cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure-based learning in wireless networks via sparse approximation

A novel framework for the online learning of expected cost-to-go functions characterizing wireless networks performance is proposed. The framework is based on the observation that wireless protocols induce structured and correlated behavior of the finite state machine (FSM) modeling the operations of the network. As a result, a significant dimension reduction can be achieved by projecting the cost-to-go function on a graph wavelet basis set capturing typical sub-structures in the graph associated with the FSM. Sparse approximation with random projection is then used to identify a concise set of coefficients representing the cost-to-go function in the wavelet domain. This Compressed Sensing (CS) approach enables a considerable reduction in the number of observations needed to achieve an accurate estimate of the cost-to-go function. The proposed method is characterized via stability analysis. In particular, we prove that the standard CS approach of the Least Angle Selection and Shrinkage Operator (LASSO) will not provide stability. We also determine a connection between the structure of the FSM induced by the wireless protocols and the restricted isometry property of the effective projection matrix. Simulation results of our approximation method show that 15 wavelet functions can accurately represent a cost-to-go function defined on a state space of 2000 states. Moreover, the number of state-cost observations needed to estimate the cost-to-go function is orders of magnitude smaller than that required by traditional online learning techniques.
The Effect of Service Experiences over Time on a Supplier's Retention of Business Customers

This paper examines the link between a supplier's marketing and service operations and its business customers' subsequent repatronage behavior. We develop a dynamic model of service contract renewal for an individual firm, at the contract level, recognizing interdependencies among service contract renewal decisions due to the firm's purchase of multiple contracts from the same supplier. The decision to renew a service contract is modeled as a function of service quality and price, where service quality is measured by the supplier's service operations metrics over time. By incorporating longitudinal data about the supplier's service operations, this study investigates how average service levels, variability in service levels (especially extreme outcomes), and timing of service delivery influence firms' service contract renewal decisions. The study context is support services for high-technology systems in business markets in Germany and the United Kingdom, where service operations metrics over time typically have skewed distributions. Firm behavior is represented by a binary choice model at the contract level, estimated as a binary response model with a complementary log-log link function incorporating random intercepts. The study shows that a firm that has a few extremely favorable experiences for a given service contract is more likely to subsequently renew that service contract, after controlling for average service levels. Firms weigh recent experiences (i.e., within the past year)---rather than earlier experiences---when deciding whether or not to renew, so the timing of service experiences may be critical to the survival of buyer-seller relationships. Overall, the study suggests that models of customer retention should incorporate the extent, variability, and timing of a supplier's service delivery over time at the contract/product level.
Establishing the Physiological and Behavioral Determinants of Chemosensory Orientation

Fishes make use of a variety of mechanisms in chemosensory-mediated orientation. Behavioral experiments with Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) have led to the formulation of a behavioral control model which describes the upstream movements of homing salmonids. The model makes use of two feedback loops which represent swimming behaviors dependent on the spatial patterns of odor distribution encountered during the homeward migration. The possible sensory controls of these behaviors are discussed. In addition, stereotypic swimming patterns released by chemical cues rather than movements under continuous control of stimulus distribution are described.
Nilpotent and Solvable Groups

We can further extend the Jordan decomposition to nonabehan groups, but we first need an algebraic formulation of commutator subgroups. Let S be an algebraic matrix group, and consider the map S × S → S sending x, y to xyx−1 y−1. The kernel I 1 , of the corresponding map k[S] →k[S] ⊗ k[S] consists of the functions vanishing on all commutators in S; that is, the closed set it defines is the closure the commutators. Similarly we have a map S2n → S sending x1, y1, …, x n y n , to x1 y 1 x1−1 y1 −1… x n −1y n −1 and the corresponding map k[S] → ⊗2nk[S] has kernel I n defining the closure of the products of n commutators. Clearly then I1 \(\supseteq \) I2 \(\supseteq \) I3 \(\supseteq \)
A framework for embedded load estimation from structural response of wind turbines

The international push in the development of energy that is sustainable in the long term is driving technological improvements in the area of wind-generated energy. Pushing the limits of current knowledge, turbines now feature increasingly slender towers, larger gear boxes, and significantly longer blades in search of greater capacities and improved efficiency. In addition, siting concerns are leading planners to build these structures in increasingly challenging environments where they are subject to harsh and poorly characterized loadings (particularly in off-shore applications where wind and wave interactions are poorly understood). Future safe and economical designs require accurate characterization of design loads, however direct measurement of wind loads on turbines can be problematic due to the disturbance caused by the wind’s interaction with the turbine blades. This paper presents a novel means of estimating wind loading from the dynamic response of the turbine tower to these loads. A model of the structure is derived using the assumed modes method and then updated using dynamically collected acceleration data a there the input-output relationships are established and input loading spectra estimated. The method relies on reduced-order modal space models making it suitable for real-time operation or embedment in a low-cost autonomous (perhaps wireless) monitoring system. Results derived for a full scale structure under lateral seismic loading are presented.
Improving state Medicaid programs for pregnant women and children.

