cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Effects of U.S. Immigration Enforcement on the Well-being of Citizen-Children in Mexican Immigrant Families.

In this article, we draw on ecocultural theories of risk and resilience to examine qualitatively the experiences of U.S. citizen children living with their undocumented Mexican parents. Our purpose is to render visible the various ways in which citizen children confront and navigate the possibilities—and realities—of parental deportation. We develop a framework to conceptualize the complex multidimensional, and often multidirectional, factors experienced by citizen children vulnerable to or directly facing parental deportation. We situate youth well-being against a backdrop of multiple factors to understand how indirect and direct encounters with immigration enforcement, the mixed-status family niche, and access to resources shape differential child outcomes. In doing so, we offer insights into how different factors potentially contribute to resilience in the face of adversity.
In the Case of Biology v. Psychology: Where Did My 'Parent' Go?

For the first time since the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefel, a Louisiana appellate court addressed a child custody dispute between unmarried same-sex partners. In Ferrand v. Ferrand, the lower court denied custody to the nonparent, same-sex partner, who was not biologically related to the children. Raised by the nonparent since their birth, these children have always viewed the nonparent as their “daddy.” The appellate court questioned whether, under Louisiana law, a nonparent’s burden in a child-custody dispute with the child’s biological parent should require an examination of the psychological parent-child relationship as well as the child’s attachment with the nonparent, before such a permanent and legal severance of the relationship is adjudged. If not, how can the outcome possibly result in the best interest of the child? Notably, the appellate court suggested, in its thorough state-by-state analysis, that Louisiana’s adoption of a psychological parent doctrine would be instrumental in certifying that the best interest of the child is actually paramount in all child custody disputes. Furthering the appellate court’s agenda, the author discusses the disconnect between current child custody laws in Louisiana, the ever-changing demands of society, and the evolving definition of family. This author recommends more consistent court requirements that will better protect the rights and welfare of children in Louisiana by obligating the court to weigh each of the best interest of the child factors, consider the psychological bond between a nonparent and child who has essentially become the child’s parent, and order a psychological evaluation on all parties involved.
Functional Economic Analysis

In 1989 the Department of Defense (DoD) implemented an ambitious information management improvement program known as Corporate Information Management (CIM). The popular press has reported that the Pentagon expects to save 35 billion dollars over five years with the CIM initiative. As part of the CIM initiative, the Director of Defense Information has directed that all DoD investments in automated information systems be evaluated in a Functional Economic Analysis framework. This paper reports on a model that was developed for performing Functional Economic Analysis. The approach is demonstrated with an application to a Contract Payment processing center within the Defense Financial and Accounting Services functional area.
A Novel Cyber Network Fault Diagnosis Scheme for Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) refer to systems with integrated computational, network, and physical components. With the increasing connectivity among computational cyber-connected elements and the physical entities, capturing the interrelationship between the cyber and the physical systems becomes increasingly important. Especially, this intimate coupling between the cyber and physical systems will result in fault propagation from the embedded cyberspace to the physical system. In this paper, a novel cyber network fault diagnosis scheme is proposed to detect and isolate cyber and physical system faults. Additionally, a fault resilience control is designed to mitigate the degradation of system performance when cyber network faults occur and propagate over physical components.
Detection of Inorganic Salt-Based Homemade Explosives (HME) by Atmospheric Flow Tube-Mass Spectrometry.

Using a commercial mass spectrometer interfaced with an atmospheric flow tube (AFT) allowed for the detection of a variety of inorganic compounds used as oxidizers in homemade explosives (HMEs) at picogram levels. The AFT provides reaction times of between 3 and 5 s with flows of 6 L/min, enabling detection levels, after thermal desorption, similar to those previously demonstrated for RDX vapor in the low parts per quadrillion range. The thermal desorption of chlorate and perchlorate salts resulted in the production of the corresponding anions which have higher electron affinities than that of the nitrate reactant ions. A dielectric barrier discharge, used as the ionization source, produced the nitrate reactant ions. In some instances, the molecular salt formed adducts with the nitrate, chlorate, and/or perchlorate anions, giving insight into the original identity of the salt cation. Urea nitrate, guanidine nitrate, and potassium nitrate were also detected as adducts with the nitrate reactant ion. The dir...
Autism and Associated Medical and Familial Factors: A Case Control Study

