cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal Modeling for Design Optimization of a Microfluidic Device for Continuous Flow Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a molecular biological method for the in vitro amplification of nucleic acid molecules which has wide applications in the area of genetics, medicine and biochemistry. The typical three step PCR cycle consists of heating the sample to 90–94 °C to denature double-stranded DNA, cooling down to 50–54 °C to anneal the specific primers to the single stranded DNA and finally increasing the temperature to 70–75 °C for extension of the primers with thermostable DNA polymerase. The temperature sensitivity of the reaction requires precise temperature control and proper thermal isolation of these three zones. In this paper we present the design of a continuous flow PCR microfluidic device with the channels fabricated in (poly) dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and thin film Platinum Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) elements fabricated on glass substrate to define the three different temperature zones. The fluidic arrangement has a water jacket layer to minimize evaporation from the porous PDMS walls. A detailed thermo fluidic model of the device is presented to predict the performance and efficacy of the proposed design. Numerical simulations are carried out to find the temperature distribution and temperature gradients in the device and a parametric study is done by varying flow rate, heat flux and channel dimensions in order to optimize the design for achieving temperature isolation and sharp temperature gradients between different zones.© 2008 ASME
New antiretroviral drugs part I: PIs.

This is the first installment of a two-part article on new antiretroviral drugs in development. This article provides details on new protease
Thin metal film-polymer composite for efficient optoacoustic generation(Conference Presentation)

Photoacoustic (PA) conversion of metal film absorbers is known to be inefficient because of their low thermal expansion and high light reflectance, as compared to polymeric materials containing light absorbing fillers. Specifically, the PA signal for metal films is typically an order of magnitude lower than those for PDMS-based composites consisting of carbon materials such as carbon blacks, carbon nanotubes, and carbon fibers. However, the carbon-PDMS composites have several disadvantages, e.g., difficulty in controlling film thickness, aggregation of the carbon fillers, and poor patternablility. To overcome these issues and achieve comparable PA amplitudes, a polymer-metal film composite was developed consisting of a thin metal absorber and adjacent transparent polymer layers. The proposed structure shows efficient PA conversion. The measured PA amplitude of the metal film composite is an order of magnitude higher than that of metal-only samples, and comparable to those of the carbon-PDMS composites. The enhanced PA conversion is accomplished by using metal film of a few tens of nanometers, which greatly facilitates heat transfer from the metal film to the surrounding polymers. Moreover, integrating the metal film composite with a photonic cavity can compensate light absorption loss of the thinner metal film. Theoretical and experimental analysis is conducted for understanding the mechanism behind such improvement. This strategy could be implemented for spatial PA signal patterns, especially for deep tissue PA imaging of implants or image-guiding tools. Furthermore, this approach also provides a guideline for designing photoacoustic transmitters and contrast agents.
Moving human full body and body parts detection, tracking, and applications on human activity estimation, walking pattern and face recognition

We have developed a new way for detection and tracking of human full-body and body-parts with color (intensity) patch morphological segmentation and adaptive thresholding for security surveillance cameras. An adaptive threshold scheme has been developed for dealing with body size changes, illumination condition changes, and cross camera parameter changes. Tests with the PETS 2009 and 2014 datasets show that we can obtain high probability of detection and low probability of false alarm for full-body. Test results indicate that our human full-body detection method can considerably outperform the current state-of-the-art methods in both detection performance and computational complexity. Furthermore, in this paper, we have developed several methods using color features for detection and tracking of human body-parts (arms, legs, torso, and head, etc.). For example, we have developed a human skin color sub-patch segmentation algorithm by first conducting a RGB to YIQ transformation and then applying a Subtractive I/Q image Fusion with morphological operations. With this method, we can reliably detect and track human skin color related body-parts such as face, neck, arms, and legs. Reliable body-parts (e.g. head) detection allows us to continuously track the individual person even in the case that multiple closely spaced persons are merged. Accordingly, we have developed a new algorithm to split a merged detection blob back to individual detections based on the detected head positions. Detected body-parts also allow us to extract important local constellation features of the body-parts positions and angles related to the full-body. These features are useful for human walking gait pattern recognition and human pose (e.g. standing or falling down) estimation for potential abnormal behavior and accidental event detection, as evidenced with our experimental tests. Furthermore, based on the reliable head (face) tacking, we have applied a super-resolution algorithm to enhance the face resolution for improved human face recognition performance.
Associated injuries in skeletally immature children with pelvic fractures

