cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Learning patch-dependent kernel forest for person re-identification

In this paper, we propose a new approach for the person re-identification problem, discovering the correct matches for a query pedestrian image from a set of gallery images. It is well motivated by our observation that the overall complex inter-camera transformation, caused by the change of camera viewpoints, person poses and view illuminations, can be effectively modelled by a combination of many simple local transforms, which guides us to learn a set of more specific local metrics other than a fixed metric working on the feature vector of a whole image. Given training images in pair, we first align the local patches using spatially constrained dense matching. Then, we use a decision tree structure to partition the space of the aligned local patch-pairs into different configurations according to the similarity of the local cross-view transforms. Finally, a local metric kernel is learned for each configuration at the tree leaf nodes in a linear regression manner. The pairwise distance between a query image and a gallery image is summarized based on all the pairwise distance of local patches measured by different local metric kernels. Multiple decision trees form the proposed random kernel forest, which always discriminatively assign the optimal local metric kernel to the local image patches in re-identification. Experimental results over the public benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach for achieving very competitive performances with a relatively simpler learning scheme.
The Educational Aspirations and Expectations of Japanese Immigrant Mothers: Narratives of Raising Bicultural "Nikkei" Children in the Post-1965 Diaspora.

ABSTRACTThis qualitative case study analyzed the diverse narratives of 10 Japanese immigrant mothers who reared their second-generation children in a midsize metropolitan community in the Midwest. The primary research questions are as follows: How have Japanese immigrant mothers envisioned academic success in relation to contemporary interpretations of diasporic Nikkei identity? How have the participants made sense of and negotiated their educational aspirations against the expectations of U.S. K–12 schools? Based on focus groups, individual interviews, and narrative analyses, this study captured the multiple ways by which Japanese immigrant mothers facilitated opportunities for their children to maintain a distinct but flexible Nikkei or diasporic Japanese identity (Nukaga, 2012; Takamori, 2010) that was centrally focused on rearing academically successful children who also exhibited cultural competence and confidence as bicultural Americans.
Abstract 1676: 15-Lipoxygenase-2 inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in metastatic prostate cancer

Introduction 15-lipoxygenase-2 (15-LOX-2) is a lipid oxidizing enzyme which converts the unsaturated fatty acids (Arachidonic and linoleic acid) to bioactive lipids with anti-inflammatory properties. Abundantly expressed in normal prostate, 15-LOX-2 expression and activities were found reduced in prostate tumors. 15-LOX-2 has been suggested as functional tumor suppressor since restoration of its expression was found to reduce prostate tumor formation and growth and induce tumor dormancy. However, it is unknown how 15-LOX-2 modulates prostate tumor progression and metastasis. Methods Silico analyses of gene array data, Inducible Tet-on system to express 15-LOX-2 in PC3MM cells in an inducible manner, qPCR to check the expressions, western blot, wound healing assay, immunohistochemistry. Result Through in silico analyses of gene array data, we found 15-LOX-2 expression was markedly reduced in metastatic prostate tumors when compared to normal or primary prostate tumor tissues. To determine whether 15-LOX-2 can modulate metastatic potentials of prostate cancer, we used an Inducible Tet-on system to express 15-LOX-2 in PC3MM cells. Treatment with 750ng/ml of doxycycline led to induced expression of 15-LOX-2 in PC3MM cells. Restoration of 15-LOX-2 expression in PC3MM cells caused re-expression of several epithelial markers including claudin, desmocollin, desmoglein, Jam, EPCAM, β-Catenin molecules involved in the tight and desmosomal junctions. At mean time, 15-LOX-2 expression led to a decrease in the levels of mesenchymal markers, vitronectin and fibronectin, in PC3MM cells. Restoration of 15-LOX-2 expression in PC3MM cells reduced cell migration and reduced MMP2 and MMP3 expression. Conclusion Our data suggest that 15-LOX-2 is a barrier for prostate tumor cells to acquire metastatic potentials through inhibiting epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Citation Format: Rana K. Alfardan, Debasish Boral, Daotai Nie. 15-Lipoxygenase-2 inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in metastatic prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1676.
Older Stroke Patients with High Stroke Scores Have Delayed Door-To-Needle Times

