cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MobileASL: intelligibility of sign language video as constrained by mobile phone technology

For Deaf people, access to the mobile telephone network in the United States is currently limited to text messaging, forcing communication in English as opposed to American Sign Language (ASL), the preferred language. Because ASL is a visual language, mobile video phones have the potential to give Deaf people access to real-time mobile communication in their preferred language. However, even today's best video compression techniques can not yield intelligible ASL at limited cell phone network bandwidths. Motivated by this constraint, we conducted one focus group and one user study with members of the Deaf Community to determine the intelligibility effects of video compression techniques that exploit the visual nature of sign language. Inspired by eyetracking results that show high resolution foveal vision is maintained around the face, we studied region-of-interest encodings (where the face is encoded at higher quality) as well as reduced frame rates (where fewer, better quality, frames are displayed every second). At all bit rates studied here, participants preferred moderate quality increases in the face region, sacrificing quality in other regions. They also preferred slightly lower frame rates because they yield better quality frames for a fixed bit rate. These results show promise for realtime access to the current cell phone network through signlanguage-specific encoding techniques.
Midlatitude Tropopause and Low-Level Moisture

AbstractA new relationship between the surface distribution of equivalent potential temperature and the potential temperature at the tropopause is proposed. Using a Gaussian approximation for the distribution of equivalent potential temperature, the authors argue that the tropopause potential temperature is approximately given by the mean equivalent potential temperature at the surface plus twice its standard derivation. This relationship is motivated by the comparison of the meridional circulation on dry and moist isentropes. It is further tested using four reanalysis datasets: the Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim); the NCEP–Department of Energy (DOE) Reanalysis II; the NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis; and the Twentieth-Century Reanalysis (20CR), version 2. The proposed relationship successfully captures the annual cycle of the tropopause for both hemispheres. The results are robust among different reanalysis datasets, albeit the 20CR tends to overestimate the tropopause potential temperatu...
WIND RESPONSE CONTROL OF BUILDING WITH VARIABLE STIFFNESS TUNED MASS DAMPER USING EMPIRICAL MODE DECOMPOSITION/HILBERT TRANSFORM

The effectiveness of a novel semiactive variable stiffness-tuned mass damper ~SAIVS-TMD! for the response control of a wind-excited tall benchmark building is investigated in this study. The benchmark building considered is a proposed 76-story concrete office tower in Melbourne, Australia. It is a slender building 306 m tall with a height to width ratio of 7.3; hence, it is wind sensitive. Across wind load data from wind tunnel tests are used in the present study. The objective of this study is to evaluate the new SAIVS-TMD system, that has the distinct advantage of continuously retuning its frequency due to real time control and is robust to changes in building stiffness and damping. In comparison, the passive tuned mass damper ~TMD! can only be tuned to a fixed frequency. A time varying analytical model of the tall building with the SAIVS-TMD is developed. The frequency tuning of the SAIVS-TMD is achieved based on empirical mode decomposition and Hilbert transform instantaneous frequency algorithm developed by the writers. It is shown that the SAIVS-TMD can reduce the structural response substantially, when compared to the uncontrolled case, and it can reduce the response further when compared to the case with TMD. Additionally, it is shown the SAIVS-TMD reduces response even when the building stiffness changes by 615% and is robust; whereas, the TMD loses its effectiveness under such building stiffness variations. It is also shown that SAIVS-TMD can reduce the response similar to an active TMD; however, with an order of magnitude less power consumption.
Activation and inactivation of neocarzinostatin-induced cleavage of DNA

The possible role of free radicals in the mechanism of neocarzinostatin (NCS) action was studied. While mercaptene markedly stimulate the ability of NCS to degrade DNA, they also rapidly inactivate the antibiotic in a preincubation and at higher concentration inhibit the degradation reaction. The radiation protector S,2-aminoethylisothiuronium bromide-HBr is the most potent compound tested. Scavengers of diffusible OH radicals, O2- or H2O2 do not result in significant inhibition of the oxygen-dependent cleavage of DNA by NCS; in fact, alcohols and other organic solvents stimulate the reaction several-fold. By contrast, the potent peroxyl free radical scavenger, alpha-tocopherol, blocks the reaction 50% at 50 micron.
Interpretation of some median anomalies as illustrated by cyclopia and symmelia.

