cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical and optical properties of aged biomass burning aerosol from wildfires in Siberia and the Western USA at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory

Abstract. The summer of 2015 was an extreme forest fire year in the Pacific Northwest. Our sample site at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (MBO, 2.7 km a.s.l.) in central Oregon observed biomass burning (BB) events more than 50 % of the time during August. In this paper we characterize the aerosol physical and optical properties of 19 aged BB events during August 2015. Six of the 19 events were influenced by Siberian fires originating near Lake Baikal that were transported to MBO over 4–10 days. The remainder of the events resulted from wildfires in Northern California and Southwestern Oregon with transport times to MBO ranging from 3 to 35 h. Fine particulate matter (PM1), carbon monoxide (CO), aerosol light scattering coefficients (σscat), aerosol light absorption coefficients (σabs), and aerosol number size distributions were measured throughout the campaign. We found that the Siberian events had a significantly higher Δσabs∕ΔCO enhancement ratio, higher mass absorption efficiency (MAE; Δσabs∕ΔPM1), lower single scattering albedo (ω), and lower absorption Angstrom exponent (AAE) when compared with the regional events. We suggest that the observed Siberian events represent that portion of the plume that has hotter flaming fire conditions and thus enabled strong pyroconvective lofting and long-range transport to MBO. The Siberian events observed at MBO therefore represent a selected portion of the original plume that would then have preferentially higher black carbon emissions and thus an enhancement in absorption. The lower AAE values in the Siberian events compared to regional events indicate a lack of brown carbon (BrC) production by the Siberian fires or a loss of BrC during transport. We found that mass scattering efficiencies (MSE) for the BB events ranged from 2.50 to 4.76 m2 g−1. We measured aerosol size distributions with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). Number size distributions ranged from unimodal to bimodal and had geometric mean diameters (Dpm) ranging from 138 to 229 nm and geometric standard deviations (σg) ranging from 1.53 to 1.89. We found MSEs for BB events to be positively correlated with the geometric mean of the aerosol size distributions (R2 = 0.73), which agrees with Mie theory. We did not find any dependence on event size distribution to transport time or fire source location.
Interpolation and Quadrature

This chapter focuses on interpolation and quadrature. Interpolation is the most important mathematical tool used in numerical analysis. Interpolation involves representing functions in some class by those of another class with a simpler structure. The representative can be used to approximate the original in the calculation of integrals or derivatives or in other operations. The most useful interpolating class is the class of polynomials. The most commonly used interpolating polynomial is that of Lagrange, namely, the polynomial of degree n –1, which agrees with a given function f ( x ) at n distinct points. A more general procedure is that of Hermite in which certain derivatives of the interpolating polynomial are required to agree with corresponding derivatives of f ( x ). The usefulness of the Hermite interpolating polynomial P ( x ), as a replacement for f ( x ), is limited by the amount of information available about the behavior of the error, f ( x ) – P ( x ), when x is not a point of interpolation.
The Yin and Yang of Progress in Social Psychology

We describe the current dissatisfactions with the paradigm that has recently guided experimental social psychology—testing of theory-derived hypotheses by means of laboratory manipulational experiments. The emerging variant of doing field experiments does not meet the criticisms. It is argued that an adequate new paradigm will be a more radical departure involving, on the creative side, deriving hypotheses from a systems theory of social and cognitive structures that takes into account multiple and bidirectional causality among social variables. On the critical side, its hypotheses testing will be done in multivariate correlational designs with naturally fluctuating variables. Some steps toward this new paradigm are described in the form of seven koan.
Quantitative Schlieren Measurement of Explosively-Driven Shock Wave Density, Temperature, and Pressure Profiles

Shock waves produced from the detonation of laboratory-scale explosive charges are characterized using high-speed, quantitative schlieren imaging. This imaging allows the refractive index gradient field to be measured and converted to a density field using an Abel deconvolution. The density field is used in conjunction with simultaneous piezoelectric pressure measurements to determine the shock wave temperature decay profile. Alternatively, the shock wave pressure decay profile can be estimated by assuming the shape of the temperature decay. Results are presented for two explosive sources. The results demonstrate the ability to measure both temperature and pressure decay profiles optically for spherical shock waves that have detached from the driving explosion product gases.
Ventilation and Clearance of the Sinuses and Middle Ears Using Xenon-133

Ventilation and clearance of xenon-133 from the pneumatic spaces of the sinuses and middle ears offers the clinician a non-invasive method for direct assessment of regional ventilatory function of sinus and middle ear cavities. Five mCi of Xe-133 are insufflated using a bilateral negative-positive displacement technique. The subsequent disappearance rate of Xe-133 is measured using a scintillation camera interfaced to a computer. Reliability has been demonstrated by repeated measurements in 40 subjects and normal half-time clearances have been established.
Hyperspectral Microscopy and Cellular Array Imaging Using Colloidal Quantum Dots

