cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Choline and Geranate Deep Eutectic Solvent as a Broad-Spectrum Antiseptic Agent for Preventive and Therapeutic Applications

Antiseptic agents are the primary arsenal to disinfect skin and prevent pathogens spreading within the host as well as into the surroundings; however the Food and Drug Administration published a report in 2015 requiring additional validation of nearly all current antiseptic agents before their continued use can be allowed. This vulnerable position calls for urgent identification of novel antiseptic agents. Recently, the ability of a deep eutectic, Choline And Geranate (CAGE), to treat biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica was demonstrated. Here it is reported that CAGE exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against a number of drug-resistant bacteria, fungi, and viruses including clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans as well as laboratory strains of Herpes Simplex Virus. Studies in human keratinocytes and mice show that CAGE affords negligible local or systemic toxicity, and an ≈180-14 000-fold improved efficacy/toxicity ratio over currently used antiseptic agents. Further, CAGE penetrates deep into the dermis and treats pathogens located in deep skin layers as confirmed by the ability of CAGE in vivo to treat Propionibacterium acnes infection. In combination, the results clearly demonstrate CAGE holds promise as a transformative platform antiseptic agent for preventive as well as therapeutic applications.
Identification of Cockroach Exoskeletal Fragments Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography

Characterization of various stages of development (immatures and adults) and exoskeletal fragments of adult specimens of seven cockroach species by pyrolysis-gas chromatography (PGC) showed that species-specific peaks or peak groups are not influenced by these biological parameters. Species differentiation was easily accomplished for all samples analyzed, with only slight changes in peak intensities noted in pyrograms within a species. These data indicate that PGC may be a precise and accurate method for identifying insect exoskeletal tissue.
Effect of Temperature on Life History Characteristics of Anisopteromalus calandrae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) Parasitizing Maize Weevil Larvae in Corn Kernels

The second generation of Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) collected from commercial stored com in South Carolina was reared at constant temperatures of 20, 25,30, and 35°C at 63% RH and a 12: 12 (L:D) photoperiod. Hosts were medium to large larvae of Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky reared on corn (21–23 d old at 25°C, 63% RH). Daily production of viable progeny, sex ratio, adult female survivorship, and development time were measured to calculate net reproductive rate ( R o), generation time ( T ), intrinsic rate of increase ( R m), and female adult life expectancy. Female longevity was greatest at 20°C (14.5 d median) and shortest at 30 and 35°C (6 d). Median female development time ranged from 44 d at 20°C to 10 d at 35°C. Mean number of progeny produced per female over her lifetime increased from 10.4 at 20°C to 42.6 at 35°C. Progeny sex ratio was much lower at 20°C (33% female) than at the other temperatures (63–71% female). Intrinsic rate of increase was lowest at 20°C (0.028 female per female per day) and greatest at 35°C (0.250), R o increased from 4.5 female per female at 20°C to 27.7 at 35°C, and T decreased from 53.5 to 13.3 d.
An Application of Behavioral Activation Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder in the Context of Complicated Grief, Low Social-Economic Status, and Ethnic Minority Status:

Behavioral activation (BA) has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression, especially for severe and/or chronic depression; however, there is little empirical guidance on how BA can be effectively utilized to treat chronic Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in the context of complicated grief, low socioeconomic status, and ethnic minority status. This case study focuses on the treatment of Ms. X, a 51-year-old African American woman with chronic depression that was exacerbated by complicated grief. This case describes an effective course of a standard BA protocol for MDD in the context of complicated grief, low socioeconomic status, and ethnic minority status and illustrates how a BA protocol can be applied while incorporating important cultural considerations.
Contraception for Adolescents

Teenage pregnancy rates in the USA have declined for over 20 years, primarily due to increased access to highly effective contraceptive methods. Despite these encouraging trends, US teen pregnancy rates still remain higher than most other developed nations. There are significant medical, psychological, and financial implications and morbidities associated with unintended teen pregnancy and thus primary prevention strategies to decrease rates of teen pregnancy should be a focus for clinicians. New data shows significant benefit of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)—intrauterine devices or subdermal implants—over shorter acting methods such as the birth control pill. Despite these data, along with policies from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics supporting provision of LARC to adolescents, there is a lag among clinicians to communicate this information to their adolescent patients as standard of care. Many providers continue to utilize only short-acting methods such as the pill. Until clinicians more comprehensively adopt use of LARC methods as first-line agents for teenagers, rates of unintended pregnancy within this age group will likely remain high. Working to recognize and decrease barriers to contraceptive access should be a public health priority.
Metamaterial-Enhanced Resistive Wall Amplifier Design Using Periodically Spaced Inductive Meandered Lines

