cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Phase II Study of Halichondrin B Analog Eribulin Mesylate (E7389) in Patients with Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Previously Treated with a Taxane: A California Cancer Consortium Trial

Introduction Eribulin mesylate (E7389) is an analog of halichondrin B with a unique mechanism of microtubule binding. The activity and toxicity of eribulin were assessed in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with a taxane. Methods An open-label phase II study included patients with NSCLC previously treated with platinum and taxane-based therapy, with up to two prior cytotoxic regimens, given for metastatic disease or as adjuvant therapy. Patients were stratified by taxane-sensitivity: taxane-sensitive (TS, progression >90 days after taxane) or taxane-resistant (TR, progression ⩽90 days after taxane). Patients received an intravenous infusion of eribulin at 1.4 mg/m 2 on days 1 and 8 every 21 days. The primary end point was objective response rate and secondary end points included progression-free survival and overall survival. Results Sixty-six patients were accrued. The objective response rate was 5% with a median duration of response of 7.8 months. In the TS arm, 3 of 45 patients (7%) achieved a partial response and another 11 of 45 (24%) achieved stable disease for at least 3 months, whereas in the TR arm, no patients achieved a partial response and 4 of 21 (19%) achieved stable disease for at least 3 months. Median progression-free survival was 2.9 months in the TS subgroup and 1.2 months in the TR subgroup. The median overall survival was 12.6 months in the TS subgroup and 8.9 months in the TR subgroup. Toxicities were primarily hematologic; only two patients developed grade 3 neuropathy. Conclusions Eribulin mesylate is well tolerated and demonstrates activity in pretreated, TS NSCLC.
Ad Hoc Treebank Structures

We outline the problem of ad hoc rules in treebanks, rules used for specific constructions in one data set and unlikely to be used again. These include ungeneralizable rules, erroneous rules, rules for ungrammatical text, and rules which are not consistent with the rest of the annotation scheme. Based on a simple notion of rule equivalence and on the idea of finding rules unlike any others, we develop two methods for detecting ad hoc rules in flat treebanks and show they are successful in detecting such rules. This is done by examining evidence across the grammar and without making any reference to context.
INFLUENCE OF GLUCOSE OXIDASE ON THE GROWTH OF ESCHERICHIA COLI 0157:H7, LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES, AND SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM IN UNIVERSAL PREENRICHMENT BROTH

Glucose oxidase (GO), a food-grade enzyme, was compared with OxyraseTM oxygen reducing membrane fraction in Universal Preenrichment Broth (UPB) for enhancement of the growth of the facultatively anaerobic pathogens Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes Scott A. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and pH changes in UPB following the addition of GO (4 units/ml) or OxyraseTM (0.5 units/ml) were measured. Microbial growth was evaluated at 0, 3, 6, 18, and 24 h of incubation using spiral plating. Nonenzyme supplemented UPB served as the control. OxyraseTM provided a higher oxygen scavenging action in terms of ORP decrease during the initial 6 h of incubation. However, no difference occurred in Eh between OxyraseTM and GO by 18 h, with both enzyme systems effectively reducing the Eh compared to that of the control. A 1.0 pH unit reduction was observed in GO-supplemented UPB after 18 h, indicating production of gluconic acid. The pH decrease in OxyraseTM - supplemented media was 0.2 units. By 6 h, the E. coli O157:H7 population was enhanced by 0.6 and 1.4 log CFU/ml in OxyraseTM -supplemented media, compared to the control and GO-supplemented media, respectively. By 18 h, 0.4 and 0.9 log CFU/ml growth enhancements of the E. coli O157:H7 populations were seen in GO- and OxyraseTM -supplemented media, respectively, compared to the control. By the end of 18 h, counts of S. typhimurium and L. monocytogenes increased by 0.6 and 0.2 log units, respectively, in GO-supplemented media compared to the control.
The ordered core based tree protocol

This paper presents a new protocol, the ordered core based tree (OCBT) protocol, which remedies several shortcomings of the core based tree (CBT) multicast protocol. We show that the CBT protocol can form loops during periods of routing instability, and that it can consistently fail to build a connected multicast tree, even when the underlying routing is stable. The OCBT protocol provably eliminates these deficiencies and reduces the latency of tree repair following a link or core failure. The OCBT also improves scalability by allowing flexible placement of the cores that serve as points of connection to a multicast tree. Simulation results show that the amount of control traffic in OCBT is comparable to that in CBT.
Mycorrhizal associations in Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae) from forested and non-forested sites

Abstract Ailanthus altissima tree seedlings were excavated from each of two habitats: (1) a forest adjacent to a trail and stream and (2) a non-forested steep, barren slope adjacent to a major highway. Each seedling root system was examined for colonization by mycorrhizal structures using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The roots were colonized by one or more endomycorrhizal fungi with Arum-type colonization. Endomycorrhizal colonization of the seedlings from the non-forested site (65.2%) was significantly greater than that of the seedlings from the forested site (37.9%). Colonization by intercellular hyphae and vesicles was significantly greater in the non-forested habitat than the forested habitat. This exotic invasive species may benefit from the rapid colonization of endomycorrhizae in more extreme open environments.
[(1S,2S,5R)‐5‐Methyl‐2‐(1‐methylethyl)cyclohexyl]diphenylphosphine

