cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Orthogonal subsampling for big data linear regression

The dramatic growth of big datasets presents a new challenge to data storage and analysis. Data reduction, or subsampling, that extracts useful information from datasets is a crucial step in big-data analysis. We propose an orthogonal subsampling (OSS) approach for big data with a focus on linear regression models. The approach is inspired by the fact that an orthogonal array of two levels provides the best experimental design for linear regression models in the sense that it minimizes the average variance of the estimated parameters and provides the best predictions. The merits of OSS are three-fold: (i) it is easy to implement and fast; (ii) it is suitable for distributed parallel computing and ensures the subsamples selected in different batches have no common data points, and (iii) it outperforms existing methods in minimizing the mean squared errors of the estimated parameters and maximizing the efficiencies of the selected subsamples. Theoretical results and extensive numerical results show that the OSS approach is superior to existing subsampling approaches. It is also more robust to the presence of interactions among covariates, and, when they do exist, OSS provides more precise estimates of the interaction effects than existing methods. The advantages of OSS are also illustrated through analysis of real data.
Clinically validated model predicts the effect of intratumoral heterogeneity on overall survival for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients

Background and objective Radiation therapy is used in nearly 50% of cancer treatments in the developed world. Currently, radiation treatments are homogenous and fail to take into consideration intratumoral heterogeneity. We demonstrate the importance of considering intratumoral heterogeneity and the development of resistance during fractionated radiotherapy when the same dose of radiation is delivered for all fractions (Fractional Equivalent Dosing FED). Methods A mathematical model was developed with the following parameters: a starting population of 1011 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor cells, 48 h doubling time, and cell death per the linear-quadratic (LQ) model with α and β values derived from RSIα/β, in a previously described gene expression based model that estimates α and β. To incorporate both inter- and intratumor radiation sensitivity, RSIα/β output for each patient sample is assumed to represent an average value in a gamma distribution with the bounds set to -50% and +50% of RSIα/b. Therefore, we assume that within a given tumor there are subpopulations that have varying radiation sensitivity parameters that are distinct from other tumor samples with a different mean RSIα/β. A simulation cohort (SC) comprised of 100 lung cancer patients with available RSIα/β (patient specific α and β values) was used to investigate 60 Gy in 30 fractions with fractionally equivalent dosing (FED). A separate validation cohort (VC) of 57 lung cancer patients treated with radiation with available local control (LC), overall survival (OS), and tumor gene expression was used to clinically validate the model. Cox regression was used to test for significance to predict clinical outcomes as a continuous variable in multivariate analysis (MVA). Finally, the VC was used to compare FED schedules with various altered fractionation schema utilizing a Kruskal-Wallis test. This was examined using the end points of end of treatment log cell count (LCC) and by a parameter described as mean log kill efficiency (LKE) defined as: LCC = log10(tumorcellcount) [Formula: see text] RESULTS: Cox regression analysis on LCC for the VC demonstrates that, after incorporation of intratumoral heterogeneity, LCC has a linear correlation with local control (p = 0.002) and overall survival (p = Conclusion We find that LCC is a clinically relevant metric that is correlated with local control and overall survival in NSCLC. We conclude that 60 Gy delivered over 6 weeks with altered HIT fractionation leads to an enhancement in tumor control compared to FED when intratumoral heterogeneity is considered.
RELLIS-3D Dataset: Data, Benchmarks and Analysis

Semantic scene understanding is crucial for robust and safe autonomous navigation, particularly so in off-road environments. Recent deep learning advances for 3D semantic segmentation rely heavily on large sets of training data, however existing autonomy datasets either represent urban environments or lack multimodal off-road data. We fill this gap with RELLIS-3D, a multimodal dataset collected in an off-road environment, which contains annotations for 13,556 LiDAR scans and 6,235 images. The data was collected on the Rellis Campus of Texas A&M University, and presents challenges to existing algorithms related to class imbalance and environmental topography. Additionally, we evaluate the current state of the art deep learning semantic segmentation models on this dataset. Experimental results show that RELLIS-3D presents challenges for algorithms designed for segmentation in urban environments. This novel dataset provides the resources needed by researchers to continue to develop more advanced algorithms and investigate new research directions to enhance autonomous navigation in off-road environments. RELLIS-3D is available at https://github.com/unmannedlab/RELLIS-3D
Force-Sensing Tensegrity for Investigating Physical Human-Robot Interaction in Compliant Robotic Systems

