cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Trunk Barriers on Larval Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Density in Isolated- and Contiguous-Canopy Oak Trees

The impact of sticky trunk barriers on the density of larval gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar (L.), in oak ( Quercus spp.) trees with isolated and contiguous canopies was studied. Measurements of frass drop per unit of area and frass yield per larva were used to estimate larval density. The trunk barriers reduced larval density by an average of ≈27%. The effect of the trunk barriers was the same on isolated- and contiguous-canopy trees on the first sample date, when larvae were predominantly fourth instars. On the second sample date, when larvae were predominantly fifth and sixth instars, the effect of trunk barriers on larval density was greater on contiguous-canopy trees. These results indicate that reinfestation of trees from the canopy of adjacent trees is minimal at low to moderate gypsy moth larval densities (up to ≈80 larvae per square meter). Defoliation levels and subsequent egg-mass density were not affected by trunk barriers. While sticky trunk barriers appear to consistently reduce larval density on both isolated- and contiguous-canopy oak trees, they do not provide adequate foliage protection. Frass drop (number of frass pellets per square meter) was the most sensitive measure of treatment effects. The estimation of larval density by incorporating information about frass yield per larva introduced additional variability which made this a less sensitive measure of treatment effects.
Abstract PR-09: Genetic variations in the sonic hedgehog pathway and clinical outcomes in bladder cancer

The sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway plays an important role in embryonic development and stem cell maintenance. Abnormal activation of Shh pathway has been implicated in the development of various cancers, and also in the progression to metastatic disease. We hypothesized that genetic variations in the Shh pathway may affect bladder cancer (BC) patients9 clinical outcomes. We evaluated the association of 151 SNPs in nine Shh genes in a follow‐up study of 738 bladder cancer patients for recurrence and progression risk in superficial BC patients, and survival in muscle‐invasive and metastasis (MiM) BC patients. In superficial BC patients, GLI2 variants rs11685068 (HR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.44–3.12) and rs7605011 (HR:1.94, 95% CI: 1.33–2.85) were significantly associated with higher recurrence risk. Individuals with rs11685068 (median survival time (MST): 7.3 months, Log‐Rank P: 0.004) and rs7605011 (MST: 7.6 months, Log‐Rank P: 0.002) variant alleles had shorter recurrence‐free median survival time compared to patients with wild‐type genotypes (MST: 16.7 months). In the subgroup receiving Bacillus Calmette‐Guerin treatment, GLI3 variants rs6463089 (HR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.44–3.66) and rs3801192 (HR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.48–4.46) were significantly associated with higher recurrence risk and shorter recurrence‐free survival durations. We also explored the cumulative effect of multiple SNPs and higher‐order gene‐gene interactions in modulating the recurrence. No significant associations were observed in the progression and survival analysis after correcting for multiple testing. This is the first study to evaluate the role of germline genetic variations in Shh pathway as predictors of bladder cancer outcomes. These findings warrant further replication in independent populations to identify BC patients at a high risk for a poor outcome and prognosis. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):PR-09.
Thin Film Decohesion and Its Measurement

The mechanics of thin films are used to define quantitative procedures for predicting interface decohesion motivated by residual stress. The emphasis is on the role of the interface debond energy, especially methods for its accurate and reliable measurement. Experimental results are reviewed and possible mechanisms are discussed.
Post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection in gay and bisexual men. Implications for the future of HIV prevention.

Abstract Objective: To assess the psychological and behavioral characteristics of gay and bisexual men who intend to use antiretroviral post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV infection. Methods: Gay and bisexual men who had not tested HIV seropositive and were not in long-term exclusive sexual relationships (n = 327) completed anonymous surveys consisting of demographic characteristics, gay community acculturation, experience with and attitudes toward PEP, substance use, and sexual behavior in the past 6 months. Setting: A large annual Gay Pride festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Results: There were 8 (3%) men who had already used PEP and 85 (26%) who planned to use PEP to prevent themselves from becoming HIV infected. Compared to the 242 (74%) men who did not indicate plans to use PEP, those planning to use PEP were younger, less well educated, more likely to have used illicit substances in the past 6 months, and were more likely to have a history of injection drug use. Men intending to use PEP were also more likely to have practiced unprotected anal and oral intercourse as the receptive partner and were more likely to have multiple anal intercourse partners with whom they were receptive. Conclusions: Gay and bisexual men are generally supportive of the immediate use of PEP and a significant number of men are planning to use PEP, particularly less educated men who use multiple substances and practice the highest-risk sexual behaviors. Concurrent behavioral interventions must, therefore, be considered critical in the advancement of PEP.
Separation, Pooling, and Big Data