[43077-29-8] C22H29P (MW 324.44) InChI = 1S/C22H29P/c1-17(2)21-15-14-18(3)16-22(21)23(19-10-6-4-7-11-19)20-12-8-5-9-13-20/h4-13,17-18,21-22H,14-16H2,1-3H3/t18-,21+,22+/m1/s1 InChIKey = BEYDOEXXFGNVRZ-COPCDDAFSA-N Phosphine, [(1R,2R,5S)-5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)cyclohexyl]diphenyl-, rel-[32511-22-1] InChI = 1S/C22H29P/c1-17(2)21-15-14-18(3)16-22(21)23(19-10-6-4-7-11-19)20-12-8-5-9-13-20/h4-13,17-18,21-22H,14-16H2,1-3H3/t18-,21+,22+/m0/s1 InChIKey = BEYDOEXXFGNVRZ-VLCRHTCISA-N Phosphine, [(1R,2R,5S)-5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)cyclohexyl]diphenyl-[38053-73-5] InChI = 1S/C22H29P/c1-17(2)21-15-14-18(3)16-22(21)23(19-10-6-4-7-11-19)20-12-8-5-9-13-20/h4-13,17-18,21-22H,14-16H2,1-3H3/t18-,21+,22+/m0/s1 InChIKey = BEYDOEXXFGNVRZ-VLCRHTCISA-N Phosphine, [(1R,2S,5R)-5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)cyclohexyl]diphenyl-[43077-31-2] InChI = 1S/C22H29P/c1-17(2)21-15-14-18(3)16-22(21)23(19-10-6-4-7-11-19)20-12-8-5-9-13-20/h4-13,17-18,21-22H,14-16H2,1-3H3/t18-,21+,22-/m1/s1 InChIKey = BEYDOEXXFGNVRZ-BVYCBKJFSA-N (chiral monodentate phosphine ligand for asymmetric catalysis, resolution of organometallic complexes) Alternative Names: (+)-(S)-NMDPP; (+)-NMDPP; (+)-neomenthyldiphenylphosphine; (S)-neomenthyldiphenylphosphine; diphenyl-(+)-neomenthylphosphine; neomenthyldiphenylphosphine; d-neomenthyldiphenylphosphine. Physical Data: mp 98–99 °C; white crystalline solid. Solubility: soluble in EtOAc, THF, DMI, benzene, DCM, and CHCl3; slightly soluble in MeOH and EtOH. Form Supplied in: only the dextrorotatory antipode, (+)-NMDPP, is commercially available in variable levels of purity. Analysis of Reagent Purity: NMDPP oxide is a tenacious impurity and is assayed by 31P NMR (300 MHz, THF) δ: 33 (NMDPP oxide), −14.9 (NMDPP). Preparative Methods: NMDPP is prepared by the formation of diphenylphosphide from diphenylphosphine,1 diphenylphosphinous chloride,2 or triphenylphosphine,3 followed by alkylation with menthyl chloride or mesylate. (−)-Menthyldiphenylphosphine ((−)-MDPP), an epimer of (+)-NMDPP at C-1 of the menthyl ring, is prepared similarly by the displacement of neomenthylchloride with diphenylphosphide1a or, alternatively, by the displacement of diphenylphosphinous chloride with the Grignard reagent derived from menthyl chloride.4 Purification: recrystallized from MeOH or EtOH at reflux (degassed with N2) with rigorous exclusion of oxygen. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: oxygen must be excluded to avoid formation of the phosphine oxide; reagent is stable for extended periods when stored in a glovebox.
The Correlates of Negative Affect in Marriage An Exploratory Study of Gender Differences

The present study assessed the interaction and cognitive styles that were associated with different levels of negative affect for husbands and wives. Without an observer present, 28 couples audiotaped problem-solving discussions in the home. Each spouse also filled out questionnaires measuring the extent to which they viewed their relationship as a resource for helping them with problems. The audiotapes were coded using the Couple's Interaction Scoring System (CISS) and then subjected to a series of proportional, sequential, and bivariate time-series analyses dyad by dyad. The results indicated that wives' negative affect was directly related to their attempts to confront the problem and enforce their own views (e.g., metacommunication, counterproposals, appeals), and was inversely related to their attempts to be conciliatory (e.g., agreement, mind reading with neutral voice tone). Husbands' negative affect was inversely related to both spouses' attempts to be conciliatory (agreement, proposals, contracti...
Towards understanding osteoblast responses to varied topographies of ultrastiff diamond surfaces