Advancements in the domain of physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) have tremendously improved the ability of humans and robots to communicate, collaborate, and coexist. In particular, compliant robotic systems offer many characteristics that can be leveraged towards enabling physical interactions that more efficiently and intuitively communicate intent, making compliant systems potentially useful in more physically demanding subsets of human-robot collaborative scenarios. Tensegrity robots are an example of compliant systems that are well-suited to physical interactions while still retaining useful rigid properties that make them practical for a variety of applications. In this paper, we present the design and preliminary testing of a 6-bar spherical tensegrity with force-sensing capabilities. Using this prototype, we demonstrate the ability of its force-sensor array to detect a variety of physical interaction types that might arise in a human context. We then train and test a series of classifiers using data from unique and representative interactions in order to demonstrate the feasibility of using this physical modality of sensing to reliably communicate goals and intents from a human operator in a human-robot collaborative setting.
Delayed Propagation Transformer: A Universal Computation Engine towards Practical Control in Cyber-Physical Systems

Multi-agent control is a central theme in the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). However, current control methods either receive non-Markovian states due to insufficient sensing and decentralized design, or suffer from poor convergence. This paper presents the Delayed Propagation Transformer (DePT), a new transformer-based model that specializes in the global modeling of CPS while taking into account the immutable constraints from the physical world. DePT induces a cone-shaped spatial-temporal attention prior, which injects the information propagation and aggregation principles and enables a global view. With physical constraint inductive bias baked into its design, our DePT is ready to plug and play for a broad class of multi-agent systems. The experimental results on one of the most challenging CPS -- network-scale traffic signal control system in the open world -- show that our model outperformed the state-of-the-art expert methods on synthetic and real-world datasets. Our codes are released at: https://github.com/VITA-Group/DePT.
Profiling Human CMV-specific T cell responses reveals novel immunogenic ORFs

Despite the prevalence and medical significance of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections, a systematic analysis of the targets of T cell recognition in humans that spans the entire genome and includes recently described potential novel ORFs is not available. Here, we screened a library of epitopes predicted to bind HLA class II that spans over 350 different HCMV ORFs and includes ∼150 previously described and ∼200 recently described potential novel ORFs using an ex vivo IFNγ fluorospot assay. We identified 235 unique HCMV specific epitopes derived from 100 ORFs, some previously described as immunodominant and others that were not previously described to be immunogenic. Of those, 41 belong to the set of recently reported novel ORFs, thus providing evidence that at least some of these are actually expressed in vivo in humans. These data reveal that the breadth of the human T cell response to HCMV is much greater than previously thought. The ORFs and epitopes identified will help elucidate how T cell immunity relates to HCMV pathogenesis and instruct ongoing HCMV vaccine research. Importance To understand the crucial role of adaptive immunity in controlling cytomegalovirus infection and disease, we systematically analyzed the CMV 'ORFeome' to identify new CMV epitopes targeted primarily by CD4 T cells in humans. Our study identified >200 new T cell epitopes derived from both canonical and novel ORFs, highlighting the substantial breadth of anti-CMV T cell response and providing new targets for vaccine design.
Fair Exploration via Axiomatic Bargaining

Motivated by the consideration of fairly sharing the cost of exploration between multiple groups in learning problems, we develop the Nash bargaining solution in the context of multi-armed bandits. Specifically, the 'grouped' bandit associated with any multi-armed bandit problem associates, with each time step, a single group from some finite set of groups. The utility gained by a given group under some learning policy is naturally viewed as the reduction in that group's regret relative to the regret that group would have incurred 'on its own'. We derive policies that yield the Nash bargaining solution relative to the set of incremental utilities possible under any policy. We show that on the one hand, the 'price of fairness' under such policies is limited, while on the other hand, regret optimal policies are arbitrarily unfair under generic conditions. Our theoretical development is complemented by a case study on contextual bandits for warfarin dosing where we are concerned with the cost of exploration across multiple races and age groups.
Connecting Attributions and QA Model Behavior on Realistic Counterfactuals

When a model attribution technique highlights a particular part of the input, a user might understand this highlight as making a statement about counterfactuals (Miller, 2019): if that part of the input were to change, the model’s prediction might change as well. This paper investigates how well different attribution techniques align with this assumption on realistic counterfactuals in the case of reading comprehension (RC). RC is a particularly challenging test case, as token-level attributions that have been extensively studied in other NLP tasks such as sentiment analysis are less suitable to represent the reasoning that RC models perform. We construct counterfactual sets for three different RC settings, and through heuristics that can connect attribution methods’ outputs to high-level model behavior, we can evaluate how useful different attribution methods and even different formats are for understanding counterfactuals. We find that pairwise attributions are better suited to RC than token-level attributions across these different RC settings, with our best performance coming from a modification that we propose to an existing pairwise attribution method.
Improving Anytime Prediction with Parallel Cascaded Networks and a Temporal-Difference Loss

