cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Math majors' visual proofs in a dynamic environment: the case of limit of a function and the ?¿d approach

Despite few limitations, GeoGebra as a dynamic geometry software stood as a powerful instrument in helping university math majors understand, explore, and gain experiences in visualizing the limits of functions and the ϵ − δ formalism. During the process of visualizing a theorem, the order mattered in the sequence of constituents. Students made use of such rich constituents as finger-hand gestures and cursor gestures in an attempt to keep a record of visual demonstration in progress, while being aware of the interrelationships among these constituents and the transformational aspect of the visually proving process. Covariational reasoning along with interval mapping structures proved to be the key constituents in the visualizing and sense-making of a limit theorem using the delta-epsilon formalism. Pedagogical approaches and teaching strategies based on experimental mathematics – mindtool – consituential visual proofs trio would permit students to study, construct, and meaningfully connect the new knowled...
Bradykinin Stimulates Tissue Plasminogen Activator Release From Human Forearm Vasculature Through B2 Receptor–Dependent, NO Synthase–Independent, and Cyclooxygenase-Independent Pathway

Background—Bradykinin stimulates dose-dependent tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) release from human endothelium. Although bradykinin is known to cause vasodilation through B2 receptor–dependent effects on NO, prostacyclin, and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor production, the mechanism(s) underlying tPA release is unknown. Methods and Results—We measured the effects of intra-arterial bradykinin (100, 200, and 400 ng/min), acetylcholine (15, 30, and 60 μg/min), and nitroprusside (0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 μg/min) on forearm vasodilation and tPA release in healthy volunteers in the presence and absence of (1) the B2 receptor antagonist HOE 140 (100 μg/kg IV), (2) the NO synthase inhibitor l-NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA, 4 μmol/min intra-arterially), and (3) the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (50 mg PO TID). B2 receptor antagonism attenuated vasodilator (P=0.004) and tPA (P=0.043) responses to bradykinin, without attenuating the vasodilator response to nitroprusside (P=0.36). L-NMMA decreased b...
Multi-objective evolutionary optimization in lens design

We present improvements to the multi-objective optimization techniques applied in lens design. Instead of combining plural criteria into single criteria, we optimize the multiple objectives and generate the Pareto Optimal solutions. This can give better insights into the available choices and possible trade offs not considered in merit function.
Calcium and cholecalciferol: effects of small supplements in normal men

The effect of small calcium and vitamin D supplements on mineral metabolism in normal persons is unclear. To investigate the biochemical response to these medications, we administered 1000 mg Ca and 25 micrograms cholecalciferol per day or a placebo to 92 normal men for 1 y. The Ca and cholecalciferol were tolerated well. 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol [25-(OH)D] and 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [24,25-(OH)2D] levels rose in treated subjects; there was no definite change in 1,25-(OH)2D concentrations. The average difference in 25-(OH)D levels between treated and untreated subjects was 30 nmol/L at 1 y. Fasting serum Ca, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, and parathyroid hormone levels and the fasting urinary excretion of Ca, phosphorus and cAMP, were not affected. However, 24-h urinary Ca excretion was higher in the supplemented group (3.5 +/- 1.9 vs 4.7 +/- 1.7 mmol/d, p = 0.006). Serum P concentrations were slightly higher in the supplemented group at 1 y. In normal men small calcium and cholecalciferol supplements are safe, provide adequate vitamin D nutrition and apparently increase net gastrointestinal Ca absorption.
Incised-Valley Fills and Other Evidence of Sea-Level Fluctuations Affecting Deposition of the Catskill Formation (Upper Devonian), Appalachian Foreland Basin, Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT An exceptionally complete and extensive new exposure of the Catskill Formation (Upper Devonian) in the Susquehanna Valley of central Pennsylvania demonstrates that fluctuations of relative sea level of at least two orders in the Milankovitch range affected its depositional history well into the Famennian Stage. Seven incised-valley-fill (IVF) units, ranging in thickness from 10 to 33 m, are present up to about 600 m above the base of the Sherman Creek Member. Where fully developed, they have the three-part vertical sequence recently proposed as the signature of IVFs: (1) above a basal scour surface, cross-stratified sandstone and conglomerate deposited in environments that were initially high-intensity braided fluvial but that became increasingly affected by marine storm processes; (2) a medial unit of green-gray fissile mudrock containing symmetrical sandstone ripples in flaser and linsen forms accumulated in the anoxic calm of the central zone of an estuary; and (3) an upper unit of wave-rippled sandstone and/or channelform sandstone representing progradational bayhead filling of the estuary. Other marine influences on deposition of the Sherman Creek Member are indicated by a diverse suite of brachiopods and by wave-rippled sandstone. A rough estimate suggests that these marine incursions into the Catskill coastal-alluvial plain represent fourth-order fluctuations of relative sea level. Features of the Irish Valley Member confirm that deposition of fissile mudrock took place on the marine shelf under low-energy, anoxic conditions only intermittently interrupted by storms, and that thicker (> 2 m) sandstone units represent sharp-based shelf sand bars. Fifth-order fluctuations of relative sea level produced numerous, repetitious shallowing-upward sequences in both paralic and shelf facies of the Irish Valley. These interpretations provide the basis for sequence-stratigraphic analysis of both members of the Catskill Formation as a unified depositional system. In lowstand phases, Catskill streams erosionally incised their courses into the coastal-alluvial plain, bypassing coarser sediment to the shelf, where it accumulated as lowstand shelf fans. In the transgressive phase, incised valleys were drowned as transgressive surfaces moved diachronously upvalley, changing braided fluvial systems to storm-wave-influenced marginal-marine sand environments, followed by the establishment of anoxic, deeper estuarine conditions. On the shelf, transgressions restored muddy conditions of low-energy and anoxia. Highstand conditions resulted in filling of the incised valley by aggradation in the estuary and progradation at the bayhead, gradually returning the area to pre-incision coastal-alluvial plain conditions.
Efficient per query information extraction from a Hamming oracle

