cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 408: Intermittent hypoxia effect on osteoclastogenesis stimulated by neuroblastoma cells

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial pediatric solid tumor that is derived from the developing sympathetic nervous system and results from the improper differentiation of neural crest cells. Neuroblastomas show a tremendous clinical heterogeneity ranging from benign ganglioneuromas to highly aggressive immature tumors. Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors and is associated with their malignant phenotype. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) which is characterized by cyclic periods of hypoxia and reoxygenation, occurs in tumor cells that are dependent on tumor blood vessels having intermittent perfusion fluctuations in blood flow. The occurrence of IH episodes varies significantly in rapidly growing malignant tumors. Bone is one of the target organs of metastasis in advanced neuroblastoma. To invade the bone, tumor cells produce osteoclast-activating factors that increase bone resorption by the osteoclast. The present study focuses on how IH-conditioned neuroblastoma cells modulate the differentiation of osteoclasts. IH-conditioned cells were derived by exposing tumor cells to 10 repeated cycles of hypoxia followed by reoxygenation. In order to assess the role of HIF-1α overexpression in osteolysis, we stably transfected human neuroblastoma cells with an expression vector containing a HIF-1α cDNA. Additionally, cells were stably transfected with a plasmid expressing HIF-1α shRNA or luciferase shRNA and selected in neomycin. The expression of HIF-1α protein was analyzed by western blotting in IH-conditioned and stable transfectants of neuroblastoma cells. Changes in gene expression were determined by real-time PCR for IL-8, MCP-1α, PTHrP, CXCR-4 and RANKL and the expression of osteoclastogenic factors was found increased in IH-conditioned and HIF-1α protein overexpressing cells. Conditioned medium collected from IH-conditioned and HIF-1α cDNA overexpressing neuroblastoma cells has shown enhanced osteoclast formation capabilities in the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) assay. IH-conditioned and HIF-1α protein overexpressing neuroblastoma cells secrete increased amounts of VEGF protein, which has been found to promote osteoclast activity. Calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) plays a pivotal role in osteoclast differentiation. We found enhanced expression of CaR in RAW 264.7 (osteoclast precursors) cells treated with conditioned medium collected from IH-conditioned and HIF-1α protein overexpressing neuroblastoma cells compared with the control. Thus, IH was found to enhance osteolytic capabilities of neuroblastoma cells in vitro in part through HIF-1α protein stabilization. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 408. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-408
Some Ustilagineae of the State of Washington

No special effort has previously been made to list the Ustilagineae of Washington. Scattered through literature, however. there are a fairly large number of reports of smuts from Washington. It would be hard to find another state where more ideal conditions for mycological study exist, especially for the study of smuts and rusts. The state has an area of 69,I80 square miles and a coast line of I,86o miles, together with a varied topography and a climate ranging from one warm enough to raise figs to that of a very frigid character, and a variation of rainfall from less than 5 inches to over I30 inches, the fungous flora of the state is naturally varied. Of the botanical collectors who have worked in the state a
Interaction of aldosterone with liver and kidney cell membranes and subcellular fractions of kidney.

Summary1. A simplified method for isolation of kidney and liver cell membranes is reported. 2. Aldosterone is weakly bound to kidney subcellular fractions as demonstrated by the techniques of equilibrium fractionation and equilibrium dialysis. 3. The liver and kidney cell membranes studied were found to either take up the steroids according to their lipid solubility or to bind them in accordance with the polarity rule for steroid-protein interaction. 4. Spirolactone failed to displace aldosterone from the kidney cell membranes.
Disposition of Nafcillin in Patients with Cirrhosis and Extrahepatic Biliary Obstruction

Nafcillin, a semisynthetic penicillin effective against penicillinase-producing staphylococci, is eliminated largely in man via the liver. This study assessed the effect of cirrhosis and extrahepatic biliary obstruction in man on the pharmacokinetics of nafcillin. The plasma clearance of nafcillin controls was 583 ± 144.2 ml per min (mean ± sd ) and fell strikingly to 291 ± 147.6 and 163 ± 56.3 ml per min in patients with cirrhosis and extrahepatic obstruction, respectively (P 0.05) and 1.73 ± 0.44 hr (P
Is That How Everyone Really Feels? Emotional Contagion with Masking for Virtual Crowds

Many simulations use emotional contagion to simulate how groups of humans behave in emotionally charged environments. These models either have each individual agent conform to a group emotion, or have emotional spirals. However, these models do not include well known phenomenon such as displaying and receiving emotions through different means of communication, or having emotions masked by an agent’s desired display emotion. We create a model of emotional contagion that considers multiple channels to communicate on. We also provide a method for agents to mask their emotions, which is used to control the spread of contagion between agents, and can prevent emotional spirals. We demonstrate our model with a sample scenario, and show the effects of having multiple channels and emotional masking on the overall emotional contagion for several groups of agents.
“Where Are You Really From?” Ethnic and Linguistic Immigrant Selection Policies in Liberal States