Although deep feedforward neural networks share some characteristics with the primate visual system, a key distinction is their dynamics. Deep nets typically operate in serial stages wherein each layer completes its computation before processing begins in subsequent layers. In contrast, biological systems have cascaded dynamics: information propagates from neurons at all layers in parallel but transmission occurs gradually over time, leading to speed-accuracy trade offs even in feedforward architectures. We explore the consequences of biologically inspired parallel hardware by constructing cascaded ResNets in which each residual block has propagation delays but all blocks update in parallel in a stateful manner. Because information transmitted through skip connections avoids delays, the functional depth of the architecture increases over time, yielding anytime predictions that improve with internal-processing time. We introduce a temporal-difference training loss that achieves a strictly superior speed-accuracy profile over standard losses and enables the cascaded architecture to outperform state-of-the-art anytime-prediction methods. The cascaded architecture has intriguing properties, including: it classifies typical instances more rapidly than atypical instances; it is more robust to both persistent and transient noise than is a conventional ResNet; and its time-varying output trace provides a signal that can be exploited to improve information processing and inference.
E-books in academia: Expectations and challenges

This paper reports on the results of a pilot study conducted as part of a larger project aimed at understanding the evolving role of e-books in academia. The study used a survey, a scenario-based usability test, and interviews to collect data on e-book reading habits, specific user expectations, and issues related to the usability of an academic library interface for e-book access. Future work will investigate factors affecting user preferences and patterns of use in context, including routine use of academic e-books.
Improving efficiency of 3-SAT-solving tile systems

The tile assembly model has allowed the study of the nature's process of self-assembly and the development of self-assembling systems for solving complex computational problems. Research into this model has led to progress in two distinct classes of computational systems: Internet-sized distributed computation, such as software architectures for computational grids, and molecular computation, such as DNA computing. The design of large complex tile systems that emulate Turing machines has shown that the tile assembly model is Turing universal, while the design of small tile systems that implement simple algorithms has shown that tile assembly can be used to build private, fault-tolerant, and scalable distributed software systems and robust molecular machines. However, in order for these types of systems to compete with traditional computing devices, we must demonstrate that fairly simple tile systems can implement complex and intricate algorithms for important problems. The state of the art, however, requires vastly complex tile systems with large tile sets to implement such algorithms. In this paper, I present SFS, a tile system that decides 3-SAT by creating O*(1.8393n) nondeterministic assemblies in parallel, while the previous best known solution requires Θ(2n) such assemblies. In some sense, this tile system follows the most complex algorithm implemented using tiles to date. I analyze that the number of required parallel assemblies is O*(1.8393n), that the size of the system's tileset is 147 = Θ(1), and that the assembly time is nondeterministic linear in the size of the input. This work directly improves the time and space complexities of tile-inspired computational-grid architectures and bridges theory and today's experimental limitations of DNA computing.
Incentive travel: a view from the top.

Meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions are an important segment of the hospitality and tourism industry. The extant study focuses on the incentives or incentive travel. While incentive travel has existed for decades it is a relatively under-researched sub-field of hospitality. The goal of this article is to examine the current state of incentive travel, how it has changed over the past few years, and how it is likely to change in the future. Rather than examine every aspect of incentive travel, this research only looks at “buyers” of incentive travel rather than users or recipients and obtains data only from top-level corporate executives. Thus, the results are of the highest level and highest caliber. It was found that companies have been using incentive travel for decades and find it to be an effective employee motivator and as an incentive to sell product. It also builds morale and relationships.
Structural and mechanistic insights into the SAGA coactivator complex (361.1)

SAGA is a transcriptional coactivator complex that is conserved across eukaryotes and carries out multiple functions during transcriptional activation and elongation, including deubiquitination of ...
Syncope in the Athletic Patient

Syncope is a common but concerning event in athletic patients. As such, efforts must be made to distinguish presyncope from syncope with a critical distinction of syncope during exercise and postexercise syncope. Syncope most often occurs just after exercise and is usually benign; however, syncope during exercise may be a sign of pathologic structural or electrical cardiac issues. Solving this diagnostic puzzle mandates a detailed history and examination frequently augmented with diagnostic testing and imaging studies. Recommendations for treatment and potential restriction from activity also present challenging decisions to the health care provider.
Spectral analysis of planar transition fronts for the Cahn-Hilliard equation

Abstract We consider the spectrum of the linear operator that arises upon linearization of the Cahn–Hilliard equation in dimensions d ⩾ 2 about a planar transition front (a solution that depends on only one distinguished space variable and that has different values at ±∞). In previous work the author has established conditions on this spectrum under which such planar transition fronts are asymptotically stable, and we verify here that those conditions hold for all such waves arising in a general form of the Cahn–Hilliard equation.
Instability Waves in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Abstract Evidence is presented for the generation of planetary waves by barotropic instability within the cyclonic shear region of the Atlantic Ocean's South Equatorial Current (SEC). Immediately following the springtime intensification of the southeast trade wind, which accelerates the SEC westward, a packet of waves with central periodicity of around 25 days is observed lasting for about three cycles. Independent wavenumber analyses on 1983 and 1984 data give newly identical zonal wavelengths and phase speed estimates of around 1100 km and −50 cm s−1. The waves are anisotropic and spatially inhomogeneous with generation confined primarily to the mixed layer. An energetics analysis using 1983 data centered upon the equator at 28°W shows a rapid increase in total perturbation energy (TPE) reaching values of 2000 erg cm−3 within two weeks. The subsequent decrease in TPE at this location is due primarily to meridional pressure-work divergence. Baroclinic instability is negligible because both the meridional...
Wearable computing: a catalyst for business and entertainment