Computer search often uses an oracle to determine the value of a proposed problem solution. Information is extracted from the oracle using repeated queries. Crafting a search algorithm to most efficiently extract this information is the job of the programmer. In many instances this is done using the programmer's experience and knowledge of the problem being solved. For the Hamming oracle, we have the ability to assess the performance of various search algorithms using the currency of query count. Of the search procedures considered, blind search performs the worst. We show that evolutionary algorithms, although better than blind search, are a relatively inefficient method of information extraction. An algorithm methodically establishing and tracking the frequency of occurrence of alphabet characters performs even better. We also show that a search for the search for an optimal tree search, as suggested by our previous work, becomes computationally intensive.
Preoperative CA-125 levels in patients with hereditary compared to sporadic epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to determine whether a significant difference in preoperative CA-125 levels exists between patients with BRCA -associated hereditary ovarian carcinoma and those with sporadic ovarian carcinoma and whether the CA-125 level predicts the probability of optimal cytoreductive surgery. Methods. From a retrospective cohort of 189 consecutive ovarian cancer patients genotyped for BRCA mutation status, data on preoperative CA-125 levels were available for 49/88 (56%) hereditary cases and 43/101 (43%) sporadic cases. Data on the extent of surgical cytoreduction were obtained for all 92 patients with available CA-125 data. Comparison of preoperative CA-125 levels between hereditary and sporadic groups was assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis χ 2 test. Correlation of surgical cytoreduction with preoperative CA-125 level was assessed using Fisher's exact test. Results. Mean preoperative CA-125 levels were not significantly different among BRCA1 (2289 U/ml), BRCA2 (2586 U/ml), and sporadic (3307 U/ml) cases ( P = 0.5). For hereditary cases, optimal cytoreduction was achieved in 59% of patients with preoperative CA-125 levels of 500 U/ml. For sporadic cases, optimal cytoreduction was achieved in 62% of patients with CA-125 levels of 500 U/ml ( P = 0.01). Conclusions. Preoperative CA-125 levels are not significantly different for patients with hereditary compared to sporadic ovarian carcinoma. The probability of optimal cytoreduction is independent of the preoperative CA-125 level for hereditary cases, but optimal cytoreduction is significantly less likely for sporadic cases with CA-125 levels of >500 U/ml.
Analysis of the effect of water activity on ice formation using a new thermodynamic framework

Abstract. In this work a new thermodynamic framework is developed and used to investigate the effect of water activity on the formation of ice within supercooled droplets. The new framework is based on a novel concept where the interface is assumed to be made of liquid molecules "trapped" by the solid matrix. It also accounts for the change in the composition of the liquid phase upon nucleation. Using this framework, new expressions are developed for the critical ice germ size and the nucleation work with explicit dependencies on temperature and water activity. However unlike previous approaches, the new model does not depend on the interfacial tension between liquid and ice. The thermodynamic framework is introduced within classical nucleation theory to study the effect of water activity on the ice nucleation rate. Comparison against experimental results shows that the new approach is able to reproduce the observed effect of water activity on the nucleation rate and the freezing temperature. It allows for the first time a phenomenological derivation of the constant shift in water activity between melting and nucleation. The new framework offers a consistent thermodynamic view of ice nucleation, simple enough to be applied in atmospheric models of cloud formation.
Role of an Internal and Two 3′-Terminal RNA Elements in Assembly of Tombusvirus Replicase

