cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Topological phases of eternal inflation

``Eternal inflation'' is a term that describes a number of different phenomena that have been classified by Winitzki. According to Winitzki's classification, these phases can be characterized by the topology of the percolating structures in the inflating, ``white,'' region. In this paper we discuss these phases, the transitions between them, and the way they are seen by a ``Census Taker,'' a hypothetical observer inside the noninflating, ``black,'' region. We discuss three phases that we call ``black island,'' ``tubular,'' and ``white island.'' The black island phase is familiar, composed of rare Coleman De Luccia bubble nucleation events. The Census Taker sees an essentially spherical boundary, described by the conformal field theory of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker/conformal field theory (FRW/CFT) correspondence. In the tubular phase the Census Taker sees a complicated infinite genus structure composed of arbitrarily long tubes. The white island phase is even more mysterious from the black side. Surprisingly, when viewed from the noninflating region this phase resembles a closed, positively curved universe that eventually collapses to a singularity. Nevertheless, pockets of eternal inflation continue forever. In addition, there is an ``aborted'' phase in which no eternal inflation takes place. Rigorous results of Chayes, Chayes, Grannan, and Swindle establish the existence of all of these phases, separated by first order transitions, in Mandelbrot percolation, a simple model of eternal inflation.
Family Engagement at Aquarium Touch Tanks—Exploring Interactions and the Potential for Learning

Animal touch experiences, where visitors get to touch, pet or feed live animals, are a common feature of public, informal science venues like aquariums, zoos, science centers and similar institutions. Public aquariums of almost every size employ touch tanks as part of their educational efforts and spend significant amounts of financial and person-hour effort to maintain and staff these extremely popular exhibits and program elements. This investment appears to be motivated by a general belief that the unique experience of touching or interacting with an animal will help create conservation awareness by facilitating caring about animals and their habitats.
Liars, Damned Liars, and Zealots: The Effect of Moral Mandates on Transgressive Advocacy Acceptance

This research explored people’s reactions to targets who “went too far” to support noble causes. We hypothesized that observers’ moral mandates would shape their perceptions of others’ advocacy, ev...
Older African American Homeless-Experienced Smokers' Attitudes Toward Tobacco Control Policies-Results from the HOPE HOME Study.

Purpose:To examine attitudes toward tobacco control policies among older African American homeless-experienced smokers.Approach:A qualitative study.Setting:Oakland, California.Participants:Twenty-t...
Opening Shakespeare from the Margins

The Shakespeare user—meaning anyone who has an affinity for Shakespeare, and a desire to understand his works and the four centuries of artistic expression they have inspired—ought to be at the center of Shakespeare studies. The field should be focused outward, concerned with bringing the largest possible number of people into the universe of committed Shakespeare lovers. To illustrate the benefits of this strategy, this chapter describes the author’s personal experience in building the website Open Source Shakespeare (OSS) as thesis project while in graduate school. The comprehensive openness of OSS—from the database, to the functionality it provides users, to the freely available descriptive essay, documentation, and source code—has made the site more useful and therefore more successful. The chapter concludes with a description of OSS’s audience and how they engage with the site, gleaned from online analytics services.
FSONet: A Wireless Backhaul for Multi-Gigabit Picocells Using Steerable Free Space Optics

Expected increase in cellular demand has pushed recent interest in picocell networks which have reduced cell sizes (100-200m or less). For ease of deployment of such networks, a wireless backhaul network is highly desired. Since RF-based technologies are unlikely to provide the desired multi-gigabit data rates, we motivate and explore use of free space optics (FSO) for picocell backhaul. In particular, we present a novel network architecture based on steerable links and sufficiently many robust short-range links, to help circumvent the key challenge of outdoor effects in reliable operation of outdoor FSO links. Our architecture is motivated by the fact that, due to the high density of picocells, many short-range links will occur naturally in a picocell backhaul. Moreover, use of steerable FSO links facilitates networks with sufficient redundancy while using only a small number of interfaces per node. We address the key problems that arise in the context of such a backhaul architecture, viz., an FSO link design with desired characteristics, and related network design and management problems. We develop and evaluate a robust 100m FSO link prototype, and simulate the proposed architecture in many metro US cities while show its viability via evaluation of key performance metrics.
Optical frequency comb application in time-delay interferometer

Time-delay interferometer (TDI) is well established as an effective technique to mitigate laser phase noises in laser interferometer gravitational wave detection. Just as important in the TDI scheme is the ability to suppress the rf local oscillator noises in the optical heterodyne measurements. We show that the local oscillator noises can be effectively and elegantly cancelled by employing optical frequency combs in which the rf signal phases are coherent with the optical phases. In addition, the deployment of optical combs eliminates the need for separate ultra-stable oscillators. This is a simpler and more reliable approach than the modulation scheme, and it can be applied to the most generalized TDI combinations.
Adaptive virtual metrology for semiconductor chemical mechanical planarization process using GMDH-type polynomial neural networks