In this paper, I discuss some of the criteria that liberal states have used to choose between potential immigrants. While overtly racist policies have been widely condemned and abolished, many states have still in the recent past selected immigrants based on their ethnicity and/or language competency. I argue that even apparently more benign examples of ethnic and linguistic selection are unacceptable because they tend to express a morally problematic message that members of certain ethnic groups within the territory—the people who are really from there—occupy a privileged position within the political community. And this means, I argue, that they unjustly exclude members of other ethnic groups. Finally, I address some special features of linguistic selection that are sometimes thought to make it justifiable, including the de facto inevitability of promoting some languages more than others, the fact that languages can be learned voluntarily, and the fragility of minority languages in territories where there is another language that is more universally known.
Design and mechanical characterization of solid and highly porous 3D printed poly(propylene fumarate) scaffolds

The primary goal of tissue engineering is to repair a defect by encouraging new tissue growth and remodeling of that tissue within a biodegradable scaffold. The scaffold is the centerpiece of tissue engineering efforts, and its design and properties are of paramount importance. The architecture of the scaffold will directly impact its mechanical strength, degradation characteristics, and capacity to guide neotissues into the defect. Scaffold porosity is frequently used as a solitary description of architecture, while feature dimensions such as strut size and pore size are largely ignored. It is well known that pore size and shape influence tissue regeneration while strut size (i.e., wall thickness) dramatically affect mechanical strength and resorption kinetics. In this work, we propose a methodology that places special emphasis on feature dimensions using a mathematical approximation of Schoen’s gyroid, a triply periodic minimal surface, as the foundation for pore architecture. By modulating the gyroid and making virtual measurements of the resulting structures, we establish important relationships between feature dimensions and the governing equation. Using this foundation, scaffolds with gyroid-type porosity were designed and 3D printed out of a bioresorbable poly(propylene fumarate)-based resin. Unconfined compression testing was conducted on fully dense parts, as well parts with designed porosity, to establish a baseline for mechanical properties. Orientation-based mechanical anisotropy was seen in these 3D printed porous specimens. Finally, we demonstrate how such architectures can be embedded into anatomical shapes.
Insect-specific viruses: a historical overview and recent developments.

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have in recent years become a tremendous global health concern resulting in substantial human morbidity and mortality. With the widespread utilization of molecular technologies such as next-generation sequencing and the advancement of bioinformatics tools, a new age of viral discovery has commenced. Many of the novel agents being discovered in recent years have been isolated from mosquitoes and exhibit a highly restricted host range. Strikingly, these insect-specific viruses have been found to be members of viral families traditionally associated with human arboviral pathogens, including but not limited to the families Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, Reoviridae, and Bunyaviridae. These agents therefore present novel opportunities in the fields of viral evolution and viral/vector interaction and have tremendous potential as agents for biocontrol of vectors and or viruses of medical importance.
Correct, efficient, and realistic wireless network simulations

Simulating wireless networks accurately is a non-trivial task because of the large parameter space that affects the performance of such networks. Increasing the amount of detail in the simulation model increases these requirements by many times. Hence there is a need to develop suitable abstractions that maintain the accuracy of the simulation while keeping the computational resource requirements low. The topic of wireless network simulation models is explored in this research, concentrating on the medium access control and the physical layers. In this dissertation, we explore the correctness, efficiency, and realism of wireless network simulations. We concentrate on the 802.11-based wireless network simulations, although the methods and results can also be used for various other wireless network simulations too. While many simulators model the IEEE 802.11 wireless networks, almost all of them tend to make some abstractions to lessen the computation burden and to obtain reasonable results. A comparative study of three wireless simulators is made with respect to the correctness of their ideal behavior as well as their behavior under a high degree of load. Further, the physical-layer abstraction in wireless network simulations tends to be very simplistic because of the huge computational requirements that are needed to accurately model the propagation, fading, and shadowing models. When mobility is taken into account several other issues like the Doppler Effect should also be accounted for. This dissertation explores an empirical way to model the physical layer which cumulatively accounts for all these effects. From a network protocol designer's perspective, it is the cumulative effect of all these parameters that is of interest. Our major contribution has been the investigation of novel empirical models of the wireless physical layer, which account for node mobility and other effects in an outdoor environment. These models are relatively more realistic and efficient when implemented in a simulation environment. Our simulation experiments validate the models and provide simulation results which closely match our outdoor experiments. Another significant contribution is in understanding and design of wireless network simulation models.
Heritage Studies and Islam: A Crisis of Representation