Anomalies that involve the median plane are heterogeneous, and their embryological basis varies widely. Cyclopia and symmelia present a number of similarities: 1) They would appear to arise by neither fusion nor merging but mainly through a failure in lateralization. 2) Mesenchymal deficiency is important in both: possibly disturbance of the prechordal plate in cyclopia and failure of the caudal eminence in symmelia. The caudal eminence is an important developmental feature that is only recently becoming clearer in the human embryo. 3) Disturbance of axial material seems to be essential in both. 4) The results of experimental teratogenesis and an analysis of normal human development confirm that these conditions arise early. The teratogenetic termination-periods in the human are probably 2 1/2 weeks for cyclopia sensu stricto (a median eye in a single orbit) and 3 weeks for cyclopia sensu lato, i.e., synophthalmia (paired ocular structures in a single orbit); 2 1/2 weeks for symmelia of the upper limbs (e.g., in cephalothoracopagus) and 3 1/2 weeks for symmelia of the lower limbs in a single individual. It is pointed out that in symmelia the limb buds, upper or lower, have failed to separate at their postaxial margins. This is in contrast to dimelia, in which the preaxial borders are missing and the postaxial margins are duplicated (postaxial dominance).
New Species of Commelina (Commelinaceae) from East and South-Central Africa

Commelina lukei Faden (Commelinaceae) is newly described from southeastern Kenya, also distributed in northeastern Tanzania and Madagascar. It is distinguished from C. kotschyi Hasskarl by its larger, less undulate-margined leaves, larger spathes, and different distribution and ecology; from C. imberbis Ehrenberg ex Hasskarl and C. mascarenica C. B. Clarke by its capsule shape, appendaged seeds, and consistently clasping leaf bases; and from all three species by the presence of solely acicular hairs on the adaxial lamina midrib. Commelina milne-redheadii Faden is newly described from Zambia, also in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It differs from C. scaposa C. B. Clarke by the presence of leaves on the flowering shoots and larger spathes; from C. hockii De Wildeman by its narrower leaves and much smaller, striped spathes; from C. welwitschii C. B. Clarke by its tuberous roots, fewer-veined spathes, and several- to many-flowered upper cincinnus; and from all three species by its blue flowers and seeds with a dorsal ridge.
Higher Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury With Intravenous Colistimethate Sodium Compared With Polymyxin B in Critically Ill Patients at a Tertiary Care Medical Center

Nephrotoxicity was assessed in 173 critically ill patients receiving intravenous colistin or polymyxin B; it occurred in 60.4% and 41.8%, respectively. Further investigation is necessary to elucidate the reason for the difference in nephrotoxicity observed between the groups and to assess the impact of severity of illness and dosing/administration.
Reflections on the End of History for Corporate Law

In this chapter we reflect on our paper ‘The End of History for Corporate Law’ (Hansmann and Kraakman, 2001), originally written for a conference at Columbia University in 1997 on a question that was then just beginning to attract substantial attention: ‘Are corporate governance systems converging?’ There can of course be as many answers to that question as there are interpretations of the question itself. At a macro level, however, it seemed to us that there was an important sense in which the answer to this question was clearly ‘yes.’ In our original paper — with its hyperbolic title and somewhat more modulated text — we sought to expound that view.
ACCURACY OF RENAL-BLADDER ULTRASONOGRAPHY AS A SCREENING METHOD TO SUGGEST POSTERIOR URETHRAL VALVES

Purpose: We determine the usefulness of ultrasonography as a screening modality to support the diagnosis of posterior urethral valves.Materials and Methods: A retrospective chart analysis was performed of 93 consecutive boys with newly diagnosed posterior urethral valves from August 1985 through February 1999. Of the 93 boys 65, including 62 who underwent renal and bladder ultrasonography, had preoperative renal sonography available and constitute our study population. Patient age range at presentation was newborn to 13 years, with 33 of the 65 boys presenting as infants (age 1 year or younger). Presentation included fetal hydronephrosis in 13 cases, urinary tract infection in 18, voiding dysfunction in 9, abdominal mass in 6, renal insufficiency in 5, failure to thrive in 4, hematuria in 1 and other in 9.Results: Preoperative sonography identified bilateral hydronephrosis in 48 boys (74%), unilateral hydronephrosis in 9 (14%) and no hydronephrosis in 8 (12%). Bladder sonography revealed an abnormal bladd...
The Art of Mixing Follicular Units and Follicular Groupings in Hair Restoration Surgery

BACKGROUND. Follicular grafting yields good results, but takes an excessively long time to perform the procedure. Iatrogenic damage can also occur to the follicular units during the dissection phase when two follicular units are very close together. OBJECTIVE. The objective was to minimize the length of time to perform the procedure and to limit iatrogenic damage to the follicular units during the dissection phase. METHODS. A donor strip is divided under a stereoscopic microscope into one-, two-, three-, and four-haired follicular units and three- and four-haired follicular groupings. Three- and four-haired follicular groupings are formed when 2 two-haired follicular units or a three-haired follicular unit and one-haired follicular unit are very close together. These hair grafts are then inserted into incisions that are 1.0 to 2.5 mm in length and are arranged in accordance to the particular hairstyle desired by the patient. RESULTS. The technique used in this article accomplishes consistently excellent results while creating an environment that prevents damage to follicular units that are extremely close together. This technique requires less time and damages fewer follicular units. CONCLUSIONS. When performing hair restoration surgery, it is many times counterproductive to use follicular units exclusively.
Analytical developments on QoS enhancements provided by IEEE 802.11 EDCA