Privacy is about being “let alone,” so in one sense, privacy means to separate yourself from the world. Paradoxically, by concealing facts about yourself, observers view you as less separated from everyone else. They can no longer make out the features that distinguish you from those to whom you bear a superficial resemblance. In this manner, privacy promotes what economists call “pooling.” Markets, however, tend to benefit from “separation” — the ability to distinguish between different types. This tension between privacy and market efficiency — between pooling and separation — is on full display in the burgeoning privacy law scholarship surrounding big data, which has centered on so-called “predictive privacy harms.” This scholarship has begun to seep into policy discussions, leading to proposals to limit the ability of firms to use big data. Privacy without a doubt is valuable. It’s woven into the fabric of our society. But we must be careful to discern between privacy’s intrinsic and strategic values before prescribing drastic ex ante restrictions to address predictive privacy harms. The major contribution of this paper is to develop a positive framework based on the economics of contracts and torts to identify when limiting big data predictions may be justified. This framework suggests that when strategic privacy is at issue, the mechanisms should be rooted in antidiscrimination law — which embody the choices that society has made about which traits are fair game for classification — rather than privacy law. Alternatively, privacy law should be used when intrinsic privacy is implicated. The analysis suggests that ex ante restrictions on use make sense only in the narrow circumstances in which there is likely to be agreement that the big data predictions implicate highly sensitive information. Alternatively, when there is little agreement on how privacy harms are likely to be suffered, the default regulatory posture should be one of notice of collection and use, with the Federal Trade Commission enforcing a firm’s promises.
Self Ratings, Level of Ideal-Self Ratings, and Defensiveness

Four self-regard measures referring to specific traits and to over-all self-regard, and four defensiveness measures referring to corresponding dimensions were applied to a male and/or a female sample. Major findings are: (a) A strong self-favorability bias occurred, plausibly indicative of denial influencing the self concept. (b) Personally stated ideal-self ratings (PSI) correlated across Ss with self ratings (SRs), and, to a limited extent, with a rationalization measure, suggesting that PSI has psychodynamic significance. (c) Defense measures having face validity and satisfactory reliability failed to intercorrelate even when purporting to index the same defense regarding the same trait. This suggests that defensiveness is not a unitary construct, and more work on defense measures is needed. (d) High self-regard tended to be associated with less rationalizing and projecting than did low self-regard.
Integrating power control, error correction coding, and scheduling for a CDMA downlink system

Transmitting multimedia data over a code-division multiple access (CDMA) channel presents a new set of challenges: data demands will sometimes exceed the system capacity, in which case the system must make the most efficient use of its limited resources. In this paper, we present our approach for unifying power control, variable forward error correction (VFEC), and scheduling for a downlink system by allocating the system resources. The resources we consider are: fixed bandwidth available for each user and the transmit power budget for each cell. Our objective is to maximize the overall system satisfaction, which we call "system utility." This objective is achieved by applying a distributed algorithm which divides the overall optimization problem into a hierarchy of three levels (system, cell, and user), with each performing independent and parallel optimizations. We perform simulation-based evaluation of the system performance with a simple cell structure and uniformly distributed users. The system is simulated using a specific utility function: the step function. Finally, several practical issues regarding the implementation are investigated.
Joint estimation and decoding for sparse channels via relaxed belief propagation

We consider the problem of communicating efficiently over an N-block Rayleigh-fading channel with a K-sparse L-length discrete-time impulse response (with 0 &#60; K &#60; L &#60; N), where both the channel's coefficients and support are unknown to both the transmitter and receiver. For this, we propose to use bit-interleaved coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) in conjunction with a novel belief-propagation (BP) based demodulation scheme. Unlike the conventional “decoupled” approach, where pilots are used to estimate the sparse channel, and the resulting channel estimate is used for data decoding, we perform joint sparse-channel estimation and data decoding. Simulations suggest that the proposed scheme performs remarkably well at both low and high-SNR—achieving, e.g., the channel capacity prelog factor—with reasonable complexity: O(NL).1
Video capture and post-processing technique for approximating 3D projectile trajectory

AbstractIn this paper we introduce a low-cost procedure and methodology for markerless projectile tracking in three-dimensional (3D) space. Understanding the 3D trajectory of an object in flight can often be essential in examining variables relating to launch and landing conditions. Many systems exist to track the 3D motion of projectiles but are often constrained by space or the type of object the system can recognize (Qualisys, Goteborg, Sweden; Vicon, Oxford, United Kingdom; OptiTrack, Corvallis, Oregon USA; Motion Analysis, Santa Rosa, California USA; Flight Scope, Orlando, Florida USA). These technologies can also be quite expensive, often costing hundreds of thousand dollars. The system presented in this paper utilizes two high-definition video cameras oriented perpendicular to each other to record the flight of an object. A post-processing technique and subsequent geometrically based algorithm was created to determine 3D position of the object using the two videos. This procedure and methodology wa...
Bed diameter effect on the hydrodynamics of gas-solid fluidized beds via radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique

The hydrodynamics observed in large-scale gas-solid fluidized bed reactors are different from those observed in smaller scale beds. In this study, the effect of bed diameter on the hydrodynamics of gas-solid fluidized bed reactors has been investigated in two bubbling fluidized beds of 44 cm and 14 cm in diameter using an advanced non-invasive radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique. Compressed air at room temperature was used as the gas phase, and the solid was glass beads with a particle size of 210 μm (Geldart-B) and density of 2.5 g · cm−3. Particle velocity field, Reynolds stresses, normal stresses, turbulent kinetic energy, and axial and radial eddy diffusivities were measured in two beds at gas velocities of 1.5 Umf, 2 Umf, and 3 Umf. Experimental results showed that the bed scales have a significant effect on some of these hydrodynamic parameters where the magnitude of solids velocity is much higher in the larger bed and the solids mixing and diffusion of particles are increased by increasing the column diameter.
Borderline personality disorder symptoms and criminal justice system involvement: The roles of emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors and physical Aggression ☆

Abstract Objective Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with elevated risk for a variety of risky behaviors, including criminal behaviors. Yet, limited research has examined the relation of BPD to criminal justice (CJ) involvement, or the mechanisms underlying this relation. Procedures This study examined the role of two mechanisms, emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors and physical aggression, in the relation between BPD symptom severity and CJ involvement among 118 patients in residential substance abuse treatment (76% male; 62% African-American). Participants completed measures of BPD symptom severity, CJ contact, diversity of CJ charges, emotion-driven impulse control difficulties, physical aggression, and covariates (substance use severity and antisocial personality disorder symptoms). Results BPD symptom severity was associated with CJ contact through emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors, and with diversity of CJ charges through emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors and physical aggression; however, the indirect relations to diversity of CJ charges became non-significant when covariates were included. Conclusions Results highlight the important role of emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors in criminal behaviors among individuals with BPD symptoms, as well as the potential clinical utility of targeting this mechanism to prevent CJ involvement and/or recidivism.
Evaluation of racial and socioeconomic disparities in medication pricing and pharmacy access and services.

Purpose Results of a study to determine if disparities in drug pricing, pharmacy services, and community pharmacy access exist in a Tennessee county with a predominantly minority population are reported. Methods A cross-sectional survey of community pharmacies in Shelby County, a jurisdiction with a total population more than 60% composed of racial and ethnic minority groups, was conducted. Data collection included “out-of-pocket” (i.e., cash purchase) prices for generic levothyroxine, methylphenidate, and hydrocodone–acetaminophen; pharmacy hours of operation; availability of selected pharmacy services; and ZIP code–level data on demographics and crime risk. Analysis of variance, chi-square testing, correlational analysis, and data mapping were performed. Results Survey data were obtained from 90 pharmacies in 25 of the county’s 33 residential ZIP code areas. Areas with fewer pharmacies per 10,000 residents tended to have a higher percentage of minority residents ( p = 0.031). Methylphenidate pricing was typically lower in areas with lower employment rates ( p = 0.027). Availability of home medication delivery service correlated with income level ( p = 0.015), employment rate ( p = 0.022), and crime risk ( p = 0.014). Conclusion A survey of community pharmacies in Shelby County, Tennessee, found that areas with a high percentage of minority residents had lower pharmacy density than areas with a high percentage of white residents. Pharmacies located in communities with low average income levels, low employment rates, and high scores for personal crime risk were less likely to offer home medication delivery services.
Systemic Activation Coordinates The Heat Shock Response Of The Insulin/IGF-1 Pathway In Caenorhabditis elegans

Exposure to high temperatures has an adverse effect on cellular processes and results in activation of the cellular heat shock response (HSR), a highly conserved program of inducible genes to maintain protein homeostasis (1). The insulin/IGF1 signaling (IIS) pathway, which has diverse roles from metabolism to stress response and longevity, is activated as part of the HSR (2,3,4). Recent evidence suggest that the IIS pathway is able to affect proteostasis non autonomously (5,6), yet it is not known if it is activated autonomously in stressed cells or systemically as part of an organismic program. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the single forkhead box O (FOXO) homologue DAF16 functions as the major target of the IIS pathway (7) and, together with the heat-shock factor HSF1, induce the expression of small heat shock proteins in response to heat shock (3,8,9,10). Here we use a novel microfluidic device that allows precise control of the spatiotemporal temperature profile to show that cellular activation of DAF16 integrates local temperature sensation with systemic signals. We demonstrate that DAF16 activation in head sensory neurons is essential for DAF16 activation in other tissues, but show that no known thermosensory neuron is individually required. Our findings demonstrate that systemic and cell-autonomous aspects of stress response act together to facilitate a coordinated cellular response at the organismic level.
Competency based clinical shoulder examination training improves physical exam, confidence, and knowledge in common shoulder conditions.

