cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimation of Flash Memory Level Distributions Using Interpolation Techniques for Optimizing the Read Reference

For NAND Flash memory, a read comprises reading the word line at a particular read reference voltage. The read reference voltage is critical as it determines the bit error rate. For equi- probable levels, the optimum read reference is at the intersection of the level probability density functions. In this paper, we propose two methods to obtain the optimum read reference voltage. The first method comprises estimating the parameters of the level's cumulative distribution function. Knowledge of the parameters can then be used to obtain the optimum read reference voltage. In order to estimate the parameters, multiple reads from the Flash memory have to be performed. For latency considerations, we are constrained by the number of allowed reads and want to minimize them. The reads from the Flash memory coupled with the error correcting code output are used to obtain the distribution values. This method involves computing the inverse of the cumulative distribution function to obtain the mean and variance of the distributions. The inverse of the cumulative distribution function is highly sensitive to the measurement noise. Hence, this method needs more reads to mitigate the effects of the measurement noise. The second method consists of using bounded functions based on polynomials to interpolate the cumulative distribution function between the measured values and extrapolate it beyond. This method is more robust to measurement noise. We performed simulations using real Flash memory data to validate the algorithms. The distribution fits we obtain are very close to the actual histograms in the tail region of the distributions. This leads to obtaining bit error rates close to optimum. We extend the method developed for single level cell case to the multi level cell Flash memory, with the upper page read accompanied by the lower page read. In further extensions, we make use of the knowledge of channel impairments and the variance of the distribution over cycles to estimate the cumulative distribution function for the case of only one read from the Flash memory. Simulation results show one order of improvement in the bit error rate using these algorithms.
Synthesis of Macromolecules in Diapausing and Nondiapausing Larvae of the European Corn Borer

Nondiapausing larvae of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) incorporated 3 times as much of the DNA precursor, 2-14C thymidine as diapausing larvae in 18 hours, twice as much of the RNA precursor, 2-14C uridine, into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material in I hour, and 60-70% as much 1-14C leucine into protein in 1 hour. Eighteen hours after cycloheximide was administered to diapausing larvae, the incorporation of labeled leucine (monitored over a 1-hour period) decreased 80-90%; such an effect was not observed in nondiapausing larvae.
Plasma factor influencing carbon phagocytosis in the isolated perfused rat liver.

SummaryThe existence of an exhaustible plasma factor operative in Kupffer cell phagocytosis of colloidal carbon gel was demonstrated in the isolated perfused rat liver. In liver pairs perfused in sequence with an identical blood pool, phagocytosis was minimal in the second preparation compared to the efficient clearance in the first. Neither colloidal thorium dioxide nor silicon dioxide administration to the first member of a perfusion pair affected carbon phagocytosis by the second preparation; carbon clearance was slight in livers perfused with a semi-synthetic medium lacking plasma. It is suggested that an assessment of phagocytic capacity of the rat for carbon should include consideration of such plasma factors.
Survey on Knowledge of Immunization Program among Parents of Children in Songpan County

Objective To understand the knowledge levels of immunization program among parents of children in Songpan county,and provide basis for better implementing of immunization programs.Methods Self-designed questionnaire was applied to 500 parents for the investigation into the knowledge of immunization program and information sources,and we took back 400 valid questionnaires.Results The percentage of the right answer to the knowledge of immunization program among parents in Songpan was lower,the mean score was(9.77±4.08),the total passing rate was 49.25%,and the awareness rate of parents in Tibetan were lower than that of parents in other nationalities.The major sources of information on the knowledge of immunization program among parents were obtained from their family,their neighbors and friends,and the health education of rural doctors.And the information obtained from the media propaganda was little.Conclusion The awareness rates of parents in Songpan were overall lower,especially in Tibetan parents.So the knowledge of immunization program should be widely propagandiged in Songpan.Interpersonal communication should also be further intensified.
Globalisation within a rich e-commerce environment: a case study of large manufacturing firms

Globalisation within an e-commerce environment dominates both service and manufacturing sectors as customers are becoming more empowered and expectations of high-levels of service and speed to match. This paper set out to define what globalisation is in relation to the business world, why companies decide to go global, the globalisation strategies they implement, and the advantages and disadvantages of going global. To highlight these points, the paper will focus on two Pittsburgh, PA-based food producers one was their global headquarters, while the other has corporate offices in Pittsburgh that are part of major corporate globalisation and e-commerce development. This paper will compare and contrast the different strategic styles that each company has implemented to navigate the complexities of a rich e-commerce global marketplace.
Rocket Engine Fundamentals

Rocket engines operate by expelling a high-temperature gas through a nozzle to produce thrust. This thrust acts to accelerate a spacecraft in the direction opposite to that of the expelled gas through the application of Isaac Newton's third law of motion: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In chemical rocket engines, the hot gas is created in a combustion chamber where the propellants are ignited and burned. Nuclear thermal rocket engines, on the other hand, use nuclear reactors to supply the heat needed to heat the propellant to high temperatures. The high-temperature gas exiting the rocket engines is introduced into nozzle assemblies where the thermal energy of the hot propellant gas is converted to kinetic energy in the form of a directed high-speed exhaust flow.
Misconceptions– A Column about Errors in Geoscience Textbooks: Disobeying the Law of Conservation of Mass?

