cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlling heterojunction abruptness in VLS-grown semiconductor nanowires via in situ catalyst alloying.

For advanced device applications, increasing the compositional abruptness of axial heterostructured and modulation doped nanowires is critical for optimizing performance. For nanowires grown from metal catalysts, the transition region width is dictated by the solute solubility within the catalyst. For example, as a result of the relatively high solubility of Si and Ge in liquid Au for vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) grown nanowires, the transition region width between an axial Si–Ge heterojunction is typically on the order of the nanowire diameter. When the solute solubility in the catalyst is lowered, the heterojunction width can be made sharper. Here we show for the first time the systematic increase in interface sharpness between axial Ge–Si heterojunction nanowires grown by the VLS growth method using a Au–Ga alloy catalyst. Through in situ tailoring of the catalyst composition using trimethylgallium, the Ge–Si heterojunction width is systematically controlled by tuning the semiconductor solubility within a ...
High Quality Epitaxial Films of ZnSe and ZnSe/ZnS Strained Layer Superlattices Grown by MOCVD

High quality epitaxial films of ZnSe and ZnSe/ZnS strained layer superlattices (SLS) have been grown on (100) GaAs substrates using diethylZinc, dimethylSelenide, diethylSelenide, and propyleneSulfide as reagents in both atmospheric and low pressure environment. This source combination produces the results showing the influence of process conditions, such as reagent flow ratio (fv1/f11) and substrate temperature, on the film stoichiometry, surface morphology, and crystalline quality. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), cross-sectional TEM, and x-ray diffraction have been used to characterize the films. Photoluminescence studies at 2.8 K on samples of ZnSe/ZnS strained layer superlattices; 10 periods ZnSe(1.5 nm)/ZnS(8.5 nm), have shown quantum size effect with the peak energy blue-shifted to 3.03 eV with the FWHM=73 meV. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied to study surface morphology of multilayer samples.
Printed Optical Phantoms for Whole Mouse Imaging

We show reconstructed images of realistic phantoms constructed using 3D printing. This approach is versatile, aids in the development of optical imaging methods, and can be used in the calibration of live mouse imaging data.
Interaction of TNF-α-308 and environmental risk factors in primary liver cancer

Objective To study the interaction of the environmental risk factors and the genetic polymorphisms of the human tumor necrosis factor-α-308 position in primary liver cancer(PLC).Methods A case-control study was conducted in Shunde,Guangdong.Epidemiological data about environmental exposure of 81 cases and controls were collected,using ELISA to detect HBV,HCV,AFP,liver fluke and PCR-RELP technology to analyze TNF-α-308 position.Results Conditional logistic regression(CLR) was conducted to explore risk factors of PLC,and it is indicated that hepatitis B,alcohol consumption,liver disease history,and carriage of TNF2 allele were associated with increased risks of PLC.HBsAg was interacted with the TNF2 allele during the generation of PLC,with the OR=19.83(95%CI:4.20-93.61);and their RERI,API,SI were 14.39,0.73,and 4.23 respectively.Liver disease history was interacted with the TNF2 allele during the generation of PLC,with the OR=7.63(95%CI:1.05-67.71),and RERI,API,SI were 2.22,0.29,and 1.50 respectively.Alcohol consumption was interacted with the TNF2 allele during the generation of PLC,with the OR=4.57(95%CI:1.62-12.88),and RERI,API,SI were 1.39,0.30,and 1.63 respectively.Conclusion The study indicated that risk factors of PLC,i.e,hepatitis B,alcohol consumption,liver disease history,and carriage of the TNF2 allele were associated with increased risks of PLC;and the TNF2 allele was interacted with HBsAg,liver disease history,and alcohol consumption.
Determination of the True Inclination Angle of the Main Bronchi Relative to the Median Sagittal Plane for Placement of a Left-Sided Double-Lumen Tube.

Objectives This study aimed to determine the true inclination angle of the main bronchi relative to the median sagittal plane, using CT imaging to help increase accuracy of double-lumen tube (DLT) placement. Design In this retrospective study, 2 investigators independently measured normal chest CT scans from 50 male and 50 female patients. To determine the true AP axis, a mid-sagittal plane reference line (MSPRL) was drawn, intersecting the midsternum and the vertebral spinous process at the level of mid-carina. Lines were drawn through the center of each main bronchus to determine the inclination angle with regard to the MSPRL. Setting Research was conducted at a single institution, the Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center. Participants Normal chest CT images from 50 women and 50 men. Main Results The mean true inclination angle between the main bronchi and trachea in the mid-sagittal plane was 108.4° on the left compared with 96.2° on the right (p Interventions No specific interventions were done because this was a retrospective study and CT scan analysis. Conclusion The data suggested that the trachea does not merely branch in the horizontal plane but branches posteriorly as well, with a true mean anatomic angle between the left main bronchus and trachea of 108.4°. This finding concurred with the authors’ suggestion that the DLT be rotated to 110° counterclockwise instead of the routine practice of 90°. The authors suggest clinicians rotate the DLT an additional 20° counterclockwise and direct the top of the DLT to the 11 o’clock position.
RISK ANALYSIS USED AS A TOOL IN SELECTION BETWEEN ALTERNATIVE TRAFFIC SYSTEMS