A variety of portable and wearable device form factors such as the VisionPad, WatchPad, WearableData, MetaPad, Personal Mobile Hub, and SoulPad have been prototyped at IBM Research over the last several years. Each of different form factors has some unique advantages and addresses different user needs. This talk will present experiences in building these prototypes and describe how this landscape of devices is expected to change. The continuous availability of wearable and mobile devices enables the deployment of many novel applications and scenarios but places heavy demands on energy, infrastructure support, and usability. Recently how some of the inherent limitations of mobile devices can be alleviated by symbiosis with more powerful stationary devices has been investigated. Effective device symbiosis requires middleware that addresses device heterogeneity, improves usability, provides privacy and ensures security. The availability of a variety of new form factors coupled with device symbiosis will catalyze the way business was conducted, entertain and take care of ourselves.
Supramolecular structures based on dimetal units: simultaneous utilization of equatorial and axial connections

As determined by X-ray crystallography, tetranuclear metal–metal bound molecular loops [Rh2(DAniF)2]2- (O2CCH2CO2)2 (DAniF = N,N′-di-p-anisylformamidinate) react with 2-N donor linkers to give a tubular structure {[Rh2(DAniF)2]2(O2CCH 2CO2)2(NC5H4CHCHC 5H4N)2}n 1, and a sheet-like structure with interstitial dichloromethane molecules for [Rh2(DAniF)2]2(O2CCH2 - CO2)2(NCC6H4CN) 2}n 2; when the assembly unit was changed from [Rh2(DAniF)2(O2CCH2CO2 )]2 to the square [Rh2(DAniF)2(O2CCO2)]4 and the linker NCC6F4C6F4CN was used, the compound {[Rh2(DAniF)2]4(O2C CO2)4(NCC6F4C6 F4CN)4}n 3, was formed, in which there are infinite tubes of square cross section having entrained CH2Cl2 molecules.
Exploring three approaches to identity development

Identifications from the past, current feedback from social relations, and one's own priorities combine to make up one's identity. These insights were incorporated into three separate identity development programs and administered to 57 high school seniors. Pretests and posttests included the Rasmussen Scale of Ego-Identity and a Self-Identity Social-Similarity Grid. Significant differences in change were demonstrated on the grid between the experimental groups and the control. That there were no significant changes in the Rasmussen scores highlights the diverse attempts to operationalize the many aspects of Erikson's theory. Suggestions for administering and evaluating future identity development programs are made.
Toward a new understanding of Whipple's disease.

Since the first successful antibiotic treatment of Whipple’s disease in 1952, many breakthroughs have occurred in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease that was once thought fatal. This article provides a historic overview and highlights recent encouraging discoveries regarding this underdiagnosed disease, including the use of polymerase chain reaction techniques and the recent cultivation of the Tropheryma whippelii bacterium.
Dedicated full-field X-ray imaging beamline at Advanced Photon Source

Abstract We report the basic beamline design and current status of a new full-field X-ray imaging facility at Sector 32 of the Advanced Photon Source. The beamline consists of an existing hutch at 40 m and a new experiment enclosure at 77 m from the source, with both monochromatic and white-beam undulator X-ray capabilities. Experimental programs being planned for the beamline include high-speed time-resolved imaging, phase-contrast and coherent imaging, diffraction-enhanced imaging, ultra-small-angle scattering imaging, and phase- and absorption-contrast transmission X-ray microscopy.
Arousal-induced modulation of memory storage processes in humans.