Beginning in 1986, States have made the reduction of infant mortality a major policy priority. As progress on important maternal and infant health indicators has slowed and/or worsened, States have taken advantage of numerous Federal Medicaid options to implement innovative strategies to enhance low-income women's access to prenatal care and to improve the content of that care. Acting initially to expand Medicaid eligibility up to and above the Federal poverty level, States have moved to further improve programs by streamlining eligibility systems, enhancing outreach initiatives, attempting to recruit obstetrical providers into participating in Medicaid, and adding enriched nonmedical prenatal benefits to their State plans. Although policymakers must await formal evaluation results, State reforms appear encouraging.
Factors affecting concentrations of methyl bromide during and after fumigation of coniferous seeds.

Use of a high initial vacuum (pressure reduced to 150 mm or less of mercury) is necessary to obtain satisfactory concentrations of methyl bromide in 45- to 50-kg bags of certain coniferous seed during 2-4 hours of atmospheric fumigation. High residual concentrations may persist during aeration. Reduced germination of seeds from the center of a bag of Pinus mugo var. mughus (Scop.) Zenari occurred following recovery of 20 milligrams per liter at 20 hours postaeration.
Update on Ecstasy

After years of declining use in the United States, youth consumption of ecstasy has increased significantly. Although ecstasy (3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is known to be a drug with detrimental effects, users view the drug as a safe and attractive social lubricant. To update and clarify misperceptions, this article reviews current evidence regarding ecstasy's side effects and risks and encourages honest discussion focusing on risk-reduction behaviors.
CULTURE, PSYCHE AND STATE POWER

The discipline of anthropology has perhaps always been especially close to the exercise of state power, but, in the last two-thirds of the twentieth century, the nature of both anthropology and state power changed dramatically. This was a period when many anthropologists distanced themselves from earlier evolutionist accounts that traced a generalized human development from “primitive” to “civilized.” This evolutionist anthropology, as many scholars have shown, reflected and justified a range of imperialist practices by presenting European conquest as bringing progress to societies existing in a noncontemporary present. Two of the most important variants of post-evolutionist anthropology are the cultural relativism associated with Franz Boas (1858–1942) and the sociological universalism associated with Emile Durkheim (1858–1917). The state power that evolutionist anthropology had once supported also changed radically over the same period. The forms of domination exercised by the global North over the global South gradually shifted from direct colonial rule to the combination of military intervention and economic control that characterizes the postcolonial period. Anthropology, Talal Asad has written, is “rooted in an unequal power encounter between the West and Third World . . . an encounter in which colonialism is merely one historical moment.” Internally, the social welfare state continued its remarkable growth but also, in the 1960s and 1970s, faced challenges from those who rejected the patriarchy and heteronormativity that it often presupposed and reinforced. The two books under review reveal how new types of anthropology in the United States and France came to serve these new forms of state power in the twentieth century. In both cases anthropology adapted to these new political conditions by incorporating psychoanalysis to posit an especially strong bond between individual and culture that produced what one contemporary called an “oversocialized conception of man.”
Solute drag on perfect and extended dislocations

The drag force exerted on a moving dislocation by a field of mobile solutes is studied in the steady state. The drag force is numerically calculated as a function of the dislocation velocity for both perfect and extended dislocations. The sensitivity of the non-dimensionalized force–velocity curve to the various controlling parameters is assessed, and an approximate analytical force–velocity expression is given. A non-dimensional parameter S characterizing the strength of the solute-dislocation interaction, the background solute fraction , and the dislocation character angle , are found to have the strongest influence on the force–velocity curve. Within the model considered here, a perfect screw dislocation experiences no solute drag, but an extended screw dislocation experiences a non-zero drag force that is about 10 to 30% of the drag on an extended edge dislocation. The solutes can change the spacing between the Shockley partials in both stationary and moving extended dislocations, even when the stacki...
Liquid cooling of a stacked quad-core processor and DRAM using laminar flow in microchannels