Abstract Virtual metrology (VM) is drawing more and more attention in the recent research of wafer to wafer control for semiconductor manufacturing. Although many different approaches for VM have been proposed, the adaptiveness of these approaches in feature selection and model complexity selection is still less discussed and most of the current researches rely on the summary statistics of the trace signals. In this work, an adaptive methodology based on the group method of data handling (GMDH) type polynomial neural networks is proposed to address these issues. In the proposed methodology, the processes for model selection and feature selection are fully automatic, and enhanced model performance can be achieved by employing two new types of features. To show the effectiveness of the propose methodology, the dataset from prognostics and health management (PHM) data challenge 2016 is employed to predict the material removal rate for the chemical-mechanical planarization process in semiconductor fabrication. The validation results report improved accuracy in comparison with several candidate methods, and the successful application of the proposed method suggests that the proposed method can be an effective tool for the virtual metrology in semiconductor manufacturing.
Negotiating identities: work, religion, gender, and the mobilisation of tradition among the Uyghur in the 1990s

Negotiating Identities comprises 10 articles published in various journals and edited volumes between 1997 and 2011. They resulted from extended fieldwork carried out in the 1990s in both the Xinji...
Fetal bovine serum induces sustained, but reversible, epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the BEAS-2B cell line

BEAS-2B is a non-malignant, immortalized human cell line that has been used extensively as a model of lung epithelium. Despite ATCC recommendations to culture BEAS-2B in defined, serum-free media, many publications describe culturing BEAS-2B in fetal bovine serum (FBS)-containing media. The objective of this study was to define the effects of FBS on BEAS-2B cells. FBS exposure resulted in increased nuclear levels of transcription factors responsible for regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), increased cell invasiveness and increased anchorage-independent growth. FBS-exposed BEAS-2B cells exhibited a decrease of the epithelial markers, E-cadherin and claudin-1 at the mRNA and protein levels, along with a corresponding increase of the mesenchymal marker, vimentin, at the protein level. Fractionation studies implicated an active moiety in FBS with a molecular weight larger than 30 kD. The mesenchymal phenotype was persistent provided FBS exposure was maintained. Upon FBS removal, both epithelial and mesenchymal markers began to revert toward an epithelial phenotype. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) exposure to BEAS-2B recapitulated some key features of FBS-induced EMT. Our data suggest that FBS-exposed BEAS-2B cells do not accurately model the epithelial phenotype. Interpretation of data from BEAS-2B should include careful consideration of the effect of culture conditions.
Energy considerations in fatigue crack propagation

The concept of Griffith fracture theory was extended to fatigue crack propagation problems by defining the Gibbs free energy of solids under cyclic loading.
An Introduction to Polyakov’s String Model

This talk is an introduction to Polyakov’s string model. The objective is to demonstrate how the Liouville field theory enters into the string model. Thorn Curtright will discuss the quantum Liouville theory in the next talk.
Committee Decision Making

This teaching module develops a normative spatial model of the committee decision-making process. Meant for use in the undergraduate classroom, it develops the requisite notions from Political Science from the beginning and uses only basic mathematics (cf. Appendix II). Three different suggestions for models are explained instead of presenting only one model. It is recommended that the students write a paper at the end of the module in which they describe, support, and criticize one of these models, or one of their own construction.
Angiogenesis and Angiogenesis Factors in Stages of Carcinogenesis

Over the last decade, we have witnessed a dramatic advance in the knowledge of the intimate mechanisms leading to cancer development. New methodologies have allowed the identification and cloning of genes involved in carcinogenesis as well as the determination of cell Signalling pathways, cell-to-cell interactions, and agonistic and antagonistic factors determining cellular behavior (i.e. proliferation, differentiation, migration, secretion etc.). In the near future, the knowledge accumulated over the last decade will likely be instrumental in the design of new preventive and therapeutic approaches to cancer.
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF PEDIATRIC MUSCULOSKELETAL MASSES

MR imaging plays a major role in the evaluation of children with soft tissue and bone tumors. While the imaging characteristics of these lesions are often nonspecific, MR imaging provides valuable information on the extent of disease and relationship of tumors to the neurovascular bundle and other vital structures. This article reviews the radiographic and MR imaging appearances and clinical presentations of a wide range of musculoskeletal masses that occur in children.
Prospective observational case series evaluating middle ear fluid and tympanostomy tubes through pyrosequencing.

