cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison between subjects with long- and short-allele carriers in the BOLD signal within amygdala during emotional tasks

Emotional tasks may result in a strong blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the amygdala in 5- HTTLRP short-allele. Reduced anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)-amygdala connectivity in short-allele provides a potential mechanistic account for the observed increase in amygdala activity. In our study, fearful and threatening facial expressions were presented to two groups of 12 subjects with long- and short-allele carriers. The BOLD signals of the left amygdala of each group were averaged to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. A Bayesian approach was used to estimate the model parameters to elucidate the underlying hemodynamic mechanism. Our results showed a positive BOLD signal in the left amygdala for short-allele individuals, and a negative BOLD signal in the same region for long-allele individuals. This is due to the fact that short-allele is associated with lower availability of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and this leads to an increase of serotonin (5-HT) concentration in the cACC-amygdala synapse.
Generating textual storyline to improve situation awareness in disaster management

Hurricane Sandy affected the east coast of U.S. in 2012 and posed immense threats to businesses, human lives and properties. In order to minimize the consequent loss of a catastrophe like this, a critical task in disaster management is to understand situation updates about the disaster from a large number of disaster-related documents, and obtain a big picture of the disaster's trends and how it affects different areas. In this paper, we present a two-layer storyline generation framework which generates an overall or a global storyline of the disaster events in the first layer, and provides condensed information about specific regions affected by the disaster (i.e., a location-specific storyline) in the second layer. To generate the overall storyline of a disaster, we consider both temporal and spatial factors, which are encoded using integer linear programming. While for location-specific storylines, we employ a Steiner tree based method. Compared with the previous work of storyline generation, which generates flat storylines without considering spatial information, our framework is more suitable for large-scale disaster events. We further demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed framework through the evaluation on the datasets of three major hurricane disasters.
Brain abscess caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis in a child with cystic fibrosis

An 8-year-old girl with moderately severe cystic fibrosis and right upper lobe bronchiectasis developed a cerebellar abscess caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis. To our knowledge, this is the youngest child with cystic fibrosis and a brain abscess, and the first documented case caused by a fungus.
Entropy of electromyography time series

Abstract A nonlinear analysis based on Renyi entropy is applied to electromyography (EMG) time series from back muscles. The time dependence of the entropy of the EMG signal exhibits a crossover from a subdiffusive regime at short times to a plateau at longer times. We argue that this behavior characterizes complex biological systems. The plateau value of the entropy can be used to differentiate between healthy and low back pain individuals.
Crystallization behavior of low molecular mass isotactic poly(propylene) fractions

The overall crystallization and linear crystal growth kinetics for the (monoclinic) α-form of low molecular mass isotactic poly(propylene) (i-PP) fractions have been studied. Two processes can be found for the overall crystallization study via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Based on the nucleation theory, both the half-life time of the first process in overall crystallization kinetics and the linear crystal growth data show two regime transitions, namely, regime I/II and II/III transitions.
Multi-camera head pose estimation using an ensemble of exemplars

We present a method for head pose estimation for moving targets in multi-camera environments. Our approach utilizes an ensemble of exemplar classifiers for joint head detection and pose estimation and provides finer-grained predictions than previous approaches. We incorporate dynamic camera selection, which allows a variable number of cameras to be selected at each time step and provides a tunable trade-off between accuracy and speed. On a benchmark dataset for multi-camera head pose estimation, our method predicts head pan angle with a mean absolute error of ~ 8° for different moving targets.
Polymorphous light eruption: a common skin disease uncommonly recognized in the Hispanic population

Polymorphous light eruption (PMLE) is a common acquired disease entity belonging to the idiopathic photodermatoses that is uncommonly considered in the Hispanic population. The pathogenesis of the disease and the mechanism of adaptation in skin (hardening phenomenon) have yet to be elucidated. PMLE is characterized by recurrent abnormal delayed reactions to sunlight ranging from pruritic erythematous papules, papulovesicles and plaques to erythema multiforme. It commonly occurs in the spring or early summer with a predilection for females. A Pubmed review of the literature shows no case reports or literature regarding PMLE in Hispanics. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of a 41-year-old Hispanic female diagnosed with PMLE. A high index of suspicion must remain in this group. Additional studies reviewing epidemiology in this group and detailing similar cases may be suggested.
HOW FOREGONE CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE MIND-BODY RELATION INHIBIT RESEARCH

Summary.-In light of psychology's growing acceptance of the study of mental events in research, the mind-body problem has become an issue of concern. An observer's conclusions in 1980 concerning rhe issue and his proof of the mythological origins of consciousness are questioned. Premature conclusions in the mind-body issue can be detrimental to progress in psychological research. The emergence theory of consciousness is presented a an example of a useful approach that does not necessitate a decision concerning the mindbody problem. A practical appeal is made for cooperation among behavioral scientists coward the goal of advancing knowledge through research and eventual understanding of the relation between mind and body. The science of psychology has come full-circle in recent years in its relative
Optimization of query evaluation algorithms