Three dimensional (3D) stacking of the processor and memory components in high computing applications reduces the communication delay in multicore system-on-a-chip (SoCs) owing to reduced system size and shorter interconnects. The shorter interconnection length between the processing and memory components in a multicore system lowers the overall system access latencies and boosts the system performance. However, this 3D integration of the processors and memory exacerbates the reliability and thermal problems due to high thermal resistance of the stacked designs. Liquid cooling is the most promising solution to overcome this thermal problem arising in the 3D multicore systems. In this paper, we provide a 3D simulation model comprising of quad-core processor, dynamic random-access-memory (DRAM), liquid cooled microchannel heat sink and air-cooled heat sink. The thermal resistance offered by the silicon oxide layer and thermal interface material (TIM) has also been taken into account. The model assumes the integration of the thermal as well as electrical vias and considers the modified thermal conductivity of the materials in the stack. The cores of the quad-core processor are identical, have non-uniform power dissipation and are arranged in a symmetric layout. The quad-core layouts are based on the traditional and optimized floor plan of a single-core microprocessor. The paper reports the results for both planar flow and impingement flow in the microchannels. The thermal efficiency of the 3D design is evaluated on the basis of the hot spot temperature, hot spot spread and number of hot spots on the surface of the chip as well as DRAM.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Movable Bed Tidal Inlet Models

Stabilization of tidal inlets is a major engineering problem that is frequently encountered in the development of harbors. The planning, design, and modification of these inlets under the dynamic conditions that generally characterize their surroundings is, at best, a complex and uncertain undertaking. Prediction of the sedimentary response of an existing inlet to artificial improvements and to changing environmental conditions, or of a new inlet to the expected ambient conditions, and the optimization of the layout in order to minimize undesirable accretion or erosion are major elements in the design of tidal inlets. Because of the complexity of the problem, movable bed hydraulic models often are employed, despite the questions that surround their validity, to investigate these responses and to guide designs. The success of a movable bed hydraulic model depends upon the proper choice of similitude conditions and modeling criteria. Unfortunately, the conditions of similitude still are not well defined, as many of the phenomena constituent to the processes involved are yet to be elucidated adequately and formulated. Moreover, it is not possible to satisfy simultaneously all of the similitude conditions that arise. The required grain size and density of the model bed material, the current exaggeration that may be required, the effects of geometric distortion, etc. cannot be determined by straightforward computations. These must be chosen to obtain the most favorable balance between all relevant phenomena. The criteria of similitude generally are specified by experimenters who have previous experience with this type of model. The execution of a model studies of this type is, therefore, largely an "art" and entails major elements of subjectivity. The Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research, under contract to Coastal Engineering Research Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is presently (1976) conducting a study to evaluate the reliability and effectiveness of movable bed, tidal inlet, hydraulic models as predictors of prototype behavior. The main emphasis of this study is on comparison of model predictions with observations made in the prototypes, and evaluation of model performance in the light of: (i) the criteria of similitude adopted; (ii) the sedimentary material and instrumentation utilized in the models; (iii) the experimental procedure followed; (iv) the quality of the prototype data utilized in verification of the models; and (v) the degree and accuracy of model verification. The scope of this study is limited to those models in which the area of interest is composed entirely of movable material and not of just a thin erodible layer placed over a fixed bathymetry.
Prognostic value of MRI T2 quantification in heart transplant patients: a 5-year outcome study

Background Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the current gold standard to monitor patients for heart transplant rejection. Quantification of myocardial T2 relaxation time using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been shown to have high sensitivity and specificity to detect rejection episodes. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of myocardial T2 to predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes during 5-year follow-up after initial CMR.
Introduction: The Economist as System Builder: Ludwig Von Mises and the Architect of Economic Science and Political Economy

In this introduction sketch the architecture of Mises' economics and political economy. Mises' overarching program is one of examining exchange (economic science) and the institutions within which exchange takes place (political economy). In recent years the economics profession has moved considerably in the direction that Mises pointed to some 50 years ago. The increasing recognition of the role for private property and entrepreneurship in securing economic development as well as the acknowledgement of the failure of central planning point to an important opportunity for a renaissance of Misesian political economy, with its emphasis on social cooperation, market process, and spontaneous order.
Discussion About Torpedo Materiel System Materiel Readiness

Materiel readiness(MR) is thought to be an important sign of actual operational capability, which integrates the requirements for reliability, maintainability and supportability of materiel system. This paper discusses the concepts of materiel readiness, operational availability and mission effectiveness of torpedo materiel system and their mutual relation in order to overcome the problems in the evaluation of mission effectiveness of torpedo materiel system. The operational availability is suggested as the main index for evaluating torpedo materiel system, and an evaluation model of operational availability is also established to provide a reference for analyzing and evaluating torpedo materiel system.
Direct Determination of Hippuric Acid in Urinary With HPLC

Objective To establishment a direct method to determine hippuric acid in urine with High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC).Methods Experimental settings were as following: methanol and phosphate buffer solution(20: 80 V/V) as mobile phase;velocity 0.8ml /min;separation column,PE4.6 × 150mm C18 /5μm and the diode array detector wavelength,220 nm.Peak was identified qualitatively and peak area,quantitatively.Results Under the selected chromatography conditions,the linear relationship of standard curve was excellent,the correlation coefficient was above 0.9992;the detection limit was 1.2mg /L.The relative standard deviation was between 0.98%-7. 9% and the recovery rate was in 91.0%-105.0%.Conclusion The method is proved to be simple,precise and accurate.
Discovering Fraud in Online Classified Ads