To systematically review medical and familial conditions in autistic subjects (AU) as compared to other developmentally disabled controls (DD). Data was gathered prospectively for 102 AUs and 106 DDs who were comparable for age, sex, and nonverbal intelligence. Chi-square and t test analyses were used to evaluate the data collected for AUs and DDs. Demographic data for AUs and DDs was similar for age, sex, and nonverbal IQ scores. The only statistically significant demographic differences were higher educational levels in mothers of AUs and increased number of firstborn AUs. Family history data revealed a greater number of reported maternal learning disabilities for DDs and increased paternal mental retardation for AUs but no differences in familial medical or psychiatric disorders. No prenatal or perinatal risk factors were identified in the AU group although increased alcohol use during pregnancy and decreased gestational age was found in the DD group. Review of developmental and behavioral issues revealed delayed toileting, tantrums, strong food preferences, and preoccupations to be significantly increased in AUs as compared to DDs. No significant differences were noted between the two groups in health problems or doctor visits. However, AUs had significantly larger mean head size than DDs. This study confirmed several previously established findings in autism including 4 to 1 male prevalence, increased head size, strong food preferences, and lack of prenatal/perinatal findings specifically associated with autism. However, the data suggested no increased prevalence of health problems among AUs or their family members compared to DDs. Several biologic interventions and etiologic theories of autism have been based on the assumption of medical differences in this population, an assumption called into question by current data.
Somatic Embryogenesis in Wheat

Wheat is the most intensively bred species in the world. It is second to rice in world production, which in recent years has approached 550 million metric tonnes per year (Young et al. 1990). The bread wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) are divided into four main categories, based on the protein content of the grain. Hard red spring (11 to 18% protein) and winter (9 to 15% protein) wheats are used primarily for bread. Soft red winter (8 to 12%) protein) and white (8 to 11% protein) wheats are used primarily for muffins, noodles, cakes, crackers, and cookies. Durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) is used primarily for macaroni and pasta. While an extremely adaptive crop, wheat is still subject to many diseases, which makes genetic engineering an appealing biotechnology for wheat improvement.
Hysteresis loss calculations for the tokamak fusion reactor through fields harmonics content

This paper presents systematic build-up for the development of unified theory for calculating total iron losses (eddy-current and hysteresis) in the ferromagnetic structural components of the fusion Tokamak reactor as well as in the hybrid model of E-BT. Modes of fields induction associated with Helmholtz field radiation function and Maxwell field equations have been used to analyze the various field components throughout the fusion operational cycle.
Extremity Bias in User-Generated Content Creation and Consumption in Social Media

The present research finds support for an extremity bias in social media. User-generated content in social media is found to portray more extreme behavior than what is observed in offline and nonme...
Cooked-Meat Derived Aromatic Amine Mutagens and Their Immunoassay

Typical household cooking of meat produces a family of aromatic amine mutagens termed aminoimizodazaarenes (AIAs). This family contains among other members PhIP(2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine), IQ (2-amino-3methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline), and MelQx (2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoxaline). Along with the nitro-aromatics, these are some of the most mutagenic compounds ever tested in bacterial mutagenesis assays. Where tested, the AIAs are also carcinogens. Typical levels of AIAs in well-done cooked beef are 0.1, 1.0, and 10 ppb for IQ, MeIOx, and PhIP, respectively. This low level of presence in foods hampers analysis of AIAs in the diet. To facilitate AIA assay we have developed a set of monoclonal antibodies to the AIAs. Individual antibodies have been selected that react with IQ, MeIOx and PhIP. These antibodies are being used to quantify the levels of individual AIAs in various cooked meats. In addition, analysis of well-done beef shows the presence of other, currently unknown, structurally related compounds that immunochemically cross-react with the antibodies. The antibodies also recognize compounds present in the urine of people on diets of well-done beef, but not people eating vegetarian diets. These findings suggest that the antibodies may be useful as biochemical markers of human exposure to dietary meat mutagens. The antibodies also may provide a means of concentrating and purifying human metabolites of AIAs from urine.
Characteristics of nulliparous women who would consider cesarean delivery on maternal request.

INTRODUCTION/HYPOTHESIS: To identify factors that influence nulliparous women to choose cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR). METHODS: Nulliparous women at > or = 34 weeks completed a 76-item survey about concerns during labor, delivery and postpartum. RESULTS: Mean age of the 294 respondents was 28.4 years (+/- 6.13 years SD) and mean gestational age was 35.4 weeks (+/- 2.8 weeks). Sixteen patients (5.4%) would request CDMR if offered. Women who would request CDMR were more likely to plan breastfeeding (OR 5.1, P=0.02), have a mother who delivered by C-section (OR 5.1, P= 0.01), and be concerned about the number of family members present (OR 1.75, P=0.002). Pelvic muscle damage, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, or need for prolapse surgery were notcited by any patient as her top concern. CONCLUSIONS: Few women in our sample desire CDMR. Concern for pelvic-floor problems was low.
ASYMPTOTIC AND TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF PULSED MODERATORS

The time dependence of neutron transport in moderating assemblies is investigated. Analytic solutions are found for pulsed sources in finite and infinite media using low order approximations. The wave front and other transients are clearly distinguished from the asymptotic solution. The work is extended to arbitrary P-L approximations for an arbitrary number of energy groups. Transients are classified and conditions for the existence of an asymptotic state are clarified. (auth)
Abstract 3256: The prevalence of non-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) phenotype monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) in a population-based cohort of U.S. adults