Abstract Objective One of the most common sequelae of tympanostomy tube (TT) placement is post-tympanostomy tube otorrhea (PTTO). Granulation tissue formation has been reported in 5–13.8% of patients with TT placement. The purpose of this study is to determine the biodistribution of microorganisms on TTs and middle ear fluid obtained from patients with PTTO. Methods This was a prospective observational study of subjects (6-months–16-years) who underwent standard of care treatment for chronic PTTO. Data was collected on diagnosis, existence of antibiotic resistance, duration of tube placement, and evidence of recurrent infection and/or PTTO. TTs and middle ear fluid were subjected to pyrosequencing; additionally, ear fluid samples were sent for culture-based laboratory diagnostics. Results DNA-pyrosequencing analysis of bacteria from fluid and TTs of pediatric subjects with PTTO revealed a mixture of both aerobic and anaerobic populations. Retained tubes with minimal otorrhea revealed a predominance of Staphylococcus species, normal external auditory canal (EAC) microbiome, within middle ear fluid as well as on TTs. However, TTs with active mucopurulent otorrhea and granulation tissue unveiled prominence of Gram-negative facultative anaerobes such as Pseudomonas and Eikenella. Discrepancies in prominent bacteria were seen between standard culture-based techniques versus pyrosequencing. Conclusion Retained tympanostomy tubes are colonized primarily with normal flora of the EAC. However, mucopurulent otorrhea associated with granulation tissue formation revealed a prominence of Gram-negative facultative anaerobes. Standard culture-based diagnostics may identify bacteria, which are not predominant species of infection. Future studies are necessary to assess the association of Gram-negative facultative anaerobes with granulation tissue formation.
Are long-tenured CEOs rent seekers? Analysis of cash compensation and post disposal performance

Abstract Are typical long-tenured CEOs rent-seekers? Do compensation committees consider undiversified risk for veteran executives and design their cash pay to limit their risk exposure? Because an exit decision requires board approval, discontinued operations provide a unique setting to analyze intervention by compensation committees. Seasoned managers should require less oversight because their ability has been revealed over time. However, as CEOs advance in their careers, they are more likely to acquire power to influence board decisions. They are also more risk averse and potentially more myopic than younger CEOs because they hold a large undiversified portfolio. Lucrative labor markets for talented retired executives can incentivize long-tenured CEOs to maintain a solid reputation. I reexamine the previously reported differential sensitivity of CEO cash compensation to positive or negative-valued disposal decisions, which can be viewed as rent-seeking. I show that cash pay for veteran CEOs are shielded from the effect of both negative and positive-valued discontinued operations, suggesting that compensation committees alter their cash pay. This evidence does not support rent-seeking. I also find strong evidence that long-tenured CEOs make better exit decisions to improve future firm performance than less experienced executives.
Stem Cells in the Treatment of Disease.

Stem-Cell Research and Clinical Application Stem cells have been the focus of hope, hype, and a great deal of research. But what exactly is a stem cell, and what are its uses? This review describes...
Genetic variants in acute, acute recurrent and chronic pancreatitis affect the progression of disease in children

Abstract Background/objectives Acute pancreatitis (AP) is emerging in pediatrics. A subset of children with AP progresses to acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). The role of extensive gene testing in the progression has not been investigated previously. We have followed children enrolled in the registry and at our center for progression to ARP and CP after the first attack. Methods This study utilizes an extensive gene sequencing panel as a platform to evaluate the role of genetics in first attack AP, and the progression over time, from first attack to ARP and CP in children. Results Genes, with corresponding variants were involved in the 3 groups studied: AP, ARP and CP. We have shown that the presence of gene variants from the eight tested genes is enriched in the CP group compared to the AP and ARP groups. The presence of more than one gene was associated with CP (p = 0.01). SPINK1 mutation(s) was significantly associated with faster progression to ARP, (p = 0.04). Having a variant from CFTR, SPINK1 or PRSS1, was associated with the faster progression from AP to CP over time (p Conclusions This study shows that genetics have a significant role in progression to ARP and CP from the first attack of pancreatitis.
Twinning stress of type I and type II deformation twins

Abstract Recent reports on highly mobile type II twin boundaries challenge the established understanding of deformation twinning and motivate this study. We consider the motion of twin boundaries through the nucleation and growth of disconnection loops and develop a mechanism-based model for twin boundary motion in the framework of isotropic linear elasticity. While such mechanisms are well established for type I and compound twins, we demonstrate based on the elastic properties of crystals that type II twin boundaries propagate in a similar way. Nucleation of a type I twinning disconnection loop occurs in a discrete manner. In contrast, nucleation of a type II twinning disconnection loop occurs gradually with increasing Burgers vector. The gradual nucleation of a type II disconnection loop accounts for the higher mobility of type II twin boundaries compared with type I twin boundaries. We consider the homogeneous nucleation of a disconnection loop, which is adequate for twinning in shape memory alloys with a low-symmetry crystal lattice. For the magnetic shape memory alloy Ni–Mn-Ga, the model predicts twinning stresses of 0.33 MPa for type II twinning and 4.7 MPa for type I twinning. Over a wide temperature range, the twinning stress depends on temperature only through the temperature dependence of the elastic constants, in agreement with experimental results.
A pessimistic liberalism: Jacob Talmon’s suspicion and the birth of contemporary political thought:

Discussions of liberalism as a political ideology often focus on the progressive, civilisational, and triumphalist ideologies of liberal thinkers. Scholarly work on liberal empire situates these is...
Temporal patterns and predictors of receiving no active treatment among older patients with acute myeloid leukemia in the United States: A population-level analysis.