Classified ad sites routinely process hundreds of thousands to millions of posted ads, and only a small percentage of those may be fraudulent. Online scammers often go through a great amount of effort to make their listings look legitimate. Examples include copying existing advertisements from other services, tunneling through local proxies, and even paying for extra services using stolen account information. This paper focuses on applying knowledge discovery concepts towards the detection of online, classified fraud. Traditional data mining is used to extract relevant attributes from an online classified advertisements database and machine learning algorithms are applied to discover patterns and relationships of fraudulent activity. With our proposed approach, we will demonstrate the effectiveness of applying data mining techniques towards the detection of fraud in online classified advertisements.
Material Characterization for Power Electronics Packaging

The encapsulation of plastic power packages often produces interfacial shear stresses that can lead to failure during temperature cycling. Also surface mounted technology exposes the body of the plastic package to such high temperature during assembly that moisture-related mechanical failure of the package can occur. The selection of materials for both hermetic and nonhermetic package is influenced by the mechanical, electrical, and the thermal requirements of the power device and its surrounding electrical system and by the environmental to which the device will be exposed. The reliability of the packaged power device will depend not only on the characteristics of the individual materials but also on the interaction of package materials at interfaces during exposure to such stresses as thermal gradients, temperature cycling, moisture, and contamination.
Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and acute renal failure in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Response to obinutuzumab.

Abstract Objective/background Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is a common extramedullary renal presentation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and can present with either a frank renal failure or proteinuria. One of its etiologies has been attributed to a paraneoplastic, immune complex phenomenon occurring in CLL. Although there is no standard of care in such patients, use of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies like rituximab have been used before in such patients with variable responses. Obinutuzumab is a novel, type II, immunoglobulin-G1 monoclonal antibody with a higher efficacy than rituximab and has an established safely profile in patients with comorbidities and poor renal functions. There are no such reported cases of MPGN in CLL being treated with obinutuzumab. Methods We used the standard doses of obinutuzumab in our elderly patient (78-year-old woman) with high-risk CLL due to an underlying TP53 mutation, along with a MPGN-related acute renal failure. Results The patient achieved complete remission after six cycles of obinutuzumab; however, she remained positive for minimal residual disease on flow cytometry. Her renal function improved completely, suggesting a complete response of her underlying MPGN. Conclusion Obinutuzumab has an established safety profile in patients with CLL, but our case is the first reported case of a paraneoplastic, immune complex-mediated MPGN in CLL being treated with obinutuzumab. Obinutuzumab should be explored as a potential option in patients with CLL and MPGN.
Review: Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age by John C. McEnroe

John C. McEnroe . Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age . Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010, 220 pp., 8 color and 205 b/w illus. $60, ISBN 9780292721937 Between 7000 and 1100 BC the island of Crete produced one of the most idiosyncratic and highly distinctive forms of architecture in the ancient world. There has long been a need for a fresh synthesis of Minoan architecture, one that goes well beyond available studies of materials and techniques, diachronic changes in style, function, sterile modules, or the relationship between architectural and social units. While these topics are well summarized by John McEnroe, the primary goal of this new book is, in the words of the author, "to provide the first overall history of Minoan houses, Palaces, tombs, and towns from the Neolithic period through L[ate] M[inoan] IIIC" (vii). Why "Palaces" appears in upper case and all else in lower case is unclear here, but explained later on. Although McEnroe deftly deals with many aspects treated in earlier studies, it is the overall synthesis that is significant, for the book manages to see both the forest that is Minoan architecture and the individual trees that give it its unique character. What is new and refreshing about this volume is the basic premise that architecture is one of the chief media through which humans shape their identities and present themselves to others. Although this is a straightforward thesis, it is, in the context of Minoan architecture, innovative. This is a beautifully written book and easily accessible because McEnroe saw his role as "a journalist, selecting, reporting, and synthesizing some of the most interesting …
Collateral Damage: Detrimental Effect of Antibiotics on the Development of Protective Immune Memory

