cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating CO2 and CH4 dynamics of Alaskan ecosystems during the Holocene Thermal Maximum

The Arctic has experienced much greater warming than the global average in recent decades due to polar amplification. Warming has induced ecological changes that have impacted climate carbon-cycle feedbacks, making it important to understand the climate and vegetation controls on carbon (C) dynamics. Here we used the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM, 11e 9k a BP, 1k a BP¼ 1000 cal yr before present) in Alaska as a case study to examine how ecosystem Cdynamics responded to the past warming climate using an integrated approach of combining paleoecological reconstructions and ecosystem modeling. Our paleoecological synthesis showed expansion of deciduous broadleaf forest (dominated by Populus) into tundra and the establishment of boreal evergreen needleleaf and mixed forest during the second half of the HTM under a warmer- and wetter-than-before climate, coincident with the occurrence of the highest net primary productivity, cumulative net ecosystem productivity, soil C accumulation and CH 4 emissions. These series of ecological and biogeochemical shifts mirrored the solar insolation and subsequent temperature and precipitation patterns during HTM, indicating the importance of climate controls on C dynamics. Our simulated regional estimate of CH4 emission rates from Alaska during the HTM ranged from 3.5 to 6.4 Tg CH4 yr � 1 and highest annual NPP of 470 Tg C yr � 1 , significantly higher than previously reported modern estimates. Our results show that the differences in static vegetation distribution maps used in simulations of different time slices have greater influence on modeled C dynamics than climatic fields within each time slice, highlighting the importance of incorporating vegetation community dynamics and their responses to climatic conditions in long-term biogeochemical modeling.
Characterization of Advanced Steels as Accident Tolerant Cladding for Light Water Reactor Nuclear Fuel

After the tsunami incident in Fukushima in March 2011, the international community is set to identify appropriate nuclear materials with increased accident tolerance with respect to the traditional UO2-zirconium alloy fuel system permitting loss of active cooling for a considerably longer time period, while maintaining or improving the fuel performance during normal operations. The researched safety characteristics of these advanced fuels are mainly: (a) Improved reaction kinetics with steam; (b) Slower hydrogen production rate; and (c) Enhanced retention of fission products. In the US the Department of Energy is supporting the development of an improved cladding using advanced steels such as the iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloy system. Environmental test results show that FeCrAl alloys are highly resistant to corrosion and environmental cracking under normal operation conditions and extremely resistant to attack by steam under accident conditions. That is, the replacement of a zirconium alloy using a ferritic material containing chromium and aluminum appears to be the most near term implementation for accident tolerant fuels.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Now or Later? The Political Economy of Public Investment in Democracies

This paper explores the impact of political and institutional variables on public investment. Working with a sample of 80 presidential and parliamentary democracies between 1975 and2012, we find that the rate of growth of public investment is higher at the beginning of electoral cycles and decelerates thereafter. The peak in public investment growth occurs between 21 and 25 months before elections. Cabinet ideology and government fragmentation influence the size of investment booms. More parties in government are associated with smaller increases in public investment while left-wing cabinets are associated with higher sustained increases in investment. Stronger institutions help attenuate the impact of elections on investment, but available information is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions.
Lysimeter Experimentation: First Results

This technical report illustrates preliminary results of lysimeter experimentation. Tests concern a pyroclastic soil sample of Nocera Inferiore that involved in a rapid flowslide on 4th of March 2005. By means of its behaviour real-time monitoring, it will be possible to define exactly properties of soil and to understand how it responds to rainfalls, in terms of water pressure and volumetric water content of the soil. In order to validate and to interpret lysimeter outputs, a mathematical model of lysimeter is developed using the software SEEP/W. Seepage analyses studying can give more information about hydraulic properties of the soil sample, so it can be useful to understand the sequence of events occurred on 4th March 2005.
Improving Access to Justice for People Living in Poverty: Recommendations and Innovative Approaches

This report examines a number of innovative projects that have been implemented in recent years, by civil society organizations, donors and international organizations (as well as some governments) to enhance access to justice by some of the poorest segments of society in the countries where they have been implemented. Most of the examples included here have been effective in improving access to legal information, education and legal documents and improving access to courts and informal tribunals. These interventions have succeeded to varying extents in increasing access to justice for the population targeted and as such improving their enjoyment of rights. However, the paper argues that from a human rights perspective, none of these interventions alone would be sufficient to ensure that the poorest segments of society enjoy access to justice on an equal footing with the rest of the population. To achieve that aim, it is necessary to take a comprehensive set of measures that go further beyond these specific interventions to address some of the more structural, systemic causes of obstructed access to justice.
Measuring Situation Awareness with Probe Questions: Reasons for not Answering the Probes☆

