cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Citisense: mobile air quality sensing for individuals and communities

Air quality has great impact on individual and community health. In this demonstration, we present Citisense: a mobile air quality system that enables users to track their personal air quality exposure for discovery, self-reflection, and sharing within their local communities and online social networks.
Maternal and postweaning high-fat diets disturb hippocampal gene expression, learning, and memory function

We tested the hypothesis that excess saturated fat consumption during pregnancy, lactation, and/or postweaning alters the expression of genes mediating hippocampal synaptic efficacy and impairs spa...
ABOLISH LIFETIME BANS FOR EX-FELONS

Approximately 16 million United States citizens have been convicted of felony offenses. At least 14 million of these ex-felons are unconfined, and at least 9 million have completed the sanctions ordered by the criminal justice system and are under no official supervision (Uggen et al., 2006). Upon conviction for a felony offense and continuing past release from prison and parole, sometimes for life, ex-felons are subject to a wide array of limitations on work, education, family, and civic activities. These bans are sometimes used as explicit forms of additional punishment (i.e., voting bans) and sometimes invoked to protect vulnerable populations. Serious ethical concerns exist about these types of officially-sanctioned collateral consequences because they go beyond punishment within the criminal justice system. These ethical concerns are balanced against the fact that ex-offenders are undeniably at a higher risk for crime than nonoffenders. The exact calculus of this balance is outside the realm of social science. But social science research can calibrate the risk associated with a criminal history record, and we feel safe in concluding that explicit lifetime bans cannot be justified on the basis of safety or concerns about crime risk. Age and time since last offense can help predict current offending risk. Older offenders and individuals who stay arrest-free for 7 years or more simply have very little risk for future crime, and this risk is similar to that of nonoffenders. We are not suggesting that all risk-based collateral consequences for exoffenders should be abolished. In our opinion, social science research has not proven that all collateral consequences are necessarily bad public policy. Ex-offenders with recent criminal histories are plainly at increased levels of risk, so short-term risk-based consequences may serve a useful purpose. For public safety reasons, and for purposes of encouraging desistance from crime, individuals with a substantial increased risk of reoffending may be identified and treated differently. Furthermore, a real possibility exists that employers and others who believe criminal history records are relevant will statistically discriminate on the basis of factors correlated with criminal history records (i.e., race) if denied the opportunity to use the information in criminal history records (Bushway, 2004). Such a policy would be especially harmful to the members of the group who did not have criminal records.
Joint Power and Constellation Size Adaptation for Mobile Multicast Employing MQAM Over Wireless Fading Channels

We propose a power and constellation-size adaptation scheme for the multicast system employing multilevel quadrature amplitude modulation (MQAM) with discrete constellation sizes, which aims at achieving high multicast goodput over wireless fading channels. Specifically, we formulate the optimization problem to maximize multicast goodput via adaptive transmission-mode selection, including power and constellation-size adaptation, and then solve for the optimal adaptation policy through two steps. We first investigate the goodput variation with the transmission-mode selection and equivalently convert the optimization problem into a concave-like form by introducing the concepts of effective marginal goodput gain (EMGG) and adjacent EMGG. Then, we derive the optimal transmission adaptation policy by using a global adjacent EMGG threshold. Finally, simulation results are provided to show the significant multicast goodput improvement gained by applying the optimal power and constellation-size adaption.
Production-run software failure diagnosis via hardware performance counters

Sequential and concurrency bugs are widespread in deployed software. They cause severe failures and huge financial loss during production runs. Tools that diagnose production-run failures with low overhead are needed. The state-of-the-art diagnosis techniques use software instrumentation to sample program properties at run time and use off-line statistical analysis to identify properties most correlated with failures. Although promising, these techniques suffer from high run-time overhead, which is sometimes over 100%, for concurrency-bug failure diagnosis and hence are not suitable for production-run usage.We present PBI, a system that uses existing hardware performance counters to diagnose production-run failures caused by sequential and concurrency bugs with low overhead. PBI is designed based on several key observations. First, a few widely supported performance counter events can reflect a wide variety of common software bugs and can be monitored by hardware with almost no overhead. Second, the counter overflow interrupt supported by existing hardware and operating systems provides a natural and effective mechanism to conduct event sampling at user level. Third, the noise and non-determinism in interrupt delivery complements well with statistical processing.We evaluate PBI using 13 real-world concurrency and sequential bugs from representative open-source server, client, and utility programs, and 10 bugs from a widely used software-testing benchmark. Quantitatively, PBI can effectively diagnose failures caused by these bugs with a small overhead that is never higher than 10%. Qualitatively, PBI does not require any change to software and presents a novel use of existing hardware performance counters.
Hydrolysis of chlorostilbene oxide: I. Hydrolysis in homogeneous systems

