cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sharp Edges from Hedges: Fatalism, Vagueness and Epistemic Possibility

Mights plug gaps. If p lacks a truth-value, then ‘It might be that p’ should also lack truth-value. Yet epistemic hedges often turn an unassertible statement into an assertible one. The phenomenon is illustrated in detail for two kinds of statements that are frequently alleged to be counterexamples to the principle of bivalence: future contingents and statements that apply predicates to borderline cases. The paper concludes by exploring the prospects for generalizing this gap-plugging strategy.
Role of speed vs. grade in relation to muscle pump function at locomotion onset

We sought to clarify the roles of contraction frequency (speed) and contraction force (grade) in the rise in muscle blood flow at the onset of locomotion. Shoemaker et al. (Can J Physiol Pharmacol ...
Mitigating Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Corn Cropping Systems in the Midwestern U.S.: Potential and Data Gaps

One of the unintended nitrogen (N)-loss pathways from cropland is the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance. This study explores the potential of alternative agronomic management practices to mitigate N2O emissions from corn cropping systems in major corn producing regions in the U.S. and Canada, using meta-analysis. The use of the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) in combination with the nitrification inhibitor Dicyandiamide (DCD) was the only management strategy that consistently reduced N2O emissions, but the number of observations underlying this effect was relatively low. Manure application caused higher N2O emissions compared to the use of synthetic fertilizer N. This warrants further investigation in appropriate manure N-management, particularly in the Lake States where manure application is common. The N2O response to increasing N-rate varied by region, indicating the importance of region-specific approaches for quantifying N2O emissions and mitigation potential. In general, more data collection on side-by-side comparisons of common and alternative management practices, especially those pertaining to N-placement, N-timing, and N-source, in combination with biogeochemical model simulations, will be needed to further develop and improve N2O mitigation strategies for corn cropping systems in the major corn producing regions in the U.S.
The Reflexivity of Individual and Group Identity within Identity-Based Movements: A Case Study

In early 2011, students at a Christian liberal arts university won a nearly two-year battle for the official university recognition of a faith-based student organization centered on fostering a spi...
Modeling lymphangiosarcoma in mice.

Lymphangiosarcoma is a rare but aggressive tumor of endothelial origin. Currently there is no effective treatment for the disease, and the prognosis for patients is very poor, with a reported 5-yea...
Adaptive Compensation Robust H_∞ Filter Applied to Integrated Navigation

An adaptive compensation recursive robust filtering algorithm is given in this paper, aiming at the problem that the convergence condition of traditional recursive robust H∞ filtering is hard to meet in engineering applications. Based on analysis of convergence condition, the recursive matrix is modified with adaptive compensation. Moreover, to validate the accuracy of the algorithm, the evaluation criteria,including response time, deviation degree and fluctuation degree, are presented. The simulation results in GPS/INS integrated navigation system show that the decreasing rate, unbiasedness and steadiness of the developed algorithm is better than the algorithm unmodified,without more computational burdens. That indicates this modified algorithm can solve the accuracy decreasing problem resulting from the convergence condition unsatisfying and broaden the application of recursive robust filtering and has great value in engineering application.
Identification of Novel Changes in Human Skeletal Muscle Proteome After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery

The mechanisms of metabolic improvements after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery are not entirely clear. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the role of obesity and RYGB on the human skeletal muscle proteome. Basal muscle biopsies were obtained from seven obese (BMI >40 kg/m(2)) female subjects (45.1 ± 3.6 years) pre- and 3 months post-RYGB, and euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps were used to assess insulin sensitivity. Four age-matched (48.5 ± 4.7 years) lean (BMI <25 kg/m(2)) females served as control subjects. We performed quantitative mass spectrometry and microarray analyses on protein and RNA isolated from the muscle biopsies. Significant improvements in fasting plasma glucose (104.2 ± 7.8 vs. 86.7 ± 3.1 mg/dL) and BMI (42.1 ± 2.2 vs. 35.3 ± 1.8 kg/m(2)) were demonstrated in the pre- versus post-RYGB, both P < 0.05. Proteomic analysis identified 2,877 quantifiable proteins. Of these, 395 proteins were significantly altered in obesity before surgery, and 280 proteins differed significantly post-RYGB. Post-RYGB, 49 proteins were returned to normal levels after surgery. KEGG pathway analysis revealed a decreased abundance in ribosomal and oxidative phosphorylation proteins in obesity, and a normalization of ribosomal proteins post-RYGB. The transcriptomic data confirmed the normalization of the ribosomal proteins. Our results provide evidence that obesity and RYGB have a dynamic effect on the skeletal muscle proteome.
The Right Ventricle in Disorders Causing Pulmonary Venous Hypertension