It is perhaps not surprising that discussions on the topic of destruction gain the most traction in the work of heritage in public and academic discourses alike, since this is an instrumental part of the epistemology that constructs heritage as a subject of study—what is heritage if not a subject “at risk”? Concordantly, discussions of heritage destruction are a dominant theme in contemporary conversations and concerns for the fate and management of cultural heritage in the Middle East overall (i.e. Exell and Rico 2013), a tendency that is associated with the persistence and visibility of conflict in the region during a time when heritage concerns are significantly shaped by various global “observers.” What is problematic, however, is first the way that the inherently negative mantle of destruction dominates every conversation about the heritage of the Middle East, and how easily academic debates have incorporated institutional and public discourses about destruction, empowering a monolithic debate that would benefit from a more critical—and ethical—analysis. Secondly, what is also alarming is the degree to which destruction is often associated with specific perpetrators in this region, notably, a caricaturized Islam whose main feature is a dislike for preservation that articulates through scandalous acts of iconoclasm across the broad Middle East region (witnessed through highly circulated vignettes of destruction in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Mali, and other countries and regions). Yet, the representation of an Islam that is at odds with global heritage constructs has been extensively challenged academically, considering the varied and changing attitudes to non-Muslim forms of representation through time (Elias 2012), individual variations (Flood 2002), and their relationship to changes in political regimes (Elias 2007; Flood 2002), in such a way that a consistent or universal attitude to this type of representation cannot be supported. But, as I argue in this essay, the specter of the iconoclast unfortunately remains firmly established in popular discourse—and surprisingly, in some disciplinary discourses. But what happens outside of the realm of destruction in the heritage of the Middle East? Further, how can heritage studies support the integration of Islam in the heritage debates for the region in a way that circumvents the current misrepresentation?
Rethinking the Franchise Party: Adding the Ideological Dimension—The Irish Case

Attributing the label ‘franchise’ to parties that possess certain organisational characteristics, such as centralized authority at the national level combined with substantial autonomy at the local level, has become increasingly common. These franchise characteristics have been identified in parties in a wide variety of country cases, in party systems as diverse as those of Canada, Australia, Israel and Ireland. Drawing upon evidence from three original parliamentary surveys in the Republic of Ireland, this article seeks to expand our understanding of franchise parties by focusing on the ideological behaviour adopted by franchise parties at both the national and the candidate levels. An analysis of the Irish case suggests that, in addition to previously studied organisational characteristics, candidates from franchise parties enjoy an unusual degree of flexibility to vary their policy positions.
Development of a Metric for Predicting Brain Strain Responses Using Head Kinematics

Diffuse brain injuries are caused by excessive brain deformation generated primarily by rapid rotational head motion. Metrics that describe the severity of brain injury based on head motion often do not represent the governing physics of brain deformation, rendering them ineffective over a broad range of head impact conditions. This study develops a brain injury metric based on the response of a second-order mechanical system, and relates rotational head kinematics to strain-based brain injury metrics: maximum principal strain (MPS) and cumulative strain damage measure (CSDM). This new metric, universal brain injury criterion (UBrIC), is applicable over a broad range of kinematics encountered in automotive crash and sports. Efficacy of UBrIC was demonstrated by comparing it to MPS and CSDM predicted in 1600 head impacts using two different finite element (FE) brain models. Relative to existing metrics, UBrIC had the highest correlation with the FE models, and performed better in most impact conditions. While UBrIC provides a reliable measurement for brain injury assessment in a broad range of head impact conditions, and can inform helmet and countermeasure design, an injury risk function was not incorporated into its current formulation until validated strain-based risk functions can be developed and verified against human injury data.
Computational Modeling of Responses in Human Visual Cortex

A new generation of models and experimental designs are clarifying the computational principles in human visual cortex. Over the first two decades of functional magnetic resonance imaging, steady progress in measuring visual cortex led to the identification of more than twenty retinotopically mapped cortical areas. New models are being developed to predict responses in these maps and thus clarify their functional roles. Many of these models are based on a stimulus-referred approach, so that the computational principles can be tested using multiple types of measurements – spanning functional MRI, intracranial recordings, and single-unit measurements. The stimulus-referred approach promises to build an integrated view of neural computations measured across temporal and spatial scales.
Ashé-Diasporan Spirituality in Carlos Wilson’s Los nietos de Felicidad Dolores