A model of database storage and access is presented. The model represents many evaluation algorithms as special cases, and helps to break a complex algorithm into simple access operations. Generalized access cost equations associated with the model are developed and analyzed. Optimization of these cost equations yields an optimal access algorithm which can be synthesized by a query subsystem whose design is based on the modular access operations.
Histologic evaluation of the immediate effects of diamond burr debridement in experimental superficial corneal wounds in dogs

Purpose To evaluate the corneal changes immediately after diamond burr debridement of superficial corneal wounds in dogs. Spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs) are the most common form of canine recurrent corneal ulcers. The diamond burr has been used in the management of corneal lesions in humans since 1983. Recently, it has been successfully used in the treatment of SCCEDs in dogs; however, little has been documented as to its mechanism of action. Methods Five adult female research dogs euthanized for reasons unrelated to the study were included, providing 10 normal eyes. An excimer laser spatula was used for epithelial removal after delineation with an 8 mm punch biopsy trephine. Diamond burr debridement was performed for 30 and 45 s in five eyes each (groups 1 and 2 respectively). The procedure was performed on the ventral half of the experimental defect as well as ventral normal cornea, immediately after euthanasia, and prior to enucleation. Samples were processed routinely for histologic evaluation and stained with periodic acid–Schiff. Results No stromal defects could be identified under light microscopy. In experimental corneal wounds, multi-focal areas remained covered by the epithelial basement membrane (BM) after diamond burr treatment in both groups (group 1 = 48%±16SD, group 2 = 26%±12SD). Removal of BM on group 2 was significantly higher than group 1 (P < 0.05). Conclusions The diamond burr allows a safe method of debridement and does not create defects beyond the epithelial BM in corneal wounds in normal dogs. Evaluation of the diamond burr debridement in cases of SCCEDs is warranted.
"Infinite" Lifetimes in Radical Polymerization

We study radical polymerization dynamics. Our theory explains “infinite” living chain radical lifetimes in experiments where steady state is interrupted by switching off radical production. Short (unentangled) living chains grow to become long (entangled) or are terminated through interpolymeric radical-radical reactions. The net termination rate, dominated by short-long reactions in steady state, then drops so sharply that the living population never decays. Consistent with experiment, we find the number of terminated chains grows as t1y2 during the transient when shorter chains disappear. [S0031-9007(98)05705-6]
Uncertainty and Climate Change

Anthropogenic, or human-induced, climate change is a critical issue in science and in the affairs of humankind. Though the target of substantial research, the conclusions of climate change studies remain subject to numerous uncertainties. This article presents a very brief review of the basic arguments regarding anthropogenic climate change with particular emphasis on uncertainty.
Robust Adjustment of Sequence Tag Abundance

Motivation: The majority of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies effectively sample small amounts of DNA or RNA that are amplified (i.e., copied) prior to sequencing. The amplification process is not perfect, leading to extreme bias in sequenced read counts. We present a novel procedure to account for amplification bias and demonstrate its effectiveness in mitigating gene length dependence when estimating true gene expression. Results: We tested the proposed method on simulated and real data. Simulations indicated that our method captures true gene expression more effectively than classic censoring-based approaches and leads to power gains in differential expression testing, particularly for shorter genes with high transcription rates. We applied our method to an unreplicated Arabidopsis RNA-seq data set resulting in disparate gene ontologies arising from gene set enrichment analyses. Availability: R code to perform the RASTA procedures is freely
The effects of panel arrangements and locus of attention on performance

A 2 × 2 × 8 factorial design was used to determine the effects of mirror-imaged panel arrangement and locus of attention (i.e., whether the subject focused attention external to the control panel or internal to the control panel) on operator performance. Response time and error data were collected for both nonemergency and simulated emergency situations. For the nonemergency performance condition the mirror-image group took longer to operate the controls and made slightly more errors. Performance in emergency situations was particularly degraded in the mirror-imaged condition. More instances of strain and fatigue were reported by the subjects using the mirror-imaged panel. The use of mirror-imaged complex control panels in high-stress environments is not recommended when separate panels are being operated by the same person.
Leukocyte Telomere Length and Cardiovascular Disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study

