cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Consistency in Repeat Surveys of Injection Drug Users Recruited by Respondent-Driven Sampling in the Seattle Area: Results from the NHBS-IDU1 and NHBS-IDU2 Surveys

Purpose We compared data from two respondent-driven sampling (RDS) surveys of Seattle-area injection drug users (IDU) to evaluate consistency in repeat RDS surveys. Methods The RDS-adjusted estimates for 16 key sociodemographic, drug-related, sexual behavior, and HIV- and hepatitis C virus-related variables were compared in the 2005 and the 2009 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system surveys (NHBS-IDU1 and NHBS-IDU2). Time trends that might influence the comparisons were assessed by the use of data from reported HIV cases in IDU, surveys of needle exchange users, and two previous IDU studies. Results NHBS-IDU2 participants were more likely than NHBS-IDU1 participants to report older age, heroin as their primary injection drug, male-to-male sex, unprotected sex with a partner of nonconcordant HIV status, and to self-report HIV-positive status. NHBS-IDU2 participants were less likely to report residence in downtown Seattle, amphetamine injection, and a recent HIV test. Time trends among Seattle-area IDU in age, male-to-male sex, and HIV testing could have influenced these differences. Conclusions The number and magnitude of the estimated differences between the two RDS surveys appeared to describe materially different populations. This could be a result of changes in the characteristics of Seattle-area IDU over time, of accessing differing subpopulations of Seattle IDU, or of high variability in RDS measurements.
An α-cluster model for Λ 9 Be spectroscopy

An α-cluster model is applied to study low-lying spectrum of the Λ9Be hypernucleus. The three-body ααΛ problem is numerically solved by the Faddeev equations in configuration space using phenomenological pair potentials. We found a set of the potentials that reproduces experimental data for the ground state (1/2+) binding energy and excitation energy of the 5/2+ and 3/2+ states, simultaneously. This set includes the Ali-Bodmer potential of the version “e” for αα and modified Tang-Herndon potential for αΛ interactions. The spin-orbit αΛ interaction is given by modified Scheerbaum potential. Low-lying energy levels are evaluated applying a variant of the analytical continuation method in the coupling constant. It is shown that the spectral properties of Λ9Be can be classified as an analog of 9Be spectrum with the exception of several “genuine hypernuclear states”. This agrees qualitatively with previous studies. The results are compared with experimental data and new interpretation of the spectral structure is discussed.
Aquatic chemistry of plutonium in seasonally anoxic lake waters

We present here data on the distribution of the fallout radionuclides 55Fe, 239,240Pu, 137Cs and 90Sr and the natural radionuclides 238U and 234U in a seasonally anoxic lake in an effort to determine their biogeochemical behaviour. Results from Gull Pond, Massachusetts show that the oxygen-depleted and iron-and manganese-rich bottom waters contain five times more dissolved 239,240Pu than oxygenated surface waters. This feature, also observed in anoxic hypolimnia of other lakes, indicates that the concentration of plutonium is significantly influenced by anoxicity and redox cycles. Such observations are important in understanding the fate of artificial radionuclides which are released1–4 to the aquatic environment through global fallout, planned disposal and localized accidents.
Effect of mono- and divalent cations on polyp morphogenesis in isolated tentacles of Aurelia aurita(Scyphozoa)

Tentacles excised from syphistoma polyps of Aurelia aurita undergo rapid regeneration to form whole polyps following exposure to an excess or absence of specific ions. It has been shown that a 12–18 h exposure of isolated tentacles to 58 mM excess of Cs+ results in a rapid firing of nematocysts, followed by an accelerated, synchronous polyp morphogenesis. Absence of Mgt2+ from the culture solution for 4–24 h also led to an accelerated, synchronous polyp regeneration. In either experimental set-up, incubation in 5–10 mM hydroxyurea effectively halted regeneration. Exposure to an excess of Li+ (50–200 mm) or K+ (10–50 mM) caused no firing of nematocysts and a percentage of polyp regeneration only slightly higher than control tentacles. Use of the K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA; 100–300 mM) lead to similar levels of regeneration. A Ca2+ or K+-reduced artificial culture solution did not enhance regeneration. Ouabain (1 mM) dampened the Cs+ induced acceleration of polyp morphogenesis, and when given without Cs+, elicited a control level response.
Traitor in our Midst: Cultural Variations in Japanese vs. Oklahoman Public Discourse on Domestic Terrorism in the Spring of 1995