For individuals of African ancestry, liberty not only means freedom from physical restraints such as chains, but also equality, and the freedom to express traditional spiritual practices. Carlos Guillermo Wilson (Cubena) is one of Panama’s first novelists to integrate elements of Afro-Caribbean spirituality in a positive manner to counter negative attitudes toward African-inspired cultural expression. His novels, Chombo (1981) and Los nietos de Felicidad Dolores (1991), and his numerous collections of short stories and essays focus on the historical tensions among the nation’s black communities. This study will focus on Los nietos de Felicidad Dolores and the manner in which the work serves as an example of Ashe-Diasporan literature.
NEON crypto

NEON is a vector instruction set included in a large fraction of new ARM-based tablets and smartphones. This paper shows that NEON supports high-security cryptography at surprisingly high speeds; normally data arrives at lower speeds, giving the CPU time to handle tasks other than cryptography. In particular, this paper explains how to use a single 800MHz Cortex A8 core to compute the existing NaCl suite of high-security cryptographic primitives at the following speeds: 5.60 cycles per byte (1.14 Gbps) to encrypt using a shared secret key, 2.30 cycles per byte (2.78 Gbps) to authenticate using a shared secret key, 527102 cycles (1517/second) to compute a shared secret key for a new public key, 624846 cycles (1280/second) to verify a signature, and 244655 cycles (3269/second) to sign a message. These speeds make no use of secret branches and no use of secret memory addresses.
Evaluating explanations

Explanation-based learning (EBL) is a powerful method for category formation. However, EBL systems are only effective if they start with good explanations. The problem of evaluating candidate explanations has received little attention: Current research usually assumes that a single explanation will be available for any situation, and that this explanation will be appropriate. In the real world many explanations can be generated for a given anomaly, only some of which are reasonable. Thus it is crucial to be able to distinguish between good and bad explanations. In people, the criteria for evaluating explanations are dynamic: they reflect context, the explainer's current knowledge, and his needs for specific information. I present a theory of how these factors affect evaluation of explanations, and describe its implementation in ACCEPTER, a program to evaluate explanations for anomalies detected during story understanding.
Microscopic modeling and optimal operation of thermal atomic layer deposition

Abstract This work develops a comprehensive framework for first-principles-based microscopic modeling, data-driven input/output modeling and optimal operation of thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) of SiO2 thin-films using bis(tertiary-butylamino)silane (BTBAS) and ozone as precursors. Specifically, we initially utilize Density Functional Theory (DFT)-based calculations for the computation of the key thermodynamic and kinetic parameters, which are then used in the microscopic modeling of the ALD process. Subsequently, a detailed microscopic model is constructed, accounting for the microscopic lattice structure and atomic interactions, as well as multiple microscopic film growth processes including physisorption, abstraction and competing chemical reaction pathways. Kinetic Monte-Carlo (kMC) algorithms are utilized to obtain computationally efficient microscopic model solutions while preserving model fidelity. The obtained kMC simulation results are used to train Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based data-driven models that capture the relationship between operating process parameters and time to ALD cycle completion. Specifically, a dense two-hidden-layer feed-forward ANN is constructed to find a feasible range of ALD operating conditions accounting for industrial considerations, and a Bayesian Regularized ANN is constructed to implement the cycle-to-cycle optimization of ALD cycle time. Extensive simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches. The kMC models successfully achieves a growth per cycle (GPC) of 1.8 A per cycle, which is in the range of reported experimental values. The ANN models accurately predict deposition time to steady-state from the given operating condition input, and the cycle time optimization using BRANN model reduces the conventional BTBAS cycle time by 60%.
Nanoscrolls Formed from Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks

Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent an emerging class of nanomaterials with building blocks precisely connected in-plane through covalent bonds. Gaining insights into their structure and stabilities is critical to both their preparation and applications. Here, via atomistic molecular mechanics simulations and free-energy calculations, we investigate 2D COFs both under vacuum conditions and in solution, taking representative boronate ester-based and imine-based COFs as examples. Rather than remaining flat, single-layer 2D COF sheets with at least their length larger than ∼15–∼20 nm are found to preferably form nanoscrolls. These nanoscrolls display a finite number of configurations and represent open structures due to the large pores present in the 2D sheets; this feature distinguishes them from nanoscrolls formed by dense 2D materials such as graphene. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the intrasheet interactions in the nanoscrolls make their optical and el...
Internet Use and Happiness: An Updated Review of Literature

The purpose of this research is to review the literation on the relationship between internet use and happiness, updating a previous review [1], and building upon a series of longitudinal studies following this initial review [2, 3, 4]. Reasons for studying happiness, and happiness definitions and measurement are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of early research which found a negative relationship between internet use and happiness, followed by studies indicating a more positive relationship, supporting a “stimulation hypothesis” that poses that the internet can act to facilitate face-to-face interactions. More recent research has focused on social networking. With some important exceptions, these most recent studies continue to find that internet use is positively related to happiness, while identifying a number of important mediating and moderating variables, such as experience with the internet and social networking; wealth; health; number of “friends”; the nature of interactions; extroversion, and the ways in which users represent themselves online.
Coupled three-dimensional discrete element-lattice Boltzmann methods for fluid-solid interaction with polyhedral particles