Background The majority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are aged >65 years at the time of diagnosis and are not actively treated. The objective of the current study was to determine the prevalence, temporal trends, and factors associated with no active treatment (NAT) among older patients with AML in the United States. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data from 14,089 patients with AML residing in the United States who were diagnosed with AML at age ≥66 years during 2001 through 2013. NAT was defined as not receiving any chemotherapy, including hypomethylating agents. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze sociodemographic, clinical, and provider characteristics associated with NAT. Results The percentage of patients with NAT decreased over time from 59.7% among patients diagnosed in 2001 to 42.8% among those diagnosed in 2013. The median overall survival for the entire cohort was 82 days from the time of diagnosis. Patients treated with NAT had worse survival compared with those receiving active treatment. Variables found to be associated with higher odds of NAT included older age, certain sociodemographic characteristics (household income within the lowest quartile, residence outside the Northeast region of the United States, and being unmarried), and clinical factors (≥3 comorbidities, the presence of mental disorders, recent hospitalization, and disability). Conclusions Greater than one-half of older patients with AML residing in the United States do not receive any active leukemia-directed therapy despite the availability of lower intensity therapies such as hypomethylating agents. Lack of active therapy receipt is associated with inferior survival. Identifying predictors of NAT might improve the quality of care and survival in this patient population, especially as novel therapeutic options with lower toxicity are becoming available.
Monsoon Low Pressure System–Like Variability in an Idealized Moist Model

AbstractIn this paper, it is shown that westward-propagating monsoon low pressure system–like disturbances in the South Asian monsoon region can be simulated in an idealized moist general circulati...
The Los Angeles Diversity Project: The Promotion of Cultural and Linguistic Competence via a University Community Learning Project

Purpose Community learning projects provide opportunities for students to become actively engaged in an educational process that extends beyond the classroom. The Los Angeles Diversity Project stem...
Building Language-Agnostic Grounded Language Learning Systems

Learning the meaning of grounded language— language that references a robot’s physical environment and perceptual data—is an important and increasingly widely studied problem in robotics and human-robot interaction. However, with a few exceptions, research in robotics has focused on learning groundings for a single natural language pertaining to rich perceptual data. We present experiments on taking an existing natural language grounding system designed for English and applying it to a novel multilingual corpus of descriptions of objects paired with RGB-D perceptual data. We demonstrate that this specific approach transfers well to different languages, but also present possible design constraints to consider for grounded language learning systems intended for robots that will function in a variety of linguistic settings.
EASY MONEY: FINANCIAL SCAMS AND OLDER ADULTS

Abstract With an aging population that continues to grow into the 21stcentury, financial abuse targeting older adults has become an increasingly burdensome issue. Financial abuse in older adults costs them billions of dollars annually in the United States and is common,affecting approximately 1 of every 18 cognitively intact, community-dwelling older adults each year (Burnes, et al 2017). Financial scams perpetrated by persons generally unknown to the victims make up a subset of the overall burden of financial abuse in older adults. In addition to financial costs of being targeted or victimized by a scam, there are associations with mortality, hospitalizations, physical and mental health problems as well. The problem is likely larger than is realized, due in part to the underreporting of these crimes, which are often considered “low risk” for seasoned criminals due in part to the difficulties associated with prosecuting such crimes. This session will provide an overview of scope of the problem of financial scams targeted at older adults, review the recent literature on the topic, consider the factors that make the older adult population particularly vulnerable to financial abuse and particularly scams, discuss the psychiatric ramifications of being a victim of financial abuse, detail a multitude of the most prominent scams targeting older adults occurring recently, and hope to provide resources such that we can educate our patients and their families on the topic of financial scams in the older population. The session will include a rich case detailing an example of how a financial scam in an older adult led to a myriad of intertwined sequelae.
Chapter 46 – Immobilization Osteopenia