(1999). Misconceptions– A Column about Errors in Geoscience Textbooks. Journal of Geoscience Education: Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 82-84.
Water, Specific Gravity and Histology as Determinants of Diagnostic Computerized Cranial Tomography (CCT)

Water content appears to be a major determinant of computerized cranial tomography (CCT) density, especially in perifocal edema when the tissue is not necrotic. A potential usefulness of this finding is suggested by the variations in water content, which were found in normal pressure hydrocephalus, obstructive hydrocephalus, and senile dementia atrophy. CCT and specific gravity appear to correlate better in infarcts than CCT and water, probably because of the effect of tissue necrosis. Water content seems to be an important consideration only in the detection of acute infarcts. The high lipid content of subacute infarcts appears to be the most important histologic factor for attenuation reduction and CCT recognition. Cavitation and lipid content combine to render chronic infarcts easily recognizable. The cause of non-visualization in infarcts is due to the addition of a factor increasing scan density and is chiefly blood during the acute phase and heavy metals in older infarcts. A more precise definition of these tissue changes appears essential for a most efficient interpretation of CCT.
Design of volumetric sub-THz negative refractive index metamaterial with gain

Conventional passive metamaterials always suffer from the limitation of loss and dispersion due to fundamental causality issue. Especially it becomes severe due to material loss at terahertz frequency. Our work resolves the loss problem by introducing gain device into the metamaterial structure. A passive volumetric metamaterial is firstly designed on the quartz substrate. A negative resistance is inserted into the wire of the structure to provide the gain. We have identified resonant tunneling diodes that work up into THz frequency and shown in simulation that simultaneous negative index and gain can be obtained.
Turbulent Flow in a Three-Dimensional Channel

The results of tests to define the Reynolds stress tensor in one corner of a straight, smooth, closed conduit of rectangular cross section were presented. The measurements are used in conjunction with a simplified version of the equations of motion to conclude that secondary motions will be present in any established flow in a conduit of noncircular section. One of the boundaries may be a free surface. The sustaining mechanism for the secondary motion is shown to depend on the horizontal and vertical components of the turbulent motion. A physical justification for the measured behavior of these components is obtainable from the consideration that the magnitude of a velocity fluctuation normal to a boundary is inhibited by proximity to the boundary, whereas a similar restriction on the component parallel to the boundary does not exist. Direct measurements of the secondary motions were obtained.
A sensor measuring deformation and pressure, entirely biodegradable, for orthopedic applications

In this paper, we present a highly sensitive sensor, entirely made of biodegradable materials, that can measure both deformation and pressure. This sensor is designed to monitor the progress of tendon repair after surgery, with the objective to provide an appropriate care to each patient based on personalized diagnosis. This is the first time that a biodegradable pressure and strain sensor is presented. Moreover, our device's high sensitivity in the low strain regime and low pressure regime in combination with its fast response time in the millisecond range, and its negligible hysteresis is unprecedented when compared to recent reports on implantable strain and pressure sensors. The pressure sensor performs stably after thousands of cycles. These characteristics allow our pressure sensor to be useful for orthopedics applications.
High-resolution in vivo diffusion imaging of the human brain with generalized slice dithered enhanced resolution: Simultaneous multislice (gSlider-SMS)

Purpose To develop an efficient acquisition for high-resolution diffusion imaging and allow in vivo whole-brain acquisitions at 600- to 700-μm isotropic resolution. Methods We combine blipped-controlled aliasing in parallel imaging simultaneous multislice (SMS) with a novel slab radiofrequency (RF) encoding gSlider (generalized slice-dithered enhanced resolution) to form a signal-to-noise ratio–efficient volumetric simultaneous multislab acquisition. Here, multiple thin slabs are acquired simultaneously with controlled aliasing, and unaliased with parallel imaging. To achieve high resolution in the slice direction, the slab is volumetrically encoded using RF encoding with a scheme similar to Hadamard encoding. However, with gSlider, the RF-encoding bases are specifically designed to be highly independent and provide high image signal-to-noise ratio in each slab acquisition to enable self-navigation of the diffusion's phase corruption. Finally, the method is combined with zoomed imaging (while retaining whole-brain coverage) to facilitate low-distortion single-shot in-plane encoding with echo-planar imaging at high resolution. Results A 10-slices-per-shot gSlider-SMS acquisition was used to acquire whole-brain data at 660 and 760 μm isotropic resolution with b-values of 1500 and 1800 s/mm2, respectively. Data were acquired on the Connectome 3 Tesla scanner with 64-channel head coil. High-quality data with excellent contrast were achieved at these resolutions, which enable the visualization of fine-scale structures. Conclusions The gSlider-SMS approach provides a new, efficient way to acquire high-resolution diffusion data. Magn Reson Med 79:141–151, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Photonic Weyl point in a 2D resonator array with a synthetic frequency dimension