In this study, the impact of ultrastiff diamond surface topographies on osteoblast (bone forming cells, OB) responses (proliferation, spreading and filopodia extension) was studied using both experimental and modeling approaches. Ultrastiff diamond films with varied grain sizes (from less than 100 nm to approximately 600 nm) but similar surface chemistry and wettability were fabricated. Surface topography of the diamond changed dramatically as grain size grew. Experimental results demonstrated that OB proliferation and spreading on diamond surfaces were dependent on topography with the nanoscale topography exhibiting better OB proliferation and spreading than the micron topography. To explain this enhancement, OB filopodia extensions on varied diamond topographies were compared by using a dynamic model of filopodia extension responding to different topographies. Cell spreading and modeling results revealed that surface topography of diamond played a crucial role in governing OB responses.
Contextual Sources of Ambivalence

When will people become ambivalent about politics? One possibility is that the roots of ambivalence lie within the individual, with differences in political knowledge and attitude strength predicting whether a person internalizes the conflicts of politics. Alternately, attitudinal ambivalence could result from structural differences in the way political choices are presented in the wider political environment. We explore the degree to which different environments promote or limit ambivalence using a matching approach in conjunction with a set of multilevel models. We find that campaign environments can induce candidate ambivalence. In presidential elections, campaign efforts promote ambivalence most when competition between partisan campaign efforts is high. In House elections, campaign spending has a direct effect on levels of candidate ambivalence, where a candidate’s spending decreases ambivalence about that candidate and increases ambivalence about opponents.
Human Vision System Aware Exhaustive Block-Matching Algorithm

In this work, homomorphic image modeling is used to make the exhaustive block-matching algorithm (EBMA) more human vision system (HVS) aware, thus yielding visually pleasing sequences. Homomorphic signal processing is used to separate the luminous and the structural components of each frame; EBMA is then applied to both components to capture the luminous and the structural changes. The combination of these two techniques is utilized to simulate the structure preserving nature of HVS. Temporal irrelevancies are reduced by removing the excess motion fields from both components. The homomorphic EBMA (H-EBMA) processed sequences have superior visual quality despite mean PSNR values that are comparable to sequences produced by traditional EBMA.
Deriving causes of child mortality by re–analyzing national verbal autopsy data applying a standardized computer algorithm in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana

BACKGROUND: To accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goal 4, reliable information on causes of child mortality is critical. With more national verbal autopsy (VA) studies becoming available, how to improve consistency of national VA derived child causes of death should be considered for the purpose of global comparison. We aimed to adapt a standardized computer algorithm to re-analyze national child VA studies conducted in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana recently, and compare our results with those derived from physician review to explore issues surrounding the application of the standardized algorithm in place of physician review. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We adapted the standardized computer algorithm considering the disease profile in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana. We then derived cause-specific mortality fractions applying the adapted algorithm and compared the results with those ascertained by physician review by examining the individual- and population-level agreement. Our results showed that the leading causes of child mortality in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana were pneumonia (16.5-21.1%) and malaria (16.8-25.6%) among children below five years and intrapartum-related complications (6.4-10.7%) and preterm birth complications (4.5-6.3%) among neonates. The individual level agreement was poor to substantial across causes (kappa statistics: -0.03 to 0.83), with moderate to substantial agreement observed for injury, congenital malformation, preterm birth complications, malaria and measles. At the population level, despite fairly different cause-specific mortality fractions, the ranking of the leading causes was largely similar. CONCLUSIONS: The standardized computer algorithm produced internally consistent distribution of causes of child mortality. The results were also qualitatively comparable to those based on physician review from the perspective of public health policy. The standardized computer algorithm has the advantage of requiring minimal resources from the health care system and represents a promising way to re-analyze national or sub-national VA studies in place of physician review for the purpose of global comparison. Language: en
Notes on the Entomological Writings of ASA Fitch, M.D., with Special Reference to his Catalogues and Reports

The Entomological writings of Asa Fitch, the journals in which they appeared, and their unavailability are discussed briefly. Attention is called to errors in references to those of his publications that contain descriptions of new genera and species. Complete citations are given to the orginal and subsequent printings of the papers that contain the descriptions of most of the Fitch genera and species.
Syndrome of transient headache and neurologic deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis presenting as acute neurological emergencies.

BackgroundThe syndrome of transient headache and neurologic deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis (HaNDL) is a self-limited benign disorder of unclear pathogenesis, with diverse clinical ...
The propulsive behavior of the opossum sphincter of Oddi

This study investigates whether the phasic contractions of the opossum sphincter of Oddi (SO) delay bile flow by acting as a resistor or facilitate bile flow by acting as a pump. The common bile duct (CBD) and an adjacent segment of duodenum from eight opossums were studied in a propulsion evaluation system in vitro. This system required the production of hydrostatic work by the SO to transfer fluid from the CBD to the duodenum when the pressure in the duodenum was equal or greater than the pressure in the CBD. Fluid movement from the CBD to duodenum and duodenum to CBD was studied at pressure gradients up to 50 cmH2O before and after sodium nitroprusside (10(-7) M) inhibition of smooth muscle contractile activity. All preparations propelled fluid from the CBD to the duodenum against a pressure gradient ranging from 10 to 50 cmH2O. The SO emptied the CBD in a monoexponential fashion, with a time constant of 1.52 +/- 0.7 min, until CBD pressure was reduced to 8.5 +/- 3.2 cmH2O, when propulsion ceased. Superimposed on the CBD pressure waveform were pressure pulses of 1-2 cmH2O in amplitude that resulted from the contractions of the SO. CBD pressure was higher at the start than at the end of a periodic pressure pulse, whereas CBD pressure was stable between pulses. The frequency of the pressure pulses was greatest at the maximal CBD pressure (9.4/min) and decreased significantly when the basal pressure was reached (1.5/min, P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comparison of heavy episodic drinking patterns between Korean and Chinese immigrants

