cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduced olfactory bulb volume in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The authors’ goal in this study was to compare the size of olfactory bulbs of patients with schizophrenia and those of healthy subjects.METHOD: Magnetic resonance imaging scans of olfactory bulbs were obtained from 26 patients with schizophrenia and 22 healthy comparison subjects. A reliable region of interest procedure was used to measure olfactory bulb volume.RESULTS: Patients exhibited 23% smaller bilateral bulb volume than comparison subjects, independent of acute clinical, demographic, or treatment measures. Bulb volume correlated with odor detection sensitivity in healthy subjects but not in patients with schizophrenia.CONCLUSIONS: Patients with schizophrenia exhibit structural olfactory deficits as well as functional olfactory deficits. The olfactory system may be a model system in which to study the neurobiology of the disorder.
Kin Selection in Human Populations: Theory Reconsidered

Past considerations of kin selection have assumed a dyadic fitness exchange relationship between altruist and recipient. This approach does not account for all alleles affected by altruistic behavior. This can be corrected by focusing on matings rather than on individuals. I present a model that tries to account for fitness changes resulting from altruistic acts, not only for the altruist and recipient but also for their spouses, in an evolving population. Results from this model indicate that Hamilton's rule fails to predict when the altruism allele will increase in frequency and, more important, suggest that kin selection can, at most, account for low levels of a gene for altruism but only if fairly extreme conditions are met.
HotSwap: correct and efficient controller upgrades for software-defined networks

Like any complex software, SDN programs must be updated periodically, whether to migrate to a new controller platform, repair bugs, or address performance issues. Nowadays, SDN operators typically perform such upgrades by stopping the old controller and starting the new one---an approach that wipes out all installed flow table entries and causes substantial disruption including losing packets, increasing latency, and even compromising correctness.This paper presents HotSwap, a system for upgrading SDN controllers in a disruption-free and correct manner. HotSwap is a hypervisor (sitting between the switches and the controller) that maintains a history of network events. To upgrade from an old controller to a new one, HotSwap bootstraps the new controller (by replaying the history) and monitors its output (to determine which parts of the network state may be reused with the new controller). To ensure good performance, HotSwap filters the history using queries specified by programmers. We describe our design and preliminary implementation of HotSwap, and present experimental results demonstrating its effectiveness for managing upgrades to third-party controller programs.
Development of a behavior analytically derived alcohol-specific role-play assessment instrument.

Social learning theory postulates that chronic alcohol abusers may have deficits in ability to cope with stressful situations, and these deficits may be associated with relapse after treatment. Attempts to study the hypothesized deficits have been hampered by methodological problems. Therefore, a behavior analytic procedure was used to develop 10 categories of situations based on over 600 drinking situations elicited from alcoholics. Role plays were developed for each of these categories, and samples of alcoholics in treatment were asked to respond as if they were trying not to drink. Videotaped responses were behaviorally rated by trained judges for skill and anxiety, and subjects completed self-report ratings of urge to drink, anxiety, difficulty and skill after each role play. Good interrater reliabilities and internal consistency were found across three samples of alcoholics, with virtually no gender differences. Previous and current investigations show the validity and utility of this instrument. The...
Long-term Gonadectomy Affects the Density of Tyrosine Hydroxylase- but not Dopamine-β-hydroxylase-, Choline Acetyltransferase- or Serotonin-immunoreactive Axons in the Medial Prefrontal Cortices of Adult Male Rats

The rat prefrontal cortices participate in cognitive, affective and mnemonic functions. The importance of dopamine innervation for these computations is illustrated in studies showing that both supranormal levels and chemical lesions of prefrontal dopamine induce severe behavioral deficits. Observed hormone effects on some of these same behaviors suggest that the prefrontal cortices are also sensitive to gonadal steroids. These two influences seem to converge in recent evidence of increased dopamine axon density in representative prefrontal but not sensory or motor cortices in gonadectomized adult male rats. The seeming selectivity of these effects was further explored here using immunocytochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine-β-hydroxylase, serotonin and choline acetyltransferase to label neurochemically identified afferents in remaining, unstudied prefrontal fields of rat cortex in animals that were sham-operated or gonadectomized and given placebo, testosterone propionate, estradiol or dihydrotestosterone 28 days before being killed. Group comparisons revealed that across prefrontal zones, gonadectomy produced androgen-sensitive increases in presumed dopamine axon density, but did not affect the other afferents. These findings thus bolster evidence for a targeted gonadal steroid influence involving the prefrontal cortices and a neurotransmitter essential for their normal operations and implicated in their dysfunction in disorders such as schizophrenia as well.
Signal subspace change detection in averaged multilook SAR imagery

