cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fungi Isolated from Integument and Guts of Coptotermes formosanus and Their Antagonistic Effect on Gleophyllum trabeum

In our earlier efforts to demonstrate the spread of a brown rot fungus, Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers.) Murrill by Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, we found not only that C. formosanus does not spread G. trabeum but also that G. trabeum did not survive in the presence of C. formosanus. Further investigation of this antagonistic interaction between this termite and fungus led to a hypothesis that green-spored fungi may be carried by termites and that they play a role in suppressing the growth of G. trabeum. Fungal cultures were isolated from integument and guts of laboratory-maintained colonies of C. formosanus and groups of C. formosanus freshly collected from the field. Only the green-spored fungi were selected from the many fungi isolated. Green-spored fungi isolated from the integument were identified as Aspergillus flavus Link, Trichoderma harzianum Rifai, Trichoderma virens Miller et al., Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckfeldt & Nirenberg, and Trichoderma ghanense Y. Doi, Y. Abe & J. Sugiyama. A different set of fungi were isolated from the gut, which included A. flavus, Hypocrea virens Chavarri, Samuels and Steward, T. asperellum cultures along with Penicillium janthinellum Biourge and Cladosporium cladosporioides (Fres.) de Vries. A. flavus was associated with every laboratory maintained colony but was associated only with one replication of one of the field collected groups. Our results suggest that A. flavus may be contaminating the colonies that were maintained in the laboratory and the fungus may become proliferous as the colonies become weak. Dual culture tests showed that all the fungi isolated from the integument, and gut were parasites and/or antagonists and that they effectively controlled the growth of G. trabeum. We think termites may be using parasitic fungi to control a brown rot fungus.
ELL-associated factors 1 and 2 are positive regulators of RNA polymerase II elongation factor ELL

In human cells, the ELL family of transcription factors includes at least three members, which are all capable of stimulating the overall rate of elongation by RNA polymerase II by suppressing transient pausing by the enzyme at many sites along DNA. In this report, we identify the ELL-associated factors (EAF)1 and EAF2 as strong positive regulators of ELL elongation activity. Our findings provide insights into the structure and function of ELL family transcription factors, and they bring to light direct roles for the EAF proteins in regulation of RNA polymerase II transcription.
Error analysis for high resolution topography with bi-static single-pass SAR interferometry

We present a flow down error analysis from the radar system to topographic height errors for bi-static single pass SAR interferometry for a satellite tandem pair. Because of orbital dynamics the baseline length and baseline orientation evolve spatially and temporally, the height accuracy of the system is modeled as a function of the spacecraft position and ground location. Vector sensitivity equations of height and the planar error components due to metrology, media effects, and radar system errors are derived and evaluated globally for a baseline mission. Included in the model are terrain effects that contribute to layover and shadow and slope effects on height errors. The analysis also accounts for non-overlapping spectra and the non-overlapping bandwidth due to differences between the two platforms' viewing geometries. The model is applied to a 514 km altitude 97.4 degree inclination tandem satellite mission with a 300 m baseline separation and X-band SAR. Results from our model indicate that global DTED (digital terrain elevation data) level 3 can be achieved.
Transient analysis of the complementary MOS IC inverter

Abstract A set of transient equations for rise and fall times of a complementary MOS IC inverter is developed. These equations utilize fully the device-processing parameters extracted from the fabrication technology. The current-voltage relationship of the inverter is used in developing the transients equations. An argument is presented in this analysis that takes into account the grounded substrate case and provides an accurate value of threshold voltage under strong back gate bias when the MOS transistor is in saturation. The rise and fall time equations provide the necessary information for a worst-case design. Sample calculations are also included and the results of the calculations are summarized.
Epidemiologic trends in medically-attended tree stand fall injuries among Wisconsin deer hunters

Abstract Background Tree stand falls are the most common injury to hunters in the USA, but there is limited research on the topic. This study examined the 5-year trends in incident tree stand fall injuries in rural north-central Wisconsin and described patient demographics and injury features. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on five prior hunting seasons, 2009–2013. Cases were ascertained from electronic health records via natural language processing that identified patients from the Marshfield Epidemiologic Study Area who received medical attention for a tree stand fall. Annual incidence rates were calculated using the number of hunting license holders in the target population, per administrative data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Results There were 16,556–16,902 deer hunters in any given year, with 39 (92% male) confirmed medically-attended tree stand fall injuries in 2009–2013. Injuries mainly occurred in the lower extremities (n = 23), and included two fatalities and one paralysis case. The risk of tree stand fall injuries went from 6.0 (95% CI: 3.2, 11.1) per 10,000 hunters in 2009 to 3.6 (95% CI: 1.6, 7.9) per 10,000 hunters in 2013, which was not a significant change over 5 years (p = 0.79). Most falls occurred among archery hunters, in the evening and when descending from a tree stand. Cases were demographically similar to the general population of Wisconsin deer hunters. Conclusions The current seasonal incidence rate of tree stand fall injuries is relatively low in rural Wisconsin, but with limited signs of improvement. Continued efforts are needed to promote the long-term safety of the hunting public.
On the development of fluid trapping beneath deformable fluid-cell membranes