Publisher Summary The objective of this chapter is to describe the clinical evidence for and consequences of bone loss (osteopenia) associated with immobilization. Various methods have been used to examine the skeletal response to immobilization, including assays of biochemical markers of bone turnover, collection of histologic and histomorphometric data, and measurements of bone mass by rediographic and densitometric techniques. By use of these different measurement techniques, information has been obtained on the cellular, tissue, and organ level; however, historically, the choice of technique has usually been limited by availability. A continuum of human conditions of immobilization are presented in which bone atrophy has been observed, ranging from complete motor paralysis through reversible immobilization. Viewed together, the results from these studies provide evidence on the contributions of weightbearing and muscular activity in regulation of human bone response. There is much concordance of observed response among the different immobilization conditions, despite different methodologic approaches. Further, there are generally three approaches to quantifying skeletal response to immobilization: biochemical measurement of markers of bone metabolism, histomorphometric assessment of local bone activity, and regional analysis of bone mass or mineral content. Results from these different techniques are related but different processes and different scales of effects are represented. Biochemical assessment can identify the earliest response as initial alteration of bone metabolism occurs. Reversal or prevention of immobilization-related bone atrophy has been attempted by several means. These include simulation or resumption of weight bearing, stimulation of muscular contractions, and use of pharmaceutical agents. The former two approaches are clearly based on the assumption that the predominant factor underlying bone loss (directly or indirectly) is the elimination of “normal” mechanical loading through standing, walking and mucular activity.
Um novo conceito de quadrinhos: as histórias em quadrinhos como um sistema semiótico particular

Em nossa pesquisa, pretendemos apresentar um conceito de historias em quadrinho (HQ) que possa abarcar tanto os generos de cunho narrativo, tais como a tira comica, o cartum e a charge, como os generos de cunho nao narrativos, como a caricatura, a ilustracao e o retrato falado. Como sabemos, tal expansao conceitual e perfeitamente possivel, uma vez que McCloud (1995, p.23) ja afirmava que “[...] a tentativa de definir os quadrinhos e um processo continuo que nao terminara logo. Uma outra geracao, sem duvida, vai rejeitar o que esta decidiu aceitar e tentara reinventar os quadrinhos.” Sendo assim, antes de apresenta-lo como uma semiotica particular, situaremos as HQ no ensino e na academia, bem como faremos uma revisao bibliografica dos conceitos de HQ postulados por Eisner (1999), McCloud (1995) e Ramos (200
Using flattening filter free beams in electronic tissue compensation whole breast irradiation with deep inspiration breath hold

Purpose In order to reduce heart dose, DIBH has become a common practice in left-sided whole breast irradiation. This technique involves a significant strain on patients due to the breath-hold requirements. We hereby investigate the dosimetric and delivery feasibility of using flattening filter free (FFF) energies with electronic tissue compensation (ECOMP) planning technique to reduce the required breath-hold lengths and increase patient compatibility. Methods Fifteen left-sided, postlumpectomy patients previously receiving DIBH whole-breast radiotherapy (266cGy x 16fx) were retrospectively planned using ECOMP for both 6X and 6X-FFF. A dosimetric comparison was made between the two plans for each patient using various dosimetric constraints. Delivery feasibility was analyzed by recalculating the 6X ECOMP plan with 6X-FFF without replanning (6X-FFF QA) and delivering both plans for a one-to-one comparison using Gamma analysis. Beam-on times for the 6X and 6X-FFF plans were measured. For all tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used with P Results No statistical difference was observed between 6X and 6X-FFF plans for most dosimetric endpoints except contralateral breast Dmax (P = 0.0008) and skin Dmax (p = 0.03) and Dmin (P = 0.01) for which 6X-FFF showed favorable results when compared with 6X. 6X-FFF significantly reduced beam-on times for all patients by 22%-42% (average 32%). All plan QAs passed departmental gamma criteria (10% low-dose threshold, 3%/3mm, >95% passing). Conclusion ECOMP planning with FFF was found feasible for left-sided breast patients with DIBH. Plan quality is comparable, if not better, than plans using flattened beams. FFF ECOMP could significantly reduce beam-on time and required breath-hold lengths thereby increasing patient compatibility for this treatment while offering satisfactory plan quality and delivery accuracy.
Identifying the Limits of Cross-Domain Knowledge Transfer for Pretrained Models.

There is growing evidence that pretrained language models improve task-specific fine-tuning not just for the languages seen in pretraining, but also for new languages and even non-linguistic data. What is the nature of this surprising cross-domain transfer? We offer a partial answer via a systematic exploration of how much transfer occurs when models are denied any information about word identity via random scrambling. In four classification tasks and two sequence labeling tasks, we evaluate baseline models, LSTMs using GloVe embeddings, and BERT. We find that only BERT shows high rates of transfer into our scrambled domains, and for classification but not sequence labeling tasks. Our analyses seek to explain why transfer succeeds for some tasks but not others, to isolate the separate contributions of pretraining versus fine-tuning, and to quantify the role of word frequency. These findings help explain where and why cross-domain transfer occurs, which can guide future studies and practical fine-tuning efforts.
A systematic review of the association between sleep health and stress biomarkers in children