Abstract Situation Awareness (SA) refers to an individual's understanding of what is happening in their environment, and what is likely to happen in the near future [1]. SA is an important construct to study in aviation because lower levels of SA are associated with increased aviation accidents and mishaps [2]. One technique to measure operator SA is through the use of online probe questions, where operators are queried about their task environment at various intervals while performing the task. The current study used the Situation Present Assessment Method (SPAM) [3] for administering online probes. With SPAM, a ready prompt appears on a panel and participants are instructed to accept the prompt when workload permits to be presented with a SA probe question. Latencies in accepting the ready prompt are indicative of the operator's workload level at that time. When ready prompts go unanswered, (ready time-outs; RTO), it is assumed workload is too high. When a prompt is accepted, probe questions are presented for a limited time (60 seconds in this study). Thus it is possible they too will go unanswered by timing out (question time-out; QTO). QTOs can occur for the following reasons: 1) operator did not know the answer, 2) due to the dynamic changes in the task, the operator workload became too high to devote resources to answering the question, 3) question was unanswerable due to the current context, or 4) question required more time to answer than allowed. In the present study, we analyzed a subset of the data from a larger study (see Brandt et al. [4]) to examine reasons for why probe questions go unanswered. For QTOs, the majority of questions went unanswered because the operator did not know how to answer the question, or because the operator was dealing with high workload. RTOs, which occurred more frequently, were normally due to task/workload.
Detecting Corn Seedling Differences in the Greenhouse by Visual Classification of Damage by the Fall Armyworm

Visual classifications were used successfully to measure differences in damage to com seedlings by the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). Finer levels of damage are detectable using an 11-class rating system. If high levels of resistance occur, they can be detected visually. Use of seedlings permits more lines to be screened in less time with smaller space requirements than formerly, and tests can be conducted throughout the year. FAW #1, a selection from Antigua 2D × (B10 × B14), and Texas Experimental Hybrid 6417 are the most resistant lines of corn studied thus far. Ioana sweet corn was used as the susceptible check.
Altered Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Markers of Affective Processing During Treatment of Late-Life Depression

Objective This study investigated neural substrate changes in affective processing among late-life depression (LLD) patients undergoing antidepressant treatment and determined if these changes correlated with remission status. Methods Thirty-three LLD patients were enrolled in a 12-week venlafaxine treatment course. During treatment functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, paired with an affective task that assessed emotional reactivity and regulation, were performed on days 1, 2, 3, and 7 and at week 12. Following treatment patients were classified as remitters or non-remitters. A voxel-wise two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was performed to assess the fMRI data at a significance level of α = 0.05, corrected. Results The emotional reactivity contrast demonstrated a significant interaction between remission status and scan time in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) (F = 24.1, df = 1,112, k = 102). Further analysis showed increased emotional reactivity–induced activity among non-remitters, and decreased activity among remitters, which significantly differed from baseline at day 7 (95% CI: 0.027, 0.540; Cohen's d = −1.35) and week 12 (95% CI: −0.171, −0.052; Cohen's d = 0.68), respectively. No significant interaction was observed with the emotional regulation contrast, but multiple regions had significant main effects of scan time, including the cuneus, occipital lobe, insula, lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and MTG. Conclusions During treatment of LLD patients , affective processing–induced activity in the right MTG shows changes based on remission status. This alteration becomes evident early during the course of treatment, suggesting that antidepressant pharmacotherapy may acutely affect the neural basis of emotional reactivity in a differential manner that is relevant to illness remission.
Estimating Lifetime Expected Credit Losses Under IFRS 9

We present an estimation framework of lifetime expected credit losses in accordance with IFRS 9. Rooted in the literature of estimating multi-period default probability, the framework rests on a rigorous definition of "term structure of default probability" and conditional expectation given forward-looking economic dynamics. It is easy to implement and allows banks to adopt simplified and sophisticated modeling strategies alike. We consider numerous modeling strategies within this framework, and demonstrate examples of implementation.
Novel data sources for women's health research: mapping breast screening online information seeking through Google trends.

Rationale and Objectives Millions of people use online search engines everyday to find health-related information and voluntarily share their personal health status and behaviors in various Web sites. Thus, data from tracking of online information seeker's behavior offer potential opportunities for use in public health surveillance and research. Google Trends is a feature of Google which allows Internet users to graph the frequency of searches for a single term or phrase over time or by geographic region. We used Google Trends to describe patterns of information-seeking behavior in the subject of dense breasts and to examine their correlation with the passage or introduction of dense breast notification legislation. Materials and Methods To capture the temporal variations of information seeking about dense breasts, the Web search query “dense breast” was entered in the Google Trends tool. We then mapped the dates of legislative actions regarding dense breasts that received widespread coverage in the lay media to information-seeking trends about dense breasts over time. Results Newsworthy events and legislative actions appear to correlate well with peaks in search volume of “dense breast”. Geographic regions with the highest search volumes have passed, denied, or are currently considering the dense breast legislation. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that any legislative action and respective news coverage correlate with increase in information seeking for “dense breast” on Google, suggesting that Google Trends has the potential to serve as a data source for policy-relevant research.
Seismic response of a rocking bridge column using a precast hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (HyFRC) tube