A quantitative theoretical model is developed to describe the time-dependent draining of an initially uniform-thickness fluid squeeze film between an infinitely flexible membrane-bound fluid cell and a planar rigid surface or between two symmetrically loaded cells subject to impulsive loading. The solution of the coupled nonlinear membrane-fluid-film equations shows that two characteristic times and lengthscales are required to describe the membrane deformation and draining behaviour of the fluid film. The early-time behaviour is strikingly different from that predicted by elastohydrodynamic squeeze-film theory (Christensen 1962), where the local elastic deformation of the boundary is not controlled by membrane tension but is pro-portional to the local film pressure. While fluid trapping occurs in both cases, a bidirectional flow is set up during the early-time period in the membrane squeeze film owing to the establishment of an off-axis pressure maximum near the edge of the near-contact area. Fluid is driven radially inward, causing upwelling of the membrane in the central region, and driven radially outward near the edge of the contact area., causing this region to form a narrow fluid gap. After the narrow-edge region hasformed, the off-axis pressure maximum gradually disappears and is replaced by a pressure plateau in the interior and a radial outflow at all locations that is similar to the elasto-hydrodynamic squeeze film. The present problem is closely related to the fluid films studied by Hartland (1967, 1968, 1969), Jones & Wilson (1978) and others when a, small spherical particle or fluid droplet rises or settles under gravity towards a uniform-tension fluid-fluid interface. These studies have theoretically and experimentally examined the long-time drainage of the film after the narrow edge region has formed and the fluid-trapping phenomenon is established. The solutions to the initial-value problem described herein show how this asymptotic quasi-steady drainage state is reached. A simple experiment has been constructed to confirm qualitatively the theoretically predicted short-time behaviour. Experimental photographs graphically illustrate the gradual thickening of the lubricating layer near the origin and the formation and draining of the edge region as predicted by the membrane squeeze-film theory.
The end justifies the definition: The manifold outlooks on the digital divide and their practical usefulness for policy-making

Based on the theory of the diffusion of innovations through social networks, the article discusses the main approaches researchers have taken to conceptualize the digital divide. The result is a common framework that addresses the questions of who (e.g. divide between individuals, countries, etc.), with which kinds of characteristics (e.g. income, geography, age, etc.), connects how (mere access or effective adoption), to what (e.g. phones, Internet, digital TV, etc.). Different constellations in these four variables lead to a combinatorial array of choices to define the digital divide. This vast collection of theoretically justifiable definitions is contrasted with the question of how the digital divide is defined in practice by policy makers. The cases of the United States, South Korea, and Chile are used to show that many diverse actors with dissimilar goals are involved in confronting the digital divide. Each of them takes a different outlook on the challenge. This leads to the question if this heterogeneity is harmful and if countries that count with a coherent national strategy and common outlook on digital development do better than others. It is shown that the effect of a coherent vision is secondary to tailor-made sector-specific efforts. On the contrary, a one-size-fits-all outlook on a multifaceted challenge might rather be harmful. This leads to the conclusion that it is neither theoretically feasible, nor empirically justifiable to aim for one single definition of the digital divide. The digital divide is best defined in terms of a desired impact. Since those are diverse, so are the definitions of the challenge. The best that can be done is to come up with a comprehensive theoretical framework that allows for the systematic classification of different definitions, such as the one presented in this article.
Genome Sequence of Mycoplasma putrefaciens Type Strain KS1

Mycoplasma putrefaciens is a causative agent of contagious agalactia in goats. Reported herein is the complete genome sequence of the M. putrefaciens type strain KS1.
Evaluating Winter/Spring Seeding of a Native Perennial Bunchgrass in the Sagebrush Steppe☆

ABSTRACT Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) plant communities in the Great Basin region are being severely impacted by increasingly frequent wildfires in association with the expansion of exotic annual grasses. Maintaining native perennial bunchgrasses is key to controlling annual grass expansion, but postfire restoration of these species has proven difficult with traditional fall drill-seeding. We investigated the potential for winter/spring seeding bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata [Pursh] A. Love) in southeast Oregon. In 2011–2013, 500 seeds were planted in fall, or weekly from March through early May in 1·m-2 plots using a randomized block design with 5 replications. Germination was estimated using buried bags, and emergent seedlings were counted weekly from March to June. Germination and emergence varied strongly between years and by within-year timing of planting. With adequate precipitation, percent germination was high (up to 100%) regardless of timing of planting and emergence den...
Immunogenicity and Safety of Intradermal Influenza Vaccination in Healthy Older Adults