Introduction The timely administration of intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) to acute ischemic stroke patients from the period of symptom presentation to treatment, door-to-needle (DTN) time, is an important focus for quality improvement and best clinical practice. Methods A retrospective review of our Get With The Guidelines database was performed for a 5-hospital telestroke network for the period between January 2010 and January 2015. All acute ischemic stroke patients who were triaged in the emergency departments connected to the telestroke network and received IV t-PA were included. Optimal DTN time was defined as less than 60 minutes. Logistic regression was performed with clinical variables associated with DTN time. Age and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score were categorized based on clinically significant cutoffs. Results Six-hundred and fifty-two patients (51% women, 46% White, 45% Hispanic, and 8% Black) were included in this study. The mean age was 70 years (range 29-98). Of the variables analyzed, only arrival mode, initial NIHSS score, and the interaction between age and initial NIHSS score were significant. DTN time more than or equal to 60 minutes was most common in patients aged more than 80 years with NIHSS score higher than 10. Conclusions The cause of DTN time delay for older patients with higher NIHSS score is unclear but was not related to presenting blood pressure or arrival mode. Further study of this subgroup is important to reduce overall DTN times.
Harnessing cloud and edge synergies: toward an information theory of fog radio access networks

Edge caching and the centralization of baseband processing by means of the C-RAN architecture are among the most promising and transformative trends in the evolution of wireless networks. A key advantage of C-RAN is the possibility to perform cooperative transmission across multiple edge nodes, such as small cell base stations, thanks to centralized cloud processing. Cloud processing, however, comes at the cost of the potentially large delay entailed by fronthaul transmission between edge and cloud. In contrast, edge caching enables the low-latency transmission of popular multimedia content, but at the cost of constraining the operation of the edge nodes to decentralized transmission strategies with limited interference management capabilities. In order to accommodate the broad range of quality of service requirements of mobile broadband communication, in terms of spectral efficiency and latency, that are envisioned to be within the scope of 5G systems and beyond, this article considers a hybrid architecture, referred to as fog RAN (F-RAN), that harnesses the benefits of, and the synergies between, edge caching and C-RAN. In an F-RAN, edge nodes may be endowed with caching capabilities, while at the same time being controllable from a central cloud processor as in a C-RAN. In this article, an information-theoretic framework is presented that aims to characterize the main trade-offs between performance of an F-RAN, in terms of worst case delivery latency, and its resources: caching and fronthaul capacities.
Log-Assisted Straggler-Aware I/O Scheduler for High-End Computing

Object-based parallel file systems have emerged as promising storage solutions for high-end computing (HEC) systems. Despite the fact that object storage provides a flexible interface, scheduling highly concurrent I/O requests that access a large number of objects still remains as a challenging problem, especially in the case when stragglers (storage servers that are significantly slower than others) exist in the system. An efficient I/O scheduler needs to avoid possible stragglers to achieve low latency and high throughput. In this paper, we introduce a log-assisted straggler-aware I/O scheduling to mitigate the impact of storage server stragglers. The contribution of this study is threefold. First, we introduce a client-side, log-assisted, straggler-aware I/O scheduler architecture to tackle the storage straggler issue in HEC systems. Second, we present two scheduling algorithms that can make efficient decision on scheduling I/Os while avoiding stragglers based on such an architecture. Third, we evaluate the proposed I/O scheduler using simulations. The simulation results have confirmed the promise of the newly introduced log-assisted straggler-aware I/O scheduler in large-scale HEC systems.
The impact of HIV testing on subjective mortality and investments in children: Experimental evidence From Malawi

We investigate the causal effect of HIV testing on subjective mortality and investment in children using experimental data from Malawi. When a wife’s husband learns his negative HIV status, we see an upward revision in a woman’s subjective mortality risk and less household investment in children. There is no statistically significant effect of the woman learning her HIV negative status.
Layout-based extraction of IC electrical behavior models

Behavior of IC structures is modeled using a heterogeneous set of tools and derived physical representations. A unified 3D information model is demonstrated with special emphasis on application of solid geometry modeling techniques. Examples used in this presentation include modeling of SRAM technology and interconnect structures that include packaging considerations as well. Issues of mixed level simulations are considered based on circuit and thermal constraints on IC structures. >
An improved control scheme for a standalone DFIG with unbalanced and nonlinear loads using proportional-resonant controllers

This paper proposes an improved control scheme to regulate the stator voltage in a standalone doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) under nonlinear and unbalanced loads. The proposed control scheme uses proportional resonant controllers in the 2-phase stationary frame of reference with a zero sequence controller to compensate the voltage distortion under unbalanced loads. It is demonstrated that the proposed control scheme achieves better performance over existing control methods. The total harmonic distortion (THD) of the stator voltage is significantly improved over conventional control methods. Simulation results presented show the effectiveness of the scheme.
Ancestim (r-metHuSCF) in Combination with Filgrastim To Rescue Mobilization and Collection of Peripheral Blood Progenitor Cells for Autologous Transplantation. Compassionate Use in 372 Patients at 68 Sites in France (1998–2004).