Abstract Background Pediatric pelvic fractures are rare injuries resulting from high-energy mechanisms that warrant an extensive work-up for associated injuries. Objectives We performed a retrospective study to review concomitant injuries in children who suffered a pelvic fracture and have an open triradiate cartilage. Methods Using a database, pediatric pelvic fractures presenting to the authors' institution were extracted. Radiographs and computed tomography scans were reviewed, ensuring that triradiate cartilages were not fused and the pelvic injuries were classified using the Modified Torode Classification. Epidemiologic data extracted included Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS). Results Sixty patients met the inclusion criteria, and their average age was 8.3 years (range 2–14 years). There were no mortalities. The most common mechanism of injury was a vehicle striking a pedestrian. There were no significant correlations between GCS, ISS, and AIS. All 60 children (100%) suffered extremity injuries. Nineteen patients required surgical orthopedic intervention, and 6 required operative stabilization of the pelvis. Patients who were struck by a motor vehicle were more likely to have multiple pelvic fractures ( p p p Conclusions Patients sustaining fractures to an immature pelvis are likely to have additional injuries, which may be fatal or disabling if not diagnosed in a timely manner.
SU-F-R-09: Homogenization of CT Images for Radiomics Studies: It's Like Butter(worth)

Purpose: Previous studies have shown that differences in the CT image acquisition parameters produce variability in extracted quantitative image features. The purpose of our study was to determine if the variability due to inconsistencies in the reconstruction field of view (FOV), or pixel size, can be reduced by image filtering. Methods: We reconstructed the CT scans of 8 NSCLC patients 5 times, varying the FOV from 30 to 50 cm. We then calculated 150 radiomics features for each of the 40 CT image sets using 6 preprocessing methods. The preprocessing methods included re-sampling the images to a consistent 1 mm per pixel and Butterworth filters with cutoff frequencies from 75 to 200. We next calculated the overall concordance correlation coefficient (OCCC) for each feature to assess the intra-patient variability due to multiple FOVs relative to the inter-patient variability. To further explore how image preprocessing can reduce the effects of the reconstruction FOV, we performed hierarchical clustering. Results: 99% of all features had an OCCC of greater than 0.95 for images resampled and processed with a Butterworth filter with cutoff frequency 125, compared to only 21% of the features calculated without image preprocessing. Filtered images had consistently larger OCCC values except for shape related features which had all OCCC values > 0.95 regardless of the image preprocessing. Without filtering, hierarchical clustering was able to correctly group the 5 FOV scans for only 2 of the 8 patients. For images resample and processed with a Butterworth filter with cutoff frequency 125, the hierarchical clustering correctly grouped the 5 FOV scans for all 8 patients. Conclusion: Radiomics features, especially those that relate the image intensity and spatial information, show a strong dependence on the reconstruction FOV. However, our results demonstrate that resampling and filtering the images can greatly reduce this dependence.
An evaluation of processing methods for HumanMethylation450 BeadChip data.

Illumina’s HumanMethylation450 arrays provide the most cost-effective means of high-throughput DNA methylation analysis. As with other types of microarray platforms, technical artifacts are a concern, including background fluorescence, dye-bias from the use of two color channels, bias caused by type I/II probe design, and batch effects. Several approaches and pipelines have been developed, either targeting a single issue or designed to address multiple biases through a combination of methods. We evaluate the effect of combining separate approaches to improve signal processing. In this study nine processing methods, including both within- and between- array methods, are applied and compared in four datasets. For technical replicates, we found both within- and between-array methods did a comparable job in reducing variance across replicates. For evaluating biological differences, within-array processing always improved differential DNA methylation signal detection over no processing, and always benefitted from performing background correction first. Combinations of within-array procedures were always among the best performing methods, with a slight advantage appearing for the between-array method Funnorm when batch effects explained more variation in the data than the methylation alterations between cases and controls. However, when this occurred, RUVm, a new batch correction method noticeably improved reproducibility of differential methylation results over any of the signal-processing methods alone. The comparisons in our study provide valuable insights in preprocessing HumanMethylation450 BeadChip data. We found the within-array combination of Noob + BMIQ always improved signal sensitivity, and when combined with the RUVm batch-correction method, outperformed all other approaches in performing differential DNA methylation analysis. The effect of the data processing method, in any given data set, was a function of both the signal and noise.
Development of Drift-Diffusion Models

