cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biogeochemical consequences of regional land use change to a biofuel crop in the southeastern United States

The United States has mandated the production of 80 billion liters of second-generation biofuel by 2022, and several approaches to meet this target focus on using ligno-cellulosic ethanol from perennial grasses and non-food crops. The large-scale deployment of biofuel agronomy should consider high-yielding crops that meet ethanol production goals, choose appropriate landscapes for biofuel crops from a climate and food production standpoint, and a full consideration of the environmental impact of large-scale land use change. The southeastern United States has a long growing season conducive for producing high-yielding crops, and is relatively less important to US food production than the rain-fed Midwestern states that have been extensively studied for biofuel crops. We use the DayCent biogeochemical model to run simulation experiments to test the hypotheses that converting a large swath of traditional agriculture in the southeastern United States that is already utilized for bioenergy production (assuming 35% of current corn-soy, and 10% of grazed pasture hectares; similar to 950,000 ha) to energy cane will result in greater biomass production, increased soil C storage, decreased soil N losses and lower greenhouse gas emissions than a landscape of corn-soy rotations and interspersed grazed pasture. Our simulations suggest that energy cane above-ground productivity on former pasture and corn-soy fields would be between 52-59 million Mg dry mass per year, resulting in 21.1-23.7 billion liters of ligno-cellulosic ethanol, or similar to 28% of the 2022 US government mandate. DayCent did not predict significant changes in soil C flux from land conversion to energy cane, but simulations predicted lower rates of N loss compared to current agriculture. GHG emissions from energy cane landscapes were substantially higher on former pasture, but an order of magnitude lower when compared to corn-soy hectares. While further study is needed to ascertain the full economic and industrial feasibility of converting nearly 1,000,000 ha of land to energy cane production, our results suggest that such an undertaking could meet a sizeable fraction of the US ethanol mandate, reduce N pollution and GHG emissions, and avoid compromising land devoted to food production in the southeastern United States.
Federal Spending and the Revolution of '94

With the election of 1994, the Republican party gained control of both houses of the U.S. Congress for the first time since 1954. In this paper, we analyze whether this change in party control had significant effects on the determinants of federal spending at the state level. To perform this analysis, we utilize panel data on federal spending, at the state level, over the years 1983-2004. We allow for a break in the sample to analyze whether the political determinants of state level spending differed after the election of 1994. There is little evidence that a presence in the house or senate majority yields positive spending effects prior to the election of 1994, but a positive spending effect does emerge after the Republican takeover. Surprisingly, there is evidence that spending became more redistributive (measured at the state level) in the later period.
Non-contact position control via fluid shear force

Abstract Non-contact position control of components is beneficial to avoid wear, damage, and nonlinearities associated with friction. Air bearings, in particular, offer non-contact, high stiffness guidance, but no means of controlling the position of the supported component. In this work, we investigate the use of shear force resulting from the air bearing fluid flow as a means of actuation. Shear force actuation is tested in an air bearing slumping system, where a flat, horizontally placed glass substrate is supported on both sides by top and bottom air bearings. We investigate the use of two methods of substrate position sensing: a fiber-optic sensor and a machine vision sensor. We show that the glass substrate position can be successfully controlled by using fluid shear force. The magnitude of the fluid shear force is measured. System identification is performed, and the results are shown to agree with a second-order model.
Effect of Nosema locustae (Microsporida: Nosematidae) on Food Consumption in the Differential Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

The effect of Nosema locustae on food consumption by healthy versus infected Melanoplus differentialis (Thomas) was determined. Infected females consumed significantly less food than uninfected females, but there was no significant difference in food consumption by infected and uninfected males.
Bacterial fluoride resistance, Fluc channels, and the weak acid accumulation effect

Fluoride ion (F−) is a ubiquitous environmental threat to microorganisms, which have evolved a family of highly selective “Fluc” F− channels that export this inhibitory anion from their cytoplasm. It is unclear, however, how a thermodynamically passive mechanism like an ion channel can protect against high concentrations of external F−. We monitored external F− concentrations in Escherichia coli suspensions and showed that, in bacteria lacking Fluc, F− accumulates when the external medium is acidified, as a predicted function of the transmembrane pH gradient. This weak acid accumulation effect, which results from the high pKa (3.4) and membrane permeability of HF, is abolished by Fluc channels. We also found that, although bacterial growth is inhibited by high concentrations of F−, bacteria can withstand cytoplasmic F− at levels a hundred times higher than those that inhibit proliferation, resuming growth when the F− challenge is removed.
Numerical and Experimental Study of Trenched Film Hole Cooling for a Realistic Cascade in an Annular Endwall, Phase 1: Test Rig Construction and Preliminary Data