This paper addresses change detection in averaged multilook synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. Averaged multilook SAR images are preferable to full-aperture SAR reconstructions when the imaging algorithm is approximation-based (e.g., polar format processing) or when motion data are not accurate over a long full aperture. We examine the application of a SAR change-detection method, known as signal subspace processing, which is based on the principles of two-dimensional adaptive filtering, and we use it to recognize the addition of surface landmines to a particular area under surveillance. We describe the change-detection problem as a trinary hypothesis testing problem, and define a change signal and its normalized version to determine whether: 1) there is no change in the imaged scene; 2) a target has entered the imaged scene; or 3) a target has exited the imaged scene. A statistical analysis of the error signal is provided to show its properties and merits. Results are presented for averaged noncoherent multilook and coherent single-look X-band SAR imagery.
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Their Role in Solid Tumor Progression

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are an important component of the tumor environment. Their role in tumor growth and progression has been debated for decades, with the current emphasis on survival benefits TIL appear to bestow on the host when present in situ as large aggregates of activated T and B cells. Gene signatures and protein profiling of TIL provide clues about their potential functions in the tumor, and correlations with clinicopathological tumor characteristics, clinical outcome, and patients’ survival data indicate that TIL exert influence on the disease progression, especially in colorectal carcinomas and breast cancer. At the same time, the recognition that TIL signatures vary in composition and with time, and that TIL interactions with the tumor cells are complex, calls for a more careful assessment of their prognostic significance. The mechanisms tumors utilize to subvert the host immune system are well-known. The balance between pro- and anti-tumor responses of TIL might be orchestrated by the tumor serving as a measure of its aggressiveness and potentially providing a key to selecting therapeutic strategies and to prognosis.
Determination of Quality and Quantity of DNA Using Agarose Gel Electrophoresis

This lab will cover agarose gel electrophoresis to visualize a DNA sample of at least ten nanograms using the fluroescent dye SYBR green I. Other dyes including ethidium bromide and PicoGreen may be employed to visualize the DNA. The quality of the recovered DNA is determined by the presence of a high molecular weight, high quality tight band of DNA or a low quality smear of DNA fragments ranging from high to low molecular weight in size. In this experiment, a one percent agarose gel is employed due to its relatively short thirty minute run time. The method is non-destructive and the DNA may be recovered from the gel by excision and purification of the DNA from the gel matrix. The quality and quantity of the recovered DNA will be reported.
Short-Run Supply of Services—The Case of Soybean Processing

This article measures a short-run industry supply function for a processing service (US. soybean crushing) that has no explicit market. Three different crushing margins were used, reflecting different assumptions about the timing of commodity transactions and deliveries. The quantity variable is the percentage of crushing capacity utilized. Single equations were fitted by least squares to annual and seasonal data (covering the 1952–53 to 1963–64 period) using the different margins. The coefficients obtained have positive signs and low elasticities. But some are not statistically significant. The best results utilize the most plausible measure of the price of processing— i.e., one that allows for a production interval through use of forward commodity markets. But almost as good results were obtained with a proxy measure that is much easier to compute. Some implications of this study for analyzing other business services, industry structure, and farm prices are briefly discussed.
Doped calcium manganites for advanced high‐temperature thermochemical energy storage

Developing efficient thermal storage for concentrating solar power plants is essential to reducing the cost of generated electricity, extending or shifting the hours of operation, and facilitating renewable penetration into the grid. Perovskite materials of the CaBxMn1-xO3-δ family, where B = Al or Ti, promise improvements in cost and energy storage density over other perovskites currently under investigation. Thermogravimetric analysis of the thermal reduction and reoxidation of these materials was used to extract equilibrium thermodynamic parameters. Lastly, the results demonstrate that these novel thermochemical energy storage media display the highest reaction enthalpy capacity for perovskites reported to date, with a reaction enthalpy of 390 kJ/kg, a 56% increase over previously reported compositions.
Human Sensory Function for Taste Is Robust Across the Adult Life-Span

The persistent belief that taste function declines with age encourages the study of the relation of human taste to aging. Differences in taste function between younger and older individuals are inherently as interesting as those between individuals of different sexes or who differ with respect to some other characteristic. Age differences are, however, of particular personal relevance because all of us are growing older. To specify age differences in sensory function for taste requires resolution of three issues. One is the distinction between age-related and nonage-related differences between older and younger people. Another is the distinction between differences in experience or performance that reflect sensory differences and those that do not. Finally, the tyranny of the idea that sensory declines with aging are universal and inevitable must be addressed.
Bacterial community composition and diversity in an ancestral ant fungus symbiosis