High-dose chemotherapy (HDC) requires hematopoietic stem cell support. Failure of mobilization was defined by CD34+ cells 2x106 CD34+ cells/kg) was obtained in 144/357 pts (40%) following an ancestim administration − 9 of 18 pts with prior mobilization failure(s) &135 of 339 pts with prior collection failure(s) (including 56% MM and 29% Ly) - The mean of CD34+ cells obtained was 3.26 x106/Kg. In the 339 pts with prior collection failure, the ancestim + filgrastim association was efficacious concerning the collection in 65% pts. To date, 115 pts have undergone transplantation (106 pts in the group of prior collection failure and 9 pts in the second group). Median times to platelet and neutrophil recovery were comparable to those obtained with filgrastim-mobilized PBPCs (platelets > 20 x 109/L-13 days; neutrophils > 0.5 109/L-12 days). Of the 22 evaluate pts with CLL who experienced mobilization failure, an adequate autograft was obtained in 10 pts, followed by an autotransplantation in 5 pts. Safety Amgen data report (459 pts with prior mobilization or collection failure have been exposed to ancestim) 2 experienced anaphylactoid symptoms with systemic histamine release, after inadvertant IV injection. In this population with prior failure for an autograft, an additional mobilization of progenitors using ancestim + filgrastim was tried to obtain an appropriate collection for an autograft and allow HDC progression, even in pts who failed previous mobilization(s). With an appropriate premedication, use of ancestim was safe in this large multicenter series.
Barriers to Glaucoma Drug Delivery and Resolving the Challenges Using Nanotechnology

As with other diseases of the eye, glaucoma patients face a number of challenges to efficient drug delivery such as low bioavailability due to transport barriers in the eye. It is important to note, however, that the pathophysiology of glaucoma, though not well understood, makes it a particularly challenging disease to address using traditional drug delivery techniques. Researchers have therefore begun to investigate approaches using nanotechnology, and in particular nanoscale biomaterials, to improve upon the delivery of approved and pipeline therapeutic agents. In addition to well-characterized vehicles like liposomes and polymer formulations, a wide variety of other devices like drug-loaded contact lenses and intraocular implants are in development. The primary goal of these drug delivery systems is to improve bioavailability, which may lead to increased adherence to treatment and decreased systemic side effects. Secondary goals like imaging and anti-scarring applications are also relevant to this widespread, vision-threatening disease.
Creating Cultural Capital: Cultural Entrepreneurship in Theory, Pedagogy and Practice: edited by Olaf Kuhlke, Annick Schramme, and René Kooyman, Delft, The Netherlands, Eburon Uitgeverij BV, 2015, 364 pp., $32.00, ISBN: 90-5972-990-0

Creating Cultural Capital: Cultural Entrepreneurship in Theory, Pedagogy and Practice, edited by Olaf Kuhlke, Annick Schramme, and Rene Kooyman, is a compilation of research and insights on the gro...
Using intra-core loop-task accelerators to improve the productivity and performance of task-based parallel programs

Task-based parallel programming frameworks offer compelling productivity and performance benefits for modern chip multi-processors (CMPs). At the same time, CMPs also provide packed-SIMD units to exploit fine-grain data parallelism. Two fundamental challenges make using packed-SIMD units with task-parallel programs particularly difficult: (1) the intra-core parallel abstraction gap; and (2) in-efficient execution of irregular tasks. To address these challenges, we propose augmenting CMPs with intra-core loop-task accelerators (LTAs). We introduce a lightweight hint in the instruction set to elegantly encode loop-task execution and an LTA microarchitectural template that can be configured at design time for different amounts of spatial/temporal decoupling to efficiently execute both regular and irregular loop tasks. Compared to an in-order CMP baseline, CMP+LTA results in an average speedup of $4.2\times(1.8\times$ area normalized) and similar energy efficiency. Compared to an out-of-order CMP baseline, CMP+LTA results in an average speedup of $2.3\times$ ($1.5\times$ area normalized) and also improves energy efficiency by $3.2\times.$ Our work suggests augmenting CMPs with lightweight LTAs can improve performance and efficiency on both regular and irregular loop-task parallel programs with minimal software changes. CCS CONCEPTS •. Software and its engineering $\rightarrow$ Runtime environments;. Computer systems organization $\rightarrow$ Multicore architectures; Single instruction, multiple data;
Hybrid attack monitor design to detect recurrent attacks in a class of cyber-physical systems

In this paper, we study a security problem for attack detection in a class of cyber-physical systems consisting of discrete computerized components interacting with continuous agents. We consider an attacker that may inject recurring signals on both the physical dynamics of the agents and the discrete interactions. We model these attacks as additive unknown inputs with appropriate input signatures and timing characteristics. Using hybrid systems modeling tools, we design a novel hybrid attack monitor and, under reasonable assumptions, show that it is able to detect the considered class of recurrent attacks. Finally, we illustrate the general hybrid attack monitor using a specific finite time convergent observer and show its effectiveness on a simplified model of a cloud-connected network of autonomous vehicles.
Using ASMase Knockout Mice to Model Human Diseases