This is a preliminary numerical and experimental study on the film cooling effectiveness. Film cooling holes will be employed in the stagnation region (inner-diameter endwall or hub endwall) of GE-E3 first stage rotor blades of a high pressure turbine in a subsonic commercial aircraft. For deeper understanding of interaction behavior between film cooling jets and secondary flows inside the cascade passage, a realistic (0.8 Mach number) annular test rig has been built and completed in the CATER laboratory. Five (four and two halves) 3D profile airfoils are used to gain a periodic flow for the middle passage. The experimental test rig is a 3X scaled of the real engine geometry. It has an inner diameter surface of 970 mm and outer diameter surface of 1098 mm. It is the middle passage where all the measurement has been measured. A RANS numerical model has been simulated and is used to validate the experimental data and the existing open literature. The computational fluid dynamic simulation models a steady annular cascade with five realistic airfoils (4 and 2 halves). The computational fluid dynamic model is simulated using a commercial package. It is the computational fluid dynamic model will also be used to extract all the necessary data for the sensitivity analysis while certain cases will be parallel validated against with experimental data. Preliminary pressure and velocity data have been mapped and will be presented at this phase. The obtained data are useful and help the current investigation move forward. Detail study of interaction characteristic between trenched film cooling jets and the main stream will be reported in the next phase and parameter sensitivities analysis on the film cooling effectiveness and cooling uniformity coefficient using response surface methodology will also explicitly introduced.
Understanding the genetics of APOE and TOMM40 and role of mitochondrial structure and function in clinical pharmacology of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract The methodology of Genome-Wide Association Screening (GWAS) has been applied for more than a decade. Translation to clinical utility has been limited, especially in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). It has become standard practice in the analyses of more than two dozen AD GWAS studies to exclude the apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) region because of its extraordinary statistical support, unique thus far in complex human diseases. New genes associated with AD are proposed frequently based on SNPs associated with odds ratio (OR) APOE-TOMM40 linkage disequilibrium region, the relationship and data of several genes that are co-located in that LD region have been largely ignored. Early negative interpretations limited the interest of understanding the genetic data derived from GWAS, particularly regarding the TOMM40 gene. This commentary describes the history and problem(s) in interpretation of the genetic interrogation of the " APOE " region and provides insight into a metabolic mitochondrial basis for the etiology of AD using both APOE and TOMM40 genetics.
A survey of HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing individuals in Liuzhou city

Objective To survey the prevalence and behaviour of HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing(VCT) people in Liuzhou city so as to limit the education objects and contents and to harvest evidences for making AIDS preveotion programs.Methods 2336 individuals who were willing to Liuzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) for HIV VCT participated in this study.The recorded materials related to population and behavior were analyzed.Results The age of VCT participants ranged from 20～45 years old,occupying 80.99%.The females made up of 55.44%.60.49% of them received HIV VCT because of bisexual behaviour.The married people made up of 55.52% of total VCT participants.Individuals who had finished high school occupied a high percentage(83.86%);freelances and jobless people occupied 79.92%.Conclusion HIV infection will mainly cause by sex transmission.AIDS prevention program should focus on prostitutes,homosexuality,drug-user,low-education farm workers and housewives,and strengthening VCT.
122 ZINC DEFICIENCY ALTERS DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID METHYLATION AND GENE EXPRESSION IN A HEPATIC CELL CULTURE MODEL

Background Premature and IUGR infants are often found to be zinc deficient, and zinc deficiency (ZnD) has been shown to decrease growth and increase morbidity. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this remain unknown. However, in our lab, we have seen that juvenile rats fed a zinc deficient diet are characterized by altered hepatic DNA methylation and expression of genes central to glucose homeostasis. To limit confounders invariably present in an in vivo system, we have developed a cell culture model of ZnD to isolate the effects of ZnD upon the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Objective We hypothesized that, in hepatic cell culture, ZnD would alter DNA methylation, nuclear heterochromatin, and gene expression. Design/Methods Zinc deficient cell culture media was created by chelation with a resin specific for divalent cations. The resultant media was replenished with Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, and Cu2+ so that the only difference was Zn2+ concentration (1μM vs 7.5μM). Cells were grown for 7 days and harvested for analysis. Cytosine extension assay was done to determine DNA methylation status using BssHII and HpaII. BssHII is a methylation sensitive enzyme that cuts a site frequently found within promoter regions, while the site for the methylation sensitive enzyme HpaII is widely dispersed throughout the genome. MspI was used as a non-methylation sensitive control. Nuclear heterochromatin was assessed using electron microscopy. mRNA levels for PGC-1, PEPCK, and GLUT2 were quantified using real-time RT-PCR. Results ZnD increased CpG methylation. Methylation at BssHII sites was increased by 255±70%*, while methylation at HpaII was increased by 212±21%*. There was no significant difference noted in the MspI digests. EM revealed an increased amount of heterochromatin in zinc deficient vs control cells. Correlated with CpG hypermethylation and increased heterochromatin, mRNA levels of PGC-1, and PEPCK were decreased in zinc deficient cells by 26.9±3%* and 46.3±4%*, respectively. There was no significant change in GLUT2 expression. *(n=3, p≤0.05) Conclusions In hepatic cell culture, ZnD increases DNA methylation and nuclear heterochromatin, and decreases expression of genes central to glucose homeostasis, as was seen in a juvenile rat model of ZnD. We therefore speculate that ZnD alters gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms.
Abstract IA25: Obesity, metabolism, and cancer: Mechanistic insights from transdisciplinary studies