The basic principle underlying the function of a transistor element is that current flows between oppositely directed p/n junctions (or does not flow), depending upon controlling currents or voltages elsewhere in the element. A junction occurs when regions with contrasting doping characteristics abut in a semiconductor. Thus, a p-region is one with an excess of free hole carriers and an n-region, on the other hand, contains an excess of free electrons. Such charge imbalances are induced by the process of doping, whereby impurity concentrations are injected into pure crystalline semiconductor materials. From the standpoint of valence chemistry, the impurity atoms have numbers of electrons in their outer shells different from the semiconductor atoms. Preponderance of donor impurities creates n-regions as well as net concentrations of positive ions, and acceptor impurities create p-regions and negative ions. The net charge at any point in the device is obtained by combining the ions with the free electron and hole carriers. Thus, an electric field is created via the first Maxwell equation, often called the Poisson equation in the theory of electrostatics. There are also quantum mechanical interpretations related to the impurity injection process; these include energy band bending and wave packet identifications as classical particles (see [87, 122]).
Analysis of differential methylation pattern between normal prostate cells, prostate cancer cells, and between androgen dependent and independent prostate cancer cells

3271 Promoter DNA methylation of CpG island sequences is a somatic alteration and an important epigenetic mechanism in cancer development. We examined the methylation pattern of promoter CpG islands of 82 genes between normal prostate cells, prostate cancer cells and between androgen dependent and androgen independent cells using the promoter methylation array technique (Panomics). Out of 82 gene promoters analyzed, we found 50 candidate genes showing a differential methylation pattern between normal (RWPE-1) and prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, PC3, DU145). Among these, we found few novel methylation targets, such as STAT5, LAGE-1, BAGE, RBL1, SYBL1, CIITA THBS1, IGRP, and RIOK3 which were hypermethylated from 4 to 12 fold in cancer cell lines. Along with these we observed additional differences in gene family belonging to: tumor suppressor (Rb, TMS-1, PAX-6, FHIT, SRBC), cell cycle (p21, p27, CDKN2A), drug transporters (MDR1, MLC1), transcription factors (STAT1, POU3F1, MYOD), and glucose metabolizers (IGRP, G6PD, GLUT4). A significant difference (p
Smart grid in residential power utilization field

Refers to the relevant standards of IEC and the case of advanced countries, combines the national conditions and network conditions, from the high reliability requirements, customer interaction, energy conservation three areas, discusses the necessity of the construction of smart grid; combines the areas of smart home, smart community, electric vehicle charging and discharging, proposes the main content of the construction of smart grid in residential power utilization field.
Quality Improvement and Practice Based Research inNeuro-Oncology Using the Electronic Medical Record (P4.245)

Objective: 1) to develop a structured clinical documentation support (SCDS) toolkit within the electronic medical record (EMR) that navigates care, writes notes, and captures data at office visits; 2) To share the toolkit with Neuro-oncologists using the Epic EMR platform, as part of a Neurology Practice Based Research Network (NPBRN). Background: We developed a seven-stage process for quality improvement and practice based research in Neurology using the EMR: 1) SCDS toolkits (custom navigators, electronic forms, smart data elements); 2) enrollment reports; 3) data quality reports; 4) descriptive cohort reports; 5) quality improvement dashboards; 6) clinical decision support; 7) sharing of toolkits and data (NPBRN). We enrolled subjects in a germline DNA biobank. Methods: We met every two weeks for three months to develop content: define the cohort, select outcome measures, delineate factors known to modify disease progression. We assigned tasks to the care team, and mapped data elements to the progress note. We then met every two weeks for three more months with programmer analysts to build and test the SCDS toolkit. Autoscored and interpreted tests included the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression, Karnofsky Performance Scale, MD Anderson Symptom Inventory, and Short Test of Mental Status. Results: Our SCDS toolkit captures about 800 fields of data per office visit. We have used the toolkit about 200 times to assess brain tumor patients (initially, six monthly if malignant, annually if benign). We have enrolled >100 brain tumor patients in our biobank: 35 "benign", 23 "malignant primary", and 33 "metastatic". We will present screenshots of our SCDS toolkit, descriptive data, and pairwise correlations and principle component analyses for score test measures. Conclusions: The EMR can be effectively structured to standardize Neuro-oncology office visits, capture data, and support multicenter quality improvement and practice based research initiatives. Disclosure: Dr. Merrell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Martinez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Stasinos has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mureson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Walters has nothing to disclose. Dr. Amelse has nothing to disclose. Dr. Glatman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dudek has nothing to disclose. Dr. Patel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Frigerio has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maraganore has received royalty payments from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals.
Pediatric Brain MR Perfusion Imaging

Abstract Magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion techniques are now easily implemented and have many clinically validated uses in brain imaging. A variety of techniques are now available to best suit particular individual patient and disease state indications. This review will present a conceptual overview of the underlying perfusion technical factors in addition to the clinically applicable facets related to patient preparation and the MR imaging appearance of various perfusion patterns in health and disease. A special focus on pediatric brain perfusion will be presented.
The Shape of Things to Come: Inspiration in the Organizational Sciences

Moments of inspiration are powerful in that they give us a renewed sense of energy and purpose. They also orient us to move in directions that we never thought possible. Most of the research in the...
GSK3 activity regulates rhythms in hippocampal clock gene expression and synaptic plasticity.

