cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Population health and the economy: Mortality and the Great Recession in Europe

We analyze the evolution of mortality-based health indicators in 27 European countries before and after the start of the Great Recession. We find that in the countries where the crisis has been particularly severe, mortality reductions in 2007-2010 were considerably bigger than in 2004-2007. Panel models adjusted for space-invariant and time-invariant factors show that an increase of 1 percentage point in the national unemployment rate is associated with a reduction of 0.5% (p < .001) in the rate of age-adjusted mortality. The pattern of mortality oscillating procyclically is found for total and sex-specific mortality, cause-specific mortality due to major causes of death, and mortality for ages 30-44 and 75 and over, but not for ages 0-14. Suicides appear increasing when the economy decelerates-countercyclically-but the evidence is weak. Results are robust to using different weights in the regression, applying nonlinear methods for detrending, expanding the sample, and using as business cycle indicator gross domestic product per capita or employment-to-population ratios rather than the unemployment rate. We conclude that in the European experience of the past 20 years, recessions, on average, have beneficial short-term effects on mortality of the adult population.
All Are Not Created Equal: Assessing the Design Features of Local Sustainability Programs

While local governments often implement equivalent numbers of sustainability programs, they likely utilize different strategies to design them. We posit that some local governments pursue more of an exploration strategy, by experimenting with a broad range of sustainability issues and policy instruments to address them, while others pursue a more exploitation strategy, by focusing on a limited range of sustainability issues and policy instruments. We assess these distinctions across 70 local governments and offer evidence that governments indeed vary in their sustainability strategies. Such variations have important implications for local governments’ ability to improve their sustainability conditions over time.
Mass Communication and Politics

Efforts to understand the relationship of communication to politics extend at least as far back as the works of Aristotle and the ancient classics in the arts of persuasion by Sun Tzu, St. Thomas Aquinas, William Shakespeare, Machiavelli, and many, many others. Scholarly interest in how mass communication relates to politics is of more recent vintage. That interest stems from the dual recognition that an essential characteristic, indeed “part of the meaning of modern society,” is the “ubiquitous presence of mass media” (W. Weiss, 1969, p. 77) and that politics is equally pervasive in contempoary affairs. So widespread and intense has scholarly concern become in the links between mass communication and politics that it is not only spawning numerous studies of the relationship but is also leading to an emerging cross-disciplinary and cross-national field of study, the field of political communication (Galnoor, 1979). This review focuses on the background, research findings, methodologies, and theoretical approaches of studies of the relationship of mass communication to politics and describes the emergence of political communication as a distinct field of study.
The effect of remote and internal crack stresses on mixed-mode brittle fracture propagation of open cracks under compressive loading

The standard mixed-mode fracture propagation models, based on near-tip stress approximations, have limited application for fractures under far-field compressive loading. Most studies in engineering mechanics have focused on extending or modifying the standard models to solve mixed-mode fracture propagation under tensile loading. However, for geomechanics and geologic applications, the ambient stress is compressive, and internal fluid pressure or frictional stress can play an important role in the near-tip stress field altering the predicted propagation path. In this study, we modify the maximum tangential principal stress (MTPS) criterion to improve fracture propagation path predictions relative to published experimental results under both tensile and compressive external loadings. In addition, new experimental results on open cracks under compressive loading were consistent with our proposed model. Accurate propagation path predictions are independent on whether small scale yielding conditions are met in the experiments. Overall, the modified MTPS-criterion proved capable for predicting propagation paths for open cracks under compressive far-field loading.
An Approach to Evaluate Scientist Support in Abstract Workflows and Provenance Traces

In the context of science, abstract workflows can bridge the gap between scientists and technologists towards using computer systems to carry out scientific processes. Provenance traces provide evidence required to validate scientific products and support their use by others. With abstract workflows and provenance traces based on formal semantics, a knowledge-based framework that merges both technologies are devised, allowing scientists to formally document their processes of data collection and transformation and allowing others to use semantic-based technologies to discover and assess data, processes, and derived data products. This paper presents an approach for evaluating the level of scientist support in frameworks that integrate abstract workflows and provenance traces. In order to support discovery of scientific results, it is essential to provide tools for scientists to document the processes they use to obtain the results. The claim is that the complementary technologies of abstract workflows and provenance traces need to be flexible enough to support a scientist’s perspective and minimize imposition of technically-oriented abstractions that may be extraneous to them. The evaluation approach uses criteria that are derived from tasks performed by scientists using both technologies, i.e., process authoring, process analysis, process interoperability, provenance capturing, provenance analysis, and provenance interoperability.
Regulation of Id-1 Gene Expression in Aggressive Breast Cancer and Glioblastoma Cells Using Cannabinoid Compounds