This paper quantifies the gain in throughput and quality of service (QoS) provided by the EDCA MAC adopted in the current IEEE 802.11e WLAN draft compared to the traditional DCF. In that purpose, an analytical model is developed to compute the throughput in the single and multi-user cases with a non-ideal channel. This model is hacked with system simulations in realistic deployment scenarios. Results make a clear statement on the advantage of EDCA to guarantee some QoS. Final discussions provide inputs to further improve both the delivered QoS per user and the overall cell throughput for next generation of wireless LANs.
River Variability and Complexity: River impact on ancient civilizations: a hypothesis

Rivers comprise only a small part of a landscape, but much of the energy of the landscape is concentrated in the river channel, which often creates hazardous conditions for humans and vast floods along the world's great rivers create creation myths and misery. Rivers form boundaries between riparian properties, between states, and between nations. They shift and create international problems as along the Rio Grande border between the USA and Mexico. They provide routes for exploration, as in the opening of western U.S. The route down the Ohio, up the middle Mississippi, and up the Missouri let Louis and Clark finally reach the Pacific Ocean, after crossing the Bitterroot Mountains and continuing down the Snake and Columbia rivers. Exploration of Africa was primarily along the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Zambezi rivers. Dwellers along great rivers could hardly not be influenced by behavior that ranged from relatively benign to dynamic. For example, river instability, as discussed in the previous chapters, could create environmental conditions leading to uncertainty for the riparian dweller. Diamond (1999) demonstrates the effect of environmental conditions on diverse human groups, and it may not be too problematic to suggest that river type may in the past have had major impacts on human perspectives. For example, if one river is stable and another subject to shift and avulsion, would not the perceptions of the two populations be different? For example, Macaulay in 1838 (Schama, 1995) commented on supposed affinities between French rivers and people.
Families of Elliptic Curves and Geometric Properties of Torsion Points

In this chapter we consider families of elliptic curves by studying cubics in normal form with coefficients depending on a parameter. The most important example is the Legendre family E: y 2 = x(x-1)(x-λ) over k(λ), where k is a field of characteristic unequal to 2. The points ·(0, 0), (1, 0), (λ, 0)× are the three 2-torsion points on E λ for each value of λ ∈ k - ·0, 1×, and they are specified with a given ordering.
Reusing Hardware Performance Counters to Detect and Identify Kernel Control-Flow Modifying Rootkits

Kernel rootkits are formidable threats to computer systems. They are stealthy and can have unrestricted access to system resources. This paper presents NumChecker, a new virtual machine (VM) monitor based framework to detect and identify control-flow modifying kernel rootkits in a guest VM. NumChecker detects and identifies malicious modifications to a system call in the guest VM by measuring the number of certain hardware events that occur during the system call’s execution. To automatically count these events, NumChecker leverages the hardware performance counters (HPCs), which exist in modern processors. By using HPCs, the checking cost is significantly reduced and the tamper-resistance is enhanced. We implement a prototype of NumChecker on Linux with the kernel-based VM. An HPC-based two-phase kernel rootkit detection and identification technique is presented and evaluated on a number of real-world kernel rootkits. The results demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.
Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) affect osteoblast viability and biomarkers independently of the TZD effects on aromatase.

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are insulin sensitizers used for treatment of diabetes. We have previously reported that TZDs reduce estrogen synthesis by inhibiting aromatase activity in human granulosa cells (HGC). Multiple clinical trials demonstrated that TZDs increase the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. We studied mouse osteoblasts alone or in a co-culture with HGC to determine whether TZD inhibition of aromatase plays a role in their effects on bone metabolism. Mouse osteoblasts were cultured with and without HGC, and incubated in a medium with or without testosterone, pioglitazone or rosiglitazone. Cell growth, oleic acid uptake, alkaline phosphatase activity, and osteocalcin production were measured. TZDs inhibited estradiol production by up to 84% in HGC/mouse osteoblast co-cultures. TZDs induced mouse osteoblast death and increased oleic acid uptake. TZDs also inhibited alkaline phosphatase activity (58–75%, p
Dispersion-Managed Multichannel 2R Regeneration with Large Anomalous Average Dispersion

Multichannel version of Mamyshev regenerator whose key component - periodic-group-delay device - has bandpass-filtering response, cannot operate in the regime reported earlier. We find a new regime where regenerator's performance is robust to such filtering.
Effects of endothelial impairment on arteriolar dilator responses in vivo