Deficiencies in musculoskeletal knowledge are reported at every stage of learning. Medical programs are looking for effective ways to incorporate competency-based training into musculoskeletal education. To evaluate the impact of bedside feedback on learner’s shoulder examination skills, confidence, and knowledge of common shoulder conditions. Four-week musculoskeletal clinic rotation. UCSD third year medical students and internal medicine residents. Learners completed three baseline evaluations: videotaped shoulder examination, attitude survey, and knowledge test. During the 4-week intervention learners received bedside observation and feedback from musculoskeletal experts while evaluating patients with shoulder conditions. Post-intervention learners repeated the three assessments. Eighty-nine learners participated. In the primary outcome measure evaluating the pre/post videotaped shoulder examination, significant improvement was seen in 21 of 23 shoulder examination maneuvers. Secondary outcomes include changes in learner confidence and knowledge. Greatest gains in learner confidence were seen in performing the shoulder examination (61.5% improvement) and performing injections (97.1% improvement). Knowledge improved significantly in all categories including anatomy/examination interpretation, diagnosis, and procedures. Direct observation and feedback during clinical evaluation of patients with shoulder pain improves shoulder examination competency, provider confidence, and knowledge of common shoulder conditions.
The Developments, Policies and Assessments of Hydropower in the Ganga River Basin

This article reviews the practices, policies and assessments of hydropower facilities in the upper Ganga basin and explores the main developments in hydropower infrastructure and accompanying land use changes over the past several decades. It introduces the policy framework and also includes a review of the social and political movements for and against hydropower development. It concludes with suggestions for alternative ways to measure energy and externalities that give importance to other water priorities and uses in the basin.
Bivariate GWAS scan identifies six novel loci associated with lipid levels and coronary artery disease

Background- Plasma lipid levels are heritable and genetically associated with risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) routinely analyze these traits independently of one another. Joint GWAS for two related phenotypes can lead to a higher-powered analysis to detect variants contributing to both traits. Methods and Results- We performed a bivariate GWAS to discover novel loci associated with heart disease, using a CAD Meta-Analysis (122,733 cases and 424,528 controls), and lipid traits, using data from the Global Lipid Genetics Consortium (188,577 subjects). We identified six previously unreported loci at genome-wide significance (P
Merits and Defects of Different Approaches to Mixed Layer Modelling

Abstract Ocean mixed layer modelling has involved three different approaches. These can be listed under the headings of a) Bulk or integral models that do not resolve vertical differences within the layer, b) Diffusive models including K theories and higher closure schemes and c) Eddy-resolving models that either simulate or parameterize the larger eddies individually. Each of these three approaches is described and their relative advantages and domains of applicability are then discussed.
Measuring Libidinal and Aggressive Motives and Their Controls by Means of the Rorschach Test

The psychoanalytic theory of motivation is today in a state of flux, not to say confusion. Its fundamental concepts (psychic energy and tension reduction, and the passive reflex model of the organism) are bankrupt, and more evidence is piling up daily that a different set of basic assumptions must be chosen as the starting-points of a tenable theory. Yet the clinical discoveries of Freud, his formulations of so-called personality dynamics, the indirect and disguised effects of unconscious motives and defenses on behavior—these seem to me of indisputable value for the practicing clinician and personality researcher, poorly supported by hard data though many of the relevant propositions may be. The consequence of this anomalous state of affairs for my own work is that I am simultaneously criticizing various aspects of the metapsychological model (Holt, 1963a; 1965a, 1965c; 1967e) and working with a psychoanalytic system of scoring drives or wishes in the Rorschach which seems to me as fruitful as the theory seems barren. A group of my colleagues and I are beginning to see some ways we may be able to develop a more tenable psychoanalytic model of man (Holt, 1967b), but it is too early to go into that [see, however, Holt, 1976a]. All I want to do here is to indicate my general feeling about the psychoanalytic theory of motivation, which is one of hope and respect mingled with exasperation, and then spend most of my time talking about some data.
Anti-vascular Therapy for Brain Tumors