We investigated Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells and glioblastoma cells, and compared Id-1 expression in control cells with cells treated with one of the cannabinoid compounds, cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The tumor cells were treated with CBD or THC, and the control group was treated with ethanol. After 2-3 days of treatment, cells were harvested and proteins extracted from them. Following protein electrophoresis, Western blot technique was used to analyse the expression of Id-1 protein derived from the samples. Using a rabbit monoclonal anti-human Id-1 antibody, and a goat anti-rabbit HRP as a secondary antibody, the intensities of the bands produced following film exposure were used to compare drug-treated cells with controls. Id-1 gene expression was decreased in tumor cells treated with cannabinoid compounds. We also aimed to visualize tumor cell migration through a living tissue and to determine the possible inhibition of migration upon treatment with CBD. Tumor cell migration through a living tissue was studied by placing GFP-labelled glioblastoma cells on top of Sprague-Dawley rat brain slices. Migration was studied using the Carl-Zeis cell monitor. Glioblastoma cells placed on brain slices of Sprague-Dawley rats were found to migrate through the tissue to the other side of the slice. The morphology of glioblastoma cells was also found to be modified upon treatment (changes in cell-to-cell contacts). This study shows that Id-1 downregulation strongly correlates with a reduced tumor aggressiveness and that Id-1 might represent a potent therapeutic target for breast cancer and glioblastoma.
Preliminary findings from a student pharmacist operated transitions of care pilot service.

Abstract Background and purpose Student pharmacists are well equipped to complete transitions of care (TOC) activities. This communication describes the implementation of a student-operated TOC pilot service at a community hospital and explores the clinical and educational findings of such a service. Educational activity and setting Patients admitted to the hospital were included in the service if they had a primary care provider from an affiliated ambulatory care office. The TOC student pharmacist verified the medication history upon admission, reviewed the inpatient chart during the hospitalization, assessed medication adherence, provided discharge counseling, and prepared a TOC document to share with the patient's ambulatory care office. Findings Forty-one patients were followed in the TOC pilot service. Student pharmacists identified 208 medication discrepancies between hospital and ambulatory care medication lists upon admission for 35 of the patients. Review of the discharge medication reconciliation was performed for 31 (75.6%) of the patients prior to discharge. The Adherence Estimator® was performed for 32 (78%) of the patients, with a mean score of 2.2. Student pharmacists anecdotally reported satisfaction with their involvement, and preceptors felt confident that the students were able to serve as an extension of the TOC service. Discussion and summary Implementation of a student pharmacist-operated TOC service broadened student involvement on advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) and improved patient care through resolution of medication discrepancies, reinforcement of adherence, and communication with primary care providers.
The Lecture as Testimony: In a Technological Age

The question of this essay, shaped by a changing historical moment of a digital age, examines the old as garnering renewed importance. The text is old wine ever vital and now rediscovered in new wine skins of a digital age. This essay invites a creative opening for a historically important standpoint: the necessity of the understanding the rhetorical importance of the lecture as testimony in an era of technological change. The digital world in this case permits the old to find new energy and purpose in a changing rhetorical environment where the constant of text (that which matters) propels both a traditional and an ever-changing technological world. In a digital world of blurred issues of time, space, and speaker/audience, one must ask a basic question: Is there a rhetorical rationale for reliance on the lecture in a digital and information age? I contend that the connecting link between the lecture as a traditional form of rhetoric and digital modalities is the notion of text.
Multicolor detection of fluorescent droplets on a cell phone using time domain encoded optofluidics

Digital droplet assays — in which biological samples are compartmentalized into millions of femtoliter volume droplets and interrogated individually — have generated enormous enthusiasm for their ability to robustly detect nucleic acids and proteins with single molecule sensitivity. A key challenge in the field however has been the cumbersome instrumentation necessary to generate, process, and detect millions of individual droplets. We have demonstrated the miniaturization of droplet diagnostics into a portable platform that can process millions of droplets per second by combining the parallelization of thousands of microfluidic droplet generators onto a single chip and a strategy to rapidly detect droplets using time-domain encoded cell phone imaging. Building on our work in this area, we show that multiple fluorescent dyes can be detected in each individual droplet by encoding the excitation light from multiple LEDs with unique maximum length sequences that are decoded using cloud-based computation. By developing a strategy to carry out multiplexed digital droplet assays in a portable platform at a rate (106 droplets / sec), 1000x faster than conventional approaches on a cell phone based device, we have demonstrated a key step towards translating the sensitivity of digital assays from research laboratories to portable molecular diagnostics.
Policing as a Social Determinant of Health: The Impact of Drug Enforcement on Prenatal Care Utilization in Urban Communities.

