cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Use of a Novel Balloon Based Esophageal Brachytherapy Applicator

Purpose: High dose rate endoesophageal brachytherapy is an option in the management of primary and recurrent esophageal cancer in inoperable patients. In a review of a series of patients treated at our institution (Folkert et al Brachytherapy 2013) we found HDR brachytherapy was safe and well tolerated, but was associated with a high rate of local recurrence. To overcome the limitation of surface dose, and enable a dose escalation study we designed a novel balloon based applicator (Cohen and Goodman, Brachytherapy 2015). Here, we report on the initial clinical use of this applicator. Materials and Methods: The esophageal (E) applicator (Ancer Medical, Nashua, NH), a five-balloon self centering applicator with one treatment catheter, was used. Under general anesthesia and with fluoroscopic guidance, the applicator was inserted into the esophagus over a guidewire into the treatment position, and centered by inflating the five balloons. Visualization of the applicator was achieved using the integrated X-ray markers, and 10% CT contrast in the balloons. A CT scan was obtained for planning, the target and surrounding healthy esophagus were contoured, the source channel was traced, and a treatment plan optimization was performed to deliver 15 Gy in 3 fractions (BrachyVision, Varian Medical systems, Charlottesville VA). After review and approval of the plan, the applicator positioning was verified, and the initial treatment was delivered using a GammaMed-Plus HDR afterloader. Anesthesia was reversed at the completion of treatment. For the subsequent two weekly treatments, the original CT plan was used, and the applicator was inserted under fluoroscopic guidance. Positioning of the applicator can be verified by matching the treatment length to fluoroscopically placed surface markers, and by measuring the insertion distance from the incisors using integrated insertion markers. In this case, applicator positioning was verified with respect to a pre-implanted fiducial marker. After confirmation of applicator positioning, the treatments were delivered. Results: The applicator geometry enabled good coverage of the target volume (V100 5 95%, D90 5 108%, and V150 5 44%) while keeping the surface dose within tolerance limits (D0.3cc ! 11Gy) and sparing uninvolved esophageal tissue (D0.3cc 5 92%, D1cc 5 75%, and D2cc 5 58%). Good applicator re-positioning was achieved for all treatments. The applicator shown in the figure below (panels A, B) incorporates X-ray markers to aid with positioning. CT based planning was performed (panels C-F). Because of the non uniform spacing between the source axis and tissue surface, optimization results in non uniform dwell-times (panel E). Fluoroscopic image of the applicator placement is also shown (panel G). Conclusions: This is the first report on using the E applicator in patients. The improved treatment geometry achieved with this applicator provides encouraging feedback for continuation with dose escalation in these patients.
Collaborative study of a semiautomated fluorometric method for the determination of reserpine in tablets.

A semiautomated fluorometric method for the determination of resperpine in tablets was collaboratively studied by 7 laboratories. The method is a modification of the semiautomated method of Urbanyi and Stober, which involves formation of a fluorogen with vanadium pentoxide. Collaborators were supplied with 3 composites, each from a different dosage level of commercial tablets. The results obtained agreed well with the AOAC manual fluorometric method; coefficients of variation ranged from 0.45 to 2.70%. The method has been adopted as official first action.
Inflow Tract Development

The development of the venous pole of the heart is undoubtedly one of the most complex remodeling events during the formation of the 4-chambered heart. It involves the creation of two separate atrial chambers, the development of the atrial/atrioventricular septal complex, the processes that lead to the incorporation of the pulmonary venous return to the left atrium, and the incorporation of the caval veins and coronary sinus into the right side of the heart. In many of these processes, the dorsal mesenchymal protrusion, a derivative of the second heart field, plays a crucial role.
Smoke and Mirrors: Subverting Rationality, Positive Freedom, and Their Relevance to Nudging and/or Smoking Policies

We find the argument of “Withdrawing Versus Withholding Freedom” (Schmidt 2016) to be interesting but incomplete in three related ways: (1) concerning the potential policy of antismoking nudges, (2...
Better human computation through principled voting

Designers of human computation systms often face the need to aggregate noisy information provided by multiple people. While voting is often used for this purpose, the choice of voting method is typically not principled. We conduct extensive experiments on Amazon Mechanical Turk to better understand how different voting rules perform in practice. Our empirical conclusions show that noisy human voting can differ from what popular theoretical models would predict. Our short-term goal is to motivate the design of better human computation systems; our long-term goal is to spark an interaction between researchers in (computational) social choice and human computation.
Abstract 3909: Interactions of glioma cells with chlorotoxin: an ATR-FTIR spectroscopy study

