cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corpus Callosum Size and Verbal Intelligence

Quantitative MRI measurements of the sagittal surface area of the corpus callosum (CC) in 72 preterm individuals tested at adolescence (14-15 years) were compared with verbal skills on neuropsychological tests in a study at the Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, UK.
Strategies for Improving Vaccines to Elicit T Cells to Treat Cancer

Cancers have not evolved to be good vaccines. Indeed, most clinically evident cancers have escaped from the immune system. Thus, unlike most existing vaccines, one cannot simply mimic the disease agent to make a successful vaccine, but instead may need to combine several approaches. Our lab has developed a push-pull strategy in which we first improve the immunogenicity of the antigens themselves by modifying the amino acid sequence to improve binding of epitopes to MHC molecules (a process called epitope enhancement). The next step is to “push” the response to improve not only the quantity but also the quality of the immune response, to achieve better avidity, longevity, and type of response, by using combinations of defined molecular adjuvants such as cytokines like IL-15, TLR ligands, and NKT cell agonist antigens. We and others have identified synergistic combinations of these. Then, it is still necessary to overcome negative regulatory mechanisms that cancers elicit to suppress and evade the immune system. These include regulatory cells like Treg cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, M2-macrophages, regulatory type II NKT cells, and others, plus regulatory receptors on the T cells themselves such as CTLA-4 and PD-1, and regulatory cytokines like TGF-beta, IL-13 and IL-10. We call this the “pull” in vaccine strategy, removing the brakes to allow vaccines to achieve their maximal potential. Here, we describe preclinical studies to examine each of these elements in cancer vaccines and clinical trials to translate these into patients, including an epitope-enhanced vaccine and blockade of TGF-beta. Overall, the combination of these strategies may allow more effective vaccines to treat established human cancers.
Fifty Years of Indonesian Development: "One Nation," Under Capitalism ...

In Indonesia much uncertainty remains in the wake of the dramatic changes that unfolded in the latter half of the l990's. By the end of the 20th century, the Indonesian economy was in ruins. The concept of democracy remained contested. The transportation and communication system that once at least minimally linked the diverse and at times disparate areas and peoples of the Indonesian archipelago into an Andersonian imagined national community collapsed, making more likely movements for regional autonomy, in turn, making the status of an Indonesian nation itself uncertain. One thing that is certain, however, is that Socharto, the "Father of Development," is history. As political and economic policy makers in Indonesia, the United States, and around the world, and more importantly, Indonesia's men, women, and children pick up the pieces, it is our responsibility to look back and consider the past fifty years.
Determine Algorithm of Large Integer Decomposition on RSA Cryptanalysis

The security of RSA is designed based on the difficulty of large integer decomposition.In the RSA cryptanalysis,according to RSA public key encryption characteristics that the public key n as the product of two large prime numbers,contrary to the form n=pq(in which p,q as large prime numbers) of the large integer n decomposition.A determine algorithm of large integer decomposition on RSA cryptanalysis is given.The decomposition algorithm is proved by mathematical method,the corresponding algorithm design is given,the complexity of the algorithm is made below O(plogn),n prime factor characteristics and the relationship between the effectiveness of the decomposition,as well as RSA safety impacts are analyzed.
Angiographic Management of Bleeding Secondary to Genitourinary Tract Surgery

Angiographic methods were applied to control bleeding in 2 patients following genitourinary tract operations. In 1 patient hemorrhage into the prostatic bed after needle biopsy of the prostate was controlled with embolic occlusion of branches of the hypogastric arteries. In the second patient bleeding from the ileum following ileal loop cutaneous diversion was controlled with the infusion of vasopressin into the superior mesenteric artery. Therefore, angiography offers an attractive alternative to an operation in the management of postoperative hemmorrhage from the genitourinary tract.
Dipyridamole binding to proteins in human plasma and tissue culture media.

Dipyridamole (Persantin), a commonly used coronary vasodilator and antithrombotic drug, has been intensively studied for its potential use in combination chemotherapy for cancer, and, recently, for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. However, the strong binding of dipyridamole to proteins in human plasma complicates quantitative extrapolations from in vitro data to the clinic. To aid in such extrapolations, we incubated dipyridamole in human plasma and in tissue culture media containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), and determined the equilibrium levels of free drug. In human plasma, after addition of 2 to 10 mumol/L dipyridamole (i.e., in the therapeutically relevant concentration range), the fraction of free drug averaged between 1.9% and 3.5%. In 10% FCS, after addition of 0.08 to 5 mumol/L dipyridamole (i.e., the experimentally relevant concentration range), mean free fractions were in the 75% to 100% range. Relating various total dipyridamole levels in the therapeutically relevant range in human plasma to those in 10% FCS that provided identical fractions of free drug gave ratios in the 24 to 55 range. Thus, a multiplication factor in the above range is suggested for the interconversion of in vitro and in vivo dipyridamole concentrations that provide equivalent levels of free drug.
The fatigue loading effects of yaw control for wind plants

