significantly change the directivity characteristics of the aerofoil at high frequencies and even lead to noise increase at high Mach numbers.
Improving clinical research and cancer care delivery in community settings: evaluating the NCI community cancer centers program
Creators: name: O'Brien, Donna M
name: Kaluzny, Arnold D
name: Fennell, Mary L
name: Johnson, Maureen R
name: Beveridge, Joy M
name: Clauser, Steven B
Publisher: name: BioMed Central Ltd
Year: 2009

description: Abstract Background In this article, we describe the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) pilot and the evaluation designed to assess its role, function, and relevance to the NCI's research mission. In doing so, we describe the evolution of and rationale for the NCCCP concept, participating sites' characteristics, its multi-faceted aims to enhance clinical research and quality of care in community settings, and the role of strategic partnerships, both within and outside of the NCCCP network, in achieving program objectives. Discussion The evaluation of the NCCCP is conceptualized as a mixed method multi-layered assessment of organizational innovation and performance which includes mapping the evolution of site development as a means of understanding the inter- and intra-organizational change in the pilot, and the application of specific evaluation metrics for assessing the implementation, operations, and performance of the NCCCP pilot. The assessment of the cost of the pilot as an additional means of informing the longer-term feasibility and sustainability of the program is also discussed. Summary The NCCCP is a major systems-level set of organizational innovations to enhance clinical research and care delivery in diverse communities across the United States. Assessment of the extent to which the program achieves its aims will depend on a full understanding of how individual, organizational, and environmental factors align (or fail to align) to achieve these improvements, and at what cost.
Online Algorithms for Information Aggregation from Distributed and Correlated Sources
Creators: name: Chau, Chi-Kin
name: Khonji, Majid
name: Aftab, Muhammad
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Networking and Internet Architecture (cs.NI)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: There is a fundamental trade-off between the communication cost and latency in information aggregation. Aggregating multiple communication messages over time can alleviate overhead and improve energy efficiency on one hand, but inevitably incurs information delay on the other hand. In the presence of uncertain future inputs, this trade-off should be balanced in an online manner, which is studied by the classical dynamic TCP ACK problem for a single information source. In this paper, we extend dynamic TCP ACK problem to a general setting of collecting aggregate information from distributed and correlated information sources. In this model, distributed sources observe correlated events, whereas only a small number of reports are required from the sources. The sources make online decisions about their reporting operations in a distributed manner without prior knowledge of the local observations at others. Our problem captures a wide range of applications, such as in-situ sensing, anycast acknowledgement and distributed caching. We present simple threshold-based competitive distributed online algorithms under different settings of intercommunication. Our algorithms match the theoretical lower bounds in order of magnitude. We observe that our algorithms can produce satisfactory performance in simulations and practical testbed.
description: To appear in IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking
A Thouless Quantum Pump with Ultracold Bosonic Atoms in an Optical Superlattice
Creators: name: Lohse, Michael
name: Schweizer, Christian
name: Zilberberg, Oded
name: Aidelsburger, Monika
name: Bloch, Immanuel
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas)
subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: More than 30 years ago, Thouless introduced the concept of a topological charge pump that would enable the robust transport of charge through an adiabatic cyclic evolution of the underlying Hamiltonian. In contrast to classical transport, the transported charge was shown to be quantized and purely determined by the topology of the pump cycle, making it robust to perturbations. On a fundamental level, the quantized charge transport can be connected to a topological invariant, the Chern number, first introduced in the context of the integer quantum Hall effect. A Thouless quantum pump may therefore be regarded as a 'dynamical' version of the integer quantum Hall effect. Here, we report on the realization of such a topological charge pump using ultracold bosonic atoms that form a Mott insulator in a dynamically controlled optical superlattice potential. By taking in-situ images of the atom cloud, we observe a quantized deflection per pump cycle. We reveal the genuine quantum nature of the pump by showing that, in contrast to ground state particles, a counterintuitive reversed deflection occurs when particles are prepared in the first excited band. Furthermore, we were able to directly demonstrate that the system undergoes a controlled topological phase transition in higher bands when tuning the superlattice parameters.