In pentobarbital-anesthetized rats we investigated the role of the endothelium in the dilation of third-order arterioles of cremaster muscle to acetylcholine, adenosine, and sodium nitroprusside in vivo. Responses to the topical administration of these agents were measured with image shearing and recorded with video microscopy before and after light-dye (L-D) treatment of a 50- to 100-microns segment of the arteriole under study. L-D treatment consisted of intravascular administration of sodium fluorescein and the illumination of a discrete area of the arteriole under study with its excitation light from a mercury lamp. Before L-D treatment, acetylcholine (10(-7) to 10(-5) M) and adenosine (10(-6) to 10(-4) M) produced dose-dependent increases in arteriolar diameter (vasodilation). After L-D treatment of the arteriolar segment, administration of 10(-7) M acetylcholine evoked a vasoconstriction (-19% from control), and the dilator responses to 10(-6) and 10(-5) M were inhibited by 91 and 77%, respectively. In contrast, the arteriolar dilator responses to all doses of adenosine and sodium nitroprusside (2 x 10(-7) M) were not altered by this treatment. In addition, the dilator responses to acetylcholine were not changed in the nonilluminated, distal, and proximal segments of the arterioles. These findings suggest that L-D treatment selectively alters the function of the endothelium resulting in the loss of vasodilation to acetylcholine, whereas arteriolar smooth muscle function does not appear to be affected.
Degradation of Antibiotic Activity during UV/H2O2 Advanced Oxidation and Photolysis in Wastewater Effluent

Trace levels of antibiotics in treated wastewater effluents may present a human health risk due to the rise of antibacterial activity in the downstream environments. Advanced oxidation has a potential to become an effective treatment technology for transforming trace antibiotics in wastewater effluents, but residual or newly generated antibacterial properties of transformation products are a concern. This study demonstrates the effect of UV photolysis and UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation on transformation of 6 antibiotics, each a representative of a different structural class, in pure water and in two different effluents and reports new or confirmatory photolysis quantum yields and hydroxyl radical rate constants. The decay of the parent compound was monitored with HPLC/ITMS, and the corresponding changes in antibacterial activity were measured using bacterial inhibition assays. No antibacterially active products were observed following treatment for four of the six antibiotics (clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, peni...
Do the Apoe−/− and Ldlr−/– Mice Yield the Same Insight on Atherogenesis?

Murine models of atherosclerosis are useful for investigating the environmental and genetic influences on lesion formation and composition. Apoe−/− and Ldlr−/− mice are the 2 most extensively used ...
A randomized controlled trial of nitrous oxide for intrauterine device insertion in nulliparous women.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of inhaled nitrous oxide for pain management among nulliparous women undergoing intrauterine device (IUD) insertion. Methods A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted among nulliparous women aged 13–45 years who underwent IUD insertion at a US center between October 1, 2013, and August 31, 2014. Using a computer-generated randomization sequence, participants were randomly assigned to inhale either oxygen (O2) or a mixture of 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen (N2O/O2) through a nasal mask for 2 minutes before insertion. Only the person administering the inhalation agent was aware of group assignment. The primary outcome was maximum pain assessed 2 minutes after insertion via a 100-mm visual analog scale. Analyses were by intention to treat. Results Forty women were assigned to each group. Mean maximum pain score at the time of insertion was 54.3 ± 24.8 mm for the N2O/O2 group and 55.3 ± 20.9 mm for the O2 group (P = 0.86). Adverse effects were reported for 6 (15%) women in the N2O/O2 group and 7 (18%) in the O2 group (P = 0.32). Conclusion N2O/O2 did not reduce the pain of IUD insertion among nulliparous women. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02391714
Do Changes in Condom Availability Affect Short-Term Fertility? Evidence from Rwanda

This paper examines the increase in condom supply resulting from the DELIVER project's activity in Rwanda. In particular, I examine whether increases in the availability of condoms affected short-term fertility for women in Rwanda or generated changes in the distribution of births among mothers of certain characteristics. Using Measure DHS survey data, I exploit location-specific variation in the change in condom supply between 2000 and 2005 using a difference-in-differences framework. Via probit methodology, I find some evidence that increases in condom availability reduced short-term fertility and reallocated births, with a higher percentage of births accruing to women with some secondary education. However, closer examination of the data suggests that these results may be driven by increases in stimuli to demand for contraceptives rather than by increases in condom supply. On one hand, this is consistent with the generally accepted argument in development economics today that fertility outcomes are determined more so by demand-side factors than by access to contraceptives. On the other hand, my findings refute a more staunch version of this hypothesis, as they suggest that either increases in condom supply, increases in exposure to family planning advertisements in the media, or a combination of both, yielded changes in fertility behavior.
The Effect of Atrazine on Louisiana Gulf Coast Estuarine Phytoplankton