We propose a realization of Weyl point in two-dimensional arrays of resonators undergoing dynamic modulation. Our system provides an on-chip platform to explore Weyl points under different symmetries and demonstrate topological surface state in synthetic space.
Explaining the On-The-Run Puzzle with Corporate Bonds

The on-the-run phenomenon is regularly found in the bond markets. It refers to the phenomenon of the yield difference observed when a new bond issue comes to market from the same issuer and gets a better price (lower yield given equivalent duration) from the market than the older issue. This paper proposes and tests a liquidity model to explain phenomenon introducing entropy as our liquidity measure. The yield differential results from the illiquidity cost of the older issue that has increased as a result of progressing through stages, which typically occur in an entropy process. We find that a model employing an entropy measure largely explains the on-the-run phenomenon, by accounting for over three-quarters of the liquidity differential for on-the-run corporate bonds.
Synthesis of Defect Perovskites (He2–x□x)(CaZr)F6 by Inserting Helium into the Negative Thermal Expansion Material CaZrF6

Defect perovskites (He2–x□x)(CaZr)F6 can be prepared by inserting helium into CaZrF6 at high pressure. They can be recovered to ambient pressure at low temperature. There are no prior examples of perovskites with noble gases on the A-sites. The insertion of helium gas into CaZrF6 both elastically stiffens the material and reduces the magnitude of its negative thermal expansion. It also suppresses the onset of structural disorder, which is seen on compression in other media. Measurements of the gas released on warming to room temperature and Rietveld analyses of neutron diffraction data at low temperature indicate that exposure to helium gas at 500 MPa leads to a stoichiometry close to (He1□1)(CaZr)F6. Helium has a much higher solubility in CaZrF6 than silica glass or crystobalite. An analogue with composition (H2)2(CaZr)F6 would have a volumetric hydrogen storage capacity greater than current US DOE targets. We anticipate that other hybrid perovskites with small neutral molecules on the A-site can also be...
Enzymatic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of polylactones: roles of non-aqueous solvents

Aliphatic polyesters such as polylactides (PLAs) and other polylactones are thermoplastic, renewable and biocompatible polymers with high potentials to replace petro-chemical-based synthetic polymers. A benign route for synthesizing these polyesters is through the enzyme-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization (ROP) reaction; this type of enzymatic process is very sensitive to reaction conditions such as solvents, water content and temperature. This review systematically discusses the crucial roles of different solvents (such as solvent-free or in bulk, organic solvents, supercritical fluids, ionic liquids, and aqueous biphasic systems) on the degree of polymerization and polydispersity. In general, many studies suggest that hydrophobic organic solvents with minimum water contents lead to efficient enzymatic polymerization and subsequently high molecular weights of polyesters; the selection of solvents is also limited by the reaction temperature, e.g. the ROP of lactide is often conducted at above 100 °C, therefore, the solvent typically needs to have its boiling point above this temperature. The use of supercritical fluids could be limited by its scaling-up potential, while ionic liquids have exhibited many advantages include their low-volatility, high thermal stability, controllable enzyme-compatibility, and a wide range of choices. However, the fundamental and mechanistic understanding of the specific roles of ionic liquids in enzymatic ROP reactions is still lacking. Furthermore, the lipase specificity towards l- and d-lactide is also surveyed, followed by the discussion of engineered lipases with improved enantioselectivity and thermal stability. In addition, the preparation of polyester-derived materials such as polyester-grafted cellulose by the enzymatic ROP method is briefly reviewed.
Factor Structure of the CVLT-II Short Form: Evidence From a Trauma-Exposed Sample:

The current study sought to investigate the factor structure of the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II) Short Form in a trauma-exposed sample. We used confirmatory factor analysis to test four competing models proposed by Donders in a study investigating the CVLT-II Standard Form. Consistent with Donders, a four-factor model consisting of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Delayed Memory, and Inaccurate Memory was supported. These results confirm the latent structure of the CVLT-II holds for the CVLT-II in its Short Form as well as in a trauma-exposed sample. Findings are particularly important, given previous research indicating attention span and learning efficiency may underpin memory complaints in trauma-exposed individuals.
Medical crowdfunding for organ transplantation.