We study the fatigue loading experienced by wind turbines using yaw control to redirect wakes. First, through aeroelastic simulations, the fatigue loads of a turbine equipped with a baseline and individual pitch controller are analyzed for a turbine operating with a constant yaw misalignment. Second, a two-turbine wind plant using yaw control to redirect wakes is optimized for energy capture with different wind inflow angles. That control law is then used with a distribution of wind directions to determine how often and at what angle an upstream turbine would operate with a constant yaw misalignment. Finally, the fatigue data from the initial simulations are extrapolated to determine the aggregate fatigue damage increase on an upstream wind turbine controlled for optimal plant power production.
Ductility-Dip Cracking Susceptibility of Commercially Pure Ni and Ni-Base Alloys Utilizing the Strain-to-Fracture Test

The ductility dip cracking (DDC) response of commercially pure Ni and two solid-solution strengthened Ni-base alloys was conducted using the strain-to-fracture (STF) test method that was developed at Ohio State University by Nissley and Lippold (Welding J 82(12):355–364, 2003 [1]). Alloys 200, 600, and 625 were tested over a range of strain at 950 °C to determine the threshold strain for fracture (emin) and the cracking response as a function of strain. Using established procedures, samples were prepared with an autogenous gas-tungsten arc (GTA) spot weld in order to provide consistent grain boundary character among samples and then tested using a Gleeble® thermo-mechanical simulator. In order to evaluate the effect of oxygen on DDC susceptibility, spot welds were made using Ar-2 % O2 shielding gas. It was found that Ni-200 was most susceptible to DDC due to the large grain size and non-tortuous migrated grain boundaries (MGB’s). Alloy 625 was extremely resistant to DDC, as reported by Zhang et al. (Trans JWRI 14(2):325–334, 1985 [2]), exhibiting a strain threshold greater than 15 %. The addition of oxygen reduced DDC resistance in alloys 600 and 625. Metallographic analysis showed that DDC initiates at grain boundary triple points and then propagates along straight migrated grain boundaries. SEM fractography revealed that crack surfaces exhibited smooth intergranular features with little evidence of ductile rupture.
Impurity and point defect redistribution in the presence of crystal defects

A critical review of point-defect diffusion models and formalisms for the present requirements of deep submicron silicon technologies is presented. Dual-diffusion and pair-diffusion models have been discussed and derived from different ansatzes. Experimental evidence of phosphorus dopant up-hill diffusion in the vicinity of a locally damaged crystal region and extensive simulations of this phenomenon based on the pair-diffusion model have been presented. It is shown that the experimentally measured profiles displaying dopant up-hill diffusion allow quite reliable extraction of parameters governing the coupled dopant and point-defect dynamics. On a more fundamental level of master equation, a particular case of which the transition frequency is a function of the final state properties was analyzed. Such dependence appears to have a bearing on the modeling of stress dependent diffusion and possibly on diffusion at very high concentration. >
Tobacco Cessation Treatment Pathways for Patients With Cancer: 10 Years in the Making

Tobacco use is the most common cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States; it accounts for one-third of all cancer deaths and is thought to account for half of preventable cancer deaths. This article describes the Tobacco Treatment Program at a major academic cancer center. Patients and employees may access these services in a number of ways. All current smokers and recent quitters are proactively contacted and invited to participate. Services provided are tailored to the motivational level of individual patients and their immediate medical needs. The treatment pathways we present are based on our experience from the last 10 years in treating more than 5,000 unique patients with around 60,000 patient visits. These pathways include behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy, including first-line, second-line, and off-label medication use. This article describes the program with the goal of providing guidance and ideas to others who are developing treatment programs and providing treatment to tobacco users.
Meaning in the lives of humans and other animals

This paper argues that contemporary philosophical literature on meaning in life has important implications for the debate about our obligations to non-human animals. If animal lives can be meaningful, then practices including factory farming and animal research might be morally worse than ethicists have thought. We argue for two theses about meaning in life: (1) that the best account of meaningful lives must take intentional action to be necessary for meaning—an individual’s life has meaning if and only if the individual acts intentionally in ways that contribute to finally valuable states of affairs; and (2) that this first thesis does not entail that only human lives are meaningful. Because non-human animals can be intentional agents of a certain sort, our account yields the verdict that many animals’ lives can be meaningful. We conclude by considering the moral implications of these theses for common practices involving animals.
Classification of adaptive observers for non-square infinite dimensional systems with structured perturbations and disturbances