Abstract With the expected replacement of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridges to occur in the next several decades, an opportunity exists to design more economic bridge columns in seismically active regions which are rapidly constructed while having enhanced crack resistance for extended service life. A precast hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (HyFRC) tube, which contains a column’s steel reinforcement, is proposed for accelerating construction and is to be filled with plain concrete at the construction site. An experimental column was subjected to static, uni-directional, cyclic loading and utilized a base-rocking design for further ductility enhancement. At the conclusion of the test, the column reached a peak drift ratio of 13.1% and showed minor damage, including elimination of cover spalling. The HyFRC tube column design contributed effective resistance against longitudinal reinforcing bar buckling, allowing the column to maintain 93% of its peak load capacity at 9.5% drift. Compared to a monolithic HyFRC column, the precast HyFRC tube column was constructed with less HyFRC volume while having similar seismic performance, making it a more sustainable alternative.
State of Research: Linking Social Theory with Comparative Politics

The literature review on the studies of populist radical right parties such as the French Front National (FN) starts with the classics of social conflict theory, covers comparative social sciences, boundary studies, relational studies and ends with comparative party politics. The chapter shows how helpful moving beyond the literature of party politics is in understanding the rise and fall of populist radical right parties. It explains the importance of discourses on symbolic boundaries of national identity and of the perceived social structures national opinion makers traffic in. The literature review defines the understudied link between discourses and structure as a theoretical foundation of this study. Finally, it underscores the importance of scrutinizing the politicization of identity politics amongst established parties in explaining variation in the advances of populist radical right parties.
Impact of Superstorm Sandy on Medicare Patients' Utilization of Hospitals and Emergency Departments.

Author(s): Stryckman, Benoit; Walsh, Lauren; Carr, Brendan; Hupert, Nathaniel; Lurie, Nicole | Abstract: Introduction: National health security requires that healthcare facilities be prepared to provide rapid,effective emergency and trauma care to all patients affected by a catastrophic event. We sought toquantify changes in healthcare utilization patterns for an at-risk Medicare population before, during,and after Superstorm Sandy’s 2012 landfall in New Jersey (NJ).Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries impacted bySuperstorm Sandy. We compared hospital emergency department (ED) and healthcare facilityinpatient utilization in the weeks before and after Superstorm Sandy landfall using a 20%random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries continuously enrolled in 2011 and 2012(N=224,116). Outcome measures were pre-storm discharges (or transfers), average length of stay,service intensity weight, and post-storm ED visits resulting in either discharge or hospital admission.Results: In the pre-storm week, hospital transfers from skilled nursing facilities (SNF) increased by39% and inpatient discharges had a 0.3 day decreased mean length of stay compared to the prioryear. In the post-storm week, ED visits increased by 14% statewide; of these additional “surge”patients, 20% were admitted to the hospital. The increase in ED demand was more than double thestatewide average in the most highly impacted coastal regions (35% versus 14%).Conclusion: Superstorm Sandy impacted both pre- and post-storm patient movement in NewJersey; post-landfall ED surge was associated with overall storm impact, which was greatest incoastal counties. A significant increase in the number and severity of pre-storm transfer patients,in particular from SNF, as well as in post-storm ED visits and inpatient admissions, draws attentionto the importance of collaborative regional approaches to healthcare in large-scale events.
Dehydrogenation Selectivity of Ethanol on Close-Packed Transition Metal Surfaces: A Computational Study of Monometallic, Pd/Au, and Rh/Au Catalysts

Ethanol (EtOH) decomposition has been widely studied in recent years. However, the initial dehydrogenation selectivity on catalytic surfaces, which plays a crucial role in EtOH partial oxidation and steam reforming, is not well understood. Here, density functional theory (DFT) was used to calculate the initial dehydrogenation selectivities of EtOH on monometallic and X/Au (X = Pd and Rh) close-packed surfaces. The energy for the initial bond scissions of O–H and α- and β-C–H were calculated on each surface. The binding energy of EtOH is found to be a good reactivity descriptor for the scission of O–H and β-C–H bonds, while the binding energy of CH3CHOH is a good reaction descriptor for α-C–H bond scission. The scaling relationships between the activation energy barriers and binding energies on Pd/Au and Rh/Au surface alloys are significantly different from those of monometallic surfaces. Additionally, the specific atomic ensembles on the Pd/Au and Rh/Au surfaces have different initial dehydrogenation sele...
A Surveillance of Quality of Care Utilizing the 2014 American Academy of Neurology Quality Measurement Set for Patients with Migraine (P1.187)