Chlorotoxin is a scorpion-derived peptide that preferentially binds to tumor cells of neuroectodermal origin, like glioma, but not to normal non-transformed cells. We have previously reported the development of a targeted nanodelivery system using chlorotoxin. Chlorotoxin has been studied as an imaging and targeting agent for drug and radioisotope delivery, but the mechanism of interaction of chlorotoxin with cancer cells has not been well understood and it needs to be further evaluated in order to optimize its use as a targeting compound for cancer cells. In this study, we used U87 human glioma cell line to evaluate the binding kinetics of chlorotoxin by Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infra-Red (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. As a sensitive and label free technique, ATR-FTIR is a powerful diagnostic tool for the comparison of cancer cells with normal cells. First, we characterized the signature spectra of chlorotoxin and U87 cells by assigning and evaluating the infrared absorption bands and their second derivatives. Next, we studied the spectral differences between U87 cells incubated with and without chlorotoxin for incremental time periods ranging from 15 minutes to 24 hours. We also examined the metabolic changes in U87 cells induced with chlorotoxin at different incubation time points by measuring the ratios of integrated areas corresponding to different chemical conformations of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. Our results revealed spectral changes in U87 cells at different stages of incubation with chlorotoxin. The most notable change occurred after 30 minutes of incubation, where the band assigned to CH3 bending of lipid membranes shifted from 1456 cm-1 to 1450 cm-1. Consequently, a new shoulder appeared at wavenumber of 1466 cm-1 assigned to CH2 bending of lipid membranes for U87 cells treated with chlorotoxin. These changes indicate a direct interaction due to the presence of a molecular binding site between chlorotoxin and the lipids of the cell membrane. Another significant alternation occurred after 1 hour of incubation of U87 cells with chlorotoxin in the spectral region assigned for nucleic acids. This interaction included a large upshift of the band at 1036 cm-1 to 1051 cm-1 assigned to C-O stretching vibrations of ribose ring in RNA due to the hydrogen bonding with chlorotoxin. These findings suggest at least two different interactions of chlorotoxin with U87 human glioma cells that can be further explored for improving chlorotoxin containing drug delivery systems. We are currently using the ATR-FTIR method to conduct control experiments by measuring possible interactions of chlorotoxin with normal human astrocytes. Citation Format: Rana Falahat, Marzenna Wiranowska, Ryan Toomey, Norma Alcantar. Interactions of glioma cells with chlorotoxin: an ATR-FTIR spectroscopy study. [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 3909.
In Patients with a Stroke Attributable to a Carotid Artery Stenosis, Does Waiting to Operate Reduce the Risk of Complications?

Stroke is a significant cause of death and morbidity in the United States, with many patients affected by stroke originating from embolization of carotid artery plaque. Large multicenter randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid stenting at minimizing stroke risk in select patient populations. The optimal timing of intervention should optimize stroke prevention while minimizing the risk of complications. Pooled data from the large randomized controlled trials demonstrated that endarterectomy is best performed within 2 weeks of symptom onset, after which time the benefit of carotid endarterectomy for stroke prevention declines. Data is mixed regarding the risk/benefit profile of very early endarterectomy performed within the first 48 h. For patients with stroke in evolution or crescendo transient ischemic attacks, urgent carotid endarterectomy may be of benefit in highly selected patients but the data do not clearly support either urgent intervention or medical management.
A Letter from the Editor

I began to transition into the role of editor-in-chief of Utilitas in the spring of 2016 and fully assumed the position late in the summer. Since volume 29 will be the first for which I am entirely responsible, this seems like an appropriate juncture for me to say a few words about my plans for the journal.
Virtual Time: The Processuality of the Cyberweek

Just as virtual space serves as one aspect of the infrastructure of the digital city and serves as the site of its characteristic social formations, virtual time rhythms the practices of the digital city’s inhabitants in ways related to, yet different from, the rhythms imposed by the temporal conventions of the real city. Virtuality thus requires a reconceptualization of time and the various units of the civil calendar—the day, week, month, and year. It requires a concept of virtual time, as distinguished from both so-called “real” or “objective” time and from the divisions of the civil and religious calendars.1 Here, to map out the sociological dimension of virtual time in the digital city, I select the virtual week as the unit of analysis—the cyberweek. Unlike the civil week, the cyberweek is characterized by what might be called “cybertiming” and “flextiming,” consequences of the ways in which computers have modified both when and where work and nonwork activities are carried out.
A comparison of the solvation structure and dynamics of the lithium ion in linear organic carbonates with different alkyl chain lengths