The prevalence of obesity, an established risk and progression factor for many cancers, has risen steadily for the past several decades in the US and many other countries. Unfortunately, the mechanisms underlying the obesity and cancer connection are poorly understood, and new targets and strategies for offsetting the impact of obesity on cancer risk are urgently needed. We have established in a series of dietary, genetic and pharmacologic studies using genetically-engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of mammary and pancreatic cancer, that insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor signaling via the Akt/mTOR pathway, as well as NF-kB-mediated inflammatory signals, are central to many of the pro-cancer effects of obesity as well as the anti-cancer effects of calorie restriction (CR). We have also linked our mouse model studies with clinical trials and epidemiologic studies to accelerate the translation of our preclinical findings in humans. Our recent work has focused on testing the hypothesis that moderate weight loss alone does not reverse the cancer-associated metabolic and inflammatory perturbations that occur with chronic obesity. We have found in our GEMMs and human studies that chronic obesity results in epigenetic reprogramming, including global changes in DNA and histone methylation and microRNA biogenesis, and have established that normalization of weight is insufficient to reverse the obesity-induced epigenetic and metabolic changes and normalize cancer susceptibility. Our transdisciplinary studies suggest that combining weight loss regimens with interventions that target the obesity-associated epigenetic, metabolic and/or inflammatory changes may be an effective strategy for breaking the obesity-cancer link. Citation Format: Stephen David Hursting. Obesity, metabolism, and cancer: Mechanistic insights from transdisciplinary studies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Metabolism and Cancer; Jun 7-10, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(1_Suppl):Abstract nr IA25.
Open-Loop Electrowetting Actuation with Micro-Stepping

Abstract Microfluidic-driven mechanical actuation opens new possibilities for positioning and manipulating delicate small components. However, existing microfluidic actuation methods are not well-suited to positioning with high resolution. This paper reports a method for precise, open-loop control of droplet position in finite steps by varying the duty cycle of the input signal in electrowetting actuation. When wetted to a solid object, both the droplet and the solid can be actuated. Unlike conventional electrowetting actuation methods, positioning resolution in our proposed method can be much smaller than the size of the underlying electrodes without requiring closed loop feedback control system. Using a leaky dielectric coating, the electrode/electrolyte combination in our device acts as a simple diode by blocking current in one direction and conducting in the other. Each duty cycle of the applied AC square wave corresponds to a unique position on the electrode. The position – duty cycle relationship is found to be nonlinear but symmetric about the center of the electrodes. This approach provides a method for improving open-loop positioning resolution without adding more electrodes. Positioning is within 0.2 mm (
Local residual stress monitoring of aluminum nitride MEMS using UV micro-Raman spectroscopy

Localized stress variation in aluminum nitride (AlN) sputtered on patterned metallization has been monitored through the use of UV micro-Raman spectroscopy. This technique utilizing 325 nm laser excitation allows detection of the AlN E2(high) phonon mode in the presence of metal electrodes beneath the AlN layer with a high spatial resolution of less than 400 nm. The AlN film stress shifted 400 MPa from regions where AlN was deposited over a bottom metal electrode versus silicon dioxide. Across wafer stress variations were also investigated showing that wafer level stress metrology, for example using wafer curvature measurements, introduces large uncertainties for predicting the impact of AlN residual stress on the device performance.
Octahedral Werner complexes with substituted ethylenediamine ligands: a stereochemical primer for a historic series of compounds now emerging as a modern family of catalysts

As reported by Alfred Werner in 1911–1912, salts of the formally D3 symmetric [Co(en)3]3+ (en = ethylenediamine) trication were among the first chiral inorganic compounds to be resolved into enantiomers, the absolute configurations of which are denoted Λ (left handed helix) or Δ (right handed helix). After a >100 year dormant period during which few useful reactions of these substitution inert complexes were described, carbon substituted derivatives have recently been found to be potent catalysts for enantioselective organic synthesis. This review systematically outlines the fascinating range of stereoisomers that can arise, such as conformers associated with the five membered chelate rings (λ/δ), alignment modes of the C–C bonds with the C3 symmetry axis (lel/ob), geometric isomers (fac/mer), and configurational diastereomers (R/S) arising from carbon stereocenters. These analyses demonstrate a profound stereochemical diversity that can be applied in catalyst optimization. Efforts are made to bridge the often orthogonal nomenclature systems inorganic and organic chemists employ to describe these phenomena.
Development and Validation of an Automated Method to Identify Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer Using Natural Language Processing