Antibiotic intervention is an effective treatment strategy for many bacterial infections and liberates bacterial antigens and stimulatory products that can induce an inflammatory response. Despite the opportunity for bacterial killing to enhance the development of adaptive immunity, patients treated successfully with antibiotics can suffer from reinfection. Studies in mouse models of Salmonella and Chlamydia infection also demonstrate that early antibiotic intervention reduces host protective immunity to subsequent infection. This heightened susceptibility to reinfection correlates with poor development of Th1 and antibody responses in antibiotic-treated mice but can be overcome by delayed antibiotic intervention, thus suggesting a requirement for sustained T cell stimulation for protection. Although the contribution of memory T cell subsets is imperfectly understood in both of these infection models, a protective role for noncirculating memory cells is suggested by recent studies. Together, these data propose a model where antibiotic treatment specifically interrupts tissue-resident memory T cell formation. Greater understanding of the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon might suggest therapeutic interventions to restore a protective memory response in antibiotic-treated patients, thus reducing the incidence of reinfection.
Cooperative Binding of Transcription Factors Orchestrates Reprogramming

Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc (OSKM) reprogram somatic cells to pluripotency. To gain a mechanistic understanding of their function, we mapped OSKM-binding, stage-specific transcription factors (TFs), and chromatin states in discrete reprogramming stages and performed loss- and gain-of-function experiments. We found that OSK predominantly bind active somatic enhancers early in reprogramming and immediately initiate their inactivation genome-wide by inducing the redistribution of somatic TFs away from somatic enhancers to sites elsewhere engaged by OSK, recruiting Hdac1, and repressing the somatic TF Fra1. Pluripotency enhancer selection is a stepwise process that also begins early in reprogramming through collaborative binding of OSK at sites with high OSK-motif density. Most pluripotency enhancers are selected later in the process and require OS and other pluripotency TFs. Somatic and pluripotency TFs modulate reprogramming efficiency when overexpressed by altering OSK targeting, somatic-enhancer inactivation, and pluripotency enhancer selection. Together, our data indicate that collaborative interactions among OSK and with stage-specific TFs direct both somatic-enhancer inactivation and pluripotency-enhancer selection to drive reprogramming.
Regulation of Stat3 gene transcription by triplex-forming oliogonucleotides in mice

3013 Triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) are single-stranded oligonucleotides that can inhibit gene transcription by binding to specific gene sequences. Our goal is to investigate the potential of gene-specific TFOs to inhibit oncogene expression and cell proliferation. To date, gene specific TFOs have been shown to be able to regulate the expression of ∼10 human oncogenes in cells, including BCR/ABL, MYC, EGFR, ERBB2, IGFI, SIS, FOS, Ha-RAS, c-Ki-RAS and SRC. In order to expand our study to other human genes and to mouse models, we identified 27 new triplex-forming sites with high TFO binding affinity and specificity in 17 mouse genes (Egfr, Erbb2, Igf1r, Tgfa, Tnf, Tnfr1, Src, Akt1, Stat1, Stat3, Stat5, Ccnd1, Odc1, Cox2, Icam1, Vegfa, and Nfkbia) and 2 human genes (ODC and COX2). Here we present one example targeting the Stat3 gene with a Stat3-specific TFO in mice. Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) are a family of latent cytoplasmic proteins involved in transmitting extracellular signals to the nucleus. Constitutive activation of Stats, in particular STAT3, is found in a number of primary human epithelial tumors and cancer cell lines, including squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, breast, ovary, prostate, and lung. STAT3 participates in cell proliferation through regulation of several genes such as CCND1 and MYC. K14.TGFa mice, which exhibit dramatic and persistent epidermal hyperproliferation, provide a useful mouse model to evaluate the efficacy of TFOs as a gene targeting approach to control epidermal hyperproliferation. A 27-mer TFO, which binds to its target sequence in the Stat3 gene with high affinity and specificity, was injected intradermally into the epidermis of K14.TGFa mice. The transcription level of the Stat3 gene was decreased to ∼45% of that in vehicle-treated control mouse skin, as assessed by real-time PCR. Treatment with the Stat3-specific TFO also resulted in reduction of the transcription levels of the Ccnd1 and Myc genes, which are downstream targets of Stat3. Thus, our findings demonstrate that triplex-induced transcription inhibition of Stat3 can be accomplished in intact animals following intradermal injection.
MVP immunohistochemistry is a useful adjunct in distinguishing leiomyosarcoma from leiomyoma and leiomyoma with bizarre nuclei.