The hydrolysis kinetics of 4-chlorostilbene oxide (CSO) in buffered distilled water, in natural waters and in sediment-associated water are reported. The disappearance of CSO followed pseudo-first-order kinetics in buffered distilled water over the experimental pH range of 3 to 11. Below pH 5, acid-catalyzed hydrolysis dominates, with a second-order rate constant of 11.3 (±1.0) M−1 min−1. Above pH 5, hydrolysis is independent of pH, with a rate constant of 1.02 (±0.12) × 10−4 min−1 at 25°C. In natural waters, the hydrolysis rate constant of CSO had an average value of 0.59 (±0.12) × 10−4 min−1. In sediment-associated water, the observed rate constant was 1.70 (±0.05) × 10−4 min−1. Sorption of CSO to the humic materials in natural waters and biotic effects in sediment-associated water appropriately explain the differences from sterile buffer solutions. Buffer catalysis was observed, but on the other hand, a negative ionic strength effect was determined. The formation of diastereoisomers of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-phenylethylene glycol as major products at both acidic and neutral pH values suggests that CSO undergoes acid-catalyzed as well as neutral hydrolysis reactions through an A-1 carbonium ion mechanism. The rate constant for hydrolysis of CSO at pH 14 is only 70% faster than the hydrolysis rate constant over the pH range of 5 to 11, which suggests that nucleophilic addition of hydroxide ion is not the main hydrolytic mechanism of CSO hydrolysis at high pH values.
A rootless rockies—Support and lithospheric structure of the Colorado Rocky Mountains inferred from CREST and TA seismic data

[1] Support for the Colorado high topography is resolved using seismic data from the Colorado Rocky Mountain (CRM) Experiment and Seismic Transects. The average crustal thickness, derived from P wave receiver function imaging, is 48 km. However, a negative correlation between Moho depth and elevation is observed, which negates Airy-Heiskanen isostasy. Shallow Moho (<45 km depth) is found beneath some of the highest elevations, and therefore, the CRM are rootless. Deep Moho (45–51 km) regions indicate structure inherited from the Proterozoic assembly of the continent. Shear wave velocities from surface wave tomography are mapped to density employing empirical velocity-to-density relations in the crust and mantle temperature modeling. Predicted elastic plate flexure and gravity fields derived from the density model agree with observed long-wavelength topography and Bouguer gravity. Therefore, low-density crust and mantle are sufficient to support much of the CRM topography. Centers of Oligocene volcanism, e.g., the San Juan Mountains, display reduced crustal thicknesses and lowest average crustal velocities, suggesting that magmatic modification strongly influenced modern lithospheric structure and topography. Mantle velocities span 4.02–4.64 km/s at 73–123 km depth, and peak lateral temperature variations of 600°C are inferred. S wave receiver function imaging suggests that the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is 100–150 km deep beneath the Colorado Plateau, and 150–200 km deep beneath the High Plains. A region of negative arrivals beneath the CRM above 100 km depth correlates with low mantle velocities and is interpreted as thermally modified/metasomatized lithosphere resulting from Cenozoic volcanism.
Redox-dependent increases in glutathione reductase and exercise preconditioning: role of NADPH oxidase and mitochondria

Aims We have previously shown that exercise leads to sustainable cardioprotection through a mechanism involving improved glutathione replenishment. This study was conducted to determine if redox-dependent modifications in glutathione reductase (GR) were involved in exercise cardioprotection. Furthermore, we sought to determine if reactive oxygen species generated by NADPH oxidase and/or mitochondria during exercise were triggering events for GR modulations. Methods and results Rats were exercised for 10 consecutive days, after which isolated hearts were exposed to ischaemia/reperfusion (25 min/120 min). Exercise protected against infarction and arrhythmia, and preserved coronary flow. The GR inhibitor BCNU abolished the beneficial effects. GR activity was increased following exercise in a redox-dependent manner, with no change in GR protein levels. Because fluorescent labelling of GR protein thiols showed lower amounts of reduced thiols after exercise, we sought to determine the source of intracellular reactive oxygen species that may be activating GR. Subsets of animals were exercised immediately after treatment with either NADPH-oxidase inhibitors apocynin or Vas2870, or with mitoTEMPO or Bendavia, which reduce mitochondrial reactive oxygen species levels. The cardioprotective effects of exercise were abolished if animals exercised in the presence of NADPH oxidase inhibitors, in clear contrast to the mitochondrial reagents. These changes correlated with thiol-dependent modifications of GR. Conclusion Adaptive cardioprotective signalling is triggered by reactive oxygen species from NADPH oxidase, and leads to improved glutathione replenishment through redox-dependent modifications in GR.
Emerging Adults' Responses to a Media Presentation of Idealized Female Beauty: An Examination of Cosmetic Surgery in Reality Television