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) is a key initiator of sphingomyelin/ceramide signal transduction activated by many stress stimuli. Over the past two decades, much progress has been made in defining the clinical relevance of sphingomyelin/ceramide signaling in numerous diseases using ASMase knockout mice. Organs that operate this pathway are numerous and the disease states regulated are diverse, with ceramide generation governing injury in tumor, gut, ovary, brain, lung, heart, liver, and during infection. This chapter emphasizes evolutionary conservation of sphingolipid stress signaling and mammalian adaptations that permit transduction of organotypic responses. Recognition that the sphingomyelin/ceramide transducer calibrates extent of tissue injury, ultimately acting as a molecular switch that determines organ fate, is driving development of new pharmacologic concepts and tools to intervene therapeutically.
Sphingomyelin: Enzymatic Reactions

Total synthesis and total degradation of sphingomyelin can now be accomplished with isolable enzymes. Some of these have been purified and partially characterized. Most preparations are overwhelmingly crude. Nevertheless, substantial progress has been made toward understanding the enzymatic reactions of sphingomyelin. Some highlights of this progress are outlined here.
Soviet Studies: Environment

This article examines Soviet and postcommunist Russian approaches to the natural environment. Stalinist economic development programs, agricultural collectivization, the primacy of the heavy industrial–military complex, and an obsession with extreme secrecy led to environmental disasters on a massive scale. Major problems include water and air pollution from industry, soil degradation, overuse of pesticides and herbicides, and radioactive contamination from energy and military sectors. Central planning and state ownership did not prevent environmental degradation by internalizing external costs, but contributed to a crisis situation by undervaluing scarce natural resources. Communist authoritarianism, Marxist–Leninist ideology, and a weak civil society obscured the scope of Soviet environmental problems, and constrained possible solutions. Environmental activism fueled nationalism under Gorbachev, as minorities accused Moscow of exploiting the national republics' territory and resources and demanded greater independence. Public interest in environmental issues waned with the collapse of the Soviet Union; economic decline has shifted public attention toward meeting more immediate material needs. Political paralysis, center–periphery conflicts, and massive budget deficits have severely constrained efforts to address the legacy of environmental destruction, leaving the population with widespread health problems and the industrialized world's highest mortality and morbidity rates.
Valuation Methods for IP

The objective of this chapter is to show that IP can be valued. Because intellectual capital is the most valuable asset of modern enterprises, it is essential to compute its value. Literature on specific methods to value intellectual property is available, but their applicability varies from case to case [Contractor:01]. Books on intellectual property valuation are frequently updated and now cover intellectual capital as well [SmithP:05]. No consistent assessments of multiple methods seem to exist. By focusing on valuation practices encountered in corporate tax avoidance, it is possible to present multiple methods and compare their suitability and results.
Beginning to end hunger: food and the environment in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and beyond

What would happen if the institutions that help govern society were based on rules that prioritized ending hunger? In Beginning to end hunger, M. Jahi Chappell provides a compelling analysis of foo...
Consistent modeling of differential molecular diffusion to yield desired Reynolds-number power-law scaling

Differential molecular diffusion (DMD) is a fundamental physical phenomenon that occurs in many fluid flow problems such as turbulent reactive flows. Because DMD is a small-scale event, its modeling is intrinsically challenging, and hence in practical applications, it is more feasible to develop phenomenological models for treating the effect of DMD. In order to develop these phenomenological models, a set of model constraints based on physical observations are needed in order to constrain the model development to yield consistent results with the physical observations. In this work, we adopt an existing power-law Reynolds number scaling of DMD as the model constraints and examine the turbulence modeling requirement of DMD in order to yield the desired scaling. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations are employed as the modeling framework, and a turbulent mixing layer test case is used as a test case. Perturbation analysis is conducted to examine the model consistency in order to yield the power-law scaling for DMD in the mixing layer test case. It is found that a differential mixing time scale model is needed to yield the power-law scaling, and the commonly used equal mixing time scale model cannot produce the scaling correctly. Numerical simulations of the turbulent mixing problem are also performed to further demonstrate the turbulence modeling requirement for producing the desired power-law scaling of DMD.Differential molecular diffusion (DMD) is a fundamental physical phenomenon that occurs in many fluid flow problems such as turbulent reactive flows. Because DMD is a small-scale event, its modeling is intrinsically challenging, and hence in practical applications, it is more feasible to develop phenomenological models for treating the effect of DMD. In order to develop these phenomenological models, a set of model constraints based on physical observations are needed in order to constrain the model development to yield consistent results with the physical observations. In this work, we adopt an existing power-law Reynolds number scaling of DMD as the model constraints and examine the turbulence modeling requirement of DMD in order to yield the desired scaling. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations are employed as the modeling framework, and a turbulent mixing layer test case is used as a test case. Perturbation analysis is conducted to examine the model consistency in order to yield the power-l...
Treatment of femoral neck fractures in patients 45-64 years of age.