Summary Morphologically, distinguishing between leiomyoma (LM) and leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is not always straightforward, especially with benign variants such as bizarre leiomyoma (BLM). To identify potential markers of malignancy in uterine smooth muscle tumors, proteomic studies were performed followed by assessment of protein expression by immunohistochemistry. Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from tumors (n = 23) diagnosed as LM, BLM, and LMS (using published criteria) were selected for the study. Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra mass spectrometry was applied to pooled samples of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded LM and LMS tumor tissue to assay the relative protein quantities and look for expression patterns differentiating the 2 tumor types. A total of 592 proteins were quantified, and 10 proteins were differentially expressed between LM and LMS. Select proteins were chosen for evaluation by immunohistochemistry (IHC) based on antibody availability and biologic relevance in the literature. IHC was performed on a tissue microarray, and intensity was evaluated using imaging software. Major vault protein (MVP) and catechol O -methyltransferase had 3.05 and 13.94 times higher expression in LMS relative to LM by sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra mass spectrometry, respectively. By IHC, MVP (clone 1014; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Dallas, TX) was found to be 50% sensitive and 100% specific when comparing LMS to LM. Catechol O -methyltransferase (clone FL-271; Santa Cruz Biotechnology) had a sensitivity of 38% and a specificity of 88%. Six of 7 BLM had expression of MVP similar to LM. Immunohistochemical staining for MVP is a useful adjunct in distinguishing LMS from LM and BLM in difficult cases.
A Memory-based Multiagent Framework for Adaptive Decision Making

Rapid adaptation to dynamically change one's policy based on a singular observation is a complex problem. This is especially difficult in multiagent systems where the global behavior emerges from inter-agent interactions. In this paper, we introduce a memory-based learning framework called Distributed Modular Memory Unit (DMMU) which enables rapid and adaptive decision making. In DMMU, a shared external memory is selectively accessed by agents acting independently and in parallel. Each agent processes its own stream of sequential information independently while interacting with the shared external memory to identify, retain, and propagate salient information. This enables DMMU to rapidly assimilate task features from a group of distributed agents, consolidate it into a reconfigurable external memory, and use it for one-shot multiagent learning. We compare the performance of the DMMU framework on a simulated cybersecurity task with traditional feedforward ensembles, LSTM based agents, and a centralized framework. Results demonstrate that DMMU significantly outperforms the best LSTM based method by a factor of two and exhibits adaptive decision making to effectively solve this complex task.
Thermophysiology of Streptococcus mutans and related lactic-acid bacteria

The temperature ranges for growth of Streptococcus mutans GS-5 and S. sobrinus 6715 were found to be very narrow, from about 30 to 47 degrees C, with optimal growth around 37 degrees C. Thus, the organisms showed little potential to grow in the environment outside of the animal host. In contrast wider ranges were found for Enterococcus hirae, S. rattus and S. sanguis. Detailed study of S. mutans GS-5 showed that energetic coupling, reflected in yields of biomass per mol of glucose utilized, were not greatly affected by changes in temperature within the growth range. However, since glycolysis occurred over a wider temperature range (about 10 to 52 degrees C) than growth, yield values dropped to zero at temperatures above or below the growth range. The temperature range for glycolysis could be related to temperature sensitivity of the phosphoenolypyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system for sugar uptake. F-ATPases were active over a similar range of temperatures, but with a broad optimal range from about 30 to 50 degrees C. Proton permeability of S. mutans increased steadily with temperature in a manner similar to that of other mesophilic bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. Growth of the bacteria in media supplemented with various fatty acids had major effects on proton permeabilities but the effects were not well reflected by changes in growth or glycolysis of the bacteria. The overall conclusions were that S. mutans is a typical mesophile in relation to membrane and catabolic functions but its narrow temperature range for growth is related to temperature sensitivities of anabolic systems.
A finite element formulation for the detection of boundary conditions in elasticity and heat conduction

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a finite element method (FEM) formulation for the detection of unknown steady boundary conditions in heat conduction and linear elasticity continuum problems. The FEM presented in this chapter is capable of determining displacements, surface stresses, temperatures, and heat fluxes on the boundaries where such quantities are unknown or inaccessible, provided such quantities are sufficiently overspecified on other boundaries. In general, the resulting FEM systems for the inverse thermoelastic problems are sparse, unsymmetrical, and often rectangular instead of square. These properties make the process of finding a solution to the system very challenging. Three approaches discussed are, first, normalize the equations by multiplying both sides by the matrix transpose and solve the resulting square system with common sparse solvers. A second approach is to use iterative methods suitable for unsymmetrical and least-square problems; one such method is the LSQR method, which is an extension of the well-known conjugate gradient method. The LSQR method and other similar methods, such as the least-squared conjugate gradient (CGLS) solve the normalized system. A third approach is to use a non-iterative method for unsymmetrical and least-square problems, such as QR factorization or SVD. Further, this chapter presents details of the discretization, linear system solution techniques, and sample results for two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems.
Effect of Vitamin D on Paclitaxel Efficacy in Triple-negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines.