The right ventricle is often affected by pulmonary hypertension caused by elevated pulmonary venous pressures of left ventricular, left atrial, or pulmonary venous origin. Biochemical factors, the pericardium, the interventricular septum, and the pulmonary arterial system influence the right ventricle in these disease states. The right ventricle experiences structural and hemodynamic adaptations that permit compensation with chronic pressure overload. In uncorrected disease, late findings suggest frank right ventricular failure. Therapy to improve the primary left heart disorder permits a degree of right ventricular recovery. In cases of left heart failure, right ventricular performance may provide significant prognostic information.
Implicit occupancy detection for energy conservation in commercial buildings: A review

The key to saving energy in commercial buildings is to deliver building services only when and where they are needed, in the amount that they are needed. Given that building services are usually employed to provide occupants with satisfactory indoor conditions, it is therefore important to accurately detect the occupancy of building spaces in real time. This paper starts with some discussion on building occupancy resolution and accuracy as well as a brief introduction to traditional explicit occupancy detection approaches. The focus of this paper is on the review and classification of emerging, potentially low-cost approaches to leveraging existing data streams that may be related to occupancy, sometimes referred to as implicit / ambient / soft sensing approaches. About 40 related projects / systems are reviewed and compared in terms of occupancy sensing type, occupancy resolution, accuracy, ground truth data collection method, demonstration scale, data fusion and control strategies. It also briefly discusses technology trends, research challenges, and future directions.
Evaluation of the Microbiological Safety of Tofu.

Studies were done to evaluate the safety of tofu inoculated with different bacterial pathogens and held at different temperatures. Clostridium botulinum (type A and/or B) toxin was produced in tofu after 1 and 3 wk of storage at 25 and 15°C, respectively, but not within 6 wk at 5 or 10°C. Compared with water-packed tofu, vacuum-packaged tofu did not increase the risk of botulinal toxin production at 15°C. Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium grew at similar rates at 10, 15 and 25°C, but decreased in number at 5°C. Staphylococcal enterotoxin was not produced within 4 wk at 10°C, 8 d at 15°C, or 2 d at 25°C, even though an S. aureus population of >107 CFU/g was present in most samples analyzed. Staphylococcal enterotoxin was detected in a 5-d sample held at 25°C. Toxin production may have been delayed because of the low amount of oxygen in water-packed tofu. Yersinia enterocolitica grew at all temperatures evaluated (5, 10, 15 and 25°C), including a 4- to 6-log10 increase within 14 d at 5°C. Results of these studies substantiate the need for: (a) implementing a high level of sanitary practices during tofu production, (b) pasteurizing tofu after packaging, and (c) properly refrigerating tofu during storage and display.
Mowing Height Influences Listronotus maculicollis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Oviposition Behavior and Mechanical Removal From Golf Course Putting Greens, but Not Larval Development.

The annual bluegrass weevil, Listronotus maculicollis (Kirby), is a highly destructive pest of golf course turfgrass in eastern North America. Previous research has demonstrated that females prefer to oviposit within short-mown turfgrasses (<1.25 cm), and these offspring have improved fitness traits compared with larvae developing in higher-mowed turf. However, damage to putting green turf (<3.55 mm) is rarely reported. We investigated whether this phenomenon was due to adult removal through mowing or an inability of larvae to develop within a shortened plant. Greenhouse studies revealed that between 26% and 38% of adults were removed when turf was mowed at 2.54 mm (0.100 in), but the effect diminished with increasing mowing heights. The majority of adults survived mowing, indicating a potential for adults to reinvade turf stands adjacent to areas where grass clippings are discarded. Females oviposited in all mowing height treatments in laboratory and field experiments. However, behavior was influenced by plant height, as significantly fewer eggs were placed inside of the turfgrass stem at the lowest mowing height. Larval development was not affected by egg placement or turf height, and significant numbers of larvae were capable of developing to damaging stages (fourth- and fifth-instar larvae) in all treatments. Our findings suggest that L. maculicollis poses a threat to putting green-height turf, but the probability of damage occurring and need for insecticide applications may be lessened on low-mown surfaces. Future studies are needed to determine factors that influence L. maculicollis movement within the turfgrass canopy to optimize mechanical control.
Harvesting Underutilized Resources to Improve Responsiveness and Tolerance to Crash and Silent Faults for Data-Intensive Applications

Low latency is critical for emerging data-intensive real-time analytic and interactive single-wave applications. As the complexity and heterogeneity of cloud computing continue to increase, so will the frequency of errors, which will manifest themselves in unpredictable ways with a significant impact on the correctness of the computing and responsiveness of cloud services. In this paper, we propose a new data-centric computational model to improve the responsiveness of the data-intensive applications to crash faults and augment its ability to deal with silent errors to ensure computational accuracy. The basic tenet of the proposed model is a task replication scheme, which interweaves the processing of a replicated data split among multiple distributed tasks, with each task consuming data at a different offset. In the absence of a failure, the concurrent execution of the tasks ensures complete processing of the data split, with a significant reduction in the total execution time. In the case of an error, however, the remaining tasks take over the execution of the unfinished work and finish on time. The proposed scheme also guarantees timely detection and correction of silent data corruptions along with crash faults. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our scheme by extending Hadoop's MapReduce code base as a case study. Results show a performance improvement of 50% over Hadoop's Speculative Execution when dealing with crash-faults and an improvement of 33% when dealing with silent errors in case of no failure.
Toddler drinks, formulas, and milks: Labeling practices and policy implications.

