cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bit error rate performance and power spectral density of a noncoherent hybrid frequency-phase modulation system

This paper studies the design and performance analysis of a noncoherent hybrid modulation scheme derived from multifrequency and multiphase signals, and referred to as joint frequency-phase modulation (JFPM). This modulation class includes many formats, which can be classified as efficient bandwidth-limited modulation or power-limited modulation techniques. A noncoherent receiver structure for JFPM signals is introduced, and an exact expression for the probability of a bit error over AWGN channels is obtained. The results show that noncoherent JFPM perform better than M-ary DPSK and/or noncoherent M-ary FSK systems. The power spectral density and the spectral efficiency of JFPM are analyzed. Fractional out-of-band power containment bandwidths are obtained numerically for different JFPM formats. These analytical results show that the power spectral density of JFPM does not contain a discrete component and the same bandwidth efficiency can be obtained by using different JFPM formats. Overall, JFPM can be classified as a bandwidth- and power-efficient modulation technique. >
The Explosion of Executive Pay and the Erosion of American Prosperity.

L’explosion de la remuneration des dirigeants et l’erosion de la prosperite americaineDans les annees 2000, les Etats-Unis n’ont pu assurer de croissance economique ni stable ni equitable a leur propre population. Une des premieres causes de l’inegalite et de l’instabilite du systeme economique americain tient au mode de remuneration des dirigeants des plus grandes societes industrielles et financieres fonde sur le cours de l’action. Dans la maniere dont ils allouent les ressources de leur entreprise, les dirigeants ont en effet un interet personnel a maximiser leur remuneration et donc la valeur de l’action.L’un des moyens qu’ils mobilisent pour y parvenir consiste a racheter a grande echelle le capital des societes pour lesquelles ils travaillent et sur lesquelles ils gerent l’allocation des ressources. Cette operation se traduit par l’extraction d’une rente colossale pour les dirigeants, mais aussi par une repartition des ressources qui n’est pas celle qu’il faudrait pour generer de l’innovation pour l’entreprise et contribuer a une croissance equitable et stable pour l’economie dans son ensemble.
Frequent mutations in the ligand-binding domain of PML-RARα after multiple relapses of acute promyelocytic leukemia: analysis for functional relationship to response to all-transretinoic acid and histone deacetylase inhibitors in vitro and in vivo

This study identified missense mutations in the ligand binding domain of the oncoprotein PML-RARα in 5 of 8 patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) with 2 or more relapses and 2 or more previous courses of all-trans retinoic acid (RA)–containing therapy. Four mutations were novel (Lys207Asn, Gly289Arg, Arg294Trp, and Pro407Ser), whereas one had been previously identified (Arg272Gln; normal RARα1 codon assignment). Five patients were treated with repeat RA plus phenylbutyrate (PB), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, and one patient experienced a prolonged clinical remission. Of the 5 RA + PB-treated patients, 4 had PML-RARα mutations. The Gly289Arg mutation in the clinical responder produced the most defective PML-RARα function in the presence of RA with or without sodium butyrate (NaB) or trichostatin A. Relapse APL cells from this patient failed to differentiate in response to RA but partially differentiated in response to NaB alone, which was augmented by RA. In contrast, NaB alone had no differentiation effect on APL cells from another mutant case (Pro407Ser) but enhanced differentiation induced by RA. These results indicate that PML-RARα mutations occurred with high frequency after multiple RA treatment relapses, indicate that the functional potential of PML-RARα was not correlated with clinical response to RA + PB treatment, and suggest that the response to RA + PB therapy in one patient was related to the ability of PB to circumvent the blocked RA-regulated gene response pathway.
Surface Soil Moisture Retrieval and Mapping Using High-Frequency Microwave Satellite Observations in the Southern Great Plains

Abstract Studies have shown the advantages of low-frequency (<5 GHz) microwave sensors for soil moisture estimation. Although higher frequencies have limited soil moisture retrieval capabilities, there is a vast quantity of systematic global high-frequency microwave data that have been collected for 15 yr by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I). SSM/I soil moisture studies have mostly utilized antecedent precipitation indices as validation, while only a few have employed limited ground observations, which were typically not optimal for this particular type of satellite data. In the Southern Great Plains (SGP) hydrology experiments conducted in 1997 and 1999, ground observations of soil moisture were made over an extended region for developing and validating large-scale mapping techniques. Previous studies have indicated the limitations of both the higher-frequency data and models for soil moisture retrieval. Given these limitations, an alternative retrieval technique that utilizes multipolarization...
Gender, Relationships, and Elder Abuse: Assessing Aggression in Mother-Daughter Dyads.