Background: Prenatal care is an important health behavior for optimizing maternal-child outcomes. Social ecological studies have identified both individual- and community-level factors that significantly impact this health behavior. While public health researchers have demonstrated that police officers can act as both barriers and facilitators to health promoting behaviors, little is known about their effect on women’s adequacy of prenatal care utilization (APNCU). Aim of the Study: Use a mixed-model procedure that nests individuals within their census-tracts of residence to examine the effects of drug arrests (a common police strategy in vulnerable communities) on APNCU among pregnant women residing in an urban setting. Results: While controlling for several known individual-level factors (i.e., maternal age, education, and pregnancy risk/complications), the study found that police drug arrests negatively impacted APNCU, as did structural disadvantage, distance to primary care, and residential stability. As expected all three individual-level factors positively impacted APNCU. Conclusions: This research demonstrates that the police are an important social determinant of prenatal care and further supports the limited research on the effect of American policing tactics on community health promotion/disease prevention efforts. We hope this research initiates a new policy paradigm that views the police as an institution of public health as much as an institution of criminal justice.
Changes in driver glance behavior when using a system that automates steering to perform a low-speed parallel parking maneuver

Abstract Drivers adapt their glance behavior when using automation, which may detract attention from their surroundings. Glance behavior during parallel parking maneuvers performed with and without automated steering was compared. Drivers directed a smaller proportion of their glances toward the parking space and spent less time looking at it when using automation than when not using automation. The proportion of glances and time spent looking at the instrument cluster containing information from the automation increased significantly. Drivers also spent a significantly larger proportion of time looking at the instrument cluster and a smaller proportion looking forward and rearward when using automation while approaching a parking space. The system selected the parking space in the approach phase, which may have drawn attention to the instrument cluster. In conclusion, when using automated steering during parallel parking drivers monitored their surroundings less and looked at system displays more presumably to supervise the automation. The safety implications of these changes in glance behavior should be explored in future research.
Using virtualization technology to teach operating system concepts: tutorial presentation

The system software landscape is quickly changing as the adoption of virtualization software accelerates. The use of virtualization software allows hardware resources, particularly servers, to be effectively managed as a computing pool, leading to a reduction in the amount of computing resources necessary to support an organization. The purpose of this tutorial is to show how basic operating system concepts (CPU, memory, and file systems) can be illustrated using examples from the area of virtualization. For example, one important function of the memory management system of a traditional operating system is to translate virtual addresses in a program into physical addresses that map directly into the computing system's physical memory. In a virtualized system such as VMware's server product [1], address translation requires an additional step. In such a system, the guest operating system cannot actually map addresses to the underlying memory hardware, even though the operating system has the illusion of controlling the physical memory and performs address translation as if it were running directly on the hardware. The underlying virtualization layer translates physical addresses from the guest operating system into machine addresses, which are the actual memory addresses in the hardware. Additional mechanisms such as shadow page tables are used to insure that performance in this two step translation does not suffer. The tutorial will cover the above mentioned topics in detail appropriate to an undergraduate introductory course in operating system concepts.
Prenatal and concurrent cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco effects on adolescent cognition and attention.

Abstract Background Prenatal cocaine/polydrug exposure (PCE) may increase vulnerability to substance use disorders due to associated cognitive deficits. We examined whether neurocognitive deficits in executive functions and attention observed in PCE children persisted to adolescence when compared to non-cocaine/polydrug (NCE) children, and whether adolescent substance use (tobacco, alcohol, marijuana) was also associated with neurocognitive deficits. Methods 354 (180 PCE, 174 NCE) adolescents in a longitudinal study from birth were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children - IV (WISC-IV), and the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA/CPT) at age 15.5. Assessments of prenatal exposure to cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco and measures of use at age 15.5 were taken. Confounding factors measured included lead, the caregiving environment, and violence exposure. Relationships between drug use and prenatal exposures on outcomes were assessed through multiple regression. Results Adolescents with PCE had deficits in Perceptual Reasoning IQ and visual attention. Prenatal alcohol exposure predicted verbal and working memory IQ and visual and auditory attention deficits. Adolescent tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use predicted attention in addition to PCE, lead and the caregiving environment. Conclusion Prenatal cocaine and alcohol exposure and adolescent use of substances are associated with neurocognitive deficits known to increase vulnerability to SUDs.
On the Formalization of Higher Inductive Types and Synthetic Homotopy Theory.