Background Influenza vaccine immunogenicity is suboptimal in older persons. Intradermal (ID) vaccination may be a promising alternative to intramuscular (IM) vaccination. Methods This randomized trial compared the immunogenicity of 60% dose ID influenza vaccination to standard IM vaccination of full-dose or 60% dose vaccine. Pre- and postvaccination measurements in the hemagglutination inhibition antibody titer were compared. Participants who received reduced-dose vaccine were revaccinated with full-dose IM vaccine. Results 257 healthy adults aged 65 years received 1 of the following trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines: standard-dose (15 microg each of 3 hemagglutinin vaccine antigens in 0.5 mL) IM injection, reduced-dose (9 microg, 0.3 mL) IM injection, reduced-dose (9 microg, 0.3 mL) ID injection, or 2 reduced-dose (4.5 microg, 0.15 mL) ID injections. Respective seroprotection rates were 65.6%, 57.8%, 68.9%, and 67.2% against A/H1N1; 76.6%, 75.0%, 75.4%, and 75.0% against A/H3N2; and 26.6%, 17.2%, 16.4%, and 25.0% against influenza B. Subsequent full-dose IM vaccination of participants randomized to reduced-dose vaccine by either IM or ID routes did not improve seroprotection rates. Local reactions of redness, swelling, and itching were significantly more frequent among recipients of ID injections. Conclusion Influenza vaccine at 60% dose by either IM or ID route elicited antibody responses generally similar to full-dose IM vaccination among healthy elderly persons (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00504231).
On Sparse Gaussian Chain Graph Models

In this paper, we address the problem of learning the structure of Gaussian chain graph models in a high-dimensional space. Chain graph models are generalizations of undirected and directed graphical models that contain a mixed set of directed and undirected edges. While the problem of sparse structure learning has been studied extensively for Gaussian graphical models and more recently for conditional Gaussian graphical models (CGGMs), there has been little previous work on the structure recovery of Gaussian chain graph models. We consider linear regression models and a re-parameterization of the linear regression models using CGGMs as building blocks of chain graph models. We argue that when the goal is to recover model structures, there are many advantages of using CGGMs as chain component models over linear regression models, including convexity of the optimization problem, computational efficiency, recovery of structured sparsity, and ability to leverage the model structure for semi-supervised learning. We demonstrate our approach on simulated and genomic datasets.
Computer Navigation in Total Joint Arthroplasty: Promising in Hips, More of a Bother in Knees

Computer-assisted navigation has been successfully used in many surgical procedures throughout medicine. During the past 10 years, navigation has been used to improve accuracy and reproducibility of component orientation and limb alignment in total joint arthroplasty. This has theoretical advantages to improve pain and function, while potentially reducing dislocation and revision arthroplasty rates. However, these clinical benefits of navigation arthroplasty have yet to be demonstrated. Additionally, although proper component orientation has been shown to decrease dislocation rates in total hip arthroplasty, precise limb alignment along the mechanical axis after total knee arthroplasty has not shown any definitive significant long-term clinical advantage. Navigated surgeries have many disadvantages, including increased surgical times, increased costs, and intraoperative time. We review the advantages and disadvantages of computer-assisted navigation in total joint arthroplasty.
Acute outcome of stent therapy for coarctation of the aorta: Results of the coarctation of the aorta stent trial

Objectives The coarctation of the aorta stent trial (COAST) is a pivotal trial of the NuMED Cheatham Platinum Stent® for treatment of coarctation of the aorta (CoA). Background CoA is a congenital obstruction to flow through the aorta. Stents have been used since the 1990s to treat CoA; none have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this indication. Methods In a prospective, multicenter study 105 patients received stents for treatment of CoA. Data was collected in the catheterization laboratory, on discharge and at 1-month postprocedure. Results Of 105 patients, 69% were male; 57% had native CoA. Noninvasive, baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) showed upper extremity (UE) SBP to be 140 ± 16 mm Hg and UE to lower extremity (LE) SBP difference 29 ± 17 mm Hg. At catheterization, baseline ratio of minimum CoA diameter to diameter of descending aorta (CoA:DAo) was 0.46 ± 0.16. Implants (104/105) were successful with one stent migration. There were no deaths or serious complications. Paradoxical hypertension occurred in 6%. Four percent of patients experienced somewhat serious adverse events related to the procedure. All patients achieved relief of ascending aorta to Dao pressure gradient: mean = 2.0 ± 4.0 mm Hg (P < 0.001). The CoA:DAo increased to 0.84 ± 0.18. At 1-month, UE SBP was 120 ± 12 mm Hg, UE to LE SBP difference = −1 ± 12 mm Hg. Ninety-nine percent of patients had UE to LE SBP difference <20 mm Hg. Conclusions Stenting of CoA, using the NuMED Cheatham Platinum Stent, is acutely safe and effective for treatment of CoA. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Concept of the One in Voltage Transfer Synthesis