The formation of new blood vessels, a ­normal process in fetal development, wound healing and during the menstrual cycle, functions to provide expanding tissues with nutrients, oxygen, and waste removal. The extent of vasculature development defines the survival and growth of tissues. Tumor growth also depends on the expansion of the vasculature. Tumor cells can survive only within a specific distance from the blood vessels; beyond this point the cells become hypoxic and die (Hlatky et al. 2002). In the absence of a parallel expansion of the blood supply, the tumor will stop growing and remain dormant for years or die (Folkman 2007). Studies suggest that activation of the dormant tumor cells cause a change in the balance of pro- and anti-angiogenic factors present in the tumor microenvironment, triggering the blood vessels in the surrounding normal tissue to become activated and invade the tumor (angiogenesis) (Folkman 2007)
Disorders of Iron Metabolism: Iron Deficiency and Iron Overload and Anemia of Chronic Diseases

Iron metabolism requires a tightly regulated process to control iron uptake, storage, and recycling. Iron is an essential element and is primarily needed for the production of erythrocytes (erythropoiesis), as well as other important processes. The main regulatory mechanism of iron homeostasis involves hepcidin, a peptide produced primarily in the liver, that controls the cellular export of iron through ferroportin. In turn, the regulation of hepcidin expression is to a large extent, but not exclusively, controlled by the iron pool.
Modeling the Tertiary Structure of a Multi-domain Protein: Structure Prediction of Multi-domain Proteins

Due to the central role that tertiary structure plays in determining protein function, resolving protein tertiary structures is an integral research thrust in both wet and dry laboratories. Dry laboratories have primarily focused on small- to medium-size proteins. However, proteins central to human biology and human health are often quite complex, containing multiple domains and consisting of thou- sands of amino acids. Such proteins are challenging for various reasons, including the inability to crystallize. We present a case study of structure determination for the Rift Valley fever virus L-protein, a a large, multi-domain protein with currently no available tertiary structure. We employ this case study as an emerging paradigm and demonstrate how to leverage the rich and diverse landscape of bioinformatics tools for building tertiary structure models for multi-domain proteins with thousands of amino acids.
Simulation of Light Trapping Structures for Enhancing Radiation Hardness in Space Solar Cells

In an effort to reduce the radiation degradation of triple-junction solar cells, imbedded photon management is investigated as a means for reducing the middle subcell thickness while maintaining subcell's output. Three types of (In)GaAs subcells of the conventional InGaP/(In)GaAs/Ge triple-junction solar cells with different back-side gratings as light-reflecting devices were simulated. The best results were observed for the subcells with two-dimensional moth-eye back-side grating. More than 70 % of incident light is reflected into the non-zero diffraction orders which allows the thickness of the subcell to decrease from 3.5 to $\pmb{1.25\ \mu \mathrm{m}}$ . This shrinkage of the subcell substantially increases the radiation hardness of the multi-junction solar cell.
Contemporary Homeschool Models and the Values and Beliefs of Home Educator Associations: A Systematic Review

Home education support groups and associations are increasingly becoming hubs for home learning communities to share resources and knowledge. This literature review examined (a) motivations for joi...
The Computerization Time Crunch

This article takes apart the concept of work productivity, something that has been pursued as a goal for a long time. It argues that labor saving through computerization has led to, first, more labor and, second, less interesting labor for professionals.
Eyes as Windows to the Soul

Fall in the Midwest is one of my favorite times of the year. There is the return of my favorite seasonal flavors: pumpkin and cranberries. Pumpkin muffins and bread along with cranberry desserts seem to flood the local bakeries, coffee shops, and grocery stores highlighting my seasonal favorites. Cranberries can be found in fruit tarts, breads, and cereals and paired with oranges in muffins. Coupled with corn, apples, and cinnamon, the fall harvests seem to be full of rich and diverse flavors. If one is lucky enough to be in a town with several taverns and local breweries, both pumpkin and cranberries can be found within the local ales and lagers, too. Simply put, fall seasonal flavors mixed with the weather is my definition of perfect.
A Research Wish List to Understand, Diagnose, and Manage Frailty and Sarcopenia

Loss of muscle mass and function in advanced liver disease has become a topic of rapidly growing interest since reports relating frailty and sarcopenia to risk of adverse liver transplant outcomes began to appear 7 years ago. Our current rapid growth in understanding of the problem has allowed the emergence of robust new opportunities for basic and clinical research that promise to improve the outcomes and quality of life of patients with cirrhosis.
Obstetric Patients with Repetitious Hospital Location Transfers Have Prolonged Stays