Abstract We recently demonstrated in human subjects that muscle-tension-induced arousal can enhance later retention performance and that this effect is attenuated by β-adrenergic receptor antagonists. In that study, each subject established a baseline for muscle tension by squeezing a hand dynamometer for 30 s with maximum force. This may have served to “prime” subsequent arousal produced by muscle tension. Two experiments were performed to address this issue. At the beginning of each experiment, young adult subjects were asked to squeeze the hand dynamometer at maximum effort either for 30 s (Prime) or for only 1 s (No prime). Then, during the task, arousal was induced by having each subject exert a moderate amount of tension (25 to 50% of baseline maximum). In the first experiment, subjects were shown four consecutive lists of 20 highly imageable nouns, given immediate recall tests of each, and then given a comprehensive recall and recognition test at the conclusion of the experiment. Moderate arousal was induced once for each list (at encoding, consolidation, or retrieval) or not at all for one list. The sequence of arousal induction was counterbalanced. Significant enhancement of delayed recall was seen in the 30-s group for those lists in which arousal was induced during the consolidation or retrieval period with no significant effects in the 1-s group. These results demonstrate that arousal can modulate memory consolidation when induced shortly after learning and that an initial priming event may affect the response to subsequent similar arousing events. In the second experiment, subjects read paragraphs, some of which contained highlighted words (working memory task); half of the subjects were given the 30-s procedure and half the 1-s procedure. Only those subjects in the 30-s group showed significant arousal-induced enhancement of delayed recognition of the highlighted words. Again, no significant effect on retention performance was seen in the group that squeezed the hand dynamometer for only 1 s during the priming period. Pulse data suggested that there may be somewhat greater heart-rate reactivity in the 30-s group. These findings suggest that memory modulation by arousal may be primed, or enhanced, by a relevant preliminary arousal event.
Strain Distribution Of MBE Grown Ge x Si 1-x /Si Layers by Raman Scattering

The strain distribution of Ge x Si 1-x /Si strained layer superlattice (SLS) as a function of the distance from the interface has been studied by Raman Spectroscopy. A small angle bevel was made by angle lapping on a given thick Ge x Si 1-x /Si SLS so that it is possible to probe the structure at different thicknesses. The Raman spectrum as a function of the distance from interface is then obtained. The results indicate that, as we move away from the interface, compression strain in the alloy layers decreases, tensile strain in the Si layers increases and lower concentration of crystalline defects are present as observed from linewidth measurement.
The extremal function for K9 minors

We prove that every (simple) graph on n>=9 vertices and at least 7n-27 edges either has a K"9 minor, or is isomorphic to K"2","2","2","3","3, or is isomorphic to a graph obtained from disjoint copies of K"1","2","2","2","2","2 by identifying cliques of size six. The proof of one of our lemmas is computer-assisted.
Metabolism of the protein molecule in a rat-liver mitochondrial fraction.

Abstract 1. 1. The mitochondrial fraction of rat liver which catabolizes added rat serum albumin in vitro is shown to be capable of breaking down its endogenous protein. 2. 2. In both instances the catabolic process is significantly stimulated by the addition of coenzyme A. 3. 3. The production of free amino acids from added serum albumin is not reversible under the conditions employed. 4. 4. Additional characteristics are reported for the metabolism of the serum albumin molecule.
Genome scan of a nonword repetition phenotype in families with dyslexia: evidence for multiple loci.

To understand the genetic architecture of dyslexia and identify the locations of genes involved, we performed linkage analyses in multigenerational families using a phonological memory phenotype—Nonword Repetition (NWR). A genome scan was first performed on 438 people from 51 families (DS-1) and linkage was assessed using variance components (VC), Bayesian oligogenic (BO), and parametric analyses. For replication, the genome scan and analyses were repeated on 693 people from 93 families (DS-2). For the combined set (DS-C), analyses were performed with all three methods in the regions that were identified in both samples. In DS-1, regions on chromosomes 4p, 6q, 12p, 17q, and 22q exceeded our initial threshold for linkage, with 17q providing a parametric LOD score of 3.2. Analysis with DS-2 confirmed the locations on chromosomes 4p and 12p. The strongest VC and BO signals in both samples were on chromosome 4p in DS-C, with a parametric multipoint LODmax of 2.36 for the 4p locus. Our linkage analyses of NWR in dyslexia provide suggestive and reproducible evidence for linkage to 4p12 and 12p in both samples, and significant evidence for linkage to 17q in one of the samples. These results warrant further studies of phonological memory and chromosomal regions identified here in other datasets.
Laser-induced Fluorescence During Photorefractive Keratectomy: A Method for Controlling Epithelial Removal

Purpose Laser-induced fluorescence is generated during ablation of corneal tissue with the argon-fluoride 193-nm excimer laser. To investigate possible changes in laser-induced fluorescence spectra emitted during the transition between epithelium and stroma, we developed a system using an intensified charge-coupled device to achieve fast per-pulse temporal resolution of laser-induced fluorescence. Methods Freshly enucleated human cadaver eyes were subjected to 193-nm excimer laser keratectomy. During the procedure, laser-induced fluorescence was measured using an intensified charge-coupled device. Changes in laser-induced fluorescence were detected and used to control epithelial removal. Depth of ablation was determined histologically. Results The 193-nm excimer laser pulses induced both visible and ultraviolet fluorescence from corneal epithelium and stroma. In each layer two peaks predominated, one at 405 nm and the other at 346 nm. There was a rapid threefold reduction in the 346-nm ultraviolet peak at the transition from epithelium to stroma. Conclusions By monitoring changes in laser-induced fluorescence at the epithelial-stromal interface, the clinician may be able to control corneal epithelial removal more precisely and reproducibly before performing photorefractive ablation.
Carbon monoxide and ventricular fibrillation threshold in dogs with acute myocardial injury.