The metamaterial-enhanced resistive wall amplifier (ME-RWA) has been shown to be capable of producing large gains over wide bandwidths. Previous theoretical investigation of the ME-RWA focused on an idealized case using a homogenous dielectric with Drude dispersion to provide the negative permittivity required to achieve high gains. This paper reports the results of investigating practical metamaterial implementations with approximate Drude-type responses that enable the realization of a ME-RWA. Using these metamaterials, an architecture for a ME-RWA using periodically spaced inductive meandered lines is proposed. Our theoretical analyses and particle in cell simulations of this device predict that the proposed technique provides a practical method of implementing ME-RWAs, capable of providing a large gain over a substantial bandwidth.
Ancient DNA Clarifies Osteological Analyses of Commingled Remains from Midnight Terror Cave, Belize

: In the past two decades, paleogenetics has made a significant impact on the field of archaeology. Interestingly, paleogenetic methods have not been extensively employed in osteoarchaeology despite its ability to address issues that cannot be resolved through traditional osteological analysis alone. This paper tackles a problem concerning the relationship between human remains in a comingled deposit from Midnight Terror Cave (MTC), Belize. Paleogenetic demonstrates that the bones in question belonged to multiple individuals, thus resolving an issue that was at the heart of the interpretation of social processes at the site. Midnight Terror Cave (MTC), located in the Cayo District of Belize, has produced an osteological assemblage of over 10,000 bones, most of which belong to victims of human sacrifice. Considering the dearth of large sacrificial assemblages, MTC holds promise for clarifying our understanding of ancient Maya human sacrifice. In dealing with human sacrifice, osteological analyses, under the best of conditions, provide insight into general health, age, sex, skeletal pathology, and evidence of physical violence suffered by an individual. The contribution of osteological analysis, however, is heavily dependent on the preservation of the archaeological context and the skeletal remains themselves. Where skeletal material is mixed and comingled, osteological analyses are more limited in what they can say. Preservation of human bone in the Maya area is generally poor as a result of the moist, humid climate and acidic soil. In such contexts, attempts to use osteological analyses to address larger issues of social process can be fraught with difficulties.
Two Pathways for Dissociation of Highly Energized syn-CH3CHOO to OH Plus Vinoxy.

Ozonolysis of alkenes is an important nonphotolytic source of hydroxl radicals in the troposphere. The reaction proceeds through cycloaddition and subsequent decomposition to a carbonyl oxide, known as Criegee intermediates. Ozonolysis of alkene releases about 50 kcal/mol excess energy to form highly energized Criegee molecules, which can be stabilized and undergo further reaction or dissociate to OH+vinoxy products. The dissociation dynamics of partially stabilized Criegee (syn-CH3CHOO) has been thoroughly studied recently, in which the molecules dissociate by first isomerizing to vinyl hydroperoxide (VHP). Here we examine the dissociation dynamics of highly energized syn-CH3CHOO (42 kcal/mol), and a second, prompt dissociation path is discovered. The dissociation dynamics of these two paths are carefully examined through the animation of trajectories and the energy distributions of products. The new prompt path reveals a distinctly different translational energy and internal energy distributions of prod...
Preparation of line drawings from photographs

Visual presentation of data is essential in archaeological reports, but because of inadequate funding and/or available artistic talent, too few reports are illustrated sufficiently. This article describes a method whereby good quality line drawings can be produced inexpensively with only a modicum of illustrative skills. While the technique itself is not innovative, its widespread use would be. The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of the technique so that others may be encouraged to use it.
Influence of High Expression of p73 and p53 Proteins on Clinical Outcome in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients.