Abstract Introduction Young patients with femoral neck fractures are optimally treated with reduction and stable fixation, while patients over the age of sixty-five are often treated with arthroplasty. This study analyzes in-hospital outcomes associated with total hip arthroplasty, hip hemiarthroplasty and internal fixation for treatment of femoral neck fractures in patients aged 45–64. Methods Records of patients between the ages of 45–64, from 2002 to 2014, sustaining femoral neck fractures and treated with internal fixation, hip hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty were obtained from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Examined variables were age, sex and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Outcome measures included hospital length of stay (LOS), complications, and inpatient hospitalization charge. Results From 2002–2014 74,678 femoral neck fractures were available for analysis. THA use increased from 5.3% of operatively managed fractures in 2002 to 22.3% of operatively managed fractures in 2014 (p Conclusion This study demonstrates that the use of total hip arthroplasty in treatment of femoral neck fractures in patients from the age of 45–64 increased 4.2-fold over the study period. This treatment is associated with increased hospital cost, length of stay and complications. Additionally, as age increased in our study population, there was a stepwise increase in the use of arthroplasty, and it appears that hemiarthroplasty is being used with a different patient population.
Analysis of Nationwide Data to Determine the Incidence and Diagnosed Prevalence of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease in the USA: 2013-2015.

Background: This study addresses an important gap, as it is the first US nationwide, epidemiologic study of ADPKD incidence and prevalence. Summary: This 3-year, observational study utilized data from Truven Health MarketScan® administrative claims, as well as cross-sectional data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS). We estimated the annual incidence and diagnosed prevalence using population-based data on over 170 million de-identified patients to provide the most current epidemiologic estimates available. The ADPKD-diagnosed prevalence was 4.3 per 10,000 in the NAMCS, which closely corresponded with age-adjusted rates from patients with either commercial insurance or employer-sponsored Medicare supplemental insurance. The annual incidence was 0.62 per 10,000. Both nationwide data sets indicate that approximately 140,000 patients are currently diagnosed in the USA. We also found significant differences by gender and age. Females are nearly twice as likely as males to be diagnosed in early adulthood, while the incidence in males was highest in those aged 65 years or older. ADPKD appears more likely to be diagnosed in men after disease progression or the development of chronic kidney disease. Key Messages: Our results revealed striking age and gender differences in the incidence of ADPKD. Young women are diagnosed with ADPKD at nearly twice the rate of young men, perhaps due to the use of ultrasound in women during child-bearing years. This points to a need for increased recognition of ADPKD, with an emphasis on younger men in particular. ADPKD has been inaccurately perceived as a common condition based on misinterpretation of early epidemiologic data (1957) confirmed by our data and recent European data. ADPKD affects approximately 140,000 patients in the USA and meets the criterion for a rare disease. Our results indicate a need for further study of gender and ADPKD diagnosis, progression, management, and outcomes.
Soil bacterial community dynamics following surfactant addition and bioaugmentation in pyrene-contaminated soils.

Abstract Because of their toxic properties, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are designated as priority pollutants. The low solubility and strong sorption of PAHs in soil often limits bioremediation. To increase PAH bioavailability and enhance microbial degradation, surfactants are often added to contaminated soils. However, the effects of surfactants on the PAH degradation capacities of soil microbes are generally neglected. In this study, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing was used to evaluate changes in the soil microbial community after the application of rhamnolipid biosurfactant or Brij-35 surfactant and Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 bioaugmentation over a 50-d mineralization study in two soils contaminated with pyrene at 10 mg kg−1. The introduction of pyrene in both soils resulted in an increase in Firmicutes and a decrease in microbial richness and Shannon diversity index. Amendment of rhamnolipid at 1,400 μg g−1 to the native clay soil resulted in a decrease in Bacillus from 48% to 2%, which was accompanied with an increase in Mycoplana that accounted for 67% of the total genera relative abundance. Phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states was used to predict the activity of functional genes involved in the PAH degradation KEGG pathway and determined that M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 bioaugmentation resulted in an increased number of functional genes utilized in PAH biodegradation. Results of this study provide a better understanding of the soil microbial dynamics in response to surfactant amendments in addition to bioaugmentation of a PAH-degrading microbe. This knowledge contributes to successful and efficient surfactant-enhanced bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils.
Network-Based Modeling of Sepsis: Quantification and Evaluation of Simultaneity of Organ Dysfunctions