Sleep is intimately linked with the stress response system. While the evidence for this connection has been systematically reviewed in the adult literature, to our knowledge no studies have examined this relationship in young children. Recent scientific interest in understanding the effects of adverse environments in early childhood, including an emphasis on understanding the role of sleep, highlights the importance of synthesizing the current evidence on the relationship between sleep and the stress response system in early childhood. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the relationship between sleep health and biomarkers of physiologic stress (neuroendocrine, immune, metabolic, cardiovascular) in healthy children ages 0-12 y. Following PRISMA guidelines, we identified 68 empirical articles and critically reviewed and synthesized the results across studies. The majority of studies included school-age children and reported sleep dimensions of duration or efficiency. Overall, evidence of associations between sleep health and stress biomarkers was strongest for neuroendocrine variables, and limited or inconsistent for studies of immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic outcomes. Gaps in the literature include prospective, longitudinal studies, inclusion of children under the age of 5 y, and studies using objective measures of sleep.
On The Vulnerability of Recurrent Neural Networks to Membership Inference Attacks.

We study the privacy implications of deploying recurrent neural networks in machine learning. We consider membership inference attacks (MIAs) in which an attacker aims to infer whether a given data record has been used in the training of a learning agent. Using existing MIAs that target feed-forward neural networks, we empirically demonstrate that the attack accuracy wanes for data records used earlier in the training history. Alternatively, recurrent networks are specifically designed to better remember their past experience; hence, they are likely to be more vulnerable to MIAs than their feed-forward counterparts. We develop a pair of MIA layouts for two primary applications of recurrent networks, namely, deep reinforcement learning and sequence-to-sequence tasks. We use the first attack to provide empirical evidence that recurrent networks are indeed more vulnerable to MIAs than feed-forward networks with the same performance level. We use the second attack to showcase the differences between the effects of overtraining recurrent and feed-forward networks on the accuracy of their respective MIAs. Finally, we deploy a differential privacy mechanism to resolve the privacy vulnerability that the MIAs exploit. For both attack layouts, the privacy mechanism degrades the attack accuracy from above 80% to 50%, which is equal to guessing the data membership uniformly at random, while trading off less than 10% utility.
Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 and Subclinical Markers of Cardiac Dysfunction: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.

BACKGROUND Elevated Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 (FGF23) levels have been associated with greater left ventricular mass (LVM) and heart failure. Whether higher FGF23 is associated with higher LVH prevalence and longitudinal changes in LVM and myocardial strain in middle-aged adults without cardiovascular disease (CVD) or chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. METHODS We studied 3113 adults without CVD at baseline participating in the Year 25 (2010-2011) follow-up exam of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. We studied the association of Year 25 c-terminal FGF23 concentrations with indexed LVM (LVMI=LVM/height2.7), LVH and myocardial strain as assessed by speckle tracking strain echocardiography. Among the 2758 (88.6%) participants who returned for the Year 30 examination, we also investigated the association of Year 25 FGF23 with 5-Year change in LVMI, strain parameters and incident LVH. RESULTS The mean age was 50.0 (±3.6) years, 56.8% were female, 45.7% were Black and 6.4% had CKD. There was 6.0% LVH prevalence at Year 25. Mean 5-Year change in LVMI was 5.3 (±7.7) grams/meter. In multivariable models, FGF23 in the highest quartile was associated with greater odds of LVH at Year 25 compared to lower quartiles. [Odds Ratio 95% CI: 1.81 (1.28, 2.58)] with similar findings after exclusion of participants with CKD. There was no interaction between FGF23 and race (p=0.18) or sex (p=0.80). There was no association between FGF23 and global longitudinal strain. There was no association between FGF23 and 5-Year change in LVMI. There was no association between higher FGF23 and 5-year incident LVH. CONCLUSIONS In a middle-aged adult population without known CVD or CKD, higher FGF23 was associated with greater odds of LVH, but not with greater increases in LVM over time. Further study is needed to elucidate whether FGF23 is a risk marker for underlying LVH or a mechanism for increased LVM over time in younger and middle-aged adult populations without CKD.
What Makes a Good Answer? The Role of Context in Question Answering.

Question answering systems have proven to be helpful to users because they can provide succinct answers that do not require users to wade through a large number of documents. However, despite recent advances in the underlying question answering technology, the problem of designing effective interfaces has been largely unexplored. We conducted a user study to investigate this area and discovered that, overall, users prefer paragraph-sized chunks of text over just an exact phrase as the answer to their questions. Furthermore, users generally prefer answers embedded in context, regardless of the perceived reliability of the source documents. When researching a topic, increasing the amount of text returned to users significantly decreases the number of queries that they pose to the system, suggesting that users utilize supporting text to answer related questions. We believe that these results can serve to guide future developments in question answering interfaces.
Biosafety Training and Incident-reporting Practices in the United States: A 2008 Survey of Biosafety Professionals.