We review basic characteristics of quantum dots, the applications of quantum dots as fluorescence marker, and the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process. Then we introduce recent advancements on using colloidal QDs as light sources for absorption hyperspectral microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Gold nanorods and nanospheres are used for optical labeling. Both theoretical and experimental analyses are presented for the imaging system. Finally, we describe electrically excited colloidal QDs on silicon substrate, as well as scanning probes which open the possibilities of a wide variety of nano-optomechanical microscopic systems for imaging applications.
Free Diffusivity of Icosahedral and Tailed Bacteriophages: Experiments, Modeling, and Implications for Virus Behavior in Media Filtration and Flocculation

The aqueous bulk diffusivities of several near-spherical (icosahedral) and nonspherical (tailed) bacterial viruses were experimentally determined by measuring their flux across large pore membranes and using dynamic light scattering, with excellent agreement between values measured using the two techniques. For the icosahedral viruses, good agreement was also found between measured diffusivity values and values predicted with the Stokes–Einstein equation. However, when the tailed viruses were approximated as spheres, poor agreement was found between measured values and Stokes–Einstein predictions. The shape of the tailed organisms was incorporated into two modeling approaches used to predict diffusivity. Model predictions were found to be in good agreement with measured values, demonstrating the importance of the tail in the diffusive transport of these viruses. Our calculations also show that inaccurate estimates of virus diffusion can lead to significant errors when predicting diffusive contributions to...
Potential pesticides for control of a recently introduced ambrosia beetle (Euwallacea sp.) in southern California

Polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) has recently invaded southern California. This beetle attacks more than 200 host tree species, including avocado (Persea americana Mill.) and many important native, urban landscape and nursery stock trees including sycamore (Platanus racemosa Nutt.), and box elder (Acer negundo L.). The beetle, along with its associated fungi, causes branch dieback and tree mortality in a large variety of tree species. Due to the severity of the impact of PSHB, short-term management tools must include chemical control options for the industry and private landowners to protect trees. We assessed the effectiveness of systemic and contact insecticides for control of PSHB in laboratory tests using fresh-cut castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) branches. Castor bean was chosen because, as a weedy species, it is widely available, and it is a preferred host for the beetles. We conducted field tests using mature, weedy, infested field-grown castor bean. We also surveyed infested coral trees (Erythrina corallodendron L.) in an established residential landscape. For field-grown infested castor bean, beetle activity was lowest for plants treated with bifenthrin, imidacloprid and dinotefuran. Bifenthrin was the most effective insecticide for reducing beetle attacks and gallery formation in castor bean branches in laboratory experiments with cut branches. Dinotefuran was more variable in effectiveness in laboratory trials. Fenpropathrin, clothianidin and orange oil extracts did not differ from untreated controls in beetle attacks and gallery formation. Based on these results, bifenthrin and imidacloprid were selected for further testing in combination with fungicides for control of PSHB.
The Conflicting Messages in Climate Change Communication: A US Coastal Management Example

The communication of climate change presents unique problems from a public policy standpoint. Specifically, the public narrative about climate change can act to reinforce existing worldviews or, in the alternative, aid in moving worldviews in new directions. Existing policies can help or hinder this process. For example, a long-standing policy can engender an acceptance of a narrative supporting climate change as a phenomenon. Alternatively, existing policies can reinforce an antagonistic or even fatalistic narrative of climate change. This article explores existing literature on the categorical narratives associated with climate change, including emerging support for those narratives. It then places those narratives into a public policy context by looking at some existing policies in the United States related to coastal hazard management in an era of climate change. The goal is to highlight the importance when considering the impact of both the chosen narrative of climate change and how existing policies influence public perception towards a particular narrative.
Feminisms, Fuzzy Sciences, and Interspecies Intersectionalities: The Promises and Perils of Contemporary Dog Training

Tracing histories of interventions in dog training, this paper examines the contemporary divide between "dominance" and "positive reinforcement" training practices. Drawing from writings by scientists and trainers, this article traces the many ways that the doings of much contemporary dog training embody "fuzzy sciences." Examples from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in an animal shelter help demonstrate the ways specific fuzzy sciences of training are feminist, while others are not. The article closes with a consideration of the ways that relationships between humans and animals not only reflect but also shape experiences of race, gender, sexuality, nation, species, and breed, or "interspecies intersectionalities." The article concludes by thinking through the lens of "interspecies intersectionalities" in order to elucidate a promising expansion of the feminist fuzzy sciences of dog training.
Historical Overview of Pediatric HSCT