Fungus-farming ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Attini) exhibit some of the most complex microbial symbioses because both macroscopic partners (ants and fungus) are associated with a rich community of microorganisms. The ant and fungal microbiomes are thought to serve important beneficial nutritional and defensive roles in these symbioses. While most recent research has investigated the bacterial communities in the higher attines (e.g. the leaf-cutter ant genera Atta and Acromyrmex), which are often associated with antibiotic-producing Actinobacteria, very little is known about the microbial communities in basal lineages, labeled as 'lower attines', which retain the ancestral traits of smaller and more simple societies. In this study, we used 16S amplicon pyrosequencing to characterize bacterial communities of the lower attine ant Mycocepurus smithii among seven sampling sites in central Panama. We discovered that ant and fungus garden-associated microbiota were distinct from surrounding soil, but unlike the situation in the derived fungus-gardening ants, which show distinct ant and fungal microbiomes, microbial community structure of the ants and their fungi were similar. Another surprising finding was that the abundance of actinomycete bacteria was low and instead, these symbioses were characterized by an abundance of Lactobacillus and Pantoea bacteria. Furthermore, our data indicate that Lactobacillus strains are acquired from the environment rather than acquired vertically.
A Tentative Exploration on Collective Woodland Forest Circulation Management in Lancang County

Regarding problems in the collective woodland forest circulation in Lancang county,such as contract content imperfect,process illegal,price unreasonable,ways illogical and use of funds improper,suggestions are made to standardize the conduct of collective woodland forest circulation,establish forest resources circulation system,improve technical serving and management system,set up and improve the management system of forest tree cutting,and strengthen woodland forest circulation funds management.
A low-cost microstrip antenna array for 60 GHz applications

A 2×8-element planar antenna array for Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) applications is designed. An emphasis is placed on maintaining low costs without considerable compromise in performances. Each element is a coplanar waveguide (CPW) loop-fed microstrip patch antenna. The feeding network is designed on microfabrication-compatible quartz (e r = 3.9, tan δ = 0.0002) and the patches on Rogers RO3003 (e r = 3.0, tan δ = 0.001) substrates. Air bridges are used to suppress the parasitic coupled slot line mode of the CPW line divisions of the feeding network. The simulated results show that the array covers the entire US WiGig band (57–64 GHz), and has a maximum realized gain of 18 dBi over the 59–63 GHz portion of this band.
Discrete element method simulations and experiments of dry catalyst impregnation for spherical and cylindrical particles in a double cone blender

Abstract The dry impregnation of catalyst supports is a widely used process in the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts, however there has not been a lot of work done computationally on this process. In this work, discrete element method (DEM) simulations coupled with an algorithm for the transfer of fluid to and between particles are used to study dry impregnation. We use a previously developed model, which has been further validated with geometrically equivalent experiments and the results show very good agreement. The effects of rotational speed, particle size and particle morphology are explored in order to achieve the best overall mixing and fluid content uniformity in the particle bed. We study spheres and cylinders of different sizes and aspect ratios. Axial mixing analysis and liquid distributions are used to investigate the propagation of the fluid throughout the particle bed with the goal of understanding the effect of operational and material parameters and ultimately to improve fluid content uniformity in systems with particles of different morphologies. The fluid content uniformity is characterized by the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the liquid content from all the particles in the system. Our results show that cylinders always take less time to mix than spheres of the same diameter and mixing times are also shorter for cylinders of higher aspect ratios when compared to cylinders of smaller aspect ratio. Likewise, the times to reach good fluid content uniformity are shorter for cylinders with higher aspect ratios as compared with cylinders with lower aspect ratios. We also observe that mixing time in the axial direction for both spheres and cylinders followed an exponential function of the surface area to volume ratio. We found a linear correlation between the times to achieve good axial mixing and the times to achieve good fluid content uniformity in the entire particle bed, which suggests that mixing in the axial direction controls fluid uniformity in the entire particle bed.
A Novel Risk Score to Predict the Need for Nutrition Support After Cardiac Surgery

Background In specific patients, early postoperative nutrition mitigates malnutrition-related morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a prediction score designed to stratify patients immediately after cardiac surgery according to risk for nutrition support (NS). Methods We identified adult cardiac surgery patients at our institution in 2012 requiring postoperative NS, enteral or parenteral. Using multivariable logistic regression modeling, we developed a Johns Hopkins Hospital Nutrition Support (JHH NS) score from relative odds ratios generated by variables that independently predicted the need for NS. The JHH NS score was then prospectively validated using all patients undergoing cardiac surgery in 2015. Results Among 1,056 patients in the derivation cohort, 87 (8%) required postoperative NS. Seven variables were identified on multivariable analysis as independent predictors of NS need and were used to create the JHH NS score. Scores ranged from 0 to 36. Each 1-point increase in the JHH NS score was associated with a 20% increase in the risk of requiring NS (odds ratio 1.20, p r = 0.89). Conclusions The JHH NS score reliably stratified patients at risk for the need for postoperative NS. This easily calculable and highly predictive screening tool may expedite timing of initiation of NS in patients at high risk for not being able to physically take in adequate nutrition.
An Introduction to Microorganisms That Can Impact Products Sold at Farmers Markets