Concern over the adequacy of biosafety training and incident-reporting practices within biological laboratories in the United States has risen in recent years due to the increase in research on inf...
Visual Morbidity in Giant Cell Arteritis. Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis for Vision

Purpose: To characterize visual morbidity in giant cell arteritis and to assess prognosis with respect to treatment. Methods: Record review of 185 patients with coded diagnosis of giant cell (cranial) arteritis examined at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute from January 1, 1980, to January 31, 1993. Results: Forty-five patients with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis had visual symptoms, and 41 individuals (63 eyes) lost vision. The visual loss was unilateral in 19 patients (46%), sequential in 15 (37%), and simultaneous in 7 (17%). Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy developed in 88% of eyes, visual acuity was 20/200 or worse in 70%, 21% had no light perception, and the majority of field defects in testable eyes, aside from central scotomas associated with loss, showed altitudinal or arcuate patterns. Six patients lost vision during corticosteroid therapy for systemic symptoms of giant cell arteritis, whereas in 39 patients visual symptoms prompted steroid treatment. For visual symptoms, 25 patients received intravenous methylprednisolone, whereas 20 received oral prednisone alone. In the 41 patients with visual loss, vision was unchanged in 20 (49%), it worsened in 7 (17%), and it improved in 14 (34%). Subsequent fellow eye involvement was observed only with oral therapy, and a greater percentage of patients (9/23 [39%] versus 5/18 [28%]) improved after intravenous treatment. Conclusions: In the authors' series, patients with visual loss due to giant cell arteritis had a 34% chance for some improvement in visual function after corticosteroid treatment. Intravenous therapy may diminish the likelihood of fellow eye involvement and was associated with a slightly better prognosis for visual improvement.
Compensation Option, Managerial Incentives and Risk-Shifting in Hedge Funds

We examine the impact of the optionality of performance fee on the risk-shifting behavior of hedge fund managers. Since performance fees earned by hedge fund managers have the characteristics of a call option, the moneyness of the option may have an impact on the risk-taking behavior of managers. We seek to determine if hedge fund managers adjust their fund's volatility in reaction to the moneyness of the performance option. We find that managers increase their fund's volatility when the compensation option is "out of the money". We find that managers of less liquid, small or young funds do not display that type of risk-shifting behavior. Further, we report that the longer a manager does not collect performance fees, the more likely she is to increase the fund volatility in the hope of increasing the fund value and thus collecting performance fees. Finally, we find that compared to absolute performance, relative performance has a stronger influence on the risk-taking behavior of hedge fund managers. This result is not uniform over all strategies.
Infancy and Childhood: Emotional Development

Abstract Emotional development is a uniquely integrative and psychologically constructive feature of psychological growth in infancy and childhood. The role of emotions in behavior and development, and the nature of emotion itself, are discussed in relation to structuralist and functionalist approaches to emotional development. The focus then turns to considering ‘what is emotional development the development of?’ and the contributions of psychobiological and neurobiological growth, perceptual processes, emotion understanding, the growth of self-awareness and self-understanding, understanding of emotional display rules, and the development of emotion regulation are considered. The article concludes with consideration of the importance of social relationships to early emotional development and future directions for research in this field.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors and post-gastrostomy bleeding: reevaluating the link.

INTRODUCTION: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are one of the most commonly prescribed classes of medications with a relatively safe side-effect profile. However, SRIs are being increasingly reported to be associated with bleeding complications in patients undergoing invasive procedures resulting from inhibition of serotonin reuptake by platelets and impaired platelet aggregation. The aim of our study was to determine whether there is an increased risk of post-percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) bleeding in patients exposed to SRIs after controlling for other mediations known to increase the risk of bleeding and major comorbidities. METHODS: This was a single-center cohort study that included who underwent PEG tube placement by standard pull-guidewire technique from July 2006 to June 2014. Patients were categorized into groups based on the medications (SRIs, aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and anticoagulants) administered during the index hospitalization. The incidence of post-PEG bleeding was noted in two distinct post-procedure periods: within 48 hours, and between 48 hours and 14 days. RESULTS: A total of 637 PEG tube placements were done on 570 patients during the study period. There were 107 patients (18.8%) with major bleeding within 48 hours of PEG and 79 patients (13.9%) with major bleeding between 48 hours and 14 days. There was no significant increase in the post-PEG bleeding in patients taking a combination of an SRI along with aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Patients on subcutaneous heparin for prophylaxis against thromboembolic events were more likely to have oozing at the PEG site requiring blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: We did not notice an increase in post-PEG bleeding in patients on SRIs. However, in view of the limitation that our study is retrospective and that there are no known significant side effects of withdrawal of SRIs for a short duration, withholding SRIs could be a safe clinical option in patients undergoing PEG tube placement.
Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy after Traumatic Brain Injury.