An increasing number of patients and families are utilizing online crowdfunding to support their medical expenses related to organ transplantation. The factors influencing the success of crowdfunding campaigns are poorly understood. Crowdfunding campaigns were abstracted from a popular crowdfunding web site. Campaigns were included if they were actively accepting donations to fund medical expenses related to transplantation of selected organs. The primary outcome measure was total amount raised among successful campaigns receiving at least one donation. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed on various campaign characteristics. A total of 850 campaigns were analyzed. Kidney transplant campaigns were most common (40.5%), followed by liver (33.3%), lung (12.2%), heart (11.3%), and multiorgan (2.7%). 69.1% of campaigns received any donation, and among these, the mean amount raised was $3664 (median $1175). The following factors were significantly associated with amount raised: more positive emotional sentiment in the campaign description (+2.6% per AFINN unit, P < .001), longer campaign description length (+2.4% per 100 characters, P = .001), higher goal amount (+0.6% per $1000 of goal amount, P = .004), and third-person description perspective (+131% vs first person, P < .001). Physicians will likely encounter medical crowdfunding with increasing frequency as it continues to grow in popularity among their patients.
Introduction to the Technical Committee on Physical Acoustics

The Technical Committee on Physical Acoustics (TCPA) of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is home to scientists and engineers with an interest in the underlying physics of acoustical phenomena and/or use acoustic waves to study the physical properties of matter. It is one of the broader communities within the Acoustical Society, as the research areas and methods cover the entire frequency range from infrasound to ultrasound, while studying the interaction of these sound waves in all three states of matter: liquids, solids, and gasses. TCPA currently has about 575 members with a primary interest in physical acoustics with 75–125 typically attending open TCPA meetings.
Gene Expression in HNC

Head and Neck Cancer (HNC), which is most commonly Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), shows substantial changes in gene transcription, as typical for other cancers. In contrast to many cancers, methylation, especially global hypomethylation and variable promoter methylation, plays a major role in control of expression in HNC. This methylation drives not only changes in expression levels but also changes in splicing. Here we discuss the present state of research in gene expression signatures, epigenetic regulation, microRNA expression, and alternative splicing in HNC.
A Call for a Mental Health Services Research Agenda for Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance

This paper proposes a research agenda on clinical interventions for youth with serious emotional disturbances (SED). A National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) National Advisory Mental Health Council report on adults with severe mental disorders issued in 1991, led to a research plan and a significant expansion of services research for this adult population. A similar strategy is proposed for children, based on three assumptions: (1) there is a real need for effective treatment; (2) the timing is right; and (3) a small cadre of child clinical and clinical services researchers is prepared to pursue such research. Four topics provide the rationale for NIMH or another agency to commission an expert panel to: (1) conduct an evidence-based review of promising interventions; (2) assess quality indicators; (3) evaluate outcome measures; and (4) reach consensus on a research phase model. A research plan for youth with SED could be endorsed before the new millennium.
Trends in Extremes of Surface Humidity, Temperature, and Summertime Heat Stress in China

In the past half century, the mean summertime temperature in China has increased, with nights warming more than days. Using surface station observations, we show that the frequency of extreme heat-stress events in China, caused by extremely hot and humid days as well as by heatwaves lasting for a few days, has increased over the period from 1951 to 1994. When humidity is high, hot weather can cause heat stress in humans. The increased heat-stress trend may pose a public health problem.
National Residency Matching Program Proposed Rule Change

Although there are various rules to the National Residency Match Program, many programs try to avoid the rules and fill residency positions through other avenues. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Data Mining in EEG: Application to Epileptic Brain Disorders

Epilepsy is one of the most common brain disorders. At least 40 million people or about 1% of the population worldwide currently suffer from epilepsy Despite advances in neurology and neuroscience, approximately 25–30% of epileptic patients remain unresponsive to anti-epileptic drug treatment, which is the standard therapy for epilepsy There is a growing body of evidence and interest in predicting epileptic seizures using intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG), which is a tool for evaluating the physiological state of the brain. Although recent studies in the EEG dynamics have been used to demonstrate seizure predictability, the question of whether the brain’s normal and pre-seizure epileptic activities are distinctive or differentiable remains unanswered. In this study, we apply data mining techniques to EEG data in order to verify the classifiability of the brain dynamics. We herein propose a quantitative analysis derived from the chaos theory to investigate the brain dynamics. We employ measures of chaoticity and complexity of EEG signals, including Short-Term Maximum Lyapunov Exponents, Angular Frequency, and Entropy, which were previously shown capable of contemplating dynamical mechanisms of the brain network. Each of these measures can be used to display the state transition toward seizures, in which different states of patients can be classified (normal, pre-seizure, and post-seizure states). In addition, optimization and data mining techniques are herein proposed for the extraction of classifiable features of the brain’s normal and pre-seizure epileptic states from spontaneous EEG. We use these features in study of classification of the brain’s normal and epileptic activities. A statistical cross validation is implemented to estimate the accuracy of the brain state classification. The results of this study indicate that it may be possible to design and develop efficient seizure warning algorithms for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Parallelism and Complementarity: The Psycho-Physical Problem in Spinoza and in the Succession of Niels Bohr