Plus-strand RNA virus replication requires the assembly of the viral replicase complexes on intracellular membranes in the host cells. The replicase of Cucumber necrosis virus (CNV), a tombusvirus, contains the viral p33 and p92 replication proteins and possible host factors. In addition, the assembly of CNV replicase is stimulated in the presence of plus-stranded viral RNA (Z. Panaviene et al., J. Virol. 78:8254-8263, 2004). To define cis-acting viral RNA sequences that stimulate replicase assembly, we performed a systematic deletion approach with a model tombusvirus replicon RNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which also coexpressed p33 and p92 replication proteins. In vitro replicase assays performed with purified CNV replicase preparations from yeast revealed critical roles for three RNA elements in CNV replicase assembly: the internal p33 recognition element (p33RE), the replication silencer element (RSE), and the 3'-terminal minus-strand initiation promoter (gPR). Deletion or mutagenesis of these elements reduced the activity of the CNV replicase to a minimal level. In addition to the primary sequences of gPR, RSE, and p33RE, formation of two alternative structures among these elements may also play a role in replicase assembly. Altogether, the role of multiple RNA elements in tombusvirus replicase assembly could be an important factor to ensure fidelity of template selection during replication.
Induction of breast cancer in wild type p53 cells by BRCA1-IRIS overexpression

Cells ability to evade cell death and to proliferate post geno-/cell-toxic stresses, likely leads to formation of cancer. Activation of p38MAPK and p53 following these stresses help protect cells against cancer development by initiating apoptosis. The duration of p38MAPK and p53 activation is regulated by the WIP1 phosphatase. BRCA1-IRIS triggers WIP1 expression in p53-dependent and -independent manner. BRCA1-IRIS triggers the expression and cytoplasmic localization of the mRNA stabilization and translation inducer, HuR that binds p53 and PPM1D mRNA. Hence, BRCA1-IRIS overexpression inactivates p38MAPK and/or p53 by upregulating WIP1 expression. BRCA1-IRIS abrogation of the homeostatic balance maintained by p38MAPK-p53-WIP1 pathway suppressed cell death induced by a lethal dose of UVC, high dosages of etoposide or H2O2, and allowed cells to survive and proliferate post geno-/cell-toxic stresses. This mechanism represents a new link between geno-/cell-toxic stress and aggressive breast cancer formation in p53 wild-type cells.
An Empirical Test of Ecodevelopmental Theory in Predicting HIV Risk Behaviors Among Hispanic Youth

Ecodevelopmental theory is a theoretical framework used to explain the interplay among risk and protective processes associated with HIV risk behaviors among adolescents. Although ecodevelopmentally based interventions have been found to be efficacious in preventing HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic youth, this theory has not yet been directly empirically tested through a basic research study in this population. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to empirically evaluate an ecodevelopmentally based model using structural equation modeling, with substance use and early sex initiation as the two outcomes of the ecodevelopmental chain of relationships. The sample consisted of 586 Hispanic youth (M age = 13.6; SD = 0.75) and their primary caregivers living in Miami, Florida. Adolescent, parent, and teacher reports were used. The results provided strong support for the theoretical model. More specifically, the parent–adolescent acculturation gap is indirectly related both to early sex initiation and to adolescent substance use through family functioning, academic functioning, perceived peer sexual behavior, and perceived peer substance use. Additionally, parent’s U.S. orientation is associated with adolescent substance use and adolescent sex initiation through social support for parents, parental stressors, family functioning, academic functioning, and perceived peer sexual behavior and substance use. These findings suggest that HIV risk behaviors may best be understood as associated with multiple and interrelated ecological determinants.
Nitrosative cytosine deamination. An exploration of the chemistry emanating from deamination with pyrimidine ring-opening.

A discussion of nitrosative deamination of cytosine 1 is presented that argues for the formation of 6 by diazotization of 1 to cytosinediazonium ion 2 and its electrostatic complex 3, dediazoniation to 4 ↔ 5, and amide-bond cleavage to 6. The reaction channels available to 6 include hydrolytic deglycation to 3-isocyanatoacrylonitrile 7, water addition to carbamic acid 9 with the possibility for re-closure to uracil 13, water addition to carbamic acid 9, and decarboxylation to 3-aminoacrylonitrile 10. With a view to the instability of the carbamic acid 9, the carbamate models ethyl (Z)-2-cyanovinylcarbamate 14 and (Z)-2-cyano-1-tert-butylvinylcarbamate 20 were studied. Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of 14 leads to 2-amino-carbonylphenylcarbamate 15, and its cyclization yields the benzo-fused uracil quinazoline-2,4-dione 16. In contrast to the aromatic system 14, acid-catalyzed cyclization cannot compete with oligomerization in the case of 20, and 5-tert-butyluracil 22 is accessible only with base-catalysis. It ...
Evidence integration for 3D object recognition: a connectionist framework