The structure and dynamics of electrolytes composed of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) in dimethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, and diethyl carbonate were investigated using a combination of linear and two-dimensional infrared spectroscopies. The solutions studied here have a LiPF6 concentration of X(LiPF6) = 0.09, which is typically found in commercial lithium ion batteries. This study focuses on comparing the differences in the solvation shell structure and dynamics produced by linear organic carbonates of different alkyl chain lengths. The IR experiments show that either linear carbonate forms a tetrahedral solvation shell (coordination number of 4) around the lithium ion irrespective of whether the solvation shell has anions in close proximity to the carbonates. Moreover, analysis of the absorption cross sections via FTIR and DFT computations reveals a distortion in the angle formed by Li+–OC which decreases from the expected 180° when the alkyl chains of the carbonate are lengthened. In addition, our findings also reveal that, likely due to its asymmetric structure, ethyl methyl carbonate has a significantly more distorted tetrahedral lithium ion solvation shell than either of the other two investigated carbonates. IR photon echo studies further demonstrate that the motions of the solvation shell have a time scale of a few picoseconds for all three linear carbonates. Interestingly, a slowdown of the in place-motions of the first solvation shell is observed when the carbonate has a longer alkyl chain length irrespective of the symmetry. In addition, vibrational energy transfer with a time scale of tens of picoseconds is observed between strongly coupled modes arising from the solvation shell structure of the Li+ which corroborates the modeling of these solvation shells in terms of highly coupled vibrational states. Results of this study provide new insights into the molecular structure and dynamics of the lithium ion electrolyte components as a function of solvent structure.
Electro-optic comb generation from noise with a photonically filtered optoelectronic oscillator

We present a novel architecture for electro-optic comb generation by utilizing both optical and RF outputs of a photonically filtered optoelectronic oscillator. The output is an EO comb with 10.5 GHz combline spacing generated entirely from noise without an external driving RF signal.
Keynote: Electrified driving experience — Expectations on automotive semiconductors

With the expected rapid increase of Electrical and Hybrid Vehicles (EV/HEV) on the road, all but few functions of the automobile will be electronic. Power devices, image sensors, communication, and entertainment electronics alike will need to survive the extreme conditions (temperature, humidity, vibration) and meet the consumer expectations (zero incidence of safety failures, affordability) of these transportation robots.
A Cell-Based Fractional-N Phase-Locked Loop Compiler

In this work, we present the first cell-based Fractional-N Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) compiler, according to the best of our knowledge. Unlike its previous integer-N PLL compiler, a target clock frequency can be generated precisely with an almost arbitrary input reference clock frequency. For example, 1 GHz output clock can be generated from a given 17.33MHz reference clock. With a search engine, such a compiler can find a small-area as well as low-power PLL configuration within minutes. We also have verified its ability for two process nodes (i.e., 90nm and 180nm) by transistor-level simulation on seven test-case PLL macros generated by this compiler. Experimental results show that they can indeed function correctly under extreme PVT conditions.
Genome sequence, metabolic properties and cyanobacterial attachment of Porphyrobacter sp. HT-58-2 isolated from a filamentous cyanobacterium-microbial consortium.

Tolyporphins are structurally diverse tetrapyrrole macrocycles produced by the cyanobacterial culture HT-58-2. Although tolyporphins were discovered over 25 years ago, little was known about the microbiology of the culture. The studies reported herein expand the description of the community of predominantly alphaproteobacteria associated with the filamentous HT-58-2 cyanobacterium and isolate a dominant bacterium, Porphyrobacter sp. HT-58-2, for which the complete genome is established and growth properties are examined. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of the cyanobacterium–microbial community with a probe targeting the 16S rRNA of Porphyrobacter sp. HT-58-2 showed fluorescence emanating from the cyanobacterial sheath. Although genes for the biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a) are present in the Porphyrobacter sp. HT-58-2 genome, the pigment was not detected under the conditions examined, implying the absence of phototrophic growth. Comparative analysis of four Porphyrobacter spp. genomes from worldwide collection sites showed significant collinear gene blocks, with two inversions and three deletion regions. Taken together, the results enrich our understanding of the HT-58-2 cyanobacterium–microbial culture.
Bullying Victimization in Schools: Why the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model Is Essential.

Background Bullying is more likely to happen in schools than in any other location. The purpose of this study is to use decision tree analyses to predict specific risk factors for bullying to identify areas of interest for school-based bullying prevention. Methods We obtained data from the 2013 National Crime Victimization Study (NCVS) School Crime Supplement. We used case-wise deletion to create a sample with completed data based on the measure of bullying (N = 4967). The dependent variable for this study was bullying. We used chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) to uncover predictors of bullying victimization in schools. Results Results suggest that 21.7% of the participants were bullied during the 6 months prior to the survey. Being distracted in class and being involved in a fight were the top statistically significant variables for bullying victimization in schools. Fear of being attacked and seeing hate-related words or symbols in school were also strong predictors of bullying. Conclusions Bullying victimization can often be predicted. Therefore, school personnel can implement programs and policies consistent with the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model to improve the social and emotional climate in schools and proactively reduce opportunities for bullying victimization.
Developing a Method to Valuate the Collection of Big Data