With the growing demand for fresh, locally sourced foods, the popularity of farmers markets have soared. Over the past decade, the number of farmers markets across the United States has steadily increased. With the growing popularity of these markets, increased awareness of food safety must also be considered. The food safety management practices used when growing and preparing foods for sale at the farmers market are based upon scientific principles. The goal of these practices are to decrease the likelihood food will be contaminated with harmful microorganisms that can make us ill, referred to as foodborne pathogens, or to inhibit bacterial foodborne pathogens from growing on the food prior to consumption. This chapter presents a broad overview of foodborne pathogens associated with products sold at farmers markets, sources of these pathogens, and means to inhibit bacterial growth.
Immigration and Religious Nationalism in Europe

Previous research has established that the concept of difference is critical in national identity formation. This paper applies these broad understandings of identity formation to current immigration trends in Europe by looking at the relationship between immigration, nationalism, and religiosity in the European context. If theories about religious difference are accurate, then states with large and increasing numbers of Muslim immigrants should show stronger and increasing measures of religious (Christian) nationalism as Europeans fall back on religion as a key tool in self-identification. This hypothesis is tested by using OLS regression and Logit to calculate the strength of the relationship between religion and nationalism in central and western European states using data drawn from World Values and European Values Surveys. Additional controls, including age, sex, education, income, and political orientation are also included. The resulting measure of religious nationalism is then examined in relationship to immigration trends across the continent. The findings show an increased, albeit complicated, link between religion and nationalism in countries with higher levels of non-EU immigration, and therefore partially support the hypothesis. The findings also show that increased religious diversity undermines religious nationalism over time, therefore painting a mixed picture for the future of identity politics in Europe.
New Multi-implicit Space–Time Spectral Element Methods for Advection–Diffusion–Reaction Problems

Novel multi-implicit space–time spectral element methods are described for approximating solutions to advection–diffusion–reaction problems characterized by multiple time scales. The new methods are spectrally accurate in space and time and they are designed to be easy to implement and robust. In other words, given an existing stable low order operator split method for approximating solutions to PDEs exhibiting multiple scales, the algorithms described in this article enable one to easily extend a low order method to be a robust space–time spectrally accurate method. In space, two spectrally accurate advective flux reconstructions are proposed: extended element-wise flux reconstruction and non-extended element-wise flux reconstruction. In time, for the hyperbolic term(s), a low-order explicit I-stable building block time integration scheme is introduced in order to obtain a stable and efficient building block for the spectrally accurate space–time scheme. In this article, multiple spectrally accurate space discretization strategies, and multiple spectrally accurate time discretization strategies are compared to one another. It is found that all methods described are spectrally accurate with each method having distinguishing properties.
Auricular and Periauricular Skin Cancers

Cutaneous malignancy is the most common cancer worldwide and has been estimated to account for approximately one million new cases each year in the United States alone. Basal cell carcinoma makes up the overwhelming majority of these cases, accounting for 80%. The remainder is made up by squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and Merkel cell carcinoma. Approximately 80–90% of these malignancies appear on sun-exposed areas of the head and neck, and the auricle is estimated to be involved at an incidence of 5–10%.
Multi-objective Optimization of Departure Procedures at Gimpo International Airport

Most aviation communities have increasing concerns about the environmental impacts, which are directly linked to health issues for local residents near the airport. In this study, the environmental impact of different departure procedures using the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) was analyzed. First, actual operational data were compiled at Gimpo International Airport (March 20, 2017) from an open source. Two modifications were made in the AEDT to model the operational circumstances better and the preliminary AEDT simulations were performed according to the acquired operational procedures. Simulated noise results showed good agreements with noise measurement data at specific locations. Second, a multi-objective optimization of departure procedures was performed for the Boeing 737–800. Four design variables were selected and AEDT was linked to a variety of advanced design methods. The results showed that takeoff thrust had the greatest influence and it was found that fuel burn and noise had an inverse relationship. Two points representing each fuel burn and noise optimum on the Pareto front were parsed and run in AEDT to compare with the baseline. The results showed that the noise optimum case reduced Sound Exposure Level 80-dB noise exposure area by approximately 5% while the fuel burn optimum case reduced total fuel burn by 1% relative to the baseline for aircraft-level analysis.
A Preclinical Model to Study the Influence of Graft Force on the Healing of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft.