The older adult population is growing rapidly, and with it comes a national concern for elder abuse. Elder abuse is an intentional act of harm or failure to provide care by a person in a trusted relationship with the elder. One relationship is often overlooked in both research and clinical practice as having special significance for elder abuse-that of the adult daughter-elderly mother. However, recent studies suggest that there are gender differences in the use of aggression, which challenge standard assessments of abuse and may be important for assessing mother-daughter relationships. In this narrative review article, the authors review the relevant literature on female-to-female aggression, with an emphasis on its application to mother-daughter relationships and elder abuse. Measurement tools are evaluated in light of the state of the science. The authors conclude with specific recommendations for clinical practice. Language: en
Effects of Dietary Calcium Sources and Particle Size on Laying Hen Performance

Abstract A total of 462 high producing commercial type laying hens were used to determine the effects of various calcium sources and particle size on egg shell quality and laying hen performance. Neither calcium source, particle size, nor level of calcium had a statistically significant effect on egg weight, percent hen-day egg production, or feed conversion among individual treatments. The results indicate that the addition of large particle oyster shell does significantly improve egg shell quality when substituted for a portion of the pulverized calcium source, even though the hens are consuming adequate calcium (>3.75 g/hen/day), with improvement being significantly greater after 24 weeks of lay. It was also concluded that the calcium from oyster shell, in any form, is more available than that of limestone for egg shell formation. Aragonite was shown to support performance equal to that of pulverized limestone at the 3.5% calcium level.
Current therapy: Important drug interactions and reactions in dermatology

A constantly expanding pharmacological armamentarium increases the concern for serious drug interactions. This article discusses drug metabolism and how the cytochrome P-450 family facilitates drug biotransformation. Clinically significant drug interactions involving antifungal drugs, antibiotics, retinoids, and immunosuppressive agents, as well as topical anesthetics and various foods, are included.
Gaining “Choice” and Losing Voice

The old story states that there was once an emperor so fond of his new clothes that he spent many an hour and occasion showing off his clothes. This emperor cared not for his duties as emperor, except as those duties would allow him to flaunt his new clothing. One day two swindlers arrived and promised the emperor that they would sew the emperor new clothes that were so fine that the emperor would be able to decipher unfit or unintelligent subjects because the fabric would be invisible to those subjects.
Refined membrane preparations mask ischemic fall in myocardial beta-receptor density.

Most of the previous studies of ischemic myocardial beta-adrenergic receptors have employed membrane preparations in which the initial pellet from the myocardial homogenate spun at a low speed was discarded. We studied changes in beta-adrenergic receptor density ([125I]-iodocyanopindolol; Bmax) during 30 min of coronary occlusion in surgically anesthetized open-chest rabbits using just such a pellet [homogenized heart spun at 1,000 g (1,000-g pellet)], as well as a second pellet from the supernatant of the first pellet [spun at 40,000 g (40,000-g pellet)]. Bmax fell during acute ischemia in the 1,000-g pellet [46.8 +/- 6.1 vs. 21.6 +/- 2.4 (SE) fmol/mg protein; P less than 0.01; n = 7] but did not change in the 40,000-g pellet [46.8 +/- 6.5 vs. 47.9 +/- 2.6 (SE) fmol/mg protein; P = NS; n = 6]. The 1,000-g pellet contained 70.0 +/- 8.1% of the beta-adrenergic receptors measured between the two preparations (P less than 0.05; n = 8) and all of the histamine H2-receptors; therefore, to minimize receptor loss and other potential artifacts, unspun myocardial homogenate was studied. An ischemic decrease in Bmax was still observed [32.9 +/- 2.0 vs. 20.9 +/- 4.1 (SE) fmol/mg protein; P less than 0.05; n = 5]. These results support the use of data from cruder myocardial membrane preparations (e.g., 1,000-g pellet or unspun homogenate), which may be of greater pathophysiological relevance than data derived from a standard more-refined preparation (40,000-g pellet).
Terrain Analysis for Metropolitan Fringe Area Planning

A method for mapping the physical characteristics of land, and for applying this information to an evaluation of the suitability of the land in metropolitan fringe areas to urban development is presented. It is proposed that land use suitability maps be prepared for planning areas. These maps indicate the relative land use suitability of terrain units in the planning area by rating these units as optimum, satisfactory, marginal, or unsatisfactory for various land uses. The land use suitability maps are based on terrain maps drawn for the area and on land use suitability ratings prepared for the area. The land use suitability ratings are based primarily on the topography, soil, drainage, and depth to bedrock characteristics of land areas. Land use suitability maps should be used as a planning tool in conjunction with an evaluation of the other social, economic, political, and environmental factors that shape the patterns of urban development.
Dynamic imaging of the changes in the lymphatics of head and neck patients in response to surgery and radiation