It is shown that appropriate therapeutic management at early stages of sepsis are crucial for preventing further deterioration and irreversible organ damage. Although previous studies considered the cellular and physiological responses as the components of sepsis-related predictive models, temporal connections among the responses have not been widely studied. The objective of this study is to investigate simultaneous changes in cellular and physiological responses represented by 16 clinical variables contributing to seven organ system dysfunctions in patients with sepsis to predict in-hospital mortality. Organ dysfunctions were represented by undirected weighted network models composed of: i) nodes (i.e., 16 clinical variables and three biomarkers including procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and sedimentation rate), ii) edges (i.e., connection between pair of nodes representing simultaneous dysfunctions), and iii) weights representing the persistence of the co-occurrence of two dysfunctions. Data was collected from 13,367 adult patients (corresponding to 17,953 visits) admitted to the study hospital from July 1, 2013, to December 31, 2015. The study population were categorized based on clinical criteria representing sepsis progression to identify different subpopulations. The findings quantify the optimal window for defining the simultaneity of two dysfunctions, the network properties corresponding to different subpopulations, the discriminatory patterns of simultaneous dysfunctions among subpopulations and in-hospital mortality prediction. The results show that the level of persistence of simultaneous dysfunctions are subpopulation-specific. Insights from this study regarding optimal thresholds of the persistence and combination of simultaneous organ dysfunctions can inform policies to personalize the in-hospital mortality prediction.
Community Experience With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in the Prone Position.

Mechanical ventilation in the prone position has been shown to improve outcomes in randomized trials of patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and is recommended in clinical practice guidelines. However, data is lacking on the results of attempts to implement this practice in the community outside of clinical trials. To describe our early outcomes implementing mechanical ventilation in the prone position. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Medical intensive care unit of a large community-based teaching hospital. Participants All patients ventilated in the prone position between June 2013 and October 2016. Measurements and main results We describe patient characteristics, mortality, and frequency of complications (such as skin breakdown and accidental extubation) at our center. Eighty-one patients with a mean age of 55 years underwent mechanical ventilation in the prone position during the study period. Most patients also received vasopressors, neuromuscular blockade, and steroids. Overall mortality was 43%. The duration of the first proning session ranged from 1.5 to 40.5 hours. Mortality was lower (34%) in those ventilated in the prone position for more than 16 hours during the first session. In the 50 patients without treatment limitations, only 14% expired. There were no accidental extubations during prone positioning. Most of those who died had limitations placed on treatment prior to death. Conclusions Overall mortality was higher in our cohort than in the randomized trial. However, differences such as lack of stabilization period, different cultures impacting end-of-life decisions, and timing of enrollment in the course of illness limit interpretation of this comparison. This exercise allows identification of areas for future quality improvement efforts such as increasing the duration of some proning sessions. Complications of prone positioning were uncommon.
Toward better outcomes in Sjögren's syndrome: The promise of a stratified medicine approach

Sjogren's syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease defined by its targeted inflammation of the salivary and lacrimal glands, resulting in dry mouth and eyes in the majority and persistent or recurrent salivary gland enlargement in a minority of those affected. Involvement of major organs, an increased risk of lymphoma, and autoantibodies against ubiquitous cellular ribonucleoproteins define some of its systemic features. Those affected have a high symptom burden and the development of disease-modifying therapies is thus an urgent need. A stratified medicine approach offers promise as a means of targeting specific therapies to patients for whom the mechanism of action is most relevant. Implementation of this approach will require an understanding of the pathophysiological processes underlying different patient subsets, and then identifying or developing a drug that targets this pathway. Such therapies would be most effective if implemented early in the disease course before the advent of adverse outcomes or glandular damage. This review will provide a disease overview followed by an analysis of the feasibility of a stratified medicine approach, focusing on the disease heterogeneity, predictors of disease progression and adverse outcomes, and recent advances in the development of relevant outcome measures and new therapies.
Finite Alphabet Iterative Decoding of LDPC Codes with Coarsely Quantized Neural Networks

In this paper, we introduce a method of using quantized neural networks (QNN) to design finite alphabet message passing decoders (FAID) for Low- Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes. Specifically, we construct a neural network with low precision activations to optimize a FAID over Additive White Gaussian Noise Channel (AWGNC). The low precision activations cause a critical issue that their gradients vanish almost everywhere, making it difficult to use classical backward propagation. We introduce straight- through estimators (STE) to avoid this problem, by replacing zero derivatives of quantized activations with surrogate gradients in the chain rules. We present a systematic approach to train such networks while minimizing the bit error rate, which is a widely used and accurate metric to measure the performance of iterative decoders. Examples and simulations show that by training a QNN, a FAID with 3-bit of message and 4- bit of channel output can be obtained, which performs better than the more complex floating-point minsum decoding algorithm. This methodology is promising in the sense that it facilitates designing low-precision FAID for LDPC codes while maintaining good error performance in a flexible and efficient manner.
Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumors of Uncertain Malignant Potential (STUMP)