The purpose of this study is to establish a small animal anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction research model where ACL graft force can be varied to create different graft force patterns with controlled knee motion. Cadaveric (n = 10) and in vivo (n = 10) rat knees underwent ACL resection followed by reconstruction using a soft tissue autograft. Five cadaveric and five in vivo knees received a nonisometric, high-force femoral graft tunnel position. Five cadaveric and five in vivo knees received a more isometric, low-force graft tunnel position. ACL graft force (N) was then recorded as the knee was ranged from extension to 90 degrees using a custom knee flexion device. Our results demonstrate that distinct ACL graft force patterns were generated for the high-force and low-force femoral graft tunnels. For high-force ACL grafts, ACL graft forces increased as the knee was flexed both in cadaveric and in vivo knees. At 90 degrees of knee flexion, high-force ACL grafts had significantly greater mean graft force when compared with baseline (cadaver: 7.76 ± 0.54 N at 90 degrees vs. 4.94 ± 0.14 N at 0 degree, p = 0.004; in vivo: 7.29 ± 0.42 N at 90 degrees vs. 4.74 ± 0.13 N at 0 degree, p = 0.007). In contrast, the graft forces for low-force ACL grafts did not change with knee flexion (cadaver: 4.94 ± 0.11 N at 90 degrees vs. 4.72 ± 0.14 N at 0 degree, p = 0.41; in vivo: 4.78 ± 0.26 N at 90 degrees vs. 4.77 ± 0.06 N at 0 degree, p = 1). Compared with nonisometric ACL grafts, the graft force for grafts placed in an isometric position had significantly lower ACL graft forces at 15, 30, 45, 60, 70, and 90 degrees in both cadaveric and in vivo knees. In conclusion, we have developed a novel ACL reconstruction model that can reproducibly produce two ACL graft force patterns. This model would permit further research on how ACL graft forces may affect subsequent graft healing, maturation, and function.
Obesity in mares promotes uterine inflammation and alters embryo lipid fingerprints and homeostasis.

Maternal body composition can be an important determinant for development of obesity and metabolic syndrome in adult offspring. Obesity-related outcomes in offspring may include epigenetic alterations; however, mechanisms of fetal programming remain to be fully elucidated. This study was conducted to determine the impact of maternal obesity in the absence of a high fat diet on equine endometrium and preimplantation embryos. Embryos were collected from normal and obese mares at 8 and 16 days and a uterine biopsy at 16 days (0 day = ovulation). With the exception of 8 day embryos, each sample was divided into two pieces. One piece was analyzed for gene expression markers related to carbohydrate metabolism, lipid homeostasis, inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, mitochondrial stress, and components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system. The second piece was analyzed for lipid content using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Obese mares had elevated concentrations of insulin, leptin, and total cholesterol, and they tended to have increased triglycerides and decreased insulin sensitivity. Embryos from obese mares had altered transcript abundance in genes for inflammation and lipid homeostasis, as well as endoplasmic reticulum, oxidative and mitochondrial stress and altered lipid fingerprints. Endometrium from obese mares had increased expression of inflammatory cytokines, lipid homeostasis regulation, mitochondrial stress, and the IGF2 system. This study demonstrates that increased adiposity in mares alters the uterine environment, transcript abundance of genes for cellular functions, and lipid profiles of embryos. These alterations could affect prenatal programming, with potential long-term effects in offspring.Summary SentenceExcess adiposity is sufficient to increase transcript abundance of inflammatory cytokines in the uterine endometrium and alters embryonic lipid content, and gene expression for lipid metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and mitochondrial function.
Degradation of an alkyd polymer coating characterized by AC impedance

Alternating current (AC) impedance was used to evaluate the degradation of a high solids alkyd primer paint coating in a 3% NaCl solution, a 100% relative humidity (RH) environment after immersion in a 3% NaCl solution, and a 95% RH environment after immersion in a 3% NaCl solution. The results indicate AC impedance measures the amount of water absorbed into the coating through resistance results. A significant increase in capacitance may indicate a build up of corrosion products which causes blistering or debonding at the coating/metal interface, which may also be determined by diffusion tail analysis.
The good Samaritan effect: a lens for understanding patterns of participation

We examine patterns of participation in an educational environment that exists solely for the purpose of providing help to those in distress. FreeMathHelp.com is a free, open, online homework help forum that is staffed by volunteers worldwide to help students to complete homework assignments in mathematics. We focus our attention on tutoring exchanges that concern related rates problems, a topic taught in introductory calculus that is often difficult for students. From social theory, the bystander effect has been used to explore online participation between members of a classroom. We propose a variant of the bystander effect in order to account for tutor participation patterns in online exchanges between anonymous participants. The Good Samaritan effect, named to capture the spirit of volunteers who come to the aid of strangers in distress, has four underlying mechanisms: self-awareness, social cues, blocking/inviting, and responsibility. The way each of these contributes to participation is discussed.
STABILITY OF SUPERHEAVY ELEMENTS IN THE LIGHT OF SINGLE PARTICLE STATES OF THE ACTINIDES

The experimentally observed levels in the actinides are analyzed to obtain single particle level spacings. These extracted single particle level spacings are used to characterize a momentum dependent Woods-Saxon potential. The potential is extrapolated to the region of superheavy elements and the possible stability of superheavy elements is discussed.
Just revitalization in shrinking and shrunken cities? Observations on gentrification from New Orleans and Cincinnati