When “one of our own” commits mass murder, mechanisms that sustain our social order are opened to question. Based on two samples of newspaper editorials written in 1995 ‐ either after the poison gas attack in the Tokyo subway or after the Oklahoma City bombing ‐ evidence is provided that Japanese editorialists advised strategies for retaining order, whereas Oklahoman authors endorsed ones for reestablishing it. In accordance with Simmel’s distinction between faithfulness and gratitude as social forms, Japanese advised faithful continuation of wholesome interactions with their terrorists, whereas Oklahomans expressed gratitude for rescue workers’ assistance. We apply modality analysis to identify those specific activities that authors presume their readers to accept as inevitable, possible, impossible, or contingent for each other. Working from this modal rhetoric in the two public discourses, we build more comprehensive inferences regarding the underlying logics of Japanese faithfulness versus Oklahoman gratitude ‐ logics that reflect the respective motivational dynamics underlying extant theories of identity and exchange.
Nuclear magnetic resonance contact shifts and spin delocalization mechanisms in tris(acetylacetone) nickel(II) perchlorate

Abstract The NMR contact shifts for the complex tris(acetylacetone) Ni(II) perchlorate have been found to be +4.7 ppm for the methyl group and +35.6 for the methylene group. INDO molecular orbital calculations are used to show that the major spin delocalization is into the highest filled ligand orbital which is of sigma symmetry, with a minor contribution from delocalization into the lowest empty pi orbital. In the case of Ni(acac)3− and Ni(acac)2(py)2 the major spin delocalization is into the highest filled ligand orbital, of π symmetry, with a minor contribution from the next highest filled orbital, which is a sigma type. For Co(acac)2(py)2 an additional mechanism, which places spin in the third highest filled orbital, also sigma, is found to be consistent with the contact shift results. The implications of these results on the “ratio method” of separating contact and dipolar shifts in complexes of the type M(acac)2L2, M  Co, Ni, is discussed and the donor properties of the acetylacetone and acetylacetonate ligands are compared.
Synthesis of 19-iodo-5-androstene-3β, 17β-Diol-17β-yl-acetate

Abstract 19-Iodo-5-androstene-3β, 17β-diol-17β-yl-acetate was synthesized from 19-acetoxy-5-androsten-17-one in 1.6% overall yield.
The J-curve: Malaysia versus her major trading partners

Currency depreciation is said to worsen the trade balance before improving it, hence the J-curve phenomenon. Since introduction of cointegration and error-correction modelling, researchers have tried to distinguish the short-run effects of currency depreciation from its long-run effects. A few studies that have investigated the experience of Malaysia, have relied upon aggregate trade data and have found no strong support for a significant relation between the real value of the ringgit and the Malaysian trade balance. In this article, we disaggregate the data by country and consider Malaysia's bilateral trade balance with her 14 largest trading partners. Using bound testing approach to cointegration and error-correction modelling, we provide some support for the J-curve hypothesis.
Employing the intellectual bandwidth model to measure value creation in collaborative environments

Nunamaker et at. (2001) introduced the intellectual bandwidth (IB) model as a research tool to help decision makers to better understand value creation. Bach et al. (2003) used the IB model to map value creation attributes of an information system in a conceptual real-world business case involving the diagnosis and treatment of HIV patients. This paper describes a methodological approach that enables practitioners to use the IB model to identify potential areas of value creation. It presents a pragmatic way of employing the IB model for the HIV information system and discusses possible ways to conceptualize, operationalize, and ultimately measure value creation in collaborative environments, such as those encountered in worldwide networked research environments. Technical and human aspects are inseparable factors for value creation in organizations. The technological aspects include the application of technology as well as organization concepts such as strategy. Human aspects include collaboration and the collaborative interplay between humans employing technology. With the IB model it is possible to emphasize the importance of both dimensions. This model makes pragmatic data analysis possible without requiring practitioners to deal with complicated statistical analyses. In this way research that is useful for theory and practice is possible.
Stability and clinical correlates of personality characteristics in recent-onset schizophrenia.

Background. While several personality characteristics are implicated in the etiology and phenotypic expression of schizophrenia, little is known about their trait status or clinical correlates during the early course of this disorder.Method. The stability of five personality characteristics derived from the MMPI-168 was examined in recent-onset schizophrenia patients (n=59) during a psychotic period at study entry and at two out-patient assessments over the following 15 months and in non-patient controls (n=39) at similar time intervals. Among patients, associations between personality characteristics and clinical symptoms and exposure to stressful life events during the study period were also examined.Results. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that the between-subjects or trait-like variance components for these characteristics among patients were substantial, albeit smaller than those found for controls. Patients reported higher mean levels of Neuroticism, Cynicism, and Psychotic Ideation and lower mean levels of Psychopathic Tendencies and Denial of Somatic Complaints than controls. Among patients, several personality characteristics were systematically related to mean clinical symptom levels as well as frequency of exposure to dependent, but not independent, life events.Conclusions. Stable individual differences in personality are detectable during the early course of schizophrenia and may help account for heterogeneity in clinical symptoms and functional outcome.
Outdoor flight activity and immigration of Rhyzopertha dominica into seed wheat warehouses