There is a general belief that the workflow of surrounding location transfers between locations documented in electronic health record (EHR) during hospitalization is associated with a patient’s length of stay (LOS). However, this belief has had little formal investigation in a data-driven manner. Location transfers in patients’ hospitalization are hypothesized to be related to LOS. The objective of this study is to assess this relationship, using data derived from the EHR system of a large hospital system, with a focus on the obstetric setting - a clinical environment that exhibits wide swing in resource utilization. We designed a data-driven framework to infer patterns of location transfers and developed a zero-truncated negative binomial model, adjusting for demographics and billed diagnoses, to learn the association between patterns of location transfers and LOS. Indicative factors found to be of indicative of location transfer patterns were further investigated via their odds ratios, Pearson Correlation Coefficients, and Chi-squared test. We evaluated our approach with two years of data on from 5,774 obstetric inpatient encounters from the EHR system of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The results indicated that the average LOS for patients with patterns of repetitious location transfers (RLTs) was 4.25 days (95% confidence interval [4.02, 4.47]) longer than patients with no RLT. This difference reduced to 3.62 days (95% confidence interval [3.61, 3.64]) after adjusting for age, race and billed diagnoses. We further discovered 21 indicative factors of RLT (statistically significant with a significance level of 0.05), in the form of billed diagnosis codes, each of which exhibited an odds ratio larger than 4. This study suggests that RLT patterns are associated with a prolonged LOS in the obstetric setting. As such, healthcare organizations may need to pay more attention to patients with RLTs to refine location transfers workflow and to boost efficiency in obstetric care.
Rapid detection of Pecan Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne partityla, in laboratory and field conditions using loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Meloidogyne partityla is the dominant root-knot nematode (RKN) species parasitizing pecan in Georgia. This species is known to cause a reduction in root growth and a decline in yields from mature pecan trees. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of this RKN is required to control this nematode disease and reduce losses in pecan production. In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was developed for simple, rapid and on-site detection of M. partityla in infested plant roots and validated to detect the nematode in laboratory and field conditions. Specific primers were designed based on the sequence distinction of internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-18S/5.8S ribosomal RNA gene between M. partityla and other Meloidogyne spp. The LAMP detection technique could detect the presence of M. partityla genomic DNA at a concentration as low as 1 pg, and no cross reactivity was found with DNA from other major RKN species such as M. javanica , M. incognita and M. arenaria , and M. hapla . We also conducted a traditional morphology-based diagnostic assay and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to determine which of these techniques was less time consuming, more sensitive, and convenient to use in the field. The LAMP assay provided more rapid results, amplifying the target nematode species in less than 60 min at 65°C, with results 100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR (~2-3 hrs). Morphology-based, traditional diagnosis was highly time-consuming (2 days) and more laborious than conventional PCR and LAMP assays. These features greatly simplified the operating procedure and made the assay a powerful tool for rapid, on-site detection of pecan RKN, M. partityla . The LAMP assay will facilitate accurate pecan nematode diagnosis in the field and contribute to the management of the pathogen.
Classification Models and Survival Analysis for Prostate Cancer Using RNA Sequencing and Clinical Data

Early detection of cancer can significantly increase the chance of successful treatment. This research performs a study on early cancer detection for prostate cancer patients from whom cancer tissue was analyzed with Illumina Hi-Seq ribonucleic acid (RNA) Sequencing (RNA-Seq). Cancer relevant genes with the most significant correlations with the clinical outcome of the sample type (cancer /non-cancer) and the overall survival (OS) were assessed. Traditional cancer diagnosis primarily depends on physicians’ experience to identify morphological abnormalities. Gene expression level data can assist physicians in detecting cancer cases at a much earlier stage and thus can significantly improve the potential of patient treatment. In this research, for the classification task, we applied machine learning and data mining approaches to detect cancer versus non-cancer based on gene expression data. Our goal was to detect cancer at the earliest stage. Besides, for the regression task, survival outcomes in prostate cancer patients were performed. Regression trees were built using cancer-sensitive genes along with clinical attribute ‘Gleason score’ as predictors, and the clinical variable ‘overall survival’ as the target variable. Knowledge in the form of rules is one of the vital tasks in data mining as it provides concise statements of easily understandable and potentially valuable information. For the classification model, we derived rules from a decision tree and interpreted these rules for cancer and non-cancer patients. For the regression or survival model, we generated rules for predicting or estimating the survival time of cancer patients. In this study, cancer-relevant genes were analyzed as predictors, although various genes may interact with genes currently known to contribute to cancer. These findings have implications for assessing gene-gene interactions and gene-environment interactions of prostate cancer as well as for other types of cancer.
Ising Model for the λ Transition and Phase Separation in He 3 - He 4 Mixtures