Introduction: CLL phenotype (CD5+CD23+CD20dim) MBL is present in 5-10% of the general population. The prevalence and outcomes of adults with non-CLL like MBL (including CD5+CD23-, CD5+CD20bright, and CD5-) are not known. We screened for MBL using highly sensitive flow-cytometry in a clinic-based cohort of adults from the Mayo Clinic Biobank. Methods: The Mayo Clinic Biobank is a large scale bio-repository of 50,000 adults seen in primary care-based clinics. Herein, we focused on those adults ≥40 years who had stored peripheral blood mononuclear cells available (10% of the overall cohort). We screened for MBL using an 8 color (CD38, CD45, Kappa, Lambda, CD19, CD23, CD5 and CD20) flow cytometry assay validated to detect clonal B-cell events to the 0.005% level (1/20,000 events). Chi-square tests were used to assess associations with demographic characteristics. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for death. Results: A total of 2594 adults were screened; their median age was 63 years (range, 40-96) and 1111 (43%) were male. 2445/2594 (94%) individuals had interpretable flow cytometry results. A total of 336 (14%) individuals had MBL identified, of whom 276 (82%) had CLL-like MBL and 60 (18%) had non-CLL like MBL (including 39 adults with CD5- and 21 with CD5+CD23- or CD5+CD20 bright phenotype). A strong association between age and the prevalence of non-CLL like MBL was observed, with 0/278 (0%) in 40-49 years, 6/613 (1%) in 50-59 years, 20/674 (3%) in 60-69 years, 21/490 (4%) in 70-79 years, and 13/114 (11%) ≥80 years demonstrating non-CLL like MBL (p Conclusion: In this large study, ~1 of 40 adults seen in a primary care setting had non-CLL like MBL. The prevalence of the non-CLL phenotype MBL increased with age. With current follow-up, the risk of progression to an overt lymphoproliferative neoplasm appears to be low. Citation Format: Sameer A. Parikh, Sara J. Achenbach, Kari G. Chaffee, Neil E. Kay, Connie E. Lesnick, James R. Cerhan, Curtis A. Hanson, Tait D. Shanafelt, Susan L. Slager. The prevalence of non-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) phenotype monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) in a population-based cohort of U.S. adults [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3256.
Abstract 045: Sox6 Has Protective Role During Renal Artery StenosisSInduced Hypertension

Introduction: Renal artery stenosis is a common condition in patients with atherosclerosis. Narrowing of the renal arteries stimulate increases in renin production and release resulting in hyperten...
Proceedings of the 2006 workshop on Programming languages and analysis for security

It is our great pleasure to present this proceedings of the ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on Programming Languages and Analysis for Security (PLAS 2006), which was held on June 10, 2006 in Ottawa, Canada. The workshop was collocated with the ACM SIGPLAN Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation (PLDI 2006).This was the inaugural meeting of the workshop, which was intended to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas about programming language and program analysis techniques that improve the security of software systems. It was also our hope that the workshop would seed new collaborations among the participants.The call for papers attracted 18 submissions from researchers at locations around the world. Overall the submitted papers were quite strong, and the program committee ultimately accepted 10 papers that encompass a wide variety of topics including (among others): detecting web application vulnerabilities, specifying high-level authorization and declassification policies, measuring vulnerability to denial of service attacks, and inferring and enforcing information-flow properties. All of the papers presented here address problems that are of critical importance to ensuring the security of our modern computing infrastructure, and we were very pleased with the quality and breadth of the resulting technical program.
‘Captain Carroll’: Camera-Movement and Device Orientation based Procedural Object Rendering Approach for Mobile VR Game

Mobile devices are one of the most promising platforms to bring Virtual Reality (VR) to the mass market in the present day. However, mobile device has a limited computational power compare to the personal computer (PC) meanwhile VR consume a lot of powers during its operational. In this paper, authors developed a mobile VR game, titled Captain Carroll, that employed camera-movement based procedural object rendering approach to make sure that the audience would have a seamless VR gaming experience.
Automated Failure Modes and Effects Analysis using SysML for Industrial Computer Network Reliability and Cybersecurity

Failure Modes and Effects Analyses (FMEAs) are widely used in safety and mission critical applications. The U.S. Department originated the technique in the 1960’s and institutionalized them in multiple reliability and safety standards. These include • Defense (MIL STD 1629A, GEIA STD 009, and MIL STD 882E) • Avionics (SAE ARP 4754, ARP 4761, and AARP 5580) • Automotive (SAE J1739) • Medical Devices (ISO 14971 risk management, ISO 60812 FMEA, FDA Guidance for Industry, Q9 Quality Risk Management) • Nuclear Power Reactors, Space Systems, Industrial Process Control,
Acoustic Pulses Propagating in Randomly Layered Media