Background/aim Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer that disproportionately affects women with darker skin and is often treated with paclitaxel (PTX). Here, the effect of vitamin D on p53-positive DU4475 cells and its ability to decrease the IC50 of PTX in these cells were investigated. Materials and methods The growth inhibitory effects of vitamin D on DU4475 cells and the effect of PTX plus vitamin D on overall TNBC cell viability was assessed using CellTiter-Glo®. Results Vitamin D increased proliferation of DU4475 cells at low concentrations and lowered the IC50 of PTX. However, it did not change the IC50 of PTX in MDA-MB-231 cells which remained largely viable. Conclusion The effect of vitamin D on DU4475 cell viability was different than in other TNBC cells. The effect of PTX on DU4475 cells was enhanced with vitamin D. MDA-MB-231 cells were relatively resistant to the effects of PTX.
The role of fat grafting in prepectoral breast reconstruction.

Prepectoral breast reconstruction has reemerged as a promising alternative to submuscular implants, as they place the patient at lower risk for pain, muscular impairment, and animation deformity. However, the thinner amount of overlying tissue in prepectoral reconstruction presents its own unique set of challenges. A “rippling” deformity is seen in some prepectoral patients, which is typically corrected with fat grafting. This report details our recommended technique for fat grafting in the prepectorally implanted patient.
Heritage, Community, and Indigenous Languages

This chapter addresses the current and historical aspects of data related to the population and perspective of heritage, community, and indigenous language populations in the United States. Through the use of census data, it is the goal of this chapter to increase knowledge about speakers and users of these languages as well as the policies and practices which promote or dissuade language development. In addition, the chapter focuses on the historical patterns of immigration, the role of language, and the subsequent impact on heritage, community, and indigenous language programs. Additional areas of investigation include the impetus of language policy on language programs and advancement within the United States.
OUTCOMES OF CAROTID ARTERY STENTING VERSUS CAROTID ARTERY ENDARTERECTOMY IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING ELECTIVE CAROTID ARTERY REVASCULARIZATION: A PROPENSITY MATCHED ANALYSIS FROM THE NATIONAL INPATIENT SAMPLE

Randomized control trials have shown carotid artery stenting (CAS) to be non-inferior to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in revascularization of patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. We sought to compare real world in-hospital outcomes after elective admissions for carotid
The Staphylococcus aureus IsdH Receptor Forms a Dynamic Complex with Human Hemoglobin that Triggers Heme Release via Two Distinct Hot Spots

Abstract Iron is an essential nutrient that is actively acquired by bacterial pathogens during infections. Clinically important Staphylococcus aureus obtains iron by extracting heme from hemoglobin (Hb) using the closely related IsdB and IsdH surface receptors. In IsdH, extraction is mediated by a conserved tridomain unit that contains its second (N2) and third (N3) NEAT domains joined by a helical linker, called IsdHN2N3. Leveraging the crystal structure of the IsdHN2N3:Hb complex, we have probed the mechanism of heme capture using NMR, stopped-flow transfer kinetics measurements, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. NMR studies of the 220 kDa IsdHN2N3:Hb complex reveal that it is dynamic, with persistent interdomain motions enabling the linker and N3 domains in the receptor to transiently engage Hb to remove its heme. An alanine mutagenesis analysis reveals that two receptor subsites positioned ~20 A apart trigger heme release by contacting Hb's F-helix. These subsites are located within the N3 and linker domains and appear to play distinct roles in stabilizing the heme transfer transition state. Linker domain contacts primarily function to destabilize Hb–heme interactions, thereby lowering ΔH‡, while contacts from the N3 subsite play a similar destabilizing role, but also form a bridge through which heme moves from Hb to the receptor. Interestingly, MD simulations suggest that within the transiently forming interface, both the F-helix and receptor bridge are in motion, dynamically sampling conformations that are suitable for heme transfer. Thus, IsdH triggers heme release from Hb via a flexible, low-affinity interface that forms fleetingly in solution.
Detecting Last-Level Cache Contention in Workload Colocation with Meta Learning

While workload colocation improves cluster utilization in cloud environments, it introduces performance-impacting contentions on unmanaged resources. We address the problem of detecting the contentions on last-level cache with low level platform counters, but without application performance data. The detection is performed in a noisy environment with a mix of contention cases and non-contention cases, but without the ground truth. We propose a meta-learning approach to discriminate the increase of cache miss metrics taking the cache occupancy data as the precondition. We assume that given a certain workload intensity, when the cache occupancy of the workload drops below its hot data size, increasing cache misses will be observed. Leveraging the assumption, the threshold of cache miss metrics to detect cache interference under the workload intensity is found by inducing the most discriminating rule from the noisy history. Similarly, we determine whether the cache interference impacts performance by discriminating the increase of cycles per instruction metrics with the interference signal. Experimental results indicate that the new approach achieves a decent performance in identifying cache contentions with performance impact in noisy environments.
Utilization of Hypofractionated Whole-Breast Radiotherapy With Concurrent Anti-Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) Therapy