Abstract Toddler drinks are a growing category of drinks marketed for young children 9–36 months old. Medical experts do not recommend them, and public health experts raise concerns about misleading labeling practices. In the U.S., the toddler drink category includes two types of products: transition formulas, marketed for infants and toddlers 9–24 months; and toddler milks, for children 12–36 months old. The objective of this study was to evaluate toddler drink labeling practices in light of U.S. food labeling policy and international labeling recommendations. In January 2017, we conducted legal research on U.S. food label laws and regulations; collected and evaluated toddler drink packages, including nutrition labels and claims; and compared toddler drink labels with the same brand's infant formula labels. We found that the U.S. has a regulatory structure for food labels and distinct policies for infant formula, but no laws specific to toddler drinks. Toddler drink labels utilized various terms and images to identify products and intended users; made multiple health and nutrition claims; and some stated there was scientific or expert support for the product. Compared to the same manufacturer's infant formula labels, most toddler drink labels utilized similar colors, branding, logos, and graphics. Toddler drink labels may confuse consumers about their nutrition and health benefits and the appropriateness of these products for young children. To support healthy toddler diets and well-informed decision-making by caregivers, the FDA can provide guidance or propose regulations clarifying permissible toddler drink labels and manufacturers should end inappropriate labeling practices.
Historical Introit The origins of rational thermodynamics

Every science has a tradition and a history. The two must not be confused. Tradition evolves; history extends. Tradition is easy to find; it is handed down. Just consult a score of recent textbooks; discard any that seem a little different from the rest; those that are alike except for variation in offences to the language in which they are written will give you the tradition in its present phase. The history of a period is fixed; steps are added as time goes on, but each preceding step remains itself, unchanged. The early steps of a history are soon forgotten. Historians may trace and uncover them; historians jump backward in time; but writings on the history of a science rarely influence the current tradition, which looks mainly forward and applies to its history a powerful obliviator giving nearly infinite weight to the immediately preceding tradition, singular weight to a few old episodes (usually twisted far from the facts), and weight naught to all the rest of the past. The difference between history and tradition is not peculiar to science; it is a regular aspect of common forgetting and death. In physical science, nevertheless, it takes a different turn, for there the chorus of tradition manufactures a history in which it replaces the way things did happen with the way they ought have happened. The tribes of physical science defend their rituals and their tabus by attributing them to the founders: Newton, Clausius, etc., they say, must surely have felt about their sciences just the way physicists feel about them today. Of course that is true, because we all know that Newton and Clausius were great physicists, and great physicists cannot have thought wrongly about the very sciences they themselves did the most to create. To reach these conclusions, it is not necessary to read anything NEWTON or CLAUSIUS wrote; that would only confuse the tribesmen.
Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals: Insights on a New Class of Pollutants.

Environmentally persistent free radicals, EPFRs, exist in significant concentration in atmospheric particulate matter (PM). EPFRs are primarily emitted from combustion and thermal processing of organic materials, in which the organic combustion byproducts interact with transition metal-containing particles to form a free radical-particle pollutant. While the existence of persistent free radicals in combustion has been known for over half-a-century, only recently that their presence in environmental matrices and health effects have started significant research, but still in its infancy. Most of the experimental studies conducted to understand the origin and nature of EPFRs have focused primarily on nanoparticles that are supported on a larger micrometer-sized particle that mimics incidental nanoparticles formed during combustion. Less is known on the extent by which EPFRs may form on engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) during combustion or thermal treatment. In this critical and timely review, we summarize imp...
Urea-cysteine based extraction of densely crosslinked proteins from sorghum distillers grains with high yield and quality