418 Objectives While the lymphatic vasculature may mediate immunosuppression, lymph node metastases, and targeted radiation-induced immune responses in head and neck cancer, the role of lymphatic transport before, during, and following surgery and radiation remains unclear. We sought to longitudinally image the lymphatics of head and neck cancer patients before surgery and longitudinally throughout their treatment to visualize changes in the anatomy and function of the lymphatic vasculature. Methods Near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging was performed in an observational study of head and neck patients before and after surgery, lymph node dissection, and fractionated radiotherapy in order to determine whether transient changes in lymphatic function occur. Following informed consent, each subject received four intraoral injections containing 25ug of ICG and imaging was subsequently performed to assess the drainage through the internal lymphatics. After imaging for approximately 10 minutes, six intradermal injections of 25ug ICG in 0.1 cc were administered, with injections fore and aft each ear and bilaterally along the mid jawline. Imaging sessions were designed to be repeated after surgery, after radiation and subsequently over approximately one year. Results Of the eighteen subjects who underwent baseline imaging, eight subjects were imaged three or more times. In eight of the 18 subjects, we observed lymphatic drainage following the intraoral injections in at least one imaging session. In several subjects, submandibular, internal jugular, and cervical lymph nodes were detected after intraoral injections. Pre-treatment, patients with unilateral disease exhibited impaired cervical lymphatic drainage as compared to their contralateral, uninvolved side. All 7 patients who underwent both lymph node dissection and radiotherapy developed lymphatic dermal backflow on treated lateral sides ranging from days after the start of radiotherapy to weeks after its completion, while contralateral regions not associated with lymph node dissection but also treated with radiotherapy, experienced no such changes in functional lymphatic anatomies. Figure 1 shows (A) the progressive changes in lymphatic anatomy on the left lateral side that had extensive lymph node dissection and 60Gy fractionated radiation as compared to (B) the right side which was treated with 60 Gy fractionated radiation. The time course of treatment is shown in (C). Of the 7 subjects showing this type of aberrant lymphatic architecture, one patient was clinically diagnosed with head and neck cancer lymphedema, a disorder which has few objective diagnostic criteria. Conclusions The functional lymphatic vasculature is altered by cancer involvement and undergoes transient changes during, and weeks after, post-surgery radiotherapy. While radiation treatment profoundly impacts the lymphatic system, it remains to be determined how combination of immunotherapy with radiotherapy will further impact the lymphatic vasculature of head and neck cancer survivors.
Brief Opioid Overdose Knowledge (BOOK): A Questionnaire to Assess Overdose Knowledge in Individuals Who Use Illicit or Prescribed Opioids.

Background Opioid overdose is a public health crisis. This study describes efforts to develop and validate the Brief Opioid Overdose Knowledge (BOOK) questionnaire to assess patient knowledge gaps related to opioid overdose risks. Methods Two samples of illicit opioid users and a third sample of patients receiving an opioid for the treatment of chronic pain (total N = 848) completed self-report items pertaining to opioid overdose risks. Results A 3-factor scale was established, representing Opioid Knowledge (4 items), Opioid Overdose Knowledge (4 items), and Opioid Overdose Response Knowledge (4 items). The scale had strong internal and face validity. Patients with chronic pain performed worse than illicit drug users in almost all items assessed, highlighting the need to increase knowledge of opioid overdose risk to this population. Conclusions This study sought to develop a brief, internally valid method for quickly assessing deficits in opioid overdose risk areas within users of illicit and prescribed opioids, to provide an efficient metric for assessing and comparing educational interventions, facilitate conversations between physicians and patients about overdose risks, and help formally identify knowledge deficits in other patient populations.
Lek Behavior of the Lesser Bird of Paradise

Etude de la parade sexuelle et de la formation des couples chez Paradisaea minor sur un site de reproduction dans le National Bird of Paradise Sanctuary, Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinee
TAVR Prognosis, Aging, and the Second TAVR Tsunami: Insights From France

The early results of the French national transcatheter aortic valve implantation registry, FRANCE 2 (FRench Aortic National CoreValve and Edwards registry), were reported previously [(1)][1]. The initial report of FRANCE 2 identified the need for safer and more effective technology to reduce the
A Systematic Review of Telerehabilitation and mHealth Interventions for Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating and expensive diagnosis, requiring ongoing rehabilitation. Technological solutions including telerehabilitation and mobile health (mHealth) have the potential to support rehabilitation activities at home. This systematic review evaluates the previous decade of telerehabilitation and mHealth interventions for SCI. Twelve relevant articles were returned from eight databases. Of these studies, only two focused on mHealth interventions. The included studies were representative of SCI cases in terms of gender, age, and injury type but not geographic region. The heterogeneity of the included studies coupled with a lack of standardized reporting guidelines precluded the development of specific recommendations for future intervention development. Rather, recommendations from this review focus on the need for a wide of range of future research in this domain, with a stronger focus on mHealth. Moreover, the results demonstrate a need for clear reporting standards to facilitate future narrative reviews and meta-analyses.
Deriving Business Recommendations for Franchises Using Competitive Learning Driven MLP-Based Clustering

Finite Mixture of Regression (FMR) models account for the target variable and cluster the data points based on the relationship between inputs and target variables. However, extant FMR models mostly rely on linear regression models. We propose a competitive learning algorithm to perform FMR modeling, which allows nonlinear models such a Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) to carry out the regression. We demonstrate the proposed method using a real-world case study that aims to derive tailored recommendations for franchises to improve their profitability and sales effectiveness.
Prostate Cancer Imaging and Biomarkers Guiding Safe Selection of Active Surveillance.