Abstract Background: Prognostic significance of apoptosis-regulating proteins, especially p73, is not clearly determined in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The p73 protein is a member of p53 family implicated in the regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis and development. Overexpression of p73 protein, with prevalence of short TAp73 isoforms, has recently been described in patients with AML. Aims: The main objective of this study was to verify whether expression of p73 and p53 proteins has a prognostic impact on response to induction chemotherapy and overall survival (OS) of adult patients with AML. Additionally, we aimed to correlate the expression of p73 and p53 proteins with spontaneous apoptosis of leukemic cells. Material and Methods: Intracellular expression of p73 protein in leukemic blasts isolated from bone marrow or peripheral blood was examined in 73 AML patients (59 de novo, 14 refractory/relapsed) of median age 54 years (range 28–78 years). In parallel, analysis of cell cycle in leukemic blasts was performed to assess the subG1 fraction as a marker of spontaneous apoptosis. The control constituted leukemic cells incubated with isotype antibodies. All measurements were performed using multi-colour flow cytometry. Protein expression was expressed by both percentage of positive cells and mean fluorescence intensity. Results: Fifty six patients received intensive induction chemotherapy. Twenty four (43%) patients achieved complete response (CR), 26 (46%) patients did not respond and 6 (11%) patients died in the early post-induction period. The median time of follow up reached 5.6 months (range 0.1–99 months). High expression of p73 showed a trend towards probability of CR achievement after induction regimen (p=0.08). Higher expression of p53 did not correlate with response to the treatment (p=0.28). In univariate analysis we found significantly better OS in patients less than 60 years old, with good or intermediate risk of kariotype and treated with intensive chemotherapy (p=0.00001; p=0.04; p=0.00001, respectively). Probability of better OS in AML patients with high p73 and p53 protein expression was p=0.1 and p=0.95, respectively. Simultaneous high expression of both p73 and p53 proteins on AML cell showed a trend toward longer OS (p=0.09). Moreover, a strong trend to better OS was observed in patients with high subG1 fraction. Importantly, high subG1 fraction correlated with high expression of p53 but not with p73 protein expression (p=0.03; p=0.15, respectively). Conclusions: These data indicate that p73 protein may be implicated in apoptosis of AML in response to chemotherapy, especially when p53 pathway is abrogated. Further studies are needed to establish exact role of p73 and p53 proteins in this process and its influence on OS of AML patients.
As Infliximab Use for Ulcerative Colitis Has Increased, so Has the Rate of Surgical Resection.

Infliximab was approved for ulcerative colitis in 2005 after randomized trials showed it reduced the risk of colectomy. Its effect on population-level surgery rates is unknown. Our aim is to assess the impact of infliximab approval for ulcerative colitis on surgical intervention. Retrospective review of a private insurance claims database (2002 to 2013) was performed of patients aged 18–64 diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and with 2 years of follow-up. Outcome measures were infliximab treatment and surgical resection. Multivariable logistic regression used independent variables of time period of diagnosis, age, gender, comorbidities, and insurance type. The cohort included 58,681 patients. Age, gender, and comorbidities were comparable across time periods. Patients diagnosed in the post-infliximab period had greater odds of undergoing infliximab treatment within the first year of diagnosis than those in the pre-infliximab era (OR = 2.88, p < 0.001). However, the odds of undergoing total colectomy or total proctocolectomy were also higher in patients diagnosed in the post-infliximab period (OR 1.5, p < 0.001). The use of infliximab for ulcerative colitis has, as expected, increased since its approval, but so has the risk of surgery. Thus, the introduction of biologic therapy has not decreased the risk for surgery for this patient population.
Prison Gangs, Street Gangs: A Critique of Theories of Prison Violence and Prison Research Methodologies: Very Rough Draft

Prison research methodology over decades has captured a view of prison inmate life mired by researchers' lack of first-hand experience and exposure to prison life. Theories of violence applicable to the street have been used to explain prison violence, even though contexts are a world apart. Sykes' 1950s notion of deprivation was code for a theory at the time which claimed that men are violent in the absence of heterosexual sex; publications claimed it explained domestic violence, too. The paper reviews and critiques prison research methods, theories of violence cited decade to decade without thought, and findings on prison violence based in hearsay and claims of prison staff that gone unchallenged and unverified. Prisons are difficult sites for research and designed to keep out researchers. This papers offers a thorough review of prison research barriers.
Repositioning of Somatic Golgi Apparatus Is Essential for the Dendritic Establishment of Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons.