Abstract A urea-cysteine based system is developed to extract densely crosslinked sorghum proteins from sorghum distillers grains with high efficiency and quality. Due to the high crosslinking degrees, sorghum proteins are expected to possess better tensile properties and aqueous stabilities than common proteins, thus become a promising candidate to replace the unsustainable petroleum products. However, due to the long-standing difficulty in dissolution of densely crosslinked proteins, to extract sorghum proteins with high efficiency and quality for satisfactory properties in end products has not been achieved by previous methods In this paper, a urea-cysteine based system is used to replace the most widely used ethanol based system. The urea-cysteine based system endows sorghum proteins with high purity and yield, which are 14% and 42% higher than those from the ethanol based system. Based on amine and thiol group analysis, the urea-cysteine based system provides sorghum proteins with preserved peptide backbones, full breakage of disulfide bonds for linear structures and sufficient thiol groups for re-oxidation. Due to such unique structures and thus regular arrangement of protein molecules during film casting, sorghum protein films from the urea-cysteine based system have crystallinity 21% higher than those from the ethanol based system. Tensile properties and water-vapor-barrier properties of sorghum protein films are improved by 27% and 28% compared to the ethanol based system. Sorghum protein films derived from sorghum distillers grains are first reported and their tensile properties are better than those of all sorghum protein films developed previously. Quantified effects of preservation of protein peptide backbones and recovery of disulfide bonds on tensile strength are also compared. With the unique structures, sorghum proteins from the urea-cysteine based system have great potential to achieve excellent properties in various applications, such as films and fibers, which account for a total market share of over $100 billion worldwide.
PAR-1 inhibitors: a novel class of antiplatelet agents for the treatment of patients with atherothrombosis

Stroke and myocardial infarction are leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Typically, these events are triggered by the rupture or erosion of “vulnerable” atherosclerotic plaque, a phenomenon termed atherothrombosis.
Integrins in Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, plays a prominent role in a variety of pathological conditions, including tumor growth, ocular disease and arthritis. Endothelial cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) permits transduction of signals initiated by angiogenic growth factors leading to activation of distinct signaling pathways that promote endothelial cell proliferation, migration/invasion and survival. Integrins play a pivotal role in promoting the transfer of chemical and mechanical signals from the extracellular environment into the intracellular compartment. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of the role of distinct integrins in mediating endothelial cell invasion, migration, and importantly, their role in regulating the survival of invasive cells as they encounter distinct new microenvironments. Progress in the use of integrin antagonists as antiangiogenic agents in the clinic will be summarized.
Forecasting Asymmetric Unemployment Rates

Asymmetric behavior has been documented in post-war quarterly U.S. unemployment rates. This suggests that improvement over conventional linear forecasts may be possible through use of nonlinear time series models. In this paper an out-of-sample forecasting competition is carried out for a set of leading nonlinear time series models. It is shown that several nonlinear forecasts do indeed dominate the linear forecast. The results are sensitive, however, to whether a stationarity-inducing transformation is applied to the nonstationary unemployment rate series.
Connect the Dots: The Reconstruction of Region Boundaries from Contour Sampling Points

Twodimensional contour reconstruction from a set of points is a very common problem not only in computer vision. I.e. in graph theory one may ask for the minimal spanning tree or the shortest Hamiltonian graph. In psychology the question arises under which circumstances people are able to recognize certain contours given only a few points. In the context of discrete geometry, there exist a lot of algorithms for 2D contour reconstruction from sampling points. Here a commonly addressed problem is to define an algorithm for which it can be proved that the reconstuction result resembles the original contour if this has been sampled according to certain density criteria. Most of these algorithms can not properly deal with background noise like humans can do. This paper gives an overview of the most important algorithms for contour reconstruction and shows that a relatively new algorithm, called ‘cleaned refinement reduction’ is the most robust one with regard to significant background noise and even shows a reconstruction ability being similar to the one of a child at the age of 4.
West African Literatures: Ways of Reading (review)