The concept of the one is introduced and found to give a physical interpretation to the constant multiplier in voltage transfer synthesis. It places in evidence some constraints placed on the performance of physical systems by the configuration used in the synthesis. Several theorems are derived concerning the ultimate limits of performance obtainable when a given configuration is used to realize a given voltage transfer function.
The Effects of the Cyclosporines on Ocular Inflammatory Disease

The search for newer immunosuppressive therapies remains an important goal in the treatment of intra-ocular inflammatory disease. With this goal in mind, we have had the opportunity to evaluate several animal models for intra-ocular inflammatory disease, in particular the retinal S-Ag induced experimental autoimmune uveitis model (1). This disorder can be transferred to naive recipients by T-cell lines specific to the S-antigen that have been maintained in vitro for extended periods of time (2). The demonstration of the strong T-cell role in this animal model that has many aspects strikingly similar to the human condition supported strongly the concept that specific anti-T-cell medications could be effective in some types of human disease. This report deals with several aspects of our work concerning the cyclosporines, a group of medications with specific anti-T-cell qualities, both in the animal model, and in patients with ocular inflammatory disease.
Conservation and divergence of the histone code in nucleomorphs

Nucleomorphs, the remnant nuclei of photosynthetic algae that have become endosymbionts to other eukaryotes, represent a unique example of convergent reductive genome evolution in eukaryotes, having evolved independently on two separate occasions in chlorarachniophytes and cryptophytes. The nucleomorphs of the two groups have evolved in a remarkably convergent manner, with numerous very similar features. Chief among them is the extreme reduction and compaction of nucleomorph genomes, with very small chromosomes and extremely short or even completely absent intergenic spaces. These characteristics pose a number of intriguing questions regarding the mechanisms of transcription and gene regulation in such a crowded genomic context, in particular in terms of the functioning of the histone code, which is common to almost all eukaryotes and plays a central role in chromatin biology. This study examines the sequences of nucleomorph histone proteins in order to address these issues. Remarkably, all classical transcription- and repression-related components of the histone code seem to be missing from chlorarachniophyte nucleomorphs. Cryptophyte nucleomorph histones are generally more similar to the conventional eukaryotic state; however, they also display significant deviations from the typical histone code. Based on the analysis of specific components of the code, we discuss the state of chromatin and the transcriptional machinery in these nuclei. The results presented here shed new light on the mechanisms of nucleomorph transcription and gene regulation and provide a foundation for future studies of nucleomorph chromatin and transcriptional biology.
Analysis on Epidemiologic Characteristics of Intestinal infectious diseases in Shenzhen During 2008- 2010

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of intestinal infectious diseases in Shenzhen from 2008 to 2010.Methods Descriptive epidemiologic method was used to analyze the data of intestinal infectious diseases from National Disease Surveillance System during 2008-2010. Results A total of 61457 intestinal infectious diseases were reported from 2008 to 2010.The peak seasons of typhoid and bacillary dysentery were summer and autumn.The peak seasons of other infectious diarrhea were autumn and winter.All the districts of Shenzhen had reported intestinal infectious diseases.The main patients with typhoid were youth at the age of 20 to 39 years;main patients with bacillary dysentery and other infectious diarrhea were children under 10 years old.The top three occupations of patients with infectious diarrhea were preschool children,worker and children in kindergarten and nursery.The main transmission mode of intestinal infectious diseases in Shenzhen was sporadic,while occasionally outbreak occurred.Conclusion Intestinal infectious diseases plays an important role in the infectious diseases of Shenzhen.We should evaluate and improve the intestinal infectious diseases report system,and strengthen surveillance and control work for intestinal infectious diseases.
A Phenomenological Study of Parental Estrangement

ABSTRACTIn the United States, the divorce rate is 40% to 50%, according to National Marriage and Divorce Rate Trends (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Gaining an understanding of the lived experience of parental estrangement for a child during the parental divorce was the goal of this study. For the 9 adult participants who experienced parental estrangement as children, each reported themes including anger, disappointment, isolation, control, and impact. In this study, the predominantly alienating parent was the custodial parent. The results indicated that it did not matter if the noncustodial parent lived down the street or several states away; the estrangement that developed was the same for each of them.
Sarcoidosis and Testicular Neoplasm: An Unusual Association

A case of sarcoidosis of the mediastinal lymph nodes with concomitant teratoembryonal carcinoma of the testis is presented. It is important to differentiate these entities from mediastinal metastases of testicular tumors and testicular sarcoidosis, respectively. We favor mediastinal biopsy in appropriate cases, in addition to testicular exploration.
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Actions of Dietary Factors on the Skeleton