Abstract A risk analysis was performed by Riso National Laboratory for the Danish Road Directorate concerning three alternative solutions for a new crossing across Guldborgsund in Denmark. The alternatives constitute a two lane bridge, a one tube tunnel with two lanes, and a two tube tunnel with one lane in each tube. The risk analysis comprises risks to the road users, risks to maintenance staff, risks to the environment, and risks to the structures in case of accidents. The results of the risk analysis are presented. It was found that no significant differences were identified concerning risks to maintenance staff and risks to the environment. It was concluded that the accident rate was lowest for the two tube tunnel due to the elimination of head-on collicions. Furthermore, a catastrophic accident generally leads to higher consequences in a tunnel than on a bridge, both with respect to the road users and to the structures. Yet a two tube tunnel has several advantages compared to a one tube tunnel regarding evacuation. Finally the advantages using risk analysis in decision making in such situation are discussed.
1 – Investigation of Power Management Issues for Future Generation Microprocessors**

This chapter discusses the investigation of power management issues for future generation microprocessors. Advances in microprocessor technology pose new challenges for supplying power to these devices. Low-voltage power management issues are becoming increasingly critical in state-of-the-art computing systems. Operating frequencies increases to above 1 GHz. These demands, in turn, require special power supplies, voltage regulator modules (VRMs), to provide lower voltages with higher current capabilities for microprocessors. As the speed of the processors increases, the dynamic loading of the VRMs is also significantly increased. Future microprocessors are expected to exhibit higher current slew rates of up to 5 A/ns. To meet future requirements, a number of critical issues are addressed. For example, advanced power devices and control technologies are needed for high-efficiency and high-frequency operations. This chapter addresses important issues of advanced VRM topologies for fast transient responses and low ripple voltages as well as advanced packaging technologies for improving power density and thermal management. In addition, this chapter covers the limitations of today's technologies, including VRM topologies, power devices, and power systems.
Structure and representation of documents and data

The growth of the Internet has brought society at large a lot closer together. A vast amount of data, which was once accessible only to a select few, has become accessible to a much wider audience. Three important aspects of the data are the richness of its structure, its searchability and its representation. Tools are available to produce an audio output of the document with cues, such as AsTeR or EmacsSpeak, or a braille output, or a combination of both, from the internal structurally rich representation of data. We discuss three tools that we have developed for providing access to information for the visually disabled. In Audio Formatting of a graph, we provide a textual representation of a graph which is a mathematical representation of relations. In this tool, we provide a textual representation of the data which captures the structure of the graph. We also suggest interesting problems for further work. In Aster Server, we provide a network server, that makes AsTeR (Audio System for Technical Readings) available over the Internet. Using this server, the user can paste a LaTeX marked-up document, submit it and receive a Dec-talk output in a MIME format. We discuss briefly the implementation of this server and suggest ways of improving servers and languages for the Internet.
Some Initial Explorations into the Hierarchical Multi-core Chip Design Space for HPC Systems

Multi-core designs have emerged as the dominant trend for commodity and high performance microprocessor chips, in virtually all market segments. This includes the high performance supercomputing arena. Using a particular HPC system as a baseline, this paper performs some initial explorations of how the constraints of chip technology, system-imposed memory and bandwidth, and application characteristics may govern the performance achievable from future HPC systems.
Characterization of the Role of Regulatory T Cells (Tregs) in Inducing Progression of Multiple Myeloma