This paper considers the adaptive observers of systems governed by partial differential equations with structured perturbations. As there are many combinations of control, observation, and parametric uncertainty and disturbances at the boundary, a classification of the various combinations is presented. In all cases considered, the parametric uncertainty entering the boundary is expressed as the product of the measured output with unknown parameters. Similarly, the disturbances are also entering at the same boundary as the parametric uncertainties. In all cases, the plant is written as an evolution equation in a Hilbert space and the interplay between the input, output and disturbances operators are presented, and for each case, the feasibility of the adaptive observer is discussed. Selecting the case where the boundary operator associated with the disturbance and the parametric uncertainty is co-located only with the output operator, the adaptive observer that estimates on line the process state, the disturbance and the unknown parameters is presented along with the stability and convergence results. Extensive numerical studies including the special case of nonlinear terms at the boundary are presented.
Using Thermodynamic Degradation Approach to Quantify Human Stress Response

The present study provides a thermodynamic degradation approach to model human stress response. Finger skin temperature was used as an indicator of stress response to a stressor (or stressful event) followed by a recovery. The entropy change ( ) is calculated using heat transfer ( ) from the peripheral skin and finger skin temperature ( ). It was hypothesized that the human stress response, as evidenced by finger skin temperature change, is a quasi-static process. The entropy approach is demonstrated using data from a medical school experimental study. The finger skin temperature was measured under three conditions (relaxation, stressor task, and recovery) during the physiological test profile. The entropy change ( ) is postulated as entropy damage ( ), which is a metric for measuring the aging or system degradation. The aging-ratio, , that is, the ratio of entropy change due to stressor to that of recovery, is presented for both male and female subjects. The statistical -tests demonstrate statistical significance in human stress response to stressor and recovery states within and between male and female subjects. This novel approach could be valuable to medical researchers, particularly in the field of occupational health to evaluate human exposure to stressful environments.
Posttraumatic stress-related psychological functioning in adult survivors of childhood cancer

The majority of research examining posttraumatic stress symptoms/disorder (PTSS/PTSD) among adult survivors of childhood cancer has been oriented to cancer, assuming that cancer has been the most traumatic experience in their lives. Whether that assumption is valid, and how it might impact assessment of PTSS, is unknown. Survivors in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort study completed an assessment of PTSS without cancer orientation, global psychological functioning, perceived stress, and cancer-related anxiety. Participants (n = 2969; Mage = 32.5 ± 8.5 years, 24.1 years since diagnosis, 49.1% female) obtained a mean score on the PTSD Checklist of 27.7, which is comparable to a normative population. Using established cutoffs, 11.8% obtained scores in the at-risk range. Multivariable modeling indicated that psychological factors [global distress (p < 0.0001), perceived stress (p = 0.001), cancer-related anxiety (p < 0.0001)] and demographic variables [female gender (p < 0.0001), survivors with less than a college education (p = 0.002)] were risk factors for increased PTSS. Only 14.5% identified a cancer-related traumatic event, and there was no difference in PTSS scores between those who identified cancer vs. non-cancer events as most stressful (28.4 ± 12.6 vs. 28.5 ± 12.7, p = 0.93). One in eight adult long-term survivors of childhood cancer had PTSS above the cutoff, though subgroups (e.g., females and those with lower education) report more distress symptoms. Most adult survivors do not identify cancer as their most stressful event. Screening for distress in survivorship clinics should not assume that distress is directly related to the survivor’s cancer experience.
Quantum computation in brain microtubules? The Penrose-Hameroff 'Orch OR' model of consciousness

Potential features of quantum computation could explain enigmatic aspects of consciousness. The Penrose{Hamero model (orchestrated objective reduction: ‘Orch OR’) suggests that quantum superposition and a form of quantum computation occur in microtubules|cylindrical protein lattices of the cell cytoskeleton within the brain’s neurons. Microtubules couple to and regulate neural-level synaptic functions, and they may be ideal quantum computers because of dynamical lattice structure, quantum-level subunit states and intermittent isolation from environmental interactions. In addition to its biological setting, the Orch OR proposal diers in an essential way from technologically envisioned quantum computers in which collapse, or reduction to classical output states, is caused by environmental decoherence (hence introducing randomness). In the Orch OR proposal, reduction of microtubule quantum superposition to classical output states occurs by an objective factor|Roger Penrose’s quantum gravity threshold stemming from instability in Planck-scale separations (superpositions) in spacetime geometry. Output states following Penrose’s objective reduction are neither totally deterministic nor random, but influenced by a non-computable factor ingrained in fundamental spacetime. Taking a modern panpsychist view in which protoconscious experience and Platonic values are embedded in Planck-scale spin networks, the Orch OR model portrays consciousness as brain activities linked to fundamental ripples in spacetime geometry.
The Firefly Effect: A Contemplative Walking Installation and Exhibition (breakout presentation)

A multi-media installation was exhibited at Nuit Blanche Toronto 2016 on Bloor Street. It included an immersive sound and light experience about the pauses we take when we walk to think and transform. It is quite beautiful and very site specific. The team developed an app to upload contemplative walks and to walk at paces and with pulses that are associated with the rhythm of this walk. This presentation will provide an insight and overview of the work and the ongoing research in this field.
On the inverse problem of source reconstruction from coherence measurements