The telomere length of replicating somatic cells is inversely correlated with age and has been reported to be associated cross-sectionally with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Leukocyte telomere length, as expressed by mean terminal restriction fragment (TRF) length, was measured in 419 randomly selected participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study, comprising a community-dwelling cohort recruited in four US communities. The authors investigated associations between TRF length and selected measures of subclinical CVD/risk factors for CVD (data were collected at the 1992/1993 clinic visit) and incident CVD (ascertained through June 2002). In these participants (average age = 74.2 years (standard deviation, 5.2)), mean TRF length was 6.3 kilobase pairs (standard deviation, 0.62). Significant or borderline inverse associations were found between TRF length and diabetes, glucose, insulin, diastolic blood pressure, carotid intima-media thickness, and interleukin-6. Associations with body size and C-reactive protein were modified by gender and age, occurring only in men and in participants aged 73 years or younger. In younger (but not older) participants, each shortened kilobase pair of TRF corresponded with a threefold increased risk of myocardial infarction (hazard ratio = 3.08, 95% confidence interval: 1.22, 7.73) and stroke (hazard ratio = 3.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.29, 8.02). These results support the hypotheses that telomere attrition may be related to diseases of aging through mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammation, and progression to CVD.
Peter F. Drucker and Decentralized Administration of the Federal Government

This article examines the outlook of Peter E Drucker toward the national government and public administrators in the United States. The main theme of this study is Drucker's belief that the federal...
Soil incorporation of logging residue affects fine-root and mycorrhizal root-tip dynamics of young loblolly pine clones

Summary Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations cover a large geographic area of the southeastern USA and supply a large proportion of the nation’s wood products. Research on management strategies designed to maximize wood production while also optimizing nutrient use efficiency and soil C sequestration is needed. We used minirhizotrons to quantify the effects of incorporating logging residues into soil on fineroot standing crop, production and mortality, and mycorrhizal root tips in young loblolly pine clones of contrasting ideotypes. Clone 93 is known to allocate more C to stem growth, while clone 32 allocates less C to stems and more to leaves. The relative allocation by these clones to support fine-root turnover is unknown. Clone 32 exhibited 37% more fine-root mortality than clone 93, which was mainly the result of a greater standing crop offine roots. Fine-root standing crop in plots amended with logging residue was initially higher than control plots, but 2.5 years after planting, standing crop in control plots had exceeded that in mulched plots. Production of mycorrhizal root tips, on the other hand, was initially higher in control than mulched plots, but during the last 9 months of the study, mycorrhizal tip production was greater in mulched than control plots, especially for clone 93. As expected, turnover rate of fine roots was greater in surface soil (0–25 cm) compared with deeper (25–50 cm) soil and for small roots (<0.4 mm diameter) compared with larger fine roots (0.4–2.0 mm diameter). Rates of fine-root turnover were similar in both clones. Organic matter additions reduced survivorship of individual roots and increased turnover rates of fine-root populations. Results indicate that management decisions should be tailored to fit the growth and allocation patterns of available clones.
Immunologic Tolerance and Blood Cell Chimerism in Experimentally Produced Parabiotic Frogs

In 1951, Anderson, Billingham, Lampkin, and Medawar (1) confidently expected that the interchange of skin grafts between members of pairs of cattle twins would serve to distinguish between twins of monozygotic and those of dizygotic origin. It was not unreasonable to presuppose that tissue reciprocally transplanted between two-egg twins would be victimized by the same host immune response that regularly destroys allografts between siblings of separate births. On the other hand, grafts exchanged between one-egg twins should behave as autografts and survive indefinitely. It came therefore as a curious surprise when these investigators found that dizygotic cattle twins freely accept skin grafts from each other, even when the twin pairs are of unlike sex.
The crystal structure of the gene targeting homing endonuclease I-SceI reveals the origins of its target site specificity

Abstract The I-SceI homing endonuclease enhances gene targeting by introducing double-strand breaks at specific chromosomal loci, thereby increasing the recombination frequency. Here, we report the crystal structure of the enzyme complexed to its DNA substrate and Ca2+ determined at 2.25 A resolution. The structure shows the prototypical β-saddle of LAGLIDADG homing endonucleases that is contributed by two pseudo-symmetric domains. The high specificity of I-SceI is explained by the large number of protein–DNA contacts, many that are made by a long β-hairpin loop that reaches into the major groove of the DNA. The DNA minor groove is compressed at the catalytic center, bringing the two scissile phosphodiester bonds into close proximity. The protein–Ca2+–DNA structure shows the protein bound to its DNA substrate in a pre-reactive state that is defined by the presence of two asymmetric active sites, one of which appears poised to first cleave the DNA bottom strand.
Crises and Government: Some Empirical Evidence

We examine a panel of 70 countries during 1966-2010 and utilize Reinhart and Rogoff crisis dates to estimate the effects of crises on the size and scope of government over both 5-year and 10-year horizons. We also estimate cross-section regressions using 40-year (1970-2010) changes in government variables. In general, the estimated effects of crises on government size/scope are statistically insignificant. We report reasonably robust evidence that inflation and currency crises lead to decreases in the extent of government regulations throughout an economy over a 10-year horizon. Also, over the 40-year period, countries that spent more years in crisis are associated with weaker legal systems and property rights. The size and scope of government appears to be persistent to the extent that even crisis episodes fail to leave a significant mark upon them. A notable exception may be that, over 40-year periods, countries that spend more years in crisis are associated with weaker legal systems and property rights.
Engagement in the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment: commitment, capacity, and communication for impact