We present mathematical results which have been obtained in the last fifteen years for waves propagating in randomly layered media in the framework of separation of scales introduced by G. Papanicolaou and his coauthors. Basic facts on diffusion-approximation and on the use of stochastic calculus will be recalled. We show how a multi-frequency asymptotic analysis gives a precise description of the probability distribution of the transmitted front generated by an incoming pulse. An inverse problem consists in reconstructing the macroscopic variations of the medium from the noisy reflected signal. We present the solution proposed by G. Papanicolaou and his coauthors and show how it depends on statistical estimates for the local power spectral densities of the non stationary reflected signal. We conclude by another approach to this estimation problem which uses a time reversal method introduced in the context of ultrasounds by M. Fink and his group.
Wheeze No More: Growing Out of Your Dopaminergic Nerves

In this issue of Immunity, Wang et al. identify a developmental transition of neural-immune interactions from postnatal to adult lung. Their findings implicate sympathetic nerve production of dopamine as a contributor to the susceptibility of children to allergen-induced asthmatic responses.
Immunologic findings in patients with an atypical course of an infection with non-typhoid salmonellae

We investigated the state of humoral and cellular immunity of 16 patients (eight women, eight men, aged 16 to 80 years), who had suffered from extraintestinal manifestations of infections with enteritis salmonellae. Four patients were examined during the acute state of the disease, the others one to three years thereafter. These patients were in good clinical condition. In all cases we could exclude an antibody deficiency syndrome. In the peripheral blood of 11 patients, we found a diminished number of T-helper lymphocytes, mostly together with a decrease in total T lymphocytes. Because the microbicidal activity of macrophages may be impaired by a general or localized decrease in T-helper cells, we suggest that the phagocytized enteritis salmonellae survive in this way and cause the atypical course of the infection in these patients.
The Association of Tumor Laterality and Survival After Cytoreduction for Colorectal Carcinomatosis

Abstract Background Primary tumor location has emerged as an important surrogate for tumor biology in metastatic colorectal cancer treated with systemic chemotherapy. It is unclear if primary tumor location is associated with survival after cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with or without heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for colorectal carcinomatosis. Methods Study of a contemporary cohort merged data from the California Cancer Registry, 2004-2012, and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development inpatient database. For patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC, clinicopathologic variables, treatment characteristics, and survival were compared by right versus left colon primary site. Survival was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards. Results Of 272 patients identified, 128 (47.1%) had right-sided tumors. Left- and right-sided cohorts had similar patient, tumor, and treatment factors. Patients with left-sided primary tumors had significantly prolonged overall survival (mean 34 versus 15.5 mo, P = 0.0010). Factors independently associated with decreased overall survival included age >80 (HR 7.0, P Conclusions This study identifies location of primary tumor as an important determinant of long-term survival after CRS/HIPEC. Patients with left-sided tumors have a more favorable prognosis.
MCS Hypershear Modulates Platelet Membrane Fluidity, Lipid Species, and is Gender Specific

Purpose Shear-mediated platelet activation (SMPA) is a main driver of MCS thrombosis. A target of MCS shear, driving activation, is the platelet membrane - leading to potential alteration of biophysical properties. Here, we examined the effect of shear stress-accumulation on platelet membrane fluidity and on platelet lipid species profile - both retained (membrane) and free (ejected) post-activation. Methods Human gel-filtered platelets (20,000 plts/uL) were exposed to shear in a hemodynamic shearing device (70 dynes/cm2 x 10’); or to thrombin (1U/mL x 10’) as a chemical agonist comparator. Membrane fluidity was determined by ໿fluorescence anisotropy of the probe TMA-DPH (1uM, 5’ @ 37C). Platelet lipids - both retained (cellular) and free (ejected) following activation - were extracted and analyzed via high resolution liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results Shear stress accumulation increases platelet membrane fluidity - with a 6% increase noted even for the brief shear exposure examined. Shear stress exposure results in significant alteration of overall platelet lipid composition, with increase in supernatant lipid species relative to the non-activated samples such that 72% of identified lipid species have >2-fold increase. Lipid species altered in the supernatant of sheared platelets were unaltered under thrombin treatment. Interestingly, within the limits of our analysis, a gender-based difference in retained lipid species was seen with shear but not with thrombin activation. Male donors showed at least a 2-fold decrease in 53% of lipids identified in the pellet of the sheared platelets using negative mode MS. In contrast, female donors had only 6% of lipids decrease >2-fold relative to non-activated platelets, while 77% of lipids showed a less than 2-fold change in either direction. Conclusion Shear stress has a specific impact on platelet membranes - leading to an increase in fluidity, and alteration of platelet lipidomic profile, which differs from biochemical activation, with evident gender-based differences. Specifically, shear leads to an increase in the number of lipids ejected across all donors, and a male-preferred decrease in retained lipid species. This sex-based difference in platelet composition resulting from shear exposure raises the issue of altered responsiveness that may impart gender differences in in MCS outcomes.
7 – Vestibular neuroprostheses