Background Active surveillance (AS) is a widely adopted strategy to monitor men with low-risk, localized prostate cancer (PCa). Current AS inclusion criteria may misclassify as many as 1 in 4 patients. The advent of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) and novel PCa biomarkers may offer improved risk stratification. We performed a review of recently published literature to characterize emerging evidence in support of these novel modalities. Methods An English literature search was conducted on PubMed for available original investigations on localized PCa, AS, imaging and biomarkers published within the past three years. Our Boolean criteria included the following terms: prostate cancer, active surveillance, imaging, biomarker, genetic, genomic, prospective, retrospective and comparative. The bibliographies and diagnostic modalities of the identified studies were used to expand our search. Results Our review identified 222 original studies. Our expanded search yielded 244 studies. Among these, 70 met our inclusion criteria. Evidence suggests mpMRI offers improved detection of clinically significant PCa, and MRI-fusion technology enhances the sensitivity of surveillance biopsies. Multiple studies demonstrate the promise of commercially available screening assays for prediction of AS failure, and several novel biomarkers show promise in this setting. Conclusions In the era of AS for men with low-risk PCa, improved strategies for proper stratification are needed. mpMRI has dramatically enhanced the detection of clinically significant PCa. The advent of novel biomarkers for prediction of aggressive disease and AS failure have shown some initial promise, but further validation is warranted.
A Statewide Model to Include Children with Visual Impairments in Physical Education and After-school Sports

Over the past three years, New York State has taken steps to systematically train teachers, parents and children with visual impairments regarding the necessary steps to take to get involved in physical education and after-school sports. The purpose of this editorial is to share what has been done in New York in hopes that other states will adopt this model.
Social Enterprise Innovation: A Quantitative Analysis of Global Patterns

Social enterprise and innovation are inextricably linked in the literature (Chell et al. in Entrepr Reg Dev 22(6):485–493, 2010; Dees in Harv Bus Rev 76:54, 1998; Light in Stanf Soc Innov Rev 4(3):47–51, 2006). To date, research on social enterprise innovation has predominantly focused on micro-level factors, such as the social entrepreneur or organizational attributes. Inversely, recent empirical advances on social enterprise find a country’s social enterprise sector is influenced by macro-institutional factors, including form of government, stage of economic development, culture and model of civil society (Monroe-White and Coskun, in: Shaping social enterprise: understanding institutional context and influence, Emerald Publishing Limited, London, pp 27–48, 2017). Given the link between social enterprise and innovation, recent empirical findings around social enterprise beg the question, do macro-institutional factors similarly predict innovation by social enterprises? This paper uses a hierarchical linear model to examine the influence of national-level variables on social enterprise innovation. Results indicate that similar to social enterprise, macro-institutional factors predict social enterprise innovation. More specifically, macro-institutional factors influence the various types of innovations (product, process and marketing) differently. Moreover, country-level innovation is traditionally defined by economic factors, such as R&D funding and STEM workforce, however, these factors do not help explain social enterprise innovation. Given the social aspects of social enterprise innovation, to capture the full scope of innovation within countries, expanded definitions of national-level innovation should be considered.
Counseling Organizational Clients "Within the Bounds of the Law"

The principal function of lawyers is to communicate the lawyer’s knowledge of law to the client and apply it to the client’s situation. Thus, every lawyer who has clients, whatever else they do, is a counselor. Two professional rules deal directly with counseling: Model Rule 1.2 deals with scope of representation, allocation of authority between lawyer and client, and prohibits a lawyer from counseling a client “to engage, or assist a client, in conduct that the lawyer knows is criminal or fraudulent . . . .” Model Rule 2.1 requires a lawyer to “render candid advice” in the exercise of the lawyer’s “independent professional judgment.” That means, I believe, that the lawyer should level with the client by communicating the law in all its sometimes certainty and often ambiguity to the client, thus helping the client to act in a way that is most likely to achieve the client’s objectives; in short, to help the client understand the law as it is and how it provides for or restricts the client’s options for action. There is a vast literature on counseling techniques. Some years ago, a somewhat paternalistic model was prevalent: the lawyer, because of his knowledge of law and experience, took a dominant role in the relationship. More recently, many lawyers urged and adopted a more client-centered mode of counseling in which the lawyer acts as a friend would, by listening to the client and leaving the major decisions to the client. The actual practice of counseling, of course, is enormously influenced by the nature of the client, the type of legal problem, and whether the representation is an initial consultation or part of a continuing lawyer-client relationship. I will discuss a much narrower topic, but one which has been the
Da and the Category AUX in Bulgarian