Although organizations recognize the potential of “big data,” implementation of data analytics processes can consume a considerable amount of resources. The authors propose that when organizations are considering this costly and often risky investment, they need a systematic method to evaluate the costs of data collection associated with the implementation of a new data and analytics (D & A) strategy or an expansion of an existing effort. Therefore, in this article, a new dimension of big data is proposed which is incorporated into a theoretically justified and systematic method for quantifying the costs and benefits of the data collection process. By estimating the worth of data, organizations can more efficiently focus on streamlining the collection of the most beneficial data and jettisoning less valuable data collection efforts.
Should I buy my new iPhone now? Predictive Event Forecasting for Zero-Inflated Consumer Goods Prices

Price Comparison Sites enjoy great popularity because they enable customers to make better – more informed, less costly – buying decisions. We use a large dataset of daily minimum prices for 238 smartphones from Price Comparison Sites to develop a methodological approach to model the characteristics of consumer electronic goods prices and advice customers on their purchase time decision. The introduced method consists of two stages, the first one generating a multi-step price drop probability using a customized ARMA-GARCH model combined with an ensemble bootstrap. The second step constitutes a threshold for the estimated event probabilities that is optimized to achieve the highest possible savings for the customer. The derived recommendation advices users either to wait with the purchase or to buy the product of interest immediately to avoid losses due to increasing prices. In the evaluation, we compare our developed approach to two benchmark strategies: “always buy” and “always delay”, where the latter is expected to be the dominating strategy as prices show strong deterioration. The evaluation of 150,654 automated decisions shows that the proposed decision support system outperforms both benchmarks and delivers statistically as well as economically significant results. We reach savings of up to 26.67 € per recommendation and show that our fully automated decisions generate a significant added value and save money for the clients.
Targeting Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) for a Gonococcal Vaccine

The increasing incidence of gonorrhea worldwide and the global spread of multidrug-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, constitute a public health emergency. With dwindling antibiotic treatment options, there is an urgent need to develop safe and effective vaccines. Gonococcal lipooligosaccharides (LOSs) are potential vaccine candidates because they are densely represented on the bacterial surface and are readily accessible as targets of adaptive immunity. Less well-understood is whether LOSs evoke protective immune responses. Although gonococcal LOS-derived oligosaccharides (OSs) are major immune targets, often they undergo phase variation, a feature that seemingly makes LOS less desirable as a vaccine candidate. However, the identification of a gonococcal LOS-derived OS epitope, called 2C7, that is: (i) a broadly expressed gonococcal antigenic target in human infection; (ii) a virulence determinant, that is maintained by the gonococcus and (iii) a critical requirement for gonococcal colonization in the experimental setting, circumvents its limitation as a potential vaccine candidate imposed by phase variation. Difficulties in purifying structurally intact OSs from LOSs led to "conversion" of the 2C7 epitope into a peptide mimic that elicited cross-reactive IgG anti-OS antibodies that also possess complement-dependent bactericidal activity against gonococci. Mice immunized with the 2C7 peptide mimic clear vaginal colonization more rapidly and reduce gonococcal burdens. 2C7 vaccine satisfies criteria that are desirable in a gonococcal vaccine candidate: broad representation of the antigenic target, service as a virulence determinant that is also critical for organism survival in vivo and elicitation of broadly cross-reactive IgG bactericidal antibodies when used as an immunogen.
Implications of Plutonium Isotopic Separation on Closed Fuel Cycles and Repository Design

AbstractAdvances in laser enrichment may enable relatively low-cost plutonium isotopic separation creating a new unexplored dimension in fuel cycle options. This may have large impacts on light water reactor (LWR) closed fuel cycles and waste management. If 240Pu is removed before recycling plutonium as mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel, it would dramatically reduce the buildup of higher plutonium isotopes, americium, and curium. Plutonium-240 is a fertile material and thus can be replaced by 238U. Eliminating the higher plutonium isotopes in MOX fuel increases the Doppler feedback, simplifies reactor control, and allows infinite recycle of MOX plutonium in LWRs.Reducing production of 241Pu by removal of 240Pu reduces production of 241Am—the primary heat generator in spent nuclear fuel after several decades. Reducing heat-generating 241Am would reduce repository size, cost, and waste toxicity. Avoiding 241Am avoids its decay product 237Np, a nuclide that partly controls long-term oxidizing repository performance. Th...
The effects of a functional linguistics-based course on teachers’ beliefs about grammar

This mixed-methods study uses concept maps to investigate the effects of an English pedagogical grammar course on the beliefs of teachers-in-training (n = 40) enrolled over a 2-year period at a pri...
A novel application of process mapping in a criminal justice setting to examine implementation of peer support for veterans leaving incarceration.