Hippocampal rhythms in clock gene expression, enzymatic activity, and long-term potentiation (LTP) are thought to underlie day-night differences in memory acquisition and recall. Glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK3β) is a known regulator of hippocampal function, and inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β exhibits region-specific differences over the light-dark cycle. Here, we sought to determine whether phosphorylation of both GSK3α and GSK3β isoforms has an endogenous circadian rhythm in specific areas of the hippocampus and whether chronic inhibition or activation alters the molecular clock and hippocampal plasticity (LTP). Results indicated a significant endogenous circadian rhythm in phosphorylation of GSK3β, but not GSK3α, in hippocampal CA1 extracts from mice housed in constant darkness for at least 2 weeks. To examine the importance of this rhythm, genetic and pharmacological strategies were used to disrupt the GSK3 activity rhythm by chronically activating or inhibiting GSK3. Chronic activation of both GSK3 isoforms in transgenic mice (GSK3-KI mice) diminished rhythmic BMAL1 expression. On the other hand, chronic treatment with a GSK3 inhibitor significantly shortened the molecular clock period of organotypic hippocampal PER2::LUC cultures. While WT mice exhibited higher LTP magnitude at night compared to day, the day-night difference in LTP magnitude remained with greater magnitude at both times of day in mice with chronic GSK3 activity. On the other hand, pharmacological GSK3 inhibition impaired day-night differences in LTP by blocking LTP selectively at night. Taken together, these results support the model that circadian rhythmicity of hippocampal GSK3β activation state regulates day/night differences in molecular clock periodicity and a major form of synaptic plasticity (LTP).
Clay minerals interaction with microorganisms: a review

Interest in mineral–microbe interaction has grown enormously over recent decades, providing information in a puzzle-like manner which points towards an ever increasingly intimate relationship between the two; a relationship that can be truly termed co-evolution. Clay minerals play a very central role in this co-evolving system. Some 20 years ago, clay scientists looked at clay mineral–microbe studies as a peripheral interest only. Now, can clay scientists think that they understand the formation of clay minerals throughout geological history if they do not include life in their models? The answer is probably no, but we do not yet know the relative weight of biological and inorganic factors involved in driving clay-mineral formation and transformation. Similarly, microbiologists are missing out important information if they do not investigate the influence and modifications that minerals, particularly clay minerals, have on microbial activity and evolution. This review attempts to describe the several points relating clay minerals and microorganisms that have been discovered so far. The information obtained is still very incomplete and many opportunities exist for clay scientists to help to write the real history of the biosphere.
Circadian Regulation of Bone

The demands of modern society are posing serious effects on our bone health. People are working longer hours, working through the night, getting less sleep, and eating at irregular hours. This is causing more stress and less time to spend outdoors. All of these factors are contributing to circadian disruption “in general” but more importantly to circadian disruption of bone rhythms. Bone metabolism displays circadian variation that is coincident with clock rhythms in bone, with the light/dark cycle and with circulating melatonin levels. Light exposure at night, shift work, and poor quality sleep can lead to weakened bones attributed, in part, to altered clock rhythms in bone and to changes in circulating melatonin and cortisol rhythms in the body. The intent of this review is not to describe bone metabolism “in general” and then to discuss the effect of melatonin in these processes. There are many reviews on this subject matter described throughout the chapter. Rather, the focus of this chapter is to describe clock gene expression and function in bone and how their rhythms impact on osteoblast and osteoclast activity and differentiation and on bone metabolism; and then discuss variables that lead to circadian disruption of bone rhythms and describe ways to maintain healthy bone in a society that continually promotes circadian disruption.
Designing Authentic Learning Activities to Train Pre-Service Teachers About Teaching Online

Online learning is increasingly being used in K-12 learning environments. A concomitant trend is found towards learning becoming authentic as students learn with tasks that are connected to real-world occupations. In this study, 48 pre-service teachers use an online environment to engage in authentic practice as they developed online learning experiences for their future students. Using a design-based research methodology, the researchers were involved in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the higher education class across two macro cycles. An authentic learning framework was utilized in the development of the class. Findings explicate the design of the course and how it aligned to the authentic learning framework. It appears that web-based tools were beneficial as the pre-service teachers designed their own K-12 online classes. Findings show that the pre-service teachers' comfort increased when using the using online web building applications in the authentic environment. Furthermore, a high level of engagement in reflective and collaborative learning was uncovered during the activities. This research acts as a springboard for educators who are interested in designing online higher education courses incorporating authentic learning experiences.
Count Nouns and Mass Nouns: Crops, Produce, and the Plural of Seed

The distinction between count nouns and mass nouns affects thinking and writing about various types of crops and produce. Count nouns are words that indicate discrete, countable objects (e.g., forks, viewpoints), whereas mass nouns are words that indicate some relatively undifferentiated substance (e.g., water, energy). We explain the grammar of these two forms and point out some writing pitfalls to avoid. The word seed is one of the few English nouns that is both a count noun and a mass noun. An argument is presented for using seeds as the plural when several individuals are counted and for using seed as the singular when referring to seeds in the aggregate.
Risk Factors for Contralateral ACL Injury: A Single Institution Case-Control Study.