The particle da in Bulgarian has traditionally been classified as some sort of conjunction, and in the few existing generative treatments of Bulgarian (e.g. Dolapchieva, 1976) it has generally been described as a complementizer. In this paper I will show that da is not a complementizer and that it can in fact be analyzed as belonging to the AUX, given the definition of AUX proposed by Akmajian, Steele, and Wasow (1979) (henceforth ‘ASW’). The paper will include a brief sketch of some other elements of the AUX in Bulgarian and a discussion of the status of AUX as a constituent.
Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring using Wrist-worn Bio-impedance Sensors with Wet Electrodes

Continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring is essential for diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disorders. Currently, BP is measured using cuff-based methods, which are obtrusive and not suitable for continuous monitoring. Estimation of BP using pulse transit time (PTT) is a prominent method that eliminates the need for a cuff. In this paper, we present a new method to estimate BP based on PTT measurements from an array of 2×2 bio-impedance sensors placed on the wrist, which can be integrated into a small wearable device such as a smart watch for continuous BP monitoring. Diastolic and systolic BP were estimated using AdaBoost regression model based on PTT features extracted from the wrist bio-impedance signals. Data was collected from three participants using our custom bio-impedance sensors. Our method can estimate BP accurately with correlation coefficient, mean absolute error (MAE) and standard deviation (STD) of 0.92, 1.71 and 2.46 mmHg for the diastolic BP and 0.94, 2.57 and 4.35 mmHg for the systolic BP.
Red and Processed Meat and Mortality in a Low Meat Intake Population.

Associations of low-to-moderate consumption of red and processed meat with mortality would add to the evidence of possible adverse effects of these common foods. This study aims to investigate the association of red and processed meat intake with mortality. The Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) is a prospective cohort study of ~96,000 Seventh-day Adventist men and women recruited in the US and Canada between 2002 and 2007. The final analytic sample after exclusions was 72,149. Cox proportional hazards regression was used and hazard ratios (HR) and confidence intervals (CI) were obtained. Diet was assessed by a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), calibrated using six 24-h dietary recalls. Mortality outcome data were obtained from the National Death Index. During a mean follow-up of 11.8 years, there were 7961 total deaths, of which 2598 were Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) deaths and 1873 were cancer deaths. Unprocessed red meat was associated with risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.07–1.31) and CVD mortality (HR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.05–1.50). Processed meat alone was not significantly associated with risk of mortality. The combined intake of red and processed meat was associated with all-cause mortality (HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.11–1.36) and CVD mortality (HR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.12–1.60). These findings suggest moderately higher risks of all-cause and CVD mortality associated with red and processed meat in a low meat intake population.
The role of antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation.

Background/objectiveNational guidelines do not recommend the routine use of antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with solid tumors, yet prophylactic agents are still sometimes prescribed for head ...
CT Practice Management

Most imaging centers have more than one make and model of CT scanner in use across multiple locations within a hospital, city, or geographical region. These different scanners must fulfill identical imaging requests while often simultaneously realizing local site-specific exams. Many sites have in the hundreds of CT protocols to satisfy the hundreds of order sets a clinical diagnostic CT scanner receives. These clinical and logistical realities make CT protocol management challenging. This chapter defines this problem in more detail. We discuss strategies to address CT protocol management. We define a CT protocol from the perspective of clinical, compliance, workflow, and technical details. We discuss why we need a CT protocol optimization team and team membership. Lastly, we review solutions for documenting CT protocols and disseminating them to one’s CT scanner fleet.
Application of electrical analogues for control analysis of simple metabolic pathways

I have used electrical analogues for calculating the Flux Control Coefficients of metabolic pathways. An analogue circuit consists of resistances that are connected in series (or parallel) with a voltage (or current) source. In constructing the analogues, each of the enzymes in the pathway is associated with a resistance whose magnitude depends on the Elasticity Coefficients of the enzymes. These circuits can be designed in a heuristic fashion directly from the configuration of the pathway, without the necessity of writing down the governing equations with the use of Summation and Connectivity Theorems. The Flux Control Coefficients of the enzymes are represented by voltages across (or currents through) the resistances and are determined by an application of Ohm's Law. Results are given for (a) a simple linear pathway without feedback or feedforward regulation, and (b) a linear pathway with feedback inhibition. The analogue circuits are also convenient for assessing the relative importance of the various enzymes in flux control, and for simplifying the structure of a given pathway.
Retrieving Root-Zone Soil Moisture Profile From P-Band Radar via Hybrid Global and Local Optimization

We propose an inversion model for retrieving the root-zone soil moisture profile using the P-band radar observations and validate it using data collected during the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) mission. The forward model utilized in this article uses an existing small perturbation method (SPM) to calculate the electromagnetic wave scattered from multilayered rough surface dielectric structures. To solve the inverse problem, which is formulated as a least-squares problem, we utilize a novel global optimization technique that takes the advantage of the speed of a local optimization method while ensuring convergence to the global minimum. We present the numerical results to demonstrate significant improvements in the inversion results and computational speed compared to the previously used AirMOSS baseline inversion algorithm. The presented method is validated with in situ soil moisture measurements. Finally, by utilizing a closed-form analytical solution to Richards’ equation, we demonstrate improvements in the accuracy of our soil moisture retrieval results.
Implicating endothelial cell senescence to dysfunction in the ageing and diseased brain