The psycho-physical problem named in the title of this paper was born together with modern science in the seventeenth century and is the twin brother of its guiding axiom that things corporeal must be explained by corporeal causes alone, or that the latter are sufficient to explain everything in the physical realm, neither requiring nor even admitting the cooperation of mental causes. Indeed, completeness of intraphysical determination excludes the introjection of any non-physical source of action. So put, the axiom — in a stunning break with pre-modern, ‘Aristotelian’ physics — amounts to the thesis of a causal redundancy of mind in nature. This redundancy found its first expression in the disavowal of ‘final causes,’ the concept of which is somehow borrowed from mentality. At the root of the radical turn was a reinterpretation of ‘nature’ itself in purely spatial or geometrical terms. This made measurement of magnitudes the main mode of scientific observation, and quantitative equation of cause and effect, i.e., of antecedents and consequents, the ultimate mode of explanation. This epistemic program of the new science received its metaphysical underpinning in Descartes’ doctrine of two heterogeneous kinds of reality (‘substances’ in his language) — the res externa and the res cogitans — each defined by its one essential attribute ‘extension’ and ‘thought’ respectively, and each having nothing in common with the other.
An Economic and Rational Choice Approach to the Autism Spectrum and Human Neurodiversity

This paper considers an economic approach to autistic individuals, as a window for understanding autism, as a new and growing branch of neuroeconomics (how does behavior vary with neurology?), and as a foil for better understanding non-autistics and their cognitive biases. The relevant economic predictions for autistics involve greater specialization in production and consumption, lower price elasticities of supply and demand, a higher return from choosing features of their environment, less effective use of social focal points, and higher relative returns as economic growth and specialization proceed. There is also evidence that autistics are less subject to framing effects and more rational on the receiving end of ultimatum games. Considering autistics modifies some of the standard results from economic theories of the family and the economics of discrimination. Although there are likely more than seventy million autistic individuals worldwide, the topic has been understudied by economists. An economic approach also helps us see shortcomings in the "pure disorder" models of autism.
The etiology of uracil residues in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic DNA

Non-canonical residue in DNA is a major and conserved source of genome instability. The appearance of uracil residues in DNA accompanies a significant mutagenic consequence and is regulated at multiple levels, from the concentration of available dUTP in the nucleotide pool to the excision repair for removal from DNA. Recently, an interesting phenomenon of transcription-associated elevation in uracil-derived mutations was described in Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. While trying to understand the variability in mutagenesis, we uncovered that the frequency of uracil incorporation into DNA can vary depending on the transcription rate and that the non-replicative, repair-associated DNA synthesis underlies the higher uracil density of the actively transcribed genomic loci. This novel mechanism brings together the chemical vulnerability of DNA under transcription and the uracil-associated mutagenesis, and has the potential to apply to other non-canonical residues of mutagenic importance.
Nephrotoxicity of gadolinium-based contrast in the setting of renal artery intervention: retrospective analysis with 10-year follow-up.

Purpose We aimed to determine the incidence rate and potential risk factors for postcontrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) as well as the long-term clinical implications on dialysis and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who underwent renal artery stent placement exclusively with gadolinium-based contrast agents. Methods This retrospective study reviewed 412 patients with CKD who underwent renal artery stent placement. Sixty-eight patients underwent intervention exclusively with gadolinium-based contrast agents and were analyzed. Criteria for PC-AKI included either an absolute serum creatinine increase >0.3 mg/dL or percentage increase in serum creatinine >50% within 48 hours of intervention. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for PC-AKI. The cumulative proportion of patients who died or went on to hemodialysis was determined using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results The incidence of PC-AKI was 14.7%. The rate of AKI decreased for every 1 unit increase in glomerular filtration rate ( GFR, odds ratio [OR]=0.91, P = 0.047). Prehydration was associated with a lower PC-AKI rate (OR=0.17; P = 0.015). Acute kidney injury after intervention was associated with an increased rate of dialysis (Hazard ratio [HR]=4.51, P = 0.002) and mortality (HR=2.52; P = 0.027). Conclusion Gadolinium-based contrast agents are potentially nephrotoxic when used for endovascular intervention in patients with CKD. The risk of PC-AKI increased with lower GFR and decreased with prehydration. Dialysis and mortality risk were increased in patients who developed PC-AKI.
The practicability of proverbs in teaching Arabic language and culture