New dentate granule cells (DGCs) are continuously generated, and integrate into the preexisting hippocampal network in the adult brain. How an adult-born neuron with initially simple spindle-like morphology develops into a DGC, consisting of a single apical dendrite with further branches, remains largely unknown. Here, using retroviruses to birth date and manipulate newborn neurons, we examined initial dendritic formation and possible underlying mechanisms. We found that GFP-expressing newborn cells began to establish a DGC-like morphology at ∼7 d after birth, with a primary dendrite pointing to the molecular layer, but at this stage, with several neurites in the neurogenic zone. Interestingly, the Golgi apparatus, an essential organelle for neurite growth and maintenance, was dynamically repositioning in the soma of newborn cells during this initial integration stage. Two weeks after birth, by which time most neurites in the neurogenic zone were eliminated, a compact Golgi apparatus was positioned exclusively at the base of the primary dendrite. We analyzed the presence of Golgi-associated genes using single-cell transcriptomes of newborn DGCs, and among Golgi-related genes, found the presence of STK25 and STRAD, regulators of embryonic neuronal development. When we knocked down either of these two proteins, we found Golgi mislocalization and extensive aberrant dendrite formation. Furthermore, overexpression of a mutated form of STRAD, underlying the disorder polyhydramnios, megalencephaly, and symptomatic epilepsy, characterized by abnormal brain development and intractable epilepsy, caused similar defects in Golgi localization and dendrite formation in adult-born neurons. Together, our findings reveal a role for Golgi repositioning in regulating the initial integration of adult-born DGCs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Since the discovery of the continuous generation of new neurons in the adult hippocampus, extensive effort was directed toward understanding the functional contribution of these newborn neurons to the existing hippocampal circuit and associated behaviors, while the molecular mechanisms controlling their early morphological integration are less well understood. Dentate granule cells (DGCs) have a single, complex, apical dendrite. The events leading adult-born DGCs9 to transition from simple spindle-like morphology to mature dendrite morphology are largely unknown. We studied establishment of newborn DGCs dendritic pattern and found it was mediated by a signaling pathway regulating precise localization of the Golgi apparatus. Furthermore, this Golgi-associated mechanism for dendrite establishment might be impaired in a human genetic epilepsy syndrome, polyhydramnios, megalencephaly, and symptomatic epilepsy.
Language ideologies and epistemic exclusion

Research in educational linguistics is now challenging the efficacy of monolingual approaches that often dominate educational practices in multilingual settings. In most African nations where multi...
Genetic pathways to posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in children: Investigation of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met using different PTSD diagnostic models.

Abstract The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism has been linked to PTSD, although findings have been inconsistent. Recently, different diagnostic criteria for PTSD have been introduced by ICD-11 and DSM-5, including separate criteria for adults and for young children (i.e., the preschool criteria). The preschool criteria may be applicable to older children as well. This study is the first to examine COMT associations with depression and PTSD, using new diagnostic models, in school-age children (7–11 years) exposed to a natural disaster. Children (n = 115) provided saliva samples for genotyping and completed measures assessing disaster exposure, posttraumatic stress, and depressive symptoms. COMT Met allele carriers were at risk for PTSD, but only when using ICD-11 (OR = 6.99) or the preschool criteria (OR = 4.77); there was a trend for DSM-IV and no association for DSM-5 (adult criteria). However, all children agreed upon as having PTSD by both DSM-5 and ICD-11 were Met allele carriers. The genetic association between the COMT Met allele and PTSD seemed primarily driven by arousal symptoms, as a significant relationship emerged only for the PTSD arousal symptom cluster. In contrast, COMT Val allele homozygosity was associated with depression (OR = 4.34). Thus, findings suggest that opposing COMT genotypes increased vulnerability to depressive versus arousal-based clinical presentations following trauma exposure. As a result, the heterogeneity of the DSM-5 PTSD criteria and its inclusion of depressive symptoms may mask COMT associations with DSM-5 PTSD. Future research should consider how the use of different diagnostic models of PTSD may influence genetic findings.
Percival Everett's Signifying on Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man in erasure

A comparative study of Ellison's novel Invisible Man with Everett's erasure. Everett's complex signifying on Ellison's novel reveals both important contrasts and comparisons.
The Lγ Phase of Pulmonary Surfactant

To determine how different components affect the structure of pulmonary surfactant, we measured X-ray scattering by samples derived from calf surfactant. The surfactant phospholipids demonstrated the essential characteristics of the Lγ phase: a unit cell with a lattice constant appropriate for two bilayers, and crystalline chains detected by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). The electron density profile, obtained from scattering by oriented films at different relative humidities (70-97%), showed that the two bilayers, arranged as mirror images, each contain two distinct leaflets with different thicknesses and profiles. The detailed structures suggest one ordered leaflet that would contain crystalline chains and one disordered monolayer likely to contain the anionic compounds, which constitute ∼10% of the surfactant phospholipids. The spacing and temperature dependence detected by WAXS fit with an ordered leaflet composed of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine. Physiological levels of cholesterol had no effect on this structure. Removing the anionic phospholipids prevented formation of the Lγ phase. The cationic surfactant proteins inhibited Lγ structures, but at levels unlikely related to charge. Because the Lγ phase, if arranged properly, could produce a self-assembled ordered interfacial monolayer, the structure could have important functional consequences. Physiological levels of the proteins, however, inhibit formation of the Lγ structures at high relative humidities, making their physiological significance uncertain.
The beta skew t distribution and its properties

In this article we introduce a new generalization of the skew t distribution based on the beta generalized distribution. The new class of distribution, which is called the beta skew t (BST), has the ability of fitting skewed and heavy-tailed data and is more general than the skew t distribution as it contains the skew t distribution as a special case. Related properties of the new distribution, such as moments and the order statistics, are derived. The proposed distribution is applied to real data to illustrate the fitting procedure using the maximum likelihood method and the L-moments method.
Introduction: Is there an after, after 9/11?