With a better understanding of transplantation biology and immunology derived from animal models, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in humans has become possible. Attempts at HSCT in humans were first reported as early as the 1930s. However, with the detonation of two atomic bombs at the end of World War II and advent of the “Atomic Age,” interest in HSCT as a treatment modality for the effects of exposure to sublethal and lethal doses of irradiation on bone marrow function was reignited. Before the mid-1970s, the majority of HSCTs in humans were performed for nonmalignant conditions with 40% for severe aplastic anemia and 15% for primary immunodeficiencies. While attempts were made to treat advanced, refractory acute leukemia patients with HSCT, they were generally unsuccessful and used identical twin sibling as the donor initially. The first reports of successful sustained engraftment occurred in the early 1960s, but these patients died from complications associated with what is now known as graft versus host disease. It was not until 1968 that there were reports of three infants with primary immunodeficiency conditions that were long-term survivors after matched sibling donor bone marrow transplantation. Of note, all three patients are still alive today. In the late 1970s, Thomas and his colleagues reported their findings that of 100 patients with refractory acute leukemia, 13 were alive and leukemia-free 1–4.5 years after undergoing HLA-identical sibling donor bone marrow transplantation. These results showed that some patients with advanced acute leukemia could be cured of their disease with HSCT and that HSCT should be undertaken in the first or second remission (i.e., not with active disease) if the patient has an HLA-matched sibling donor because outcomes would be predictably better. Thus, by the mid-1980s, approximately 75% of all allogeneic HSCTs were performed to treat leukemia, and the vast majority were with HLA-identical sibling donors. As supportive care improved, drugs (such as calcineurin inhibitors) became available for graft versus host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis, and the use of alternative donor HSCTs (including matched unrelated donors, mismatched related and unrelated donors, familial haploidentical donors, and umbilical cord blood) was investigated, HSCT became a viable option for many more patients. Furthermore, the development of less intensive conditioning regimens and use of alternative hematopoietic stem cell sources made HSCT a feasible treatment modality for those who would otherwise be ineligible for HSCT. Nowadays, HSCT is a very important treatment modality for both pediatric and adult patients for a wide range of malignant and nonmalignant disorders. This chapter is divided into two major sections with the first part focusing on the seminal discoveries in transplantation biology and immunology using animal models (scientific and preclinical perspective) and with the second part highlighting key human clinical reports related to HSCT (clinical perspective).
Regulating the Multinational Enterprise as Entity, as a Network of Links and as a Process of Production

Since the 1970s there has been an explosion of regulatory efforts that have arisen, both within and beyond law, the object of which is to manage MNEs. The MNE itself has also exploded as body on which law can be imposed. It very much retains its identity as an object ("the enterprise") of regulation and management. But it has increasingly also been understood as a conduit-a convenient intangible aggregation of the nexus points that together define the arc of its operation, or even as the framework within which global production is coordinated (and with it risk allocated and the distribution of value added is directed). It is to a consideration of those changes as well as the strong underlying lines of continuity that this short essay will focus. Section 2 considers traditional approaches to the regulation of MNEs and its problems. These sketch out the evolution of law as a means to construct and then regulate the MNE as an entity, and to manage the linkages and connections through which the MNE is constructed. Section 3 then exams emerging regulatory forms beyond the state and its domestic legal orders. The emerging techniques suggest both the evolution of law and its detachment form the state-that is, this evolution suggests the character of the transnational in regulation of which law (in its traditional sense) remains a part but no longer at the center of the regulatory project. Section 4 then briefly considers the character of the object of regulation. Some elements of transnational regulatory structures appear to be moving from the objectification of the MNE as an entity and the management of its form through interventions in its linkages and connections, to the management of the production process which is itself the object of MNE function. In the MNE one encounters entity, connections and linkages, and functionally differentiated production chains. Each aspect of the MNE is partially and simultaneously by layers of regulatory governance, the effectiveness of which is limited to that portion of the "idea" of the MNE to which it attaches. Understanding its form and structure-and its use-may drive truly transformative change. This reconsideration of the character of the MNE then may have a substantial effect on the way in which transnational law is understood and applied, that is that transnational law produces polycentricity in governance but that its object also acquires a polycentric character that shapes its amenability to regulation by law.
Obscure GI Bleeding: Capsule and Double-Balloon Techniques

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding is defined as blood loss from the gastrointestinal tract after negative upper endoscopy and colonoscopy and may be overt if there is evidence of bleeding, or occult in the event of persistent iron-deficiency anemia or positive fecal blood test [1]. In spite of this definition, up to one-quarter of patients with a negative initial EGD have had bleeding sources identified on relook endoscopy, which is recommended before labeling a patient as having obscure GI bleeding [2, 3].
Southwest Arabia During the Holocene: Recent Archaeological Developments