Limited mechanistic studies have examined how diet or plant products change bone turnover or bone quality and many in vitro studies with isolated phytochemicals have produced misleading results. However, in the past few years, advances in the fundamental understanding of the pathways regulating bone cell differentiation and survival have provided new potential molecular targets for dietary factors. Recent research suggests that signaling through estrogen receptors can improve bone quality as a result of increased antioxidant status and reduced oxidative stress. Purified isoflavones derived from soy may act on bone through this pathway but probably do not attain sufficient concentration after feeding soy to compete with endogenous estrogens. In contrast, new evidence suggests that anabolic actions of soy on bone involve stimulation of bone morphogenic protein (BMP) signaling. Similar increases in BMP signaling have been reported to explain the bone anabolic effects of orange juice and its flavonoid components. Other studies have suggested that the balance between Wnt-β-catenin signaling and expression of PPARγ is sensitive to the redox status and products of lipid metabolism and may serve as a final common pathway to explain the effects on bone by conditions as divergent as aging, alcoholism, and obesity. This is because the balance between Wnt and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling controls the balance between bone cell and fat cell formation in bone marrow. Wnt signaling also appears to be a final target for fruits high in polyphenolic pigments such as blueberries as phenolic acid breakdown products of these pigments appear to be bone anabolic as a result of increased signaling through β-catenin.
Program Restructuring for Parallel Execution

The effectiveness of automatic program restructuring depends on how accurately we can compute data dependences. In general, data dependences give us information about how data are computed in a program and how they are used. This information is then used to parallelize the program automatically. The resulting parallel program should be such that during its parallel execution it computes and uses data in the order implied by the various data and control dependences; this is necessary to guarantee correctness of results. The material presented in this chapter requires some knowledge of data dependences and some associated concepts. Before we give a short introduction to data dependences however, we need to establish a basic notation.
An Alternative Approach — Modelling with Hysteresis

If we assume that an economic system is permanently in a state of long-run equilibrium (that is, that it will adjust instantaneously to this state from any arbitrary starting point), then questions posed by the nature of the intertemporal behaviour of the economy are of little importance.1 As long as economic activity is governed by conditions of long-run equilibrium, a configuration which is itself determined at any point in time by a set of exogenously given data, the economy will simply replicate itself through time in the form of a determinate equilibrium time path.2 There will be no endogenous tendencies for the existing configuration of the economy to change, whilst the disturbing effects of random shocks will be instantaneously corrected.
UNUSUAL CASE OF STELLATE NONHEREDITARY IDIOPATHIC FOVEOMACULAR RETINOSCHISIS.

Purpose To report a case of unilateral stellate nonhereditary idiopathic foveomacular retinoschisis (SNIFR) in a young male showing structural changes induced by a Valsalva maneuver. Methods Case report of a 26-year-old oboist with SNIFR, including multimodal imaging. Eye-tracked spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to compare the retinal architecture at rest and during a Valsalva maneuver. Results Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography showed macular and peripapillary retinoschisis with no signs of pathologic myopia, optic pit, or vitreoretinal traction. A full-field electroretinogram showed supranormal responses in the eye studied. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed no abnormalities. Eye-tracked SD-OCT scans showed an increase in retinal thickness reaching 28 microns superior to the disc during an induced Valsalva maneuver. Conclusion Stellate nonhereditary idiopathic foveomacular retinoschisis is a diagnosis made when other known causes of retinoschisis have been excluded. In this patient with unilateral SNIFR, an increase in retinal thickness during a Valsalva maneuver was demonstrated. Further study would be needed to determine the mechanism producing this change and to assess its potential influence on visual prognosis.
NDE for Strength Determination of Diffusion Bonds

Strength determination of diffusion bonds by nondestructive evaluation is a necessity for the qualification of such bonds in critical components. We have applied ultrasonic techniques for a number of years and come to the following conclusions. There is no problem in determining the bond strength (here defined as the ultimate tensile strength) by single frequency reflection coefficient measurements if the bond strength divided by the ideal strength (the ultimate tensile strength of the matrix material) is about 0.8 or less. Unfortunately, the reflection coefficient is not very sensitive to strength changes near the ideal strength1 (bond strength/ideal strength between about 0.8 and 1.0). Near the ideal strength, the reflected energy can be more sensitive than the reflection coefficient (depending on the selection of certain acoustic parameters) since the reflected energy favors the high frequency end of the available acoustic spectrum.2 Near the ideal strength, the reflected energy is about proportional to the strength degradation due to imperfect bonding. Acoustic harmonic generation is even more sensitive than the reflected energy.3 However, the correlation between harmonic generation and the bond strength is nonlinear due to the transition of 3D-voids to “kissing bonds” which yield maximum acoustic harmonic generation about 10% below the ideal strength (bond strength/ideal strength about 0.9). Thus, a combination of reflected energy and harmonic generation measurements appears to be sufficient to quantify the strength of diffusion bonds of good quality. We are planning to use this information during in-situ measurements of a bonding apparatus to determine the progress of the diffusion bonding process.
Role of Calcineurin in Polycystin Protein Trafficking to the Primary Cilium in LLCPK Cells