This chapter focuses on vestibular neuroprostheses—implantable technologies designed to help patients with severe vestibular dysfunction. We present two types of vestibular neuroprostheses—“vestibular pacemakers” and “vestibular implants.” Vestibular pacemakers are designed to stabilize peripheral activation during transient attacks of vertigo caused by abnormal variations in peripheral vestibular function, like those associated with Meniere's syndrome. Vestibular implants are analogous to cochlear implants and are designed to mimic the success of cochlear implants by reintroducing peripheral vestibular function for those patients who have lost peripheral function or have severe bilateral vestibular hypofunction.
LPA/PKD-1 signaling promotes development of arteriolar niche that supports self-renewal of breast cancer stem cells and stemness

ABSTRACT Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are essential for cancer growth, metastasis and recurrence. However, the regulatory mechanisms of self-renewal and interactions with the vascular niche within tumor microenvironment are currently under investigation. Here, we demonstrate that BCSCs are enriched within arteriolar niche within the tumor microenvironment of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) BC and bi-directionally interact with arteriolar endothelial cells (ECs). Mechanistically, this interaction is driven by the LPA/PKD-1 signaling pathway, which promotes arteriolar differentiation and self-renewal. Furthermore, this pathway directly promotes stemness features. These findings suggest that targeting LPA/PKD-1 signaling may disrupt the arteriolar niche within the tumor microenvironment and concomitantly eradicate BCSCs, thereby attenuating BC progression.
Genome Editing Strategies to Treat Beta-Hemoglobinopathies

Genetic forms of anemia caused by HBB gene mutations that impair beta globin production are extremely common worldwide. The resultant disorders, mainly sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia, cause substantial morbidity and early mortality. Treatments for these diseases include medical therapies and bone marrow transplantation (BMT), which can be curative. However, medical therapies are suboptimal and BMT is associated with serious toxicities, particularly because HLA-matched allogeneic sibling donors are not available for most patients. Thus, new therapies are urgently needed for millions of affected individuals. Gene therapy offers great promise to cure SCD and beta thalassemia and emerging genome editing technologies represent a new form of gene therapy. Approaches to cure SCD and beta-thalassemia via genome editing include: 1) Correction of HBB mutations by homology directed repair (HDR); 2) use of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) to activate gamma globin production and raise fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels; 3) NHEJ to disrupt alpha-globin genes (HBA1 or HBA2) and thereby alleviate globin chain imbalance in intermediately severe forms of beta thalassemia. Challenges for these approaches include selection of the most effective genome editing tools, optimizing their delivery to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), improving specificity and better understanding potential off target effects, particularly those that are biologically relevant. Technologies for genome editing are advancing rapidly and being tested in preclinical models for HBB-mutated disorders. Ultimately, however, the best strategies can only be identified in clinical trials. This will require close collaborations between basic/translational researchers who study genome editing, clinical hematologists and collaboration between experts in academia and the bio-pharmaceutical industry. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
On deep reinforcement learning security for Industrial Internet of Things

Abstract The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), also known as Industry 4.0, empowers manufacturing and production processes by leveraging automation and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. In IIoT, the information communication technologies enabled by IoT could greatly improve the efficiency and timeliness of information exchanges between both vertical and horizontal system integrations. Likewise, machine learning algorithms, particularly Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), are viable for assisting in automated control of complex IIoT systems, with the support of distributed edge computing infrastructure. Despite noticeable performance improvements, the security threats brought by massive interconnections in IoT and the vulnerabilities of deep neural networks used in DRL must be thoroughly investigated and mitigated before widespread deployment. Thus, in this paper we first design a DRL-based controller that could be deployed at edge computing server to enable automated control in an IIoT context. We then investigate malicious behaviors of adversaries with two attacks: (i) function-based attacks that can be launched during training phase and (ii) performance-based attacks that can be launched after training phase, to study the security impacts of vulnerable DRL-based controllers. From the adversary’s perspective, maximum entropy Inverse Reinforcement Learning (IRL) is used to approximate a reward function through observation of system trajectories under the control of trained DRL-based controllers. The approximated reward function is then used to launch attacks by the adversary against the Deep Q Network (DQN)-based controller. Via simulation, we evaluate the impacts of our two investigated attacks, finding that attacks are increasingly successful with increasing accuracy of the control model. Furthermore, we discuss some tradeoffs between control performance and security performance of DRL-based IIoT controllers, and outline several future research directions to secure machine learning use in IIoT systems.
Multi-UAV Situational Awareness via Distributed and Approximate Computing Techniques

Recently, much progress has been made in using Neural Networks (NNs) for important yet narrowly focused tasks such as image classification (e.g., VGG-Net, ResNet), playing complex games like GO or other Computer Vision (CV) tasks. While these achievements are impressive, they are either achieved on computers with virtually unlimited resources or with little regard to real-time actionability. In this paper, we propose to combine the ubiquity of low-resource mobile devices, e.g., drones, with approximate- and distributed-computing techniques in order to make these NN techniques deployable on resource-constrained devices as well as to provide realtime information about the environment. We target situational awareness, which involves sensing the crucial factors in a new environment on a real-time basis. Specifically, we introduce intelligence to a team of drones in the form of real-time detection of a suspect/weapon using local resources and suspect identification in an emergency situation. We validate our proposed methods using Microsoft AirSim simulator via both simulations and hardware-in-the-loop emulations.
Effects of Laryngeal Vibratory Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Compensation on Voice Quality.