The authors present recent work on a vision system designed to recognize 3-D objects in a depth map. The system was originally capable of recognizing parametric surfaces of various types. The authors have added the ability to find parametric surface intersection curves and use these disparate types of information to index into an object database. From a depth map containing one or more objects, local surface and surface intersection curve estimates are determined. These are used in a series of layered and concurrent parameter-space transforms to extract the surface and intersection curves present in the image. Any one transform computes only a partial geometric description that forms the input to the next transform. The final transform is a mapping into an object database. An iterative refinement technique, motivated by work in connectionist systems, is used to integrate the evidence at each level. Fundamentally different types of evidence can be simultaneously extracted, be mutually supportive in intermediate levels of the recognition process, and cooperate to form a consistent interpretation of the image. Other features discussed include the modularity and consistency of the architecture. >
Seeking to Change While Accepting the Now

The efforts of several nurse authors and Marsha Linehan to integrate diverse methods taken from philosophy, the human sciences, and spirituality with the biomedical model and natural science are discussed in relation to healthcare and nursing practice.
Predicting Pilot Performance in Off-Nominal Conditions: A Meta-Analysis and Model Validation

Pilot response to off-nominal (very rare) events represents a critical component to understanding the safety of next generation airspace technology and procedures. We describe a meta-analysis designed to integrate the existing data regarding pilot accuracy of detecting rare, unexpected events such as runway incursions in realistic flight simulations. Thirty-five studies were identified and pilot responses were categorized by expectancy, event location, and whether the pilot was flying with a highway-in-the-sky display. All three dichotomies produced large, significant effects on event miss rate. A model of human attention and noticing, N-SEEV, was then used to predict event noticing performance as a function of event salience and expectancy, and retinal eccentricity. Eccentricity is predicted from steady state scanning by the SEEV model of attention allocation. The model was used to predict miss rates for the expectancy, location and highway-in-the-sky (HITS) effects identified in the meta-analysis. The correlation between model-predicted results and data from the meta-analysis was 0.72.
On evaluating competing bridge fault models for CMOS ICs

Compares the accuracy, speed and applicability to test generation of existing bridge fault modeling solutions. The authors identify some previously undiscussed anomalous circuit behaviors, and describe the extent to which they affect bridge fault simulation and testing. Finally, they present a system for evaluating bridge fault models in a test generation environment, and present an experiment that provides an assessment of how defect coverage can be affected by a generating and checking model. >
Comparison of the Analgesic Effects of Dronabinol and Smoked Marijuana in Daily Marijuana Smokers

Recent studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids to treat pain, yet none have compared the analgesic effectiveness of smoked marijuana to orally administered Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; dronabinol). This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-dummy, double-blind study compared the magnitude and duration of analgesic effects of smoked marijuana and dronabinol under well-controlled conditions using a validated experimental model of pain. Healthy male (N=15) and female (N=15) daily marijuana smokers participated in this outpatient study comparing the analgesic, subjective, and physiological effects of marijuana (0.00, 1.98, or 3.56% THC) to dronabinol (0, 10, or 20 mg). Pain response was assessed using the cold-pressor test (CPT): participants immersed their left hand in cold water (4 °C), and the time to report pain (pain sensitivity) and withdraw the hand from the water (pain tolerance) were recorded. Subjective pain and drug effect ratings were also measured as well as cardiovascular effects. Compared with placebo, marijuana and dronabinol decreased pain sensitivity (3.56%; 20 mg), increased pain tolerance (1.98%; 20 mg), and decreased subjective ratings of pain intensity (1.98, 3.56%; 20 mg). The magnitude of peak change in pain sensitivity and tolerance did not differ between marijuana and dronabinol, although dronabinol produced analgesia that was of a longer duration. Marijuana (1.98, 3.56%) and dronabinol (20 mg) also increased abuse-related subjective ratings relative to placebo; these ratings were greater with marijuana. These data indicate that under controlled conditions, marijuana and dronabinol decreased pain, with dronabinol producing longer-lasting decreases in pain sensitivity and lower ratings of abuse-related subjective effects than marijuana.
THE STATISTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EVENT DATA

This paper explores event data as an abstract statistical object. It briefly traces the historical development of event data, with particular attention to how nominal events have come to be used pr...
Computational Study of Putative Residues Involved in DNA Synthesis Fidelity Checking in Thermus aquaticus DNA Polymerase I

A fidelity-checking site for DNA polymerase I has been proposed based on recent single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer studies. The checking site is believed to ensure proper base pairing of the newly inserted nucleotide. Computational studies have been utilized to predict residues involved in this putative checking site on the Klenow and Bacillus fragments. Here, we employ energy decomposition analysis, electrostatic free energy response, and noncovalent interaction plots to identify the residues involved in the hypothesized checking site in the homologous Klenow fragment from Thermus aquaticus (Klentaq). Our results indicate multiple protein residues that show altered interactions for three mispairs compared to the correctly paired DNA dimer. Many of these residues are also conserved along A family polymerases.
Differential regulation of metabolic pathways by androgen receptor (AR) and its constitutively active splice variant, AR-V7, in prostate cancer cells

Metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) is primarily an androgen-dependent disease, which is treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Tumors usually develop resistance (castration-resistant PCa [CRPC]), but remain androgen receptor (AR) dependent. Numerous mechanisms for AR-dependent resistance have been identified including expression of constitutively active AR splice variants lacking the hormone-binding domain. Recent clinical studies show that expression of the best-characterized AR variant, AR-V7, correlates with resistance to ADT and poor outcome. Whether AR-V7 is simply a constitutively active substitute for AR or has novel gene targets that cause unique downstream changes is unresolved. Several studies have shown that AR activation alters cell metabolism. Using LNCaP cells with inducible expression of AR-V7 as a model system, we found that AR-V7 stimulated growth, migration, and glycolysis measured by ECAR (extracellular acidification rate) similar to AR. However, further analyses using metabolomics and metabolic flux assays revealed several differences. Whereas AR increased citrate levels, AR-V7 reduced citrate mirroring metabolic shifts observed in CRPC patients. Flux analyses indicate that the low citrate is a result of enhanced utilization rather than a failure to synthesize citrate. Moreover, flux assays suggested that compared to AR, AR-V7 exhibits increased dependence on glutaminolysis and reductive carboxylation to produce some of the TCA (tricarboxylic acid cycle) metabolites. These findings suggest that these unique actions represent potential therapeutic targets.
Ramblings of an old academic: Unconfident advice for end-times academics

The last person anyone should take advice from about how be an academic today is me. First, I am a Baby-Boomer. We Baby-Boomers let colleges and the rest of the world go to hell in a handbasket on our watch. Second, . . . [download the PDF below and read more]
Gathering Bearing Data for Target Localization

We consider the problem of gathering bearing data to localize targets. We start with a commonly used notion of uncertainty based on geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) and study the following bicriteria problem. Given a set of potential target areas and an uncertainty level $U$ , compute an ordered set of measurement locations for a single robot which 1) minimizes the total cost given by the travel time plus the time spent in taking measurements and 2) ensures that the uncertainty in estimating the target’s location is at most $U$ regardless of the targets’ locations. We present an approximation algorithm and prove that its cost is at most 28.9 times the optimal cost while guaranteeing that the uncertainty is at most $5.5U$ . In addition to theoretical analysis, we validate the results in simulation and experiments performed with a directional antenna used for tracking invasive fish.
Compassionate deactivation of ventricular assist devices in pediatric patients

Despite greatly improved survival in pediatric patients with end-stage heart failure through the use of ventricular assist devices (VADs), heart failure ultimately remains a life-threatening disease with a significant symptom burden. With increased demand for donor organs, liberalizing the boundaries of case complexity, and the introduction of destination therapy in children, more children can be expected to die while on mechanical support. Despite this trend, guidelines on the ethical and pragmatic issues of compassionate deactivation of VAD support in children are strikingly absent. As VAD support for pediatric patients increases in frequency, the pediatric heart failure and palliative care communities must work toward establishing guidelines to clarify the complex issues surrounding compassionate deactivation. Patient, family and clinician attitudes must be ascertained and education regarding the psychological, legal and ethical issues should be provided. Furthermore, pediatric-specific planning documents for use before VAD implantation as well as deactivation checklists should be developed to assist with decision-making at critical points during the illness trajectory. Herein we review the relevant literature regarding compassionate deactivation with a specific focus on issues related to children.
Correlation Between GaInAsSb Surface Step Structure and Phase Separation

A strong correlation between the surface step structure and phase separation in metastable GaInAsSb epitaxial layers grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy has been identified. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 4-K photoluminescence (PL) peak energy is used as a semi-quantitative measure of the degree of phase separation. The step structure of GaInAsSb grown at 525 °C is vicinal, while it is step-bunched for layers grown at 575 °C. The corresponding 4-K PL FWHM data indicate that the degree of phase separation is minimized when the layers aregrown at the lower growth temperature. It is proposed that the longer terrace lengths of a step-bunched surface are associated with a longer adatom lifetime compared to a vicinal surface, and thus the adatoms have more time to cluster and phase separate, which is the preferred equilibrium state. Increasing the growth rate, which reduces the adatom lifetime, also reduces the PL FWHM, and thus, the degree of phase separation.
Commentary on: The effect of lipoaspirates cryopreservation on adipose-derived stem cells.