We consider an inverse source problem for partially coherent light propagating in the Fresnel regime. The data are the coherence of the field measured away from the source. The reconstruction is based on a minimum residue formulation, which uses the authors’ recent closed-form approximation formula for the coherence of the propagated field. The developed algorithms require a small data sample for convergence and yield stable inversion by exploiting information in the coherence as opposed to intensity-only measurements. Examples with both simulated and experimental data demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach to simultaneously recover complex sources in different planes transverse to the direction of propagation.
The OSIRIS-REx Radio Science Experiment at Bennu

The OSIRIS-REx mission will conduct a Radio Science investigation of the asteroid Bennu with a primary goal of estimating the mass and gravity field of the asteroid. The spacecraft will conduct proximity operations around Bennu for over 1 year, during which time radiometric tracking data, optical landmark tracking images, and altimetry data will be obtained that can be used to make these estimates. Most significantly, the main Radio Science experiment will be a 9-day arc of quiescent operations in a 1-km nominally circular terminator orbit. The pristine data from this arc will allow the Radio Science team to determine the significant components of the gravity field up to the fourth spherical harmonic degree. The Radio Science team will also be responsible for estimating the surface accelerations, surface slopes, constraints on the internal density distribution of Bennu, the rotational state of Bennu to confirm YORP estimates, and the ephemeris of Bennu that incorporates a detailed model of the Yarkovsky effect.
Development of a Labor-Efficient Hand Pollination Procedure for Flowering Dogwood

Abstract The effect of frequency and timing of hand pollinations on seed set in flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) was studied. Six hand pollination treatments and an open-pollinated control were included in this study. The hand pollination treatments, which utilized non-emasculated flowers, were performed over a 12-day period beginning with the opening of the first flowers. All open flowers within five inflorescences of an individual plant were pollinated daily, every other day, every third day, every sixth day, on day 6 only, or on day 12 only. The experiment was repeated 10 times. There were significant differences among treatments for both percentage of inflorescences setting seed and mean number of seed produced per inflorescence pollinated. Daily or every other day pollinations produced significantly more seed and had more inflorescences setting seed than did the two treatments that involved a single pollination. Labor efficiency, which was measured as number of seed set divided by number of days...
Crystallographic Studies of the Catalytic Subunit of cAMP- Dependent Protein Kinase

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (reviewed in Beebe and Corbin, 1986) is a tetrameric enzyme, probably ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells, composed of two regulatory and two catalytic (C) subunits. Upon binding cAMP the regulatory dimer releases two monomeric C-subunits, which then use MgATP to phosphorylate serine or threonine residues found typically in the sequence Arg-Arg-X-Ser/Thr in target proteins. Protein phosphorylation is a well-known mechanism for regulating protein function (reviewed in Krebs, 1985), and a large number of proteins have been found whose activity the C-subunit regulates this way, including many from the glycolytic and gluconeogenetic pathways (Krebs, 1985).
HETEROGENEITY AND REGULATION OF THE NATURAL KILLER CELL SYSTEM

Publisher Summary This chapter presents studies focusing on heterogeneity and regulation of the natural killer (NK) cell system. Using serological analysis of cell-surface phenotypes of murine NK cells, four distinct NK effector cell subsets were identified. The NKI and NKT subsets, present in fresh and precultured spleens, were cytotoxic for HeLa-Ms (and YAC) but not P815 cells. TK cells were generated from cultured spleens and capable of killing allogeneic P8I5 cells but not HeLa-Ms cells. NKM cells were generated in cultures of bone marrows and were capable of lysing HeLa-Ms but not P815 cells. That these serologically distinguishable NK subsets represented independent populations was indicated by experiments using mutant mice of the C57B1/6 series, namely, nu/nu and bg/bg mice. Spleen cells from bg/bg mice, either fresh or cultured, failed to generate any detectable NK activity against HeLa-Ms cells and lacked the NKT and NKI subsets of NK cells in contrast to +/+ or nu/nu mice. Bone marrow cells from bg/bg mice, however, generated cytotoxic activity comparable to cells from +/+ or nu/nu mice, and the effector phenotype was clearly that of the NKM subset.
Items designated as fortified: Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS), 2015–2016

Abstract The Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) is used to convert food and beverages consumed in What We Eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (WWEIA, NHANES) into gram amounts and determine their nutrient values. Items designated as fortified in FNDDS 2015–2016 indicate foods and beverages with one or more fortified nutrients. This manuscript describes the methodology used to identify items designated as fortified in FNDDS 2015–2016. For FNDDS 2015–2016, foods and beverages were designated as one of three fortification identifiers: unfortified, fortified, or containing fortified ingredients. “Fortified” nutrients were considered those nutrients, vitamins or minerals, added to the product, in amounts, which do not occur naturally. FNDDS 2015–2016 includes 8690 items including 7898 foods and 792 beverages. A greater proportion of the beverages (66%) compared to the foods (51%) had a fortified designation. Approximately half of all items were designated as fortified or containing fortified ingredients (16 and 37%, respectively). Of those items containing fortified ingredients, most include margarine, milk, or flour, and often in minor amounts. Items designated as fortified as a variable within FNDDS 2015–2016 are available for download on the FSRG website at http://www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg .
Auditor-provided Tax Services and Clients’ Tax Avoidance: Do Auditors Draw a Line in the Sand for Tax Advisory Services?