Pesticides may enter water bodies in areas with a high proportion of agricultural land use through surface runoff, groundwater discharge, and erosion and thus negatively impact nontarget aquatic organisms. The herbicide atrazine is used extensively throughout the Midwest and enters the Mississippi River through surface runoff and groundwater discharge. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of atrazine contamination in Louisiana's estuaries from Mississippi River water under different flow and nutrient regimes (spring and summer) and its effect on the biomass and oxygen production of the local phytoplankton community. The results showed that atrazine was consistently present in these systems at low levels. Microcosm experiments exposed to an atrazine-dilution series under low and high nutrient conditions to determine the phytoplankton stress response showed that high atrazine levels greatly decreased phytoplankton biomass and oxygen production. Phytoplankton exposed to low and moderate atrazine levels under high nutrient conditions were able to recover after an extended acclimation period. Communities grown under high nutrient conditions grew more rapidly and produced greater levels of oxygen than the low nutrient treatment groups, thus indicating that atrazine exposure may induce a greater stress response in phytoplankton communities under low-nutrient conditions. The native community also experienced a shift from more sensitive species, such as chlorophytes, to potentially more resilient species such as diatoms. The phytoplankton response to atrazine exposure at various concentrations can be especially important to greater trophic levels because their growth and abundance can determine the potential productivity of the entire ecosystem.
FDG uptake, calcification and the global metabolic activity of the aorta: Correlation with normal aging

365 Objectives: FDG-PET allows detection of the inflammatory component of atherosclerosis in the arterial wall. Our objective was to quantify the extent of the atherosclerosis in the large arteries by combining standard uptake values in the arterial wall with true noncalcified vessel wall volumes provided by CT, and also to investigate the correlation between FDG uptake and degree of calcification in large arteries with aging. Methods: Seventeen subjects (7 males, 10 females; age range 24-77 years) who had both FDG-PET and CT scans of the chest and abdomen were selected for this analysis. Patients were divided into three groups according to age. Degree of FDG uptake was measured by calculating mean SUV for each aortic segment (ascending, arch, thoracic and abdominal). On each axial CT image, region of interest tracings along inner and outer walls of aorta were generated. Inner and outer area values of these tracings were summed for each arterial segment, total inner surface area was subtracted from total outer surface area. The net area values for each segment were then multiplied by slice thickness to calculate arterial wall volume. We then calculated the amount of calcium in each subject by using a calcium scoring program and subtracted the calcium volume from the arterial wall volume in each segment to calculate the true volume of aortic wall FDG uptake. These volumes were multiplied by mean SUV for each segment. We were able to calculate global metabolic activity for each segment in all patients. We compared the mean SUV and actual global metabolic activity for all segments in three age groups. We also determined the degree of correlation of the mean SUV and total calcification volume in the entire aorta with age. Results: In each aortic wall segment, mean SUVs and global metabolic activity increased with age. The global metabolic activity values for age groups were 7.5 ±3.8; 14.2±7 and 21.0±10.2 respectively. There was statistically significant difference for each segment of the aorta and entire aorta amongst age groups (p Conclusions: Both FDG uptake and the calcification in the large arteries increase with normal aging. FDG uptake represents an early atherosclerotic process and reflects the ongoing active disease. On the other hand calcification represents late and irreversible stage of the disease. Quantitative measurement of both parameters may allow optimal assessment of atherosclerotic burden.
Anxiety Sensitivity Moderates the Relation Between Family Accommodation and Anxiety Symptom Severity in Clinically Anxious Children

High levels of family accommodation (FA), or parental involvement in child symptoms, are associated with child anxiety symptom severity. The strength of associations has varied across studies, however, highlighting the need to identify moderating variables. We investigated whether anxiety sensitivity (AS) moderated the FA-anxiety symptom severity association in clinically anxious children (N = 103, ages 6–17; mean age 11.07 years). We collected child and mother ratings of FA, child anxiety symptom severity, and child AS ratings. AS significantly moderated the FA-child anxiety severity link. Specifically, this link was significant for low-AS but not high-AS children. Findings suggest that FA may operate in the typically observed fashion for low-AS children—alleviating immediate distress while inadvertently exacerbating longer-term anxiety—whereas high-AS children may experience distress following anxiety-provoking stimuli regardless of FA. Assessing AS in research and clinical settings may help identify subsets of children for whom FA is more closely tied to anxiety severity.
Monolithic Integration of a Micropin-Fin Heat Sink in a 28-nm FPGA

Microfluidic cooling has been demonstrated as an effective means of cooling microelectronic circuits with a very low convective thermal resistance and potential for integration in close proximity to the area of heat generation. However, microfluidic cooling experiments to date have been limited to silicon with resistive heaters representing the heat generating circuitry. In this paper, a micropin-fin heat sink is etched into the back side of an Altera Stratix V field-programmable gate array (FPGA), built in a 28-nm CMOS process. Thermal and electrical measurements are made running a benchmark pulse compression algorithm on the FPGA. Deionized water is used as a coolant with flow rates ranging from 0.15 to 3.0 mL/s and inlet temperature ranging from 21 °C to 50 °C. An average junction-to-inlet thermal resistance of 0.07 °C/W is achieved.
Designer biomass for next-generation biorefineries: leveraging recent insights into xylan structure and biosynthesis