Objective: To determine the level of adherence to five of the 2014 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) quality measures for patients with migraine. Background: The AAN created the quality measurement set for headache in 2014 to support the delivery of high-quality care and to improve patient outcomes. We sought to determine adherence to these measurements in our practice. Design/Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with a diagnosis of Migraine receiving care either from a general neurologist or an UCNS certified headache specialist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Phillips Ambulatory Care Center from April 2016 to August 2016. Inclusion criteria included a migraine diagnosis verified by using the ICHD-III criteria. We measured percentage of physicians who adhered to five of the Quality Measurements based on the AAN 2014 Headache Quality Measurement Set. Results: Measure 1 (medication for acute migraine attacks) had an overall 93% adherence for the 61 patients that were eligible for this measure set. Measure 2 (medication for migraine prevention) had 100% adherence for the 50 patients eligible. Measure 3 (overuse of barbiturate containing medications) had 97% adherence for the 75 patients. Measure 4 (assessment of medication overuse headache) had 83% adherence for the 12 patients eligible. Measure 5 (neuroimaging overuse) had 90% adherence for the 52 patients eligible. Base on Fisher’s exact test, there was no statistical significant difference between the adherence rate for patients receiving care from general neurologist versus adherence rate from UCNS certified headache specialist: Measure 1 ( P = 0.238), Measure 3 ( P = 1.0), Measure 4 ( P = 1.0), Measure 6 ( P = 0.133), Measure 7 ( P = 0.635). Conclusions: Most measures had very good adherence, while assessing patients for medication overuse headache was less routinely performed. There was no significant difference between adherence rates of general neurologist and UCNS certified headache specialist. Disclosure: Dr. Lin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sheikh has nothing to disclose.
Characterization of reticulated vitreous carbon foam using a frisch-grid parallel-plate ionization chamber

Abstract The propagation of electrons through several linear pore densities of reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) foam was studied using a Frisch-grid parallel-plate ionization chamber pressurized to 1 psig of P-10 proportional gas. The operating voltages of the electrodes contained within the Frisch-grid parallel-plate ionization chamber were defined by measuring counting curves using a collimated 241Am alpha-particle source with and without a Frisch grid. RVC foam samples with linear pore densities of 5, 10, 20, 30, 45, 80, and 100 pores per linear inch were separately positioned between the cathode and anode. Pulse-height spectra and count rates from a collimated 241Am alpha-particle source positioned between the cathode and each RVC foam sample were measured and compared to a measurement without an RVC foam sample. The Frisch grid was positioned in between the RVC foam sample and the anode. The measured pulse-height spectra were indiscernible from background and resulted in negligible net count rates for all RVC foam samples. The Frisch grid parallel-plate ionization chamber measurement results indicate that electrons do not traverse the bulk of RVC foam and consequently do not produce a pulse.
Randles Circuit Analysis Toward Investigating Interfacial Effects on Microchannel Electrodes

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, coupled with the employment of microchannels having specific geometric designs, has been shown as a viable methodology for characterizing biological cells in a noninvasive and label-free manner. In this article, we investigate the modulation of the interfacial impedance characteristics of such a system when an electrolyte solution is introduced with the presence and absence of biologic analogs. The systems are studied through the use of simulation and equivalent circuit modeling. Devices were fabricated with and without microchannels in order to evaluate the effects of electric field confinement and demonstrate the significance of geometric design of the microchannel on the measured impedance signals of the system, characterized at the electrodemicrochannel interface. These devices were then tested using cell media as the electrolyte solution. Three solutions were used, one without the biologic analog, and solutions of low and high concentrations of the analog.
Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: Estimating Global Incidence and Worldwide Volume.

Study Design:Meta-analysis-based calculation.Objectives:Lumbar degenerative spine disease (DSD) is a common cause of disability, yet a reliable measure of its global burden does not exist. We sough...
Duplication of the vertebral artery: A series of four cases.

INTRODUCTION Duplication of the vertebral artery (VA) is a rare vascular variant, with less than 50 reported cases in the literature. CASE SERIES We present four cases of VA duplication and discuss the imaging findings, which highlight the rarely seen VA duplication. DISCUSSION VA duplication is generally considered to be an incidental finding. The VA is formed from the fusion of the longitudinal anastomoses that link the cervical intersegmental arteries, during the 32-40-day stage. The duplication of the VA is a clinically relevant finding for planning of head and neck surgery and neuro-interventional procedures.
Possible Mechanisms of Vascular Reactivity Differences in Spontaneously Hypertensive and Normotensive Rat Aortae

The major question regarding the functional properties of hypertensive blood vessels is whether they are hyper-reactive or not to excitatory stimuli. Despite numerous studies on the hypertensive animal, the vascular reaction to norepinephrine has received little attention. The results regarding the vascular reactivity of the spontaneously hypertensive rat to norepinephrine has been controversial. The present report describes the results of an attempt to define the differences in the reactivity to certain excitatory stimuli between normotensive and hypertensive rat vascular smooth musculature.
Radiation dosage and complications in cervical cancer therapy.