Abstract In a blind, randomized study, the effect of breathing 100 p.p.m. of CO versus compressed, purified air for 2 hours on ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) was investigated in 21 dogs with acute myocardial injury. The mean arterial carboxyhemoglobin was 1.16 per cent in the air control period, 1.07 per cent after air, 1.08 per cent in the CO control period, and 6.34 per cent after CO. In comparison to air, CO increased the mean arterial carboxyhemoglobin (P
Effect of carbon loading in microporous layer on PEM fuel cell performance

The effect of carbon loading in the microporous layer on the PEM fuel cell performance was investigated using mercury porosimetry, electrochemical polarization techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. When air was used as an oxidant, a maximum fuel cell performance was obtained for a carbon loading of 0.5 mg cm −2 . The ac-impedance properties were analyzed based on the thin film/flooded-agglomerate dynamics in the catalyst layer and the oxygen diffusion kinetics in the gas diffusion layer. The ac-impedance study indicated that the optimized microporous layer results in an effective water management (i.e. a balancing of water saturations in the catalyst layer and the gas diffusion layer), thereby improving the oxygen diffusion kinetics. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry: Clinical utility in high-risk pregnancies

An abnormal result of an umbilical artery Doppler study reflects the presence of placental vascular pathologic mechanisms and identifies pregnancies at increased risk for perinatal mortality. Recent reviews of the clinical utility of umbilical artery Doppler study have concluded that it should not be routinely used as a screening modality for the general obstetric population and have suggested that further research is required. However, metaanalysis of published peer-reviewed and randomized controlled trials indicates that its use in high-risk pregnancies is associated with a significant decrease in perinatal mortality without an increase in the rate of inappropriate obstetric intervention. This clinical opinion serves to underscore the relevance of umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry to clinical practice and to suggest that an abnormal result of an umbilical artery Doppler study should be added to the current list of indications for intensive fetal surveillance.
Some effects of vapor-liquid flow ratio on performance of a trickle-bed reactor

In the correlation of data from trickle-bed reactors results are frequently presented in terms of liquid hourly space velocities (LHSV) based on liquid feed to the reactor regardless of the extent to which the various components of the liquid may be vaporized within the reactor. This especially the case in petroleum and fuels processing where feed compositions are so complex chemically that a rudimentary kinetic expression frequently suffices. However in fact reactants and reaction intermediates of significant volatility will distribute themselves between the liquid and vapor phases. This distribution is affected not only by pressure and temperature, but also by the ratio of the flow rates of liquid and vapor and by liquid holdup in the reactor. This ratio and liquid holdup can thus affect reactant liquid concentrations in contact with the catalyst and hence conversion and selectivity. For a specified liquid hourly space velocity in a trickle bed reactor the degree of conversion of any reactant of appreciable volatility will usually descrease with increasing gas/liquid ratio. No effect will be observed with a true zero order reaction and the magnitude of the effect will be greater, the higher the order of reaction. For a reaction in equilibrium, here quinolinemore » and PyTHQ, the equilibrium ratio can be affected by their relative volatilities which in turn can affect the rate of subsequent reactions. However the overall hydrodenitrogenation reaction of quinoline and N-containing organic intermediates is only marginally greater than zero order under the conditions studied and hence the percent HDN converison is little affected by gas-liquid ratio or vapor phase versus vapor-liquid reaction. 10 refs., 5 figs.« less
Robotic motion compensation for beating intracardiac surgery

The use of 3D ultrasound imaging for both imaging and tracking has enabled minimally-invasive, beating heart intracardiac procedures. However, the rapid movements of internal heart structures pose a serious challenge to the surgeon that is compounded by the presence of significant time delays in 3D ultrasound imaging. This paper investigates the concept of using a one-degree-of-freedom motion compensation system to synchronize instruments with tissue motions that are approximately one-dimensional. We first describe the motion of the mitral valve, which is well approximated by a 1D model. The subsequent development of a motion compensation system is described, which comprises a motion compensation instrument as well as an extended Kalman filter that can compensate for system delays. The benefits and robustness of the resulting system are demonstrated in user trials under tracking conditions with measurement noise, delay, and heart rate variability.
Evaluating the effects of task-individual-technology fit in multi-DSS models context: A two-phase view

We investigate the effects of individual difference with the framework of task-individual-technology fit under a multi-DSS models context using a two-phase view. Our research question is: in addition to task-technology fit, does individual-technology fit or individual-task fit matter in users' attitude and performance in the multi-tasks and multi-DSS models context? We first divide the concept of task-individual-technology fit into three dimensions - task-technology fit (TTF), individual-technology fit (IT"eF), and task-individual fit (T"aIF) - so that we can explore mechanisms and effects of interaction among these factors (i.e., task, individual difference, and technology). We then propose a two-phase view of task-individual-technology fit (i.e., pre-paradigm phase and paradigm phase) based on Kuhn's concept of revolutionary science. We conducted a controlled laboratory experiment with multiple DSS models and decision-making tasks to test our hypotheses. Results confirmed our arguments that in the paradigm phase, the effects of individual differences on user attitudes toward DSS models can be ignored and that in the pre-paradigm phases individual differences play an important role. In addition, we found that effects of individual difference can be a two-blade sword: IT"eF can enhance but T"aIF can diminish users' attitude to DSS model (i.e., technology). Our results also suggested that different dimensions of fit may affect performance directly or indirectly.
Effects of air pollutant mixtures on the eye.