Our purpose was to evaluate if there is any association between requiring contralateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and various: (1) demographics, (2) patient characteristics, and (3) surgery-specific factors. A prospectively collected database at a single institution was queried to find all patients who underwent primary ACL reconstruction between 2012 and 2014. We identified 312 primary ACL reconstruction patients with a mean age of 24 years and a mean follow-up of 3 years (range, 2–5 years). This cohort was compared with all those who had primary ACL reconstructions during the same time period without a contralateral procedure. We evaluated: (1) incidence, (2) demographic variables, (3) family history, (4) graft choice, (5) activity causing injury, and (6) mechanism of injury (contact versus noncontact). There were 16 patients (4.8%) with a mean age of 21 years and a mean follow-up of 3 years that required a contralateral reconstruction. More females required contralateral reconstruction when compared with the control cohort (p = 0.049). However, there was no difference in the mean age between the cohorts (p = 0.32). Those who underwent reconstruction using a tibialis anterior allograft were far more likely to require a contralateral reconstruction (p = 0.0002). Bone-tendon-bone patellar autograft (p = 0.16), hamstring autograft (p = 0.76), and hamstring allograft (p = 0.68) had similar incidences of contralateral ACL injury. Lacrosse was associated with higher risk of contralateral procedure (p = 0.03). Mechanism of injury had no association of contralateral reconstruction (p = 0.71). We found that those with the highest risk of contralateral ACL reconstruction following their index procedure were females, those with tibialis anterior allografts, and those who had their ipsilateral injury while playing lacrosse. These data may be used by practitioners when educating patients regarding their potential for requiring a contralateral reconstruction following their index procedure.
Effects of a novel apoptotic peptide (nefm1) on human breast cancers

2385 Introduction: The chemokine receptor/ ligand, CXCR4/SDF-1α, is critically important to angiogenesis and vascular remodeling, and has been shown to be involved in tumorigenesis, proliferation, and metastasis of human carcinomas. We have shown that a novel peptide from HIV-1 Nef (NefM1) induces apoptosis through the CXCR4 receptor. We would like to exploit this as a cancer therapeutic agent. Methods:Breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB231 (231), MDAMB468 (468), MCF-7, DU4475, and HMEC were each evaluated for their response to NefM1. Apoptosis was assessed using TUNEL staining and caspase-3 activation. The presence of CXCR4 receptors on the tumor cells was determined using immunohistochemistry and PCR analyses. Xenografts derived from CXCR4+ cells were propagated in SCID mice and evaluated for the persistence of the receptor and the effects of NefM1 on growth and metastasis. The growing tumors underwent volumetric measurements weekly and comparisons were made between those treated with NefM1 biweekly, by i.p. injections, and those untreated. Human breast cancer xenografts generated from fresh surgical specimens were studied for the effects of NefM1 on their growth and metastasis in SCID mice. Results:Breast cell lines that were positive for CXCR4 receptors all underwent apoptosis when treated with Nef, as did those CXCR4-negative cells that were transfected with CXCR4. The corresponding xenografts derived from CXCR4+ 231 cells demonstrated high levels of the receptor. Breast xenografts derived from 231 cells demonstrated smaller primaries and significantly smaller metastatic tumors in the Nef treated group. Conclusion: NefM1 causes apoptotic reduction in in vitro and in vivo growth of breast cancer cells and tumor xenografts, respectively. Metastatic lesions were smaller in the treated group.
Extension of Life Span in Laboratory Mice

Abstract Since the turn of the century, major advances have been made in discovering manipulations (nutritional and genetic) that increase life span in mice. In this chapter, we list 67 manipulations that have been reported to increase the life span of mice over the past two decades. Interestingly, the effect of the various manipulations on life span is most often sex dependent, i.e., life span is either increased in one sex but not the other or is much greater in one sex. Currently, there are three manipulations that consistently show an increase in both mean and maximum life span in both male and female mice, i.e., they have been replicated by different laboratories and in different genetic backgrounds. These manipulations are dietary restriction, rapamycin, and reduced growth hormone signaling. Therefore, we are in a position for the first time in human history to begin testing potential therapies that might retard age-related diseases and aging in humans.
Modeling behaviors and lifestyle with online and social data for predicting and analyzing sleep and exercise quality