Since the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent responses to them scholars have charted and debated how those attacks altered our understanding of terrorism and counterterrorism and the world in which...
The Child With Asthma

This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend and mentor, Gail Shapiro, w ho died while undergoing cardiac surgery in August 2006 at the age of 59. Gail was a pediatric allergist who contributed to important studies of drug treatments for asthma and allergies and helped develop widely used standards for managing childhood asthma. She had an infectious enthusiasm for treating patients and was a powerful advocate for improving care for children with asthma and allergic diseases. Although she was diminutive in size, her intelligence, grace, and kindness were larger than life. She will long serve as a role model for those who aspire to excellence.
A SYNCRETIST CLASSIFICATION OF PHASE TRANSITIONS

ABSTRACT A discussion of the variety of relations which can exist between two phases having the same chemical composition shows that polymorphism is only one such. Polymorphs may be related to each other by phase transitions. The essential parameters or ‘dimensions’ in which every phase change must be described are: structural and thermodynamic. Kinetics may serve as an auxiliary description but are not a fundamental description of the transition. It is noted that the narrowest construction of the term “phase transition” restricts its use only to the case of a structural change between two solid phases of the same composition, each with long range order and which together form a one-component system. Considerable clarification is gained and if one separates such cases from the variety of reactions which can occur in two or multicomponent systems. These inter-phase changes are distinct from intra-phase changes (i. e., continuous structural changes which occur without change of phase). For operational usage the paper brings together the structural, thermodynamic (and kinetic) approaches into a unified scheme. Examples are provided of how particular transitions fit into or may be described by the scheme presented.
Chemical Composition of Cell Membranes and Factors Affecting Permeability

Every cell possesses an elaborate and complex system of membranes, the general function of which is to regulate exchange of materials between the cell and its surroundings and among the organelles of the cell and to provide for compartmentation of cellular metabolites. Thus a generalized type of higher plant cell has a plasmalemma (or plasma membrane), which constitutes the outer limiting boundary of the protoplast next to the cell wall; a tonoplast (or vacuolar membrane), which separates the contents of each vacuole (normally one large vacuole in a mature higher plant cell) from the cytoplasm; and membranes bounding the various organelles, including the chloroplasts (if present), mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, dictyosomes, peroxisomes and glyoxysomes (if present). Some organelles, specifically chloroplasts and mitochondria, are actually bounded by double membranes, with the inner membrane showing elaborate organization. The nuclear envelope, consisting of double membranes, possesses pores of quite sizable diameter (500–1000A).
Classification of GABAergic neuron subtypes from the globus pallidus using wild-type and transgenic mice

Key points Classifying different subtypes of neurons in deep brain structures is a challenge and is crucial to better understand brain function. Understanding the diversity of neurons in the globus pallidus (GP), a brain region positioned to influence afferent and efferent information processing within basal ganglia, could help to explain a variety of brain functions. We present a classification of neurons from the GP using electrophysiological data from wild-type mice and confirmation using transgenic mice. This work will help researchers to identify specific neuronal subsets in the GP of wild-type mice when transgenic mice with labelled neurons are lacking. Abstract Classification of the extensive neuronal diversity in the brain is fundamental for neuroscience. The globus pallidus external segment (GPe), also referred to as the globus pallidus in rodents, is a large nucleus located in the core of the basal ganglia whose circuitry is implicated in action control, decision-making and reward. Although considerable progress has been made in characterizing different GPe neuronal subtypes, no work has directly attempted to characterize these neurons in non-transgenic mice. Here, we provide data showing the degree of overlap in expression of neuronal PAS domain protein (Npas1), LIM homeobox 6 (Lhx6), parvalbumin (PV) and transcription factor FoxP2 biomarkers in mouse GPe neurons. We used an unbiased statistical method to classify neurons based on electrophysiological properties from nearly 200 neurons from C57BL/6J mice. In addition, we examined the subregion distribution of the neuronal subtypes. Cluster analysis using firing rate and hyperpolarization-induced membrane potential sag variables revealed three distinct neuronal clusters: type 1, characterized by low firing rate and small sag potential; type 2, with low firing rate and larger sag potential; and type 3, with high firing rate and small sag potential. We used other electrophysiological variables and data from marker-expressing neurons to evaluate the clusters. We propose that the GPe GABAergic neurons should be classified into three subgroups: arkypallidal, low-firing prototypical and high-firing prototypical neurons. This work will help researchers identify GPe neuron subtypes when transgenic mice with labelled neurons cannot be used.
Flat microplasma UV lighting tiles: efficient VUV, UV-C, and UV-B generation for various industrial and emerging applications (Conference Presentation)