This study examined emerging adults’ qualitative responses to a TV depiction of idealized female beauty. Ninety-one participants (M age 19.5) viewed a reality TV show featuring a woman’s cosmetic surgery transformation and were asked to write a response to what they viewed; researchers coded these responses for emotional tone and thematic content. Further, participants’ own appearance satisfaction and interest in changing their appearance via cosmetic surgery was assessed. Results indicated that both young men and women viewed the media message positively and endorsed the importance of females’ pursuit of beauty ideals. The content of men’s and women’s responses were similar with an emphasis on the importance of physical attractiveness, the psychological benefits of beauty, and the entertainment value of the reality TV show. Finally, young women who responded relatively positively to the show reported a greater likelihood of interest in obtaining cosmetic surgery than were women who responded relatively negatively to the show. Implications for body image development and emerging adults’ expectations and values regarding physical beauty are discussed in the context of relevant theories.
Question 1 Chloral hydrate or midazolam: which is better for sedating children for painless diagnostic imaging?

A 2-year-old child is acutely admitted at night to a district general hospital following a prolonged focal seizure. A CT scan of the head without sedation fails as the child is too active and distressed, and as the on-call paediatric registrar, you are requested by the radiographer to prescribe a sedative. The NICE guideline for sedation in children and young people advises that midazolam or chloral hydrate can be used to sedate for painless procedures.1 You wonder which of these drugs is the most effective and safe and which has the least side effects. In children who require sedation for painless diagnostic imaging [population], is chloral hydrate [intervention] better than midazolam [comparison] in achieving effective and safe sedation [outcome]? Medline (1948 to March week 5 2011) and Embase (1947 to 8 April 2011) were searched via Ovid on 11 April 2011 using the search terms ((chloral adj2 hydrate) AND midazolam) AND ((imaging or neuroimaging) OR ultrasound OR ultrasonog* OR scan* OR (computed ajd2 tomography) OR CT OR (magnetic adj2 resonance adj2 imaging) OR MRI OR echocardio* OR (painless adj2 procedure)). A total of 151 abstracts were reviewed and seven relevant articles were found (table 1). The citations in these articles and the Cochrane Library yielded no further …
De novo development of a lesion with the appearance of a cavernous malformation adjacent to an existing developmental venous anomaly.

Summary: A case is presented in which a complex multicystic hemosiderin-containing lesion developed adjacent to a previously documented developmental venous anomaly (venous angioma). This lesion had the characteristic MR imaging appearance of a cavernous malformation. Follow-up MR imaging demonstrated a decrease in both the size and complexity of this lesion, which suggests at least a portion of the lesion was due to sequelae of hemorrhage. This case further supports the association of a de novo, hemosiderin-containing lesion in association with developmental venous anomaly. Implications of these findings are that the commonly seen “cavernous malformations” in association with developmental venous anomaly are acquired lesions, and not congenital in origin. A review of the literature discussing the etiology of cavernous malformations and their reported association with the developmental venous anomaly is provided.
Reported medication events in a paediatric emergency research network: sharing to improve patient safety

Objective Medication errors are an important cause of preventable morbidity, especially in children in emergency department (ED) settings. Internal use of voluntary incident reporting (IR) is common within hospitals, with little external reporting or sharing of this information across institutions. We describe the analysis of paediatric medication events (ME) reported in 18 EDs in a paediatric research network in 2007–2008. Methods Confidential, deidentified incident reports (IRs) were collected, and MEs were independently categorised by two investigators. Discordant responses were resolved by consensus. Results MEs (597) accounted for 19% of all IRs, with reporting rates varying 25-fold across sites. Anti-infective agents were the most commonly reported, followed by analgesics, intravenous fluids and respiratory medicines. Of the 597 MEs, 94% were medication errors and 6% adverse reactions; further analyses are reported for medication errors. Incorrect medication doses were related to incorrect weight (20%), duplicate doses (21%), and miscalculation (22%). Look-alike/sound-alike MEs were 36% of incorrect medications. Human factors contributed in 85% of reports: failure to follow established procedures (41%), calculation (13%) or judgment (12%) errors, and communication failures (20%). Outcomes were: no deaths or permanent disability, 13% patient harm, 47% reached patient (no harm), 30% near miss or unsafe conditions, and 9% unknown. Conclusions ME reporting by the system revealed valuable data across sites on medication categories and potential human factors. Harm was infrequently reported. Our analyses identify trends and latent systems issues, suggesting areas for future interventions to reduce paediatric ED medication errors.
Time-series analysis of six whale-fall communities in Monterey Canyon, California, USA