While recent data studies have focused on associations between sleep and exercise patterns as captured by digital fitness devices, it is known that sleep and exercise quality are affected by a much broader set of factors not captured by these devices, such as general lifestyle, eating, and stress. Here, we conduct a large-scale data study of exercise and sleep effects through an analysis of 8 months of exercise and sleep data for 20 k users, combined with search query logs, location information and aggregated social media data. We analyze factors correlated with better sleep and more effective exercise, and confirm these relationships through causal inference analysis. Further, we build linear models to predict individuals’ sleep and exercise quality. This analysis demonstrates the potential benefits of combining online and social data sources with data from health trackers, and is a potentially rich computational benchmark for health studies. We discuss the implications of our work for individuals, health practitioners and health systems.
What the Seller Wont Tell You: Persuasion and Disclosure in Markets

Thе paper presents the microeconomic theoretical arguments about how sellers disclose information in an attempt to encourage buyers, and the potential role for regulation in encouraging efficient disclosure of information. The author seeks to understand, when should one expect all the relevant information to be reported. If testing and reporting by the seller are costly, the question is whether too little or too much testing and reporting will be done. The article also studies the types of information withheld by the seller and the corresponding reactions of rational buyers. The problems of social welfare and the government regulations to improve the functioning of markets are also addressed. The theoretical tool proposed by the author is the theory of persuasion games — games in which one or more sellers provide verifiable information to buyers to influence the actions they take.
Externalities and Interdependence in a von Neumann Growth Model

In a von Neumann growth model, all inputs for the production during one period must be produced (or possibly bought in a market) by the economic agent who will use them. Externalities are introduced here in the sense that an agent may use some inputs (e. g. public services) without buying them or providing them by himself. Similarly, some outputs (beneficial or harmful) may not accrue to the producer, but to other agents in the economy. The resulting situation is a game between various agents in an economy. A particular solution of such a game (the Nash equilibrium) is derived. Various forms of interdependence between economic agents will be briefly discussed.
Listening to the Deep: Exploring Marine Soundscape Variability by Information Retrieval Techniques

Information on the dynamics of the deep-sea ecosystem is essential for conservation management. The marine soundscape has been considered as an acoustical sensing platform to investigate geophysical events, marine biodiversity, and human activities. However, analysis of the marine soundscape remains difficult because of the influence of simultaneous sound sources. In this study, we integrated machine learning-based information retrieval techniques to analyze the variability of the marine soundscape off northeastern Taiwan. A long-term spectral average was employed to visualize the long-duration recordings of the Marine Cable Hosted Observatory (MACHO). Biotic and abiotic soundscape components were separated by applying periodicity-coded nonnegative matrix factorization. Finally, various acoustic events were identified using k-means clustering. Our results show that the MACHO recordings of June 2012 contain multiple sound sources. Cetacean vocalizations, an unidentified biological chorus, environmental noise, and system noise can be accurately separated without an audio recognition database. Cetacean vocalizations were primarily detected at night, which is consistent with the detection results of two rule-based detectors. The unidentified biological chorus, ranging between 2 and 3 kHz, was primarily recorded between 7 p.m. and midnight during the studied period. On the basis of source separation, more acoustic events can be identified in the clustering result. The proposed information retrieval techniques effectively reduce the difficulty in the analysis of marine soundscape. The unsupervised approach of source separation and clustering can improve the investigation regarding the temporal behavior and spectral characteristics of different sound sources. Based on the findings in the present study, we believe that variability of the deep-sea ecosystem can be efficiently investigated by combining the soundscape information retrieval techniques and cabled hydrophone networks in the future.
Monitoring changes in circulating tumor DNA in gastrointestinal malignancies using a novel next-generation sequencing method.

3645 Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is showing promise as a highly-specific cancer biomarker. We have developed an ultrasensitive ctDNA assay that can evaluate recurrent cancer-associate...
CRISPR-Cas Changing Biology?