Smooth muscle Tumors of unknown malignant potential (STUMP) are a heterogenous group of uterine tumors which are clinically benign witha low malignant potential. They are extremely rare and have been reported in 0.01% of histological specimens. The clinical symptoms of STUMP mimic those of leiomyoma and so histopathological analysis forms the only reliable diagnostic method with imaging techniques and immunohistochemistry being supplementary. A multidisciplinary management is mandatory for early detection and to establish the treatment of choice in women with STUMP. Surgery forms the mainstay of treatment and the role of adjuvant therapy is less clear. The disease is known to recur/metastasize and patients with STUMP should be on long term surveillance.
Monarch butterfly trends reported in Boyle et al. (2019) are sensitive to unexamined changes in museum collections over time

Abstract Museum records can document long-term changes in phenology, species interactions, and trait evolution. However, these data have spatial and temporal biases in sampling which may limit their use for tracking abundance. Often museum records are the only historical data available, and Boyle and colleagues make long-term abundance estimates for the Eastern North American Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and its milkweed hostplant (Asclepias spp.) using 1,191 and 31,510 records from 1900-2016, respectively. They conclude that Monarch and milkweed abundance started to decline in the mid-20th century, before the adoption of herbicide-resistant crops that are often blamed for losses of Monarch hostplants. Using the same data, I argue that the Monarch trend changes with the choice of taxa used to standardize Monarch records. The abundance trend after dividing Monarch records by butterfly (Rhopalocera) or Nymphalidae records, instead of by Lepidoptera as in Boyle et al. (2019), shows no mid-century peak corresponding to the milkweed trends. One reason the Monarch trend reported by Boyle and colleagues changes when standardized by other taxa is the declining proportion of butterflies within Lepidoptera records from a peak of 40% in the mid-20th century to less than 10%. This reanalysis shows that changes over time within the taxa used to standardize records matter, in addition to potential sampling biases in the species of interest.
The Instructional Sensitivity of the Test of Gross Motor Development-3 to Detect Changes in Performance for Young Children With and Without Down Syndrome

The Test of Gross Motor Development is among the most commonly used measures of gross motor competency in children. An important attribute of any developmental assessment is its sensitivity to detect change. The purpose of this study was to examine the instructional sensitivity of the Test of Gross Motor Development-third edition (TGMD-3) performance criteria to changes in performance for 48 children (age 4-7 years) with and without Down syndrome following 10 weeks of physical education. Paired t tests identified significant improvements for all children on locomotor (p < .01) and ball skills (p < .01). These significant differences were associated with moderate to large effect sizes. SEM was low relative to the maximum raw score for each subtest, indicating high confidence in the scores. These findings provide evidence that the TGMD-3 is sensitive to change in performance for children with and without Down syndrome.
Extraction of Knitted RFID Antenna Design Parameter from Transmission Line Measurements

The seamless integration of knitted antennas into electronic devices requires accurate knowledge of the electrical properties of the conductive fabrics at high frequencies. This paper shows a new method of extracting sheet resistance of knitted conductive fabric from S-parameter measurements of two-port transmission lines. The extracted sheet resistance parameter is then used to simulate knitted antennas.
Xylariales (Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota) of the Boston Harbor Islands

The Xylariales (Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota) is an order of mostly stromatic perithecial fungi generally inhabiting wood and other plant debris, as well as some important plant pathogenic species. As a follow-up to an extensive fungal inventory conducted by D. Haelewaters and colleagues since December 2012 at the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area in Massachusetts, I examined members of the Xylariales in detail, including previously unreported collections. I constructed keys for included taxa, and I provide species notes, references, substrate, and collecting data of the following Xylarialean genera: Diatrype, Eutypa, Eutypella (Diatrypaceae); Biscogniauxia, Camillea, Graphostroma (Graphostromataceae); Annulohypoxylon, Daldinia, Hypomontagnella, Hypoxylon, Jackrogersella (Hypoxylaceae); Lopadostoma (Lopadostomataceae); and Entoleuca, Kretzschmaria, Nemania, Rosellinia, Xylaria (Xylariaceae). I herein formally describe a new species, Xylaria finismundoensis sp. nov., based on combined morphology and multi-locus phylogenetic analysis. This taxon provides the first evidence of a saprotrophic lifestyle for members of the E9 phylogenetic clade of Xylaria, previously only known as endophytes.
Memories of a Catholic Girlhood: Autobiography and the Burdens of Heritage

(2003). Memories of a Catholic Girlhood: Autobiography and the Burdens of Heritage. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 18, Adoption Life Writing: Origins and Other Ghosts, pp. 219-238.
Factor-dependent processivity in human eIF4A DEAD-box helicase