Computerized dosimetry in 346 patients treated by a combination of intracavitary and supervoltage radiotherapy has permitted a detailed analysis of dose delivered. The radiation delivered to the bladder, rectum, paracervical area, and the pelvic wall is described for a technique in which a calculated bladder and rectal tolerance was used as the limiting factor for total central dose. Rectovaginal and vesicovaginal fistulas occurred in only 1.4 per cent of the patients, but other serious bowel and ureteral complications were seen in 6.4 per cent. These later complications occurred significantly more frequently when intracavitary therapy was emphasized, producing high paracervical total doses. No individual correlation between dose delivered and complications could be demonstrated.
Lessons Learned from Crowd Accessibility Services

Crowd accessibility services for people with disabilities, driven by crowd-sourcing methods, are gaining traction as a viable means of realizing innovative services by leveraging both human and machine intelligence. As the approach matures, researchers and practitioners are seeking to build various types of services. However, many of them encounter similar challenges, such as variations in quality and sustaining contributor participation for durable services. There are growing needs to share tangible knowledge about the best practices to help build and maintain successful services. Towards this end, we are sharing our experiences with crowd accessibility services that we have deployed and studied. Initially, we developed a method to analyze the dynamics of contributor participation. We then analyzed the actual data from three service deployments spanning several years. The service types included Web accessibility improvement, text digitization, and video captioning. We then summarize the lessons learned and future research directions for sustainable services.
Task-Technology Fit and Process Virtualization Theory: An Integrated Model and Empirical Test

Task-technology fit and process virtualization theory are two theories developed by IS scholars to advance our understanding of the role and impact of information systems in business and society. Task-technology fit seeks to explain the use and associated outcomes of technologies designed to complete tasks. Process virtualization theory seeks to explain whether processes are suitable for migration into virtual environments such as those enabled by information technology. We integrate these two theories and test the integrated model by assessing the fit of electronic channels to the process of purchasing vehicles in the wholesale automotive market. The research makes three contributions. First, the integrated model addresses a gap in the task-technology fit literature by replacing the generic “task / technology characteristics” antecedents of task-technology fit with the constructs from process virtualization theory. This improves the prescriptive power of task-technology fit without sacrificing its generalizability. Second, the paper represents the first empirical test of the propositions of process virtualization theory, thereby helping determine how the theory operates in practice. Third, integrating the two theories deepens the IS discipline’s theoretical foundation by combining their strengths to improve our understanding of IS phenomena.
Case 38: Self-sealing Open Globe Injury

A 51 year old man presented 2 days after a Zone I open globe injury of the right eye after hammering metal. He was found to have a self-sealing corneal laceration and a traumatic cataract with a lenticular foreign body. He underwent removal of the intralenticular foreign body and phacoemulsification of a traumatic cataract. He was left aphakic and underwent secondary intraocular lens placement a month later.
Selecting System Specific Cybersecurity Attack Patterns Using Topic Modeling

One challenge for cybersecurity experts is deciding which type of attack would be successful against the system they wish to protect. Often, this challenge is addressed in an ad hoc fashion and is highly dependent upon the skill and knowledge base of the expert. In this study, we present a method for automatically ranking attack patterns in the Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) database for a given system. This ranking method is intended to produce suggested attacks to be evaluated by a cybersecurity expert and not a definitive ranking of the "best" attacks. The proposed method uses topic modeling to extract hidden topics from the textual description of each attack pattern and learn the parameters of a topic model. The posterior distribution of topics for the system is estimated using the model and any provided text. Attack patterns are ranked by measuring the distance between each attack topic distribution and the topic distribution of the system using KL divergence.
POSTERIOR WALL ABLATION AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY TO PULMONARY VEIN ISOLATION REDUCES RECURRENCE OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

The posterior wall of the left atrium may promote atrial fibrillation (AF) due to its propensity for fibrosis, in addition to a high prevalence of non-pulmonary vein triggers and rotors. Multiple studies have assessed the incremental value of posterior wall isolation (PWI) in addition to pulmonary
Ir GENE CONTROL OF THE CYTOLYTIC T CELL RESPONSE TO INFLUENZA VIRUS

I. ABSTRACT We have investigated the genetic control of the cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to influenza virus in mice. Although most strains respond equally to H-2K or H-2D antigens in association with influenza virus, we observed that one strain (C57BL/6, KbDb) and its F1 progeny (b x k, b x d, b x a) failed to mount a detectable response to H-2Kb plus virus. This defect was detected in responses to challenges by either type A or type B influenza viruses. In contrast, mice congenic with the defective C57BL strain which share H-2Kb, but possess H-2Dd, were found to lyse infected targets which were compatible at H-2Kb. Using H-2 recombinant congenic strains, we were able to demonstrate that the gene(s) which controlled this immune response map in the H-2 gene complex. Several interpretations of these findings are discussed.
Pathological complete response rates with pertuzumab-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer: A single-center experience:

BackgroundPertuzumab-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has demonstrated successful pathologic complete response (pCR) rates when administered to patients with human epidermal growth factor recep...
Sensitivity of Lake-Effect Cloud Microphysical Processes to Ice Crystal Habit and Nucleation during OWLeS IOP4

AbstractIce crystal habit significantly impacts ice crystal processes such as growth by vapor deposition. Despite this, most bulk microphysical models disregard this natural shape effect and assume...
Insecticidal Activity of Chromobacterium phragmitis, a Recently Described Bacterium from Tidal Marshes

Several isolates of the recently described bacterial species Chromobacterium phragmitis Blackburn et al. were obtained from water collected from low-salinity tidal marshes in Maryland and Virginia. Bacteria were cultured in a liquid medium and applied to artificial diets in the laboratory. One of two Maryland isolates, IIBBL 113-1, was highly toxic to larvae of the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) and the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). The other Maryland isolate, IIBBL 112-1T, and the Virginia isolates were less toxic to these species. Maryland isolates were toxic to larvae of the seedcorn maggot Delia platura (Meigen), while a Virginia isolate, IIBBL 274-1, was of intermediate toxicity against D. platura. The C. phragmitis isolate IIBBL 113-1 was toxic to adults of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), while other C. phragmitis isolates had no activity against this species.
New insights into calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis (CAPNON): a 20-year radiological-pathological study of 37 cases.

Aims Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis (CAPNON) is a rare entity that can occur anywhere within the central nervous system. Histologically, CAPNON has been characterised as a benign, calcified, fibro-osseous lesion with a characteristic chondromyxoid fibrillary matrix with dense calcification and varying degrees of spindle, epithelioid, fibrous, meningothelial and giant cells. The underlying aetiology of CAPNON is controversial and incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive radiological and histological review to further characterise this entity. Methods and results In this article, we review our institutional 20-year experience including 37 cases of CAPNON with detailed pathological analysis, evaluation of concurrent lesions, correlation with radiological imaging, and critical review of the literature. The classic histological finding of chondromyxoid matrix was present in one-third of cases. Underlying or dual pathologies were frequent, and included diverse underlying conditions. Radiologically, dense calcification and dural attachment were the most common features. Enhancement was often low, but was more prominent in the setting of inflammatory changes, aggressive growth, and dual pathology. Conclusion Our results suggest that CAPNON represents a spectrum of reactive processes that can arise in association with diverse underlying pathologies, including inflammatory, degenerative, vascular and neoplastic lesions.
Technical considerations and challenges in treatment of a ruptured PICA aneurysm in a morbidly obese patient

Abstract Morbid obesity presents unique challenges in the treatment of many neurosurgical conditions. In ruptured posterior circulation aneurysms, endovascular treatment has emerged as the safest and most efficacious treatment modality in the majority of cases. We present a technical report of a patient with extensive subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured distal PICA aneurysm. The patient was taken to the hybrid OR with biplane fluoroscopy, utilizing a unique operative set-up to enable safe endovascular treatment. The PICA aneurysm was treated via a transradial approach with distal PICA occlusion using Onyx liquid embolysate. The patient remained neurologically intact and was discharged home after 14 days. This case illustrates a number of technical adjustments that may be made in the safe treatment of patients in whom obesity otherwise limits treatment options.
Correlating solubility of chemicals and mixtures with strength of exposed high-density polyethylene geomembrane

Geomembranes in use as liners of landfills and other waste containment structures are subject to both chemical and mechanical attacks. The ability of the geomembrane to maintain its integrity in the face of these attacks is of major concern in the prevention of discharges from the waste disposal facility. In this work, geomembranes were subjected to simultaneous chemical exposure and mechanical loss using the comprehensive testing system (CTS). The chemicals selected were gasoline and surrogates selected on the basis of either health-based environmental concern related to the chemical`s release, or their use in ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) testing of rubbers exposed to gasoline. The thermodynamics of polymer-solvent interaction, expressed as cohesive energy density, was extended to binary-component mixtures and used to model the change in the mechanical performance of the geomembrane as measured by the CTS test parameter, {Delta}E, {Delta}E. It was found that a volume-fraction based thermodynamic mixing rule for the binary mixtures, consistent with regular solution theory, explained changes in the {Delta}E of the geomembrane. A nonlinear model provided the ability to predict {Delta}E as a function of the difference between the cohesive energy density of the solvent and the polymer.
Development of antiviral and bacteriostatic chitosan-based food packaging material with grape seed extract for murine norovirus, Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua control.