Ruderman, D., Clapp, J., Hofstetter, C., Irvin, V., Kang, S., & Hovell, M. (2016). Comparison of heavy episodic drinking patterns between Korean and Chinese immigrants. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 5 (2), 65-71. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v5i2.220 Objective: Drinking-related problems are increasing among Asian immigrants despite the popular perceptions of a “model minority.” Sociocultural factors may relate to differing drinking patterns among subsets of Asian American populations. This study explores the relationship between nationality and alcohol consumption among Chinese and Korean Americans, specifically in regards to acculturation and social networks. Method: First-generation Chinese and Korean immigrants residing in the greater Los Angeles area were recruited ( N = 2715). Structured interviews were conducted over the phone and by professional bilingual interviewers in the language of participant preference. Results: Although subsamples were demographically similar, Chinese immigrants were less likely to report heavy episodic drinking (HED) than Korean immigrants. Participants in each group with social networks composed of drinkers or problem drinkers and those that encouraged drinking were more likely to report HED themselves. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption and its dynamics are impacted by peer networks among first-generation Chinese and Koreans residing in the United States. While drinking behaviors differ for Chinese and Korean immigrants, the impact of peer’s drinking behaviors on one’s own drinking is paramount. This result has important implications for interventions and the need for further research focusing on the impact of peer interactions and alcohol use among this population.
Spatial frequency content of plantar pressure and shear profiles for diabetic and non-diabetic subjects.

Abstract How high does pressure and shear stress sensor resolution need to be in order to reliably measure the plantar pressure and shear profiles (PPSPs) under normal and diabetic feet? In this study, pressure and shear stress data were collected from 26 total diabetic and control subjects using new instrumentation that measures vertical and horizontal force vectors of the plantar contact surface during multiple instances in the gait cycle. The custom built shear-and-pressure-evaluating-camera-system (SPECS) performs simultaneous recordings of pressure and both components of the horizontal force vector (medio–lateral and antero–posterior) at distinctive regions under one׳s foot, at a spatial resolution for each sensor equal to 1.6 mm by 1.6 mm. A linear interpolation method was used to simulate the effect of increasing sensor size on PPSPs. Ten square-shaped sensors were included in the analysis, having edge lengths of: (1.6 mm, 3.2 mm, 4.8 mm, 6.4 mm, 8 mm, 9.6 mm, 11.2 mm, 12.8 mm, 14.4 mm, and 16 mm). A two-dimensional Discrete Fourier Transform was performed on each data set, for each of the ten sensor sizes. To quantify the difference between sensor sizes, a comparison was made using the maximum pressure and shear stress data over the entire plantar contact surface, equivalent to the peak of the spatial frequency spectrum. A reduction of 5% of any component of the stress vector (i.e., pressure, or medio–lateral shear stress, or anter–posterior shear stress) due to an increase in sensor size was deemed significant. The results showed that a sensor measuring 9.6 mm by 9.6 mm caused meaningful reductions in all three stress components ( p
Outcomes of mechanical support in a pediatric lung transplant center

Summary Pediatric lung transplantation is a lifesaving option for patients with end stage lung disease, although the scarcity of suitable donor organs results in long wait times and increased waitlist mortality. Many pediatric centers consider mechanical ventilatory support, such as long-term invasive ventilation and ECMO, a contraindication to lung transplantation. We hypothesized that current survival rates and outcomes for patients on mechanical ventilatory support in the pre-transplant period were not remarkably different. In our retrospective analysis we included patients between the ages of 0–21 years listed for lung transplantation from deceased donors between 2007 and 2014 at our institution. One-year survival outcomes were compared between three groups of patients: (i) patients bridged to transplant on ECMO (n = 6, 1-year survival = 67%); (ii) patients needing mechanical ventilation (either through endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy) but not ECMO (n = 12, 1-year survival = 75%); and (iii) patients who did not need endotracheal ventilation, tracheostomy, or ECMO (n = 25, 1-year survival = 88%). Comparison of outcomes of transplanted patients between these three groups were not statistically different in terms of successful hospital discharge and 1-year survival rates (P > 0.05). We believe that “bridging” the end-stage lung disease patient with long-term mechanical ventilation and/or ECMO support is a reasonable option in selected patients until suitable donors become available. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016; 9999:XX–XX. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fabrication and mobility characteristics of ultra-thin strained Si directly on insulator (SSDOI) MOSFETs

A tensile-strained Si layer was transferred to form an ultra-thin (<20 nm) strained Si directly on insulator (SSDOI) structure. MOSFETs were fabricated, and for the first time, electron and hole mobility enhancements were demonstrated on strained Si directly on insulator structures with no SiGe layer present under the strained Si channel.
White Line Sign of Impending Coronary Occlusion in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Coronary artery occlusion is a rare complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement.1 Angiography may reveal risk factors for coronary occlusion.2,3 Older age, female sex, and previous bioprosthesis are also associated with coronary occlusion.1 A novel predictor of coronary occlusion, the white line sign , is proposed: visualization of native valve leaflet morphology during pre–transcatheter aortic valve replacement balloon aortic valvuloplasty. A 79-year-old woman underwent balloon aortic valvuloplasty with aortography …
Clustering of Defect Reports Using Graph Partitioning Algorithms.