Random collapsibility and 3-sphere recognition
Creators: name: Paixão, João
name: Spreer, Jonathan
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Geometric Topology (math.GT)
subject: Computational Geometry (cs.CG)
subject: FOS: Mathematics
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences
subject: 57Q15, 57N12, 57M15, 90C59

description: A triangulation of a $3$-manifold can be shown to be homeomorphic to the $3$-sphere by describing a discrete Morse function on it with only two critical faces, that is, a sequence of elementary collapses from the triangulation with one tetrahedron removed down to a single vertex. Unfortunately, deciding whether such a sequence exist is believed to be very difficult in general. In this article we present a method, based on uniform spanning trees, to estimate how difficult it is to collapse a given $3$-sphere triangulation after removing a tetrahedron. In addition we show that out of all $3$-sphere triangulations with eight vertices or less, exactly $22$ admit a non-collapsing sequence onto a contractible non-collapsible $2$-complex. As a side product we classify all minimal triangulations of the dunce hat, and all contractible non-collapsible $2$-complexes with at most $18$ triangles. This is complemented by large scale experiments on the collapsing difficulty of $9$- and $10$-vertex spheres. Finally, we propose an easy-to-compute characterisation of $3$-sphere triangulations which experimentally exhibit a low proportion of collapsing sequences, leading to a heuristic to produce $3$-sphere triangulations with difficult combinatorial properties.
description: 18 pages, 6 figures
Multiple populations in the Sagittarius nuclear cluster M54 and in other anomalous globular clusters
Creators: name: Milone, A. P.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: M54 is the central cluster of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. This stellar system is now in process of being disrupted by the tidal interaction with the Milky Way and represents one of the building blocks of the Galactic Halo. Recent discoveries, based on the synergy of photometry and spectroscopy have revealed that the color-magnitude diagram of some massive, anomalous, Globular Clusters (GCs) host stellar populations with different content of heavy elements.In this paper, I use multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope photometry to detect and characterize multiple stellar populations in M54. I provide empirical evidence that this GC shares photometric and spectroscopic similarities with the class of anomalous GCs. These findings make it tempting to speculate that, similarly to Sagittarius nuclear cluster M54, other anomalous GCs were born in an extra-Galactic environment.
description: To appear in the Proceedings of IAU Symposium 317, The General Assembly of Galaxy Halos: Structure, Origin and Evolution, eds A. Bragaglia, M. Arnaboldi, M. Rejkuba & D. Romano. 6 pages, 3 figures
Quantum Gravito-Optics: A Light Route from Semiclassical Gravity to Quantum Gravity
Creators: name: Unnikrishnan, C. S.
name: Gillies, George T.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Quantum gravity remains an elusive theory, in spite of our thorough understanding of the quantum theory and the general theory of relativity separately, presumably due to the lack of any observational clues. We argue that the theory of quantum gravity has a strong constraining anchor in the sector of gravitational radiation ensuring reliable physical clues, albeit in a limited observable form. In particular, all types of gravitational waves expected to be observable in LIGO-like advanced detectors are fully quantum mechanical states of radiation. Exact equivalence of the full quantum gravity theory with the familiar semiclassical theory is ensured in the radiation sector, in most real situations where the relevant quantum operator functions are normal ordered, by the analogue of the optical equivalence theorem in quantum optics. We show that this is indeed the case for detection of the waves from a massive binary system, a single gravitational atom, that emits coherent radiation. The idea of quantum-gravitational optics can assist in guiding along the fuzzy roads to quantum gravity.
description: 10 pages. Based on seed ideas in our Gravity Research Foundation Essay 2013
Superdense Coding Interleaved with Forward Error Correction
Creators: name: Sadlier, Ronald J.
name: Humble, Travis S.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2016
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: Information Theory (cs.IT)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Superdense coding promises increased classical capacity and communication security but this advantage may be undermined by noise in the quantum channel. We present a numerical study of how forward error correction (FEC) applied to the encoded classical message can be used to mitigate against quantum channel noise. By studying the bit error rate under different FEC codes, we identify the unique role that burst errors play in superdense coding, and we show how these can be mitigated against by interleaving the FEC codewords prior to transmission. We conclude that classical FEC with interleaving is a useful method to improve the performance in near-term demonstrations of superdense coding.
description: 7 pages; contributed to special issue of Quantum Measurements and Quantum Metrology