Flat UV lamps comprising large arrays of microcavity plasmas, and capable of efficiently generating in the wavelength from VUV to UV-B radiation, have been developed by the team of University of Illinois and Eden Park Illumination. UV light is desirable for a number of chemical processes and disinfection methods available commercially but conventional UV light sources suffer from several drawbacks, including undesirable form factors and operational concerns regarding the use of mercury. Microplasmas are non-equilibrium, low-temperature plasma sources which have high power loading (several hundred kW/cm3), thereby enabling them to efficiently form UV-generating excimer molecules. This work has focused on leveraging microplasma array technology to realize low-temperature UV lamps that are flat and designed to have a scalable, slim form factor (total thickness less than ~5 mm). Each microcavity (less than a sub-millimeters in its cross-sectional dimensions) was fabricated through a series of microfabrication techniques, and the spatial variation of the electric field strength in each microcavity was tailored through the cavity cross-section and electrode geometry to efficiently generate deep UV radiation. UV light tiles capable of producing fluences up to 200 mW/cm2 at 172 nm which generates more than 25 watts of average power from a lamp of only 16 square inches in active surface area. Details concerning lamp performance of UV lamps having emitting wavelengths specifically in 146, 172, 222, and 308 nm will be discussed. The potential applications of the microplasma UV lighting tiles such as photochemistry, semiconductor processes, environmental and biomedical applications will be discussed.
Exploring the applicability of low-shot learning in mining software repositories

Despite the well-documented and numerous recent successes of deep learning, the application of standard deep architectures to many classification problems within empirical software engineering remains problematic due to the large volumes of labeled data required for training. Here we make the argument that, for some problems, this hurdle can be overcome by taking advantage of low-shot learning in combination with simpler deep architectures that reduce the total number of parameters that need to be learned. We apply low-shot learning to the task of classifying UML class and sequence diagrams from Github, and demonstrate that surprisingly good performance can be achieved by using only tens or hundreds of examples for each category when paired with an appropriate architecture. Using a large, off-the-shelf architecture, on the other hand, doesn’t perform beyond random guessing even when trained on thousands of samples. Our findings suggest that identifying problems within empirical software engineering that lend themselves to low-shot learning could accelerate the adoption of deep learning algorithms within the empirical software engineering community.
Segmentation via the Intensity Axis of Symmetry

The previous chapter described how the IAS can be calculated for an image. This chapter explains how the IAS can be used to segment an image into sensible image regions. Before this is demonstrated, several methods for displaying the IAS are illustrated. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the effects of preprocessing the image before computing the IAS and its induced image segmentation.
Hysteresis and critical transitions in a coffee agroecosystem

Seeking to employ ecological principles in agricultural management, a classical ecological debate provides a useful framing. Whether ecosystems are controlled from above (predators are the limiting force over herbivores) or from below (overutilization of plant resources is the limiting force over herbivores) is a debate that has motivated much research. The dichotomous nature of the debate (above or below) has been criticized as too limiting, especially in light of contemporary appreciation of ecological complexity-control is more likely from a panoply of direct and indirect interactions. In the context of the agroecosystem, regulation is assumed to be from above and pests are controlled, a way of using ecological insights in service of an essential ecosystem service-pest control. However, this obvious resolution of the old debate does not negate the deeper appreciation of complexity-the natural enemies themselves constitute a complex system. Here we use some key concepts from complexity science to interrogate the natural functioning of pest regulation through spatially explicit dynamics of a predator and a disease operating simultaneously but distributed in space. Using the green coffee scale insect as a focal species, we argue that certain key ideas of complexity science shed light on how that system operates. In particular, a hysteretic pattern associated with distance to a keystone ant is evident.
Climate-driven migration: prioritizing cultural resources threatened by secondary impacts of climate change