Introduction. Growing evidence suggests that immune cells that reside within the tumor microenvironment are dysregulated and functionally impaired, leading to defective anti-tumor immunity of the host. One of the major immunosuppressive mechanisms during tumor progression is expansion of regulatory immune cells. Here, we analyzed the immune cells within the bone marrow (BM) and the peripheral blood (PB) of 2 immunocompetent multiple myeloma (MM) mouse models. We next studied the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in MM pathogenesis. Materials and methods. To study the immune cell populations of the BM and PB, we used two immuncompetent mouse models and transplanted VK*MYC cells or 5TGM1 cells into C57BL/6 and C57BL/Kalwrij mice respectively. The immune cell populations and checkpoint receptor expressions were analyzed by CyTOF mass cytometer or flow-cytometry. Treg induction assay was performed in vitro to study the mechanism of Treg increase in the BM of myeloma injected mice. CD4+ CD25- cells were obtained from C57BL/Kalwrij mice and were co-cultured with 5TGM1 cells or B cells from C57BL/Kalwrij mice in vitro. Treg induction was compared by flow-cytometry. Transplantable VK*MYC cells were injected into "depletion of regulatory T cell" (DEREG) mice, which expresses a simian diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor-enhanced GFP fusion protein under the control of the FOXP3 gene locus, or their wild type littermates. DT injection into these mice leads to depletion of Tregs as previously described (J Exp Med. 2007; 204: 57-63). DT was given once every week for a total 3 times i.p to the DEREG mice or the littermate controls to specifically deplete Tregs and to study the role of Tregs during MM progression. Tregs (CD4+ FOXP3-GFP+ cells) were sorted from VK*MYC injected mice or non-injected DEREG mice BM using FACSAria cell sorter. Cells isolated were subjected to RNA sequencing. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to define differences in molecular signatures between MM-associated and normal Tregs. Results. The Treg proportion was significantly increased within the CD4+ T cells in the BM of myeloma cell injected mice from the early stage of disease compared to control mice, while in the PB, the increase was observed only at the late stages of disease progression. The effector T cell (Teff)/Treg ratio was significantly decreased in the BM at the end-stage myeloma bearing mice (P Conclusions. We used 2 immunocompetent MM mouse models to study the characterization and significance of Tregs in MM progression. CyTOF analysis and RNA sequencing data indicated Treg activation in the MM BM microenvironment. The Treg in vivo depletion experiment showed that Tregs have a significant role in MM progression. These data indicate that immunotherapy targeting Tregs may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for MM. Studies are ongoing to understand the roles of Tregs in human MM patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Studying Mitochondrial Structure and Function in Drosophila Ovaries

Analysis of the mitochondrial structure-function relationship is required for a thorough understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial functionality. Fluorescence microscopy is an indispensable tool for the direct assessment of mitochondrial structure and function in live cells and for studying the mitochondrial structure-function relationship, which is primarily modulated by the molecules governing fission and fusion events between mitochondria. This paper describes and demonstrates specific methods for studying mitochondrial structure and function in live as well as in fixed tissue in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. The tissue of choice here is the Drosophila ovary, which can be isolated and made amenable for ex vivo live confocal microscopy. Furthermore, the paper describes how to genetically manipulate the mitochondrial fission protein, Drp1, in Drosophila ovaries to study the involvement of Drp1-driven mitochondrial fission in modulating the mitochondrial structure-function relationship. The broad use of such methods is demonstrated in already-published as well as in novel data. The described methods can be further extended towards understanding the direct impact of nutrients and/or growth factors on the mitochondrial properties ex vivo. Given that mitochondrial dysregulation underlies the etiology of various diseases, the described innovative methods developed in a genetically tractable model organism, Drosophila, are anticipated to contribute significantly to the understanding of the mechanistic details of the mitochondrial structure-function relationship and to the development of mitochondria-directed therapeutic strategies.
Crisis del agua subterránea en México. Dinámica histórica: recursos, lucro y conocimiento en La Laguna, 1930-1970*

This article examines the historical dynamics by which Mexico’s groundwater resources were knowingly depleted and contaminated from the 1930s to the 1960s. Using the paradigmatic arid north central ‘‘Laguna’’ region as case study, it documents how some Mexican engineers alternately warned of the dangers of aquifer depletion and profited from the business opportunities ‘‘Mexicanization’’ of groundwater pumping technology provided via Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI)—a conflict-of-interest which symbolized the tension between advancing techno-scientific knowledge of natural processes and capitalist state formation in postrevolutionary Mexico. The central argument is that this inherent contradiction rendered the expert informed and officially acknowledged need for groundwater conservation extremely difficult vis-a-vis state, private and popular demand for the resource, whether fueled by Lazaro Cardenas’ radical agrarian reform in the 1930s— for which the Laguna served as emblem—or a more commercialized agriculture thereafter.
Masses and lifetimes for r-process nucleosynthesis: FRIB outlook

Nuclear masses and lifetimes are key inputs for calculations of rapid neutron capture ( r -process) nucleosynthesis. Masses and half-lives for thousands of nuclei from the valley of stability to the neutron drip line are required and only a fraction have been experimentally measured. Here we examine the promise of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, now under construction at Michigan State University, to dramatically reduce uncertainties in r -process abundance patterns due to uncertain masses and half-lives.
A Volumetric Assessment Using Computed Tomography of Canine and First Molar Roots in Dogs of Varying Weight.