Recent incidences of audit failures and tax aggressiveness linked to non-audit services have called into question audit firms’ compliance with current restrictions on the provision of aggressive tax planning to their clients. This study investigates whether U.S. audit firms comply with existing regulations. Using quantile regressions, we observe an upper bound in the positive association between auditor-provided tax services (APTS) and tax avoidance. We interpret this bound as evidence of audit firms’ compliance. Interestingly, we observe that the association turns negative for clients with low effective tax rates. This nonlinearity suggests that audit firms take steps to reduce their exposure to these clients. Whereas our main results demonstrate some compliance, trend analysis shows an increase in tax avoidance associated with APTS during our sample period. We also find a more persistent association for larger clients, suggesting that economic bonding influences the tax strategies an audit firm is willing to provide.
Intra-abdominal Abscess After Appendectomy-Are Drains Necessary in All Patients?

Abstract Background Research has shown that patients who develop a postoperative intra-abdominal abscess (PIAA) after appendectomy have a greater number of health care visits with drain placement. Our institution developed an algorithm to limit drain placement for only abscesses with a size >20 cm2. We sought to determine the adherence to and effectiveness of this algorithm. Methods This prospective observational study included patients aged 2-18 y old who developed a PIAA from September 2017 to June 2019. Outcomes were compared between patients with a small or large abscess. Analysis was performed in STATA; P Results Thirty patients were included. The median age was 10.6 y (7, 11.7); 60% were men, and 60% were Caucasian. The median duration of symptoms before diagnosis of appendicitis was 3 d (2, 6). Thirteen patients (43%) were diagnosed with a PIAA while still inpatient, and 17 (57%) were readmitted at a later date. After algorithm implementation, 95% (n = 19) of patients with a large abscess had aspiration ± drain placement, whereas 30% (n = 3) with a small abscess underwent drainage. Length of stay after abscess diagnosis, total duration of antibiotics, and number of health care visits were the same between groups. One patient with a small abscess required reoperation for an obstruction, whereas one patient with a large abscess that was drained was readmitted for a recurrent abscess. Conclusions Small PIAA can be successfully managed without intervention. Our proposed algorithm can assist in determining which patients can be treated with antibiotics alone.
Development of an epitope-based marker system for use in categorizing porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses

A marker system based on the presence or absence epitopes of the N, M, GPS and GPS proteins of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus was developed for use in epidemiological studies. Mxirine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were generated that represented; 7 continuous and 3 discontinuous epitopes of the N protein and were designated EpORF7-A through Hd; 3 discontinuous epitopes of the M protein designated EpORF6-Ad, Bd and Cd; 3 continuous epitopes of GPS designated EpORFS-A, B and C; and 2 continuous epitopes of GP3 designated EpORF3-A and B. Monoclonal antibodies representing EpORF5-C and EpORF6-Ad and Bd had neutralizing activity. Epitope profiles were determined for 69 North American (NA) PRRS viruses and the Lelystad virus using a panel of MAbs that represented the 18 epitopes. The 69 NA viruses were categorized first into 5 major antigenic groups designated lis through IV15 and VI15 based on the N protein. These 5 groups represented 82.6, 11.6, 2.9, 1.4 and 1.4% of all NA viruses respectively. The European Lelystad virus constituted a separate antigenic group designated V15. Groups lis. Ills, and niis were subsequently categorized into 9,4 and 2 subgroups based on seroreactivity with MAbs representing specific epitopes of the M, GP3 and GPS proteins. Groups rVi5 and Vis each represented a single virus. The stability of each of the above 18 epitopes was evaluated for stability by serially passaging and maintaining S NA isolates in pigs in 3 separate experiments for periods ranging fix>m 16 to 22 weeks. No differences were observed in the epitope profile of any of these 5 viruses following passage. Preliminary studies were also undertaken to identify the region of ORF 7 that encode specific epitopes. Analysis of the amino acid sequence of the N protein using the GCG package and blocking
Where Does Creativity Come from? What Is Creativity? Where Is Creativity Going in Giftedness?