Introduction Vibratory asymmetry and neuromuscular compensation are often seen in laryngeal neuromuscular pathology. However, the ramifications of these findings on voice quality are unclear. This study investigated the effects of varying levels of vibratory asymmetry and neuromuscular compensation on cepstral peak prominence (CPP), an analog of voice quality. Study design In vivo canine phonation model. Methods Varying degrees of vocal fold vibratory asymmetry were achieved by stimulating one recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) over 11 levels from threshold to maximal muscle activation. For each of these levels, phonation was induced at systematically varied combinations of neuromuscular compensation: three levels each of contralateral RLN stimulation (80%, 90%, and 100% of maximal), superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) activation (0%, 50%, and 100% of maximal), and airflow levels (500, 700, and 900 mL/s). Vocal fold symmetry was determined by assessing the opening phase of the vibratory cycle in high-speed video recordings. Voice quality was estimated acoustically by calculating CPP for each voice sample. Results Eight hundred twenty-two phonatory conditions with varying degrees of vibratory asymmetry were evaluated. CPP was highest at vibratory symmetry. Increasing levels of asymmetry resulted in significant decreases in CPP. CPP increased significantly with increasing contralateral RLN activation. CPP was significantly higher at 50% SLN activation than 0% or 100% SLN activation. Conclusion Voice quality, as approximated by CPP, is best at vibratory symmetry and deteriorates with increasing degrees of asymmetry. Voice quality may be improved with neuromuscular compensation by increased adduction of the contralateral vocal fold or increased vocal fold tension at mid-levels of SLN activation. Level of evidence N/A, Basic Science Laryngoscope, 2021.
Individual Differences in the Affective Response to Pandemic-related Stressors in COVID-19 Healthcare Workers.

ABSTRACT Background We investigated the evolving prevalence of mood and anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers from May, 2020 to January, 2021; risk factors for adverse outcomes; and characteristic modes of affective responses to pandemic-related stressors. Methods 2,307 healthcare workers (78.9% female, modal age 25-34) participated in an online survey assessing depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]) and anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale [GAD-7]), demographic variables, and self-reported impact of pandemic-related stressors. 334 subjects were reassessed ∼6 months later. Results The prevalence of clinically significant depression and anxiety was 45.3% and 43.3%, respectively, and a majority (59.9%–62.9%) of those individuals had persistent significant symptoms at 6-month follow-up. Younger age, female gender, and specific occupations (support staff > nurses > physicians) were associated with increased depressive and anxiety symptoms. The most important risk factors were social isolation and fear of contracting COVID-19. The prevalence of clinically significant mood and anxiety symptoms increased by 39.8% from May, 2020 to January, 2021. PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were highly correlated and associated with nearly identical risk factors, suggesting that they are not capturing independent constructs in this sample. Principal components analysis identified seven orthogonal symptom domains with unique risk factors. Conclusions Clinically significant mood and anxiety symptoms are highly prevalent and persistent among healthcare workers, and are associated with numerous risk factors, the strongest of which are related to pandemic stressors and potentially modifiable. Interventions aimed at reducing social isolation and mitigating the impact of fear of infection warrant further study.
VHP: Vibrotactile Haptics Platform for On-body Applications

Wearable vibrotactile devices have many potential applications, including sensory substitution for accessibility and notifications. Currently, vibrotactile experimentation is done using large lab setups. However, most practical applications require standalone on-body devices and integration into small form factors. Such integration is time-consuming and requires expertise. With a goal to democratize wearable haptics we introduce VHP, a vibrotactile haptics platform. It includes a low-power miniature electronics board that can drive up to 12 independent channels of haptic signals with arbitrary waveforms at a 2 kHz sampling rate. The platform can drive vibrotactile actuators including linear resonant actuators and voice coils. The control hardware is battery-powered and programmable, and has multiple input options, including serial and Bluetooth, as well as the ability to synthesize haptic signals internally. We developed current-based loading sensing, thus allowing for unique features such as actuator auto-classification, and skin-contact quality sensing. Our technical evaluations showed that the system met all our initial design criteria and is an improvement over prior methods as it allows all-day wear, has low latency, has battery life between 3 and 25 hours, and can run 12 actuators simultaneously. We demonstrate unique applications that would be time-consuming to develop without the VHP platform. We show that VHP can be used as bracelet, sleeve and phone-case form factors. The bracelet was programmed with an audio-to-tactile interface and was successfully worn for multiple days over months by developers. To facilitate more use of this platform, we open-source our design and plan to make the hardware widely available. We hope this work will motivate the use and study of vibrotactile all-day wearable devices.
A Theoretical Analysis of Coherent Cross-Peaks in Polarization Selective 2DIR for Detection of Cross-α Fibrils