In the last decade, shrinking cities have begun to gentrify, leading to optimistic narratives about their recovery. Redevelopment policies, however, can exacerbate social and spatial inequities if ...
A Heterogeneity-Aware Task Scheduler for Spark

Big data processing systems such as Spark are employed in an increasing number of diverse applications—such as machine learning, graph computation, and scientific computing—each with dynamic and different resource needs. These applications increasingly run on heterogeneous hardware, e.g., with out-of-core accelerators. However, big data platforms do not factor in the multi-dimensional heterogeneity of applications and hardware. This leads to a fundamental mismatch between the application and hardware characteristics, and the resource scheduling adopted in big data platforms. For example, Hadoop and Spark consider only data locality when assigning tasks to nodes, and typically disregard the hardware capabilities and suitability to specific application requirements. In this paper, we present RUPAM, a heterogeneity-aware task scheduling system for big data platforms, which considers both task-level resource characteristics and underlying hardware characteristics, as well as preserves data locality. RUPAM adopts a simple yet effective heuristic to decide the dominant scheduling factor (e.g., CPU, memory, or I/O), given a task in a particular stage. Our experiments show that RUPAM is able to improve the performance of representative applications by up to 62.3% compared to the standard Spark scheduler.
Predictors of Pragmatic Communication in School-Age Siblings of Children with ASD and Low-Risk Controls

Little empirical evidence exists about school-age pragmatic communication or predictors in siblings at heightened familial risk for ASD (HR) and low-risk (LR) controls. The Pragmatic Rating Scale-School-Age (Landa unpublished) was scored for 49 HR siblings and 18 LR controls at 8–12 years. Social-communication and language measures were collected between 14 and 36 months. At 36-months, siblings were classified as ASD (HR-ASD, n = 15), broad autism phenotype (HR-BAP, n = 19), or typically developing (HR-TD, n = 15). Results revealed a pragmatic continuum with significantly better scores for HR-TD than HR-BAP or HR-ASD, and HR-BAP than HR-ASD. Per regression models including all participants, 14-month joint attention initiations predicted school-age pragmatic communication, as did 24-month social-communication and expressive language scores. Early joint attention, social-communication, and language abilities contribute to later pragmatic functioning.
Pharmacologic interventions for antagonism and related disorders

Abstract As the field of psychiatry further develops its understanding of the complex interplay of biological and psychosocial factors which influence development, personality, and psychopathology, we approach improved and more comprehensive interventions for antagonism-related symptoms. Although psychotherapy remains the principal treatment modality for antagonistic behaviors mediated by personality-based features, a comprehensive understanding of medical illness, psychiatric comorbidities, and/or biologically mediated contributions to illness is warranted. Few pharmacologic clinical trials have examined the effects of pharmacotherapy specifically on the personality trait of antagonism. Instead, antagonistic behaviors such as interpersonal dysfunction and aggression have been used as proxies for the study of antagonism in patients with varied mental health diagnoses. This chapter will review the evidence for the utilization of several classes of psychiatric medication in the treatment of antagonistic traits, primarily in the context of personality disorder treatment.
Magnitude of Recipient Viremia after Heart Transplantation from HCV Viremic Donors and Time to Clearance with Therapy

Purpose Due to advances in curative therapy for Hepatitis C infection, hearts from hepatitis C viremic (HCV) donors were successfully transplanted in selected patients. We assessed the relationship between the magnitude of recipient and time to HCV viremia clearance after transplantation. Methods From January until October 2018, 12 patients received heart transplantation from donors with active HCV viremia. All recipients developed viremia within one week and were treated with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Mavyret) for a duration of 8 weeks. HCV viral load was monitored weekly by real-time PCR . Results The mean age was 60 ± 8years, 33% were females, and 9 patients had non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (75%). All recipients (100%) had detectable HCV viremia at 1-week post heart transplant ; the lowest detectable viral load was 1. 36 log IU/ml and the highest was 7.06 log IU/ml, with a mean of 4.47 ± 2.13 log IU/ml (ref range 1.18 - 8 log IU/mL). Complete clearance of HCV viremia varied from 1 to 6 weeks with a mean of 2.8 ± 2.1 weeks. There was an association between the level of initial viremia and time to viral load clearance (Fig). At an average of 147 ± 88 days follow up, HCV viral load was undetectable in all patients. Forty percent of patients developed hepatitis C antibodies . There was no correlation between the level of initial viremia, duration of viremia clearance, genotype status and antibody response . Conclusion Heart transplantation from donors with active hepatitis C is safe with rapid clearance of viremia in all exposed patients. Time to viral clearance is related to initial viremic load. A sustained antibody response did not develop in all patients. This may be related to immunosuppression or relatively low level and duration of viremia.
Doping and defect-induced germanene: A superior media for sensing H 2 S, SO 2, and CO 2 gas molecules