Abstract Introduction Measurement for quality improvement relies on accurate case identification and characterization. With electronic health records now widely deployed, natural language processing, the use of software to transform text into structured data, may enrich quality measurement. Accordingly we evaluated the application of natural language processing to radical cystectomy procedures for patients with bladder cancer. Methods From a sample of 497 procedures performed from March 2013 to October 2014 we identified radical cystectomy for primary bladder cancer using the approaches of 1) a natural language processing enhanced algorithm, 2) an administrative claims based algorithm and 3) manual chart review. We also characterized treatment with robotic surgery and continent urinary diversion. Using chart review as the reference standard we calculated the observed agreement (kappa statistic), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for natural language processing and administrative claims. Results We confirmed 84 radical cystectomies were performed for bladder cancer, with 50.0% robotic and 38.6% continent diversions. The natural language processing enhanced and claims based algorithms demonstrated 99.8% (κ=0.993, 95% CI 0.979–1.000) and 98.6% (κ=0.951, 95% CI 0.915–0.987) agreement with manual review, respectively. Both approaches accurately characterized robotic vs open surgery, with natural language processing enhanced algorithms showing 98.8% (κ=0.976, 95% CI 0.930–1.000) and claims based 90.5% (κ=0.810, 95% CI 0.686–0.933) agreement. For urinary diversion natural language processing enhanced algorithms correctly specified 96.4% of cases (κ=0.924, 95% CI 0.839–1.000) compared with 83.3% (κ=0.655, 95% CI 0.491–0.819). Conclusions Natural language processing enhanced and claims based algorithms accurately identified radical cystectomy cases at our institution. However, natural language processing appears to better classify specific aspects of cystectomy surgery, highlighting a potential advantage of this emerging methodology.
Reference Injected Phase-Locked Loops (PLL-RIs)

In this paper, we use synchronization to reduce phase-locked loop (PLL) phase noise and improve its locking behavior with an attenuated reference signal injection (RI) into a voltage-controlled CMOS delay-line ring-type oscillator. The transient and steady-state behavior of the PLL-RI are described by a nonlinear differential equation, which is further studied by the phase-plane method. The nonlinear equation is linearized for the small-signal condition and the s-domain noise transfer functions and noise bandwidths for different noise sources are derived. The effect of the loop parameters and the injection strength on the output phase noise, loop settling time, and lock in range is analyzed. Finally, the analysis is verified by the SPICE simulation and measurement results from an 1-GHz PLL-RI with 130-nm standard RF CMOS technology. Simulation and measurement results show phase noise reduction and improved settling behavior of a PLL-RI compared with a conventional PLL.
Communicating with scientific graphics: A descriptive inquiry into non-ideal normativity.

Abstract Scientists’ graphical practices have recently become a target of inquiry in the philosophy of science, and in the cognitive sciences. Here I supplement our understanding of graphical practices via a case study of how researchers crafted the graphics for scientific publication in the field of circadian biology. The case highlights social aspects of graphical production which have gone understudied – especially concerning the negotiation of publication. I argue that it also supports a challenge to the claim that empirically-informed “cognitive design principles” offer an apt understanding of the norms of success which govern good scientific graphic design to communicate data and hypotheses to other experts. In this respect, the case-study also illustrates how “descriptive” studies of scientific practice can connect with normative issues in philosophy of science, thereby addressing a central concern in recent discussions of practice-oriented philosophy of science.
Computational microscopy: illumination coding and nonlinear optimization enables Gigapixel 3D phase imaging

Microscope lenses can have either large field of view (FOV) or high resolution, not both. Computational microscopy based on illumination coding circumvents this limit by fusing images from different illumination angles using nonlinear optimization algorithms. The result is a Gigapixel-scale image having both wide FOV and high resolution. We demonstrate an experimentally robust reconstruction algorithm based on a 2nd order quasi-Newton's method, combined with a novel phase initialization scheme. To further extend the Gigapixel imaging capability to 3D, we develop a reconstruction method to process the 4D light field measurements from sequential illumination scanning. The algorithm is based on a ‘multi-slice’ forward model that incorporates both 3D phase and diffraction effects, as well as multiple forward scatterings. To solve the inverse problem, an iterative update procedure that combines both phase retrieval and ‘error back-propagation’ is developed. To avoid local minimum solutions, we further develop a novel physical model-based initialization technique that accounts for both the geometric-optic and 1st order phase effects. The result is robust reconstructions of Gigapixel 3D phase images having both wide FOV and super resolution in all three dimensions. Experimental results from an LED array microscope were demonstrated.
Longwave Speeds in Materials with Cracks and Cavities of Various Shapes