The coupled amide-I vibrational modes in peptide systems such as fibrillar aggregates can often provide a wealth of structural information, though the associated spectra can be difficult to interpret. Using exciton scattering calculations, we characterized the polarization selective 2DIR peak patterns for cross-α peptide fibrils, a challenging system given the similarity between the monomeric and fibrillar structures, and interpret the results in light of recently collected 2D data on the cross-α peptide PSMα3. We find that stacking of α-helices into fibrils couples the bright modes across helical subunits, generating three new Bloch-like extended excitonic states that we designate A⏊, E∥, and E⏊. Coherent superpositions of these states in broad-band 2DIR simulations lead to characteristic signals that are sensitive to fibril length, and match the experimental 2DIR spectra.
Exact classical spin dynamics of high spin nanoscale molecular magnetic clusters

Abstract A common feature of many organic-based molecular magnets is that inter-molecular magnetic interactions are extremely weak compared to intra-molecular ones. As a result a bulk sample can be described in terms of independent individual molecular magnets made up of a cluster of a small finite number of coupled magnetic spins. Because of the large value of individual spins of several molecular magnetic compounds it turns out that such systems can be described to very high accuracy, at sufficiently high temperatures, by a classical Heisenberg spin model. Only for sufficiently low temperatures need one incorporate the quantum character of the spins. In this work we focus on the exact classical spin dynamics of small nanoscale molecular magnetic clusters of classical Heisenberg spins. The present study permits us to obtain analytical solutions for the time-dependent spin-spin autocorrelation function for certain clusters of classical Heisenberg spins coupled through exchange interaction. This study underscores the potential utility of a classical spin treatment of nanoscale magnetic clusters and provides results useful to interpret data obtained from experiments.
Dysglycemia and Incident Heart Failure among Blacks: The Jackson Heart Study.

ABSTRACT Background We aimed to investigate the associations of glycemic markers (hemoglobin A1C [HbA1C], fasting plasma glucose [FPG] and glycemic status [normoglycemia, prediabetes and diabetes]) with incident heart failure (HF) and its subtypes, among Blacks. Methods We included 2,290 community-dwelling Blacks (64% women, mean age 58 years) without prevalent HF from the Jackson Heart Study who attended the second exam (2005-2008). The associations between glycemic markers and incident HF (and subtypes including HF with preserved ejection fraction [HFpEF] and reduced ejection fraction [HFrEF]) were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusting for risk factors and coronary heart disease. Results There were 119 incident HF events (48 HFpEF, 58 HFrEF, and 13 unclassified HF events) over a median follow-up of 10.5 years. Higher levels of HbA1C (HR per SD increment, 1.30; 95% CI 1.12, 1.51) and FPG (HR per SD increment FPG: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.17, 1.48) were associated with a higher risk of incident HF. Compared to normal glycemia, diabetes status was associated with a higher risk of incident HF (HR: 1.24; 95%CI: 1.02, 2.05). HbA1C was significantly associated with higher risks of HFpEF (HR per SD increment: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.69) and HFrEF (HR per SD increment: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.56). FPG was significantly associated with higher risk of HFpEF (HR per SD increment: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.62) but not HFrEF (HR per SD increment: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.53, 2.35). Conclusions Among community-dwelling Blacks, higher levels of glycemic markers were associated with higher risk of HF subtypes.
Acquisition of Satellite Data for Volcano Studies

Numerous types of remote sensing data have been used for the analysis of active volcanoes, including measurements made at ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and microwave wavelengths. However, whether these data are used to track the dispersal of an eruption plume, measure the temperatures of an active lava flow, or perform detailed analyses of ground deformation, there are several constraints placed on data acquisition by virtue of the operation of the spacecraft and the sensor design. Important constraints are spacecraft altitude and inclination to the equator; sensor viewing geometry, swath width and spatial resolution; and the frequency with which observations can be made of any specific volcano. Collecting the data on the ground and the development of reference data sets so that changes in the volcano can be recognized must also be considered. We therefore present a review of satellite data acquisition techniques in order to provide the background for the sensor-specific investigations described elsewhere in this volume.
Whole Body Machines: NMR Phased Array Coil Systems