We present in this paper several solutions to the challenging task of clustering software defect reports. Clustering defect reports can be very useful for prioritizing the testing effort and to better understand the nature of software defects. Despite some challenges with the language used and semi-structured nature of defect reports, our experiments on data collected from the open source project Mozilla show extremely promising results for clustering software defect reports using natural language processing and graph partitioning techniques. We report results with three models for representing the textual information in the defect reports and three clustering algorithms: normalized cut, size regularized cut, and k-means. Our data collection method allowed us to quickly develop a proof-of-concept setup. Experiments showed that normalized cut achieved the best performance in terms of average cluster purity, accuracy, and normalized mutual information.
The Strategic Manipulation of Linguistic Complexity: A Test of Two Models of Lying

To what degree is complex language driven by personal cognitive factors versus strategic self-presentation? Studies teasing apart these two influences on complexity are hard to design and evidence ...
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy: the Mayo Clinic experience.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a primary myocardial disease characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy in the absence of other etiologies. Clinical presentation may vary from asymptomatic to sudden cardiac death. Medical treatment is the first-line therapy for symptomatic patients. Extended left ventricular septal myectomy is the procedure of choice if medical treatment is unsuccessful or intolerable. Mayo Clinic experience: More than 3,000 patients have had septal myectomy for HCM at the Mayo Clinic (MN, USA) from 1993 to 2016. Risk of hospital death after isolated septal myectomy for obstructive HCM is <1% and is similar to the risk of operation for elective mitral valve repair. Complications, such as complete heart block requiring permanent pacemaker, are uncommon (2%), although partial or complete left bundle branch block is a frequent finding on the postoperative ECG. Relief of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction with septal myectomy dramatically improves symptoms and exercise capacity in symptomatic patients with obstructive HCM. More than 90% of severely symptomatic patients have improvement by at least two functional classes, and reduction of outflow gradients by myectomy decreases or eliminates symptoms of dyspnea, angina and/or syncope. Basal obstruction with systolic anterior motion (SAM) is treated by transaortic myectomy. The transapical approach was applied in 115 patients with obstructive midventricular and apical variants of HCM between 1993 and 2012. All patients with midventricular obstruction had gradient relief and none developed an apical aneurysm or ventricular septal defect. Recurrent obstruction after satisfactory myectomy was rare. Conclusions: Septal myectomy effectively and definitively relieves LVOT obstruction and cardiac symptoms in patients with obstructive HCM. In experienced centers, early mortality for isolated septal myectomy is less than 1%, and overall results are excellent and continue to improve in the current era.
Basic Principles of DNA Repair in Toxicology

Toxicities associated with exposure to environmental pollutants very often stem from DNA lesions induced by these agents. Human cells have evolved multiple DNA repair pathways to handle different DNA lesions, but when these mechanisms are inactivated by genetic mutations or epigenetic cues, cancer or neurodegenerative disorder will ensue. The various DNA repair pathways partake in complex interactions with one another and with DNA replication and transcription. Defects in some pathways could be compensated by another mechanism, while some repair factors are critical for cell survival. Delineating the mechanistic underpinnings of DNA repair processes will continue to help elucidate the basis of carcinogenesis or disease-associated pathogenesis and to provide the intellectual framework for devising novel regimens in the treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Non-convex low-rank matrix recovery from corrupted random linear measurements

Recent work has demonstrated the effectiveness of gradient descent for recovering low-rank matrices from random linear measurements in a globally convergent manner. However, their performance is highly sensitive in the presence of outliers that may take arbitrary values, which is common in practice. In this paper, we propose a truncated gradient descent algorithm to improve the robustness against outliers, where the truncation is performed to rule out the contributions from samples that deviate significantly from the sample median. A restricted isometry property regarding the sample median is introduced to provide a theoretical footing of the proposed algorithm for the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble. Extensive numerical experiments are provided to validate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm.
Assessing Political Development in Copper and Bronze Age Southeast Spain

Southeast Spain (Figure 4.1) has yielded a rich and distinctive later prehistoric cultural succession. Its essential features were defined over a century ago by the brothers Henri and Louis Siret, Belgian mining engineers in charge of the operations in the Sierra Almagrera in the province Almeria. Their classic workLes Premiers Ages du Metal dans le Sud-est Espagnol (Siret and Siret, 1887), and Louis Siret’s continuing work in the region until his death in 1934, provided the basic corpus of information and the overall intellectual approach that informed the writing of the later prehistory of Spain until the 1970s. Within this framework the increasing social complexity exhibited by the sequence in southeast Spain was the product of diffusion from the eastern Mediterranean. In the past 25 years, this sequence has been reinterpreted from a variety of functionalist perspectives as a process of autochthonous evolution. The debates concerning the causes of this development illustrate the challenges involved in assessing prehistoric economic and political institutions.
VITALS: A Surrogate-Based Optimization Framework for the Accelerated Validation of Plasma Transport Codes