Dead whale carcasses that sink to the deep seafloor introduce a massive pulse of energy capable of hosting dynamic communities of organisms in an otherwise food-limited environment. Through longterm observations of one natural and five implanted whale carcasses in Monterey Canyon, CA, this study suggests that: (1) depth and related physical conditions play a crucial role in species composition; (2) the majority of species in these communities are background deep-sea taxa; and (3) carcass degradation occurs sub-decadally. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with studio quality video cameras were used to survey whales during 0.8 to seven year periods, depending on the carcass. All organisms were identified to the lowest possible taxon. Community differences among whale-falls seemed to be most strongly related to depth and water temperature. The communities changed significantly from initial establishment shortly after a carcass’ arrival at the seafloor through multiple years of steady degradation. The majority of species found at the whale-falls were background taxa commonly seen in Monterey Bay. While populations of species characterized as bone specialists, seep restricted, and of unknown habitat affinities were also observed, sometimes in great abundance, they contributed minimally to overall species richness. All whale carcasses, shallow and deep, exhibited subdecadal degradation and a time-series of mosaic images at the deepest whale site illustrates the rapidity at which the carcasses degrade.
Public Health Research in a Study Abroad Medical Service

Introduction Huamachuco, Peru is a small town in the Northern Andes Mountains with a population of approximately 58,402 (2010 figure).1 Local officials say that approximately 60 percent of the local population is displaced from routine healthcare and that their average per capita income is $4.73/day or $141.90/month. The area is considered to be one of the 20 poorest areas within Peru. Public health issues abound in terms of accessibility, environmental quality, and educational needs related to the general well-being of the inhabitants.
Generalization of the CS- preexposure effect transfers to taste- aversion learning

Rats repeatedly exposed to a maple, vanilla, banana, or water solution were subsequently poisoned with lithium chloride after drinking the maple solution. Subjects preexposed to water showed the strongest aversions to maple, followed, in descending order, by rats preexposed to banana, vanilla, and maple. These results suggest that the effects of prepoisoning experience with a novel flavor generalized to the maple CS and interfered with the development of the maple aversion. The technique reported here is potentially applicable to study of gustatory discrimination processes.
A novel atomic layer oxidation technique for EOT scaling in gate-last high-к/metal gate CMOS technology

We demonstrated sub-1nm equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) for a gate-last high- к/metal scheme. This is enabled by (1) controllable 1000°C high temperature atomic layer oxidation on a chemical oxide (chemox) to form &#60; 0.5 nm high quality SiO 2 interfacial layer (IL); (2) nitrogen profile optimization on post high- к nitridation and anneal. Competitive gate leakage and mobility are achieved at the scaled EOT compared to a chemox IL control (0.2 nm thinner). The physical properties of the gate stack are studied by XPS and SIMS analysis.
Whitespace redistribution for thermal via insertion in 3D stacked ICs

One of the biggest challenges in 3D stacked IC design is heat dissipation. Incorporating thermal vias is a promising method for reducing the temperatures of 3D ICs. The bonding styles between device layers impose certain restrictions to where thermal vias may be inserted. This paper presents a whitespace redistribution algorithm that takes bonding style into consideration to improve thermal via placement, which in turn reduces temperature.
New light shed on the oldest insect

Insects are the most diverse lineage of all life in numbers of species, and ecologically they dominate terrestrial ecosystems. However, how and when this immense radiation of animals originated is unclear. Only a few fossils provide insight into the earliest stages of insect evolution, and among them are specimens in chert from Rhynie, Scotland's Old Red Sandstone (Pragian; about 396-407 million years ago), which is only slightly younger than formations harbouring the earliest terrestrial faunas. The most well-known animal from Rhynie is the springtail Rhyniella praecursor (Entognatha; Collembola), long considered to be the oldest hexapod. For true insects (Ectognatha), the oldest records are two apparent wingless insects from later in the Devonian period of North America. Here we show, however, that a fragmentary fossil from Rhynie, Rhyniognatha hirsti, is not only the earliest true insect but may be relatively derived within basal Ectognatha. In fact, Rhyniognatha has derived characters shared with winged insects, suggesting that the origin of wings may have been earlier than previously believed. Regardless, Rhyniognatha indicates that insects originated in the Silurian period and were members of some of the earliest terrestrial faunas.
Measuring model flexibility with parameter space partitioning: an introduction and application example

A primary criterion on which models of cognition are evaluated is their ability to fit empirical data. To understand the reason why a model yields a good or poor fit, it is necessary to determine the data-fitting potential (i.e., flexibility) of the model. In the first part of this article, methods for comparing models and studying their flexibility are reviewed, with a focus on parameter space partitioning (PSP), a general-purpose method for analyzing and comparing all classes of cognitive models. PSP is then demonstrated in the second part of the article in which two connectionist models of speech perception (TRACE and ARTphone) are compared to learn how design differences affect model flexibility.
Plane metallic gratings of finite numbers of strips

Diffraction of electromagnetic waves by plane gratings of finite extent is analyzed by beginning with one strip and increasing the number gradually and observing the convergence of the surface current and scattered field to those for infinite gratings. Results are compared against those of structures of infinite extent to determine the minimum structure sizes that should be useful in experimental measurements to obtain meaningful results. >
Credence Good Labeling: The Efficiency and Distributional Implications of Several Policy Approaches