Cerebrovascular endothelial cells (CECs) are integral components of both the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the neurovascular unit (NVU). As the primary cell type of the BBB, CECs are responsible for the tight regulation of molecular transport between the brain parenchyma and the periphery. Additionally, CECs are essential in neurovascular coupling where they help regulate cerebral blood flow in response to regional increases in cellular demand in the NVU. CEC dysfunction occurs during both normative ageing and in cerebrovascular disease, which leads to increased BBB permeability and neurovascular uncoupling. This MiniReview compiles what is known about the molecular changes underlying CEC dysfunction, many of which are reminiscent of cells that have become senescent. In general, cellular senescence is defined as an irreversible growth arrest characterized by the acquisition of a pro-inflammatory secretory phenotype in response to DNA damage or other cellular stresses. We discuss evidence for endothelial cell senescence in ageing and cardiovascular disease, and how CEC senescence may contribute to age-related cerebrovascular dysfunction.
Adaptive Newton-Type Schemes Based on Projections

In this work we present and discuss a possible globalization concept for Newton-type methods. We consider nonlinear problems $$f(x)=0$$ in $${\mathbb {R}}^{n}$$ using the concepts from ordinary differential equations as a basis for the proposed numerical solution procedure. Thus, the starting point of our approach is within the framework of solving ordinary differential equations numerically. Accordingly, we are able to reformulate general Newton-type iteration schemes using an adaptive step size control procedure. In doing so, we derive and discuss a discrete adaptive solution scheme, thereby trying to mimic the underlying continuous problem numerically without losing the famous quadratic convergence regime of the classical Newton method in a vicinity of a regular solution. The derivation of the proposed adaptive iteration scheme relies on a simple orthogonal projection argument taking into account that, sufficiently close to regular solutions, the vector field corresponding to the Newton scheme is approximately linear. We test and exemplify our adaptive root-finding scheme using a few low-dimensional examples. Based on the presented examples, we finally show some performance data.
Machine Learning in Predicting Diabetes in the Early Stage

Diabetes is a common disease and its early symptoms are not very noticeable, so an efficient method of prediction will help patients make a self-diagnosis. However, the conventional method to identify diabetes is to make a blood glucose test by doctors and the medical resource is limited. Therefore, most patients cannot get the diagnosis immediately. Since the early symptoms of diabetes are not obvious and the relationship between symptoms and diabetes is complex, the self-diagnosis results based on patients’ own experience are not accurate. The process of Machine Learning is to train a computational algorithm for prediction based on a big dataset. It is popular for its efficiency and accuracy. Also, it has the advantage of dealing with tons of data, so we can make diagnoses for plenty of patients in a short time and the result will be more accurate. In this study, we used six classical machine learning models, including logistic regression, support vector machine, decision tree, random forest, boosting and neural network, to make a prediction model for diabetes diagnosis. Our data was from UCI Machine Learning Repository, which was collected by direct questionnaires from the patients of the Sylhet Diabetes Hospital in Sylhet, Bangladesh and approved by a doctor. We conduct parameter tuning on each model to tradeoff between the accuracy and complexity. The testing error shows that random forest, boosting and neural network had better performances than logistic regression, support vector machine and decision tree. The accuracy of neural network of the test dataset achieves 96 percent, which is the best model among these models for predicting diabetes.
休謨論自殺: Hume on Suicide

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese直至今天，任何對自殺道德感興趣的人都會讀到大衛．休謨關於此問題的文章。這有多種原因，但其中核心的一個是，他確立了現代關於自殺道德爭論的出發點，也就是說，生命中某種條件是不是可以？人提供一個道德上可接受的理由，來自主決定結束自己的生命。如果我們認為至少有一些自殺行為是道德的，那麼我們就能夠進行這場爭論，如果我們可以拋棄所有那些神學已經規定好的對自殺的一攬子譴責，那麼我們就能夠思考這場爭論。我注意到在遙遠的十八世紀情境中，這種論證戰略試圖發展出一種沒有神學基礎的倫理學。休謨的案例所得到的結果是關於自殺的一篇很現代的短文，突出自願性和自主性，以及對人的生活條件以及在這種條件下人生活下去的願望進行的反思。DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 241 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.
Epitaxial MoCx: Competition between cubic δ-MoCy(111) and hexagonal β-Mo2C(0001)