Mandibular volume and tooth root volumes were shown to increase at different rates at locations containing the roots of the canine (C) and mesial and distal roots of the first molar (M1). Thirty-si...
Emotion Painting: Lyric, Affect, and Musical Relationships in a Large Lead-Sheet Corpus

How are lyrical emotions expressed in music? This paper explores the correlation between affect-carrying lyrics and musical features such as beat strength, duration, pitch height, consonance, and mode. Using computer-aided musicology software music21 and the NRC emotion lexicon, we conduct a corpus study on 1,895 folk and popular song lead-sheets encoded as MusicXML. The study reveals that metrical strength and note lengths are highly correlated with affects, while correlations of pitch height, consonance, and mode are in general less significant, at times contradicting previous research. Measurements of minor vs. major chordal context and tonal certainty, however, reveal certain previously unknown differences among emotional states. The paper uses a larger dataset of observations and gives greater values of significance than has appeared in symbolic corpus analysis of emotions in the past, and includes general discussions and directions for future work.
Preventing the Negative Effects of Common Stressors

The prevention research cycle has been described in many ways (e.g., Bloom, 1979; Coie et al., 1993; Cowen, 1982; Heller, Price, & Sher, 1980; Mrazek & Haggerty, 1994; Price, 1983, 1987; Price & Lorion, 1989; Sandler, Gersten, Reynolds, Kallgren, & Ramirez, 1988). Most of these approaches to prevention research include: (1) a generative stage in which researchers seek to develop a theory of the causal processes that place a particular group of children at heightened risk of adverse developmental outcomes; (2) a program development stage in which behavior change technology is utilized to design programs to change putative causal processes identified in the theory; (3) a field trial stage in which experimental trials are used to test whether the programs are effective in changing the putative causal processes and the targeted outcomes; and (4) an innovation diffusion stage in which a standardized program is implemented on a large scale in a wide range of naturalistic community settings (see Fig. 1).
Two-dimensional Multiscale Model of Cell Motion in a Chemotactic Field

The Cellular Potts Model (CPM) has been used at a cellular scale for simulating various biological phenomena such as differential adhesion, fruiting body formation of the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, angiogenesis, cancer invasion, chondrogenesis in embryonic vertebrate limbs, and many others. Continuous models in the form of partial differential, integral or integro-differential equations are used for studying biological problems at large scale. It is crucial for developing multiscale biological models to establish a connection between discrete microscopic stochastic models, including CPM, and macroscopic continuous models. To demonstrate multiscale approach we derive in this paper continuous limit of a two-dimensional CPM with the chemotactic interactions in the form of a Fokker-Planck equation describing evolution of the cell probability density function. This equation is then reduced to the classical macroscopic Keller-Segel model. We demonstrate that CPM Monte Carlo simulations are in excellent agreement with the numerics for the continuous macroscopic model with different forms of the chemical field term.
A30 Session 9: Women’s Health

The surgical management of breast cancer has seen a radical evolution over the past several decades, characterized by equal or improved outcomes with significantly less morbidity. Eradication of the primary tumor has progressed from radical mastectomy (and extended radical mastectomy), through modified radical mastectomy, to lumpectomy. These changes have been facilitated by a multitude of factors, including improvements in technology and screening, better-quality and more widely used adjuvant therapies, and countless patients participating in multi-institutional prospective, randomized trials. The next, seemingly inevitable, step in the evolution of breast cancer therapy would be the replacement of lumpectomy, at least for a select group of patients, with non-surgical methods for destroying the tumor. Cryoablation has emerged as an alternative to surgery for tumors of the skin, prostate, kidney, liver and bone, and given recent advances in breast imaging, and our ability to target non-palpable lesions, it seems logical that breast cancer would be an ideal clinical target. However, adoption of cryoablation for breast cancer has proven challenging, with several obstacles still to overcome. This presentation will review the clinical experience to date with breast cancer cryoablation and some of the hurdles to its clinical implementation.
Monitoring the low wind effect on the Starfire Optical Range 3.5-m telescope

The 3.5 m telescope, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Starfire Optical Range (SOR) routinely images asteroids and moons orbiting around the asteroid. However point-spread-functions (PSFs) with trefoil-like structure make it difficult to detect moons at small angular separations from the parent asteroid. This work investigates whether the low wind effect, such as that reported by VLT/SPHERE, produces trefoil-like PSFs (Sauvage et. al 2016).
Sleep duration differentially affects brain activation in response to food images in adolescents with overweight/obesity compared to adolescents with normal weight.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep is an important behavior that affects appetite and eating in adolescents. Our study examined food-related neural activation in brain regions associated with food reward and inhibition in adolescents under sleep-restricted and well-rested conditions. METHODS In this within-subjects study, 52 adolescents (ages 12-18; 46% female; M age = 15.96 years, SD = 1.56) with normal weight (NW; N = 29, M body mass index % [BMI%] = 54.55, SD = 24.54) or overweight/obesity (OV/OB; N = 23, M BMI% = 93.78, SD = 4.60) spent 5 hours in bed at home each night for five consecutive nights and 9 hours in bed at home each night for 5 consecutive nights, with the first day of each condition occurring 4 weeks apart. The morning following each sleep modification period, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected while participants performed an inhibitory (go/no-go) task with food stimuli. RESULTS We found significantly greater activation in brain regions associated with inhibition in adolescents with NW in response to food cues when sleep restricted. No increase in inhibition-related neural activation was observed in adolescents with OV/OB when sleep restricted. We also found neural activation consistent with greater reward processing associated with food cues following sleep restriction regardless of weight status. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that chronic sleep restriction may increase the likelihood of suboptimal dietary behavior for adolescents with OV/OB because they do not experience increased inhibition-related neural responding to counter possible increased reward-related neural responding following sleep restriction.
What About Kids and Appendicitis? Small Adults or Different Approach?