AbstractUnderstanding transport in magnetically confined plasmas is critical for developing predictive models for future devices such as ITER. Thanks to recent progress in simulation and theory, along with enhanced computational power and better diagnostic systems, direct and quantitative comparisons between experimental results and models is possible. However, validating transport models using additional constraints and accounting for experimental uncertainties still remains a formidable task. In this work, a new optimization framework is developed to address the issue of constrained validation of transport models. The Validation via Iterative Training of Active Learning Surrogates (VITALS) framework exploits surrogate-based strategies using Gaussian processes and sequential parameter updates to achieve the combination of plasma parameters that matches experimental transport measurements within diagnostic error bars. VITALS is successfully implemented to study L-mode plasmas in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak,...
Pre-conditioning phase history data for video-SAR autofocus

Video-SAR systems that employ backprojection to generate frames offer efficient re-use of processed data in the image domain, minimal distortion due to wavefront curvature, a fixed frame viewing angle, and several other advantages over Doppler-based methods such as polar formatting. However, one challenge that persists is real-time autofocusing SAR imagery at high frame rates on small airborne radars with limited computational capacity. The work herein describes a method to condition the I & Q data before backprojecting onto the image grid so that blurring due to errors on the motion measurement system is minimized. The method takes advantage of the extremely efficient FFTs on Graphical Processing Units (GPU) to transform a select number of ranges lines to the Doppler domain so that phase gradient autofocus can be performed. The subsequent autofocus vector is fedback to the most recent portion of the aperture where phases of the I & Q samples are adjusted to mimic a correction in motion measurements. The data are then processed as usual with backprojection to ensure well-focused video frames, even during periods of severe turbulence, changes in GPS satellite sequencing or IMU errors.
Genetic engineering and transformation of monocots for crop improvement

The most significant development in the advancement of agricultural technology is the stable introduction and expression of foreign genes into plants. In the past, the introduction of novel genes into crop plants was limited by the sexual compatibility of the donor and host species. With the tools of recombinant DNA technology and plant tissue culture, genes governing desirable traits can be isolated from any organism, manipulated as required and incorporated into economically important crop plants. Thus genetic engineering technology, in concert with modern methods of plant breeding, will have a significant impact on crop improvement and productivity. In this article we will briefly describe some of the strategies involved in genetic manipulation and transformation of monocot crop plants and our current efforts to engineer rice and wheat.
A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Legal Scholarship: Economics, Behavioral Economics, and Evolutionary Psychology

Legal scholars interested in the behavior of citizens subject to the law's dictates have long relied on economic analysis to inform their normative analysis of legal problems, and in recent years they have begun to make use of insights provided by behavioral economics and evolutionary psychology as well. This article presents a framework for understanding how these disciplines individually and together can inform legal scholarship. First, the article draws a distinction between motivational theories of behavior (that underlie both traditional law-and-economics analysis and evolutionary psychology) and empirical observation (exemplified by experimental social sciences such as behavioral economics) and contends that neither approach to studying behavior is alone sufficient to inform sound legal policy. Second, the article presents a model of how motivational theory and empirical observation can be combined to create a more useful multi-disciplinary approach to the study of law-relevant behavior, and provides an example of how the model can be used.
Indications for Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) can be used to treat a wide variety of tumors. General indications for Mohs micrographic surgery require that the cutaneous tumor be continuously growing. Additionally, MMS is considered particularly well suited for tumors that exhibit perineural invasion, tumors in high-risk anatomical areas, tumors that have been incompletely excised, and those with poorly defined clinical margins.
Imagining a Fetus: Insights from Talking with Pregnant Women about their Decisions to Undergo Open-Uterine Fetal Surgery

For more than ten years now I have been engaged in clinical ethics consultation and, from the start, I have maintained an abiding concern to think through a method inherent to these activities. Two recommendations from the work of Edmund Husserl continue centrally to inform my pursuits. The first involves Husserl’s (1960, p. 7) suggestion that philosophers, “each for himself and in himself,” should at first “put out of action all the convictions we have been accepting up to now.” This suggestion also includes an invitation to “immerse ourselves” in the “scientific striving and doing” (Husserl, 1960, p. 9). For my part, this attitude of “immersing” pertains to the world of clinical medicine, specifically the moral experiences and difficulties that arise in that context. Crucial to this activity is adopting a rigorous reflective attitude, even while becoming immersed in the activities and practices that occur in clinical settings (Bliton and Finder, 1999, pp. 72–75).
Application of Loadrunner Automated Test Tool in Cloud Platform Performance Test