Eugene V. Koonin argues that fundamental research of CRISPR-Cas mechanisms has (among other things) illuminated “fundamental principles of genome manipulation.” Koonin's discussion provides important philosophical insights for how we should understand the significance of CRISPR-Cas systems. Yet the analysis he provides is only part of a larger story. There is also a human element to the CRISPR-Cas story that concerns its development as a technology. Accounting for this part of CRISPR's history reveals that the story Koonin provides requires greater nuance. I'll show how CRISPR-Cas technologies are not “natural” genome editing systems, but (in part) artifacts of human ingenuity. Furthermore, I'll argue that the story of CRISPR-Cas is not “primarily about research into fundamental biological mechanisms”, but is instead about the intertwining of applied and fundamental research programs.
Hydrologic impacts and trade-offs associated with forest-based bioenergy development practices in a snow-dominated watershed, Wisconsin, USA

Abstract Growing demand for biomass-derived fuels has resulted in an increase in bioenergy projects in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue. However, broad expansion of bioenergy feedstock production may have significant environmental consequences. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to investigate how forest-based bioenergy development may affect hydrological systems at the watershed scale. Specifically, this study addresses hybrid poplar cultivation for biofuel production in a snow-dominated watershed in northern Wisconsin, USA. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), calibrated and validated for streamflow and biomass production cycles, is used to evaluate the effects of land use change corresponding to a range of biofuel development scenarios. The biofuel scenarios follow physically-based rules for land use conversion to poplar plantations from hay, pasture, and forested lands; along with a suite of alternative management practices, including rotation time, planting density, fertilizer application and irrigation. Trade-offs between biomass production, fertilizer use, and hydrologic alteration are evaluated for the feedstock production system. The highest density (1111 trees/100 m2) and shortest rotation (5-year) treatments produce the highest biomass and are the most efficient treatments in terms of water and fertilizer use per ton of biomass. The high efficiency is due to optimal relationships between leaf area index, biomass production, and N uptake. At annual or greater time scales, the simulated conversion to poplar had minimal effect on ET and streamflows. However, in summer months, the ET from the poplar substantially exceeds that of the original land use, so that streamflows decrease by as much as 50%. Irrigation to meet soil water deficits increased biomass production, but only by 4% on average, which is not surprising for a temperate, humid watershed.
Readmission Adversely Affects Survival in Surgical Rectal Cancer Patients.

Readmission has received attention as a potential healthcare quality metric. No studies have investigated the relationship between readmission and survival in patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery. The aims of this study were to identify factors associated with 30-day readmission after rectal cancer surgery and to determine the impact of readmission on overall survival (OS). Patients who underwent surgical treatment for rectal/rectosigmoid adenocarcinoma stages I–IV were identified using the National Cancer Database (2004–2014). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors for readmission. 2:1 nearest neighbor caliper matching without replacement was used to ensure similarity of patients being compared. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan–Meier method along with log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model. Of 110,167 patients, 7045 (6.39%) were readmitted. Factors associated with readmission included higher Charlson comorbidity score, non-private or no insurance, procedure type, hospitals in the Northeast, South, and Midwest regions, and prolonged length of stay. Within the matched cohort (13,756 non-readmitted and 6878 readmitted), readmitted patients had worse 5- and 10-year OS regardless of cancer stage (p < 0.001) and procedure type. Five- and 10-year OS were 58.98% and 41.01% for readmitted patients, 64.96% and 43.50% for non-readmitted patients. Readmitted patients had shorter OS by 13.14 months and increased risk of mortality (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.15–1.25, p < 0.001). Thirty-day readmission after rectal cancer surgery is associated with decreased OS. Efforts to reduce readmissions should be considered to advance cancer care and enhance the potential for improved patient survival.
Aerothermal optimization of a ribbed U-bend cooling channel using the adjoint method

Abstract Aerothermal optimization is a powerful technique for automating the design of turbine internal cooling passages, where both pressure loss and heat transfer are considered. Existing optimization studies commonly adopt gradient-free algorithms, which can handle only a few design variables. However, to enhance heat transfer, internal cooling designs use complex geometries consisting of ribbed serpentine channels, which need to be parameterized by using a large number of design variables. To address this need, we develop herein an approach for aerothermal optimization that uses a gradient-based optimizer in conjunction with a discrete adjoint method to efficiently compute the required gradients with respect to numerous design variables. We apply this approach to the design of a ribbed U-bend channel, which is representative of a section of turbine internal cooling passages. The objective function combines heat transfer and pressure loss as a weighted sum. We find the Pareto front for these two objectives by running five optimizations with different weights. We consider both a rib-free and a ribbed U-bend configuration. For the rib-free configuration, we use 113 design variables to parameterize the U-bend shape. We compare our optimization results with those from gradient-free methods and demonstrate that the proposed method leads to lower pressure loss while enhancing heat transfer. For the ribbed configuration, we use 146 design variables and allow the ribs to change their arrangement independently (shape, height, pitch, and angle). Each rib adopts a requisite arrangement to balance heat transfer and aerodynamics, depending on the local flow conditions. Optimizing the U-bend shape is shown to be more effective for improving overall heat transfer than optimizing the rib arrangement. However, optimizing ribs is more effective for improving local heat transfer. The results demonstrate that the proposed optimization framework has the potential to handle general turbine heat transfer designs, not only for internal cooling but also for other design problems, such as film cooling and jet impingement cooling.
Non-Equilibrium Plasma Jet at Atmospheric Pressure Powered by Tesla Coil