Appendicitis diagnosis in children is challenging. Atypical features are common. Less than half of children will present with classic periumbilical pain migrating to the right lower quadrant. Misdiagnosis rates are high. Perforation risk rises linearly and substantially with time. Clinical decision rules have been developed to aid in diagnosis but have limited utility due to inadequate positive predictive value. Ultrasound is the preferred initial imaging modality in children. Transfer to a pediatric center should be considered before imaging is conducted due to the complex clinical decision-making that may occur with an equivocal ultrasound. Appendectomy is the mainstay of treatment.
Reporting in Pediatric Resuscitation: Get with the Guidelines-Resuscitation Registry

High quality CPR and post-resuscitation care is associated with improved survival and functional outcomes following pediatric cardiac arrest. The evidence suggests that the quality of in-hospital resuscitation often does not achieve current resuscitation guideline targets and poor quality CPR contributes to poor patient outcomes. The Get With the Guidelines- Resuscitation (GWTG-R) database is a national evidence-based hospital quality improvement and patient safety program focused on improving resuscitation following cardiac arrest. Registry participation is voluntary with an annual fee that includes data support and report generation. The primary purpose of GWTG-R is to improve outcomes from in-hospital cardiac arrests through individual hospital cardiac arrest resuscitation process and outcome measurement. A secondary purpose is to generate a large, multi-institutional database of adult and pediatric cardiac arrests that facilitates comparison between the international consensus on resuscitation science and treatment recommendations with the actual implementation of guidelines and resultant outcomes. Limitations of the dataset include the lack of illness severity scores, risk-adjusted classification for congenital heart surgery scoring, and long-term neurologic, behavioural and functional outcome data. Exciting prospects for the future include linkage with other existing large databases such as the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) and Society for Thoracic Surgery (STS) databases.
Deformation Twinning in Single Crystals

A continuum theory is formulated to simultaneously address thermoelasticity, plasticity, and twinning in anisotropic single crystals subjected to arbitrarily large deformations. Dislocation glide and deformation twinning are dissipative mechanisms, while energy storage mechanisms associated with dislocation lines and twin boundaries are described via scalar internal state variables. In the inelastic regime, for highly symmetric orientations and rate independent shear strength, the Rankine–Hugoniot conditions and constitutive relations can be reduced to a set of algebraic equations to be solved for the material response. In a case study, the model describes the thermomechanical behavior of single crystals of alumina, i.e., sapphire. Resolved shear stresses necessary for glide or twin nucleation are estimated from nonlinear elastic calculations, theoretical considerations of Peierls barriers and stacking fault energies, and observations from both quasi-static and shock compression experiments. Residual elastic volume changes, predicted from nonlinear elastic considerations and approximated dislocation line energies, are positive and proportional to the dislocation line density and twin boundary area density. Analytical solutions to the planar shock problem are presented for c-axis compression of sapphire wherein rhombohedral twinning modes are activated.
Reliance on lakes by salmon, trout and charr (Oncorhynchus, Salmo and Salvelinus): An evaluation of spawning habitats, rearing strategies and trophic polymorphisms

Salmonid fishes may reside within or migrate between stream and lake habitats, or undergo anadromous migrations between freshwater and the ocean. While the degree of anadromy of salmonids has been thoroughly compared, no analogous review has examined the degree of lake use. To assess the extent of reliance on lake habitat in this family, we considered 16 species of salmon, trout and charr from the genera Oncorhynchus, Salmo and Salvelinus, comparing their (a) use of lakes as spawning habitat, (b) rearing strategies in lakes, and (c) occurrence and diversity of lacustrine trophic polymorphism. In identifying the primary life‐history patterns of each species and exploring the lesser‐known lacustrine behaviours, we found that the extent of reliance on lakes exhibits a negative association with the degree of anadromy. Oncorhynchus rely least on lakes, Salmo to an intermediate level and Salvelinus the most, opposite of the general prevalence of anadromy among these genera. Lakes are critical to adfluvial and lake‐resident salmonids, but they also support anadromous and fluvial life histories by providing spawning, rearing, overwintering and/or summer refuge habitat. Adfluviality, although a non‐anadromous life history, consists of similar migration‐related traits and behaviours as anadromy, including the parr–smolt transformation, sex‐biased patterns of migration and residency, and the presence of precocious males. Lakes support life‐history variants, reproductive ecotypes and trophic morphs unique to lacustrine habitat. Therefore, conservation of salmonids is dependent on maintaining the diversity and quality of their habitats, including lakes.
284-OR: How Do Patients and Caregivers Prioritize Outcomes for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Treatment?