The flight activity of lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica F. (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), was monitored at two Foundation seed wheat warehouses during the 2003 and 2004 field seasons, using pheromone-baited Lindgren funnel traps positioned indoors and outdoors. General stored-product insect activity was also monitored using unbaited sticky traps positioned inside the warehouses around overhead doors. Pheromone-baited traps were useful for monitoring R. dominica activity, however insect captures decreased when lures were not changed weekly. Flight peaks were documented in early May and again from September through October, and insect captures inside warehouses correlated with timing of outdoor captures. Multiple regression analyses showed that slightly more than half of the variability in R. dominica captures could be explained by mean ambient air temperature and wind speed during the 2 h preceding sunset. Stored-product Coleoptera captured on unbaited glue boards around overhead doors included Ahasverus advena, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, R. dominica, Sitophilus oryzae, Tribolium castaneum, Trogoderma variabile, and Typhaea stercorea. Door gaskets significantly reduced the number of insect captures on glue boards placed around the overhead doors, and generally restricted their entry to ground level. These studies demonstrated that outdoor pheromone-baited traps are effective monitoring tools for determining when grain-handling facilities are most susceptible to infestation and that exclusion may be an effective component of a pest management program.
Performance study of Markov modulated fluid flow models with priority traffic

The steady-state performance of generic high-speed queuing system with priority traffic is studied, using the Markov modulated fluid models. the focus is on systems with traffic partitioned into two priorities according to a splitting factor alpha , so that low priority traffic can be discarded when congestion occurs. The results are used to further study issues of congestion control with priority traffic. In particular, the expected values, waiting times, variances of the buffer contents, and tail distributions are evaluated. It is found that the waiting time is more sensitive to changes of alpha than the buffer contents. This shows that for time-constrained traffic, the priority assignment is important for properly balancing the tradeoff between packet loss and delays. This model can be considered as a direct extension of the fluid-flow model to include priorities. >
Fast Relative Pose Calibration for Visual and Inertial Sensors

Accurate vision-aided inertial navigation depends on proper calibration of the relative pose of the camera and the inertial measurement unit (IMU). Calibration errors introduce bias in the overall motion estimate, degrading navigation performance - sometimes dramatically. However, existing camera-IMU calibration techniques are difficult, time-consuming and often require additional complex apparatus. In this paper, we formulate the camera-IMU relative pose calibration problem in a filtering framework, and propose a calibration algorithm which requires only a planar camera calibration target. The algorithm uses an unscented Kalman filter to estimate the pose of the IMU in a global reference frame and the 6-DoF transform between the camera and the IMU. Results from simulations and experiments with a low-cost solid-state IMU demonstrate the accuracy of the approach.
Quantifying freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease during the instrumented timed up and go test

Over half of patients with PD eventually develop freezing of gait (FoG), an intermittent failure to initiate or maintain walking that is often associated with trembling of the legs. We tested 21 PD with FoG, 27 PD without FoG, and 21 healthy elderly people in a clinic with the Intrumented Timed Up and Go test (ITUG). FoG was quantified from the power spectral density of the antero-posterior shank acceleration from which a Frequency Ratio was calculated as the square of the total power in the 3–8 Hz band, divided by the square of the total power in the .5–3 Hz band. Spatiotemporal gait parameters calculated from synchronized gyroscopes on the two legs were also measured in these subjects. The Frequency Ratio was significantly larger in freezers than in non-freezers or control subjects. It better differentiated gait disorders between PD subjects with and without FoG than traditional gait measures such as stride length, stride velocity and double support time. The Frequency Ratio was validated as significantly correlated with self-perceived severity of gait and balance confidence. This Freezing Ratio will be useful to quantify FoG during a simple ITUG, a popular clinical test of mobility.
Position Posters: An Alternative Take on Science Posters

Research shows the importance of active learning, especially within science classes. One way to achieve this goal is to incorporate student-driven projects into the course (e.g., posters). Traditionally, science-poster assignments follow the spirit of the science fair in which a student conducts an experiment and analyzes the results. This article offers an alternative take on science posters: position posters, another way to get students engaged. Students pick their own topic and then present the scientific evidence for their topics and come to a conclusion of their own. Choosing their own topics encourages them to become more invested in the process of completing the poster, and overall, students enjoy the learning process.
Vision system for identifying road signs using triangulation and bundle adjustment