In this chapter, we highlight creativity’s role in giftedness. We first highlight the three Ds present in how creativity can apply to giftedness: its developmental trajectory, issues of domain specificity, and array of diverse perspectives. We highlight some theories of creativity that are particularly relevant for the field of giftedness, and then we discuss some specific concepts that we believe will guide us forward to help creativity play a more important role in giftedness. A core principle is that of creativity for all. This concept includes multiculturalism (considering non-Western perspectives), embracing the contributions of many mini-c creators as opposed to a single great Big-C creator, the potential of new technologies to help identify and promote creativity, and the ways in which creativity can help identify underrepresented gifted children.
DeepLoRa: Learning Accurate Path Loss Model for Long Distance Links in LPWAN

LoRa (Long Range) is an emerging wireless technology that enables long-distance communication and keeps low power consumption. Therefore, LoRa plays a more and more important role in Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs), which easily extend many large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) applications in diverse scenarios (e.g., industry, agriculture, city). In lots of environments where various types of land-covers usually exist, it is challenging to precisely predict a LoRa link’s path loss. As a result, how to deploy LoRa gateways to ensure reliable coverage and develop precise fingerprint-based localization becomes a difficult issue in practice. In this paper, we propose DeepLoRa, a deep learning-based approach to accurately estimate the path loss of long-distance links in complex environments. Specifically, DeepLoRa relies on remote sensing to automatically recognize land-cover types along a LoRa link. Then, DeepLoRa utilizes Bi-LSTM (Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory) to develop a land-cover aware path loss model. We implement DeepLoRa and use the data gathered from a real LoRaWAN deployment on campus to evaluate its performance extensively in terms of estimation accuracy and model transferability. The results show that DeepLoRa reduces the estimation error to less than 4 dB, which is 2× smaller than state-of-the-art models.
Assessing Longwall Gateroad Ground Response and Support Alternatives

Ground falls in longwall gateroad entries remain a concern in modern longwall operations. The gateroads are subject to changing horizontal and vertical ground stress induced by longwall extraction. These stress changes can result in failure of the strata around an entry leading to large deformations of the entry roof, floor, and ribs. The gateroad support systems are required to control the failed strata while maintaining safe access to the longwall face and unimpeded ventilation. This paper presents research that was conducted to better understand the stability issues in gateroad excavations and to develop procedures for evaluating support and layout alternatives for longwall gateroads. Using the results of a field-monitoring program and numerical model analysis of case histories, a conceptual model of gateroad support needs was developed. The conceptual model formed the basis for developing a set of equations that can be used to estimate likely roof sag and support loading for given roof geology and longwall-induced loading conditions. The developed equations were used to compare predicted gateroad stability to field study results, showing satisfactory agreement. The calculation procedures are used to demonstrate their application in assessing support alternatives at a case study mine. It is concluded that the developed analysis procedures provide realistic assessments of likely ground stability and can be used to evaluate alternative gateroad support systems at operating longwall mines.
Unsupervised Deep Clustering of Seismic Data: Monitoring the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Advances in machine learning (ML) techniques and computational capacity have yielded state-of-the-art methodologies for processing, sorting, and analyzing large seismic data sets. In this work, we ...
Management of Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis by Primary Care Providers: A Systematic Review.

Abstract Background Primary care providers (PCPs), including pediatricians and general practitioners, are often the first to see children with eczema/atopic dermatitis (AD). Little is known about management of pediatric AD by PCPs and adherence to national guidelines. Objective To review existing literature examining management components of pediatric AD (topical corticosteroids [TCS], topical calcineurin inhibitors [TCIs], antihistamines, bathing, emollients, and diet) by PCPs. Data Sources PubMed/Medline and Embase. Study Eligibility Criteria English-language articles dated 2015 to 2020 reporting outcomes addressing management of pediatric AD by PCPs. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods Two authors independently screened titles/abstracts, reviewed full-text articles, extracted relevant data, and evaluated study quality. Disagreements were resolved by a third author. Results Twenty articles were included. Surveys and national database analyses were the most common methodologies (n = 7 each). PCPs commonly prescribed TCS but had a preference for low-potency agents, overprescribed nonsedating antihistamines, and avoided TCIs. PCPs commonly recommended emollients, although this was not universal. Data characterizing nonmedication management were limited. Limitations Most studies did not examine individual patient encounters, but rather relied on providers reporting their general behaviors. Provider behavior may vary based on country of practice. Conclusions and Implications of Key Findings Knowledge and management gaps exist among PCPs in treating pediatric AD in key areas including knowledge of TCS safety profiles and prescribing of TCIs. The current literature is largely limited to small studies that evaluate prescribing behaviors with limited data characterizing nonmedication management, highlighting the need for future research in this area.
Children prefer to learn from smart devices, but do not trust them more than humans

Abstract Despite the rise in prevalence of voice-activated smart devices and their potential to influence how young children learn about the world, we know little about how children interact with and learn from these devices. In the current study, 5- to 6-year-old children (n=30) were asked whether they wanted to learn more information about a series of obscure animals from an Amazon Echo or a human confederate. After informants gave contradictory answers, participants were asked whose information they trusted. Children significantly preferred to request information from the Amazon Echo but showed no preference with regards to whose information they endorsed. Furthermore, performance was not affected by technology experience. While children enjoy interacting with smart devices, they may not believe the information that they receive.
How Does the Ground Shake