Propagation of plane elastic waves in materials with cavities of various shapes and cracks (or mixtures of cavities of diverse shapes) is discussed in the longwave limit. In this limit, the wavespeeds are determined by the effective elastostatic moduli, i.e. the material is modeled by the homogeneous elastic solid having effective elastic constants.
North America: Sociocultural Aspects

The United States and Canada have long been understood through analysis of the sociocultural aspects of both everyday life and structural forces. Historical transformations in North America have spurred the development of social scientific theory about cultural difference, its sources, and its implications. Several ways of accounting for sociocultural life in the United States and Canada have been salient: as nations of local communities, racially organized societies, nations of immigrants, capitalist economies, contradictory democracies, and, increasingly, as settler colonial societies.
Epidemiology of Candida Infections in the Intensive Care Unit

Over the last two decades, the incidence of many fungal diseases in the United States has increased dramatically, mostly due to major advances in health care, as well as various demographic changes. These include aging of the population, the HIV epidemic, and the increasingly aggressive medical therapies available. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are more widely used than ever, especially among neutropenic and surgical patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Potent cytotoxic chemotherapy, as well as more effective immunomodulation therapy, has resulted in prolonged survival of cancer patients and transplant recipients, but also in periods of severe immunosuppression and increased risk for fungal infections. Dramatic changes have also been achieved in neonatal care, leading to improved survival of premature infants.
NHE-1 Inhibitors and Erythropoietin for Maintaining Myocardial Function during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Efforts to successfully restore life in cardiac arrest victims are formidably challenging. They require not only that cardiac activity be initially reestablished but that injury to vital organs be prevented or minimized. In this article, we discuss the effects that cardiac arrest and resuscitation have on the myocardium, describing first the functional myocardial abnormalities that occur during cardiac resuscitation, which may limit the ability to reestablish cardiac activity. We then discuss strategies for minimizing myocardial injury and examine novel therapies aimed at minimizing ischemia and reperfusion injury. Finally, we discuss sodium-hydrogen exchanger isoform-1(NHE-1) inhibitors and erythropoietin for maintaining myocardial function during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Pedagogy in Harry Potter: An Inquiry Into the Personal Practical Knowledge of Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid, and Severus Snape

AbstractOn the 20th anniversary of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, we examine the narratives of pedagogical practice of three teachers at “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”. By drawing on these characters’ stories of teaching as presented in Rowling’s novels, we foreground their personal practical knowledge and the relationship of this knowledge to their curriculum-making. We do this in order to highlight the importance of narrative perspective and context in the assessment and evaluation of teachers’ pedagogical practice.
Revisiting the Polyol Synthesis of Silver Nanostructures: Role of Chloride in Nanocube Formation.

Chloride (Cl–) is often used together with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the polyol synthesis of Ag nanocubes. In the literature, shape control is attributed predominantly to the preferential binding of PVP to Ag(100) facets compared to Ag(111) facets, whereas the role of Cl– has not been well studied. Several hypotheses have been proposed regarding the role of Cl–; however, there is still no consensus regarding the exact influence of Cl– in the shape-controlled synthesis of Ag nanocubes. To examine the influence of Cl–, we undertook a joint theoretical–experimental study. Experimentally, we examined the influence of Cl– concentration on the shape of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) at constant H+ concentration. In the presence of H+, in situ formed HNO3 etches the initially formed Ag seeds and slows down the overall reduction of Ag+, which promotes the formation of monodisperse Ag NPs. Ex situ experiments probed the evolution of Cl– during the growth of Ag nanocubes, which involves the initial formation of AgCl na...
ATGL-1 mediates the effect of dietary restriction and the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway on longevity in C. elegans.

Abstract Objective Animal lifespan is controlled through genetic pathways that are conserved from nematodes to humans. Lifespan-promoting conditions in nematodes include fasting and a reduction of insulin/IGF signaling. Here we aimed to investigate the input of the Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of the mammalian rate-limiting lipolytic enzyme Adipose Triglyceride Lipase, ATGL-1, in longevity control. Methods We used a combination of genetic and biochemical approaches to determine the role of ATGL-1 in accumulation of triglycerides and regulation of longevity. Results We found that expression of ATGL is increased in the insulin receptor homologue mutant daf-2 in a FoxO/DAF-16-dependent manner. ATGL-1 is also up-regulated by fasting and in the eat-2 loss-of-function mutant strain. Overexpression of ATGL-1 increases basal and maximal oxygen consumption rate and extends lifespan in C. elegans. Reduction of ATGL-1 function suppresses longevity of the long-lived mutants eat-2 and daf-2. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that ATGL is required for extended lifespan downstream of both dietary restriction and reduced insulin/IGF signaling.
Ilities Semantic Basis: Research Progress and Future Directions