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Optimum S/N for Surface Coils: Aperture Synthesis 3 NMR Phased Array Techniques: Overlapping Coils and Low-Input-Impedance Preamplifiers 4 Conventional NMR Phased Array System Architecture 5 Phased Array Image Reconstruction 6 Noise Correlations Among Surface Coils in the NMR Phased Array 7 Clinical Applications 8 Real-Time Processing 9 Biographical Sketches Related Articles
Perceptual influences on self-protective behavior for West Nile virus, A survey in Colorado, USA

The endemic state of West Nile virus (WNv) in North America underscores the need to examine mechanisms influencing human self-protective behavior. Based on previous findings and theory, this study is designed to achieve two specific aims. First, the study will examine self-protective behavior for WNv through a hybridized treatment of the Health Belief Model that includes cognitive, affective, ecological, and proximity risk perception measures. Second, within the resulting hybridized model explore the role of ethnicity in self-protective behavior for WNv. Data were collected in Greeley, Colorado, using a self-administered mail survey. 384 completed surveys were returned (49 % completion rate). The questionnaire used items on cognitive-affective risk perception, ecological and proximity risk perception constructs, the Health Belief Model and demographics. Analysis revealed that newer risk perception models (ecological and proximity) provide some power to explain protective behavior. The psychometric measures of risk perception (cognitive and affective components) provided the best explanatory power. Self-protective behavior was further enhanced by the perception of benefits associated with such actions and the exposure to information cues to action. Hispanic/Latinos demonstrate greater perception of risk/susceptibility and greater exposure to information cues to action, and were more likely to practice self-protective behavior. The findings in this study point to several useful openings for effective public health communication and intervention for WNv based on affective response, information exposure, and ethnicity. The results also have relevance for vectored diseases generally. It is becoming clear that changes in global climate will bring increased threat from mosquito vectored diseases. Mosquito protection will be an increasingly salient topic for public health communicators in the coming years.
Ncome/Bloedrivier/Blood River : nation building and ethnic nationalism in post-apartheid South Africa : session 9 : revisiting the transformation agenda : an assessment

In this paper I will use the construction of a monument in KwaZulu-Natal as the lens through which to explore the tensions inherent in the government's policy of redress, reconciliation, and nation-building as it comes face-to-face with the complexities of ethnic nationalism.
The prognostic significance of postnatal growth in very low-birth weight infants

Abstract To examine the relative importance of intrauterine growth failure, extrauterine growth failure before or after term, and the prognostic significance of catch-up growth, 192 very low-birth weight infants (
Activity of serotonin-containing neurons in the nucleus raphe pallidus of freely moving cats

Serotonergic neurons within nucleus raphe pallidus (NRP) of freely moving cats initially were distinguished by their slow (less than 8 Hz), regular discharge and long duration (mean = 2.3 ms) action potentials. The activity of serotonergic NRP neurons was highest during active waking (mean = 4.85 +/- 0.37 spikes/s) and gradually slowed, with little change in firing pattern, during the transition from waking through slow wave sleep (middle of SWS: mean = 3.76 +/- 0.36 spikes/s). In REM sleep there was a precipitous decrease in firing rate (mean = 0.92 +/- 0.23 spikes/s) and loss of discharge regularity. Although there was no significant difference in firing rate between active and quiet waking, discharge rates were significantly increased during transient elevations of the EMG, but these rate increases usually were associated with specific motor behaviors only. The activity of serotonergic NRP neurons during SWS was not related to the occurrence of either sleep spindles in the cortical EEG or PGO waves recorded from the lateral geniculate nucleus. These neurons also were relatively unresponsive to phasic auditory or visual stimuli, with most of the neurons examined showing weak excitatory responses. Activity of all serotonergic NRP neurons tested was suppressed (mean = -81.3 +/- 4.3%) by the serotonergic agonist 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (250 micrograms/kg, i.m.). The results of this study are compared with those previously reported for serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus of freely moving cats and the issue of homogeneity in central serotonergic systems is discussed.
Measurements of Attenuation of Third Sound: Evidence of Trapped Vorticity in Thick Films of Superfluid 4He

We present results of a study of third sound in thick 4He films in circular resonator geometry. Frequency and line shapes of third sound resonances are measured for temperatures between 0.3 and 2.1 K in saturated films approximately 30 nm thick. From these measurements we calculate the attenuation of the sound. We find that the attenuation at a given temperature is a function of history of the film, strongly affected by such events as large, sudden (more than milli-Kelvin per second) temperature spikes. We also observe variable frequency splitting of resonances, indicating trapped circulation. Our measurements, taken together with other reported attenuation experiments, are incompatible with dissipation mechanisms dependent on thermodynamic properties alone. Measurements indicate a linear dissipation mechanism, inconsistent with vortex drag and re-connection models. We conclude that high attenuation values, evidence of trapped circulation, and variation in attenuation values support the hypothesis that thick films of 4He contain high densities of remnant quantized vortices. The vortex populations suggested by trapped circulation are consistent with proposed linear dissipation mechanisms due to vortex-normal fluid interactions and vortex dimple drag.