Pathological mutations in PKD1 and PKD2 cause Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). PKD1 and PKD2 code for Polycystin 1 (PC1) and Polycystin 2 (PC2), respectively. PC1 and PC2 traff...
Reviewing and assessing the Toronto metro system

From a small 12-station system in 1954 to a full network of four lines and 69 stations today, the Toronto metro has become an integral part of the city’s transportation system. From the opening of ...
Qualification of a Model Checker for Avionics Software Verification

Formal methods tools have been shown to be effective at finding defects in safety-critical systems, including avionics systems in commercial aircraft. The publication of DO-178C and the accompanying formal methods supplement DO-333 provide guidance for aircraft manufacturers and equipment suppliers who wish to obtain certification credit for the use of formal methods for software development and verification.
Resonant Thermal Infrared Emitters in Near- and Far-Fields

Although optical resonators are widely used for controlling and engineering thermal radiation, what has been lacking is a general theoretical framework to elucidate the thermal emission of optical resonators. We developed a general and self-consistent formalism to describe the thermal radiation from arbitrary optical resonators made by lossy and dispersive materials like metals, with the only assumption that the resonators have a single predominant resonance mode. Our formalism derives the fundamental limit of the spectral thermal emission power from an optical resonator and proves that this limit can be achieved when the mode losses to the emitter and the absorber (or far-field background) are matched, and meanwhile, the predominant resonant mode is electrically quasi-static. By efficiently calculating the resonant modes using the finite element methods, our formalism serves as a general principle of designing the arbitrary optical resonator thermal emitters with perfect or maximized emission in both nea...
A Law to Promote Efficient and Fair Pricing of Milk in Connecticut

The proposed Connecticut milk pricing law for milk establishes two price collars. The general concept is as follows. Wholesale fluid milk prices will be limited to no more than 140% of the raw fluid price, and retail prices will be limited to no more than 140% of the wholesale price. These 140% rates are not price ceilings. They are price collars. The proposed law does not dictate what wholesale and retail prices shall be, it only requires that the relationship between raw fluid prices, paid by processors, wholesale prices and retail prices honor the price collars(Cotterill and Rabinowitz, December, 2002).
Filter pruning of Convolutional Neural Networks for text classification: A case study of cancer pathology report comprehension

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have recently demonstrated effective performance in many Natural Language Processing tasks. In this study, we explore a novel approach for pruning a CNN's convolution filters using our new data-driven utility score. We have applied this technique to an information extraction task of classifying a dataset of cancer pathology reports by cancer type, a highly imbalanced dataset. Compared to standard CNN training, our new algorithm resulted in a nearly .07 increase in the micro-averaged F1-score and a strong .22 increase in the macro-averaged F1-score using a model with nearly a third fewer network weights. We show how directly utilizing a network's interpretation of data can result in strong performance gains, particularly with severely imbalanced datasets.
Overview of the impact of biological microanalysis in health and disease

The general trend of microscopical investigation in biology from the 1950’s to the early 1970’s was towards obtaining structural information. This goal initially was met using heavy metal and/or aldehyde fixatives, room temperature dehydration with polar organic liquids, embedding with epoxy and acrylate resins, and thin sectioning at room temperature. By the mid 1970’s, a perceptible change occurred in the direction of both light and electron microscopy towards investigation of the chemical reactivity and composition of structures made visible with increasingly better spatial resolution for light and electron microscopes. Between the mid 1980’s and the present, innovations in microanalytical techniques, including x-ray microscopy and microanalysis, secondary ion mass spectrometry, laser microprobe mass analysis, the scanning probe microscopies, and confocal/multi-photon microscopy, and development of compounds for visualization of molecular and ionic sites within individual living cells as well as membranes, redefined the goal of microscopical preservation: to stabilize cell structure and composition as they exist in the living state.
Priority and Realtime Data Transfer over the Best-effort Internet

The current Internet provides a single class of best-effort service while many applications have quality of service requirements. Expanding the current service model involves fundamental changes to the Internet that have proven difficult to realize. An alternate approach of adding enhanced functionality to applications in order to achieve certain quality of service requirements may well be more likely to see wide deployment. In this thesis, we study realtime and priority data transfer over the best-effort Internet, emphasizing application-level approaches using TCP, the most prevalent transport protocol in the Internet. Our approach requires no support from the network or changes to TCP. We first investigate the performance of using TCP for multimedia streaming. Using analytic models that are validated though both simulation and experiments over the Internet, our study shows that despite the possibility of large delays due to the backoff and retransmission in TCP, TCP generally provides satisfactory streaming performance when the achievable TCP throughput rate is roughly twice the media bitrate, with only a few seconds of startup delay. We then develop application-level algorithms for a so-called low-priority service, which consumes network bandwidth only when it would not otherwise be used by TCP-based applications. Simulation results demonstrate that these algorithms work almost as well as a transport layer approach. Finally, we consider applications that involve one data sink and multiple data sources at geographically distributed locations. We solve this problem by a novel application-layer multipath technique. Using a combination of analysis and simulation, we show that a carefully designed application-level approach using TCP performs close to the optimal algorithm.
Quantifying life safety: Part I: Scenario-based quantification