This paper presents improvements made to an automated machine vision system that identifies and inventories road signs. The system processes imagery from the Kansas Department of Transportation's road profiler that captures images every 26.4 feet on highways through out the state. The initial system processed images using a computationally efficient K-Means clustering algorithm twice, first on the original image and then again on a difference image to segment the images into objects. Next, object segments were classified based on their size and color. An additional classification step was applied examining the frame to frame trajectory that objects take through the field of view. This technique represented a crude form of triangulation. It was quite effective for signs along straight highways, but often failed along curves when trajectories deviate from the norm. This paper describes how full triangulation was implemented with Bundle adjustment to determine the object's physical location relative to the road profiler. Object locations are then added to the list of criteria determining classification. As with the original size and color classifiers, a representative image set was segmented and manually labeled to determine a joint probabilistic model characterizing the expected location of signs. Receiver Operating Characteristic curves were analyzed to adjust the thresholds for class identification. The improved sign inventory system was tested and its performance characteristics are presented.
Regulating Ripening of ‘Bartlett’ Pears Using Preharvest Plus PostharvestAminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG)

In many deciduous fruit growing regions of the world, because of such factors as lack of chilling hours during winter followed by protracted anthesis, variation in fruit maturity and ripening uniformity of 'Bartlett' (Pyrus Communis) pears is troublesome. Such variability makes timely harvest difficult, especially when labor is insufficient. Use of ReTain ® (aminoethoxyvinylglycine, AVG, Valent Bioscience, Walnut Creek, CA) applied 4 weeks before harvest has mitigated this somewhat by delaying maturity development in treated blocks, thereby providing multiple harvest windows. To fur- ther regulate ripening of ReTain ® -treated 'Bartlett' pears in cold storage, fruit were treated immediately after harvest by dipping fruit in aqueous solutions containing AVG at 0, 66, 132 or 264 mg￻ l -1 and then kept in regular storage at -1 oC. In- ternal ethylene concentration of individual fruit was measured at harvest and monthly thereafter for 4 months. During the first 3 months in storage, ethylene production was well correlated with total (foliar plus dip) AVG applied. Treating 'Bartlett' pears after harvest with AVG appears more efficacious in reducing ripening variability during regular storage such that subsequent increase in ethylene is both consistent and predictable.
Horsemeat as human food in France

The acceptance of horsemeat as an appealing food for humans is one of the few documented cases of a change in attitude from aversion to qualified approval of a meat. From a taboo with religious and sentimental connotations, there evolved the notion that horsemeat was intrinsically unclean and then unhealthy. Resistance to hippophagy was abandoned during food shortage crises in France, and this eroded the prejudice against it in normal times. Beginning in the nineteenth century, the hygienic, therapeutic, culinary, economic and social arguments for hippophagy crystallized thanks to previous acceptance in other European countries, a promotional crusade and commercial segregation. By 1910 France had become the horseflesh center of the Western world. Hippophagy in France has remained urban‐centered and working class oriented. Even though no more than a third of Frenchmen eat it, changing sources and reliability of supply, rising prices and shifting consumer habits suggest that use of this meat has reached its...
Interference Control in Superpascal—A Block-Structured Parallel Language

Process interference due to shared variables is a serious problem in parallel programs written in insecure programming languages. The only effective remedy has been known since the 1970s: a parallel programming language must be designed to permit detection of process interference during compilation. This sound principle has seldom been adopted and enforced consistently for block-structured programming language for parallel scientific computing. SuperPascal omits the insecure concepts of Pascal, and adds parallel statements and synchronous communication channels
Inflammatory cytokine regulation of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in thyroid epithelial cells

Death receptor-mediated apoptosis has been implicated in target organ destruction in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis. Depending on the circumstances, inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, TNF and IFNgamma have been shown to contribute to either the induction, progression or inhibition of this disease. Here we demonstrate that the death ligand TRAIL can induce apoptosis in primary, normal, thyroid epithelial cells under physiologically relevant conditions, specifically, treatment with the combination of inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and TNFalpha. In contrast, IFNgamma is capable of blocking TRAIL-induced apoptosis in these cells. This regulation of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis by inflammatory cytokines appears to be due to alterations of cell surface expression of TRAIL receptor DR5 and not DR4. We also show the in vivo presence of TRAIL and TRAIL receptors DR5 and DcR1 in both normal and inflamed thyroids. Our data suggests TRAIL-mediated apoptosis may contribute to target organ destruction in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.
Learning partial ordering constraints from a single demonstration

Current approaches to learning partial ordering constraints by demonstration require demonstrating all (or almost all) possible completion orders. We have developed an algorithm that, for plans involving relative placement of objects, learns the partial ordering constraints from a single demonstration by letting the user specify naturally conceived reference frame information. This work is an example of a broader research agenda that involves applying principles of human collaboration to robot learning from demonstration. Categories and Subject Descriptors I.2.9 [Artificial Intelligence]: Robotics
Breakthrough Pneumococcal Bacteremia in Patients Being Treated with Azithromycin and Clarithromycin