Recent fieldwork has considerably increased our knowledge of early Holocene settlement in Southwest Arabia. Neolithic settlement occurred within an environmental context of increased monsoonal moisture that continued during the mid-Holocene. A now well-attested Bronze Age exemplified by village- and town-scale settlements occupied by sedentary farmers developed toward the end of the mid-Holocene moist interval. The high plateau of Yemen was an early focus for the development of Bronze Age complex society, the economy of which relied upon terraced rain-fed and runoff agriculture. On the fringes of the Arabian desert, the precursors of the Sabaean literate civilization have been traced back to between 3600 and 2800 B.P., and even earlier, so that a virtually continuous archaeological record can now be described for parts of Yemen. In contrast to the highlands these societies relied upon food production from large-scale irrigation systems dependent upon capricious wadi floods. Bronze Age settlement, while showing some links with the southern Levant, now shows equal or stronger linkages with the Horn of Africa across the Red Sea. Although some regions of Yemen show breaks in occupation, others show continuity into the Sabaean period when a series of major towns grew up in response to the incense trade with the north. It is now clear that these civilizations grew up on the foundations of earlier Bronze Age complex societies.
Miradas transformadoras: la evolución literaria del ajolote

Este articulo examina la presentacion del ajolote en las cronicas coloniales de Bernardino de Sahagun, Francisco Hernandez y Francisco Javier Clavijero, y en cuatro obras latinoamericanas del siglo...
Measuring Social Norms About Female Labor Force Participation in Jordan

This study conducted a large-scale, representative survey of social norms for female labor force participation in three governorates of Jordan. The social norms measures are disaggregated into thematic clusters, empirical and normative expectations, and interpersonal expectations within the household. The measurements satisfy reasonable tests for internal consistency, external validity, and test-retest reliability. The survey shows that the great majority of men and women favor women's labor force participation, although support falls under specific scenarios. Most non–working women would like a job. Among married women, the strongest correlates of working are the woman's expectations of her husband's views and the husband's personal beliefs. Among unmarried women, empirical expectations of the number of women working correlate strongest with labor force participation. The study findings indicate that information campaigns highlighting hidden support for women working could be effective, although distinct messages for men, married women, and unmarried women may be useful.
THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMICS

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the international politics of Latin American economics. The criticism of the strategy of Latin American diplomats is intended in spirit to be constructive, in the hope of finding more effective ways by which these goals can be achieved. North Americans—particularly those of the generation now in political power—are taught to admire strength and to despise weakness. The substance of the policy of weakness was to declare that under-development in Latin America was because of forces beyond the control of Latin Americans: the terms of trade, high cost of foreign capital, political intervention, economic control from abroad, and the like. Latin Americans often believe that foreign policy in the United States is composed in the State Department and that this department represents the interests of a domestic constituency. The principal agencies that compose U.S. policy toward Latin America are the President, the State Department, and the Congress.
Nutrigenetics, Fatty Acids, and Cognition

Abstract The interaction of FADS and ELOVL genotypes with nutrition and the development of optimal brain function gives us a glimpse into the nutrigenetic influence on cognitive development. Certainly, many other pathways and processes in the human body are affected in this way. In general, nurture determines the substrates with which nature has to work, but also, nature determines the level of nurture required for optimal development. That is, our genetic blueprint can predispose us to need more of one nutrient or the other, but it also determines how those nutrients are utilized after ingestion. Whether or not we respond favorably to a nutrient is determined, in part, by our genetic makeup. During the crucial brain development phase, responses to and the need for exogenous nutrition is also influenced by maternal genetics. The interplay between the three factors—genetics, nutrition, and cognition—is complex, but pervasive. The understanding of the effects of nutrition on cognition will be greatly advanced by the addition of nutrigenetic components to the studies.
Ideas and the Politics of School Choice Policy: Portfolio Management in Philadelphia:

We examine the role of ideas in the politics of school choice policy and situate our study within scholarship that understands frames and logics as types of ideas operating in the foreground and ba...
Comparison of Atmospheric Corrosion of Additively Manufactured and Cast Al-10Si-Mg Over a Range of Heat Treatments

Additive manufacturing (AM) of metals has gained attention as a technology to rapidly produce complex components while reducing waste generated by traditional manufacturing methods. The corrosion p...
Potential Synergy: Rural School Districts and International Student Programs