In the study entitled “The Effect of Lipoaspirates Cryo-preservation on Adipose-Derived Stem Cells,” Wang et al1 conducted a thorough investigation to evaluate the potential effect of lipoaspirates (LA) cryopreservation on adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC). The authors have chosen what they believe is a reasonably good cryopreservation protocol for “banking” of LA harvested by standard liposuction techniques. The study appears to be quite well conducted, and the methods are standard and scientifically sound for the study of ADSC. On the basis of the study, the authors concluded that LA cryopreservation had no effect on adipocyte viability. It had a significant impact on ADSC apoptosis but not on ADSC necrosis, proliferation, or differentiation. The cryoprotective agent may provide adequate protection against ADSC apoptosis. In addition, CD34+/CD31– ADSC have a significantly lower rate of apoptosis and necrosis compared with other subpopulations of ADSC, such as CD105+/CD45−.1 I believe that the study is an important contribution to the scientific literature of fat grafting research because of ADSC and their therapeutic potential in the near future. In addition, the study itself represents a continued effort by plastic surgery investigators to explore the possibility of whether cryopreservation of LA could become a clinical reality for subsequent fat grafting procedures and ADSC-directed cell therapy after long-term preservation for our patients in the future. I would agree with the authors that there has been controversy in terms of the effect of LA cryopreservation on ADSC. Some studies show that there are negative effects of LA cryopreservation on ADSC for their proliferation and differentiation.2,3 Other studies show that …
THE RESEARCH OF LOGGING EVALUATION METHOD TO FORECAST THE RESERVOIR PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY IN THE PROCESS OF DRILLING THE HORIZONTAL WELL

Reservoir productive capacity forecast is one of the important content of reservoir evaluation, horizontal well logging interpretation is mainly through the contrast corrected technique of horizontal well conventional log curve and pilot well conventional log curve, adding to the traversing relation between horizontal well track and formation. Although a large amount of information about well track and formation relation can be provided to exploitation engineers with this method, production oil gas ability of the reservoir ,in the process of drilling the horizontal well, it is difficult to be pointed out. Which brings difficulty to development of the field .in this paper, based on conventional log material, well profile is divided with the sensitivity analysis and cross plot technique, then the reservoir effective thickness is derived. At the same time,analyzing pilot production data and calculating out the horizontal well production level under the normalization condition, favorable linear relationship between them is found and productive capacity prediction model between horizontal well daily oil production and reservoir effective thickness of XX line of oils in DS oil field is set up. All the research mentioned above provides more reliable horizontal well logging interpretation to reservoir description.
Fast sliding mode tracking control of micro quadrotor UAV

Due to simplify the analysis of control system and have better performance of system, a fully actuated subsystem and an under-actuated subsystem are adopted for the quadrotor UAV model. Firstly, for the fully actuated subsystem, a controller based on fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control (FTSMC) is designed. The relevant states converge to their desired values in a short time. So the state variables can be viewed as time invariants in the under-actuated subsystem, which further makes the under-actuated subsystem simplified. Secondly, a controller for the under-actuated subsystem is designed using Integral Sliding Mode Control (ISMC) method which guarantees any given initial state is on the integral sliding mode surface. From simulation results, it is seen that the state variables of system converge to their desired values in a short time with the proposed controller. Moreover, the under-actuated subsystem can reject the external disturbance, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed design method.
Moisture Diffusion and Hygroscopic Swelling of Adhesives in Electronics Packaging

This paper presents a continuation of the previous hygroscopic characterization work on epoxy molding compounds, which aims to accurately measure the diffusivity and coefficient of hygroswelling (CHS) of a die-attach adhesive in MEMS packages. We obtained the CHS of the adhesives from 25 °C to 150 °C through modified DIC quick scanning approach [1-2], which includes strain measurement by digital image correlation method and correction of weight loss through the Finite Element (FE) analysis. The CHS shows a dependence on temperature above the water evaporation temperature and ranges from 0.4 to 0.55 (strain/ percentage weight). The test accuracy of CHS was validated through a comparison with the correlation method [3] of in situ hygroswelling and weight loss. From moisture absorption and desorption curves of the adhesive samples, we obtained the diffusivities at different temperatures. A notable finding is that bulk samples follow the Fick's diffusion model while the thin-film samples demonstrate a non-Fickian behavior. By adding a concentration-dependent coefficient to the diffusivity's expression, the non-Fickian model can also be implemented in the FE models. As an outcome, a thorough guideline for measurement procedure is provided for hygroscopic characterization in electronics packaging.
More than Target 6.3: A Systems Approach to Rethinking Sustainable Development Goals in a Resource-Scarce World

Abstract The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlines 17 individual Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that guide the needs of practice for many professional disciplines around the world, including engineering, research, policy, and development. The SDGs represent commitments to reduce poverty, hunger, ill health, gender inequality, environmental degradation, and lack of access to clean water and sanitation. If a typical reductionist approach is employed to address and optimize individual goals, it may lead to a failure in technological, policy, or managerial development interventions through unintended consequences in other goals. This study uses a systems approach to understand the fundamental dynamics between the SDGs in order to identify potential synergies and antagonisms. A conceptual system model was constructed to illustrate the causal relationships between SDGs, examine system structures using generic system archetypes, and identify leverage points to effectively influence intentional and minimize unintentional changes in the system. The structure of interactions among the SDGs reflects three archetypes of system behavior: Reinforcing Growth, Limits to Growth, and Growth and Underinvestment. The leverage points identified from the conceptual model are gender equality, sustainable management of water and sanitation, alternative resources, sustainable livelihood standards, and global partnerships. Such a conceptual system analysis of SDGs can enhance the likelihood that the development community will broaden its understanding of the potential synergistic benefits of their projects on resource management, environmental sustainability, and climate change. By linking the interactions and feedbacks of those projects with economic gains, women’s empowerment, and educational equality, stakeholders can recognize holistic improvements that can be made to the quality of life of many of the world’s poor.
Optimizations for robust, high-efficiency, waveguide-based holographic video