Background: Currently, HbA1c is the primary measure of treatment effectiveness for type 1 diabetes (T1D). We investigated patient priorities for measures of T1D control in addition to HbA1c. Method: We developed discrete-choice experiment surveys for adult patients and caregivers of children with T1D that presented choices between hypothetical treatments described by 6 attributes with varying levels: HbA1c, time in range, weekly number and severity of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia events, additional disease management time, and additional treatment cost. The clinical outcomes were defined based on a 2017 consensus report standardizing the definition of outcomes beyond HbA1c. Respondents answered nine treatment choice questions, and the data were analyzed using random-parameters logit. Results: Recruited through an online market research panel, 300 adult patients and 400 caregivers completed the survey. Patients and caregivers placed the most importance on reducing low and high events. Additional time in range was as important as a reduction of more than ½ point in HbA1c, but both were less important than avoiding weekly lows and highs. Patients who did not use an insulin pump or CGM placed relatively more weight on reducing lows and highs and on improvements in HbA1c and time in range compared to patients who use technology. For patients, avoiding 1 to 5 lows (54-69 mg/dL) per week was 5 times more important than achieving target HbA1c from ½ point above. Avoiding 1 to 5 highs (181-250 mg/dL) per week was 7 times more important than achieving target HbA1c from ½ point above. Caregivers of children Conclusion: Overall, patients and caregivers prioritized control of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia events, including mild to moderate events. The research has implications for outcomes used to measure the benefits of treatment in research, development, and reimbursement of therapies for T1D. Disclosure M. Marinac: None. C.T. Hutton: None. C. Mansfield: Other Relationship; Self; Multiple companies. J. Sutphin: Other Relationship; Self; Multiple Companies. K. Gallaher: Other Relationship; Self; Multiple companies. S. Sullivan: None. Funding The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; JDRF International
Fingerprint + Iris = IrisPrint

We consider the problem of generating a biometric image from two different traits. Specifically, we focus on generating an IrisPrint that inherits its structure from a fingerprint image and an iris image. To facilitate this, the continuous phase of the fingerprint image, characterizing its ridge flow, is first extracted. Next, a scheme is developed to extract “minutiae” from an iris image. Finally, an IrisPrint, that resembles a fingerprint, is created by mixing the ridge flow of the fingerprint with the iris minutiae. Preliminary experiments suggest that the new biometric image (i.e., IrisPrint) (a) can potentially be used for authentication by an existing fingerprint matcher, and (b) can potentially conceal and preserve the privacy of the original fingerprint and iris images.
Development of internal sound sensor using stethoscope and its applications for machine monitoring

Abstract With the development of Internet of Things (IoT), predictive maintenance (PdM) for smart manufacturing receives attentions recently. For the monitoring of machines with rotary components, sound and vibration emitted from the machines have been utilized as the meaningful information. However, sound sensors are susceptible to external noise and the costs for signal conditioning should be considered. In this paper, a stethoscope is utilized as an internal sound sensor which are capable of noise reduction and affordable as IoT solutions. After the stethoscope was assembled with a microphone, a frequency range for measurement was identified as 0~255Hz using the swept-sine technique. Two stethoscope sensors were attached to an industrial robot, and the capability of noise reduction is verified by similarity of Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) spectrograms from sounds with and without existence of factory noise. Next, impact tests were performed to detect collision when the robot was stationary, and collisions by human hand during robot operation were detected from STFT spectrogram analysis. Finally, the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model from the spectrograms was established to estimate a rotating joint axis during operation, showing 91% and 90.83% accuracy for each stethoscope, respectively.
Tetraspanin18 regulates angiogenesis through VEGFR2 and Notch pathways

The VEGF pathway is critically required for vasculogenesis, the formation of the primary vascular network. It is also required for angiogenesis resulting in sprouting and pruning of vessels to generate mature arborizing structures. The Notch pathway is essential for arterial-venous specification and the maturation of nascent vessels. We have determined that Tspan18, a member of the Tetraspanin family, is expressed in developing vessels but not mature vasculature in zebrafish and mouse wound healing. Moreover, reduction at Tspan18 level resulted in aberrant vascular patterning, impaired vessel stability, and defective arterial-venous specification. Tspan18 deficiency reduced VEGF, VEGFR2, Notch3, EphrinB2, and increased EphB4, VEGFR3, Semaphorin3, Neuropilin, and PlexinD1 expression. Furthermore, vascular defects of Tspan18 deficiency could be rescued by ectopic expression of VEGFR2 and Notch, but not by knockdown of Semaphorin or Plexin. Functional studies showed that knockdown of Tspan18 led to reduced endothelial cell migration, invasion, and tube formation. Tspan18 has dynamic expression, regulates vascular development and maturation in the embryo with re-expression in adult life in wound healing.
Cobalt-Catalyzed Selective Unsymmetrical Dioxidation of gem-Difluoroalkenes.