The goal of this dissertation is to present synthetic homotopy theory in the setting of homotopy type theory. We will present various results in this framework, most notably the construction of the Atiyah-Hirzebruch and Serre spectral sequences for cohomology, which have been fully formalized in the Lean proof assistant.
Infections Complicating Abdominal Surgery Procedures

Pediatric abdominal surgery is a high-risk procedure. The most common abdominal condition that requires surgery in children is appendicitis. Cases of gangrenous or perforated appendicitis have significant rates of postoperative complications. At the same time, colorectal surgery is considered one of the most at-risk procedures for infectious complications given the potential for gross contamination of the operative site with the abundant flora of the colon. In this chapter, the epidemiology of infections complicating appendectomy, colorectal procedures, and abdominal surgeries in general is reviewed. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management are outlined with respect to surgical wound and operative site infections. Lastly, measures to prevent abdominal surgical site infections are discussed.
Understanding Surface Densified Phases in Ni-Rich Layered Compounds

Understanding structural transformation at the surface of Ni-rich layered compounds is of particular importance for improving the performance of these cathode materials. In this Letter, we identify the surface phases using first-principles-based kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. We show that slow kinetics precludes the conventional Li0.5NiO2 spinel to form from its layered parent phase at room temperature. Instead, we suggest that densified phases of the types Ni0.25NiO2 and Ni0.5NiO2 can form by Ni back diffusion from the surface owing to oxygen loss at highly charged states. Our conclusion is supported by the good agreement between the simulated STEM images and diffraction patterns and previously reported experimental data. While these phases can be mistaken for spinel and rock salt structures in STEM, they are noticeably different from these common structure types. We believe that these results clarify a long-standing puzzle about the nature of surface phases on this important class of battery materials.
Introducing Scholarly Research to High School Physics Students

We report here on an effort to involve high school physics students in research on impacts of oil spills on marine mammals at a local university. We believe that the effort described here might be useful to others who would like to involve physics students in research, especially work of an interdisciplinary nature. The students learn to work independently and to communicate and collaborate in a professional environment. The directing high school teacher for this project was also a university graduate student involved in the university research project. The high school students used a computer program provided by the university to determine the types of passive acoustic marine mammal signals recorded, primarily whales and dolphins. The students got a taste of scientific research and of being part of a research group, very desirable qualities for future college graduates. Student feedback indicated that they enjoyed learning to work with the data and that they think they are more likely to go to college and major in a STEM-related field.
Seasonality of Bartonella henselae IgM and IgG Antibody Positivity Rates.

Bartonella henselae, the agent of cat scratch disease (CSD), is transmitted by the inoculation of B. henselae-containing Ctenocephalides felis flea feces into skin abrasions acquired following a cat scratch or bite ([1][1], [2][2]). CSD is seasonal, due to both cat behavior and the C. felis life
A Phase III, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Comparative Trial of Pegfilgrastim Versus Filgrastim after Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation (PBSCT).

Abstract Introduction: Myeloid colony stimulating factors accelerate engraftment and shorten hospital stay following PBSCT. Pegfilgrastim (Peg-G), a pegylated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is equivalent to filgrastim (G) when used to hasten neutrophil recovery after conventional chemotherapy. While small non-randomized trials suggest that Peg-G could be used in lieu of G to speed hematopoietic reconstitution after PBSCT, no large Phase III trial data exist. This phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled comparative trial of Peg-G vs G After autologous PBSCT compared the efficacy, costs and safety of the two treatments. Methods: Consented adult patients undergoing an autologous PBSCT at our institution were eligible if they had collected > 2 × 106 CD34/kg for transplant. Patients were randomized to either fixed-dose Peg-G at 6 mg SQ x1 dose plus daily G-placebo or daily G at 5 mg/kg/day plus Peg-G placebo × 1, all starting on day +1 posttransplant. G or G-placebo continued until sustained engraftment, defined as neutrophils > 5000/ml × 3 days, or 10,000/ml × 1 day, or through day +25 posttransplant. They were stratified based on prep regimen (TBI vs other) and CD34 cell dose/kg ( 500/ml × 3 days. Patients not engrafting to this level by day +19 were permitted to receive open label G. Analysis of infectious complications and cytokine costs as defined by the number of days of G vs the cost of Peg-G plus any rescue doses of G was determined. Results: We enrolled 78 patients who underwent myeloablative autologous PBSCT for myeloma, lymphoma, testicular, or ovarian carcinoma between 11/03 and 5/07 of whom 39 were randomized to each group. The mean CD34 doses were 4.1 and 4.7 × 106/kg (p = .68) for the Peg-G and G groups respectively. The groups were matched for age, sex, weight, and underlying disease. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 9 and 10 days respectively for the Peg-G and G groups (p = 0.15). No patient required rescue G to achieve engraftment. The median time to an ANC of 1500/ml × 3 or 5000/ml × 1 was the same in both groups (12 days), but only 45% vs 97% of patients reached a WBC of 5000/ml × 3 or 10,000/ml × 1 (p Conclusions: This Phase III study demonstrated equivalency between Peg-G and G in the ability to achieve prompt neutrophil recovery post PBSCT. There was no difference in infectious complications and the use of Peg-G did achieve a significant cost savings over G.
What holds back dam building?: The role of Brazil in the stagnation of dams in Tanzania