The National Climate Assessment’s ability to support decision-making partly relies on engaging stakeholders throughout the assessment process. The guiding vision for the Third National Climate Assessment (NCA3) was for an inclusive, broad-based, and sustained process attentive to both the conduct of assessments and communication of findings. Such a process promotes dialogue between scientific experts, stakeholders, and decision-makers about what is important in a particular region or sector, the potential impacts of climate change, and possible responses. We sought to create actionable research and assessment products widely perceived as credible, salient, and legitimate. The process also sought to build capacity to conduct sustained assessments and use climate change information in decision-making processes. Here we describe how we pursued this stakeholder engagement vision during the planning, development, and release of NCA3. Through repeated opportunities for stakeholder. input, we ensured process transparency and inclusiveness in the framing of assessment and built human capital. We also increased connectivity among stakeholder organizations. By cultivating a network of collaborators who connected the NCA to other networks, the NCA3 engagement process laid the groundwork for a sustained assessment - which is envisaged to transition the traditional quadrennial assessment approach into a more dynamic and adaptive assessment process.
Status-related aggression, resource guarding, and fear-related aggression in 2 female mixed breed dogs

Abstract Two household dogs, a 2 year, 8-month-old, spayed female, mixed-breed dog, and a 4 year, 1-month-old, spayed female, mixed-breed dog, presented with a history of aggression toward each other, when in possession of food or other high-value items, and when one approached the other while resting. They responded satisfactorily to treatment with serotonergic drugs, avoidance of provocative situations, and environmental and behavioral modification.
Implication of seismicity for failure of a section of the San Andreas Fault

abstract On January 15, 1973, a magnitude M L 4.1 earthquake occurred near Cienega Road on the San Andreas Fault about 20 km south of Hollister, California. A 3-km-long segment of the fault southeast of the earthquake was aseismic for the 7 weeks preceding the event, although microearthquakes occurred at both its ends. The first day9s aftershocks occurred at the northwest end of the aseismic segment; later aftershock activity migrated to the southeast, filling the remainder of the segment. If the discontinuous surface trace of the fault can be extrapolated to the focal region of the earthquakes to define fault geometry at depth, then aftershocks occurred primarily on one continuous segment of the fault and epicenter locations and direction of rupture propagation (inferred from the azimuthal pattern of P -wave radiation) of the precursory shocks correlate with the discontinuities in the trace that terminate the segment. The 1970 to 1976 deficit in seismic slip within the segment suggests that fault creep accounts for a significant part of cumulative slip within the segment. The pattern of seismicity is consistent with the hypothesis that creep on the segment before the main shock caused a buildup of stress at the ends of the segment or at the ends of adjacent offset segments. Correlation of seismicity and discontinuities or bends in the mapped fault trace are the basis for an extension and refinement of the “stuck” and “creeping” patch model of the San Andreas Fault in central California. Patch boundaries extend from the free surface down through the seismogenic zone. Creeping patches lie beneath smooth continuous segments of the fault trace. Stuck patches lie beneath discontinuities or bends in the fault trace.
A Wire Loop Design for Convection-Enhanced Dielectrophoretic Bioparticle Trapping

Tailor-designed AC electro-osmotic (AC-EO) stagnation flows are used to convect bioparticles globally from a bulk solution to localized dielectrophoretic (DEP) traps that are aligned at flow stagnation points. The multi-scale trap, with a typical trapping time of seconds for a one cc sample, is several orders of magnitude faster than conventional DEP traps and earlier AC-EO traps with disjoint electrodes. A novel serpentine wire resistor loop capable of sustaining a high field, up to 20,000 V/cm, is fabricated to produce strong AC electro-osmotic flow with two separated stagnation lines, one aligned with the field minimum and one with the field maximum. The continuous loop design allows a large applied voltage without inducing Faradaic electrode reactions. Particles are trapped within seconds at one of the traps depending on whether they suffer negative or positive DEP (n-DEP, p-DEP). The particles can also be rapidly released from their respective traps (and recaptured in the opposite traps) by varying the frequency of the applied AC field below particle-distinct cross-over frequencies. Zwitter ion addition to the buffer allows further geometric and frequency alignments of the AC-EO and DEP motions. The same device hence allows fast trapping, detection sorting and characterization of a sample with realistic conductivity, volume and bacteria count.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Attitudinal and Cognitive Readiness: Key Dimensions for Consumer Legislation:

T HE prevailing interest in consumer protection has resulted in a myriad of proposed laws at city, state, and federal levels. Although the theoretical appropriateness of most of these statutes has seldom been disputed, their viability in actually preventing abusive marketplace activities has been severely criticized. The Truth in Packaging Act, for example, has often been called "the most deceptive package of all," and a study of its effectiveness found that consumer knowledge of product attributes did not significantly improve after the law was put into effect.' In a few instances, to be sure, the ineffectiveness of particular consumer protection laws can be attributed to enforcement problems. In other cases, the punishments for violations are so small as to make their impact inconsequential. Perhaps the most serious problem, however, is that consumer protection laws often are not oriented toward those who need protection most. This is especially true in cases where the statutes require consumers to take the initiative when seeking redress for fraudulent or deceptive marketplace activities. Under these circumstances, the effectiveness of the statute often relies heavily on the assumption that consumers have both a sufficient understanding of the law to recognize illegal activities (cognitive readiness) and sufficient confidence in the legal system to be willing to use legal means of recourse (attitudinal readiness). The purpose of the study reported here was to examine one relatively new piece of consumer protection legislation to ascertain the extent to which consumers were ready and willing to use this type of law. The particular statute used for this investigation was the so-called cooling-off law, which has been adopted in approximately 30 states. Although the specific provisions vary among states, this law basically provides consumers with time, a cooling-off period, during which they can reconsider, and perhaps cancel, certain purchases they have already made from direct-to-home salesmen of high-cost products ($25 or more). Consumers must, of course, initiate the cancellation process and undertake whatever adjudication processes may become necessary. It is often stated that consumers in low-income areas are most likely to be in contact with, and to purchase from, direct salesmen, and that they tend to view these salesmen as friends rather than as potentially fraudulent sellers.2 In addition, it is wi ely suggested that consumers in low-income reas tend to have relatively little understanding of the legal system and little confidence in it.3 If these opinions are indeed valid, a serious question arises as to the viability of the cooling-off law in achieving its goal of preventing unethical or illegal direct-selling practices.
A New Hybrid Quantum Genetic Algorithm For Solving Nonlinear Equations

Aiming at the problems of the classical algorithms for solving the nonlinear equations such as high sensitivity to the initial value、poor convergence and low precision,a hybrid quantum genetic algorithm for solving nonlinear equations is proposed.The algorithm combined the advantages of quantum genetic algorithm and quasi—Newton method.It sufficiently exerted the advantages of the former such as group search,global convergence and effectively overcome the shortcoming of the latter such as sensitivity to the initial value.Numerical simulation experiments show that this algorithm has high precision and convergence characteristics,and is a reliable approach in solving the nonlinear equations.
The Lactate Dehydrogenases of Hemopoietic Cells

In summary we have demonstrated that hemopoietic stem cells of man contain all five isoenzymes, and not a single pure type. Our data and the results of others obtained from fetal tissue also indicate that embryonic LDH of man exists as multiple forms. We have demonstrated that differentiation, with respect to LDH isoenzymes, of stem cells along erythrocytic, granulocytic, and lymphocytic lines, occurs in different sequences. It appears that LDH-1 synthesis is necessary in mitotic granulocytic cells, but ceases at the metamyelocyte level where LDH-5 synthesis begins. LDH-5 synthesis occurs in early erythroid cells and probably ceases at the reticulocyte level.27 This is not accompanied by stimulation of LDH-1 synthesis. The maturation of lymphocytes is characterized by a stimulation of LDH-5 synthesis, which is not diminished in the normal circulating cell. Lymphocytes obtained from normal individuals and cultured in vitro in the presence of phytohemagglutinin demonstrate reversion of LDH patterns to those seen in acute leukemias. Our data further indicate that the isoenzyme pattern obtained from hemopoietic cells are indicative of the degree of cellular differentiation, and substantiate the concept of a defective differentiation and maturation process in acute leukemic cells.
Identification of Plant microRNAs Using Expressed Sequence Tag Analysis

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of small endogenous noncoding regulatory RNAs, which play an important function in plant growth, development, phase change, and response to environmental stress. Identifying miRNAs is the first step for investigating miRNA-mediated gene regulation and miRNA function. In this chapter, we describe a comprehensive comparative genomics-based expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis for identifying miRNAs from a wide range of plant species. EST analysis is based on the conservation of miRNA sequences and the stem-loop hairpin secondary structures of miRNAs. In this method, potential miRNAs will first be identified by EST analysis followed by confirmation using TaqMan(®) MicroRNA qRT-PCR. This method is simple and reliable with high efficiency. This method has also been widely adopted by many scientists around the world and several hundreds of miRNAs have been identified in many plant species using this method.
Ventral intermediate thalamic stimulation for monoclonal gammopathy-associated tremor: case report.