Abstract Molybdenum carbide thin films, 63–97 nm thick, are deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering onto Al2O3(0001) substrates at 1200 °C in 5 mTorr Ar - CH4 gas mixtures with a varying CH4 fraction fCH4 = 0–10%. X-ray diffraction θ-2θ scans, ω-rocking curves, ϕ-scans, and reciprocal space maps in combination with electron backscatter diffraction phase maps reveal that fCH4 = 7–8% leads to epitaxial δ-MoCy(111) grains with [ 11 2 ¯ ]δ-MoC || [ 11 2 ¯ 0 ]Al2O3 and biaxial textured β-Mo2C(0001) with a preferential [ 10 1 ¯ 0 ]β-Mo2C || [ 10 1 ¯ 0 ]Al2O3 in-plane orientation. The two phases nucleate epitaxially on the substrate and/or on top of each other, followed by a competitive growth mode which results in a dominant cubic δ-MoCy(111) or hexagonal β-Mo2C(0001) phase at fCH4 = 7 or 8%, respectively, and a reduction in the layer density measured by X-ray reflectivity which suggests the formation of amorphous C clusters above the layer nucleation stage. Deposition at lower fCH4 ≤ 6% leads to polycrystalline β-Mo2C and/or bcc Mo phases, while higher fCH4 ≥ 10% yields nanocrystalline δ-MoCy embedded in an amorphous C matrix. The increase in fCH4 also causes a 3-fold decrease in the Mo deposition rate measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and an 18% increase in the discharge voltage which is attributed to adsorbed CH4 and carbide formation on the target surface.
The need to integrate basic science and medicine in patient education resources.

Being a patient–scientist offers a unique perspective into the daily challenges of living with a disease, the quest to find a cure, and the need to expand the breadth of patient education.
Accelerating Identification of Chromatin Accessibility from noisy ATAC-seq Data using Modern CPUs

Identifying accessible chromatin regions is a fundamental problem in epigenomics with ATAC-seq being a commonly used assay. Exponential rise in single cell ATAC-seq experiments has made it critical to accelerate processing of ATAC-seq data. ATAC-seq data can have a low signal-to-noise ratio for various reasons including low coverage or low cell count. To denoise and identify accessible chromatin regions from noisy ATAC-seq data, use of deep learning on 1D data - using large filter sizes, long tensor widths, and/or dilation - has recently been proposed. Here, we present ways to accelerate the end-to-end training performance of these deep learning based methods using CPUs. We evaluate our approach on the recently released AtacWorks toolkit. Compared to an Nvidia DGX-1 box with 8 V100 GPUs, we get up to 2.27x speedup using just 16 CPU sockets. To achieve this, we build an efficient 1D dilated convolution layer and demonstrate reduced precision (BFloat16) training.
Chapter 56 – Overview

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an overview of neonatal seizures. Seizures are the most common manifestation of brain dysfunction in the newborn. Multifocal clonic seizures indicate diffuse brain dysfunction due to inflammatory-toxic-inflammatory etiologies. One early study of neonatal seizures stated that more than 80% of 178 surviving neonates with seizures had suffered an intracranial disturbance, but that it was only rarely possible during life to differentiate “cerebral hemorrhage, congestion, and edema.” Multiple etiologies may coexist, and this can be a potentially confounding issue in establishing prognosis, such as early onset hypocalcemia and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, hypoglycemia and polycythemia in the infant of a diabetic mother. Slow myoclonic jerks may accompany hypoxia or hypoglycemia. Generalized tonic seizures accompany intraventricular hemorrhage and severe perinatal asphyxia. It is found that both benign familial neonatal seizures and benign idiopathic neonatal seizures have an excellent prognosis. Seizures per se, however, regardless of etiology, may also be harmful to the brain by virtue of the associated depletion of adenosine triphosphate and decreased phosphocreatine-inorganic phosphate ratios. The time of onset of neonatal seizures and etiology is also elaborated.
Software Tools That Address Hazardous Material Issues During Nuclear Facility D&D

The 49-year-old Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) Facility is where analytical chemistry and metallurgical studies on samples of plutonium and nuclear materials are conduct in support of the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons program. The CMR Facility is expected to be decontaminated and decommissioned (D and D) over the next ten to twenty years. Over the decades, several hazardous material issues have developed that need to be address. Unstable chemicals must be properly reassigned or disposed of from the workspace during D and D operation. Materials that have critical effects that are primarily chronic in nature, carcinogens, reproductive toxin, and materials that exhibit high chronic toxicity, have unique decontamination requirements, including the decontrolling of areas where these chemicals were used. Certain types of equipment and materials that contain mercury, asbestos, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls have special provisions that must be addressed. Utilization of commercially available software programs for addressing hazardous material issues during D and D operations such as legacy chemicals and documentation are presented. These user-friendly programs eliminate part of the tediousness associated with the complex requirements of legacy hazardous materials. A key element of this approach is having a program that inventories and tracks all hazardous materials. Withoutmore » an inventory of chemicals stored in a particular location, many important questions pertinent to D and D operations can be difficult to answer. On the other hand, a well-managed inventory system can address unstable and highly toxic chemicals and hazardous material records concerns before they become an issue. Tapping into the institutional database provides a way to take advantage of the combined expertise of the institution in managing a cost effective D and D program as well as adding a quality assurance element to the program. Using laboratory requirements as a logic flow diagram, quality and cost effective methods are used to provide necessary information of programmatic, quality, and safety issues concerns. In summary, by seamlessly managing non-programmatic issues, chemical software programs allow scientists in nuclear research facilities more time to concentrate on their technical areas of interest.« less
A Reviwe of: “Tomato Plant Culture: In the Field, Greenhouse, and Home Garden”: 2nd ed. Jones, J. Benton, Jr. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2007. 404 pp. (ISBN: 0849373956) $79.95.