A model of vertical product differentiation is used to analyze the labeling of credence goods, focusing on the manner by which quality is communicated. The results indicate that firms prefer private labeling options. In addition, firms may hire private certifiers as well as paying for mandated government labels when the government's quality benchmark substantially deviates from firms' private quality choices. The average consumer prefers a mandatory, discrete label with a high-quality standard while poor consumers prefer a mandatory, discrete label with a low standard.
Permutable Queue as a 1-in-N-out Message Router

The basic queue is a first-in-first-out linear data structure (software component). It can be considered as a communication device with one input port and one output port. In the paper, we investigate the behavior of an extended queue that has one input channel and multiple output channels. An enter-queue command enters a data item into the queue as does an ordinary queue, but a de-queue command removes the front item and sends it to a specific output channel. This is similar to the function of a simplified message router. We define a set of stream functions to map between input stream and output stream to describe the behavior of the queue. Because of the items in the input stream may be re-ordered to meet the "routing" requirements, we call the software component "permutable queue."
Personal Paradigm Shifts in PBS Experts: Perceptions of Treatment Acceptability of Decelerative Consequence-Based Behavioral Procedures.

Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) experts were surveyed to examine their perceptions of the treatment acceptability of commonly used decelerative consequence-based behavioral procedures. Findings illuminate the paradigm shifts that have occurred over the course of the careers of PBS experts and the factors that have contributed to these personal paradigm shifts. Many of the decelerative consequence-based procedures once used by respondents are no longer perceived by them to be acceptable. A small percentage of experts indicated that they still might use the full range of decelerative techniques under certain circumstances. The need for more training and ideological change were perceived to be the greatest challenges currently facing the field. Experts also indicated that involvement in PBS has broadened their understanding of applied behavior analysis, the function of behavior, antecedents, quality of life, and self-determination issues facing people with disabilities. The implications of the findings for ...
The effect of heat treatment on hardness of a chromium-cobalt alloy.

Abstract The fabrication of Ticonium alloy casting was carried out with simultaneous temperature determinations. Subsequent use of the Kentron Micro-Hardness Tester for Knoop hardness determinations of the heat treated castings has been described. On the basis of the hardness data reported, it appeared that heat soaking is unnecessary and that the standard burnout time may be safely shortened by 45 minutes. In addition, the internal temperatures of the Ticonium castings had reached a temperature of approximately 500 ° C. after bench cooling for 30 minutes. This temperature is considerably lower than the temperature at which significant hardness changes occur. Therefore, it appears unnecessary to extend the bench coolling interval beyond 30 minutes. There are no statistically significant Knoop hardness variations between the as-cast specimens on the same Stellite casting. The optimum heat treatment temperature for the Ticonium alloy was found to be 700 °C. and the lowest Knoop hardness values were recorded when the heat treatment temperature approached the Ticonium alloy's solidus temperature. Maximum Knoop hardness values were attained after one-half hour of heat treatment of the Ticonium alloy at 700 °C.; the hardness remained essentially constant for specimens heat treated at that temperature for four hours. While the Knoop hardness was sufficiently increased by heat treatment to be statistically significant, the increase is not considered to be of clinical significance per se. Additional work is needed to ascertain the possible effect of heat treatment upon ductility.
Microstructure and Microchemistry of Interfaces in Structural Ceramic Composites

The performance of reinforced ceramics, particularly the toughness and creep resistance, is often determined by the nature of the interface between the reinforcement and the ceramic matrix. Specially-designed experiments to investigate the role of the interfacial characteristics on toughening mechanisms and crack propagation in reinforced (silicon carbide whisker reinforced alumina) and self-reinforced (silicon nitride) ceramic composites will be described. In the whisker-reinforced composites, the interfacial topography and chemistry were of primary importance, whereas in the silicon nitride materials the formation of interfacial phases and glassy-phase chemistry influenced the interfacial debonding process. The composite interfaces were characterized by high resolution electron microscopy and high spatial resolution microchemical analysis, including energy-dispersive X-ray and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Results from energy-filtered images from ceramic interfaces will also be shown.
Role of vacancies and solute atoms on grain boundary sliding

It is necessary for grain boundary dislocations to slide and climb during the grain boundary sliding process that dominates fine-grained superplastic deformation. The process of climb requires either an influx of vacancies to the grain boundary plane or a local generation of vacancies. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations of grain boundaries in superplastically deformed Al-Mg-Mn alloys quenched under load from the deformation temperature have revealed the presence of nano-scale cavities resulting from a localized supersaturation of vacancies at the grain boundary. Compositional measurements along interfaces have also shown an effect of solute atoms on the local structure. This is shown to result from a coupling of vacancy and solute atom flows during deformation and quenching. Calculations of the localized vacancy concentration indicate that the supersaturation along the grain boundary can be as much as a factor often. The effects of the local supersaturation and solute atom movement on deformation rates and cavity nucleation and growth will be discussed.
The Viral Mimetic Polyinosinic:Polycytidylic Acid Alters the Growth Characteristics of Small Intestinal and Colonic Crypt Cultures