Abstract This paper summarizes progress on the investigation of an ilities semantic basis. One of the fundamental challenges for developing a clearer understanding of the semantics of “ilities” (sometimes referred to as system qualities) is continuing ambiguity in these terms. Prior and ongoing research on use of a prescriptive semantic basis has resulted in a framework for formulating ility “definitions.” Progress has been made on evolving the semantic basis construct, a translation layer, and ilities metrics. Synergies with other relevant research are explored. Potential application of the semantic basis approach is discussed, including near-term application in education and longer-term application in technical document comprehension of non-technical requirements. Several future directions for ilities research within the systems community are proposed.
Peptides Derived from the Tight Junction Protein CLDN1 Disrupt the Skin Barrier and Promote Responsiveness to an Epicutaneous Vaccine

Keratinocytes express many pattern recognition receptors that enhance the skin's adaptive immune response to epicutaneous antigens. We have shown that these pattern recognition receptors are expressed below tight junctions (TJ), strongly implicating TJ disruption as a critical step in antigen responsiveness. To disrupt TJs, we designed peptides inspired by the first extracellular loop of the TJ transmembrane protein CLDN1. These peptides transiently disrupted TJs in the human lung epithelial cell line 16HBE and delayed TJ formation in primary human keratinocytes. Building on these observations, we tested whether vaccinating mice with an epicutaneous influenza patch containing TJ-disrupting peptides was an effective strategy to elicit an immunogenic response. Application of a TJ-disrupting peptide patch resulted in barrier disruption as measured by increased transepithelial water loss. We observed a significant increase in antigen-specific antibodies when we applied patches with TJ-disrupting peptide plus antigen (influenza hemagglutinin) in either a patch-prime or a patch-boost model. Collectively, these observations demonstrate that our designed peptides perturb TJs in human lung as well as human and murine skin epithelium, enabling epicutaneous vaccine delivery. We anticipate that this approach could obviate currently used needle-based vaccination methods that require administration by health care workers and biohazard waste removal.
A Novel Graph Neural Network to Localize Eloquent Cortex in Brain Tumor Patients from Resting-State fMRI Connectivity

We develop a novel method to localize the language and motor areas of the eloquent cortex in brain tumor patients based on resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity. Our method leverages the representation power of convolutional neural networks through specialized filters that act topologically on the rs-fMRI connectivity data. This Graph Neural Network (GNN) classifies each parcel in the brain into eloquent cortex, tumor, or background gray matter, thus accommodating varying tumor characteristics across patients. Our loss function also reflects the large class-imbalance present in our data. We evaluate our GNN on rs-fMRI data from 60 brain tumor patients with different tumor sizes and locations. We use motor and language task fMRI for validation. Our model achieves better localization than linear SVM, random forest, and a multilayer perceptron architecture. Our GNN is able to correctly identify bilateral language areas in the brain even when trained on patients whose language network is lateralized to the left hemisphere.
Local Density Correlations in Liquids

The structure and dynamics of liquids and glasses are usually discussed in terms of the short-range atomic structure and the nature of atomic bonds. However, many properties of liquids are rather similar and only weakly dependent on chemistry. Here we suggest that these properties are controlled not so much by the short-range atomic correlations but mainly by the medium-range density correlations which are similar among various liquids and supersede chemical details of the system. Taking metallic alloy liquids as examples we discuss the origin of the medium-range density correlations and argue they are only weakly dependent on the detailed nature of the atomic bond. By extrapolating the coherence of density correlation to infinity we can define an ideal glass state which is very diverse in the local atomic structure but is characterized by long-range density correlations.
A tattoo granuloma with uveitis (TAGU) without sarcoidosis

Tattooing is associated with a handful of potential complications. Short-term complications such as pain, pruritus, erythema, or swelling at the tattoo-site commonly occur from local skin trauma. Long-term complications tend to involve infections or immune-mediated reactions such as sarcoidosis. The sudden development of a papulonodular skin eruption affecting a particular pigment in a tattoo is often the initial manifestation of undiagnosed sarcoidosis in these patients. However, in a small number of individuals, the granulomatous change in the tattoo and uveitis occur in the absence of any evidence of sarcoidosis. A case is presented of a tattoo granuloma with uveitis (TAGU) without sarcoidosis.
Three-Dimensional Wisdom and Perceived Stress among College Students

It is generally assumed that wise people know how to manage hardship and crises in life. If true, wisdom should buffer against stress among college students. Conversely, stress might adversely affect students’ wisdom by causing them to focus more on their own needs rather than other people’s perspectives, feelings, and needs. We used a short-term longitudinal survey of 216 college students to examine the relations between three-dimensional wisdom (assessed by the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale, consisting of cognitive, reflective, and compassionate dimensions) and perceived stress (assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale) at the beginning and end of the semester. Paired-sample t tests indicated that, on average, perceived stress increased over time, whereas three-dimensional wisdom, and specifically the cognitive and compassionate wisdom dimensions, decreased between the beginning and end of the semester. Cross-linked autoregressive models showed a negative association between wisdom and perceived stress concurrently at the beginning and end of the semester and an inverse effect of wisdom on perceived stress longitudinally but not vice versa after controlling for baseline scores. Although some stressful experiences might lead to stress-related growth and ultimately greater wisdom in the long-term, our results suggest that stress is negatively related to the development of wisdom among college students. However, wisdom might buffer feelings of stress over time. Hence, fostering wisdom might strengthen equanimity and mental health, particularly during stressful times.
Attribute-based Propensity for Unbiased Learning in Recommender Systems: Algorithm and Case Studies