During eukaryotic translation initiation, the small ribosomal subunit, assisted by initiation factors, locates the messenger RNA start codon by scanning from the 5′ cap. This process is powered by the eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), a DEAD-box helicase. eIF4A has been thought to unwind structures formed in the untranslated 5′ region via a nonprocessive mechanism. Using a single-molecule assay, we found that eIF4A functions instead as an adenosine triphosphate–dependent processive helicase when complexed with two accessory proteins, eIF4G and eIF4B. Translocation occurred in discrete steps of 11 ± 2 base pairs, irrespective of the accessory factor combination. Our findings support a memory-less stepwise mechanism for translation initiation and suggest that similar factor-dependent processivity may be shared by other members of the DEAD-box helicase family.
Chapter 11 International Law

Abstract This chapter reviews and synthesizes the work of economists and law and economics scholars in the field of public international law. The bulk of that work has been in the area of international trade, but many of the ideas in the trade literature have implications for other subfields. Recent years have seen a significant increase in research on other topics as well. The paper begins with a general framework for thinking about the positive and normative economics of public international law, and then proceeds to a treatment of specific topics including customary law, strategic alliances and the laws of war, international trade, international investment, international antitrust, human rights law, conflicts of law, and the international commons (fisheries).
Software Verification: Roles and Challenges for Automatic Decision Procedures

Software model checking has become popular with the successful use of predicate abstraction and refinement techniques to find real bugs in low-level C programs. At the same time, verification approaches based on abstract interpretation and symbolic execution are also making headway in real practice. Much of the recent progress is fueled by advancements in automatic decision procedures and constraint solvers, which lie at the computational heart of these approaches. In this talk, I will describe our experience with several of these verification approaches, highlighting the roles played by automatic decision procedures and their interplay with the applications. Specifically, I will focus on SAT- and SMT-based model checking, combined with abstract domain analysis based on polyhedra representations. I will also describe some challenges from software verification that can motivate interesting research problems in this area.
Ontology-Based semantic interpretation as grammar rule constraints

We present an ontology-based semantic interpreter that can be linked to a grammar through grammar rule constraints, providing access to meaning during parsing and generation. In this approach, the parser will take as input natural language utterances and will produce ontology-based semantic representations. We rely on a recently developed constraint-based grammar formalism, which balances expressiveness with practical learnability results. We show that even with a weak “ontological model”, the semantic interpreter at the grammar rule level can help remove erroneous parses obtained when we do not have access to meaning.
High-performance displacement chromatography of corticosteroids : Scouting for displacer and analysis of the effluent by thin-layer chromatography

Abstract High-performance displacement chromatography was used for preparative scale separation of corticosterone, deoxycorticosterone and Reichstein's substance S with high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) columns and instrumentation. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) in the displacement mode was used to find an adequate carrier as well as a suitable displacer and its appropriate concentration. Separation of a mixture containing 60 mg of each component was carried out with a 500 >x 4.6 mm column packed with 5-μm silica gel. The carrier was chloroform and the displacer was 5% (v/v) diethylethanediamine in chloroform. Regeneration of the column was carried out with alcoholic acetic acid-chloroform mixtures and checked by an HPLC test. In order to evaluate the results, fractions of the column effluent were analyzed by TLC and the results were confirmed by HPLC. TLC was found to be a sufficiently accurate and highly convenient tool to determine product distribution upon separation by displacement chromatography.
Machine Translation in Context

The Controlled Automotive Service Language project at General Motors is combining machine translation (MT) with a variety of other language technologies into an existing translation environment. In keeping with the theme of this conference, this report elaborates on the elements of this mixture, and how they are being blended together to form a coordinated whole. The primary concept is that machine translation cannot be viewed independently of the context in which it will be used. That entire context must be prepared and managed in order to accommodate MT without undue business risk. Further, until high-quality MT is available in a much wider variety of languages, any MT production application is likely to co-exist with traditional human translation, which requires additional considerations.
Pessary versus cerclage versus expectant management for cervical dilation with visible membranes in the second trimester

AbstractObjective: We evaluated pessary for dilated cervix and exposed membranes for prolonging pregnancy compared to cerclage or expectant management.Methods: Multicenter retrospective cohort study of women, 15–24 weeks, singleton pregnancies, dilated cervix ≥2 cm and exposed membranes. Women received pessary, cerclage or expectant management. Primary outcome was gestational age (GA) at delivery. Secondary outcomes were time until delivery, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and neonatal survival.Results: About 112 women met study criteria; 9 – pessary, 85 – cerclage and 18 – expectant management. Mean GA at delivery was 22.9 ± 4.5 weeks with pessary, 29.2 ± 7.5 weeks with cerclage and 25.6 ± 6.7 weeks with expectant management (p = 0.015). Time until delivery was 16.1 ± 18.9 days in the pessary group, 61.7 ± 48.2 days in the cerclage group and 26.8 ± 33.4 days in the expectant group (p < 0.001). PPROM occurred less frequently and neonatal survival increased in women with cerclage. There was ...