Archaeological sites are increasingly threatened by primary impacts of climate change, including sea-level rise, flooding, and erosion. These important sites represent cultural heritage and contain unique past environmental, ecological, and climate information. Stewardship of these cultural resources is generally limited to mitigation and salvage of immediately threatened sites, with little forethought given to secondary impacts of climate change. Secondary impacts are defined in this paper as climate-driven resettlement and associated development and may result in destruction of archaeological sites via resettlement of affected populations. The United Nations predicts increases above existing rates of resettlement of climate-affected communities from areas in which in situ infrastructure adaptations are not economically feasible, legal, or physically possible. Resulting development will likely disturb archaeological sites in interior regions. These cultural, environmental, and climate archives may be lost if urgent, unplanned climate-driven resettlement overwhelms state and local protections. Thus, planning for climate-driven resettlement should include standard methods for assessing threats to archaeological sites. Using Southern Maine as a pilot study, we report a trial methodology for identifying towns likely to experience rapid increases in population and infrastructure development related to climate-driven resettlement. Socioeconomic and demographic data, land cover change analyses, and archaeological records are combined in this risk assessment framework. The products are town-level maps that identify archaeological sites threatened by secondary impacts of climate change (climate-driven migration). This tool enables prioritization of threatened sites prior to potential destruction by large-scale migration and associated economic development and makes timely development compliance with federal and state legislation more likely.
Image Synthesis with a Single (Robust) Classifier

We show that the basic classification framework alone can be used to tackle some of the most challenging tasks in image synthesis. In contrast to other state-of-the-art approaches, the toolkit we develop is rather minimal: it uses a single, off-the-shelf classifier for all these tasks. The crux of our approach is that we train this classifier to be adversarially robust. It turns out that adversarial robustness is precisely what we need to directly manipulate salient features of the input. Overall, our findings demonstrate the utility of robustness in the broader machine learning context. Code and models for our experiments can be found at this https URL.
Machine Learning Band Gaps of Doped-TiO2 Photocatalysts from Structural and Morphological Parameters.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts in the form of thin films are of great interest due to their tunable optical band gaps, Eg's, which are promising candidates for applications of visible-light photocatalytic activities. Previous studies have shown that processing conditions, dopant types and concentrations, and different combinations of the two have great impacts on structural, microscopic, and optical properties of TiO2 thin films. The lattice parameters and surface area are strongly correlated with Eg values, which are conventionally simulated and studied through first-principle models, but these models require significant computational resources, particularly in complex situations involving codoping and various surface areas. In this study, we develop the Gaussian process regression model for predictions of anatase TiO2 photocatalysts' energy band gaps based on the lattice parameters and surface area. We explore 60 doped-TiO2 anatase photocatalysts with Eg's between 2.280 and 3.250 eV. Our model demonstrates a high correlation coefficient of 99.99% between predicted Eg's and their experimental values and high prediction accuracy as reflected through the prediction root-mean-square error and mean absolute error being 0.0012 and 0.0010% of the average experimental Eg, respectively. This modeling method is simple and straightforward and does not require a lot of parameters, which are advantages for applications and computations.
Convolutional Beamspace for Linear Arrays

A new beamspace method for array processing, called convolutional beamspace (CBS), is proposed. It enjoys the advantages of classical beamspace such as lower computational complexity, increased parallelism of subband processing, and improved resolution threshold for DOA estimation. But unlike classical beamspace methods, it allows root-MUSIC and ESPRIT to be performed directly for ULAs without additional preparation since the Vandermonde structure and the shift-invariance are preserved under the CBS transformation. The method produces more accurate DOA estimates than classical beamspace, and for correlated sources, better estimates than element-space. The method also generalizes to sparse arrays by effective use of the difference coarray. For this, the autocorrelation evaluated on the ULA portion of the coarray is filtered appropriately to produce the coarray CBS. It is also shown how CBS can be used in the context of sparse signal representation with dictionaries, where the dictionaries have columns that resemble steering vectors at a dense grid of frequencies. Again CBS processing with dictionaries offers better resolution, accuracy, and lower computational complexity. As only the filter responses at discrete frequencies on the dictionary grid are relevant, the problem of designing discrete-frequency FIR filters is also addressed.
Genomics of myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasm overlap syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) overlap syndromes are uniquely classified neoplasms occurring in both children and adults. This category consists of 5 neoplastic subtypes: chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), BCR-ABL1-negative atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML), MDS/MPN-ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis (MDS/MPN-RS-T), and MDS/MPN-unclassifiable (U). Cytogenetic abnormalities and somatic copy number variations are uncommon; however, >90% patients harbor gene mutations. Although no single gene mutation is specific to a disease subtype, certain mutational signatures in the context of appropriate clinical and morphological features can be used to establish a diagnosis. In CMML, mutated coexpression of TET2 and SRSF2 results in clonal hematopoiesis skewed toward monocytosis, and the ensuing acquisition of driver mutations including ASXL1, NRAS, and CBL results in overt disease. MDS/MPN-RS-T demonstrates features of SF3B1-mutant MDS with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS), with the development of thrombocytosis secondary to the acquisition of signaling mutations, most commonly JAK2V617F. JMML, the only pediatric entity, is a bona fide RASopathy, with germline and somatic mutations occurring in the oncogenic RAS pathway giving rise to disease. BCR-ABL1-negative aCML is characterized by dysplastic neutrophilia and is enriched in SETBP1 and ETNK1 mutations, whereas MDS/MPN-U is the least defined and lacks a characteristic mutational signature. Molecular profiling also provides prognostic information, with truncating ASXL1 mutations being universally detrimental and germline CBL mutations in JMML showing spontaneous regression. Sequencing information in certain cases can help identify potential targeted therapies (IDH1, IDH2, and splicing mutations) and should be a mainstay in the diagnosis and management of these neoplasms.
Development of Real-Time Smart City Mapping Utilizing Game Engines