Edible coatings and films based on chitosan, and containing grape seed extract (GSE), were developed and their activities tested against murine norovirus (MNV-1), Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli K12. Grape seed extract concentrations of 1%, 1.5%, and 2.5% dissolved in deionized water resulted in MNV-1 plaque reductions (p < .05) of 1.75, 2.60, and 3.58 log PFU/ml, respectively after 3 hr. Two percent (w/w) chitosan solutions incorporated with 2.5% and 5% GSE also significantly (p < .05) reduced MNV-1 titers by 2.68 and 4.00 log PFU/ml, respectively after 3 hr. Additionally, incorporation of the GSE into the chitosan films also showed antimicrobial efficacy against MNV-1, L. innocua, and E. coli K12. Chitosan films containing 5%, 10%, and 15% GSE caused MNV-1 reductions of 0.92, 1.89, and 2.27 log PFU/ml, respectively, after 4 hr of incubation. Also, after 24 hr, the 5% and 10% GSE films reduced MNV-1 titers by 1.90 and 3.26 log PFU/ml, respectively, while the 15% GSE film reduced MNV-1 to undetectable levels. For E. coli K12, there were reductions of 2.28, 5.18, and 7.14 log CFU/ml after 24 hr exposure by the 5%, 10%, and 15% GSE films, respectively. Also, L. innocua counts were reduced by 3.06, 6.15, and 6.91 log CFU/ml by the 5%, 10%, and 15% GSE films, respectively. This study demonstrated that GSE in edible films and coatings is effective against the organisms tested, and this shows that they are effective against foodborne microbes of public health concerns.
A virtual resiliency program for lymphoma survivors: helping survivors cope with post-treatment challenges.

Objectives To adapt and test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week resiliency group program for posttreatment lymphoma survivors. Design and outcomes. This is an exp...
Secure-RRAM: A 40nm 16kb Compute-in-Memory Macro with Reconfigurability, Sparsity Control, and Embedded Security

Compute-in-memory (CIM) is regarded as a promising paradigm to process the extensive workloads of multiply-and-accumulate (MAC) operations in deep neural networks (DNNs). Several critical challenges remain to be overcome before emerging non-volatile memories such as resistive random-access memory (RRAM) can be maximally leveraged for CIM. Figure 1 illustrates the challenges that RRAM-CIM prototypes face: (1) fixed weight and output precisions that limit the reconfigurability for different DNN models; (2) low on-state resistance $(R_{ON})$ of RRAM cells induces large column currents, which incur high power consumption and drive up multiplexer transistor sizes. Aside from the compute challenges that CIM faces, another growing security concern is 3) the leak of weights and DNN models stored in inference engine, which are regarded as valuable assets considering the expensive resources (weeks of training, thousands of Watts, private labels) put into the training process. If the weights can be obtained by an adversary through reading the memory cells or performing pair gathering experiments, the stolen weights could be cloned into counterfeit chips or the DNN models could be reverse engineered with retraining. In this work, we present a Secure-RRAM CIM macro which aims to both tackle the discussed compute challenges and provide effective protection of on-chip weights, with the following features: 1) flexible weight precision support, 2) current-limiting sparsity-aware input control, and 3) embedded XOR cipher for lightweight encryption.
A simple method for in situ, multiplexed measurement of RNA degradation by flow cytometry

Abstract RNA degradation plays a major role in cellular function, but current methods for measuring RNA degradation require RNA purification or are low throughput. Here we show how a flow-FISH assay can be used for high-throughput, in situ measurement of RNA degradation without RNA purification. We demonstrate how this approach can be used to simultaneously measure RNA degradation rates of different RNA sequences in a single assay and explore how the assay can be used to examine the effect of cellular context on RNA degradation rates. This assay will be generally useful to quantitatively measure how natural and engineered biological function depends on RNA half-life.
KIF13B-mediated VEGFR2 trafficking is essential for vascular leakage and metastasis in vivo.

VEGF-A induces vascular leakage and angiogenesis via activating the cell surface localized receptor VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). The amount of available VEGFR2 at the cell surface is however tightly regulated by trafficking of VEGFR2 by kinesin family 13 B (KIF13B), a plus-end kinesin motor, to the plasma membrane of endothelial cells (ECs). Competitive inhibition of interaction between VEGFR2 and KIF13B by a peptide kinesin-derived angiogenesis inhibitor (KAI) prevented pathological angiogenesis in models of cancer and eye disease associated with defective angiogenesis. Here, we show the protective effects of KAI in VEGF-A-induced vascular leakage and cancer metastasis. Using an EC-specific KIF13B knockout (Kif13biECKO ) mouse model, we demonstrated the function of EC expressed KIF13B in mediating VEGF-A-induced vascular leakage, angiogenesis, tumor growth, and cancer metastasis. Thus, KIF13B-mediated trafficking of VEGFR2 to the endothelial surface has an essential role in pathological angiogenesis induced by VEGF-A, and is therefore a potential therapeutic target.
Delay Estimation of Initial Access procedure for 5G mm-Wave Cellular Networks