Author(s): Gardner, M; Sitar, N | Abstract: Interaction between solid particles and fluid is of fundamental interest to scientists and engineers in many different applications—cardiopulmonary flows, aircraft and automobile aerodynamics, and wind loading on buildings to name a few. In geomechanics, particle shape significantly affects both particle-particle and particle-fluid interaction. Herein, we present a generalized method for modeling the interaction of arbitrarily shaped polyhedral particles and particle assemblages with fluid using a coupled discrete element method (DEM) and lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) formulation. The coupling between DEM and LBM is achieved through a new algorithm based on a volume-fraction approach to consider three-dimensional convex polyhedral particles moving through fluid. The algorithm establishes the interaction using linear programming and simplex integration and is validated against experimental data. This approach to modeling the interaction between complex polyhedral particles and fluid is shown to be accurate for directly simulating hydrodynamic forces on the particles.
Methods for Controlling Subsystem Inputs in a SoC for ATPG Testing

The migration of different sub systems to a System On Chip (SoC) has increased integration levels there by decreasing controllability and observability of internal ports for scan coverage. This decrease causes loss of scan coverage or increase in number of patterns required to achieve same scan coverage. In this paper, we are proposing a method by which, scan coverage will increase minimum by four percent and maximum by 12 percent with a minimal gate count impact on an IP or a scan subsystem under test.
Cumulative environmental and employment impacts of the shale gas boom

Natural gas has become the largest fuel source for electricity generation in the United States and accounts for a third of energy production and consumption. However, the environmental and socioeconomic impacts across the supply chain and over the boom-and-bust cycle have not been comprehensively characterized. To provide insight for long-term decision making for energy transitions, we estimate the cumulative impacts of the shale gas boom in the Appalachian basin from 2004 to 2016 on air quality, climate change, and employment. We find that air quality impacts (1200 to 4600 deaths; $23B +99%/-164%) and employment impacts (469,000 job-years ±30%; $21B ±30%) follow the boom-and-bust cycle, while climate impacts ($12B to $94B) persist for generations well beyond the period of natural gas activity. Employment effects concentrate in rural areas where production occurs. However, almost half of cumulative premature mortality due to air pollution is downwind of these areas, occurring in urban regions of the Northeast. The cumulative temperature impacts of methane and carbon dioxide over a 30-year time horizon are nearly equivalent, but over the long term, the cumulative climate impact is largely due to carbon dioxide. We estimate that a tax on production of $2 per thousand cubic foot (+172%/-76%) would compensate for cumulative climate and air quality externalities across the supply chain.
Large presacral abscess in a patient with Crohn’s disease

A presacral abscess with sacral osteomyelitis and gluteal abscesses is a very rare complication of Crohn’s disease and is often clinically unsuspected or overlooked. We report a case of a 58-year-old male who presented for right hip pain after a fall. An abdominal and pelvic CT scan showed an atypical presacral abscess with a fistulizing tract extending through the sciatic notch and lateral to the gluteus medius and minimus muscles forming an intramuscular abscess. The endoscopic transanal approach was used to drain the presacral abscess. This method of drainage was successful and the patient had a favorable prognosis.
Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection with short-course regimens in potential living kidney donors.

Background Treatment data for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among potential living kidney donors are scarce. Methods This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) among potential living kidney donors that were screened from 2009 to 2017. We investigated if there was any difference in the time to donation between QFT-GIT-positive and QFT-GIT-negative donors. We assessed the regimens used to treat LTBI and whether the recipients of QFT-GIT-positive donors developed active tuberculosis (TB). Results Forty out of 427 (9%) potential living kidney donors had a positive QFT-GIT. QFT-GIT-positive donors were as likely as negative donors to undergo donation (30 [75%] vs 315 [81%], P = .33). The time from QFT-GIT testing to donation was longer among QFT-GIT-positive donors (median 221 days [range: 4-1139] vs 86 days [range: 3-1887], P = .001). Twelve-week rifapentine (RPT)/Isoniazid (INH) was the most common treatment used and was not associated with significant adverse reactions. There was a trend toward longer time to donation among QFT-GIT-positive donors who were treated for LTBI compared with QFT-GIT-positive donors who were not (252 days [range: 88-1139] vs 95 days [range: 4-802], P = .05). Twenty-nine recipients of QFT-GIT-positive living kidney donors were evaluated. Eleven of these recipients received kidneys from donors that were not treated for LTBI. Two of these recipients were treated with INH post-transplantation. Conclusions The time from QFT-GIT testing to donation was longer among QFT-GIT-positive donors. The short-course regimens appear to be excellent options for LTBI treatment among living kidney donors and avoid delaying organ donation further.
The HoloLens Augmented Reality System Provides Valid Measures of Gait Performance in Healthy Adults