LANGUAGES, LITERATURE, AND ARTS Stephanie Newell. Oxford Studies in Postcolonial Literatures. West African Literatures: Ways of Reading. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. ix +259 pp. Maps. Charts. Time Line. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $22.95. Paper. I picked up Stephanie Newell's West African Literatures with some apprehension, thinking, as I glanced at the table of contents, that this would be another overview trying to cover too much material and as a result saying nothing of real interest. However, despite the title, this was not the case. Stephanie Newell has a real thesis, which she successfully incorporates into this general study. To begin with a few limitations: most of West African Literatures draws upon Nigerian and Ghanaian literatures, with some nods to Francophone literatures. Despite its attempts to bridge this gap at various points, one often comes away with the feeling that a dozen or so Nigerians and a few Ghanaians are the major reference points for what constitutes West African literature. There are fourteen chapters encompassed within 213 pages of text: the topics are introduced without detailed analyses or theorization. Drawing upon her expertise in popular genres, Newell is able to extend the usual overview of "high" literatures to a wide range of subjects, including not only popular and oral literatures, but also feminism, negritude, Islam, Marxism, avant-gardism, and Queer writing. In virtually every case, exemplary texts are evoked, and in almost every case they are discussed relatively briefly. The one notable exception is Things Fall Apart (Heinemann, 1958), which is elevated beyond canonical status to that of an ur-text that defined the literature to come. As a result, those texts that had been considered in the 1970s and 1980s as foundational Francophone literature-like Laye's UEnfant noir (Plon, 1954), Beti's Mission terminee (Corea, 1957), Oyono's Une Vie de boy (Juliard, 1956), or Kourouma's Les Soleils des independences (Montreal, 1968)-are largely ignored, while "lesser" writers are highlighted. This might be troubling for an "old style" critic for whom cultural studies approaches are of secondary importance. But in this case, Newell succeeds admirably in overcoming the limits not only of conventional literary appreciations, but also of an unmanageably large subject. And she does this by skillfully evoking perhaps tissue of crucial importance for postcolonial African studies-the implications for the field of postcolonialism of a wide range of contested theoretical approaches. She cleverly insinuates this issue by reading against the grain of negritude. Senghor's essentializing and racializing of African culture may have served a purpose during the colonial period, but such an approach had outlived its usefulness by the 1950s when anticolonial political literature stepped into the fray. By the time independence had been achieved and one-party states had become the norm, it was not uncommon to find conservative or even dictatorial rulers employing its rhetoric; as a mode of literary inspiration, it had become tired. …
Opaque-2 Regulates a Complex Gene Network Associated with Cell Differentiation and Storage Functions of Maize Endosperm

Development of the cereal endosperm involves cell differentiation processes that enable nutrient uptake from the maternal plant, accumulation of storage products, and their utilization during germination. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that link cell differentiation processes with those controlling storage product synthesis and deposition, including the activation of zein genes by the maize (Zea mays) bZIP transcription factor Opaque-2 (O2). Here, we mapped in vivo binding sites of O2 in B73 endosperm and compared the results with genes differentially expressed in B73 and B73o2 We identified 186 putative direct O2 targets and 1677 indirect targets, encoding a broad set of gene functionalities. Examination of the temporal expression patterns of O2 targets revealed at least two distinct modes of O2-mediated gene activation. Two O2-activated genes, bZIP17 and NAKED ENDOSPERM2 (NKD2), encode transcription factors, which can in turn coactivate other O2 network genes with O2. NKD2 (with its paralog NKD1) was previously shown to be involved in regulation of aleurone development. Collectively, our results provide insights into the complexity of the O2-regulated network and its role in regulation of endosperm cell differentiation and function.
Real Time Measurement, Monitoring, and Control of CuIn1−xGaxSe2 by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) using a rotating compensator multichannel instrument has been applied in real time for characterization of the three stages of the coevaporation process for copper indium-gallium diselenide (CuIn1−xGaxSe2; CIGS) thin films. This absorber material and the coevaporation process yield the highest small area efficiency among inorganic polycrystalline thin film solar cells. In the first deposition stage of the process, indium-gallium selenide (In1−xGax)2Se3 (IGS) thin film deposition is performed via coevaporation of In, Ga, and Se on a substrate consisting of Mo-coated soda lime glass held at a temperature of 400 °C. In this stage, Mo/IGS interface roughness filling can be characterized along with the subsequent evolution of the IGS bulk and surface roughness layer thicknesses. An accurate rate for the effective thickness (or volume/area) can be determined from these results, and alloy compositional analysis of the IGS has been demonstrated at the first stage endpoint. In the second deposition stage, the IGS film is converted to CIGS via coevaporation of Cu and Se fluxes at an increased substrate temperature of 570 °C. A bulk conversion model provides the best fit to the real time SE data, and this model is employed in the analysis of the second-stage data. The results include the evolution of the content of CIGS within the film, along with the thicknesses of the bulk and surface roughness layers. The formation of a copper selenide (Cu2−xSe) component phase on the CIGS surface is detected just before the completion of the second stage. Subsequently, the evolution of the near-surface Cu2−xSe content is followed in terms of its effective thickness, spanning the time interval from the end of the second stage through much of the third stage. In the third stage of the deposition process, In, Ga, and Se coevaporation serves to convert the Cu-rich CIGS/Cu2−xSe to slightly Cu-poor CIGS. In this stage, the thickness evolution can be obtained along with bulk and surface roughness layer thicknesses at the overall deposition endpoint. In the three stages, the deduced deposition rates and final thicknesses provide information on the total metallic elemental fluxes, and the roughness evolution provides information on crystalline grain growth and near-surface crystallite coalescence in the polycrystalline films. Variations in the information deduced from real time SE can lead to insights into run-to-run irreproducibility that influences the performance of the resulting solar cells. The application of these capabilities is demonstrated for the fabrication of thin film solar cells in continuous and discontinuous (shuttered) processes for standard thickness (~2.5 μm) CIGS absorber layers as well as a shuttered process deemed necessary for adequate control of the deposition of thin (~0.3 μm) absorbers.
Die Entstehung einer Geokultur