Many rural school districts face declining enrollments. A few districts have taken the unusual path of recruiting international students in order to boost their enrollments. This study examines a community using this strategy and the resulting financial, academic, and social situations for the school, community, and students, both local and international. The program has two goals: to increase both enrollment and diversity in the school. The benefits and challenges are discussed in light of the social and academic spheres of the school experience. The future of the program is considered, especially in connection to community fears of school closure or consolidation. Issues of professional development for teachers and programming for students are described. Recommendations for districts considering an international student program are included. This work contributes to a better understanding of the potential synergy between schools and communities.
Optimizing an environmental DNA protocol for monitoring threatened Chinook Salmon in the San Francisco Estuary: balancing sensitivity, cost and time.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has gained traction as a precise and cost effective method for species and waterways management. To date, publications on eDNA protocol optimization have focused primarily on DNA yield. Therefore, it has not been possible to evaluate the cost and speed of specific components of the eDNA protocol, such as water filtration and DNA extraction method when designing or choosing an eDNA pipeline. At the same time, these two parameters are essential for the experimental design of a project. Here we evaluate and rank different eDNA protocols in the context of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) eDNA detection in an aquatic environment, the San Francisco Estuary. We present a comprehensive evaluation of multiple eDNA protocol parameters, balancing time, cost and DNA yield. For estuarine waters, which are challenging for eDNA studies due to high turbidity, variable salinity, and the presence of PCR inhibitors, we find that a protocol combining glass filters and magnetic beads, along with an extra step for PCR inhibitor removal, is the method that best balances time, cost, and yield. In addition, we provide a generalized decision tree for determining the optimal eDNA protocol for other studies on aquatic systems. Our findings should be applicable to most aquatic environments and provide a clear guide for determining which eDNA pipeline should be used for a given environmental condition. Author SummaryThe use of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for monitoring wildlife has steadily grown in recent years. Though, due to differences in the ecology of the environment studied and the novelty of the technique, eDNA currently shows a lack of standards compared to other fields. Here we take a deep look into each step of an eDNA assay, looking at common protocols and comparing their efficiencies in terms of time to process the samples, cost and how much DNA is recovered. We then analyze the data to provide a concise interpretation of best practices given different project constraints. For the conditions of the San Francisco Estuary we suggest the use of glass fiber filtration, the use of paramagnetic beads for DNA extraction and the use of a secondary inhibitor removal. We expect our findings to provide better support for managers to decide their standards ahead of project submission not only for estuarine conditions but for other waterine conditions alike.
Ubiquitin-mediated receptor degradation contributes to development of tolerance to MrgC agonist-induced pain inhibition in neuropathic rats

ABSTRACT Agonists to subtype C of the Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptors (MrgC) induce pain inhibition after intrathecal (i.t.) administration in rodent models of nerve injury. Here, we investigated whether tolerance develops after repeated MrgC agonist treatments and examined the underlying mechanisms. In animal behavior studies conducted in male rats at 4 to 5 weeks after an L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL), the ability of dipeptide MrgC agonist JHU58 (0.1 mM, 10 μL, i.t.) to inhibit mechanical and heat hypersensitivity decreased after 3 days of treatment with a tolerance-inducing dose (0.5 mM, 10 μL, i.t., twice/day). In HEK293T cells, acute treatment with JHU58 or BAM8-22 (a large peptide MrgC agonist) led to MrgC endocytosis from the cell membrane and later sorting to the membrane for reinsertion. However, chronic exposure to JHU58 increased the coupling of MrgC to β-arrestin-2 and led to the ubiquitination and degradation of MrgC. Importantly, pretreatment with TAK-243 (0.2 mM, 5 μL, i.t.), a small-molecule inhibitor of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme, during tolerance induction attenuated the development of tolerance to JHU58-induced inhibition of mechanical and heat hypersensitivity in SNL rats. Interestingly, morphine analgesia was also decreased in SNL rats that had become tolerant to JHU58, suggesting a cross-tolerance. Furthermore, i.t. pretreatment with TAK-243, which reduced JHU58 tolerance, also attenuated the cross-tolerance to morphine analgesia. These findings suggest that tolerance can develop to MrgC agonist-induced pain inhibition after repeated i.t. administrations. This tolerance development to JHU58 may involve increased coupling of MrgC to β-arrestin-2 and ubiquitin-mediated receptor degradation.
The Masked Mapper: Masked Metric Mapping