Cloud computing describes a new Internet which is based on IT service value-added, and it is also a use and delivery model which is a combination of data sharing and service sharing computing model. With the popularization of cloud computing, how high-speed, low-cost storage and management of large amounts of data generated in the cloud has become the focus of major enterprises and organizations. The rapid development and popularization of the Internet for the network streaming media business development is providing a strong market power, network streaming media technology has also been widely used, and the user demanding for streaming media business is also growing. This article first briefly describes what Loadrunner is and its working principle of cloud platform, and then it describes how to use Loadrunner cloud platform performance stress test, research and analysis of test results, put forward the corresponding solution.
Comparison of Field Performance of Crack Treatment Methods in Asphalt Pavement of Texas

AbstractCrack sealing and crack filling treatments have always been an important consideration to prolong the life of pavement among all pavement maintenance programs. Crack sealing uses a router t...
Operational stability of textured PMN-PT and PMN-PZT ceramics under combined thermal, electrical and mechanical excitation

The electromechanical response of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) and Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PMN-PZT) textured ceramics is evaluated. Results reveal that crystallographic texturing may enha...
To Tweet or Not to Tweet, That is the Question: A Randomized Trial of Twitter Effects on Article Engagement in Medical Education

Abstract Many medical education journals use Twitter to garner attention for their articles. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of tweeting on article page views and downloads. The authors conducted a randomized trial using Academic Medicine articles published in 2015. Beginning in February through May 2018, one article per day was randomly assigned to a Twitter (case) or control group. Daily, an individual tweet was generated for each article in the Twitter group that included the title, #MedEd, and a link to the article. The link delivered users to the article’s landing page, which included immediate access to the HTML full text and a PDF link. The authors extracted HTML page views and PDF downloads from the publisher. To assess differences in page views and downloads between cases and controls, a time-centered approach was used, with outcomes measured at 1, 7, and 30 days. In total, 189 articles (94 cases, 95 controls) were analyzed. After days 1 and 7, there were no statistically significant differences between cases and controls on any metric. On day 30, HTML page views exhibited a 63% increase for cases (M=14.72, SD=63.68) when compared to controls (M=9.01, SD=14.34; incident rate ratio=1.63, p=0.01). There were no differences between cases and controls for PDF downloads on day 30. Contrary to the authors’ hypothesis, only one statistically significant difference in page views between the Twitter and control groups was found. These findings provide preliminary evidence that after 30 days a tweet can have a small positive effect on article page views.
Ambient air pollution as a mediator in the pathway linking race/ethnicity to blood pressure elevation: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA)

Abstract Background Racial/ethnic disparities in blood pressure and hypertension have been evident in previous studies, as were associations between race/ethnicity with ambient air pollution and those between air pollution with hypertension. The role of air pollution exposure to racial/ethnic differences in hypertension has not been explored. Objective To assess the potential mediating effects of ambient air pollution on the association between race/ethnicity and blood pressure levels. Methods We studied 6,463 White, Black, Hispanic and Chinese adults enrolled across 6 US cities. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured at Exam 1 (2000–2002) and Exam 2 (2002–2004). Household-level annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), oxides of nitrogen (NOX), and ozone (O3) for the year 2000 were estimated for participants. Results The difference in SBP levels by race/ethnicity that was related to higher PM2.5 concentrations compared with White men (“indirect associations”) was 0.3 (95% CI: 0.1, 0.6) mmHg for Black men, 0.3 (95% CI: 0.1, 0.6) mmHg for Hispanic men and 1.0 (95% CI: 0.2, 1.8) mmHg for Chinese men. Findings were similar although not statistically significant for women. PM2.5 did not mediate racial/ethnic differences in DBP. Indirect associations were significant for O3 for SBP among women and men and for DBP among men. In contrast, racial/ethnic disparities were attenuated due to exposure to NOX. Conclusion Racial disparities in blood pressure were reduced after accounting for PM2.5 and ozone while increased after accounting for NOX.
Expanding the Capability of Microwave Multiplexed Readout for Fast Signals in Microcalorimeters

Microwave SQUID multiplexing has become a key technology for reading out large arrays of X-ray and gamma-ray microcalorimeters with mux factors of 100 or more. The desire for fast X-ray pulses that accommodate photon counting rates of hundreds or thousands of counts per second per sensor drives system design toward high sensor current slew rate. Typically, readout of high current slew rate events is accomplished by increasing the sampling rate, such that rates of order 1 MHz may be necessary for some experiments. In our microwave multiplexed readout scheme, the effective sampling rate is set by the frequency of the flux-ramp modulation ($$f_\mathrm{r}$$) used to linearize the SQUID response. The maximum current slew rate between samples is then nominally $$\varPhi _0 f_\mathrm{r}/2M_\mathrm{in}$$ (where $$M_\mathrm{in}$$ is the input coupling) because it is generally not possible to distinguish phase shifts of $$> \pi $$ from negative phase shifts of $$ \pi $$. We describe a practical algorithm to identify and reconstruct pulses that exceed this nominal slew rate limit on the rising edge. Using pulses produced by X-ray transition-edge sensors, we find that the pulse reconstruction has a negligible impact on energy resolution compared to arrival time effects induced by under-sampling the rising edge. This technique can increase the effective slew rate limit by more than a factor of two, thereby either reducing the resonator bandwidth required or extending the energy range of measurable photons. The extra margin could also be used to improve crosstalk or to decrease readout noise.
Consumers’ preferences for sustainable rice practices in Nigeria