Streptococcus pneumoniae strains have exhibited decreasing susceptibility to penicillins and macrolides during the past several years. We reviewed the medical charts of all patients with pneumococcal bacteremia who were admitted to a university hospital over a period of 1 year, to identify failures of outpatient therapy. Of 41 patients admitted with pneumococcal bacteremia, 4 had previously taken either azithromycin or clarithromycin for 3-5 days. All 4 had pneumococcal strains that exhibited low-level resistance to macrolide antibiotics. Among pneumococci, low-level resistance to macrolides can lead to clinical failure, and resistance to macrolides should be considered during the selection of empiric therapy for patients with presumed pneumococcal infections.
Creating Caring and Empathic Nurses: A Simulated Ostomate

Abstract Background This qualitative study explored the lived experience of student nurses (N = 69) wearing an ostomy appliance for 48 hours in a clinical simulation experience. Method The descriptive phenomenology by Colaizzi (1978) was used to study the question: What are the themes that emerge to describe the lived experience of an ostomate? Results Five themes are emerged from written reflections. Conclusion Students' retention and application of the information learned in simulation may influence clinical practice and improve patient outcomes. Insight into nursing students' transformation on caring and empathy into their practice, the art of nursing, was gleaned from this study.
How can we remodel practices into medical homes without a blueprint or a bank account

Medical homes are widely viewed as a solution to the problems with American medical care, despite lack of answers to many important questions. Review of articles from issues of 5 journals devoted to the medical home in 2010 provides few answers to those questions. However, with some exceptions, those answers seem more likely to come from real-life efforts to implement medical homes than from the research literature. In any other industry, that would be the case, especially the key questions about the financial viability of both the transformation of traditional practices and sustainability of the new care model.
Equation of state of pyrite to 80 GPa and 2400 K

The high-cosmic abundance of sulfur is not reflected in the terrestrial crust, implying it is either sequestered in the Earth’s interior or was volatilized during accretion. As it has widely been suggested that sulfur could be one of the contributing light elements leading to the density deficit of Earth’s core, a robust thermal equation of state of iron sulfide is useful for understanding the evolution and properties of Earth’s interior. We performed X-ray diffraction measurements on FeS 2 achieving pressures from 15 to 80 GPa and temperatures up to 2400 K using laser-heated diamond-anvil cells. No phase transitions were observed in the pyrite structure over the pressure and temperature ranges investigated. Combining our new P-V-T data with previously published room-temperature compression and thermochemical data, we fit a Debye temperature of 624(14) K and determined a Mie-Gruneisen equation of state for pyrite having bulk modulus K T = 141.2(18) GPa, pressure derivative K ′ T = 5.56(24), Gruneisen parameter γ 0 = 1.41, anharmonic coefficient A 2 = 2.53(27) × 10 −3 J/(K 2 ·mol), and q = 2.06(27). These findings are compared to previously published equation of state parameters for pyrite from static compression, shock compression, and ab initio studies. This revised equation of state for pyrite is consistent with an outer core density deficit satisfied by 11.4(10) wt% sulfur, yet matching the bulk sound speed of PREM requires an outer core composition of 4.8(19) wt% S. This discrepancy suggests that sulfur alone cannot satisfy both seismological constraints simultaneously and cannot be the only light element within Earth’s core, and so the sulfur content needed to satisfy density constraints using our FeS 2 equation of state should be considered an upper bound for sulfur in the Earth’s core.
Determination of 49 pesticide residues in vegetables and teas by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry after automatic solid phase extraction

Objective To develop a method for simultaneous determination of 49 pesticide residues in vegetables and teas by gas chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry(GC-MS/MS) after automatic solid phase extraction. Methods The pesticides in samples were extracted with acetonitrile, and cleaned up by automatic solid phase extraction. The extract was analyzed by gas chromatographytandem mass spectrometry using multiple reaction monitoring(MRM). Results The linear range of 49 pesticides were between 0.01 μg/L to 10 μg/L, the linear correlation coefficients were between 0.990 0 to 0.999 9, the limits of detection were from0.01 μg/kg to 3.0 μg/kg, and the limits of quantification were from 0.03 μg/kg to 10.0 μg/kg. The average recoveries were in the range of 80.0%-108.9% with relative standard deviations(RSDs) of less than 10%. Conclusion The method is simple, fast and with good reproducibility and it can be applied in the determination of multiple pesticides in vegetables and teas.
Immortal Schubert: “Composing invisibly”