Across Africa, a number of major dam projects have been resurrected, often with the backing of the so-called emerging powers. However, many are yet to reach construction and are stuck in the early phases of implementation, with studies ongoing. This paper examines this issue in Tanzania, where eight dam projects were pursued between 2005 and 2017 yet only one reached construction. Beyond the literature on anti-dam activists, there is little analysis of the more technical, financial and policy-making processes that cause such stalling of dam projects. Therefore, this paper focuses on the Brazilian government and two companies, Odebrecht and Queiroz Galvao, as the international enablers of two dams in Tanzania, the Stiegler’s Gorge and Mnyera projects. It demonstrates the significance of two drivers in undermining these dams construction. One was the inconsistency resulting from Brazil’s heavily presidential foreign policy that oscillated from strong support for Africa relations and infrastructure projects between 2010-2012, to a withdrawal of diplomatic and financial support since. The second driver was the degree to which Brazilian governmental and private sector actors misread Tanzanian politics, not understanding the degree of fragmentation in the ruling party and how this affected policymaking. These two factors help explain why the widespread resurrection of dam projects has not entailed an equal boom in dam construction. Additionally, the paper makes a secondary contribution to understanding the factors behind the collapse in Brazil-Africa relations over the last decade, particularly beyond a core group of Lusophone countries.
Uniregional Population Dynamics: Age Without Location

Two classes of models are commonly used to examine how the growth and structure of a regional population evolves from particular regimes of fertility, mortality, and migration: the projection model and the life table model. Both allow one to separate out the impacts on population growth and structure of the demographic processes prevailing at a particular moment, and of the age composition and spatial distribution of the regional population at that moment. Chapter 3 focuses on the modeling of the projection process and the two most important components of such processes, namely, survivorship and reproduction. It also considers relationships that hold under conditions of stable growth. Migration is either ignored or included as net migration.
Small Bowel Desmoid Disease

Desmoid tumors (DTs) are benign growths of fibroaponeurotic tissue composed of well-differentiated proliferating fibroblasts within a rich collagenous stroma. Although they lack any cytologic features of malignancy, they often cause great morbidity by their characteristically aggressive growth and common recurrence even after adequate local excision. DTs occur in the general population with an incidence of about 2–4 cases per million, and are more commonly seen in women than men. These generally present extra-abdominally, in regions that are accessible to surgical resection. Others occur in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a dominantly inherited disorder characterized by a germ line mutation in the tumor suppressor gene APC. These DTs (FAP-DTs), unlike sporadic DTs, are more likely to be intra-abdominal (or in the abdominal wall), where they infiltrate small bowel mesentery and cause symptoms related to space-occupying effects on small bowel mesentery, abdominal wall, and genitourinary structures such as bladder and ureters. Their clinical course is variable, recurrence rate after resection is high, and improper management may bring about disastrous complications in these challenging circumstances.
Structures and Free Energies of Cerium Ions in Acidic Electrolytes

The Ce3+/Ce4+ redox potential changes with the electrolyte, which could be due to unequal anion complexation free energies between Ce3+ and Ce4+ or a change in the solvent electrostatic screening. Ce complexation with anions and solvent screening also affect the solubility of Ce and charge transfer kinetics for electrochemical reactions involving waste remediation and energy storage. We report the structures and free energies of cerium complexes in seven acidic electrolytes based on Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure, UV-vis, and Density Functional Theory calculations. Ce3+ coordinates with nine water molecules as [Ce(H2O)9]3+ in all studied electrolytes. However, Ce4+ complexes with anions in all electrolytes except HClO4. Thus, our results suggest that Ce4+-anion complexation leads to the large shifts in standard redox potential. Long range screening effects are smaller than the anion complexation energies but could be responsible for changes in the Ce solubility with acid.
Abstract P67: Role of Genetic Variants in Predicting Cognitive Outcomes Following Small Vessel Ischemic Stroke