Xylans are the most abundant noncellulosic polysaccharides in lignified secondary cell walls of woody dicots and in both primary and secondary cell walls of grasses. These polysaccharides, which comprise 20–35% of terrestrial biomass, present major challenges for the efficient microbial bioconversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to fuels and other value-added products. Xylans play a significant role in the recalcitrance of biomass to degradation, and their bioconversion requires metabolic pathways that are distinct from those used to metabolize cellulose. In this review, we discuss the key differences in the structural features of xylans across diverse plant species, how these features affect their interactions with cellulose and lignin, and recent developments in understanding their biosynthesis. In particular, we focus on how the combined structural and biosynthetic knowledge can be used as a basis for biomass engineering aimed at developing crops that are better suited as feedstocks for the bioconversion industry.
EMI real-time subsurface target location by analytical dHP

In processing electromagnetic induction (EMI) survey data for UXO discrimination, the nonlinear search for the location of subsurface objects (“targets”) is one of the most onerous and error-producing components. Here we pursue a technique that exploits fundamental analytical electromagnetic relations to extract estimates of a target’s subsurface position. The formulation requires that one be able to estimate secondary field gradients from the data, e.g. by differencing values from multiple, nearby vector receivers. Further, the field in the vicinity of the Rx units is idealized as one structured like that from an infinitesimal dipole responder; this need not restrict the model complexity applied in other aspects of the processing. Once the system is formulated from the data, direct solution of a 3×3 matrix is the only computational burden. Essentially instantaneous results in simulation tests and in processing of some field data locate a hypothetical source point that varies from nominal target position only by a distance on the order of UXO sizes.
Nonrespiratory Functions of the Lung

Pulmonary endothelial cells metabolize endogenous substances and xenobiotics via ectoenzymes on their luminal surface and caveolae as well as enzyme systems within the cytosol. Pulmonary metabolism results in the activation of several endogenous substances and medications of importance to the anesthesiologist. Pulmonary uptake is often not associated with metabolism, but still markedly affects pharmacokinetics by initially attenuating peak concentrations before ultimately returning the unchanged substance to the circulation. The lung’s ability to serve as a vascular reservoir is directly related to the capacitance of the pulmonary vessels. The lung serves as a physical filter, but this function may be compromised with high cardiac output and in several disease states. The respiratory epithelium’s functions include humidification and trapping of particles and pathogens. The airway surface film has antimicrobial capacity beyond its mechanical removal of debris from the airway.
The Density Matrix Renormalization Group

Since its creation in 1992, the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method has evolved and mutated. From its original formulation in a condensed matter context, it has been adapted to study problems in various fields, such as nuclear physics and quantum chemistry, becoming one of the dominant numerical techniques to simulate strongly correlated systems. In this chapter, we shall cover many technical aspects of the DMRG, from a “traditional”, or “conventional” perspective, describing the theoretical fundamentation, as well as the details of the algorithm.
Airway Epithelial Cell-Derived Colony Stimulating Factor-1 Promotes Allergen Sensitization.

Airway epithelial cells (AECs) secrete innate immune cytokines that regulate adaptive immune effector cells. In allergen-sensitized humans and mice, the airway and alveolar microenvironment is enriched with colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF1) in response to allergen exposure. In this study we found that AEC-derived CSF1 had a critical role in the production of allergen reactive-IgE production. Furthermore, spatiotemporally secreted CSF1 regulated the recruitment of alveolar dendritic cells (DCs) and enhanced the migration of conventional DC2s (cDC2s) to the draining lymph node in an interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4)-dependent manner. CSF1 selectively upregulated the expression of the chemokine receptor CCR7 on the CSF1R+ cDC2, but not the cDC1, population in response to allergen stimuli. Our data describe the functional specification of CSF1-dependent DC subsets that link the innate and adaptive immune responses in T helper 2 (Th2) cell-mediated allergic lung inflammation.
Is Nocturnal Extubation After Cardiac Surgery Associated With Worse Outcomes

Background There is an increased risk of medical errors overnight compared with the day, secondary to fatigue, paucity of resources, and decreased staffing. Whether this increased risk extends to liberation from mechanical ventilation is controversial. We evaluated the relationship between length of intubation and differences between diurnal and nocturnal extubation. Methods We studied patients who had cardiac surgical procedures between January 1, 2007, and March 31, 2016, who were intubated on arrival to the cardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU) immediately after operation. Patients were divided into those extubated 24 or fewer hours or more than 24 hours after ICU arrival and were further divided by time of extubation: daytime (7 AM to 7 PM) and nocturnal (7 PM to 7 AM). We used multivariable logistic regression to determine whether nocturnal extubation was associated with increased mortality compared with diurnal extubation. Subgroup analyses investigated the effect of laboratory values, fluid management, and infused medicines. Results Two hundred seventy-eight of 8,705 patients (3.2%) died in the hospital; 84 died without being extubated. Of the remaining 8,621 patients, 6,982 patients (81%) were extubated within 24 hours of arrival to the ICU. Eighty-three of the patients (1.1%) died, and the proportion did not vary between day and night. In the delayed extubation group, 127 of the 1,639 patients (7.7%) died. Nocturnal extubation was associated with increased mortality only in the patients extubated more than 24 hours after ICU admission (adjusted odds ratio 2.46, 95% confidence interval: 1.45 to 4.16, p = 0.001). This increased risk persisted through all subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Nocturnal extubation was associated with increased mortality only in the group of patients receiving more than 24 hours of mechanical ventilation.
Post-transcriptional regulation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase mRNA in vascular smooth muscle cells.