Abstract Introduction Hypofractionated radiotherapy (Hypo-RT) is now considered standard of care for the majority of patients receiving whole breast irradiation (WBI). However, there is limited data on the use of Hypo-RT in HER2-positive patients receiving concurrent anti-HER2 therapy. In this study, we sought to examine patterns of WBI in HER2-positive patients. Methods Using the National Cancer Data Base, we identified women with non-metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2015 who received WBI. The Hypo-RT group was defined as those receiving 21 or fewer fractions. All other patients were in the conventional RT (Conv-RT) group. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of Hypo-RT utilization. Five-year overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results The study included 15,776 patients, of whom 17.7% received Hypo-RT. The rate of Hypo-RT utilization increased from 7.4% in 2010 to 29.3% in 2015 (p=0.004). Predictors of Hypo-RT use included older age (≥60 vs. 50 vs. ≤50 miles), treatment at an academic facility, and later year of diagnosis. Unadjusted 5-year OS rates were similar among patients who received Hypo-RT and Conv-RT (93.9% vs. 95.2%, p=0.26). After adjusting for patient, facility, and tumor variables, Hypo-RT was not significantly associated with survival. Conclusion Although Hypo-RT was not commonly delivered in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, the utilization rate quadrupled over the study period. Multiple socioeconomic and clinical predictors of Hypo-RT receipt were identified. Adjuvant RT regimen was not significantly associated with OS.
Too many cooks: Bayesian inference for coordinating multi-agent collaboration

Collaboration requires agents to coordinate their behavior on the fly, sometimes cooperating to solve a single task together and other times dividing it up into sub-tasks to work on in parallel. Underlying the human ability to collaborate is theory-of-mind, the ability to infer the hidden mental states that drive others to act. Here, we develop Bayesian Delegation, a decentralized multi-agent learning mechanism with these abilities. Bayesian Delegation enables agents to rapidly infer the hidden intentions of others by inverse planning. We test Bayesian Delegation in a suite of multi-agent Markov decision processes inspired by cooking problems. On these tasks, agents with Bayesian Delegation coordinate both their high-level plans (e.g. what sub-task they should work on) and their low-level actions (e.g. avoiding getting in each other's way). In a self-play evaluation, Bayesian Delegation outperforms alternative algorithms. Bayesian Delegation is also a capable ad-hoc collaborator and successfully coordinates with other agent types even in the absence of prior experience. Finally, in a behavioral experiment, we show that Bayesian Delegation makes inferences similar to human observers about the intent of others. Together, these results demonstrate the power of Bayesian Delegation for decentralized multi-agent collaboration.
Immune phenotyping of diverse syngeneic murine brain tumors identifies immunologically distinct types

Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising approach to treat cancer, however, its efficacy in highly malignant brain-tumors, glioblastomas (GBM), is limited. Here, we generate distinct imageable syngeneic mouse GBM-tumor models and utilize RNA-sequencing, CyTOF and correlative immunohistochemistry to assess immune-profiles in these models. We identify immunologically-inert and -active syngeneic-tumor types and show that inert tumors have an immune-suppressive phenotype with numerous exhausted CD8 T cells and resident macrophages; fewer eosinophils and SiglecF+ macrophages. To mimic the clinical-settings of first line of GBM-treatment, we show that tumor-resection invigorates an anti-tumor response via increasing T cells, activated microglia and SiglecF+ macrophages and decreasing resident macrophages. A comparative CyTOF analysis of resected-tumor samples from GBM-patients and mouse GBM-tumors show stark similarities in one of the mouse GBM-tumors tested. These findings guide informed choices for use of GBM models for immunotherapeutic interventions and offer a potential to facilitate immune-therapies in GBM patients.
Adversarial feature learning for improved mineral mapping of CRISM data

Abstract The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) has proven instrumental in the mineralogical analysis of the Martian surface. An essential tool for mineral identification for this dataset has been the CRISM summary parameters–which use simple mathematical functions to measure the presence/absence of specific spectral features. While the CRISM summary parameters and browse products (combinations of specific summary parameters) have proven valuable in guiding manual analysis, these hand-crafted representations are not well suited for automated analysis, as CRISM spectral artifacts and noise negatively affect their performance, making these parameters prone to false alarms. We propose an unsupervised technique based on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to learn a more discriminative representation from CRISM data, such that simple metrics in the representation space are sufficient to discriminate between the various mineral spectra present in the data. We describe a simple pipeline using GAN based representations to map mineral signatures of interest across the CRISM image database. We show that the features learned by the GAN are better suited to discriminate mineral signatures in the CRISM database compared to the summary parameters and classical similarity metrics. Finally, we validate the technique over a subset of CRISM images over the Jezero crater and NE Syrtis regions of Mars.