Background: About 20% of patients with small vessel ischemic stroke (SVS) have cognitive impairment; however, the role of genetic factors in predicting cognitive outcomes following SVS has not been...
Aspects of analog optical computing using nanophotonic structures (Conference Presentation)

We discuss some of our recent efforts in designing nanophotonic structures for the purpose of analog optical computing. Examples include image processing, and training of optical neurotrophic networks.
Effects of diaphragmatic breathing on the pathophysiology and treatment of upright reflux: a randomized controlled trial

Patients with upright reflux have predominantly nonerosive esophagitis and can be successfully treated with non-pharmacological treatments. In some studies, diaphragmatic breathing reduced acid exposure and improved gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms in reflux patients. Further investigation is needed to assess the mechanism of action and efficacy of Diaphragmatic breathing. We summarize the @GIJournal discussion held on March 17, 2021 during which we discussed the article by Halland et Al titled “Effects of diaphragmatic breathing on the pathophysiology and treatment of upright reflux: a randomized controlled trial.” Key findings were reviewed by our expert Dr. Magnus Halland (MH) and the session was moderated by Dr Linda Nguyen (LN).
Nonlinear adaptive control of magnetic levitation system using terminal sliding mode and integral backstepping sliding mode controllers.

Abstract Magnetic levitation (MagLev) system is an unstable, highly non-linear and dynamically fast. These characteristics make it challenging task to design a suitable controller to ensure any object to stay at a certain distance from the electromagnet with negligible error. It can be achieved by generating the required flux with the help of a control input. This suspension of ferromagnetic object in air is achieved by balancing the forces of attraction of gravity and electromagnetic. This makes the system highly vulnerable to external disturbances and parametric uncertainties. The controller must be able to adapt the changing electrical resistance and be robust if the mass of the levitating object for MagLev changes. In this paper, three nonlinear controllers: adaptive terminal sliding mode control (AT-SMC), adaptive backstepping sliding mode (ABS-SMC) and adaptive integral backstepping sliding mode (AIBS-SMC) based controllers have been proposed for tracking the air gap to desired value while maintaining the momentum and flux to desired values. Lyapunov theory has been used for proving the global asymptotic stability of the proposed controllers. For performance analysis, simulations have been carried out using Matlab/Simulink environment, where the proposed controllers have been compared with each other. Among the proposed controllers, AT-SMC gives better performance in terms of transient and overall dynamical response. The effect of parametric variations/uncertainties on all of the proposed controllers has also been examined by varying parametric values, by adding noise and disturbance in the system. Moreover, simulation results for the proposed controllers have also been compared with recently proposed controllers in literature. The physical realization of proposed AT-SMC has been examined with the help of a comparison between simulation results and the controller hardware in loop (C-HIL) experimental results.
Enhanced trophic transfer of chlorpyrifos from resistant Hyalella azteca to inland silversides (Menidia beryllina) and effects on acetylcholinesterase activity and swimming performance at varying temperatures

Abstract Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate (OP) insecticide, is prevalent in aquatic systems globally and is often implicated in aquatic toxicity during storm events. Chlorpyrifos induces toxicity by inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, which has been related to alterations to fish swimming performance. Resistance to organophosphate insecticides, including chlorpyrifos, is prevalent in populations of the epibenthic amphipod Hyalella azteca in areas with known OP exposure. Previous studies have demonstrated an elevated bioaccumulation potential of insecticide-resistant prey items, however the potential for trophic transfer of chlorpyrifos from OP-resistant prey items and associated neurotoxic effects in fish predators has not been studied. Consequently, the present study aimed to determine the potential for trophic transfer of chlorpyrifos from OP-resistant H. azteca to a known predator, the inland silverside, Menidia beryllina at two temperatures (18 and 23 °C) to simulate temperature changes associated with global climate change (GCC). Fish were fed either 14C-chlorpyrifos-dosed H. azteca or control animals for 7 d, after which total bioaccumulation, percent parent chlorpyrifos, brain AChE activity and swimming performance (ramp-Ucrit) were determined. Fish fed chlorpyrifos-dosed H. azteca bioaccumulated chlorpyrifos ranging from 29.9 to 1250 ng/g lipid, demonstrating the potential for trophic transfer. Lower bioaccumulation and greater biotransformation were observed in M. beryllina at 23 °C as compared to 18 °C, though this was not statistically significant. A significant 36.5% reduction in brain AChE activity was observed in fish fed chlorpyrifos-dosed H. azteca at 23 °C only, which may be attributed to increased biotransformation of parent chlorpyrifos to more potent AChE-inhibiting metabolites. Dietary chlorpyrifos exposure had no significant effect on swimming performance in M. beryllina, though ramp-Ucrit was significantly increased by 25% at 23 as compared to 18 °C. These findings confirm the potential for trophic transfer of chlorpyrifos from OP-resistant prey to fish predators and the potential for elevated temperatures to exacerbate the neurotoxic effects of chlorpyrifos.
Generalized Results for the Existence and Consistency of the MLE in the Bradley-Terry-Luce Model