It is well established that type-I cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG-I) mediates many functions in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Despite its important role in the vasculature, PKG expressio...
Food deserts and diet-related health outcomes of the elderly

Abstract It is hypothesized that residents of neighborhoods with limited access to affordable and nutritious food face greater barriers to eating a healthy diet, which may in turn, result in worse health outcomes for them. Low-income elderly in urban areas may be uniquely affected by these so-called “food deserts” due to limited transportation options, strong attachments to local neighborhoods, fixed incomes, physical limitations in food shopping and meal preparation, and chronic health problems. Using the 2006, 2010, and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the association between the food environment of elderly individuals living in urban Census tracts and their diet-related health was examined. Within urban areas, we find little evidence that food deserts negatively impact the health of lower income elderly individuals. Policies to address the needs of elderly residents of food deserts should be narrowly targeted and carefully justified.
Optimal Semantic Distance for Negative Example Selection in Grounded Language Acquisition

Grounded language acquisition, in which the meanings of utterances are learned from and with respect to the physical world, is often treated as a data-driven machine learning problem. For a robot, obtaining negative examples of language referents is a challenging problem: people tend to describe things that are true of a situation, rather than negatives about it.
Primary central nervous system tumors

The advent of molecular diagnostics has substantially impacted the field of neuro-oncology. Molecular characterization influences the diagnosing, prognostication, and therapeutic management of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors. An overview is provided of the major categories of primary CNS tumors and the key tumor subtypes which comprise these categories. With regard to diagnosis, the radiographic and pathologic features are highlighted, with an emphasis on the molecular pathologic features and their incorporation into diagnosis as well as the insight they provide for prognosis. The utilization of these features as potential therapeutic targets is also highlighted, acknowledging that these remain predominantly investigational treatments.
Pre-Transplant Collagen Vascular Disease as a Risk Factor for Increase in Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy after Heart Transplantation

Purpose Collagen vascular disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and scleroderma (SSc), all have auto-antibodies in their pathogenesis though the effect after heart transplantation is not known. Our aim was to assess the impact of collagen vascular disease on the risk of post-transplant donor specific antibodies (DSA), rejection, and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Methods The 22 pts transplanted 2010-2018 with collagen vascular disease: SLE (n=7), RA (n=9), SSc (n=3), and mixed (n=3) were compared to 772 pts with no collagen vascular disease. All had controlled disease prior to transplant. Outcomes were assessed: 1-year survival, freedom from CAV (stenosis ≥30%), non-fatal major adverse cardiac events (NF-MACE: myocardial infarction, heart failure, percutaneous intervention, defibrillator/pacemaker, stroke), acute cellular rejection (ACR), antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), DSA, and left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction Results Pts with pre-transplant collagen vascular disease had lower freedom from CAV (77.3% vs 95.4%, p Conclusion Patients with pre-transplant collagen vascular disease have increased risk of CAV. The mechanism is not clear, but adjustments in immunosuppression and surveillance may be warranted post heart transplantation.
Mexican-American mental health service utilization: A critical examination of some proposed variables

A number of reports indicate that Mexican-Americans have a lower prevalence of mental health service usage than other ethnic groups. Although a number of factors have been proposed to account for their underutilization, none of the factors have been adequately supported by existing research. Variables associated with the responsiveness and quality of mental health services, particularly the availability of bilingual-bicultural staff, are advocated as the most relevant areas for future research.
The Potential of Telepresence for Increasing Advanced Course Access in High Schools.

The adoption of telepresence technology in K–12 schools potentially expands students’ access to course offerings and new ways of learning, but little is known about its implementation and promise f...
Estimating Sleep Duration from Temporal Factors, Daily Activities, and Smartphone Use

As the economy progresses and new technologies emerge, more people are struggling with sleep-related difficulties. Poor sleep quality adversely affects people's health and well-being, productivity, academic success, and cognitive capability. These impairments can also affect traffic and industrial safety, and national economic developments. To better tackle these problems, it is important to accurately understand people's sleep quality. In this work, we present approaches to accurately estimate a user's sleep duration, which will facilitate better estimation of sleep quality. We apply generalized linear model (GLM) and generalized linear mixed model (GLMM), which takes person variability into consideration in addition to fixed effects, such as various temporal factors (sleep start time, days of a week, etc.), weather, a user's daily activities and calendar entries to estimate sleep duration. Through our analysis of a longitudinal sensor dataset collected from the smartphones and Fitbits of a cohort of 18 on-campus college students over an extended period of time, we show the feasibility of the work with correlations of up to 0.745 between the pairs of actual and estimated sleep durations.
Mitral Annular Disjunction: A Diagnosis to Save Lives