Background & Aims The intestinal epithelium is the first line of defense against enteric pathogens. We investigated the response of small intestinal and colonic crypt cultures to a panel of toll-like receptor ligands to assess the impact of microbial pattern recognition on epithelial growth. Methods Primary murine jejunal enteroids and colonoids were cultured with lipopeptide Pam3CSK4, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) for 4 to 6 days. Surface area, budding and survival were assessed. Proliferation and numbers of lysozyme positive cells were quantified by flow cytometry. Gene expression was assessed by Nanostring and qRT-PCR. Results Exposure to Pam3CSK4 and LPS hadminimal impact on either enteroids or colonoids. In contrast, Poly I:C increased the surface area of enteroids, while colonoids demonstrated decreased budding. Survival was decreased by Poly I:C in enteroids but not in colonoids. Both enteroids and colonoids exhibited upregulated gene expression of chemokines, but these were increased in magnitude in enteroids. Decreases in gene expression associated with epithelial differentiation and lysozyme positive cells weremore apparent in enteroids than in colonoids. Baseline gene expression between enteroids and colonoids differed markedly in levels of stem cell and inflammatorymarkers. The changes inmorphology induced by Poly I:C were mediated by the toll-like receptor adaptor molecule 1 (Ticam1) in enteroids but not in colonoids. Conclusions Poly I:C alters the molecular program of epithelial cells and shifts from absorption and digestion towards defense and inflammation. Diversity of responses to microbial patterns in enteroids and colonoids may underlie differences in susceptibility to infection along the intestinal tract. Copyright:
Global Assessment of Bisphenol A in the Environment Review and Analysis of Its Occurrence and Bioaccumulation

Because bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume chemical, we examined over 500 peer-reviewed studies to understand its global distribution in effluent discharges, surface waters, sewage sludge, biosolids, sediments, soils, air, wildlife, and humans. Bisphenol A was largely reported from urban ecosystems in Asia, Europe, and North America; unfortunately, information was lacking from large geographic areas, megacities, and developing countries. When sufficient data were available, probabilistic hazard assessments were performed to understand global environmental quality concerns. Exceedances of Canadian Predicted No Effect Concentrations for aquatic life were >50% for effluents in Asia, Europe, and North America but as high as 80% for surface water reports from Asia. Similarly, maximum concentrations of BPA in sediments from Asia were higher than Europe. Concentrations of BPA in wildlife, mostly for fish, ranged from 0.2 to 13 000 ng/g. We observed 60% and 40% exceedences of median levels by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in Europe and Asia, respectively. These findings highlight the utility of coordinating global sensing of environmental contaminants efforts through integration of environmental monitoring and specimen banking to identify regions for implementation of more robust environmental assessment and management programs.
Combination therapy for acute myocardial infarction

The primary goal of therapy for acute myocardial infarction is rapid, complete and sustained restoration of infarct-related artery (IRA) blood flow. Both fibrinolytic and mechanical restoration of anterograde coronary blood flow in patients have shown to improve left ventricular function, reduce
An Unsatisfying Change

Using recent survey data, this article examines how Canadians compare with insured Americans and uninsured Americans in their level of satisfaction with their health care. The data reveal that the vast majority of Americans, whether insured or uninsured, get timely access to quality care and are satisfied with it. It further finds that for most comparisons, Canadians are experiencing satisfaction levels much closer to that of America’s uninsured than they are to America’s insured.
Performance breakdown in parameter estimation using co-prime arrays

In this paper, we study threshold effects associated with swapping of signal and noise subspaces in estimating signal parameters from co-prime arrays. A subspace swap occurs when the measured data is better approximated by a subset of components of an orthogonal subspace than by the components of the noise-free signal subspace, and is known to be the main source of performance breakdown in many cases. We consider a canonical data model in which the parameters modulate the mean value function of complex multivariate normal measurements, and derive a lower bound on the probability of a subspace swap. Our lower bound can be used to predict the probability of a subspace swap for the case that we have co-prime measurements in temporal/spatial domain. We compare the onset of breakdown for co-prime and dense arrays. Our numerical results show that for the cases where the co-prime array corresponds to subsampling of a bigger dense array by a factor C, the threshold signal-to-noise ratio is increased about 10log10 C dB.
Petrographic Analysis of Archaeological Ceramics

Petrographic analysis is not new to the study of archaeological ceramics, but it is receiving more attention as it is applied to interesting and diverse archaeological problems. Petrography was developed by geologists to identify minerals in rocks. Archaeologists use it to study the minerals that occur in prehistoric clay matrices transformed by heat to a rocklike state.Petrographic analysis requires a polarizing microscope and a piece of ceramic, called a thin section, 30 microns (0.03 mm) thick. As light from this specialized microscope passes through a mineral, it produces optical properties unique to that mineral. Birefringence and pleochroism are two such properties used to identify minerals, while physical properties such as cleavage and relief are also important discriminators. Several references fully explain these properties and relate them to specific minerals and rocks.Using petrographic techniques, as many as five materials can be studied in a ceramic—the clay itself, natural inclusions in the clay, purposefully added inclusions, and glazes or slips on the clay surface. Under certain conditions the clay or inclusions may melt and a fifth material, glass, may form. Depending on the research problem to be addressed and the samples available, the petrdgrapher studies one or more of these materials.
Variable angle-of-attack profile entry guidance for a crewed lifting body