Between 12,000 and 16,000 veterans leave incarceration every year, yet resources are limited for reentry support that helps veterans remain connected to VA and community health care and services after leaving incarceration. Homelessness and criminal justice recidivism may result when such follow-up and support are lacking. In order to determine where gaps exist in current reentry support efforts, we developed a novel methodological adaptation of process mapping (a visualization technique being increasingly used in health care to identify gaps in services and linkages) in the context of a larger implementation study of a peer-support intervention to link veterans to health-related services after incarceration ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ , NCT02964897, registered November 4, 2016) to support their reentry into the community. We employed process mapping to analyze qualitative interviews with staff from organizations providing reentry support. Interview data were used to generate process maps specifying the sequence of events and the multiple parties that connect veterans to post-incarceration services. Process maps were then analyzed for uncertainties, gaps, and bottlenecks. We found that reentry programs lack systematic means of identifying soon-to-be released veterans who may become their clients; veterans in prisons/jails, and recently released, lack information about reentry supports and how to access them; and veterans’ whereabouts between their release and their health care appointments are often unknown to reentry and health care teams. These system-level shortcomings informed our intervention development and implementation planning of peer-support services for veterans’ reentry. Systematic information sharing that is inherent to process mapping makes more transparent the research needed, helping to engage participants and operational partners who are critical for successful implementation of interventions to improve reentry support for veterans leaving incarceration. Even beyond our immediate study, process mapping based on qualitative interview data enables visualization of data that is useful for 1) verifying the research team’s interpretation of interviewee’s accounts, 2) specifying the events that occur within processes that the implementation is targeting (identifying knowledge gaps and inefficiencies), and 3) articulating and tracking the pre- to post-implementation changes clearly to support dissemination of evidence-based health care practices for justice-involved populations.
A scalable algorithm of numerical real-time path integral for quantum dissipative systems

Numerical real-time path integration has been a practical method to study a quantum system under the influence of its environment. Performing the path integral computations, however, is a resource-demanding task in general, and implementing it is less straightforward with modern hardware architectures of massively parallel platforms. In this article, a numerical algorithm based on the quasiadiabatic propagator path integral scheme is proposed and shown to scale for systems with large size. As a case study of performance, the quantum dynamics of excitation energy transfer in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex is discussed, employing a vibronic model in which the system size can be varied simply by adding vibrational excitations.
GEDF Tardiness: Open Problems Involving Uniform Multiprocessors and Affinity Masks Resolved

Prior work has shown that the global earliest-deadline-first (GEDF) scheduler is soft real-time (SRT)-optimal for sporadic task systems in a variety of contexts, meaning that bounded deadline tardiness can be guaranteed under it for any task system that does not cause platform overutilization. However, one particularly compelling context has remained elusive: multiprocessor platforms in which tasks have affinity masks that determine the processors where they may execute. Actual GEDF implementations, such as the SCHED_DEADLINE class in Linux, have dealt with this unresolved question by foregoing SRT guarantees once affinity masks are set. This unresolved question, as it pertains to SCHED_DEADLINE, was included by Peter Zijlstra in a list of important open problems affecting Linux in his keynote talk at ECRTS 2017. In this paper, this question is resolved along with another open problem that at first blush seems unrelated but actually is. Specifically, both problems are closed by establishing two results. First, a proof strategy used previously to establish GEDF tardiness bounds that are exponential in size on heterogeneous uniform multiprocessors is generalized to show that polynomial bounds exist on a wider class of platforms. Second, both uniform multiprocessors and identical multiprocessors with affinities are shown to be within this class. These results yield the first polynomial GEDF tardiness bounds for the uniform case and the first such bounds of any kind for the identical-with-affinities case.
PROVIRAL DNA SYNTHESIS I. REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE, PRIMER tRNA, NUCLEIC ACID BINDING PROTEINS

ABSTRACT. αβ DNA polymerase of avian myeloblastosis virus was dissociated by organic solvents. The α subunit has been purified to homogeneity and possesses DNA polymerase and RNase H activity. A polymerase species enriched three to four-fold with β has been isolated. The β subunit appears to be enzymatically inactive but is essential for binding of αβ to primer tRNA Trp . Two nucleic acid binding proteins besides DNA polymerase have been identified in purified AMV core structures.
Miniature Force Sensor Based on Dual-Photointerrupter With High Linearity and Disturbance Compensation

This paper presents a photointerrupter based force sensing mechanism to implement a low-cost, high accuracy, and reliable sensor with a miniaturized design. In previous literature, photointerrupter based force sensors have demonstrated a reasonable performance in a cost-effective manner, but have a narrow range of linear output and are significantly susceptible to external disturbances. This makes it difficult to use these sensors in precision force measurement and feedback control. In this work, we present a nonlinear optical model that utilizes a lambertian distribution for the photointerrupter, which is used for optimizing the design parameters of the sensor. The optimized geometry of the screen and a novel dual-screen arrangement are proposed to increase the linear range of the sensor output. A dual-photointerrupter signal acquisition is introduced to compensate the external disturbances and provides robust sensor output. A prototype of the sensor is fabricated in a miniaturized form factor with the ability to measure forces up to 21 N, having 1.08 % nonlinearity, 0.83% hysteresis, and 99.58 % accuracy. The proposed model and sensing mechanisms are experimentally validated.
Towards Smarter Diagnosis: A Learning-based Diagnostic Outcome Previewer