Introduction Mitral annular disjunction (MAD) is caused by a variation in the attachment of posterior mitral valve (MV) leaflet causing a wide separation between the left atrial wall-MV junction and left ventricular (LV) wall. Longitudinal MAD distance from left atrial wall-MV junction to LV wall during end-systole in the echocardiographic parasternal long axis view should be in excess of 2mm to suspect MAD. Recent evidence suggests that MAD magnitude is linked to higher incidence of ventricular arrhythmias. We present a case of an individual presenting with unexplained syncope, MAD and multiple episodes of non sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). Case description 68 year old male with history of hypertension presented to ER with syncope. Initial EKG showed sinus bradycardia without ischemic changes. His troponins were negative and electrolytes were normal. Exercise stress test for chronotropic competence revealed premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and an episode of 9 beats NSVT. Patient continued to have multiple episodes of NSVT with significant PVC burden. Echo showed normal systolic-diastolic function, myxomatous MV, bileaflet mitral valve prolapse (MVP), mild mitral regurgitation and MAD with magnitude of 12mm. Myocardial perfusion imaging did not reveal any defects. Cardiac MRI (CMR) showed delayed enhancement of basal mid-lateral and mid-septal walls. He received a dual chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator to decrease the risk of sudden cardiac death related to MAD. Discussion Papillary muscle fibrosis and MAD magnitude are markers for severe arrhythmic events. Both are commonly seen with bileaflet MVP. Typical findings seen on echocardiogram are curling motion of the basal lateral LV wall from hypercontraction of regional area which causes paradoxical increase in the MV annulus diameter during systole. It also causes myxomatous MV and myocardial stretch in the LV inferobasal segment eventually causing fibrosis as identified on CMR. MVP is associated with MAD but MAD can also occur without underlying MVP and should be considered an independent risk factor for arrhythmias. Physicians should consider MAD in patients with no apparent cause for PVCs and refer them for echocardiogram. There is currently no consensus regarding pharmacological or device therapy for MAD. Conclusion Identification and recognition of MAD, with or without MVP, as an independent arrhythmic risk factor should be routinely done by non invasive methods.
Socioeconomic Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Ambulatory Parathyroidectomy and a Comparison of Institutional Charges

BackgroundParathyroidectomy is frequently performed as ambulatory surgery. This study seeks to characterize the socioeconomic factors that may impact the patient selection for outpatient parathyroi...
Bayesian Inference: Modeling and Computation

This chapter explores several practical issues for a Bayesian approach to inference. The first section explores an approach used to specify prior distributions called hierarchical modeling, based on hyperparameters and conditioning. Section 15.2 discusses the robustness to the choice of prior distribution. Sections 15.4 and 15.5 deal with the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm and the Gibbs sampler, simulation methods that can be used to approximate posterior expectations numerically. As background, Section 15.3 provides a brief introduction to Markov chains. Finally, Section 15.6 illustrates how Gibbs sampling can be used in a Bayesian approach to image processing.
Real-world charged board model (CBM) failures

ICs that are robust to ESD at the component-level may be damaged by ESD at the board-level. Two case studies show that real-world Charged Board Model (CBM) ESD damage is typically more severe than HBM or CDM damage. Consequently, CBM damage can be easily mistaken for EOS damage. A high-capacitance yet compact PCB evaluation board facilitates qualitative CBM testing using conventional CDM test systems. Based on the case studies and CBM test results, guidelines are provided on how to minimize the likelihood of real-world CBM failures.
The Curse of Innovation: A Theory of Why Innovative New Products Fail in the Marketplace

Highly innovative products fail in the marketplace at significant rates. In this paper, we offer a behavioral framework to explain this failure. We begin with the behavior change inherent in most innovations. We then add reference dependence and loss aversion, arguing that the typical consumer is endowed with the entrenched alternative and the typical developer is entrenched with their innovation. As a direct result, consumers tend to undervalue and developers tend to overvalue such an innovation relative to the existing option. This is the "curse of innovation" and it systematically increases the likelihood of failure for a highly innovative new product.
Transformation properties of hadrons under broken chiral symmetry

The strong interactions are assumed to be approximately invariant under the groupSU3 ⊗SU3, the symmetry breaking being given by a term transforming according to the (3, 3*) and (3*, 3) representation of this group. Since the vacuum is not an invariant, the hadrons transform irreducibly (approximately) according to a subgroup, which is assumed to beSU3 times a discrete symmetry, as suggested by Dashen. Various aspects of symmetry breaking are discussed in detail, including configuration mixing, mass shifts due toSU3 ⊗SU3 symmetry reducing toSU3, mass formulae and parity doublets.