If Schubert's contemporaries justly gazed in astonishment at his creative power, what indeed must we, who come after him, say, as we incessantly discover new works of his? For thirty years the master has been dead, and in spite of this it seems as if he goes on composing invisibly – it is impossible to keep up with him. Eduard Hanslick, 1862 At dawn two days after his brother's death, Ferdinand wrote to their father, “Very many people have expressed the wish that the body of our good Franz be buried in the sacred ground of Wahring Cemetery. I too am among them, because I believe Franz himself made this request.” In a delirium before he died, Schubert did not know where he was and cried out, “This is not where Beethoven lies.” For Ferdinand this could be nothing more than “an indication of his last wish to be buried beside Beethoven, whom he so greatly revered.” Ferdinand informed his father that he had already explored the expenses involved, which although very high were “surely very little for Franz!” He offered to pay more than half the cost himself ( SDB 825). The composer's final wish, at least according to Ferdinand's interpretation, was granted. Schubert was buried later that day, without much pomp and circumstance, following a well-attended funeral, but one that hardly attracted tens of thousands of mourners, as Beethoven's had just twenty months earlier. Schubert's Pax vobiscum (D551), fitted with new words by Schober, was played at the church. Schubert was buried in the new Wahring Cemetery, and his grave placed as close to Beethoven's as possible, just three away. A memorial service the next month featured a Mass by Anselm Huttenbrenner ( SMF 121, 190), and plans were announced to raise money for a fitting funeral monument. On 30 January 1829, the eve of Schubert's thirty-second birthday, Anna Frohlich, Vogl, Bohm, Linke, and other musician friends presented a memorial concert in the hall where Schubert's own academy of 26 March 1828 had taken place ( SDB 851); they offered a quite similar program, presenting it again six weeks later.
Optimization of Urea Based Protein Extraction from Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue for Shotgun Proteomics

Urea based protein extraction of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue provides the most efficient workflow for proteomics due to its compatibility with liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). This study optimizes the use of urea for proteomic analysis of clinical FFPE tissue. A series of protein extraction conditions manipulating temperature and buffer composition were compared to reduce carbamylation introduced by urea and increase protein detection. Each extraction was performed on a randomized pair of serial sections of homogenous FFPE tissue and analyzed with LC-ESI-MS/MS. Results were compared in terms of yield, missed cleavages, and peptide carbamylation. Lowering extraction temperature to 60°C decreased carbamylation at the cost of decreased protein detection and yield. Protein extraction for at least 20 minutes at 95°C followed by 60°C for 2 hours maximized total protein yield while maintaining protein detection and reducing carbamylation by 7.9%. When accounting for carbamylation during analysis, this modified extraction temperature provides equivalent peptide and protein detection relative to the commercially available Qproteome® FFPE Tissue Kit. No changes to buffer composition containing 7 M urea, 2 M thiourea, and 1 M ammonium bicarbonate resulted in improvements to control conditions. Optimized urea in-solution digestion provides an efficient workflow with maximized yields for proteomic analysis of clinically relevant FFPE tissue.
Parturient recall of neuraxial analgesia risks: Impact of labor pain vs no labor pain.

Abstract Study objective Information exchange between anesthesia providers and parturients about neuraxial analgesia risks often occurs in the presence of labor pain. This study examined whether the presence of pain impacted the level of recall of information provided to parturients regarding risks of neuraxial techniques. Design Single-center, nonrandomized study. Setting Labor and delivery suite and postpartum patient rooms in a large academic medical center. Patients Two hundred six primigravidas admitted to our labor and delivery suites and receiving neuraxial analgesia were included. Interventions Informed consent for epidural and spinal placement was obtained by an obstetric anesthesia resident as per our standard practice. At the time of consent, parturients' self-reported level of pain was recorded. Measurements After delivery, patients completed a questionnaire asking which risks they recalled. Also queried were patient self-reported levels of anxiety at the time of consent, patient satisfaction with the informed consent process, overall satisfaction with pain control, as well as their preferred method and timing of information exchange. Main results Only 20.9% of the 206 participating parturients recalled all risks and none of the distractors. There was no difference in recall between those with pain and those without pain at the time of consent. Women experiencing any pain at the time of consent were more likely to be very satisfied with the communication of risks compared with women without pain (96.2% vs 85.5%, P =.005). There was no difference in the preferred method ( P =.780) or timing ( P =.779) of discussion of risks between women in active labor compared with women with a scheduled induction of labor. Conclusions Although parturients' recall of neuraxial risks did not differ based on the existence of labor pain, those having pain reported greater satisfaction with the informed consent process.
Abstract SY27-04: Induction of cancer stemness and drug resistance by EGFR blockade