Abstract With increasingly complex architecture, new building technologies, etc., compliance with prescriptive code requirements for life safety is often times a sub-optimal solution, overly expensive, and sometimes simply impossible. This leads to the more and more frequent use of performance-based numerical tools in fire protection engineering, especially for the life safety design. Yet the level of safety achieved using those tools remains unknown due to uncertain deterministic input parameters and more or less arbitrarily chosen safety factors. In this paper, an approach is shown to quantify the level of safety for a life safety design using probabilistic risk analysis. The resulting failure probability p f , i of a life safety design given a specific scenario i yields a metric for the safety level and allows for the objective comparison with other design approaches. Additionally, the approach considers the uncertainty of the input parameters and yields information about the sensitivity of the design to the various input parameters chosen. The methodology will be demonstrated for a multi-purpose community assembly building and the levels of safety are derived based on various scenarios and for different tenability criteria.
Exploring the Effect of Disability, Race-Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status on Scores on the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report:

The Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report (SDI:SR) was developed to address a need in the field for tools to assess self-determination that are aligned with current best practices in assessm...
Reducing missed oral care opportunities to prevent non-ventilator associated hospital acquired pneumonia at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Abstract Consistently delivered, effective oral care targets bacterial multiplication reducing the risk of non-ventilator associated hospital acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP). Aim: Determine the effect of a twice daily oral care initiative on the incidence and cost of NV-HAP. Methods: This single arm intervention study used pre/post population data to determine the effectiveness of a universal, standardized oral care protocol vs. usual care in preventing NV-HAP. This phase followed a retrospective study of 14,396 patient days (2002-2012) that determined the pre-intervention levels of nursing care provided, and the overall disease prevalence. Results: The pilot incidence rate on the geriatric units decreased from 105 to 8.3 cases per 1,000 patient days (by 92%) in the first year. The intervention yielded an estimated cost avoidance of $2.84 million and 13 lives saved in 19 months post-implementation. Expansion of this study as quality improvement is in progress at 8 VA hospitals with plans for national VA deployment. Conclusions: While oral care may seem deceptively simple in terms of base care provision, hospital and nursing services struggle to provide effective oral care delivery with high-reliability. Barriers to oral care include: (1) the perception that oral care is an optional daily care activity for patient's comfort, (2) hospitals supply inadequate, poorly designed oral care materials, and (3) hospitals are not required to monitor the incidence of NV-HAP. The impact of consistently delivered oral care is substantial in terms of Veteran health, quality of life, and well-being in addition to considerable cost avoidance.
Product Popularity versus Size of Conversation in Social Media: An Analysis of Twitter Conversations about YouTube Product Categories

It has always been assumed that a large conversation about a topic on social media implies that the topic is popular. However, an empirical study of Twitter conversations about a variety of YouTube product categories, which is described in this paper, has shown that this is not necessarily the case. Popularity as measured by distribution volume is not necessarily a reliable indicator of the size of a community or conversation that is associated with a product category. This suggests that current online marketing practices are not nearly as effective as has been assumed to date. Novel, potentially more effective approaches to online marketing are suggested in the paper.
Involving community in genes and pathway curation

Biocuration plays a crucial role in building databases and complex systems-level platforms required for processing, annotating and analyzing 'Big Data' in biology. However, biocuration efforts cannot keep pace with a dramatic increase in the production of omics data; this presents one of the bottlenecks in genomics. In two pathway curation jamborees, Plant Reactome curators tested strategies for introducing researchers to pathway curation tools, harnessing biologists' expertise in curating plant pathways and developing a network of community biocurators. We summarize the strategy, workflow and outcomes of these exercises, and discuss the role of community biocuration in advancing databases and genomic resources.
Implementation of a non-linear CMOS and CCD focal plane array model in ASSET

Electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensor and scene generation models are useful tools that can facilitate understanding the behavior of an imaging system and its data processing chain under myriad scenarios without expensive and time-consuming testing of an actual system. EO/IR models are especially important to researchers in remote sensing where truth data is required but often costly and impractical to obtain. The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Sensor and Scene Emulation Tool (ASSET) is an educational, engineering-level tool developed to rapidly generate large numbers of physically realistic EO/IR data sets. This work describes the implementation of a focal plane array (FPA) model of charge-coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) photodetectors as a component in ASSET. The FPA model covers conversion of photo-generated electrons to voltage and then to digital numbers. It incorporates sense node, source follower, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) components contributing to gain non-linearities and includes noise sources associated with the detector and electronics such as shot, thermal, 1/f, and quantization noise. This paper describes the higher fidelity FPA and electronics model recently incorporated into ASSET, and it also details model validation using an EO/IR imager in laboratory measurements. The result is an improved model capable of rapidly generating realistic synthetic data representative of a wide range of EO/IR systems for use algorithm development and assessment, particularly when large numbers of truth data sets are required (e.g., machine learning).
Do Gulf War veterans with high levels of deployment-related exposures display symptoms suggestive of Parkinson’s disease?

Objectives Veterans of the 1991 Gulf War (GW) were exposed to a myriad of potentially hazardous chemicals during deployment. Epidemiological data suggest a possible link between chemical exposures and Parkinson’s disease (PD); however, there have been no reliable data on the incidence or prevalence of PD among GW veterans to date. This study included the following 2 questions: 1. Do deployed GW veterans display PD-like symptoms? and 2. Is there a relationship between the occurrence and quantity of PD-like symptoms, and the levels of deployment-related exposures in GW veterans? Material and methods Self-reports of symptoms and exposures to deployment-related chemicals were filled out by 293 GW veterans, 202 of whom had undergone 3 Tesla volumetric measurements of basal ganglia volumes. Correlation analyses were used to examine the relationship between the frequency of the veterans’ self-reported exposures to deployment-related chemicals, motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, and the total basal ganglia volumes. Results Healthy deployed GW veterans self-reported few PD-like non-motor symptoms and no motor symptoms. In contrast, GW veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI) self-reported more PD-like motor and non-motor symptoms, and more GW-related exposures. Compared to healthy deployed veterans, those with GWI also had lower total basal ganglia volumes. Conclusions Although little is known about the long-term consequences of GWI, findings from this study suggest that veterans with GWI show more symptoms as those seen in PD/prodromal PD, compared to healthy deployed GW veterans. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(4):503–26
Approximating UAV and Vision Feature Point Correlations in a Simplified SLAM problem

Navigation with a range sensor and vision aided inertial measurement unit (IMU) estimation is difficult in Global Positioning System (GPS) denied environments. Ignoring vision feature point and vehicle state correlations contributes to inaccuracy and filter inconsistency. Approximation of feature point and vehicle cross correlation terms would allow the accuracy and consistency comparable to a correlated solution whilst reducing operation count and allowing for decoupled filter design. A Monte-Carlo simulation for a two dimensional bearing to feature point approximation of the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem was developed. The results of a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were then used to estimate cross covariance terms. A 1000 trial simulation showed that the regression solution was comparable in accuracy and consistency to the fully correlated solution. Future developments have the potential to provide a more accurate, approximately correlated SLAM solution to bound IMU drift for UAVs operating in a GPS denied environment.
Characterization and Antibiofilm Activity of Mannitol–Chitosan-Blended Paste for Local Antibiotic Delivery System

Mannitol, a polyalcohol bacterial metabolite, has been shown to activate dormant persister cells within bacterial biofilm. This study sought to evaluate an injectable blend of mannitol, chitosan, and polyethylene glycol for delivery of antibiotics and mannitol for eradication of Staphylococcal biofilm. Mannitol blends were injectable and had decreased dissociation and degradation in the enzyme lysozyme compared to blends without mannitol. Vancomycin and amikacin eluted in a burst response, with active concentrations extended to seven days compared to five days for blends without mannitol. Mannitol eluted from the paste in a burst the first day and continued through Day 4. Eluates from the mannitol pastes with and without antibiotics decreased viability of established S. aureus biofilm by up to 95.5% compared to blends without mannitol, which only decreased biofilm when loaded with antibiotics. Cytocompatibility tests indicated no adverse effects on viability of fibroblasts. In vivo evaluation of inflammatory response revealed mannitol blends scored within the 2–4 range at Week 1 (2.6 ± 1.1) and at Week 4 (3.0 ± 0.8), indicative of moderate inflammation and comparable to non-mannitol pastes (p = 0.065). Clinically, this paste could be loaded with clinician-selected antibiotics and used as an adjunctive therapy for musculoskeletal infection prevention and treatment.
Patient Empowerment via Mobile Personal Health Records and Mobile Health Applications: A Review of the Current Use

Consumer empowerment has gained a significant attention in the medical field recently, and despite the ambiguity of its definitions, elements and measurement tools, it is apparent that mobile and other communication technology can play a major role in keeping patients informed, involved and empowered. This paper aims to explore methods by which mobile applications contribute to consumer empowerment and allowed enhanced patient control over their health.