In this paper, we propose a flexible mapping scheme that uses a masking function (mask) to focus the attention of a pose graph SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) system. The masking function takes the robot’s observations and returns true if the robot is in an important location. State-of-the-art methods in SLAM generate dense metric lidar maps, creating precise maps at a high computational cost by storing lidar scans for each pose node and continually attempting to close loops. In many cases, trying to always make loop closures is unnecessary for localization and even risky because of perceptual aliasing and false positives. By masking out these less useful positions, our method can create more accurate maps despite performing far fewer scan matches. We evaluate our system with three simple mask functions on a 2.5 km trajectory with significant angular drift. We compare the number of scan matches performed under each mask as well as the accuracy of the loop closures.
Channel Smoothing for 802.11ax Beamformed MIMO-OFDM

Channel smoothing is a powerful technique that improves the channel estimation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems by exploiting the correlation or smoothness among the frequency-domain channel responses. However, it can’t be applied to WiFi beamformed MIMO systems because the beamforming vectors provided by the beamforming receiver are disruptive and consequently make the beamformed channels disruptive. We propose a scheme that enables the transmitter to generate smooth beamforming vectors from the disruptive beamforming vectors provided by the receiver. As a result, the beamformed channel becomes smooth so that the powerful channel smoothing can be applied again for more than 2 dB gain. The objective function for smoothing the beamforming vectors is formulated first and then the optimal solution to this optimization problem is derived. The performance gain is finally verified by simulations.
Severe asthma

Severe asthma is a term that is commonly used to describe patients with refractory, brittle, near fatal, and difficult-to-control asthma. Patients with severe asthma typically experience persistent symptoms despite medical therapy, report decreased quality of life and suffer an accelerated loss of lung function. The role of genetics, environmental exposure, and infection in the development of more severe asthma is the focus of ongoing research. While pathologic changes in these patients are now believed to involve lung parenchyma, in addition to large and small airways, the independent contribution of each of these compartments to the severe asthma phenotype is not well defined. The clinical evaluation of severe asthma patients should include investigating conditions commonly associated with severe asthma, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, vocal cord dysfunction, and rhinosinusitis. In addition, advanced imaging techniques, measurement of exhaled gas or sputum indices, and airway biopsy are tools that may aid in evaluating severe asthma patients in the near future. Management of patients with severe asthma requires a comprehensive approach that includes non-pharmacological and pharmacological measures. Combination antiinflammatory and long-acting bronchodilator therapy remains the mainstay of management.
22mJ Coherent Beam Combining from Three 85μm Core CCC Fiber Amplifiers

We demonstrate coherent beam combining of pulses from 3 chirally-coupled core optical fibers into a single 22mJ pulse, achieving >7mJ per channel combining and allowing for future temporal combination and compression at high energy.
When There Is Nowhere to Rest Our Heads: Is In(ter)culturation Optional?

Mass migration has created faith communities where Catholics no longer enjoy being the religious majority or have the religious freedom to live out their faith as they once did. These are not isolated encounters but, as a result of human movement, realities that are being replicated throughout the world. St Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai, UAE has become the largest parish in the world given such constraints. A closer examination of this ecclesial reality illustrates both the strengths and weaknesses of Catholic approaches to migration and resettlement. While previous understandings of Catholic ecclesiology assist in maintaining one’s cultural and faith heritage in diaspora, static parochial structures are being strained in these new environments. At the very least, mass migration is challenging our understanding of being church that needs ongoing in(ter)culturation—an in(ter)culturation into a context of the ever-evolving present for both the faithful and institutional structures.
An Improved Estimate in the Restricted Isometry Problem

It is shown that for the n × n-Hadamard matrix (or, more generally, a bounded orthogonal matrix) the RIP-property for r-space vectors holds, with row restriction to a set S of size $$\displaystyle{\vert S\vert < C(\varepsilon )(\log n)^{2}(\log r)r.}$$ This bound represents a slight improvement over (Rudelson and Vershynin, Commun Pure Appl Math 61:1025–1045, 2008) in that the power of the logarithm is decreased by one unit.
Economic impact of production bottlenecks caused by disasters impacting interdependent industry sectors

Abstract This paper provides a new linear programming model, based on Leontief׳s input–output model, to investigate the economic consequences of production capacity bottlenecks caused by disasters. An important contribution of the paper is the incorporation of industry sectors׳ preferences in allocating limited products/services between final domestic demand, foreign final demand, and intermediate industries. This provides support for estimating some of the indirect economic impacts of disasters. The paper also considers recovery operations within disrupted sectors, from the standpoint of evaluating the performance of the economy during the transition period after a disaster. The models are implemented to investigate the economic consequences of electricity sector disruption in Singapore and, finally, computational results are reported.
Semi-supervised Learning of Nonrigid Deformations for Image Registration