Abstract First-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) have been employed to investigate the structural, electronic, and gas-sensing properties of pure, defected, and doped germanene nanosheets. Our calculations have revealed that while a pristine germanene nanosheet adsorbs CO2 weakly, H2S moderately, and SO2 strongly, the introduction of vacancy defects increases the sensitivity significantly which is promising for future gas-sensing applications. Mulliken population analysis imparts that an appreciable amount of charge transfer occurs between gas molecules and a germanene nanosheet which supports our results for adsorption energies of the systems. The enhancement of the interactions between gas molecules and the germanene nanosheet has been further investigated by density of states. Projected density of states provides detailed insight of the gas molecule's contribution in the gas-sensing system. Additionally, the influences of substituted dopant atoms such as B, N, and Al in the germanene nanosheet have also been considered to study the impact on its gas sensing ability. There was no significant improvement found in the doped gas sensing capability of germanene over the vacancy defects, except for CO2 upon adsorption on N-doped germanene.
Genome-wide analysis of Escherichia coli fitness determinants in a cross-feeding mutualism with Rhodopseudomonas palustris

Microbial interactions abound in natural ecosystems and shape community structure and function. Substantial attention has been given to cataloging mechanisms by which microbes interact, but there is a limited understanding of the genetic landscapes that promote or hinder microbial interactions. We previously developed a mutualistic coculture pairing Escherichia coli and Rhodopseudomonas palustris, wherein E. coli provides carbon to R. palustris in the form of glucose fermentation products and R. palustris fixes N2 gas and provides nitrogen to E. coli in the form of NH4+. The stable coexistence and reproducible trends exhibited by this coculture make it ideal for interrogating the genetic underpinnings of a cross-feeding mutualism. Here, we used random barcode transposon sequencing (RB-TnSeq) to conduct a genome-wide search for E. coli genes that influence fitness during cooperative growth with R. palustris. RB-TnSeq revealed hundreds of genes that increased or decreased E. coli fitness in a mutualism-dependent manner. Some identified genes were involved in nitrogen sensing and assimilation, as expected given the coculture design. The other identified genes were involved in diverse cellular processes, including energy production and cell wall and membrane biogenesis. Additionally, we discovered unexpected purine cross-feeding from R. palustris to E. coli, with coculture rescuing growth of an E. coli purine auxotroph. Our data provide insight into the genes and gene networks that can influence a cross-feeding mutualism and underscore that microbial interactions are not necessarily predictable a priori.
Comparative Analysis of Sliding Mode Designs for DC-DC Converters

Sliding mode control (SMC) has been widely studied in the literature for voltage control of DC-DC converters. This paper presents a comparative analysis of 5 sliding mode control designs, based on their transient and steady-state response, disturbance rejection, and complexity of the controller. The five designs we compare include hysterisis modulation sliding mode control (HM-SMC), fixed frequency PWM sliding mode control (FFPWM-SMC), backstepping sliding mode control (BSMC), adaptive backstepping sliding mode control (ASMC), and our previously presented conditional integrator sliding mode control (CI-SMC). In the interest of space, we consider the various designs for continuous conduction mode (CCM) operation of the buck converter, since this allows us to focus on the relative merits/demerits of the controller more clearly. While the original papers contain experimental verification of the respective control designs, quantitative comparisons are performed using simulations in our current work.
The Immediate Effects of Expert and Dyad External Focus Feedback on Drop Landing Biomechanics in Female Athletes: An Instrumented Field Study.