Given the inherent perturbations during the fabrication process of integrated circuits that lead to yield loss, diagnosis of failing chips is a mitigating method employed during both yield ramping and high-volume manufacturing for yield learning. However, various uncertainties in the fabrication process bring a number of challenges, resulting in diagnosis with undesirable outcomes or low efficiency, including, for example, diagnosis failure, bad resolution, and extremely long runtime. It would therefore be very beneficial to have a comprehensive preview of diagnostic outcomes beforehand, which allows fail logs to be prioritized in a more reasonable way for smarter allocation of diagnosis resources. In this work, we propose a learning-based previewer, which is able to predict five aspects of diagnostic outcomes for a failing IC, including diagnosis success, defect count, failure type, resolution, and runtime magnitude. The previewer consists of three classification models and one regression model, where Random Forest classification and regression are used. Experiments on a 28 nm test chip and a high-volume 90 nm part demonstrate that the predictors can provide accurate prediction results, and in a virtual application scenario the overall previewer can bring up to 9× speed-up for the test chip and 6× for the high-volume part.
Weaponizing globalization: Chinese high-tech in the crosshairs of geopolitics

This chapter aims to put the challenges facing China’s globalizing technology companies in the context of the unfolding U.S.-China structural rivalry. Against the backdrop of a combination of the forces of globalization, dynamics of global competition and national innovation policy, as well as a relative weakening of U.S. innovation competitiveness in recent years, the chapter elucidates the geopolitical and geostrategic considerations that inform Washington’s efforts to constrain the global ambitions of China’s technology giants. With the United States and China inching perilously close to the brink of a Technology Cold War, the chapter concludes that unless and until both sides can find common ground through constructive cooperation in the realm of emerging technologies, China’s tech companies are bound to squarely remain in the crosshairs of geopolitics.
Policy to promote overseas migrant work: A macro-dynamic framework

Abstract Could the policy to promote overseas migrant work be to blame for the sluggish development in some South Asian countries? I employ a macro-dynamic model of two small open economies to examine the policy of the developing, labor-exporting country to promote migrant work in a rich, labor-importing economy. The results from calibration exercises show that remittances received from migrant workers are expansionary through its collateral impact. However, the loss of labor due to the policy hinders capital accumulation in the poor country; as a result, it reduces income in the long run. Welfare, however, increases due to the increase in consumption stimulated by the increase in remittances. The impacts are more pronounced for a poorer country such as Nepal whose remittance receipts amounted to more than 30 percent of GDP.
From Professional Development to Native Nation Building: Opening Up Space for Leadership, Relationality, and Self-Determination through the Diné Institute for Navajo Nation Educators

Many of us have multiple stories that would be appropriate to tell given the theme of this Special Issue. I am compelled to tell a story about my work with teachers, teacher leaders, and other alli...
Liposome-mediated detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive extracellular vesicles in plasma.

Plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA may represent a viable diagnostic alternative to respiratory RNA levels, which rapidly decline after infection. Quantitative PCR with reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) reference assays exhibit poor performance with plasma, probably reflecting the dilution and degradation of viral RNA released into the circulation, but these issues could be addressed by analysing viral RNA packaged into extracellular vesicles. Here we describe an assay approach in which extracellular vesicles directly captured from plasma are fused with reagent-loaded liposomes to sensitively amplify and detect a SARS-CoV-2 gene target. This approach accurately identified patients with COVID-19, including challenging cases missed by RT-qPCR. SARS-CoV-2-positive extracellular vesicles were detected at day 1 post-infection, and plateaued from day 6 to the day 28 endpoint in a non-human primate model, while signal durations for 20-60 days were observed in young children. This nanotechnology approach uses a non-infectious sample and extends virus detection windows, offering a tool to support COVID-19 diagnosis in patients without SARS-CoV-2 RNA detectable in the respiratory tract.
Dy adsorption on and intercalation under graphene on 6H-SiC(0001) surface from first-principles calculations

Previous experimental observations motivate clarification of configuration stabilities and kinetic processes for intercalation of guest atoms into a layered van der Waals material such as a graphene-SiC system. From our first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we analyze Dy adsorption and intercalation for graphene on a 6H-SiC(0001) surface, where the system includes two single-atom-thick graphene layers: the top-layer graphene (TLG) and the underling buffer-layer graphene (BLG) above the terminal Si layer. Our chemical potential analysis shows that intercalation of a single Dy atom into the gallery between TLG and BLG is more favorable than adsorption on TLG but that intercalation into the gallery underneath BLG is highly unfavorable. We obtain diffusion barriers of \ensuremath{\sim}0.45 and 0.54 eV for a Dy atom diffusing on and under TLG, respectively. We find that the direct penetration of a Dy atom from the graphene top into the gallery under TLG is almost inhibited below a temperature of \ensuremath{\sim}1400 K due to a large global barrier of at least \ensuremath{\sim}3.5 eV. Instead, we find that a single Dy atom on TLG can easily intercalate by crossing a TLG step (e.g., a zigzag step presaturated by a Dy chain or a reconstructed zigzag step zz57). We also perform DFT calculations for different Dy coverages to demonstrate how the favorability of Dy intercalation, as well as the corresponding interlayer spacings, depend on the coverage. Consequently, we can provide general insight and guidance for extensively studied systems involving intercalation of foreign atoms into graphene on a SiC substrate.
Last Scientific Work (1945–1949)