This empirical case study has two objectives. First, it reports on the pedagogical applicability and practicability of proverbs in teaching Arabic language and culture at the novice level and up ac...
Chapter 145 – Diacylglycerol Kinases

Publisher Summary Diacylglycerol (DAG) is a prolific second messenger that activates proteins involved in a variety of signaling cascades. Because it can associate with a diverse set of proteins, DAG potentially activates numerous signaling cascades. Thus, its accumulation needs to be strictly regulated. Diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs), which phosphorylate DAG, are widely considered to be responsible for terminating diacylglycerol signaling. Diacylglycerol kinases are expressed in all multicellular organisms that have been studied. Their structural diversity and complexity indicate that they are functionally important in a variety of cellular signaling events. Since they can affect both DAG and phosphatidic acid (PA) signals, DGK activity plays a central role in many lipid signaling pathways. Activation of DGKs is complex, requiring translocation to a membrane compartment as well as binding to appropriate co-factors. Additional regulation of their activity occurs by posttranslational modifications.
Sensory-Motor Gestalt: Sensation and Action as the Foundations of Identity, Agency, and Self

Body movement and proprioception are inextricably linked. Movement produces continuous high-dimensional ensembles of afferent information that provide an internal proprioceptive body representation...
Computational Barriers to Estimation from Low-Degree Polynomials

One fundamental goal of high-dimensional statistics is to detect or recover structure from noisy data. In many cases, the data can be faithfully modeled by a planted structure (such as a low-rank matrix) perturbed by random noise. But even for these simple models, the computational complexity of estimation is sometimes poorly understood. A growing body of work studies low-degree polynomials as a proxy for computational complexity: it has been demonstrated in various settings that low-degree polynomials of the data can match the statistical performance of the best known polynomial-time algorithms for detection. While prior work has studied the power of low-degree polynomials for the task of detecting the presence of hidden structures, it has failed to address the estimation problem in settings where detection is qualitatively easier than estimation. In this work, we extend the method of low-degree polynomials to address problems of estimation and recovery. For a large class of "signal plus noise" problems, we give a user-friendly lower bound for the best possible mean squared error achievable by any degree-D polynomial. To our knowledge, this is the first instance in which the low-degree polynomial method can establish low-degree hardness of recovery problems where the associated detection problem is easy. As applications, we give a tight characterization of the low-degree minimum mean squared error for the planted submatrix and planted dense subgraph problems, resolving (in the low-degree framework) open problems about the computational complexity of recovery in both cases.
Standing Up for Evil: The Price of Knowledge in Frost's “Mending Wall”

Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall” contrasts two New England farmers as they meet to repair the stone wall between their properties (Frost, 33). While much has been said about their opposing charac...
Decision Aiding for Nautical Collision Avoidance: Trust, Dependence, and Implicit Understanding of the Decision Algorithm:

Two experiments examined imperfect automation decision aids for maritime collision avoidance. In Experiment 1, the algorithm was driven purely by safety, recommending turning your ship in the direc...
Do you hear what I hear?: A comparison of police officer and civilian fairness judgments through procedural justice

Procedural justice theory posits that people care at least as much about how a decision was made as they do about the outcome. Although policymakers and researchers argue that procedural justice-ba...
Are Index Option Returns Priced In The Stock Market? — New Insights From Factor Decompositions

This paper develops a new approach to better understand why risk factors constructed from index option returns appear to be priced in the stock market. We decompose an option-based factor into three components—an implied-volatility- driven component, a linear index-driven component, and a nonlinear index-driven component—and identify the component responsible for the observed beta-return relationship. Applying this method to the bear risk factor developed by Lu and Murray (2019), we show that the authors’ interpretation of the findings is incorrect, and the negative relationship between bear betas and expected stock returns should not be viewed as an instance of systematic risk premia. Instead, it poses a new asset pricing puzzle that is close in spirit to the previously documented low-risk anomalies. Together with the recent critique of Levi and Welch (2019) concerning the evidence on the downside risk premium, our findings suggest that the evidence is still missing on asymmetric market risk being priced in the cross-section of stocks.
Repeatability of Minimum and Maximum Density Testing on Clean and Fouled Ballast

Ballast material is a critical part of the safety of railways, such as padding tracks to prevent dynamic vibrations from causing trains to derail. The effectiveness of this material is closely tied to the percentage of fouling that is intermixed with the material. Generally, ballast is placed as compact as practical, but overtime, fouling of the ballast changes the composition of the placed material. Relative density could provide insight into the relative compactness and strength of the material. Unfortunately, the results of minimum or maximum density tests are not well documented in the existing literature. Although ASTM D4254 and D4253 do provide guidelines for minimum and maximum density testing of large particle diameters, there is minimal discussion in the literature regarding the anticipated error when testing with ballast and fouling. Tests to attempt to characterize this behavior, minimum and maximum density tests were run using Connecticut Granite ballast with granite stone dust used as a fouling material. The samples contained fouling at intervals of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60% by mass and were placed in a 12-inch interior diameter cylinder mold in accordance with the ASTM standards. For each fouling condition, two operators each conducted 10 minimum density and 5 maximum density tests for a total of 100 minimum density tests and 50 maximum density tests. The effect of fouling, density, and operator, on the repeatability of the tests on ballast, is discussed.
The eyeball’s connected to the brain ball