gem-Difluoroalkenes represent valuable synthetic handles for organofluorine chemistry; however, most reactions of this substructure proceed through reactive intermediates prone to eliminate a fluor...
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Bleeding Disorders in Adolescents: A Primer for the Primary Care Physician

Bleeding disorders constitute an important etiology of heavy menstrual bleeding in adolescents that require detailed history taking, careful planning of the laboratory evaluation, and specific management approaches. Physicians, including primary care and family practice providers, should work in coordination with a hematologist for the management of heavy menstrual bleeding in adolescents when the suspicion of a bleeding disorder is high. The two core aspects of hematology care in heavy menstrual bleeding focus on the management of iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia and diagnostic evaluation of a bleeding disorder. School absenteeism and interruption in sports or social activities frequently occur in adolescents with heavy periods. A delay in the diagnosis of bleeding disorder interferes with a woman’s physical, social, emotional, and material quality of life. Given the consequences of HMB, healthcare providers should be able to evaluate an adolescent who presents with HMB competently. This chapter will highlight key aspects of the approach to the evaluation of bleeding disorders in adolescents with heavy menstrual bleeding.
A review of flood vulnerability indices for coastal cities

Abstract Combinations of qualitative and quantitative indicators are increasingly used to identify vulnerability to hazard events around the world. This chapter focuses specifically on vulnerability indices designed to measure vulnerability to coastal flooding in urbanized areas and provides a critical review of 24 coastal flood vulnerability assessments related to the design and implementation of these indices in order to determine overarching conceptual groupings and their relevance. Results show that a great deal of variability exists across indices in terms of the area of interest scale (ranging from nation to city) and unit of analysis scale (ranging from county to grid cell). Furthermore, sampled assessments are roughly split between focus on vulnerability as a physical phenomenon and as a social condition exacerbated by physical phenomena. Indicators across the sampled literature are grouped according to their relation to social, economic, institutional, environmental, built environment, and hazard-specific themes. This review of existing methods will provide the foundation for a summary of the field of flood vulnerability index creation, including a comparative analysis of the applicability of indicators across categories and their relation to the priorities outlined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Effect of Ibudilast on Thalamus and Spinal Cord in Progressive MS: Analysis from a Phase II Trial (1052)

Objective: To report the effect of ibudilast on thalamus and spinal cord in progressive MS. Background: The thalamus and spinal cord are CNS regions commonly affected in MS. The SPRINT-MS phase 2 trial, where ibudilast slowed brain atrophy progression by 48%, provides an ideal setting to evaluate the impact of ibudilast on measures of tissue integrity in these regions. Design/Methods: 255 subjects with progressive MS received either ibudilast or placebo for two years and imaged every 24 weeks using Siemens or GE 3T systems. Acquisitions included 3D spoiled gradient-recalled echo; proton density weighted and T2 weighted 2D turbo/fast spin-echo; 3D spoiled gradient-recalled echo with and without magnetization transfer pulse. Upper cervical spinal cord area was determined by atlas-based segmentation; thalamic volume was measured using multi-modal atlas-based segmentation and Jacobian integration; mean MTR was calculated within the thalamic mask. All imaging endpoints were assessed for differing rates of change between the treatment groups over time using linear mixed modeling. Results: Change in thalamic MTR was −0.01 units/month with placebo and +0.005 with ibudilast (difference 0.0154; p Conclusions: In a phase II trial in progressive MS, ibudilast treatment had differential effects on the thalamus: thalamic MTR improved with ibudilast, but progression of thalamic atrophy was unaffected, which suggests that MTR and atrophy are measuring different aspects of MS. Similarly with whole brain atrophy, progression of spinal cord atrophy was cut in half, although this difference was not statistically significant. These analyses provide further insight into the effect of ibudilast in progressive MS and the utility of these imaging modalities. Disclosure: Dr. Nakamura has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Speaking fees (Biogen, Novartis, and Sanofi).. Dr. Nakamura has received royalty, license fees, or contractual rights payments from Royalty fees for licenses (Biogen).. Dr. Nakamura has received research support from Research support (Biogen, Novartis, and Sanofi).. Dr. Raska has nothing to disclose. Dr. Goebel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fox has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Robert Fox has received compensation for serving as a consultant or speaker from Actelion, Biogen, Celgene, EMD Serono, Genentech, Immunic, Novartis, and Teva. He, or the institution he works for, has received research support from Novartis.. Dr. Fox has received research support from He, or the institution he works for, has received research support from Novartis..
An Evaluation of the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Risk Tolerance of Financial Decision Makers

Abstract This paper documents the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial risk attitudes across a broad sample of financial decision makers (N = 18,913). Findings show that the risk tolerance of financial decision makers can be altered when an extreme economic, social, or environmental shock occurs. A general shift away from be willing to take financial risk was noted after the COVID-19 pandemic emergency declaration. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted risk preference downward for the majority of financial decision makers in this study.
Computational Prediction of Functional Effects for Cancer Related Genetic Sequence Variants