A spin-1 Ising model, which simulates the thermodynamic behavior of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$-${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ mixtures along the $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ line and near the critical mixing point, is introduced and solved in the mean-field approximation. For reasonable values of the parameters of the model the phase diagram is qualitatively similar to that observed experimentally and the phase separation appears as a consequence of the superfluid ordering. Changing the parameters produces many different types of phase diagram, including as features $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ lines, critical points, tricritical points, and triple points. Certain thermodynamic features which differ from the ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$-${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ experiments may be artifacts of the mean-field theory.
A Poroelastic Model for Laboratory Hydraulic Fracturing of Weak Permeable Rock

Abstract Water injection laboratory experiments in weak, poorly consolidated sandstones show evidence that the peak injection pressure is much larger than the one predicted by the Haimson-Fairhurst breakdown criterion. A model based on poroelasticity, fracture mechanics, and lubrication theory is constructed to simulate the laboratory experiments. It aims at computing the propagation of a bi-wing hydraulic fracture from a borehole with increasing injection rate, until the crack reaches the boundary of the sample. The model is applicable to situations for which the pore pressure field reaches a steady state quasi-instantaneously when changing the injection rate, on account of the large permeability of these rocks. Taking advantage of the linearity of the poroelasticity equations, the model is formulated in terms of singular integral equations. Combined with the nonlinear lubrication equation, the convolution integrals, resulting from the application of the boundary conditions, are approximated by discretizing the unknown distribution of singularities. Finally, the injection rate corresponding to a given crack length is obtained by solving a nonlinear system of equations involving only unknowns along the crack. Two asymptotic regimes of solution are found: (i) a rock-flow regime where the induced fracture is hydraulically invisible, and (ii) a fracture-flow regime where the fluid penetrates the rock via the crack. In the rock-flow regime, fracture propagation is stable, i.e., the borehole pressure increases with the injection rate; while in the fracture-flow regime, the reverse is true. It is concluded that the peak injection pressure reflects a transition between two flow regimes, rather than breakdown. A parametric analysis also indicates that poroelasticity significantly affects the magnitude of the injection pressure.
Power grid fault diagnosis method based on CNN image recognition

The stability of power system is an important foundation to realize the intelligent power system. With the continuous complexity of power grid structure, higher requirements are put forward for fault diagnosis methods of power grid. Therefore, how to quickly and accurately identify fault equipment and diagnose fault causes has become the focus of domestic and foreign experts. In order to solve the problems of feature extraction, data dimensionality reduction, gradient dissipation, low training efficiency and poor real-time performance of machine learning in fault classification, this paper realizes the real-time monitoring of power grid nodes based on the measurement data of synchronous phasor measurement unit (PMU) Combining convolution neural network, a fault diagnosis method based on CNN image recognition is proposed. Simulation and experimental results show that, compared with the traditional fault diagnosis method, the proposed method can reduce the impact of abnormal data on the diagnosis results, and can extract the deep fault features more effectively, with strong stability, robustness and real-time performance.
Plant to Plate Pilot: A Cold Climate High School Garden Increased Vegetable Selection But Also Waste

Aim: Can high school gardens in cold climates influence vegetable intake in the absence of nutrition education? Methods: This study followed a before/after design where student tray waste data were collected using the Quarter-Waste method. The study took place March-April 2012 in a high school in upstate New York. The subjects were 370 enrolled high school students that purchased lunch from the school cafeteria. Prior to the introduction of garden greens in the salad, salads were served as usual. On April 24, harvested greens were included in the salad, and changes in selection and plate waste was measured.Results: When the salad bar contained garden produce, the percentage of students selecting salad rose from 2% to 10% (pConclusion: This preliminary investigation suggest that school gardens increased selection and intake of school-raised produce. Although a third was not eaten, it is promising to see that still more produce was consumed compared to the past.
Efficient experimental design for dose response modelling

The logit binomial logistic dose response model is commonly used in applied research to model binary outcomes as a function of the dose or concentration of a substance. This model is easily tailore...
Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography Compared to Ultrasound and Biomicroscopy for Diagnosis of Posterior Vitreous Detachment.