Die Franzosische Revolution war, wie wir festgestellt haben, ein Wendepunkt in der kulturellen Geschichte des modernen Welt-Systems. Sie brachte zwei fundamentale Veranderungen hervor, die als Basis der Geokultur des modernen Welt-Systems bezeichnet werden konnen: Die Normalitat politischen Wandels und die Umgestaltung des Konzeptes der Souveranitat, das nun auf die Leute als „Burger“ ubertragen wurde. Und wie wir bereits gesagt haben, hat dieses Konzept, obwohl es Menschen einbeziehen sollte, in Wirklichkeit viele ausgeschlossen.
Optimizing Neuro-Oncology Imaging: A Review of Deep Learning Approaches for Glioma Imaging

Radiographic assessment with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to characterize gliomas, which represent 80% of all primary malignant brain tumors. Unfortunately, glioma biology is marked by heterogeneous angiogenesis, cellular proliferation, cellular invasion, and apoptosis. This translates into varying degrees of enhancement, edema, and necrosis, making reliable imaging assessment challenging. Deep learning, a subset of machine learning artificial intelligence, has gained traction as a method, which has seen effective employment in solving image-based problems, including those in medical imaging. This review seeks to summarize current deep learning applications used in the field of glioma detection and outcome prediction and will focus on (1) pre- and post-operative tumor segmentation, (2) genetic characterization of tissue, and (3) prognostication. We demonstrate that deep learning methods of segmenting, characterizing, grading, and predicting survival in gliomas are promising opportunities that may enhance both research and clinical activities.
Is Crystalline Tetracaine More Effective for Spinal Anesthesia Than Premixed Liquid Tetracaine

A prospective study was performed on a group of 100 patients who had spinal anesthesia for transurethral resections of the prostate. On a randomized, double-blind basis one group received crystalline tetracaine and the other received tetracaine solution. Onset, duration of anesthesia, and height of block were compared. There was no observed difference in the two groups.
PET imaging study of brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity in mice devoid of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is responsible for adaptive thermogenesis. We previously showed that genetic deficiency of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) prevented the effects of high-fat diet (HFD). This study was to compare BAT activity in RAGE knock out (Ager-/-, RKO) and wild-type (WT) mice after treated with HFD or LFD. [18F]FDG PET-CT imaging under identical cold-stimulated conditions and mean standard uptake values (SUVmean), ratio of SUViBAT/SUVmuscle (SUVR, muscle as the reference region) and percentage ID/g were used for BAT quantification. The results showed that [18F]FDG uptake (e.g., SUVR) in WT-HFD mice was significantly reduced (three-fold) as compared to that in WT-LFD (1.40 +/- 0.07 and 4.03 +/- 0.38; P = 0.004). In contrast, BAT activity in RKO mice was not significantly affected by HFD, with SUVRRKO-LFD: 2.14 +/- 0.10 and SUVRRKO-LFD: 1.52 +/- 0.13 (P = 0.3). The uptake in WT-LFD was almost double of that in RKO-LFD (P = 0.004); however, there was no significant difference between RKO-HFD and WT-HFD mice (P = 0.3). These results, corroborating our previous findings on the measurement of mRNA transcripts for UCP1 in the BAT, suggest that RAGE may contribute to altered energy expenditure and provide a protective effect against HFD by Ager deletion (Ager -/-).
Development of Novel Low-Temperature Curable Positive-Tone Photosensitive Dielectric Materials with High Reliability

Novel low-temperature curable positive-tone photosensitive polyimide (posi-PSPI) with high reliability has been developed as dielectric layers for copper redistribution layers (RDLs) in Fan-Out wafer/panel level packages (FOWLP, FOPLP). The posi-PSPI shows high tolerance to thermal cycle test, high temperature storage test and Cu migration test. In order to achieve these properties, we investigated both segments of flexible and rigid molecular skeletons within the base polymer backbone. Through a modification of suitable flexible segment contributed to Cu migration resistance with its assumed characteristics to have better flow coverage of Cu patterns. In addition to segmental modification, we also came to realize that a balance between flexible and rigid segment was an important factor for the stabilization of elongation under freezing temperature and thermal cycle test. Furthermore, we have also investigated an additive within the material such as anti-oxidant. This additive suppressed the voids from generating between Cu and Polyimide, which are the initial cause of delamination. This phenomenon of void formation was due to rapid speed of Cu oxide diffusion during a high temperature storage test. The posi-PSPI offers fine pattern with good sensitivity by photolithographic system. It can also be processed by laser direct imager (LDI) instead of i-line stepper or aligner, and the patterned material made by photolithography can be reworked by organic solvents. In addition, this posi-PSPI showed high adhesion to various substrates, such as Si, Cu, Mold resin, and PI itself. These features certify that this material is suitable for applications of FOWLP/FOPLP.
ASSET: Architectures for Smart Security of Non-Volatile Memories