The feasibility of ying a crewed lifting body, such as the HL-20, during entry from low-Earth orbit without steady-state body ap de ections was evaluated. This entry strategy mitigates the severity of the aerothermal environment on the vehicle’s body aps and reserves control power for transient maneuvers. A numeric predictor-corrector entry guidance algorithm was developed to accommodate the range of vehicle trim angle-of-attack pro les possible when steady-state body ap de ections are prohibited. Results show that the guidance algorithm is capable of steering the vehicle to a desired target from low-Earth orbit while satisfying a reasonable suite of trajectory constraints, including limits on peak heat rate, peak sensed deceleration, and integrated heat load. Uncertainty analyses conrm this result and show that the vehicle maintains signi cant performance robustness to expected day-ofight uncertainties. Additionally, parametric scans over mission design parameters of interest indicate a high level of exibility is available for the low-Earth orbit return mission. Together, these results indicated that the proposed entry strategy is feasible: crewed lifting bodies may be e ectively own without steady-state body ap de ections.
More efficient local polynomial regression with random-effects panel data models

ABSTRACTWe propose a modification on the local polynomial estimation procedure to account for the “within-subject” correlation presented in panel data. The proposed procedure is rather simple to compute and has a closed-form expression. We study the asymptotic bias and variance of the proposed procedure and show that it outperforms the working independence estimator uniformly up to the first order. Simulation study shows that the gains in efficiency with the proposed method in the presence of “within-subject” correlation can be significant in small samples. For illustration purposes, the procedure is applied to explore the impact of market concentration on airfare.
A Fluorescence Study of Polyimide Cure Kinetics

Isothermal annealing studies reveal long term increases in charge transfer fluorescence in spin-cast BTDA-ODA/MPD films. Due to the amorphous nature of these materials, the increase in charge transfer complex (CTC) population is attributed to thermally activated hindered rotation leading to local segmental correlations. This ordering process is driven by the non-equilibrium structure of the initially imidized film. Increased in-plane orientation at higher spin speeds produces a stress activation effect, lowering the energy barrier for segmental rotation.
INCREASING ACCESS TO SPECIALIST PALLIATIVE CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH NON-MALIGNANT DISEASE: A ‘BIG BANG’ APPROACH

Background Access to specialist palliative care for patients with advanced non-cancer diagnoses is much lower than for those with cancer, despite a similar symptom burden and poor health-related quality of life. Wirral Hospice St John9s sought to address this inequality through the appointment of a consultant in palliative medicine with a specific remit to increase access for patients with non-malignant disease. Aim To monitor the proportion of hospice referrals for patients with non-malignant disease over a three-month period at the start of the initiative. Methods Cross-sector work was undertaken to publicise the project. A letter was sent to all GPs, and a variety of educational events for GPs, community matrons and specialist nurses were held. Secondary care was approached via individual specialty meetings, consultant physicians9 meetings and a postgraduate education event. Close liaison with the Clinical Commissioning Group was ongoing throughout. Education and listening events for hospice staff (clinical and non-clinical) were conducted, and updates regarding specific conditions organised. Data regarding referral patterns were collected contemporaneously. Results Referrals to all services for patients with a primary non-cancer diagnosis increased steadily from 5.7% (May913) to 18.2% (Aug913). The increase was most pronounced in day therapy (6.9% to 30.8%), followed by inpatient care (2.5% to 13.5%), and outpatient services (8.3% to 16.7%). The majority of referrals were for patients with respiratory disease (69%), followed by neurological disease (22%). Conclusions It is possible to increase access to specialist palliative care for patients with non-cancer disease within a short timescale. Dedicated time to liaise with colleagues in primary and secondary care is vital to achieve this. Robust monitoring of referral patterns and service capacity, together with education for hospice staff is also important in order to maintain a safe, high quality service. Work is ongoing to ensure equity of access between disease groups.
The Conditions of Movement: A Discussion of Academic Mobility between Two Early Career Scholars.

Academic mobility is an increasingly crucial topic to the current and future dynamics of doctoral study and the professoriate. Much of the research has focused on US, UK and European contexts. This research explores academic mobility and the manifold issues that arise between the jurisdictions of Canada and the US, in ways that parallel and diversify previous research based on various understandings of mobility. The qualitative perspective is grounded in a reflective narrative approach that enables exploration of powerful themes. The findings indicate that there are costs, tensions and benefits to academic mobility that serve to emphasise specific personal and professional elements to the pursuit of academic life that need explicit articulation. These findings encourage additional scholarly and practical attention to the changing nature of doctoral study and of academic work and life across jurisdictions.
Discovery of Pyridinyl Acetamide Derivatives as Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Porcupine Inhibitors.