# Background Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury prevention interventions have used trained experts to ensure quality feedback. Dyad (peer) feedback may be a more cost-effective method to deliver feedback to athletes. # Purpose To determine the immediate effects of dyad versus expert feedback on drop landing kinematics and kinetics in female athletes. # Study Design Cohort study # Setting College gymnasium # Methods Two teams (one female basketball and one female volleyball), from a local college, were team randomized to dyad feedback (volleyball team) or expert feedback (basketball team) (13 expert, 19±0.87years, 1.7±0.09m, 68.04±7.21kg) (10 dyad 19.4±1.07years, 1.73±0.08m, 72.18±11.23kg). Participants completed drop vertical jumps at two different time points (pre- and post-feedback). Knee flexion and abduction displacement were assessed with Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) was assessed with a force plate during the landing phase of the drop vertical jump and compared across groups and condition (pre- and post-feedback) with a repeated measures ANCOVA *a priori* α <0.02 was set for multiple tests conducted. # Results There were no significant differences between groups for flexion displacement. There was a significant change pre- to post- (decrease 4.65˚ p=0.01) in abduction displacement, with no group effect. There was a significant interaction of group by condition (p=0.01) for vGRF with no difference between groups before feedback (p>0.05). Between groups there was a decrease of vGRF in the expert group (difference 0.45 N\*bw-1, p=0.01) at post-feedback relative to dyad. Within the expert group there was a significant difference between pre- and post-feedback (difference 0.72 N\*bw-1, p=0.01), while the dyad group did not change pre- to post-feedback (difference 0.18 N\*bw-1, p=0.67). # Conclusion Movement screening experts giving real-time feedback were successful in improving key injury-risk kinematics and kinetics in female athletes, while dyad feedback only improved kinematics, indicating that expert feedback may be needed to ensure changes in kinematics and kinetics. # Level of Evidence 2
A Case of COVID-19 Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) is a challenging thrombotic diathesis which requires prompt diagnosis and therapeutic intervention in order to avoid life-threatening consequences. There are two forms of TTP, congenital and acquired, with the acquired form constituting about 90% of cases. Both forms are associated with a deficiency of ADAMTS-13, a metalloproteinase enzyme responsible for cleaving ultra-large von Willebrand factor (uLvWF), preventing its pathologic accumulation. Within the last year, many of the diverse and serious effects of the COVID-19 virus have come to recognition, with some of the most dire consequences involving devastating vascular and hematologic complications. As with many viruses, it seems that the endothelium and the vasculature are often prime targets. Here, we report a case of a 30 year old male who was diagnosed with TTP approximately one week after a positive COVID-19 test result. He responded appropriately to plasma exchange (PLEX), caplacizumab, and steroids. We believe it is important to investigate a potential link between these two conditions, as TTP has significant morbidity and mortality risk if left unattended. We hope that our report will contribute to a better understanding of this potential link.
Social Media Utilization Trends in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way orthopaedics programs are educating and recruiting residents and applicants. With an increased focus on online and virtual programming, there has been an uptick in social media usage by orthopaedics residencies as a means of communicating with applicants. This study investigated the growth in utilization of social media platforms by residency programs since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Instagram and Twitter were queried for each orthopaedic surgery residency program. It was determined if each program with a corresponding social media account was created before or after March 1, 2020. The number of posts per month were tabulated for accounts that existed prior to March 1, 2020. Results: 187 orthopaedic surgery residency programs were identified using the AAMC ERAS database. Of these programs, 74 (41.6%) were found to have an Instagram profile, and 50 (26.7%) were found to have a Twitter page. Of the 74 Instagram profiles, 45 were created after March 1, 2020, representing a 155% increase. Of the 50 Twitter pages, 15 were created after March 1, 2020, representing a 43% increase. Instagram accounts that were active before the pandemic had a 96% increase in the number of posts per month, on average, after March 1, 2020. Conclusion: Over one-third of programs are utilizing social media for recruitment purposes. There has been an 155% increase in Instagram and 43% increase in Twitter usage by residency programs since March 1, 2020. Instagram accounts created prior to the pandemic also demonstrated a near doubling of increased utilization after March. This represents a new, cost-effective way to connect with applicants in a time when in-person interactions are limited. Level of Evidence: III.
Stance phase kinematics and kinetics of horses trotting over poles

SummaryReason for performing study Trotting over poles is frequently used therapeutically to restore swing phase ranges of joint motion. It is not known whether ground reaction forces (GRFs) increase as the swing phase limbs are lifted higher to clear the poles. Higher GRFs might be painful or jeopardise healing of musculoskeletal injuries. Objectives To measure stance phase kinematics and GRFs in the forelimbs and hindlimbs of horses trotting on level ground, over low poles and over high poles, and to test the hypothesis that trotting over poles is associated with increases in peak GRFs and impulses in the supporting hindlimb and forelimb compared with trotting over level ground. Study design Repeated measures experimental study on horses with normal gait. Methods Kinematic and GRF data were collected from 8 horses trotting on level ground under 3 conditions performed in random order: no poles, low (11 cm) poles and high (20 cm) poles spaced 1.05 ± 0.05 m apart. Spatiotemporal and angular kinematic variables and GRFs were measured during stance. Comparisons among conditions were made using repeated measures ANOVA (P<0.05) with Bonferroni correction for post hoc testing. Results The only GRF component that increased when trotting over poles was peak forelimb braking GRF. Forelimb vertical and braking impulses increased and the transverse impulse changed from medially to laterally directed. Extension of the metatarsophalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints did not change. Conclusions The fact that peak vertical forces and extension of the metatarsophalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints did not increase when trotting over poles suggests that loading of the musculoskeletal tissues is comparable with that associated with trotting on level ground in horses with symmetrical movement at trot. The findings support the use of trot poles during rehabilitation from lameness in horses that move symmetrically. The generation of laterally directed forelimb transverse forces suggests that trotting over poles may recruit the forelimb adductor musculature.