5G aims to provide ultra-low latency communication and very high Giga-bit data transmissions. The so called mmWave frequencies are used to achieve such high data rates, thanks to the larger bandwidth availability compared to the frequency spectrum currently used for cellular networks up to LTE. The mmWave spectrum, used for the first time in cellular networks, introduces a number of challenges and imposes a new paradigm in terms of architectures and connection protocols. In particular, additional latency is introduced in the initial attach procedure, which requires extra steps with respect to previous technologies. It is therefore important to thoroughly analyze all components of the initial access (IA) delay in 5G mmWave networks. Among the 5G IA delay components, this work mainly focuses on carrier frequency scanning, cell search, beamforming procedures, derivation of system information, and random access (RACH) procedure. We provide details and a methodology to estimate the delay in these steps of the initial access procedure for 5G mmWave networks.
LOCATION OF ENZYMES IN AZOTOBACTER AGILIS

Robrish, Stanley A. (University of California, Davis) and Allen G. Marr. Location of enzymes in Azotobacter agilis. J. Bacteriol. 83: 158–168. 1962.—If the cells of Azotobacter agilis are disrupted by osmotic shock, respiratory enzymes and the compounds characteristic of cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane are recovered almost completely in large particles. The large particles obtained by osmotic shock were found by electron microscopy to consist of cell wall, cell membrane, and an internal membrane appearing as either vesicles or tubules in section. These envelopes are free of all the soluble cytoplasmic material and are essentially free of ribosomes. Small particles obtained by osmotic shock are ribosomes; small particles obtained by sonic oscillation consist of both ribosomes and amorphous material, presumably fragments of the envelope. Images
Privacy-aware location sensor networks

Advances in sensor networking and location tracking technology enable location-based applications but they also create significant privacy risks. Privacy is typically addressed through privacy policies, which inform the user about a service provider's data handling practices and serve as the basis for the user's decision to release data. However, privacy policies require user interaction and offer little protection from malicious service providers. This paper addresses privacy through a distributed anonymity algorithm that is applied in a sensor network, before service providers gain access to the data. These mechanisms can provide a high degree of privacy, save service users from dealing with service providers' privacy policies, and reduce the service providers' requirements for safeguarding private information.
Infrared Spectroscopy in Clinical Chemistry

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy measures the absorption of IR radiation by chemical bonds in a material. Chemical structural fragments of molecules, known as functional groups, tend to absorb IR radiation in the same frequency range regardless of the structure of the rest of the molecule in which the functional group is located. This correlation between the structure of a molecule and the frequencies at which it absorbs IR radiation allows the structures of unknown molecules to be identified and structural or chemical changes of the molecule to be followed. Traditionally, IR spectroscopy has been one of the most important physical methods in the chemical laboratory as it plays an important role in the elucidation of structures and the identification of organic and inorganic compounds. The quantitative analysis of samples is straightforward and is not affected by the physical state of the sample. Gaseous, liquid, and homogeneous and inhomogeneous solid samples all can be conveniently studied. Applications of IR spectroscopy in clinical chemistry have progressed rapidly in recent years. IR pathological analysis is becoming increasingly important in the detection of biochemical changes in body fluids and tissues. Information obtained from their IR spectra can be used to identify diseases. Advanced investigations are carried out using different data-analysis techniques such as multivariate analysis. Using a pattern-recognition approach, IR spectroscopic data provide a nonsubjective aid in the diagnosis of the disease state and the staging of the disease. Unlike most colorimetric or electrochemical/enzymatic clinical chemistry assays, IR spectroscopic analysis is applicable to a variety of body fluids and tissues: whole blood, plasma or serum, synovial fluid, saliva, urine, cells, and membranes. The methodology is fast and readily automated. Sample preparation is simple and no special reagents or other consumables such as electrodes are required, making IR spectroscopy a low-cost operation. The most attractive advantage of the method is the potential for a rapid multicomponent analysis to be carried out from a single spectrum.
What Would They Do? Childcare under Parental Leave and Reduced Hours Options: Childcare under Parental Leave

Time diary data are used to simulate the effects of parental leave and reduced hours arrangements on childcare time among parents of infants. Estimates suggest that coupled fathers would apply approximately 70 percent of working time reductions under leave or reduced hours to childcare. Both coupled and single mothers translate working time reductions into childcare at higher rates. The analysis highlights inequalities across lines of gender, marital status, and socioeconomic status associated with existing policies and suggests policy innovations to both raise parental investments in childcare time and reduce levels of inequality.