Blockade of aberrant Wnt signaling is an attractive therapeutic approach in multiple cancers. We developed and performed a cellular high-throughput screen for inhibitors of Wnt secretion and pathway activation. A lead structure (GNF-1331) was identified from the screen. Further studies identified the molecular target of GNF-1331 as Porcupine, a membrane bound O-acyl transferase. Structure–activity relationship studies led to the discovery of a novel series of potent and selective Porcupine inhibitors. Compound 19, GNF-6231, demonstrated excellent pathway inhibition and induced robust antitumor efficacy in a mouse MMTV-WNT1 xenograft tumor model.
Saliency Detection using Geometric Context Contrast Inferred from Natural Images.

Image saliency detection using region contrast is often based on the premise that salient region has a contrast with the background which becomes a limiting factor if the color of the salient object background is similar. To overcome this problem associated with single image analysis, we propose to collect background regions from a collection of images where generative property of, say, natural images ensures that all the images are spun out of it hence negating any bias. Background regions are differentiated based on their geometric context where we use the ground and sky context as background. Finally, the aggregated map is generated using color contrast between the superpixels segments of the image and collection of background
Predicting Post-Concussion Symptom Risk in the ED

Investigators from The Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) Concussion Team developed a clinical risk score for predicting persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) at 28 days post injury in a large cohort of children initially evaluated at the emergency department (ED) within 48 hours of injury.
Abstract 3659: DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 are novel ovarian cancer tumor suppressors that regulate cell growth, motility and autophagy

DIRAS3 (also known as ARHI; Aplasia Ras Homolog Member I) is a potent tumor suppressor that has been well characterized for its role in ovarian cancer and autophagy. DIRAS3 is a maternally imprinted tumor suppressor gene that encodes a 26kDa GTPase which shares 60% homology to Ras and Rap. DIRAS3 is downregulated in many tumor types including ovarian cancer. DIRAS3 is downregulated by multiple mechanisms including loss of heterozygosity, transcriptional regulation by E2F1 and E2F4, hypermethylation of the second allele, and regulation by miRNAs 221 and 222. Re-expression of DIRAS3 at physiologic levels inhibits cancer cell growth, reduces motility, induces autophagy and promotes tumor dormancy. The mechanisms by which DIRAS3 induce autophagic cell death in vitro and tumor dormancy in vivo have been well characterized by previous work in our laboratory demonstrating that DIRAS3 is required for the induction of autophagy, and that upon inhibition of autophagy you can prevent outgrowth of dormant ovarian cancer cells in vivo. Interestingly, mice do not have DIRAS3 as it was lost during evolutionary rearrangement of murine chromosomes 3 and 6 nearly 60 million years ago, yet murine cells can still undergo autophagy. The DIRAS family members, DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 share 50-60% homology with DIRAS3 and are found in the murine genome. These 22kDa GTPases differ from DIRAS3 by the truncation of their N-terminal extension. Although DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 have not previously been characterized in ovarian cancer, TCGA analysis suggests that higher mRNA expression of these genes results in a survival advantage for patients with high grade serous ovarian cancer. In this study we demonstrate that re-expression of DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 inhibit ovarian cancer cell growth in vitro and induce autophagy in both human and murine cells. DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 are required for murine autophagy induced by rapamycin or amino acid starvation. Overexpression of DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 inhibits cancer cell growth and motility, and results in the inhibition of both the PI3K and Ras/MAPK signaling pathways. Thus DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 provide many of the functions of DIRAS3 in normal and malignant murine cells. Citation Format: Margie N. Sutton, Zhen Lu, Hailing Yang, Gilbert Huang, Yan Wang, Weiqun Mao, Robert C. Bast. DIRAS1 and DIRAS2 are novel ovarian cancer tumor suppressors that regulate cell growth, motility and autophagy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3659.
Model-based sensor fault diagnostics of Double-Layer Capacitors

Double-Layer Capacitors (DLC) are becoming popular energy storage elements in several systems such as automotive propulsion systems, renewable energy storage and auxiliary power units. Optimal energy management, estimation and control algorithms for such DLCs heavily depend on sensor measurements, namely voltage, current and temperature sensors. Any fault in such sensors may result in degraded operation of DLCs thereby increasing the risk of significant damage. In this paper, an equivalent circuit model in conjunction with a set of observers is employed to design a sensor fault diagnosis scheme for DLCs. The scheme consists of an electrical and a temperature observer, the output errors of which are used as residual signals for fault diagnosis. Further, to suppress the effects of modeling uncertainties, adaptive threshold generators are also designed. Simulation studies are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.