(1962). Effects of Air Pollutant Mixtures on the Eye. Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 103-107.
The Interplay Between HIV/AIDS-Infected Mothers' Depression and Their Children's Behavioral Crises in School

Data from 49 HIV/AIDS-infected mothers with 132 school-age children were used in this study to examine the interplay between seropositive mothers' depression and their children's behavioral crises in school during the past academic school year in North Carolina. In a logistic regression analysis, seropositive mothers' depression increased (B = .13, p = .004) the likelihood of a behavioral crisis. Externalizing problems were the likely precipitators of behavioral crises for both the perinatally HIV/AIDS-infected and seronegative children. These latter children were likely to initiate fistfights or throw objects with the intent to physically harm their classmates or teachers. The author found in a bivariate analysis that seropositive mothers' depression was positively (r = .32, p = .02) related to their children's externalizing problems in school. Implications for school social work practice with depressed seropositive mothers are discussed.
Non-invasive Prenatal Testing: Technologies, Clinical Assays and Implementation Strategies for Women’s Healthcare Practitioners

The field of prenatal genetic testing has exploded with new non-invasive technologies and test options in the past several years. It is challenging for women’s healthcare providers to keep up with the multitude of publications and provide patients with the most accurate and up-to-date information possible regarding prenatal testing. In this article, we examine the sequencing technologies that provide the framework for non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and review the major North American NIPT clinical validation studies published in 2011 and 2012. This paper also compares and contrasts the commercially available non-invasive prenatal tests in the United States, discusses clinical implementation recommendations from professional societies and highlights considerations for genetic counseling.
Evidence that decomposition rates of organic carbon in mineral soil do not vary with temperature.

It has been suggested that increases in temperature can accelerate the decomposition of organic carbon contained in forest mineral soil (Cs), and, therefore, that global warming should increase the release of soil organic carbon to the atmosphere1,2,3,4,5,6. These predictions assume, however, that decay constants can be accurately derived from short-term laboratory incubations of soil or that in situ incubations of fresh litter accurately represent the temperature sensitivity of Cs decomposition. But our limited understanding of the biophysical factors that control Cs decomposition rates, and observations of only minor increases in Cs decomposition rate with temperature in longer-term forest soil heating experiments7,8,9,10,11,12 and in latitudinal comparisons of Cs decomposition rates13,14,15 bring these predictions into question. Here we have compiled Cs decomposition data from 82 sites on five continents. We found that Cs decomposition rates were remarkably constant across a global-scale gradient in mean annual temperature. These data suggest that Cs decomposition rates for forest soils are not controlled by temperature limitations to microbial activity, and that increased temperature alone will not stimulate the decomposition of forest-derived carbon in mineral soil.
History of the Appearance of Infinite-Dimensional Analysis and its Development in Ukraine

We present a brief survey of the development of functional analysis in Ukraine and the problems of infinite-dimensional analysis posed and solved for thousands of years, which laid the foundations of this branch of mathematics.
Development of human fetal ventral mesencephalic grafts in rats with 6-OHDA lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway

Abstract Neuronal transplantation is an approach that can be exploited to study the development of the human central nervous system as well as being used in attempts to restore neurological function. In the present study, we have examined cellular events that appear to precede the development of dopamine nerve fiber extension by neurons from the human fetal ventral mesencephalon. These cellular events were examined using neuronal cell suspensions from human fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue (gestational ages 7–10 weeks) transplanted into the striatum of unilaterally lesioned 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rats. Animals were sacrificed for immunohistochemistry 9–10 weeks after the transplantation prior to the manifestation of behavioral recovery. Histological analysis revealed tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive neurons in the grafts. The majority of these neurons had very short TH positive processes (60–70 um), indicating that the maturation of grafted dopaminergic neurons was still incomplete. Immunostaining for the human specific intermediate neurofilament (hNF, clone: BF-10) showed dense neuronal fibers in the grafts. These fibers extended deeper into the host brain than the TH positive neuronal processes. The whole striatum, particularly the medial part of the striatum, exhibited long NF positive processes. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry revealed fine astrocytic processes inside the grafts, which were clearly different from host reactive glial cells surrounding the grafts. These graft-derived glial processes tended to extend into the host brain deeper than the TH positive neuronal processes from the grafts. These early histological findings of the grafted human fetal ventral mesencephalon suggest that the graft-derived NF positive neuronal processes, as well as the glial processes, radiate from the grafted tissue and extend into the host brain prior to the extension of TH positive processes. These results further suggest that human-to-rat xenografts can be used to study the neural development of human fetal brain tissue.
Diffusion-Proofing: Russian and Chinese Responses to Waves of Popular Mobilizations against Authoritarian Rulers