The aim of this work presents the characterization of a plasma jet powered by Tesla coil. Tesla coil can be used for generation cold plasma from Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD). Tesla coil has been designed and constructed at Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority for multipurpose. The electrical characteristic of non-equilibrium plasma jet using rare gases (argon and helium) at atmospheric pressure has been studied. An atmospheric-pressure cold plasma jet generated by Tesla coil in a single-electrode configuration is characterized based on optical and electrical measurements.
Test of a Weather-Adaptive Dual-Resolution Hybrid Warn-on-Forecast Analysis and Forecast System for Several Severe Weather Events

AbstractA real-time, weather adaptive, dual-resolution, hybrid Warn-on-Forecast (WoF) analysis and forecast system using the WRF-ARW forecast model has been developed and implemented. The system in...
The effect of real-time feedback on learning lumbar spine joint mobilization by entry-level doctor of physical therapy students: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial.

To examine the effects of real-time, objective feedback on learning lumbar spine joint mobilization techniques by entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students. A randomized, controlled, cr...
Using structural phase transitions to enhance the coercivity of ferromagnetic films

Storing information in magnetic recording technologies requires careful optimization of the recording media’s magnetic properties. For example, heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) relies on a prerecording heating step that momentarily lowers the coercivity of the ferromagnetic recording media, and thereby decreases the energy expenditure for each writing operation. However, this process currently requires local temperature increases of several hundred Kelvins, which in turn can cause heat spreading, damage the write head, and limit recording rates. Here, we describe a general mechanism for dramatically tuning the coercivity of ferromagnetic films over small temperature ranges, by coupling them to an adjacent layer that undergoes a structural phase transition with large volume changes. The method is demonstrated in Ni/FeRh bilayers where the Ni layer was deposited at 300 K and 523 K, above and below the FeRh metamagnetic transition at 370 K. When the Ni layer is grown at high temperatures, the 1% FeRh lattice expansion relative to room temperature alters the Ni’s crystallographic texture during growth and leads to a 500% increase in coercivity upon cooling through the FeRh’s metamagnetic transition. Our analysis suggests this effect is related to domain wall pinning across grain boundaries with different orientations and strain states. This work highlights the promise of thermally tuning the coercivity of ferromagnetic materials through structural coupling to underlying films that could enable simplified heatsink designs and expand the selection of materials compatible with HAMR.
Energy Spotlight: New Inroads in Metal Halide Perovskite Research

As metal halide solar cells reach photoconversion efficiencies over 25%, one question that is often being asked is, “What is next?” Interestingly, there are plenty of new opportunities to explore in the perovskite world. The four articles selected for the Energy Spotlight in this issue are just a few examples to show the dynamic nature of metal halide perovskite research. New inroads are being made to explore new heterostructures and luminescent semiconductor nanoclusters, understand phase stability, and offer new insights into excited state processes. Such advances provide new avenues to further expand the scope of perovskite research, offering new areas to explore.
Union Formation Selectivity After Childbearing: Do Local Marriage Markets Matter?

Since the 1970s, people in the U.S. have been more likely than in the past to experience union separation and re-partnering, and children have been more likely to experience more than one kind of family arrangement throughout their childhood (Bzostek et al. 2012; Cherlin 2009, 2010). Previous research has paid important attention to the outcomes of children growing up in step-families and the determinants of union formation of parents. Significant research has focused on the experiences of single mothers. However, less attention has been given to the role of marriage markets on the formation of unions among single parents, and the differences in the impact of marriage markets for men and women with children. The main goal of the research I present in this chapter is to provide a better understanding of the context of union formation after childbearing, with special focus on its determinants and the influence of local marriage markets. I particularly focus on how these effects differ for men and women.
Comparing the efficacy of infrared diode and Ho:YAG lasers for infrared neural stimulation (Conference Presentation)

Infrared neural stimulation (INS) has the potential to serve as a spatially precise tool for neuroscientists and clinicians. Because of difficulties comparing various INS techniques in the current literature, we present a study comparing the stimulation threshold and transition rate to 100% activation probability for diode and Ho:YAG lasers. The stimulation threshold was lower for the Ho:YAG than the diode lasers across all examined spot sizes. The Ho:YAG also exhibited a nearly binary transition to 100% activation that can be mimicked with diode lasers by decreasing the pulse width. These results will help maximize the performance of laser diodes for INS.