Krogh’s interest in insect flight can be traced back to the time when he realized and subsequently proved that oxygen is not secreted but diffuses passively through the lung epithelium and the tissues. While this realization led him to study vertebrate capillaries and the delivery of oxygen to working muscles, it also made him wonder about insect respiratory systems. Thus, while working with capillaries and measuring diffusion coefficients in different tissues, he simultaneously investigated the respiratory system of a large insect (Cossus) larva by injecting the tracheal system with India ink and measuring the dimensions of the tracheae.
FIRE HISTORY OF MIXED-CONIFER FORESTS ON THE NORTH RIM, GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA

This study documented fire history using cross-dated tree wedges and master chronologies developed from the montane mixed-conifer forest in the Grand Canyon National Park to assess occurrences of n...
TU-AB-BRA-03: The Cancer Imaging Archive: Supporting Radiomic and Imaging Genomic Research with Open-Access Data Sets

Purpose: Lack of reproducibility in scientific research, particularly in healthcare, has become an increasing problem in recent years. This is especially important in the emerging field of radiomics/radiogenomics where large data sets and huge numbers of feature variables lead to an increased risk of spurious correlations which are not actually driven by biology. To address this problem we have developed an open-access database called The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) which allows researchers to share the original image data necessary to accurately compare and validate research methods. Methods: Scalable processes for data de-identification were developed which leverage DICOM (PS 3.15 Annex E) standards to ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations. Submission software is customized for each new data set and a team of trained experts assist submitters with the upload process. Data are organized into collections related to a particular cancer type, modality, or research question. Collections may be open-access or restricted to specific users. Users may browse and download the data via their web browser or using programmatic interfaces. Digital object identifiers can be created to allow easy re-use of data or citations in related publications. A helpdesk is available to answer questions from TCIA users. Results: TCIA contains over 52 data collections (46 publicly accessible) for a total of 26.5 million images and associated data. Sixteen of the TCIA data collections support radiogenomics research by linking imaging from subjects with genomic, clinical and pathology data that are available on The Cancer Genome Atlas data portal or Gene Expression Omnibus. Approximately 3,000 users visit the site monthly. More than 90 manuscripts and 12 DOIs have been published relating to TCIA data. Conclusion: TCIA provides a wealth of high-value imaging data to the imaging research community, as well as comprehensive services required to support its user community and facilitate continued growth. Funded by NCI Contract No. HHSN261200800001E
Improving the lithographic process window using directed self-assembly-aware printing assist features

Variation in the shape of directed self-assembly (DSA) prepatterns caused by lithographical process variability is one of the significant contributors to the placement error in DSA patterning. DSA-aware printing assist features (PrAFs) can be used to reduce the sensitivity of DSA prepatterns to lithographical process variability, with the printed sidelobes resulting from these PrAFs being “sealed” during the DSA step of the process. For instance, in a graphoepitaxy DSA process, where confinement wells are formed by deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, the process window of the DUV lithography process may be improved by using PrAFs, as long as the confinement wells resulting from these PrAFs are sized and shaped so that they do not etch transfer into the substrate due to etch-resistant outcomes of the DSA process. A method to optimize the placement of these DSA-aware PrAFs is presented, along with a method utilizing a regular array of etch-resistant confinement wells with localized modifications of their size or shape to form etch-transferrable features. Both methods are tested and verified in simulations of DUV lithography and DSA.
Quantification of left-ventricular regional dyssynergy by radionuclide angiography.

To determine whether variables obtained from Fourier analysis of gated equilibrium radionuclide angiographic (RNA) images can detect and quantify changes in left-ventricular (LV) regional wall motion induced by transient ischemia, 11 chronically instrumented dogs were simultaneously studied with hemodynamic measurements and RNA during control, left circumflex (LCx) coronary artery occlusion, and postocclusion conditions. The dogs were preinstrumented with aortic and LV catheters, electromagnetic aortic and LCx coronary artery flow probes, high-fidelity LV micromanometers, LCx coronary artery occluders, and 4-mm ultrasonic transverse LV diameter and 2-mm regional LV segment crystal pairs. Radionuclide LV regional phase and amplitude variables were calculated for each condition. The absolute changes in LCx region RNA mean, median, and standard deviation of mean phase correlated with the percent changes in LCx segment crystal fractional shortening (r = -0.71, -0.64, and -0.51, respectively; all p less than or equal to 0.01). Similarly, the absolute changes and percent changes in LCx region RNA mean amplitude per pixel correlated with the percent changes in LCx segment crystal fractional shortening (r = 0.89 and 0.94, respectively; both p less than 0.001). When these LCx region RNA phase variables were subgrouped according to mild or severe depression or augmentation in LCx segment more » crystal fractional shortening, progressive differences were observed between the average values for these subgroups (p less than 0.05 to p less than 0.001). These data, therefore, suggest that these regional RNA phase variables may be able to detect and quantify alterations in LV contraction patterns due to transient ischemia. « less
Distributed control flow with classical modal logic