This book is a treasure trove of information about the tomato. From planting advice for home gardeners to hydroponic growing systems in commercial tomato production, Tomato Plant Culture has someth...
Foreword: Globalization, Intellectual Property, and Prosperity

The symposium suggests at least three concepts: Globalization, Intellectual Property, and Prosperity. These three concepts may be analogized to a ship on the ocean trying to get to a particular destination. Globalization is the “ocean” — it is a force that is bigger than any individual country. The destination is prosperity. (It should be determined whose “prosperity” is being discussed. The conversation seems to concern a concept of global prosperity. That may not mean global equality, but rather, on the whole, a more prosperous globe.) The ship — or at least part of the ship — sailing on the ocean is representative of the intellectual property laws and norms around the globe. Intellectual property laws may be a tool to help harness globalization and achieve better prosperity.
Inadequate Source Control and Inappropriate Antibiotics are Key Determinants of Mortality in Patients with Intra-Abdominal Sepsis and Associated Bacteremia.

Abstract Background: Patients with intra-abdominal sepsis and associated bacteremia have a high mortality rate. However, outcomes studies in this population are limited, in part because of the small numbers of such patients. The objective of this study was to describe characteristics of critically ill patients with secondary blood stream infection (BSI) of intra-abdominal origin and identify predictors of mortality. Methods: This retrospective, single-center study evaluated patients admitted between January 2005 and January 2011 with bacteremia because of an intra-abdominal source. Patients were included if they met criteria for severe sepsis based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD 9) codes for acute organ dysfunction, had a positive blood culture, had at least one ICD 9 code indicative of an intra-abdominal process, and had a confirmed or clinically suspected intra-abdominal infection (IAI) within 72 h of the blood culture. Chart review was performed to confirm the presence o...
Effect of drugs on mast cells.

Publisher Summary The use of drugs for the study of mast cell function has not been impressive so far. With a few exceptions, little is known about the influence of massive depletion of mast cells on the physiological processes and even less about the effect of drug-induced stimulation of mast cell activities on various functions, normal or pathological. Among the many methods used in the study of mast cells, some are more useful in relation to drug effects than others. The methods are generally of two types based on morphology or on the measurement of histamine release. The latter, in turn, may be studied, using the whole animal, an organ, or isolated suspended mast cells, usually obtained from the rat peritoneum. The majority of drugs commonly referred to as histamine releasers or liberators may properly be looked upon as drugs acting on the mast cell. Several new drugs and new concepts have been added to this chapter of pharmacology. Despite the fact that there are so many drugs that act on the mast cell, there have been few attempts at bringing this pharmacologic information together in an organized manner. This chapter discusses meaningful advances in this field from a pharmacologic point of view. Emphasis is placed on those reports that allow a rational classification of drugs that act on the mast cell, on the species-dependent responses to drugs, and relationship of metabolism to drug effects.
A Representação Adequada Nas Ações Coletivas Brasileiras: Uma Proposta (Adequacy of Representation in Brazilian Class Actions: A Proposal)

This paper argues, against all Brazilian literature, that Brazilian judges, under the due process of law guarantee, have the duty and the right to control the adequacy of representation in class actions. The paper also presents a comparison with the judicial control of adequacy of representation in US class actions.
Toxic effects of stable strontium in young pigs.

The metabolism and toxic effects of strontium in pigs, three to 8 weeks old, were investigated. Hampshire pigs were fed a synthetic ration containing 0.55% of calcium or 0.l6% of calcium and 0.47% of strontium. In another experiment a factorial design was used in which 0.89 or 0.l6% of calcium and zero or 0.67% of strontium were included in the rations. The pigs fed strontium and 0.l6% of calcium were the most severely affected by incoordination and weakness followed by posterior paralysis. Occasionally mlld toxic effects were observed in the pigs fed 0.89 or 0.55% of calcium and strontium. One pig fed 0.l6% of calcium was mildly affected by the treatment. The bone deformities seen grossly, radiographically, and microscopically were most marked in pigs fed strontium and 0.l6% of calcium. There was widening of the epiphyseal plates and cupping of the metaphyses. Radiographically, the margins of the epiphyses were poorly delineated and radiolucidity was marked. The microscopic examination revealed cartilage remaining in the metaphyses and a marked increase in osteoid tissue. When 0.55 or 0.89% of calcium was included in the ration the weight gain, feed efflciency, bone ash, bone total solids, bone calcium and bone strontium were significantiy increasedmore » as compared with pigs fed 0.l6% of calcium. Feeding strontium depressed calcium and fat content of bone. The results are discussed in respect to present knowledge of strontium, calcium, and bone metabolism. (auth)« less