Many modern recommender systems train their models based on a large amount of implicit user feedback data. Due to the inherent bias in this data (e.g., position bias), learning from it directly can lead to suboptimal models. Recently, unbiased learning was proposed to address such problems by leveraging counterfactual techniques like inverse propensity weighting (IPW). In these methods, propensity scores estimation is usually limited to item's display position in a single user interface (UI). In this paper, we generalize the traditional position bias model to an attribute-based propensity framework. Our methods estimate propensity scores based on offline data and allow propensity estimation across a broad range of implicit feedback scenarios, e.g., feedback beyond recommender system UI. We demonstrate this by applying this framework to three real-world large-scale recommender systems in Google Drive that serve millions of users. For each system, we conduct both offline and online evaluation. Our results show that the proposed framework is able to significantly improve upon strong production baselines across a diverse range of recommendation item types (documents, people-document pairs, and queries), UI layouts (horizontal, vertical, and grid layouts), and underlying learning algorithms (gradient boosted decision trees and neural networks), all without the need to intervene and degrade the user experience. The proposed models have been deployed in the production systems with ease since no serving infrastructure change is needed.
Accounting and convergence in corporate governance: doctrinal or economic path dependence?

Convergence in corporate governance has been debated for more than 20 years. This paper seeks to explain convergence – and the lack thereof – in accounting laws and standards, within the context of this debate. One could argue about whether accounting has undergone international convergence. One the one hand, the two major accounting systems, IFRS and US GAAP, share the same goal of providing timely and useful information to investors. On the other hand, differences between the two sets of standards remain, and the SEC still does not permit domestic issuers to use IFRS. Moreover, while EU publicly-traded firms are required to use IFRS for their consolidated financial statements, many Member States, continue to require or permit the use of domestic accounting standards for private firms and for entity-level accounting. This paper seeks to explain this persistent divergence with path dependence. Path dependence is often driven by interest groups. However, there is also the possibility of doctrinal path dependence, which can be explained with the difficulty of making fundamental changes given that legal professionals aim for certain and seek to preserve the value of their specialized human capital. A major factor in accounting reform are the interests of accounting professionals, particularly in large international firms (the “Big 4”). Divergence may in part be because the interests of this key constituency differ between the US and Continental European countries. In Europe, the internationalization of accounting has generally been favored by large firms because of the possibility of increasing their market share at the expense of purely domestic firms. This explains the compromise implemented in the Member state options of the IFRS Regulation. By contrast, the US already had a fully developed set of accounting standards focused on capital markets when IFRS became an option, which means there were no rents to capture for large firms as a result of changes in the audit market. In addition, a key feature of US corporate governance distinguishes it from other systems, including the UK, namely the prevalence of investor litigation. Consequently, a rules-based system serves the interest of the accounting profession better than the arguably more standards-based IFRS.
The chicken or the egg? newly diagnosed interstitial lung disease (ILD) after novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19)

A 79-year-old male presented for evaluation of dyspnea and dry cough. Five months prior he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and a pulmonary embolus requiring 2L/min of supplemental oxygen, enoxaparin, hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir. He was discharged home with apixaban and supplemental oxygen. He had a 10 pack-per-year history of smoking and quit fifty years ago. He had no occupational or environmental exposures associated with pulmonary fibrosis. He had no family history of connective tissue disease or pulmonary fibrosis. On physical examination, he had normal vital signs and his saturation was 100% on room air. Pertinent positive exam findings were limited to bibasilar dry crackles. There were no skin, joint, or oral findings. Pulmonary function tests showed normal lung volumes with normal spirometry and a severely decreased diffusing capacity. A CT revealed improvement of ground glass opacities with persistent subpleural reticulations and honeycombing. Notably, lung images of the lower lobes from a CT scan of the abdomen six years prior to this evaluation showed bibasilar reticulations and ground glass infiltrates. Laboratory studies were notable for an elevated ANA titer in a speckled pattern, elevated CCP and elevated anti-SSA 52 kD. Additional autoimmune serologies were negative. Given the presence of interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) in prior imaging and elevated autoimmune markers, he was deemed to have had an exacerbation of previously subclinical ILD caused by COVID-19. The long-term effects of the inflammatory response from COVID-19 have not been characterized. Initial data of CT scans in patients show that up to 17% develop fibrotic changes during the course of the disease. It remains to be seen whether there will be a progressive fibrotic phenotype solely attributable COVID-19 itself. This has been described during the H1N1 and SARS-COV1 outbreaks in patients who developed ARDS but is not observed in post-ARDS pulmonary fibrosis caused by other etiologies. The key to differentiating between a primary ILD rather than post-COVID-19 hinges on antecedent history. The patient's prior radiographic findings meet the research construct of interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) which refers to patterns of increased lung density in patients with no history of ILD. When post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis is observed, due diligence must be taken to determine alternate etiologies of subclinical ILD that may have been unmasked by COVID-19, rather than caused by it. It remains unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 could activate a latent autoimmunity or potentially cause a de novo autoimmune lung disease as has been suggested.
Automatic Traffic Queue-End Identification using Location-Based Waze User Reports:

Traffic queues, especially queues caused by non-recurrent events such as incidents, are unexpected to high-speed drivers approaching the end of queue (EOQ) and become safety concerns. Though the to...
Utilization of Thromboelastogram and Inflammatory Markers in the Management of Hypercoagulable State in Patients with COVID-19 Requiring ECMO Support

The role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the management of critically ill patients with COVID-19 is evolving. Extracorporeal support independently confers an increased predilection for thrombosis, which can be exacerbated by COVID-19-associated coagulopathy. We present the successful management of a hypercoagulable state in two patients who required venovenous ECMO for the treatment of COVID-19. This included monitoring inflammatory markers (D-dimer and fibrinogen), performing a series of therapeutic plasma exchange procedures, and administering high-intensity anticoagulation therapy and thromboelastography- (TEG-) guided antiplatelet therapy. TPE was performed to achieve goal D-dimer less than 3000 ng/mL D-dimer units (N ≤ 232 ng/mL D-dimer units) and goal fibrinogen less than 600 mg/dL (N = 200-400 mg/dL). These therapies resulted in improved TEG parameters and normalized inflammatory markers. Patients were decannulated after 37 days and 21 days, respectively. Post-ECMO duplex ultrasound of the upper and lower extremities and cannulation sites revealed a nonsignificant deep venous thrombosis at the site of femoral cannulation in patient 2 and no deep venous thrombosis in patient 1. The results of this case report show successful management of a hypercoagulable state among COVID-19 patients requiring ECMO support by utilization of inflammatory markers and TEG.
Density-functional theory calculation of magnetic properties of BiFeO3 and BiCrO3 under epitaxial strain

This work uses density-functional theory to model the magnetic properties of bismuth-based perovskite oxides under epitaxial strain. We augment the known transition in BiFeO 3 between rhombohedral-like and tetragonal-like phases occurring at 4.2% compressive epitaxial strain with the variation in magnetic behavior near this boundary. This phase boundary coincides with a transition from G- to C-type magnetic order, as well as with a 90% decrease in the magnitude of the [001]-oriented coupling coefficients. The magnitude of iron magnetization is shown to vary by no more than 3% over the entire range of compressive strain considered. In the BiCrO 3 system, we report a variation in chromium magnetization of over 20%, along with transitions from bulk G-type to regions of C-type order under tensile epitaxial strain and to F-type order under both tensile and compressive epitaxial strains. The region of F-type order stabilized under compression beyond 7.9% epitaxial strain corresponds to a “super-tetragonal” phase structurally similar to the well-known phase of BiFeO 3 exhibiting spontaneous polarization on the order of 150 μC/cm 2.
Towards a More Dynamic Conception of Argument

Why define ‘argument’ at all? After all, the word is a familiar one, and does not seem to give us any trouble in everyday use. So, if theoreticians and teachers of argumentation who define the word do something that doesn’t seem to need doing, then we can expect problems, not only with the definition but also with identifying what is being defined.
Toward a Theoretical Framework for Participating in Interreligious Dialogue and Education

Experiences of dialogue with exemplary religious leaders and scholars have led the authors of this article to posit a theoretical framework for participation in interreligious dialogue and education. Six philosophical convictions that are strongly rooted in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions are presented which inform an emerging theory of interreligious dialogue and education based on the practice of people of good will and their desire to live together in peace and mutual respect. The article concludes with some broad theoretical applications for interreligious dialogue and education based on this framework.
Resource management schemes in optical networks

Advance resource reservation service in packet switched networks is a complex task. The decision points to achieve such tasks include not only the start time of the requested connection, but also the instances when the new connection may overlap with other connections that are already scheduled in the system. The task complexity is more important when the admission resource control is addressed in optical networks, particularly when service durations are uncertain, priorities are provided, and contention is possible. In this paper, we study the issues of admission control, resource reservation, and delay in optical networks. A novel scheme for this purpose is devised. The main goals of our approach are to maximize user satisfaction in terms of quality of service (QoS) guarantees, service continuity, and reservation cost reduction.