How does the human eye develop in concert with the brain to create a functioning visual system? In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Gabriel et al. (2021) report the development of eye-like structures from forebrain organoids with light sensitivity, signal processing, and connectivity, which moves us toward answering this complex question.
Functional neurological disorder: Engaging patients in treatment

Abstract Patients with a functional neurological disorder can be difficult to engage in treatment. The reasons for this are complex and may be related to physician, patient and health care system issues. Providers contribute to difficulties in treatment engagement by giving confusing explanations for the patient symptoms, stigmatizing patients, and not allowing patients time to voice their questions and concerns. Patient factors include a lack of engagement after an explanation of the diagnosis, resistance to treatment, family/work dynamics and prior negative experiences with the health care system. The scarcity of providers skilled in the treatment of functional neurological disorder is yet another hurdle. This article will define these barriers and discuss good clinical practices to help improve outcomes by tackling those challenges and discuss why for many patients an integrated care team approach is needed.
Chapter 42 – Nursing Perspectives in the Care of Persons with HIV Infection

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a care-intensive disease across the continuum of the illness and involves patient contact with many healthcare and social service disciplines. Nurses play a major role in direct clinical care of HIV-infected patients and have a responsibility to help patients adapt socially, psychologically, and physically to the illness. This chapter depicts a model of nursing responsibility in HIV/AIDS that provides a comprehensive overview of the nurse's role in caring for persons with HIV infection. Nursing involvement begins before diagnosis, through the provision of health education about prevention strategies and wellness care in the community. From the original HIV-antibody testing to the end stage of AIDS, nurses handle client assessment and offer direct patient care, which also includes symptom management, counseling support, health education, and bereavement support for families and friends. Furthermore, care problems are complex and unique to each patient because each patient exhibits a different constellation of symptoms as the disease progresses. Nursing care follows the patient in homes and ambulatory care settings, as well as in hospitals and in all types of urban and rural communities.
Evaluation of tropical Pacific observing systems using NCEP and GFDL ocean data assimilation systems

The TAO/TRITON array is the cornerstone of the tropical Pacific and ENSO observing system. Motivated by the recent rapid decline of the TAO/TRITON array, the potential utility of TAO/TRITON was assessed for ENSO monitoring and prediction. The analysis focused on the period when observations from Argo floats were also available. We coordinated observing system experiments (OSEs) using the global ocean data assimilation system (GODAS) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and the ensemble coupled data assimilation (ECDA) from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory for the period 2004–2011. Four OSE simulations were conducted with inclusion of different subsets of in situ profiles: all profiles (XBT, moorings, Argo), all except the moorings, all except the Argo and no profiles. For evaluation of the OSE simulations, we examined the mean bias, standard deviation difference, root-mean-square difference (RMSD) and anomaly correlation against observations and objective analyses. Without assimilation of in situ observations, both GODAS and ECDA had large mean biases and RMSD in all variables. Assimilation of all in situ data significantly reduced mean biases and RMSD in all variables except zonal current at the equator. For GODAS, the mooring data is critical in constraining temperature in the eastern and northwestern tropical Pacific, while for ECDA both the mooring and Argo data is needed in constraining temperature in the western tropical Pacific. The Argo data is critical in constraining temperature in off-equatorial regions for both GODAS and ECDA. For constraining salinity, sea surface height and surface current analysis, the influence of Argo data was more pronounced. In addition, the salinity data from the TRITON buoys played an important role in constraining salinity in the western Pacific. GODAS was more sensitive to withholding Argo data in off-equatorial regions than ECDA because it relied on local observations to correct model biases and there were few XBT profiles in those regions. The results suggest that multiple ocean data assimilation systems should be used to assess sensitivity of ocean analyses to changes in the distribution of ocean observations to get more robust results that can guide the design of future tropical Pacific observing systems.
Short-term treatment with the GABAA receptor antagonist pentylenetetrazole produces a sustained pro-cognitive benefit in a mouse model of Down's syndrome.