The existence of large medical image databases have made large amounts of neuroimaging data accessible and freely available to the research community. In this paper, we harness both the vast quantity of unlabeled anatomical MR brain scans from the 1000 Functional Connectomes Project (FCP1000) database and the smaller, but richly-annotated brain images from the LONI Probabilistic Brain Atlas (LPBA40) database to learn a statistical deformation model (SDM) of the nonrigid transformations in a semi-supervised learning (SSL) framework. We make use of 39 LPBA40 labeled MR datasets to create a set of supervised registrations and augment these results with a set of unsupervised registrations using 1247 unlabeled MRIs from the FCP1000. We show through leave-one-out cross validation that SSL of a nonrigid SDM results in a registration algorithm with significantly improved accuracy compared to standard, intensity-based registration, and does so with a 99 % reduction in transformation dimensionality.
Abstract 2963: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine alterations at H3K9me3 marked genomic regions serve as potential biomarker for renal cell carcinoma patients

Background: Epigenetic alterations are frequently encountered in many malignancies. Control of DNA methylation is thought to play a critical role in the global epigenetic reprogramming observed during development and carcinogenesis. DNA demethylation is initiated by the transition from 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). While 5mC patterns are relatively well characterized in many malignancies, not much is known about 5hmC patterns and the potential usefulness as biomarkers. We thus sought out to identify 5hmC alterations in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and assess their potential usefulness as urine biomarkers. Results: We performed genome-wide 5hmC MethylCap-seq on one pooled RCC tissue sample (n = 3) and the corresponding pooled matched normal kidney tissue (n = 3), as well as on one pooled urine sample obtained from RCC patients (n = 52) and one pooled urine sample obtained from control patients without malignancy (n = 65). Global 5hmC levels were dramatically reduced in RCC tissues compared to matched normal adjacent kidney tissues, and in urine samples compared to tissue samples. Assessing histone marked regions we found 5hmC levels to be highly enriched in H3K9me3 marked repressive genomic regions of RCC tissue compared to normal adjacent tissues. Given the low 5hmC signal in these regions in normal tissues, this difference was also clearly identified comparing urine samples from RCC patients to control patients without RCC. Conclusions: We characterized the 5hmC distribution of RCC and normal human renal tissue as well as of urine samples from RCC patients and control patients without RCC. We identified dramatic genome-wide 5hmC changes to occur during carcinogenesis, which have potential for development as non-invasive urine biomarkers. Citation Format: Wei Meng, Tim Lautenschlaeger, David Frankhouser, Zhenqing Ye, Alexander Huebner, Victor Jin, Pearlly Yan, Arnab Chakravarti. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine alterations at H3K9me3 marked genomic regions serve as potential biomarker for renal cell carcinoma patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2963. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2963
Talking to virtual humans: dialogue models and methodologies for embodied conversational agents

Virtual Humans are artificial characters who look and act like humans, but inhabit a simulated environment. One important aspect of many virtual humans is their communicative dialogue ability. In this paper we outline a methodology for study of dialogue behavior and construction of virtual humans. We also consider three architectures for different types of virtual humans that have been built at the Institute for Creative Technologies.
Standing Up for Brown in Danville

The author recounts growing up in the 1950's and 60's in the context of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, and its impact on the American South, specifically its effects on society in Danville, VA, where the author grew up. The overall struggle for racial equality is also discussed with the Brown decision as a backdrop.
Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) in asthma: Variability and relation to asthma severity, treatment, and lymphocyte activation☆

Abstract Rationale Asthma is an inflammatory disease that involves activation of host defense cells in the airway. Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) has been claimed to measure the underlying inflammation in asthma. Methods Fourteen patients and twelve healthy volunteers were enrolled. Asthma diagnosis and severity was assessed using the guidelines published by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. eNO was measured using "online" technique. Lymphocyte separation and flow cytometric analysis were performed using the standard techniques. Results eNO was elevated in patients with moderate to severe asthma (16.63 ± 1.77 vs. 5.36 ± 2.88). With treatment elevated eNO decreased in the first week reaching to near normal level by the end of 4 weeks. Our early observation suggests that there is no difference in eNO in asthmatics treated with different combination of treatments. Correlation between eNO and various intracellular cytokine expressions in lymphocytes was studied. Conclusions eNO was elevated in moderate to severe asthmatics. With treatment eNO decreased in a week reaching to near normal level by 4 weeks. Our preliminary observation suggests that there is no difference in eNO in asthmatics treated with different combination of treatments. Our findings support the role of eNO in assessing asthma severity and long-term management of asthma. Correlation of eNO with lymphocyte activation marker/intracellular cytokine expression was studied.
Defining and Achieving Optimum Therapeutic Goals in Critically Ill Patients