When earthquakes occur near man-made structures such as buildings or dams, not only the absolute magnitude but also the precise characteristics of ground motions of the main-shock and the aftershock determine the damage that occurs. Unconsolidated materials such as soil amplify ground motions more than rocks do, but at the high strains near major earthquakes, the behavior of the soils may be modified by scattering or nonlinear effects. Frankel discusses recent insights gained by O9Connell (page 2045) that shed new light on these scattering effects and points out that closely spaced monitoring networks are imperative if we are to understand the time histories of earthquake ground motions.
Abstract #5555: 14-3-3\#963;, a marker for poor prognosis of pancreatic cancers, contributes to gemcitabine and radiation resistance

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 18-22, 2009; Denver, CO Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in the US. Unlike other solid tumors such as testicular cancer which can now be curable, more than 90% of pancreatic cancer patients die due to lack of response to therapy. Recently, 14-3-3\#963; has been shown to cause drug resistance when over-expressed in cancer cells and its mRNA level has been found to increase in pancreatic cancers. These observations raise a possibility that 14-3-3\#963; expression is up-regulated in pancreatic cancers which in turn contributes to the failure in treatment of pancreatic cancers. In this study, we tested this hypothesis using fresh-frozen human pancreatic cancer tissues in combination with western blot analysis. We found that the 14-3-3\#963; protein level is increased in about 71% (17 of 24) of human pancreatic cancer tissues examined and that the 14-3-3\#963; expression level in the cancers examined correlates with lymph node metastasis, which is consistent with poor prognosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that over-expression of ectopic 14-3-3\#963; in a pancreatic cancer cell line caused significant resistance to anticancer drugs gemcitabine, mitoxantrone and Adriamycin as well as to \#947;-irradiation by causing resistance to the treatment-induced apoptosis. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 5555.
Silane and germane plasma diagnostics for depositing photosensitive a-SiGe:H films

Highly photosensitive a-SiGe:H films with a light-to-dark conductivity ratio of 8*10/sup 3/ and an optical bandgap of 1.40 eV have been produced by RF glow discharge using hydrogen dilution of SiH/sub 4/ and GeH/sub 4/ mixed gas plasma. The critical role of hydrogen dilution in GeH/sub 4/ containing plasmas is to suppress the gas-phase polymerization and promote the incorporation of Ge into the film. It is observed that inelastic laser light scattering of the RF plasma is a sensitive method for monitoring the onset of the gas-phase polymerization. In situ coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy measurements have shown that the dissociation rate of GeH/sub 4/ is a factor of three larger than that of SiH/sub 4/. >
The topological quantum field theory of Riemann’s theta functions

In this paper we prove the existence and uniqueness of a topological quantum field theory that incorporates, for all Riemann surfaces, the corresponding spaces of theta functions and the actions of the Heisenberg groups and modular groups on them. In his treatise "Theorie del Abel'schen Funktionen" (13), Bernard Riemann associated Riemann surfaces to elliptic functions, and to these Riemann surfaces he associated theta functions defined on n-tori which we now call Jacobian varieties. Riemann's work, inspired by the previous works of Abel and Jacobi, generalized their ideas. Theta functions were originally the building blocks of the theory of elliptic functions, and later established themselves as some of the most important functions in mathematics, comparable to trigonometric functions and polynomials. A major contribution of 19th century research was the discovery of the action of mapping class groups of surfaces (also known as modular groups) on theta functions, whose discovery is mostly due to Jacobi. Much later, Andre Weil discovered an action of a Heisenberg group on theta functions given by translations in the variables (19). At the end of the 20th century, Riemann's theta functions were placed in a quantum physical framework. On the one hand, Edward Witten related them to the abelian version of his quantum field theory based on the Chern-Simons functional. On the other hand; theta functions, the action of the Heisenberg group, and the action of the modular group were obtained from the geometric quantization of the Jacobian variety, cf. (8). This paper is about the theory of Riemann's theta functions and its place within Witten's abelian Chern-Simons theory. It is a continuation of the work of the first author with Alejandro Uribe in (4), as well as of the work of Murakami, Ohtsuki, and Okada in (10). The main result of this paper is the construction of the topological quantum field theory (TQFT) that underlies the theory of Riemann's theta functions and is hence associated to abelian Chern-Simons theory. This TQFT also encompasses the Murakami-Ohtsuki-Okada invariant of 3-manifolds. The construction is done in the perspective of (2) using skein modules associated to the linking number (11). Our perspective is novel in the sense that we view this topological quantum field theory as an object that incorporates the spaces of theta functions, the actions of the Heisenberg groups and modular groups for surfaces of all genera. Stated more precisely, this TQFT is constructed so that it incorporates the skein theoretical realizations of these three objects. Moreover, we prove the uniqueness of our description of such a theory, which means that there is only one theory that incorporates the classical theory of theta functions, namely abelian Chern-Simons theory. From
A parallel implementation of a belief maintenance system