Background Biomicroscopy, B-scan ultrasound imaging, and SD-OCT are all modalities used to characterize a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Our objective is to assess the precision of the diagnosis of PVD by SS-OCT. Methods This prospective observational study examines ninety-five eyes of forty-nine patients with biomicroscopy, B-scan ultrasound, and SS-OCT for the presence or absence of a complete PVD. All SS-OCT images were reviewed by two retina specialists (RWSC, ZM). All three diagnostic methods were evaluated for agreement by Cohen's kappa statistic. Results The inter-rater reliability between retina specialists reading the SS-OCT images was 97.9% (κ = 0.957). Agreement on PVD status between SS-OCT and biomicroscopy was 85.3% (κ = 0.711). Agreement between SS-OCT and B-scan ultrasound was 83.2% (κ = 0.667). Agreement between B-scan ultrasound and biomicroscopy was 87.4% (κ = 0.743). Conclusion For the diagnosis of complete PVD, SS-OCT allows for high accuracy and agreement between graders.
Phase component of frequency-domain functional near-infrared imaging improves decoding of motor-evoked neural activity

Frequency-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (FD-fNIRS) has the potential to improve neural imaging of brain hemodynamic responses over conventional magnitude measurements from continuous wave (CW) fNIRS systems by providing additional measurement of phase changes. We evaluated whether phase measurements improved accuracy in decoding motor activity and laterality of movement while recording from motor cortex during a finger tapping task conducted with N=12 subjects. Classification was performed using logistic regression with a single feature derived from hemodynamic response function (HRF) regression. Inspecting the regression results on held-out test data, the majority of subjects showed significant differences between baseline and activity conditions over a typical HRF time course in both magnitude and phase signal components. Combining magnitude and phase information using FD-fNIRS significantly improved classification accuracy of motor conditions at the population level relative to the CW-fNIRS analogue represented by the magnitude signal alone. Our results demonstrate that FD-fNIRS systems can provide benefit over CW-fNIRS for neural decoding applications and are a promising technology for future investigation of non-invasive neural imaging.
A Molecular Basis of Long COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has been found capable of inducing long term effects commonly referred to as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) or long COVID. To define the molecular basis of this condition, we compared the short- and long-term responses to influenza A virus and SARSCoV-2 in the golden hamster model. These data demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 resulted in sustained changes to lung, kidney, and brain. The most significant change in response to SARS-CoV-2 was observed in the olfactory bulb, where persistent inflammation was visible beyond one month post infection. This was characterized by microglial activation, pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and a Type I interferon (IFN-I) response in the absence of detectable virus. Given the connection between olfactory bulb injury and neurological disorders, we postulate that this prolonged inflammation is an underlying cause of long COVID. Funding Information: This work was funded by generous support from the Marc Haas Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (NCI (R01CA234614) and NIAID (2R01AI107301) and NIDDK (R01DK121072 and 1RO3DK117252) to Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine (R.E.S.)), and DARPA’s PREPARE Program (HR0011-20-2-0040). The work was further funded by NINDS (NS111251, NSO86444, NSO86444S1)(V.Z., R.A.S.). Ethics Approval Statement: The Tissue Procurement Facility operates under Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved protocol and follows guidelines set by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Experiments using samples from human subjects were conducted in accordance with local regulations and with the approval of the IRB at the Weill Cornell Medicine. The autopsy samples are considered human tissue research and were collected under IRB protocols 20-04021814 and 19-11021069. All autopsies have consent for research use from next of kin, and these studies were determined as exempt by IRB at Weill Cornell Medicine under those protocol numbers.
Grammar and stance: The use of Korean interrogative suffixes –nya and –ni as alignment markers

Abstract This study investigates the stance-related functions of –nya and –ni in Korean conversation within the theoretical and analytical framework of stance proposed by Du Bois (2007) as well as that of conversation analysis. Previous studies have understood –nya and –ni as plain-speech level sentence-type markers that are employed to form interrogative sentences mainly intended to seek information. This study, however, demonstrates that –nya and –ni can function as stance markers that show how the speaker aligns his/her stance with the stance displayed by the prior speaker. The findings of this study further show that –nya and –ni are starkly different in the types of stances they index: –nya tended to indicate the speaker's divergent stance with the prior speaker's stance, whereas –ni tended to indicate a convergent stance. The grammaticalization of stance alignment into the interrogative suffixes –nya and –ni in Korean thus clearly demonstrates how grammar is not only a resource to indicate the syntactic and propositional information of an utterance but also a socio-interactional and public resource that enables the dialogic construction of stance in and through interaction.
Transparent Buffer Layer for Back Surface Passivation in CdTe Photovoltaics

The realization of a transparent back buffer layer would be a significant boon for the CdTe community. Simulations presented here reveal a substantial performance increase in ultrathin cells through incorporation of a back buffer, as well as high bifaciality if transparent contacts are assumed. This project aims to deposit a p-type transparent conducting oxide (TCO) at the back of superstrate CdSeTe/CdTe cells to improve band bending and interface recombination at the rear of the cell, and ultimately to bring high performing bifacial cells to fruition. Four such oxides were sputter deposited to create a collection of functional bifacial cells. Back surface passivation was evaluated with rear-excitation time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL). Several promising materials yielded rear-excitation lifetimes >2 ns, indicating effective passivation.