Background and Purpose Down's syndrome is a common genetic cause of intellectual disability, for which there are no drug therapies. Mechanistic studies in a model of Down's syndrome [Ts65Dn (TS) mice] demonstrated that impaired cognitive function was due to excessive neuronal inhibitory tone. These deficits were normalized by low doses of GABAA receptor antagonists in adult animals. In this study, we explore the therapeutic potential of pentylenetetrazole, a GABAA receptor antagonist with a history of safe use in humans. Experimental Approach Long-term memory was assessed by the novel object recognition test in different cohorts of TS mice after a delay following a short-term chronic treatment with pentylenetetrazole. Seizure susceptibility, an index of treatment safety, was studied by means of EEG, behaviour and hippocampus morphology. EEG spectral analysis was used as a bio-marker of the treatment. Key Results PTZ has a wide therapeutic window (0.03–3 mg·kg−1) that is >10–1000-fold below its seizure threshold and chronic pentylenetetrazole treatment did not lower the seizure threshold. Short-term, low, chronic dose regimens of pentylenetetrazole elicited long-lasting (>1 week) normalization of cognitive function in young and aged mice. Pentylenetetrazole effectiveness was dependent on the time of treatment; cognitive performance improved after treatment during the light (inactive) phase, but not during the dark (active) phase. Chronic pentylenetetrazole treatment normalized EEG power spectra in TS mice. Conclusions and Implications Low doses of pentylenetetrazole were safe, produced long-lasting cognitive improvements and have the potential of fulfilling an unmet therapeutic need in Down's syndrome.
Heat transfer analysis of a particle-containing channel flow

This paper describes an analytical model of heat transfer in a two-dimensional, steady, nonreacting particle-containing channel flow. An idealized gas flow of specified uniform velocity between insulated parallel plates is assumed and the nonvaporizing particles are conceptualized as contained within an thin sheet injected at the symmetry plane. Two dimensionless parameters that affect the solution are described. These are the effective gas diffusivityK and the dimensionless particle number densityP. The linear, coupled differential equations governing the energy exchange between the gas and liquid phases are solved by means of the Green's function technique. This procedure yields a Volterra integral-series equation as the solution of the gas-phase energy equation. A series solution of this integral equation is obtained by the method of successive substitutions and terms up to second order are calculated.
The mental health clinic: a new model.

The role of psychiatrists into public mental health clinics has been hampered by a perceived restriction of the psychiatrist's role to prescribing and sign-ing forms, limiting opportunities to engage in the kind of integrated care that attracted many physicians to this specialty. We propose a revision of the current model in a direction that maximizes the expertise of this specialist as well as other clinicians in the health care team. The basic unit would consist of a psychiatrist (with adequate background both in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy), an internist and four clinical psychotherapists, who may provide evidence-based treatment after the initial evaluation of the psychiatrist. Its functioning would emphasize repeated assessments, sequential combi-nation of treatments, and close coordination of team members. Re-invigorating the role of the psychiatrist in the context of a team in which role assign-ments are clear could result in better outcomes and enhanced recruitment of psychiatrists into the public sector.
Adaptive Control of Automotive Transmissions

Production clutch-to-clutch automatic transmissions contain a number of subcomponents difficult to characterize from a traditional modeling stance. Variation inherent to both manufacturing processes and anticipated wear increase the bounds over which a parameter may be expected to range. The most critical of these is observed to be the value associated with the coefficient of friction of the clutch surfaces. Formulated from Lyapunov stability requirements, three adaptive algorithms are proposed to compensate for these variations. The first, a direct adaptive approach, bases parameter behavior on a sliding control law. The second technique incorporates an indirect least squares estimator term into the direct law, forming a composite adaptive result. The third extends the composite principle from the inertia to the torque phases of the shift. It is shown that identification of the friction parameters will occur with eihter of the techniques, and that the rate of convergence and the stability of the parameter improves with the increasing complexity of the technique applied.
Self-hypnosis for anxiety associated with severe asthma: a case report

Background Management of asthma can be complicated by both medical and psychiatric conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux, chronic sinusitis, and anxiety. When symptoms of asthma are interpreted without regard to such conditions treatment may yield a suboptimal outcome. For example, anxiety-associated dyspnea, tachypnea, and chest tightness can be mistakenly interpreted as resulting from an exacerbation of asthma. Medical treatment directed only for asthma may thus lead to overuse of asthma medications and increased hospitalizations.
An ontology for engineering mathematics

We describe an ontology for mathematical modeling in engineering. The ontology includes conceptual foundations for scalar, vector, and tensor quantities, physical dimensions, units of measure, functions of quantities, and dimensionless quantities. The conceptualization builds on abstract algebra and measurement theory, but is designed explicitly for knowledge sharing purposes. The ontology is being used as a communication language among cooperating engineering agents, and as a foundation for other engineering ontologies. In this paper we describe the conceptualization of the ontology, and show selected axioms from definitions. We describe the design of the ontology and justify the important representation choices. We offer evaluation criteria for such ontologies and demonstrate design techniques for achieving them.