Background and importance Peripheral and central sensory loss are often associated with significant tremor or sensory ataxia, which can be highly refractory to medical therapy. Clinical presentation We present the case of a 67-year-old man with progressive and debilitating intention tremor from monoclonal gammopathy-associated peripheral neuropathy. The patient was implanted with bilateral thalamic deep brain stimulator electrodes under microelectrode guidance. Following optimization of stimulation parameters, the patient's appendicular tremor and gait improved, as did his general activities of daily living. Conclusion These initial findings suggest that deep brain stimulation may benefit not only tremor presumed to originate from central nervous system dysfunction, but also tremor originating peripherally from neuropathy-related sensory loss.
Dissection of Agronomic Traits in Crops by Association Mapping

Any type of genetic mapping is limited by the number of recombinations since the last common ancestor of the mapping population. Traditionally, genetic linkage mapping has been conducted within families derived from two parents after one or two generations. In contrast, association mapping, or linkage disequilibrium mapping (LD mapping), is conducted within populations in which relatedness is not established. Thus, the genetic resolution, as defined by the number of recombinations since the last common ancestor, are magnitudes higher in ‘population-mapping’ as compared to ‘family-mapping’. Recent efforts are seeking to combine population- and family-mapping methodology, thus creating unprecedented genetic resolution. This chapter describes the current status and prospects of LD mapping in crops.
Tao of Professionalism

This article describes a lecture used to guide students in the need to integrate the teaching of professional values in a clinical course and the students need to approach learning as a lifelong process. The lecture titled: the Tao of Professionalism was given in the Albany Law School (ALS) orientation for a number of years. ALS’ clinical orientation is intended to impress upon the law students that they are professionals as opposed to observers. Students must understand that there are ethical rules that must be obeyed, and some that require judgment. The Tao lecture lays out a few simple concepts. First, that the things that we learn can be broken into two categories; concepts that are known and concepts that must be discovered. For that which is known, a lawyer can just look it up, but for those concepts that must be discovered, the lawyer must engage in a process of discovery. Concepts that are known are objective like a statute or regulation. Concepts that must be discovered are subjective such as values or skills. For that which must be discovered the lawyer continuously engages in three stages - teaching, reflection and experience. The Tao is just a restatement of traditional clinical methodology, but it makes it possible for me to share with the students the clinical legal education approach which is considerably different from the approach they have experienced in most of law school classes. Generally clinical legal programs seek to impress upon law students that their professional development will be lifelong and that the efficient way to continue that development is by combining experiences with reflections. The Tao lecture also encouraging the law student to be open to a diversity of instructive materials, but informs the student that they have the burden to decide what would apply in each situation.This article was publised as part of the UK Center for Legal Education Vocational Teachers Forum.
Conclusion and Future Directions

The development of wireless technologies such as 5G and mobile devices such as sensors, robots have shaped our life in different manner.
Stochastic games of end-user energy storage sharing

Deregulated electricity markets with time varying electricity prices and opportunities for consumer cost mitigation makes energy storage such as a battery an attractive proposition; users can charge the battery when prices are low and discharge the battery for activities when prices are high. Sharing a large capacity battery across a group of homes in a community, can not only alleviate the economic deterrents but also exploit the fact that users' activity patterns do not necessarily overlap. This scenario, however, induces competition for battery capacity between the users in general as they may want to maximize their own cost savings by occupying more battery capacity when the electricity price is low. A stochastic general sum game theoretical framework is proposed to capture the competitive behaviors of users sending messages to a common battery controller that manages the charging and discharging based on the received, albeit incomplete, information. With such a framework, we show that there always exists a non-stationary social optimal battery control policy - a credit based battery management scheme that ensures game theoretic equilibrium among all players. In this credit based battery management strategy, one user's access to the battery is strictly denied whenever he is found to give “abnormal” messages. This equilibrium control policy requires long time established observations and also “forces” users to share their energy demands accurately with the controller which leads to privacy concerns. We therefore, propose, a stationary suboptimal message blind battery management strategy which in the special case that the unforeseeable component of users' demands is i.i.d., we demonstrate is optimal. For the general non iid model, we demonstrate numerically using real electricity and pricing data, that such battery management strategy can provide a close performance to the optimal credit based battery management strategy using real electricity usage and pricing data.
Neurological autoantibody prevalence in epilepsy of unknown etiology