Abstract Improving the sustainability of rice production is important given rice's position as a global staple food and its relatively large environmental footprint. The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) initiative aims at increasing the adoption of sustainable practices in rice production globally. We assess Nigerian consumers' perceptions of the SRP sustainability indicators using the Best-Worst Scaling approach to rank SRP sustainability attributes according to their preference shares and examine the effects of demographic characteristics and rice purchasing habits on these shares. The results show that consumers have a strong preference for sustainability indicators associated with food safety and health and safety, and that these preferences are robust across households' demographic and consumption characteristics.
Evaluation of Eravacycline: A Novel Fluorocycline

Eravacycline (ERV), formerly known as TP-434, is a novel tetracycline (TET) antibiotic that exhibits in vitro activity against various gram-positive, gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic pathogens, including those exhibiting TET-specific acquired resistance mechanisms. Similar to other TETs, it inhibits protein synthesis through binding to the 30S ribosomal subunit. Eravacycline was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2018 for the treatment of complicated intraabdominal infections (cIAIs) in adults following the Investigating Gram-Negative Infections Treated with Eravacycline (IGNITE)1 and IGNITE4 phase III trials. In these two, double-blind, multicenter clinical trials, ERV was proven noninferior in terms of clinical response in comparison to ertapenem and meropenem, respectively. Eravacycline was well tolerated with nausea, vomiting, and infusion site reactions being the most commonly reported adverse reactions. Clinicians now have ERV as a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of adults with intraabdominal infections, allergies to β-lactam agents, Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhea, or if tolerability to other agents is a concern.
Contested Terrain: The Ongoing Struggles over Food Labels, Standards and Standards for Labels

On those rare occasions when mainstream economists examine labels, they fail to recognize the politics involved in labelling. In contrast, this chapter examines labels as a place where ‘third parties’ intervene in establishing market structures within which transactions are conducted. Using the case of food labels, it notes that many actors are involved in their design and production including processors, governments, Private Voluntary Organizations, Standards Development Organizations and retailers. Moreover, as Boltanski and Thevenot have suggested, each of these actors appeals to one or more worlds to justify why certain texts, logos, pictures, etc., should appear on labels. Actual labels have limited space and conceal the conflicts among these diverse positions. Several labels are discussed to illustrate the conflicts involved. It is concluded that by paying greater attention to labels the largely invisible actions of numerous ‘third parties’ can be revealed.
A scheme for reduction in harmonics and establish the stability of hybrid system connected in grid

Abstract A new methodology for investigation of voltage stability and total harmonic distortion of distributed hybrid generator based on wind and pv system is proposed. In this scheme, the sources are connected to the grid through standalone step-up converter followed by an inverter. Thus, compared to earlier schemes, the proposed scheme has fewer power converters. The prototype of the Simulink model is developed in d-q axes reference frame. The suggested scheme not only generates and step-up the dc voltage but also transforms the generated dc power into a higher quality of ac power with the help of SVPWM inverter. Furthermore, to enhance the quality of power and stability of the overall PV system integrated with the grid, a transient current limiter for limiting the transient has been incorporated in the system. The suggested model is tested on MATLAB / Simulink environment and the result shows its superiority over other existing methods.
Falling-Film evaporation over horizontal rectangular tubes: Part II—Modeling

Abstract A two-part study of on falling-film evaporation on horizontal rectangular tubes, the external geometry of extruded flat, microchannel tubes, was conducted. In the companion paper, Part I, heat transfer experiments on this geometry were reported. In this paper, Part II, three models were developed to predict the flow regime, wetted tube area, and heat transfer coefficients for this configuration. The flow regime model is based on a thermodynamic analysis, while the wetted tube area is found with a hydrodynamic model based on idealized flow assumptions and flow visualization data. The heat transfer model uses the classic Nusselt (1916) film theory as the starting point. These models demonstrated good agreement with the experimental data and trends in the literature.
Theory for interfacial tension of partially miscible liquids

Abstract The aim of this work is to develop a mathematical relation between the interfacial tension (γab) of two partially miscible molecular liquids a and b with their pure liquid state surface tensions (γa and γb) with their respective vapours, using statistical mechanics. It is shown here that liquid-liquid interfacial tension can be mathematically correlated to the liquid-vapour surface tension by the following equation: γ ab =( Δϱ a Δϱ 0 a ) 2 γ a + ( Δϱ b Δϱ 0 b ) 2 γ b − 2( σ aa σ bb σ 2 ab ) 2 ( Δϱ a Δϱ b Δϱ 0 a Δϱ 0 b )(γ a γ b ) 1 2 , where Δϱa and Δϱb are the density changes of the components a and b in the two partially miscible liquid phases and Δϱ0a, Δϱ0b are the density of the pure liquids a and b with respect to their saturated vapours.