Biomechanical measures are the gold standard in the assessment of gait in healthy and chronic disease populations. Augmented reality (AR) systems represent an opportunity to evaluate human movement under more realistic and interactive conditions. A barrier to integrating AR into healthcare is the unknown accuracy of systems in the quantification of human movement. This project aimed to determine the accuracy of the HoloLens relative to three-dimensional motion capture (MoCap) in quantifying gait. Ten healthy adults completed nine walking trials (n = 3 for slow, medium, and fast speed, respectively). Outcome measures included: cumulative walking distance, number of steps, step length, and speed. Statistical equivalence testing, using an a priori threshold of five percent, confirmed biomechanical measures derived from the HoloLens was equivalent to MoCap. Cumulative walking distance from the HoloLens was within 1.5–2.1% of the MoCap system for all walking speeds. Difference between systems in terms of movement accuracy was less than 3.7 cm across trials. Equivalence in outcomes makes the HoloLens appropriate for the quantification of frequently used gait variables to characterize walking performance. Future AR applications have the potential to deliver digital therapeutics to patient populations under more real-world conditions and monitor performance using objective and quantitative outcomes.
Dissipation of the pesticides fipronil, cypermethrin, and tebuconazole in vegetables: A case study in Thua Thien-Hue province, Central Vietnam.

This study was designed to understand the dissipation of fipronil, cypermethrin, and tebuconazole in green onions and mustard greens grown in Central Vietnam. A field trial on ca. 400 m2 was implemented for two months with three different cropping regimes (natural plot-fully exposed to natural conditions; bed plot-fenced in by plastic sheets with an open roof; and protected plot-fully covered by plastic sheets) for each vegetable. A first-order kinetic model was successfully employed to interpret the dissipation data of each studied pesticide. A comparing the dissipation rate constants obtained under the same crop and growing regime between chemicals suggested that, among the chemicals examined, fipronil dissipated most readily. The pesticides were also proven to be more persistent in crops grown in protected plots than those grown in natural plots. The half-lives for fipronil, cypermethrin, and tebuconazole fluctuated, occurring at 0.4-2.2 days, 2.0-6.0 days, and 0.9-3.3 days, respectively.
Spin inversion in graphene spin valves by gate-tunable magnetic proximity effect at one-dimensional contacts

Graphene has remarkable opportunities for spintronics due to its high mobility and long spin diffusion length, especially when encapsulated in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Here, we demonstrate gate-tunable spin transport in such encapsulated graphene-based spin valves with one-dimensional (1D) ferromagnetic edge contacts. An electrostatic backgate tunes the Fermi level of graphene to probe different energy levels of the spin-polarized density of states (DOS) of the 1D ferromagnetic contact, which interact through a magnetic proximity effect (MPE) that induces ferromagnetism in graphene. In contrast to conventional spin valves, where switching between high- and low-resistance configuration requires magnetization reversal by an applied magnetic field or a high-density spin-polarized current, we provide an alternative path with the gate-controlled spin inversion in graphene.
Share Tendering Strategies and the Success of Hostile Takeover Bids

This paper presents a model of tender offers in which the bid perfectly reveals the bidder's private information about the size of the value improvement that can be generated by a takeover. We argue that bidders with greater improvements will offer higher premia to ensure that sufficient shares are tendered to obtain control. The model relates announcement date returns and takeover success or failure to the amount bid, the initial shareholdings of the bidder, the number of shares the bidder attempts to purchase, the dilution of minority shareholders, and managerial opposition. We show that managerial defensive measures will sometimes increase the probability of the offer's success, either by raising the incentive to bid high or by decreasing the asymmetry of information about the improvement.
How to make the problem of divine hiddenness worse

I present three versions of the argument from divine hiddenness that are grounded in moral considerations regarding how a just deity would act and auxiliary commitments that theists often have. First, I argue that the problem of hiddenness is made worse if one also holds that many will suffer in the afterlife due to not achieving a proper orientation towards God and the demands of morality in this life. Second, I argue that if any version of the moral argument for theism is successful, then God has a very good reason to not remain hidden. Third, I argue that a just God would not allow people to do evil in her name.
Nonepileptic Myoclonus in COVID-19: Case Report

In late 2019, the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, COVID-19, was identified. Since then many different neurological manifestations of COVID-19 have been well reported. Move...
Operando X-ray Diffraction Studies of the Mg-Ion Migration Mechanisms in Spinel Cathodes for Rechargeable Mg-Ion Batteries.