The development of a monitor based on guided-to-leaky-mode waveguide modulators is discussed. Recent changes in design are described including the use of grating input couplers to reduce the cost of the entire bill of materials to under one thousand dollars, a collinear surface acoustic wave and input optical wave geometry that improves efficiency of output coupling, and a chassis redesign based on 3D printed and laser cut materials that is more vibration resistant and transportable. Future work is briefly noted.
Medication Regimen Complexity and A1C Goal Attainment in Underserved Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: From 2009 to 2012, 51.8% of American adults with diabetes had a hemoglobin A1C (A1C) >7.0%. The complexity of antidiabetic medication regimens may have an impact on glycemic control. Objective: The primary objective was to test the hypothesis that higher diabetes-specific medication regimen complexity index (MRCI) was associated with lower attainment of A1C goal <7.0% in an underserved, predominantly Hispanic population of adults with type 2 diabetes. Secondary analyses included less stringent A1C goals of <8.0% and <9.0% and overall patient-level MRCI. Methods: This study was a retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study of individuals with type 2 diabetes from January 2011 to January 2016. Data was obtained from the electronic medical record and MRCI was calculated using the 65-item validated Microsoft Access Version 1.0 medication regimen complexity electronic data capture tool. Logistic regression was used to compute unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios. Results: A total of 368 pati...
Incidence of Cancer in Spinal Deformity Patients Receiving High-Dose (≥40 mg) Bone Morphogenetic Protein (rhBMP-2).

STUDY DESIGN Level III, Retrospective observational study. OBJECTIVE To determine if there is an increased risk of developing cancer after exposure to high-dose recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and if risk is dose and/or exposure-dependent. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Concerns have been raised regarding a relationship between rhBMP-2 and cancer. METHODS A total of 642 adult deformity patients from a single institution receiving a cumulative rhBMP-2 dose ≥40 mg from July, 2002 to July, 2009 were identified. Patients with a history of surveillance, epidemiology, and end result (SEER) cancer before rhBMP-2 exposure were excluded. To determine the occurrence of a cancer event, questionnaires were mailed and telephone follow up attempted for nonresponders. Only cancers tracked by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) SEER registry were included. Observed cancer counts were compared to expected cancer counts based on general population incidence rates within 5-year age strata. Cumulative incidence competing risk (CICR) modeling was used to evaluate the association between rhBMP-2 exposure and cancer controlling for potential confounding variables. RESULTS Forty-nine patients were lost-to-follow up, leaving 593 patients (92.4%; 138 males/455 females) available for analysis. Mean age was 52.8 years at the time of first exposure. Mean cumulative rhBMP-2 dose was 113.5 mg with 85% having one exposure (range: 1-8). Mean follow-up [date of exposure to date of death (regardless of cause) or returned completed questionnaire] was 5.6 ± 1.9 years; median follow up was 5.4 years. A total of 342 patients have greater than 5-year follow up. Minimum follow up was 2.0 years or until occurrence of a SEER cancer. Our total 8-year cumulative incidence of new SEER cancer accounting for the competing risk of death was 7.4% for 30 cancers in 593 patients. Fewer cancers were observed than expected based on general population rates, though the difference was not statistically significant (expected = 34; standardized incidence ratio = 0.88, 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.60-1.26). CICR found neither cumulative rhBMP-2 dose (hazard ratio, HR = 0.995, 95% CI 0.988-1.003; P = 0.249) nor number of exposures (HR = 0.776, 95% CI 0.359-1.677; P = 0.519) increased the risk of developing a postexposure cancer after controlling for known cancer risk factors. CONCLUSION The incidence of a SEER cancer after rhBMP-2 exposure was similar to incidence reported by the NCI. There were no significant rhBMP-2 dose or multi-exposure related risks of developing a life-threatening cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.
Developing a Dust Emission Procedure for Central Asia

Airborne mineral dust is thought to have a significant influence on the climate through absorbing and scattering both shortwave and longwave radiations and affecting cloud microphysical processes. However, a knowledge of long-term dust emissions is limited from both temporal and spatial perspectives. Here, we have developed a quantitative climatology: the column-integrated mass of the dust aerosol loading in Central Asia by incorporating the dust module (DuMo) into the Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model and accounting for regional climate and Land-Cover and Land-Use Changes for the 1950-2010 period in April. This data set is lowly to moderately correlated (0.22-0.48) with the satellite Aerosol Optical Depth in April of the 2000s and lowly correlated (0.02-0.11) with the Absorbing Aerosol Index in April of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The total dust loading is approximately 207.85 Mton per month in April during the recent decade (2000-2014) over dust source regions. Although only the month of April was simulated, results suggest that trends and magnitudes are captured well, using the WRF-Chem-DuMo.
Interpreting Debris-Flow Hazard from Study of Fan Morphology