Rapid advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies provide many opportunities to identify associations between genetic sequence variants (GSVs) and diseases, which may lead to better clinical diagnosis and treatments. The goal of this project is to efficiently identify candidate GSVs that may be associated with cancer using prostate data as an example. For this purpose, we analyzed the NGS data of 503 patients with prostate cancer (PrCa), which are in variant call format (VCF) files in The Cancer Genome Atlas project released through the National Cancer Institute Genomic Data Commons. We proposed a systematic workflow to first split the NGS data by chromosome for efficient preprocessing, then compare the statistical properties of GSVs between cancer and normal samples, and finally identify the GSVs with statistically significant associations with PrCa. Two popular tools FATHMM and PROVEAN were also employed to predict functional effects of GSVs. These results provided a list of 104 high-scoring nonsynonymous GSVs that deserve further investigation for possible pathogenicity. One particular GSV on this list, located within the SPOP gene on chromosome 17, is also significantly associated with PrCa. Methods presented in this paper will be implemented into the OncoMiner pipeline, enabling their application to various types of cancers.
Dark Times and Second Chances: Perceived Growth From Adversity.

Using a lifespan perspective, we investigated a neglected aspect of research on religion, namely, whether perceptions of growth from adversity might strengthen religious worldviews, thus accounting...
Frequency-Shifted Narrowband Transmit Pulse Sequencing and Data Compounding Strategy for Improved H-scan Ultrasound Imaging and Tissue Characterization

Tissue characterization using ultrasound (US) methods is a valuable tool for assessing tissue health and function. The newer H-scan US methodology is a pixel-level tissue characterization technique where the received backscattered US signals are linked to the size of the scatterer source including that from cell aggregates. Here we detail implementation of a new frequency-shifted narrowband transmit pulse sequencing and data compounding strategy for performing H-scan US imaging. Termed spectrum US imaging (SUI), the primary motivation was to improve relative scatterer size (RSS) estimation and quality of the resultant H-scan US images. The arbitrary waveform generator capability of a research scanner (Vantage 256, Verasonics Inc) was used to implement a frequency-shifted narrowband US transmit pulsing strategy. These narrowband pulses were equally spaced in the frequency domain to utilize the entire bandwidth of the linear array transducer. A total of 27 different frequency-shifted pulse sequences were implemented in the 3.3 to 11.3 MHz range. Next, matched to the center frequency of the different transmit pulses used to collect the US images during this frequency sweep, a filter bank was applied to the backscattered US data to measure the relative strength of the received signals. The signal envelope for each of these filtered and compounded data sequences was then calculated using a Hilbert transformation. This data was then color coded whereby the lower frequency backscattered US signal components are assigned to a redder channel and the higher frequency signals to bluer channel. Preliminary in vitro studies involved use of gelatin-based phantom that were embedded with either 30 or 40 µm spherical US scatterers. Images were collected using both SUI and traditional H-scan US imaging as comparison. Overall, SUI locally estimates the RSS and spatial distribution of aggregate US scatterers.
Success and failure of the defibrillation shock: insights from a simulation study.

Mechanisms for Shock Failure. Introduction: This simulation study presents a further inquiry into the mechanisms by which a strong electric shock fails to halt life-threatening; cardiac arrhythmins. Methods and Results: The research uses a model of the defibrillation process that represents a sheet of myocardium as a bidomain. The tissue consists of nonuniformly curved fibers in which spiral wave reentry is initiated. Monophasic defibrillation shocks are delivered via two line electrodes that occupy opposite tissue boundaries. In some simulation experiments, the polarity of the shock is reversed. Electrical activity in the sheet is compared for failed and successful shocks under controlled conditions. The maps of transmembrane potential and activation times calculated during and after the shock demonstrate that weak shocks fail to terminate the reentrant activity via two major mechanisms. As Compared with strong shocks, weak shocks result in (1) smaller extension of refractoriness in the areas depolarized by the shock, and (2) slower or incomplete activation of the excitable gap created by deexcitation of the negatively polarized areas. In its turn, mechanism 2 is associated with one or more of the following events: (a) lack of some break excitations, (b) latency in the occurrence of the break excitations, and (c) slower propagation through deexcited areas. Reversal of shock polarity results in a change of the extent of the regions of deexcitation. and thus, in a change in defibrillation threshold. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the paramount importance of shock-induced deexcitation in both defibrillation and postshock arrhythmogenesis.
Evidence suggesting that virulence maps to the P1 region of the coxsackievirus B4 genome.

Abstract A chimeric virus containing the P1 region of a virulent variant of coxsackievirus B4 and the P2 and P3 regions of a nonvirulent strain was constructed from cDNA clones. The chimeric virus induced pancreatitis with concurrent hypoglycemia similar to that observed in mice infected with the virulent variant.