Ranking problems based on pairwise comparisons, such as those arising in online gaming, often involve a large pool of items to order. In these situations, the gap in performance between any two items can be significant, and the smallest and largest winning probabilities can be very close to zero or one. Furthermore, each item may be compared only to a subset of all the items, so that not all pairwise comparisons are observed. In this paper, we study the performance of the Bradley-Terry-Luce model for ranking from pairwise comparison data under more realistic settings than those considered in the literature so far. In particular, we allow for near-degenerate winning probabilities and arbitrary comparison designs. We obtain novel results about the existence of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) and the corresponding $\ell_2$ estimation error without the bounded winning probability assumption commonly used in the literature and for arbitrary comparison graph topologies. Central to our approach is the reliance on the Fisher information matrix to express the dependence on the graph topologies and the impact of the values of the winning probabilities on the estimation risk and on the conditions for the existence of the MLE. Our bounds recover existing results as special cases but are more broadly applicable.
106-P: MICA-129 GENOTYPE DISTRIBUTION AND THE INFLUENCE OF RACE AND DISEASE STATE ON DISTRIBUTION

Aim Natural killer (NK) cells are key players in immune surveillance against malignancies. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I related chain A (MICA) is a cognate ligand for the activating receptor NKG2D expressed on the surface of NK, NKT, CD8+ and TCR γδ+ T cells. Allelic variants of MICA due to a single amino acid substitution at position 129 with a methionine (M) or valine (V) in the alpha2 domain have been reported to result in large differences in NKG2D binding, which may be related to acute and chronic GvHD. The utility of MICA-129 genotype as a genetic marker in association with clinical outcomes is linked to whether a sizable proportion of the population is represented in different genotypes. Methods We investigated the MICA 129 genotype distribution among two cohorts. Cohort I consisted of 388 bone marrow and solid organ donors (351 Cauc and 37 AF) as a random sample of the population. Cohort II consisted of 530 sequential BMT recipients (507 Cauc & 23 AF). The genotype distribution of both cohorts is shown in Table 1 , Table 2 . Results Our analysis indicated that at least 8% of cohorts analyzed represented the least frequent genotype (MM) and a racial difference in genotype distribution among Cauc and AF in cohort I (p-value Conclusions These results indicate a sizable representation of MICA-129 genotypes in different populations which increases its clinical utility as a candidate biomarker. Observed differences among Cauc vs. AF and HSCT recipients vs. random population samples warrant further investigation on larger cohorts including other races.
Mass Spectrometric Imaging Using Laser Ablation and Solvent Capture by Aspiration (LASCA)

A novel interface for ambient, laser ablation-based mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) referred to as laser ablation and solvent capture by aspiration (LASCA) is presented and its performance demonstrated using selected, unaltered biological materials. LASCA employs a pulsed 2.94 μm laser beam for specimen ablation. Ablated materials in the laser plumes are collected on a hanging solvent droplet with electric field-enhanced trapping, followed by aspiration of droplets and remaining plume material in the form of a coarse aerosol into a collection capillary. The gas and liquid phases are subsequently separated in a 10 μL-volume separatory funnel, and the solution is analyzed with electrospray ionization in a high mass resolution Q-ToF mass spectrometer. The LASCA system separates the sampling and ionization steps in MSI and combines high efficiencies of laser plume sampling and of electrospray ionization (ESI) with high mass resolution MS. Up to 2000 different compounds are detected from a single ablation spot (pixel). Using the LASCA platform, rapid (6 s per pixel), high sensitivity, high mass-resolution ambient imaging of "as-received" biological material is achieved routinely and reproducibly.
Effects of inosine on purine synthesis in normal and HGPRT-deficient human fibroblasts.