Computing systems that integrate advanced non-volatile memories (NVMs) are vulnerable to several security attacks that threaten (i) data confidentiality, (ii) data availability, and (iii) data integrity. This paper proposes Architectures for Smart Security of NVMs (AS-SET), which integrates five low overhead, high performance security solutions—SECRET [1], COVERT [2], ACME [3], ARSE-NAL [4], and STASH [5]—to thwart these attacks on NVM systems. SECRET is a low cost security solution that employs counter mode encryption (CME) for data confidentiality in multi-/triple-level cell (i.e., MLC/TLC) NVMs. COVERT and ACME complement SECRET to improve system availability of CME. ARSENAL integrates CME and Bonsai Merkle Tree (BMT) authentication to thwart data confidentiality and integrity attacks, respectively, in NVMs and simultaneously enables instant data recovery (IDR) on power/system failures. Finally, STASH is the first comprehensive end-to-end security architecture for state-of-the-art smart hybrid memories (SHMs). STASH integrates (i) CME for data confidentiality, (ii) page-level MT authentication for data integrity, (iii) recovery-compatible MT updates to withstand power or system failures, and (iv) page-migration friendly security meta-data management. This paper thus addresses the core security challenges of next-generation NVM systems.
Modeling differentially expressed genes in patient tumors to guide expression-based biomarker development.

3627Background: Differential gene expression (DGE) methods, initially developed for analyzing bulk RNA changes in pure tumor cell lines under experimental settings, are commonly used to identify bi...
Corrigendum to “Factorization homology I: Higher categories” [Adv. Math. 333 (2018) 1042–1177]

Abstract In our previous article [1] , a functor was constructed from an ∞-category of ( ∞ , n ) -categories to space-valued invariants on vari-framed stratified n-manifolds. This functor was asserted to be fully-faithful, based on a calculation that a space of conically smooth diffeomorphisms of a hemispherically stratified n-disk that preserve a vari-framing is contractible. This core calculation is false in dimensions n ≥ 3 , and the functor is not fully-faithful in dimensions n ≥ 3 .
Design of a Low-Cost, Wearable Device for Kinematic Analysis in Physical Therapy Settings.

Background Unsupervised home exercise is a major component of physical therapy (PT). This study proposes an inexpensive, inertial measurement unit-based wearable device to capture kinematic data to facilitate exercise. However, conveying and interpreting kinematic data to non-experts poses a challenge due to the complexity and background knowledge required that most patients lack. Objectives The objectives of this study were to identify key user interface and user experience features that would likely improve device adoption and assess participant receptiveness toward the device. Methods Fifty participants were recruited to perform nine upper extremity exercises while wearing the device. Prior to exercise, participants completed an orientation of the device, which included examples of software graphics with exercise data. Surveys that measured receptiveness toward the device, software graphics, and ergonomics were given before and after exercise. Results Participants were highly receptive to the device with 90% of the participants likely to use the device during PT. Participants understood how the simple kinematic data could be used to aid exercise, but the data could be difficult to comprehend with more complex movements. Devices should incorporate wireless sensors and emphasize ease of wear. Conclusion Device-guided home physical rehabilitation can allow for individualized treatment protocols and improve exercise self-efficacy through kinematic analysis. Future studies should implement clinical testing to evaluate the impact a wearable device can have on rehabilitation outcomes.
Marijuana and Microcirculation: A Review.

Marijuana is the most widely used recreational drug across the United States. Ongoing efforts to legalize marijuana, as well as the drug’s increasing popularity contribute to the marijuana’s reputation as having a low risk profile. Marijuana’s association with adverse cardiovascular events, such as arrhythmia and vasospasm is well-documented. We synthesized what is known about how marijuana use pertains to and is implicated endothelial cell damage and its effects on microcirculation. THC exerts effects through the cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. The downstream effects of CB1 activation point to a role for this receptor in atherogenesis and vasospasm, likely by precipitating oxidative stress. Endothelial cells, when exposed to reactive oxygen species, provide a stimulus for vasoconstriction with a diminished ability for vasodilation. This phenomenon has manifested itself in cases of coronary vasospastic angina, and coronary slow and no flow that have resulted from marijuana use, as confirmed by cardiac catheterization reports that showed no evidence of obstructive lesions that could otherwise be responsible for the patients’ symptoms. Marijuana users suffer from acute ischemic stroke at higher rates than non-users. Several theories have been proposed to support this observation, namely marijuana induced reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, and mitochondrial damage caused by oxidative stress that disproportionately affects cerebral vasculature. As marijuana use continues to grow, so does the important of elucidating the drug’s effect on endothelial cells and microcirculation. Further studies should investigate the temporal association between marijuana and endothelial damage, as well as the possibility of recovery from such injury, and whether there is therapeutic potential in cannabinoid receptors.
A Unifying Mechanistic Model of Excitatory-Inhibitory Interactions in the Auditory Cortex