An algorithm to perform belief maintenance was implemented on the Butterfly Plus parallel processor. This algorithm, which handles reasoning with uncertainty, is used in a system that performs classification problem solving. The belief maintenance scheme uses a network to represent a hypothesis of the domain. The belief updating scheme is inherently parallel; incoming evidence can be attached to any number of different modes in the network and the impact of the evidence can be propagated through the network in parallel. Results show that a substantial improvement in the processing speed of belief updating can be realized, especially in cases where a great deal of evidence is entered into the system at one time. >
INTERFACIAL EFFECTS ON STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN MODEL COMPOSITES

Raman mechanical spectroscopy was used to examine interfacial effects on the stress distribution in model polydiacetylene fiber/epoxy composites. Epoxy release agents were coated on fiber surfaces to modify the interfacial adhesion properties. The modified fiber surfaces were then characterized by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as optical microscopy. No difference in the maximum stress value or stress distribution was observed for the two types of fibers, coated or uncoated, used in composites. This suggests that adhesion properties at the composite interface do not affect tensile stress transfer efficiency nor, therefore, the composite tensile modulus along the fiber axis direction in uniaxial composites. Experimental data were also compared with theoretical calculations assuming perfect bonding between fiber and matrix, and idealized frictional force transfer mechanism at the fiber–matrix interface.
Intelligence and Adolescent Theft A Multiple Indicator Solution

Recently, Hirschi and Hindelang (1977) presented compelling arguments against the contemporary textbook position rejecting intelligence as an important cause of criminal behavior. They proposed a c...
Bioassay of interleukins

Sensitive microassay methodologies are described for the bioassay of interleukins 1, 2, 3, and 4 in both serum-free and serum-containing culture supernatants. Interleukins 2, 3, and 4 are measured directly by their growth-promoting activities on the CT6, FDC-P1, and HT-2 indicator cell lines, respectively. Interleukin 1 is assayed indirectly by its ability to stimulate interleukin 2 production by LBRM-33 1A5 lymphoma cells in the presence of phytohemagglutinin. Quantitation is based on measurement of [3H]thymidine incorporation into cellular DNA. The bioassays are performed in microcultures and are semiautomated so that panel testing of small volumes of interleukin-containing culture supernatants can be readily accomplished within 3 d.
Linkages in High Technology Industries: A Florida Case Study:

In this study, survey and interview data from four high technology industrial sectors in northern Florida are used to examine the effect of several establishment and organizational characteristics on the strength of intrastate linkages both of sophisticated and of routine inputs. The empirical findings show that local linkages of Florida's high technology industries are generally weak, and are most local mainly among small, locally owned, research and development-intensive establishments.
New Near-Infrared and Ultraviolet Gas-Proportional Scintillation Counters

New studies of gas-proportional scintillation counters have been performed using a large alpha source, reasonable spectral resolution (< 25-k), and including the strong near-infrared transitions in noble gases excluded in all previous studies. The results indicate that several new gas mixtures show promise for detectors to measure the neutron fluxes in a reactor over a wide range of values and in many nuclear physics applications where fast response and good energy resolution are desired. When used with an isotopic source the device can be used as a portable, variable-intensity light source or to detect trace amounts of atmospheric contaminants such as CO, NO, and Hg. The work also has provided useful data for laser systems pumped by ionizing radiation as well as for the operation of plasma display panels.
Starch-iodine films respond to water vapor

Abstract Starch-iodine indicator films were found to have useful spectroscopic properties for the detection of water vapor. The large colorimetric response of these easily prepared films was easily detected by the absorption of 632.8 nm HeNe laser light, using a planar integrated optical waveguide (IOW) platform. The detection limit of a prototype sensor was found to be below 5% relative humidity (RH), with response times of the order of seconds.
Thermo‐optical analyses of poly(2‐methyl‐6‐benzyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)‐poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) blends

Blends of poly(2-methyl-6-benzyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PMBPO) with poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO® resin) form clear, transparent films. Thermo-optical analyses of solvent-cast and compression-molded films comprising PMBPO-PPO resin mixtures at 0.1 weight fraction composition intervals over the complete composition range prove these blends to be homogeneous. True thermodynamic compatibility of the polymers is thus indicated. The thermo-optical transition temperatures, TTOA, defined as the temperatures at which birefringence disappears in scratches on the films during 10°/min heating, are found to increase monotonically with increasing PPO resin weight fraction w2, in the manner: TTOA (°C) = 120 + 101 w2. Differential scanning calorimetry on the pressed films also indicates polymer compatibility yielding single glass transition temperatures Tg (DSC) increasing monotonically from 99°C for the PMBPO to 209°C for the PPO resin.