Antagonistic roles for 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PPribose-P1) and purine nucleotides in effecting regulation of the rate of purine nucleotide synthesis de novo have been proposed from the kinetic and structural effects of these compounds on the allosteric enzyme PP-ribose-P amidotransferase described in the elegant studies of Holmes, Wyngaarden and Kelley (1, 2). From experiments in intact cells, Bagnara, Letter and Henderson (3) have pointed out additional or alternative mechanisms for the control of purine production such as the utilization of PP-ribose-P in competing reactions and purine nucleotide inhibition of PP-ribose-P synthesis.
An Unusual Case of Post-Traumatic Headache Complicated by Intracranial Hypotension (P3.065)

CASE PRESENTATION: 27 year-old man presented for evaluation of persistent headache seven months after suffering blunt trauma to the back of the head. Initial impression of patient’s symptoms was that headache fit the description of a chronic post-traumatic headache with a chronic migraine phenotype and was treated as such. At three month follow up the patient developed bilateral hand weakness and upper thoracic back pain. MRI of the brain and cervical cord showed pachymengeal enhancement , crowding of the foramen magnum and epidural venous engorgement consistent with intracranial hypotension along with diffuse spinal cord signal abnormality involving cervical and upper thoracic spinal cord with a small syrinx at T1-T2 and an epidural fluid collection in the mid-thoracic spine. Four epidural blood patches, two of which were directed following CT myelogram, failed to alleviate the patient’s symptoms. . Eventually a myelogram with rapid sequencing guided a fifth and successful blood patch, which resulted in resolution of symptoms. Repeat imaging demonstrated resolution of the features suggestive of intracranial hypotension. CONCLUSIONS: In this case, a young healthy man who presented with a seemingly straightforward case of post-traumatic headache developed intracranial hypotension resulting in an acquired Chiari malformation and myelopathy with syringomyelia. This unusual presentation of post-traumatic headache highlights the varying presentations and the potential sequelae of intracranial hypotension. As is made evident by this report, CSF leakage is not a benign condition. Potential sequelae including syrinx formation can cause profound debilitation and prove to be quite challenging to treat. The delayed onset of upper motor neuron symptoms along with initially normal Head CT findings, beg the question of whether or not a post-traumatic headache warrants earlier MR imaging, especially if there if there is orthostatic worsening suggestive of intracranial hypotension. Disclosure: Dr. Siavoshi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dougherty has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ailani has nothing to disclose.
Discovery and annotation of genetic modules

Biological complexity, and the complexity of a cell in particular, scales only weakly with the number of components. Instead, a cell's ability to process information, to respond and adapt to an environment in fugue, is directly related to the combinatorially large number of ways genes can be selected and modulated to express its phenotypic repertoire. Viewed in this way it is clear that a cell lacks a fixed network structure, but instead has the potential to form, subject to physical chemical and structurally determined constraints, an extremely large number of environmentally selected networks of genes and proteins with shared components.
Commercial Bank Exposure and Sensitivity to the Real Estate Market

In this study, we assess the balance sheet exposure of commercial banks to the real estate market, and develop a hypothesis on the potential systematic effects of real estate conditions across banks. By applying a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) model to bank portfolios, we test for the relation between bank values and a real estate market proxy after controlling for general market and interest-rate conditions. We find a positive relationship between monthly bank returns and the real estate index, even after accounting for general market and interest-rate movements. The sensitivity of bank values to the real estate market has increased over time, and the bank-specific sensitivity coefficient is positively related to the bank’s balance sheet exposure to real estate.
Hopfield/ART-1 Neural Networks based Fault Detection and Isolation

A new approach to detect and isolate faults in linear dynamic systems is proposed. System parameters are estimated by Hopfield type neural network, while the system is in certain operating stage. When the system dynamics changes, estimated parameters go through a transition period and this is used to detect faults. But the estimates are not reliable enough to be used for isolating faults. The judgement on the instance at which the system moves out of the transition zone is made through a user specified threshold on the sum of squares of residuals in a moving window. Once the system is out of the transition zone and settles to a new operating level, the estimated parameters are classified using an ART-1 based network. The proposed scheme is implemented to detect faults in a position servo system.
Normal-state radiative properties of thin-film high-temperature superconductors.

One of the first applications of thin-film high-temperature superconductors will be in the construction of liquid-nitrogen-temperature superconducting bolometers. Successful design of a bolometer requires sufficient knowledge of the radiative properties, and especially the absorptance, of the superconductor, if the superconductor is to interact directly with the incident radiation. At present, little quantitative information concerning the radiative properties of thin-film high-temperature superconductors is available to the designer. Here, a predictive model employing the Drude free-electron theory is applied to films of the order of 1 μm thick. The only measured parameter required by the model is the direct current electrical resistivity. Experimental data show good agreement with the model’s results for far-infrared normal-state properties for the temperature range 100 K – 300 K.