The deposits, stratigraphy, and surface morphology of debris-flow fans are a record of past debris-flow activity, and as such can provide useful information about debris-flow hazards. The morphology of the fan surfaces reflects both characteristic debris-flow inundation patterns and the frequency of channel avulsions; surface morphology is a sensitive indicator of the type of debris-flow hazard. A conceptual model describing the linkages between dispositional processes and surface form on debris-flow fans, developed in earlier work, is applied to fans in three field sites to illustrate the use of fan morphologic characteristics in the analysis of debris-flow hazards. This approach should be taken as a first step in any debris-flow hazard mitigation project, particularly where extensive historical records do not exist.
Development of a food composition database to monitor changes in packaged foods and beverages

In order to monitor nutritional changes in the US food supply and assess potential impact on individual dietary intake, an approach was developed to enhance existing standard food composition tables with time-varying product- and brand-specific information for barcoded packaged foods. A "Crosswalk" was formed between barcoded products and USDA foodcodes in a time-specific manner, such that sales-weighted average nutritional profiles were generated for each foodcode based on corresponding products (275,000 to 350,000 per 2-year cycle). This Crosswalk-enhanced food composition table was applied to dietary intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (cycles 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2011-2012). Total energy density of foods consumed by Americans from stores/vending was stable over time and differed by <5 kcal/100g using the Crosswalk-enhanced vs standard database. However, changes in the energy density of food groups were found utilizing the Crosswalk that were not detected using the standard database. Likewise, significant declines in energy intake from beverages among children (288±7.3 to 258±6.8 kcal/d) were found using the Crosswalk-enhanced database but were non-significant using the standard database. The Crosswalk approach can potentially augment national nutrition surveys by utilizing commercial food purchase and nutrient databases to capture changes in the nutrient content of packaged foods.
The effects of credit default swap trading on information asymmetry in syndicated loans

Abstract This study shows that initiation of credit default swap (CDS) trading for an entity's debt increases the share of loans retained by loan syndicate lead arrangers and increases loan spread. These findings are consistent with CDS initiation reducing the effectiveness of a lead arranger's stake in the loan to serve as a mechanism to address the adverse selection and moral hazard problems in the loan syndicate. Additional findings corroborate this interpretation by revealing a moderating effect for firms with greater transparency, for loans originated by a lead arranger with a strong reputation in this market, and for firms with relatively illiquid CDS markets.
Impedance spectroscopy of tripolar concentric ring electrodes with Ten20 and TD246 pastes

Electrodes are used to transform ionic currents to electrical currents in biological systems. Modeling the electrode-electrolyte interface could help to optimize the performance of the electrode interface to achieve higher signal to noise ratios. There are previous reports of accurate models for single-element biomedical electrodes. In this paper, we measured the impedance on both tripolar concentric ring electrodes and standard cup electrodes by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using both Ten20 and TD246 electrode paste. Furthermore, we applied the model to prove that the model can predict the performance of the electrode-electrolyte interface for tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCRE) that are used to record brain signals.
Subpixel urban impervious surface mapping: the impact of input Landsat images

Abstract Due to the heterogeneity of urban environments, subpixel urban impervious surface mapping is a challenging task in urban environmental studies. Factors, such as atmospheric correction, climate conditions, seasonal effect, urban settings, substantially affect fractional impervious surface estimation. Their impacts, however, have not been well studied and documented. In this research, we performed direct and comprehensive examinations to explore the impacts of these factors on subpixel estimation when using an effective machine learning technique (Random Forest) and provided solutions to alleviate these influences. Four conclusions can be drawn based on the repeatable experiments in three study areas under different climate conditions (humid continental, tropical monsoon, and Mediterranean climates). First, the performance of subpixel urban impervious surface mapping using top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance imagery is comparable to, and even slightly better than, the surface reflectance imagery provided by U.S. Geological Services in all seasons and in all testing regions. Second, the effect of images with leaf-on/off season varies, and is contingent upon different climate regions. Specifically, humid continental areas may prefer the leaf-on imagery (e.g., summer), while the tropical monsoon and Mediterranean regions seem to favor the fall and winter imagery. Third, the overall estimation performance in the humid continental area is somewhat better than the other regions. Finally, improvements can be achieved by using multi-season imagery, but the increments become less obvious when including more than two seasons. The strategy and results of this research could improve and accommodate regional/national subpixel land cover mapping using Landsat images for large-scale environmental studies.