Do authoritarian leaders take preemptive actions to deter their citizens from joining cross-national waves of popular mobilizations against authoritarian rulers? Are they more likely to engage in such behavior when these uprisings appear to be more threatening—in particular, when they take place in neighboring countries and in regimes that resemble their own? We provide answers to these questions by comparing the responses of the Russian and Chinese leadership to two such waves: the color revolutions and the Arab uprisings. We conclude that, despite differences in the ostensible threats posed by these two waves, they nonetheless prompted the leaders of both of these countries to introduce similar preemptive measures in order to “diffusion-proof” their rule from the color revolutions and the Arab upheavals. These findings have some important implications for our understanding of authoritarian politics and diffusion processes. One is to reinforce the emphasis in many recent studies on the strategic foundations of authoritarian resilience. That recognized, however, we would add that the authoritarian toolkit needs to be expanded to include policies that preempt international, as well as domestic threats. The other is to provide further confirmation, in this case derived from the behavior of authoritarian rulers, of how scholars have understood the drivers of cross-national diffusion. At the same time, however, we counsel students of diffusion to pay more attention to the role of resisters, as well as to adopters. In this sense, the geographical reach of diffusion is much broader than many analysts have recognized.
Desalination of the Colorado River water: A hybrid approach

Abstract Membrane scaling constrains the operation of Reverse Osmosis (RO) forcing low water recovery, increasing brine amount and disposal cost. A high water recovery hybrid system (without antiscalants) was designed and simulated for desalination of Colorado River (CR) water (TDS = 941 mg/L) at the same capacity as the Yuma plant (96 Mgpd). The hybrid system incorporates ion exchange (IEX) water softening of Primary RO (PRO) retentate before the water is sent to Secondary RO (SRO). pH adjustment and heating of the concentrate from SRO is done before it is sent to an optional Tertiary RO (TRO). IEX treatment helped remove the scale causing precursors like Ba 2 + , Ca 2 + and Mg 2 + while pH adjustment and heating partially alleviated the problem of silica scaling allowing a maximum recovery of 96.4% with the PRO-IEX-SRO-Heat-TRO sequence. Use of concentrate from the last RO for IEX regeneration eliminates need for regeneration chemicals. Optimal RO configurations that minimize total annualized cost were determined by formulating the design as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. Optimal process schemes were identified for different brine disposal costs. Reductions in product water cost of 75% and 50% were attained at high and low brine disposal costs, respectively.
Abstract A240: A mechanism linking Id2-TGFβ crosstalk to reversible adaptive plasticity in neuroblastoma.

The ability of high-risk neuroblastoma to survive unfavorable growth conditions and multimodal therapy has produced an elusive childhood cancer with a remarkably poor prognosis. A novel phenomenon enabling neuroblastoma to survive selection pressure is its capacity for reversible adaptive plasticity. This plasticity allows cells to transition between highly proliferative anchorage dependent (AD) and slow growing anoikis resistant anchorage independent (AI) phenotypes. The differential gene expression profile of the two cellular phenotypes in the mouse Neuro2a cell line delineated pathways of proliferation in AD cells or tyrosine kinase activation/ apoptosis inhibition in AI cells. A 20 fold overexpression of inhibitor of differentiation 2 (Id2) was identified in AD cells while up-regulation of genes involved in anoikis resistance like PI3K/Akt, Erk, Bcl2, and integrins was observed in AI cells. Similarly, differential expression of Id2 and other genes of interest were also observed in the AD and AI phenotypes of human neuroblastoma cell lines, SK-N-SH and IMR-32; as well as in primary human tumor specimens. Forced down-regulation of Id2 in AD cells or overexpression in AI cells induced the cells to gain characteristics of the other phenotype. Id2 binds both TGFβ and Smad2/3 and appears critical for maintaining the proliferative phenotype at least partially through negative regulation of the TGFβ/ Smad pathway. Simultaneously targeting the differential molecular pathways governing reversible adaptive plasticity resulted in cure of established tumors in a mouse model of neuroblastoma. We present a mechanism that accounts for reversible adaptive plasticity and a molecular basis for combined targeted therapies in neuroblastoma. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):A240. Citation Format: Lina Chakrabarti, Bi-Dar Wang, Norman H. Lee, Anthony Sandler. A mechanism linking Id2-TGFβ crosstalk to reversible adaptive plasticity in neuroblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A240.