Abstract The mammalian sensory cortex is comprised of multiple types of inhibitory and excitatory neurons, which form sophisticated microcircuits for processing and transmitting sensory information. Despite rapid progress in understanding the function of distinct neuronal population, the parameters of connectivity that are required for the function of these microcircuits remain unknown. Recent studies found that two most common inhibitory interneurons, parvalbumin- (PV) and somatostatin-(SST) positive interneurons control sound-evoked responses, temporal adaptation and network dynamics in the auditory cortex (AC). These studies can inform our understanding of parameters for connectivity of the excitatory-inhibitory cortical circuits. Specifically, we asked whether a common microcircuit can account for the disparate effects found in studies in different groups. We built rate and spiking models of the auditory cortex consisting of excitatory, PV and SST neurons, and searched the space of connectivity parameters to identify the set that can account for the experimental findings from multiple groups. We identified microcircuit parameters that accounted for the differential effects of PVs and SSTs in stimulus-specific adaptation, forward suppression and tuning-curve adaptation, as well as the influence of PVs on functional connectivity in the circuit. The unifying mechanisms of the model included a depressing synapse from PVs to excitatory neurons, and a facilitating synapse from excitatory neurons to SSTs. This approach brought together multiple findings from different laboratories and identified a unified circuit that can be used in future studies of upstream and downstream sensory processing. Significance Statement The mammalian auditory cortex is comprised of multiple types of inhibitory and excitatory neurons, which form sophisticated microcircuits for processing and transmitting sensory information. Distinct inhibitory neuron subtypes play distinct functions in auditory processing, but it remains unknown whether these phenomena are due to a unified microcircuit or require multiple circuits. Here, we built minimal rate and spiking models and identified a specific set of synaptic mechanisms and parameters that could best reproduce the broad set of experimental results in the auditory cortex. The simplicity of our model provides an understanding of inhibitory cortical processing at the circuit level, unifying the results from different laboratories, and provides for a novel computational framework for future studies of cortical function.
An implicit crowdsourcing approach to rumor identification in online social networks

With the increasing use of online social networks as a source of news and information, the propensity for a rumor to disseminate widely and quickly poses a great concern, especially in disaster situations where users do not have enough time to fact-check posts before making the informed decision to react to a post that appears to be credible. At the same time, we know that misinformation is easily detectable by a certain few, very skeptical, or very informed users. In this study, we demonstrate how blending artificial intelligence and human skills can create a new paradigm for credibility prediction. The crowdsourcing part of the detection mechanism is implemented implicitly, by simply observing the natural interaction between users encountering the messages. Specifically, we explore the spread of information on Twitter at the microscopic (user-to-user propagation) level and propose a model that predicts if a message is True or False by observing the latent attributes of the message, along with those of the users interacting with it, and their reactions to the message. We demonstrate the application of this model to the detection of misinformation and rank the relevant message and user features that are most critical in influencing the spread of rumor over the network. Our experiments using real-world data show that the proposed model achieves over 90% accuracy in predicting the credibility of posts on Twitter, a significant boost over state-of-the-art models.
Heart-Healthy Integrative Nutritional Counseling Group Education Sessions Among Chinese Americans With Cardiovascular Risk Factors or Disease: A Primary Care Quality Improvement Pilot.

Purpose Current biomedical cardiovascular disease nutrition counseling does not incorporate Chinese medicine principles. Methods A heart-healthy integrative nutritional counseling (H2INC) curriculum consistent with Chinese medicine principles and biomedical nutrition guidelines was taught to Chinese Americans in group education sessions. Chinese-speaking patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors from an urban general medicine practice were recruited to attend a 90-minute group session. Participants completed pre-post surveys to assess the impact of H2INC on their perceived heart-healthy nutrition knowledge and empowerment, as well as the cultural relevance of H2INC. Results A total of 47 participants (mean age: 74 years; 63.8% female) attended a session. In response to the statement "I am able to choose heart-healthy Chinese foods to eat," on a 5-point Likert scale for which "strongly disagree" = 1 and "strongly agree" = 5, the presession survey mean response was 3.87 ± 0.69 and the postsession survey mean response was 4.13 ± 0.58 (P=0.05). Postsession, 87% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they felt confident using what they learned and 94% agreed or strongly agreed that H2INC fit their culture. Conclusions H2INC had a positive impact on perceived heart-healthy nutrition knowledge and empowerment and rated high in cultural relevance. Culturally relevant education sessions like H2INC could be a promising primary care health education intervention.