A promising high-voltage spinel oxide cathode material MgCrMnO4 with 18% Mg/Mn inversion was synthesized successfully. A new custom operando battery device was designed to study the cation migration mechanisms of the MgCrMnO4 cathode using 0.1 M Mg(TPFA)2 electrolyte dissolved in triglyme and activated carbon as the anode. For the first time in multivalent batteries, high-quality operando diffraction data enabled the accurate quantification of cation contents in the host structure. Besides the exceptional reversibility of 12% Mg2+ insertion in Mg1-xCrMnO4 (x ≤ 1), a partially reversible insertion of excess Mg2+ during overdischarging was also observed. Moreover, the insertion/extraction reaction was experimentally shown to be accompanied by a series of cation redistributions in the spinel framework, which were further supported by density functional theory calculations. The inverted Mn is believed to be directly involved in the cation migrations, which would cause voltage hysteresis and irreversible structural evolution after overdischarging. Tuning the Mg/Mn inversion rate could provide a direct path to further optimize spinel oxide cathodes for Mg-ion batteries, and more generally, the operando techniques developed in this work should play a key role in understanding the complex mechanisms involved in multivalent ion insertion systems.
Survival Outcomes for Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma at Academic Versus Community Hospitals

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare disease with poor outcomes. Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is the cornerstone of therapy. We aim to compare outcomes of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma treated at academic versus community hospitals. This was a retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Database to identify patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma from 2004 to 2016. Patients were divided according to treating facility type: academic or community. Outcomes were assessed using log-rank tests, Cox proportional-hazard modeling, and Kaplan-Meier survival statistics. In total, 2682 patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma were identified. A total of 1272 (47.4%) were treated at an academic facility and 1410 (52.6%) were treated at a community facility. Five hundred forty-six (42.9%) of patients at academic facilities underwent debulking or radical surgery compared to 286 (20.2%) at community facilities. Three hundred sixty-six (28.8%) of patients at academic facilities received chemotherapy on the same day as surgery compared to 147 (10.4%) of patients at community facilities. Unadjusted 5-year survival was 29.7% (95% CI 26.7–32.7) for academic centers compared to 18.3% (95% CI 16.0–20.7) for community centers. In multivariable analysis, community facility was an independent predictor of increased risk of death (HR: 1.19, 95% CI 1.08–1.32, p = 0.001). We demonstrate better survival outcomes for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma treated at academic compared to community facilities. Patients at academic centers underwent surgery and received chemotherapy on the same day as surgery more frequently than those at community centers, suggesting that malignant peritoneal mesothelioma patients may be better served at experienced academic centers.
A systematic review of long-term care facility characteristics associated with COVID-19 outcomes.

Background/objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on long-term care facility residents and staff. Our objective was to review the empirical evidence on facility characteristics associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths. Design Systematic review. Setting Long-term care facilities (nursing homes and assisted living communities). Participants Thirty-six empirical studies of factors associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths in long-term care facilities published between January 1, 2020 and June 15, 2021. Measurements Outcomes included the probability of at least one case or death (or other defined threshold); numbers of cases and deaths, measured variably. Results Larger, more rigorous studies were fairly consistent in their assessment of risk factors for COVID-19 outcomes in long-term care facilities. Larger bed size and location in an area with high COVID-19 prevalence were the strongest and most consistent predictors of facilities having more COVID-19 cases and deaths. Outcomes varied by facility racial composition, differences that were partially explained by facility size and community COVID-19 prevalence. More staff members were associated with a higher probability of any outbreak; however, in facilities with known cases, higher staffing was associated with fewer deaths. Other characteristics, such as Nursing Home Compare 5-star ratings, ownership, and prior infection control citations, did not have consistent associations with COVID-19 outcomes. Conclusion Given the importance of community COVID-19 prevalence and facility size, studies that failed to control for these factors were likely confounded. Better control of community COVID-19 spread would have been critical for mitigating much of the morbidity and mortality long-term care residents and staff experienced during the pandemic. Traditional quality measures such as Nursing Home Compare 5-Star ratings and past deficiencies were not consistent indicators of pandemic preparedness, likely because COVID-19 presented a novel problem requiring extensive adaptation by both long-term care providers and policymakers.
Graph-theoretic image registration using prior examples

Information theoretic image and volume registration is currently of interest as a method for multi-modal alignment. It has been suggested that it is useful to incorporate information obtained from previous registrations into these methods to improve future registration performance. In this paper we examine how this can be done when using a graph theoretic estimator of entropy. Our main contribution is a method for incorporating prior information in a natural way and with minimal computational overhead into a registration measure based on a Euclidean minimal spanning tree estimate of entropy.
Reexamining the Practicum Placement