In previous work we presented a foundational calculus for spatially distributed computing based on intuitionistic modal logic. With the modalities □ and $\Diamond$ we were able to capture two key invariants: the mobility of portable code and the locality of fixed resources. This work investigates issues in distributed control flow through a similar propositions-as-types interpretation of classical modal logic. The resulting programming language is enhanced with the notion of a network-wide continuation, through which we can give computational interpretation of classical theorems (such as $\Box A \equiv \lnot \Diamond \lnot A$). Such continuations are also useful primitives for building higher-level constructs of distributed computing. The resulting system is elegant, logically faithful, and computationally reasonable.
Uterine leiomyoma containing metastatic breast carcinoma

Abstract A case is reported of a 44-year-old woman who had a hysterectomy and left salpingo-oophorectomy for a rapidly enlarging uterine tumor in the second year following a radical mastectomy for carcinoma of the breast with metastases to the axillary lymph nodes. Secondary carcinoma was unexpectedly found in multifocal areas throughout a large, but otherwise unremarkable, cellular leiomyoma. No tumor was found elsewhere in the specimen, but tumor was present in the bone marrow. The incidence of extrapelvic malignancies metastasizing to a uterine leiomyoma is reviewed, and 8 other cases were found, five of which originated from the breast. It is suggested that metastasis to a leiomyoma be considered in patients with breast carcinoma who show enlarging uterine tumors and that leiomyomas from such patients be thoroughly examined histologically for metastatic foci.
A more comprehensive analysis of microstrip gap discontinuity in the spectral domain

This paper presents an effective method for calculating the equivalent circuit of the microstrip gap discontinuity. A capacitive /spl pi/ network model is used for representing the coupling between the two microstrip patches. Fullwave analysis of the microstrip gap discontinuity has been carried out in the spectral domain, and the equivalent /spl pi/-network has been determined as a function of the gap spacing for different patch widths. >
Genetic and epigenetic interactions in allopolyploid plants

Allopolyploid plants are hybrids that contain two copies of the genome from each parent. Whereas wild and cultivated allopolyploids are well adapted, man-made allopolyploids are typically unstable, displaying homeotic transformation and lethality as well as chromosomal rearrangements and changes in the number and distribution of repeated DNA sequences within heterochromatin. Large increases in the length of some chromosomes has been documented in allopolyploid hybrids and could be caused by the activation of dormant retrotransposons, as shown to be the case in marsupial hybrids. Synthetic (man-made) allotetraploids of Arabidopsis exhibit rapid changes in gene regulation, including gene silencing. These regulatory abnormalities could derive from ploidy changes and/or incompatible interactions between parental genomes, although comparison of auto- and allopolyploids suggests that intergenomic incompatibilities play the major role. Models to explain intergenomic incompatibilities incorporate both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. In one model, the activation of heterochromatic transposons (McClintock's genomic shock) may lead to widespread perturbation of gene expression, perhaps by a silencing interaction between activated transposons and euchromatic genes. Qualitatively similar responses, of lesser intensity, may occur in intraspecific hybrids. Therefore, insight into genome function gained from the study of allopolyploidy may be applicable to hybrids of any type and may even elucidate positive interactions, such as those responsible for hybrid vigor.
The biology of methyl ketones

Examples of the biological occurrence of methyl ketones are reviewed. The lack of significant accumulations of these compounds in the biosphere indicates that a recycling of these organic molecules is occurring. Evidence for biodegradation of acetone by mammals and longer methyl ketones by microorganisms via terminal methyl-group oxidation is discussed. A new mechanism for the subterminal oxidation of methyl ketones by microorganisms is proposed whereby the first intermediate produced is an acetate ester which subsequently is cleaved to acetate and a primary alcohol two carbons shorter than the original ketone substrate. Methyl ketones can be produced by mammals and fungi by decarboxylation of beta-keto acids. Some bacteria are able to form methyl ketones via the oxidation of aliphatic hydrocarbons at the methylene carbon alpha to the methyl group. Speculations on the biosynthesis of methyl ketones by insects and plants and a discussion of the possible biological roles of methyl ketones in diverse biological systems are presented.