Patients who are critically ill with sepsis, shock, respiratory failure, trauma, or major surgical procedures may have reduced morbidity and mortality when hemodynamic and oxygen transport variables are augmented to values higher than those traditionally considered normal. Lactate production and suboptimum oxygen transport values are associated with anaerobic metabolism and insufficient tissue oxygenation. Since lactate can be a marker of inadequate tissue oxygenation, serial lactate measurements may be useful in individualizing therapy to reverse tissue hypoxia. Optimum hemodynamic and oxygen transport values are highly individual, and no accepted method has been established for guiding therapy. These values, together with plasma lactate concentrations, may assist in individualizing therapy in critically ill patients. No consensus can be reached at this time as to which specific therapeutic end points are optimal, how to achieve these end points, and which subset of patients will benefit from this therapy.
Measurement heat stream in mere by the matrix sensor

Detection and research obvious and latent heat stream in mere is an actual problem for studying the physical processes proceeding at oceans and the seas. But for all that there are two problems for researchers — experimenters: 1) If electrodes of the sensors measuring a heat stream, are isolated from water, pressure of water renders destroying influence on the sensor measuring a heat stream. 2) If electrodes of the sensor adjoin to water, the water environment shunts electrodes and brings distortions in physical value of electric parameters of the sensor. With the purpose of the decision of these problems, has been developed the extended highresistance sensor made on special matrix technology and measuring both temperature of surrounding sea water, and direction of a stream. Signals from the sensor, amplified of the operational amplifier, by dint of the interface input into a computer for the further processing results of measurement and archiving of the data. The software package of processing and archiving of results of measurement is created. Laboratory researches of the sensor on measurements heat stream are carried out.
Interference-Nulling Time-Reversal Beamforming for mm-Wave Massive MIMO in Multi-User Frequency-Selective Indoor Channels

Millimeter wave (mm-wave) and massive MIMO have been proposed for next generation wireless systems. However, there are many open problems for the implementation of those technologies. In particular, beamforming is necessary in mm-wave systems in order to counter high propagation losses. However, conventional beamsteering is not always appropriate in rich scattering multipath channels with frequency selective fading, such as those found in indoor environments. In this context, time-reversal (TR) is considered a promising beamforming technique for such mm-wave massive MIMO systems. In this paper, we analyze a baseband TR beamforming system for mm-wave multi-user massive MIMO. We verify that, as the number of antennas increases, TR yields good equalization and interference mitigation properties, but inter-user interference (IUI) remains a main impairment. Thus, we propose a novel technique called interference-nulling TR (INTR) to minimize IUI. We evaluate numerically the performance of INTR and compare it with conventional TR and equalized TR beamforming. We use a 60 GHz MIMO channel model with spatial correlation based on the IEEE 802.11ad SISO NLoS model. We demonstrate that INTR outperforms conventional TR with respect to average BER per user and achievable sum rate under diverse conditions, providing both diversity and multiplexing gains simultaneously.
TCP-BFA: Buffer Fill Avoidance

The main goal of a congestion avoidance algorithm is to maximize throughput and minimize delay (Jain & Ramakrishnan 1988). While TCP Reno achieves high throughput, it tends to consume all of the buffer space at the bottle­neck router, causing large delays. In this paper we propose a simple scheme that modifies TCP Reno’s congestion avoidance algorithm by throttling back the opening of the congestion window once an increase in round-trip time is perceived. We call the scheme TCP-BFA and have implemented it in the ns network simulator and in BSD 4.4. We show through simulations and mea­surements of real traffic on the Internet that TCP-BFA results in lower router buffer occupancies and lower delays while maintaining a throughput similar to that of TCP Reno. The advantages of TCP-BFA are (1) smaller router buffer size requirements, (2) an order of magnitude improvement in network power (the ratio of throughput to delay), (3) fewer packet losses, (4) faster detection of multiple losses due to lower retransmission timeout estimates, and (5) smoother traffic patterns.
Myeloradiculopathy associated with chikungunya virus infection

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that is endemic to parts of Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and more recently the Caribbean. Patients typically present with fever, rash, and arthralgias, though neurologic symptoms, primarily encephalitis, have been described. We report the case of a 47-year-old woman who was clinically diagnosed with CHIKV while traveling in the Dominican Republic and presented 10 days later with left lower extremity weakness, a corresponding enhancing thoracic spinal cord lesion, and positive CHIKV serologies. She initially responded to corticosteroids, followed by relapsing symptoms and gradual clinical improvement. The time lapse between acute CHIKV infection and the onset of myelopathic sequelae suggests an immune-mediated phenomenon rather than direct activity of the virus itself. Chikungunya virus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of myelopathy in endemic areas. The progression of symptoms despite corticosteroid administration suggests more aggressive immunomodulatory therapies may be warranted at disease onset.