Abstract Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) and the ubiquitin-proteasomal system (UPS) are two major protein degradation systems responsible for maintaining cellular homeostasis, but how these two systems are regulated after traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains unknown. TBI produces primary mechanical damage that must be repaired to maintain neuronal homeostasis. The level of lysosomal-associated membrane protein type 2A (LAMP2A) is the hallmark of CMA activity. The level of polyubiquitinated proteins (ubi-proteins) reflects UPS activity. This study utilized a moderate fluid percussion injury model in rats to investigate the changes in CMA and the UPS after TBI. Induction of CMA was manifested by significant upregulation of LAMP2A and secondary lysosomes during the periods of 1–15 days of recovery after TBI. In comparison, the levels of ubi-proteins were increased only moderately after TBI. The increases in the levels of LAMP2A and 70 kDa heat-shock protein for CMA after TBI were seen mainly in the second...
Consumo, Bienestar y Desarrollo Sustentable: Un Ensayo de Crítica

Resumen El presente ensayo tiene como objetivo el definir y conceptualizar distintos enfoques que engloban cada uno de los tres conceptos que designan su encabezado: consumo, bienestar y desarrollo sustentable. No se intenta cuantificar o medir aquellos conceptos relacionados con el tema, sino de cuestionar como los diversos enfoques aqui discutidos interpretan la relacion entre consumo y bienestar para asi poder entender mejor el concepto de desarrollo sustentable. Ultimadamente, se intenta hacer un llamado hacia una concientizacion humana y etica sobre el uso de los recursos naturales y de otros medios (a nuestro alcance) para su explotacion.
Stress, sex, and neural adaptation to a changing environment: mechanisms of neuronal remodeling.

The adult brain is much more resilient and adaptable than previously believed, and adaptive structural plasticity involves growth and shrinkage of dendritic trees, turnover of synapses and limited amounts of neurogenesis in the forebrain, especially the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation. Stress and sex hormones help to mediate adaptive structural plasticity, which has been extensively investigated in hippocampus and to a lesser extent in prefrontal cortex and amygdala, all brain regions that are involved in cognitive and emotional functions. Stress and sex hormones exert their effects on brain structural remodeling through both classical genomic as well as non-genomic mechanisms, and they do so in collaboration with neurotransmitters and other intra- and extracellular mediators. This review will illustrate the actions of estrogen on synapse formation in the hippocampus and the process of stress-induced remodelling of dendrites and synapses in the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex. The influence of early developmental epigenetic events, such as early life stress and brain sexual differentiation, is noted along with the interactions between sex hormones and the effects of stress on the brain. Because hormones influence brain structure and function and because hormone secretion is governed by the brain, applied molecular neuroscience techniques can begin to reveal the role of hormones in brain-related disorders and the treatment of these diseases. A better understanding of hormone-brain interactions should promote more flexible approaches to the treatment of psychiatric disorders, as well as their prevention through both behavioral and pharmaceutical interventions.
Identification of a novel inositol bisphosphate isomer formed in chemoattractant stimulated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Summary Analysis of inositol phosphate formation in chemoattractant-stimulated human polymorphonuclear leukocytes demonstrated the production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate, inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate, inositol 1,4-bisphosphate and another inositol bisphosphate isomer not detected in unstimulated cells. Studies in cell sonicates provided evidence that the previously unidentified inositol bisphosphate isomer is produced via the degradation of inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate. This unidentified inositol bisphosphate peak was purified by high pressure liquid chromatography, and base hydrolyzed to form a mixture of inositol monophosphate isomers. Based on these studies, the unidentified peak was identified as inositol 3,4-bisphosphate. Identification of this isomer defines a new metabolic product derived from the initial inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate formation, and also suggests another substrate for the inositol 1-phosphatase.
Fabrication of pyramidal corrugated quantum well infrared photodetector focal plane arrays by inductively coupled plasma etching with BCl3/Ar

We developed an optimized inductively coupled plasma etching process to produce gallium arsenide (GaAs) pyramidal corrugated quantum well infrared photodetector focal plane arrays (C-QWIP FPAs). A statistically designed experiment was performed to optimize the etching parameters. The resulting parameters are discussed in terms of the effect on the etching rate and profile. This process uses a small amount of mask corrosion and the control of the etching mask gap to give a 45 deg to 50 deg V-groove etching profile, which is independent of the crystal orientation of GaAs. In the etching development, scanning electron microscope was used to observe the surface morphology and the pattern profile. In addition, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to obtain the elemental composition and contamination of the etching surface. It is found that extremely small stoichiometric change and surface damage of the etching surface can be achieved while keeping a relatively high etching rate and ∼45 degV-groove etching profile. This etching process is applied to the fabrication of pyramidal C-QWIP FPAs successfully, which are expected to have better performance than the regular prism-shaped C-QWIPs according to electromagnetic modeling.