Importance Autoimmune epilepsy is an underrecognized condition, and its true incidence is unknown. Identifying patients with an underlying autoimmune origin is critical because these patients’ condition may remain refractory to conventional antiseizure medications but may respond to immunotherapy. Objective To determine the prevalence of neurological autoantibodies (Abs) among adult patients with epilepsy of unknown etiology. Design, Setting, and Participants Consecutive patients presenting to neurology services with new-onset epilepsy or established epilepsy of unknown etiology were identified. Serum samples were tested for autoimmune encephalitis Abs as well as thyroperoxidase (TPO) and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) Abs. An antibody prevalence in epilepsy (APE) score based on clinical characteristics was assigned prospectively. Data were collected from June 1, 2015, to June 1, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures Presence of neurological Abs. A score based on clinical characteristics was assigned to estimate the probability of seropositivity prior to antibody test results. Good seizure outcome was estimated on the basis of significant reduction of seizure frequency at the first follow-up or seizure freedom. Results Of the 127 patients (68 males and 59 females) enrolled in the study, 15 were subsequently excluded after identification of an alternative diagnosis. Serum Abs suggesting a potential autoimmune etiology were detected in 39 (34.8%) cases. More than 1 Ab was detected in 7 patients (6.3%): 3 (2.7%) had TPO-Ab and voltage-gated potassium channel complex (VGKCc) Ab, 2 (1.8%) had GAD65-Ab and VGKCc-Ab, 1 had TPO-Ab and GAD65-Ab, and 1 had anti-Hu Ab and GAD65-Ab. Thirty-two patients (28.6%) had a single Ab marker. Among 112 patients included in the study, 15 (13.4%) had TPO-Ab, 14 (12.5%) had GAD65-Ab, 12 (10.7%) had VGKCc (4 of whom were positive for leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 [LGI1] Ab), and 4 (3.6%) hadN-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) Ab. Even after excluding TPO-Ab and low-titer GAD65-Ab, Abs strongly suggesting an autoimmune cause of epilepsy were seen in 23 patients (20.5%). Certain clinical features, such as autonomic dysfunction, neuropsychiatric changes, viral prodrome, faciobrachial dystonic spells or facial dyskinesias, and mesial temporal sclerosis abnormality on magnetic resonance imaging, correlated with seropositivity. The APE score was a useful tool in predicting positive serologic findings. Patients who were Ab positive were more likely to have good seizure outcome than were patients with epilepsy of unknown etiology (15 of 23 [65.2%] vs 24 of 89 [27.0%]; odds ratio, 4.8; 95% CI, 1.8-12.9;P = .002). In patients who were seropositive, reduction in seizure frequency was associated with use of immunomodulatory therapy. Conclusions and Relevance Among adult patients with epilepsy of unknown etiology, a significant minority had detectable serum Abs suggesting an autoimmune etiology. Certain clinical features (encoded in the APE score) could be used to identify patients with the highest probability of harboring neurological Abs.
Measurement and Configuration of DSRC Radios for Vehicle-to-Train (V2T) Safety-Critical Communications

Despite the rapid development of wireless technology, there has been little application of the technology to improve railroad crossing safety. We present vehicle-to-railroad channel characterization and dedicated short range communications (DSRC) performance results at railroad crossings in rural and suburban environments. Our results show that an omnidirectional antenna provides slightly better performance in rural conditions. However, a bi-directional antenna increased warning range by more than 200 m in suburban conditions. A proper configuration of the DSRC radio provides reliable warning of an approaching train for cars near a railroad crossing.
High-density fan-out technology for advanced SiP and 3D heterogeneous integration

This paper reviews our advanced fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) technologies for hetero-integrated wafer-level system-in-package (WL-SiP) and 3D heterogeneous integration package (3D SWIFT). WL-SiP and 3D SWIFT can integrate various functional dies such as memory, logic, power IC, RF and passive components in wafer-level, therefore are latest fan-out wafer-level packaging technologies for scaled systems with more high performance, multi-functionality, and less power consumption. However, advanced fan-out packaging requires scaled Cu trace pitch and more layers in the redistribution layer (RDL). These trends induce potential reliability challenges. This paper introduces a representative electrical reliability challenge in scaled L/S Cu RDL for advanced fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP).
CTCF-Binding Elements Mediate Accessibility of RAG Substrates During Chromatin Scanning

RAG endonuclease initiates antibody heavy chain variable region exon assembly from V, D, and J segments within a chromosomal V(D)J recombination center (RC) by cleaving between paired gene segments and flanking recombination signal sequences (RSSs). The IGCR1 control region promotes DJH intermediate formation by isolating Ds, JHs, and RCs from upstream VHs in a chromatin loop anchored by CTCF-binding elements (CBEs). How VHs access the DJHRC for VH to DJH rearrangement was unknown. We report that CBEs immediately downstream of frequently rearranged VH-RSSs increase recombination potential of their associated VH far beyond that provided by RSSs alone. This CBE activity becomes particularly striking upon IGCR1 inactivation, which allows RAG, likely via loop extrusion, to linearly scan chromatin far upstream. VH-associated CBEs stabilize interactions of D-proximal VHs first encountered by the DJHRC during linear RAG scanning and thereby promote dominant rearrangement of these VHs by an unanticipated chromatin accessibility-enhancing CBE function.
Efficient Airload Determination for Bluff Body Aeromechanics