Tumor drug resistance is often accompanied by genetic and biological changes in the tumor cell population reflecting the acquisition of a stem-like state. However, it is not clear whether cancer therapies select for the growth of drug resistance cancer stem cells and/or directly induce the reprograming of tumor cells to a cancer stem-like, drug resistance state. We provide evidence that breast, pancreas and lung carcinomas in the presence of prolonged exposure to EGFR inhibitors undergo an epigenetic reprogramming resulting in a drug resistant stem-like tumor population expressing the cell surface marker CD61 (b3 integrin). In fact, CD61 in the context of KRAS, is necessary and sufficient to account for drug resistance, tumor initiation, self-renewal and expression of the pluripotent genes Oct 4 and Nanog. Once expressed, CD61 in the unligated state recruits KRAS to the plasma membrane leading to the activation of RalB, TBK1 and c-Rel driving both stemness and EGFR inhibitor resistance. Pharmacological targeting this pathway with drugs such as bortezomib or revlimid not only reverses stemness but resensitizes these epithelial tumors to EGFR inhibition. This epigenetic pathway can also be initiated by range of cellular stresses found within the tumor microenvironment such as hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, low pH, and oxidative stress. In normal tissues CD61 is induced during tissue remodeling and repair. For example, CD61 was found to be critical for mammary gland remodeling during pregnancy and as a mediator of pathological neovascularization. Together these findings reveal a stress-induced epigenetic pathway characterized by the upregulation of CD61 that promotes the remodeling of normal tissues but in tumors contributes to EGFR inhibitor resistance and tumor progression. Citation Format: David A. Cheresh. Induction of cancer stemness and drug resistance by EGFR blockade. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr SY27-04. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-SY27-04
HELPR: A Framework to Break the Barrier Across Domains in Spoken Dialog Systems

People usually interact with intelligent agents (IAs) when they have certain goals to be accomplished. Sometimes these goals are complex and may require interacting with multiple applications, which may focus on different domains. Current IAs may be of limited use in such cases and the user needs to directly manage the task at hand. An ideal personal agent would be able to learn, over time, these tasks spanning different resources. In this article, we address the problem of cross-domain task assistance in the context of spoken dialog systems, and describe our approach about discovering such tasks and how IAs learn to talk to users about the task being carried out. Specifically we investigate how to learn user activity patterns in a smartphone environment that span multiple apps and how to incorporate users’ descriptions about their high-level intents into human-agent interaction.
Domain Mapping of Product Service System Oriented on CNC Machine Tools

Product service system is the organic combination of product and services to adapt to the development needs of service-based society. The mapping between requirement domain, function domain, technology domain is an important approach for transferring customer requirements in the development process of product service system. Firstly, this paper determines the composition of requirement domain, function domain and technology domain, and constructs a model of mapping relationship and method between domains. Then, determining the weights of customer requirements based on RAHP (Rough Analytic Hierarchy Process), this paper constructs the requirement-function HoQ (House of Quality) and the function-technology HoQ based on the theory of Quality Function Deployment, completes the consistency test based on relevant analysis, and improves the quality target value of HoQ. Finally, this paper builds an integrated architecture of product service system based on relevance recognition between product modules and service modules. Taking ETC (Economic Turning Center) series CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine tools as an example, the proposed method in this paper is verified.
The brain and beyond in the aftermath of head trauma - a systems view of development for contact sport athletes

AbstractThe most recent attention raised regarding the developmental struggles some contact sport athletes face has turned to examining the effects of exposure to head trauma. Specifically, the presence of a singular neuropathology, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), has been found in the brains of dozens of deceased former contact sport athletes who suffered a range of debilitating symptoms. Research into the etiology, course, and effects of CTE has revealed vital findings into understanding the diverse range of behavioral, somatic, cognitive, motor, and affective symptoms experienced by these athletes. However, scientists examining CTE have likewise acknowledged that many of these symptoms do not occur until several years (approximately 6–15) after contact sport athletes leave their careers and the field of play. Coincidentally, alongside the findings in CTE research, an examination of the psychosocial struggles athletes face upon career transition and retirement has revealed a variety of symptoms ...
Writing In-Code Comments to Self-Explain in Computational Science and Engineering Education

This article presents two case studies aimed at exploring the use of self-explanations in the context of computational science and engineering (CSE) education. The self-explanations were elicited as students’ in-code comments of a set of worked-examples, and the cases involved two different approaches to CSE education: glass box and black box. The glass-box approach corresponds to a programming course for materials science and engineering students that focuses on introducing programming concepts while solving disciplinary problems. The black-box approach involves the introduction of Python-based computational tools within a thermodynamics course to represent disciplinary phenomena. Two semesters of data collection for each case study allowed us to identify the effect of using in-code comments as a self-explanation strategy on students’ engagement with the worked-examples and students’ perceptions of these activities within each context. The results suggest that the use of in-code comments as a self-explanation strategy increased students’ awareness of the worked-examples while engaging with them. The students’ perceived uses of the in-code commenting activities include: understanding the example, making a connection between the programming code and the disciplinary problem, and becoming familiar with the programming language syntax, among others.
Theory of thermal ignition in fuel droplet burning

Abstract A theory for the thermal ignition of a fuel droplet in a hot oxidizing atmosphere is formulated using an existing gas-phase ignition criterion and an analysis for the transient droplet heating process. Limits on the ignitability of a system, either spontaneous or delayed, are identified. A kinetically controlled ignition regime and a droplet-heating-controlled ignition regime are shown to exist in cold and hot environments respectively, each exhibiting distinctively different ignition characteristics. Theoretical results yield reasonable agreement with existing experimental data.
Constructing and characterizing covert channels on GPGPUs

General Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs) are present in most modern computing platforms. They are also increasingly integrated as a computational resource on clusters, data centers, and cloud infrastructure, making them possible targets for attacks. We present a first study of covert channel attacks on GPGPUs. GPGPU attacks offer a number of attractive properties relative to CPU covert channels. These channels also have characteristics different from their counterparts on CPUs. To enable the attack, we first reverse engineer the hardware block scheduler as well as the warp to warp scheduler to characterize how co-location is established. We exploit this information to manipulate the scheduling algorithms to create co-residency between the trojan and the spy. We study contention on different resources including caches, functional units and memory, and construct operational covert channels on all these resources. We also investigate approaches to increase the bandwidth of the channel including: (1) using synchronization to reduce the communication cycle and increase robustness of the channel; (2) exploiting the available parallelism on the GPU to increase the bandwidth; and (3) exploiting the scheduling algorithms to create exclusive co-location to prevent interference from other possible applications. We demonstrate operational versions of all channels on three different Nvidia GPGPUs, obtaining error-free bandwidth of over 4 Mbps, making it the fastest known microarchitectural covert channel under realistic conditions. CCS CONCEPTS • Security and privacy → Security in hardware; Hardware attacks and countermeasures; Hardware reverse engineering; • Computer systems organization → Single instruction, multiple data;
Dissipation-based continuation method for multiphase flow in heterogeneous porous media

Abstract In reservoir simulation, solution of the coupled systems of nonlinear algebraic equations that are associated with fully-implicit (backward Euler) discretization is challenging. Having a robust and efficient nonlinear solver is necessary in order for reservoir simulation to serve as the primary tool for managing the recovery processes of large-scale reservoirs. However, there are several outstanding challenges that are intimately connected to the highly nonlinear nature of the problem. Given a set of sources and sinks, the variation in the total velocity can span many orders of magnitude due to extreme contrasts in the permeability field in large-scale subsurface porous formations. Moreover, multiple and complex saturation fronts must be properly resolved throughout the three-dimensional reservoir model of interest. Add to that numerical simulation studies entail making field-scale predictions over many decades, and the challenge of developing robust and efficient nonlinear solvers across a very wide parameter space becomes clear. Here, we develop a continuation method based on the use of a dissipation operator. We focus on nonlinear two-phase flow and transport in heterogeneous formations in the presence of viscous, gravitational, and capillary forces. The homotopy is constructed by adding numerical dissipation to the coupled discrete conservation equations. A continuation parameter is introduced to control the amount of dissipation. Numerical evidence of multi-dimensional models and detailed analysis of single-cell problems are used to explain how the dissipation operator improves the nonlinear convergence of the coupled system of equations. An adaptive strategy to determine the dissipation coefficient is proposed. The dissipation level is computed locally for each cell interface. We demonstrate the efficiency of the dissipation-based continuation (DBC) nonlinear solver using several examples, including 1D scalar transport and 2D heterogeneous problems with fully-coupled flow and transport. The DBC solver has better convergence properties compared with the standard damped-Newton solvers used in reservoir simulation.
ARCHING FOR VERTICALLY BURIED PRISMATIC STRUCTURES

The problem of defining the load carried by a prismatic structure buried vertically in soil at the surface of which is applied a uniform static pressure of infinite extent is investigated. Based on certain simplifying assumptions, a general solution is obtained in terms of the geometry of the problem and the properties of the structure and soil. Both the case of a floating structure and a structure mounted on a rigid base are considered. The solution is based on an analogy to the elasticity problem of a rigid die pressed into an infinite elastic half space and thus assumes that no failure of the medium occurs. Definition of the stress or strain distributions either in the structure or in the surrounding medium is not attempted. The results of numerous experiments with right-circular cylinders in dense 20-30 Ottawa sand are presented which tend to confirm the theory except when the cylinders are long and rigid, in which case failure of the sand is likely to occur. The conclusions reached are directly applicable to the design of small stress and strain gages for use in dense sand and should also be useful in estimating the axial load carried by a structure of any size buried in soil.
Dynamic Aspects of Pesticide Photodecomposition

The fact that sunlight wavelengths possess sufficient energy to effect photochemical transformations in organic molecules has created a great deal of interest in the environmental photochemistry of pesticides (Crosby and Li, 1969; Plimmer, 1970). Since those who conducted initial studies on this subject were faced with the problem of simulating natural conditions, many approaches were used--some apparently quite satisfactory and others with little or no relation to conditions encountered in nature. From our results and those reported in the literature, it has become increasingly evident that pesticide photochemistry is very dependent upon the environmental compartment in which the compound resides during irradiation.