While many factors are taken into account when identifying appropriate practicum placements, effective technology use by the classroom teacher is rarely considered. This is disconcerting given the recent emphasis on teacher technology preparation. The research described in this article studies 30 preservice teachers’ participation in a six-week virtual practicum. The practicum took place completely over the Internet and allowed the preservice teachers to interact with and observe experienced classroom teachers as they implemented high-quality technology-supported literacy instruction. Using constant-comparative methods, field notes, e-mail correspondences, and survey responses were analyzed in relation to the three research questions: (1) How does a virtual practicum create opportunities to learn ways to manage technology integration in the classroom? (2) How does a virtual practicum create opportunities to learn ways to integrate technology into literacy instruction? and (3) How does a shared practicum experience allow preservice teachers to engage in class discussions and problem-solve issues confronted in their host classrooms?
Tightly integrating activity scheduling for wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks, one of the main design challenges is to save severely constrained energy resources and obtain a long system lifetime. Low cost of sensors enables us to initially deploy a large number of sensor nodes in a very high density. Thus, a potential approach to solve a lifetime problem arises. That is to schedule sensor nodes work alternatively by configuring some of them an off-duty status that has lower energy consumption than the normal on-duty one. In a single wireless sensor network, sensors assume two main functionalities: sensing and communication. Minimizing energy consumption in a highly dense wireless sensor network needs to maximize off-duty nodes in both domains. Most of the previous work addressed only one kind of redundancy: sensing or communication alone. Based on our previous conclusion: "the communication range is twice the sensing range" is the sufficient condition and the tight lower bound to ensure that complete coverage preservation implies connectivity among active nodes, if the original network topology (consisting of all the deployed nodes) is connected, we study a node status configuration strategy in a tightly integrated two-phase mode for those sensor networks where the communication range is more than twice the sensing range by comparing this strategy with the other two in the term of off-node number, the experimental results show that it leads to more off-duty nodes in double domains without incurring the reduction of off-duty nodes in a single domain.
Expressive Extensions to Inheritance Networks

Even though much work has gone into explicating the semantics of inheritance networks, no consensus seems to have emerged among the researchers about their precise semantics. In fact, there are several different possible interpretations of the same network topology. So, from a practical knowledge representation standpoint, in the absence of any independently verifiable semantics, we wish to pursue the approach of enhancing the language of traditional inheritance networks to enable the user to choose among the various available options, to program in a more complete description of the input problem in the enriched language. This approach permits representation of certain networks that were not represent able previously, and allows making subtle distinctions among networks that were not hitherto possible. In this paper we propose an annotated inheritance network language, develop its formal semantics by amalgamating harmoniously a family of related “local” inheritance theories, and discuss some implementation issues.
The extracellular hemoglobin of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris. Oxygenation properties of isolated chains, trimer, and a reassociated product.

The extracellular hemoglobin of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris has a two-tiered hexagonal structure that can be dissociated into 1/12 subunits. The Hb contains four major kinds of oxygen-binding chains, a, b, c, and d, of which a-c form a disulfide-linked trimer. Additional non-heme chains are necessary for the assembly of the intact 3800-kDa molecule of approximately 200 subunits. Oxygen equilibria have been measured for chains c and d, the abc trimer, the partially reassembled product of addition of chain d to the trimer, and the intact molecule. The results show that oxygenation of the trimer but not the isolated c or d subunits is modulated by both pH and Ca2+ ions. Cooperativity of oxygen binding by the trimer is low (Hill coefficient approximately 1.3). However, addition of chain d results in a substantial decrease in oxygen affinity and a large increase in cooperativity so that the oxygen equilibrium becomes indistinguishable from that of the intact native molecule at pH 6.8. Light-scattering data show that the smallest observed trimeric abc unit is the dimer (abc)2 at pH 6.8. Analysis of the major sedimentation velocity boundary of the product of the abc unit and chain d in the CO form in the absence of calcium surprisingly can be accounted for entirely in terms of a nondissociating dimer, (abc)2, and chain d. The data for the CO form in the presence of calcium are best fitted in terms of (abc)2.d. Although both subunits c and d also form dimers, oxygen binding by subunit c, but not d, is highly cooperative. These observations, taken together, suggest that the two dimers (abc)2 and d2 are likely to be the major participants in forming the primary functional unit, (abcd)2, which at pH 7.4 is partially dissociated when in the CO form. Subunit d is clearly necessary for the formation of a cooperative unit. The hypothesis that (abcd)2 is a primary functional unit is consistent with a stoichiometry of 2 (abcd)2 units per 1/12 subunit or 24 such units in each molecule of Hb which would contain, in all, 192 heme-containing chains.