A continuous-rotation testing technique is applied to capture the variation of aerodynamic loads with attitude on objects of arbitrary shape. The technique converts the problem of measuring static air loads at various attitudes into a periodic problem. Phase-resolved ensemble-averaging is used to capture load variations with arbitrarily fine azimuthal resolution. The airload variations are obtained in closed form as discrete Fourier series. Experiments on a cylinder model of equal length and diameter were used to study the ability to capture asymmetries, and resolve support interference issues. A closed cuboid is used to correlate with prior work. A flat plate with a central cylindrical load, and a porous box are also studied. Free-swing tests using rigid tethers fixed to a pitch-yaw-roll gimbal mount are used to derive dynamic behavior in a free stream. The cylinder results showed the ability to resolve the effect of minor geometric asymmetries on airloads. The flat plate at 10 degrees pitch shows strong differences in dynamics between cases with a rounded versus squared-off edge facing the freestream. The porous box shows the differences between cases with and without one side blocked.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Theory and application of cross correlation and coherence

This chapter discusses the theory of cross correlation and coherence along with their applications. The cross correlation refers to an indirect and un-defined relationship between the input and output of a system. In general a relationship can exist between any two signals whether or not they are intrinsically related through a system. It describes the various properties of these cross correlation functions. Such a function has symmetry properties that depend on the ordering of the two signals. Further, it explores the various fields where it can be used. A major implementation of cross correlation is for detecting the occurrence of time limited signals. These signals can have a random or deterministic nature. The basic concepts related to cross correlation are formulated in the chapter. Cross spectral density functions are introduced in detail providing definition and properties of the same. Finally, the last section of the chapter outlines tests for correlation between time series. Herein, the coherence estimators, statistical properties of estimators, confidence limits, procedure for estimation, and application are explored.
Abstract A51: Disparities in cervical cancer patients by race and histology

Introduction: The incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in the United States has decreased over the last four decades given screening and vaccination programs. Nevertheless, this statement cannot be generalized among all races. We investigated cancer-related mortality (CRM) and non-cancer related mortality (NCM) for cervical cancer patients among racial groups. Methods: Women diagnosed with cervical cancer from 1990-2014 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. Racial disparities in survival for non-Hispanic white (NHW), non-Hispanic black (NHB), Hispanic (HSP), and Asian/Pacific Islander (API) patients were compared using a competing risk model that accounted for both CRM and NCM. Analyses were particularly performed by histologic subtype for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) vs. adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma (AC/ASC). Results: 62,887 cervical patients were analyzed: 34,520 (54.8%) NHW, 8,650 (13.8%) NHB, 13,937 (22.2%) HSP, and 5,780 (9.2%) API. From 1990 to 2014, the proportion of SCC has decreased, while the proportion of AC/ASC has increased among all racial groups with the exception of NHB patients who saw a smaller increase in AC/ASC (P Conclusions: Both CRM and NCM significantly vary among racial groups, with the worst survival being seen in NHB patients. Citation Format: Ying Huang, Christopher Tarney, Chunqiao Tian, Nicholas Bateman, Thomas Conrads, Chad Hamilton, George Maxwell, Kathleen Darcy. Disparities in cervical cancer patients by race and histology [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr A51.
Development and verification of a phase-field model for the equilibrium thermodynamics of U-Pu-Zr

Abstract U-Pu-Zr is a promising metallic fuel candidate. However, fuel selection and qualification will require the ability to accurately predict its behavior. Unfortunately, the system’s complex phase behaviors promote formation of heterogeneities that cannot be adequately described using bulk properties. This work presents an equilibrium phase-field model capable of resolving these heterogeneities spatially so that their effects on reactor safety and fuel performance can be understood and predicted. Development of the twelve-phase model is presented beginning with derivation of its CALPHAD free energies. Verification tests show that the model predicts the equilibrium concentrations and overall phase fractions of stable mixtures consistent with analytical methods. Additional assessments show that the model predicts phase transition temperatures with reasonable accuracy. The model is shown to resolve heterogeneities in ternary alloys that could affect composition-dependent properties like neutron cross-sections, thermal conductivities, and melting temperatures. Finally, the model is used to demonstrate that equilibrium thermodynamics has a significant role in constituent redistribution by modeling the formation of radial zones in the presence of a temperature gradient. These zones are qualitatively consistent with those exhibited by EBR-II Fuel Element T179, but results indicate that at least one other significant mechanism must be taken into account to model these behaviors. Overall, the model shows promise and will serve as a thermodynamic foundation onto which more sophisticated models will be built.
Auto-Vectorizing TensorFlow Graphs: Jacobians, Auto-Batching And Beyond.

We propose a static loop vectorization optimization on top of high level dataflow IR used by frameworks like TensorFlow. A new statically vectorized parallel-for abstraction is provided on top of TensorFlow, and used for applications ranging from auto-batching and per-example gradients, to jacobian computation, optimized map functions and input pipeline optimization. We report huge speedups compared to both loop based implementations, as well as run-time batching adopted by the DyNet framework.