Game engines are ideal platforms to generate and visualize digital twins of smart cities in real time. The real-time mapping of a smart city faces two challenges: (1) streaming data from Internet of Things (IoT) devices, (2) rendering a high-throughput and heterogeneous digital twin. Current game engine infrastructure is not built to handle the influx of real time data streams from a diverse array of IoT devices, nor can they render a real-time dynamic mesh streamed from a scanning device such as a LIDAR. As meshes are the basic framework needed to render digital twin objects that represent their real word counterparts and real time IoT streams are necessary for modeling an accurate digital twin, both of these issues must be resolved in order to use game engines to create a digital twin of a smart city. In this paper, we propose a networking infrastructure capable of handling a wide variety of IoT devices and a novel mesh rendering algorithm. Additionally, we provide a quantitative error analysis. Experimental results show that the proposed streaming method and rendering algorithm could enable a game engine to efficiently generate a digital twin of a smart city.
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword: Humor in the Service of Social Justice

Some humor, while making us laugh, contains shadows of hostility toward those who cause strife – the racists, the bigots, the unaware and uneducated. Believe it or not, humor does have the ability to educate, to counter stereotypes and, if all else fails, to get even. Although humor can perpetuate and preserve stereotypes, it can also redress a wide variety of prejudices and preconceptions. Humor may not have been a powerful enough weapon to overthrow despotic regimes such as, for example, the US during slavery, Nazi Germany, or the former Soviet Union, but it did provide hope to the oppressed. This paper examines humor used by all kinds of oppressed people including African-Americans, Asians, women, Moslems, the disabled, and Jews. The authors conclude that society is better off if people get even with bullies and persecutors using humor rather than violence. Humor can educate the educable. Humor provides victims with psychological strength, and enables them to rise above despair and hopelessness.
Improving the effectiveness of a paediatric handbook for new house officers

Background and objectives:To help house officers adjust quickly to their new responsibilities, a departmental handbook is provided. As this had not been updated recently and was underutilised, a qu...
A chemically-defined growth medium to support Lactobacillus – Acetobacter community analysis

ABSTRACT Lactobacilli and acetobacters are commercially important bacteria that often form communities in natural fermentations, including food preparations, spoilage, and in the digestive tract of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. Communities of these bacteria are widespread and prolific, despite numerous strain-specific auxotrophies, suggesting they have evolved nutrient interdependencies that regulate their growths. The use of a chemically-defined medium (CDM) supporting the growth of both groups of bacteria would greatly facilitate identification of the precise metabolic interactions between these two groups of bacteria. While numerous such media have been developed that support specific strains of lactobacilli and acetobacters, there has not been a medium formulated to support both genera. We developed such a medium, based on a previous Lactobacillus CDM, by modifying the nutrient abundances to improve growth of both groups of bacteria. We further simplified the medium by substituting casamino acids for individual amino acids and the standard Wolfe’s vitamins and mineral stocks for individual vitamins and minerals, resulting in a reduction from 40 to 8 stock solutions. The new CDM and variations of it support robust growth of lactobacilli and acetobacters. We provide the composition and an example of its use to measure nutritional interactions.
In Vitro and In Vivo Enhancement of Temozolomide Effect in Human Glioblastoma by Non-Invasive Application of Cold Atmospheric Plasma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive forms of adult brain cancers and is highly resistant to treatment, with a median survival of 12-18 months after diagnosis. The poor survival is due to its infiltrative pattern of invasion into the normal brain parenchyma, the diffuse nature of its growth, and its ability to quickly grow, spread, and relapse. Temozolomide is a well-known FDA-approved alkylating chemotherapy agent used for the treatment of high-grade malignant gliomas, and it has been shown to improve overall survival. However, in most cases, the tumor relapses. In recent years, CAP has been used as an emerging technology for cancer therapy. The purpose of this study was to implement a combination therapy of CAP and TMZ to enhance the effect of TMZ and apparently sensitize GBMs. In vitro evaluations in TMZ-sensitive and resistant GBM cell lines established a CAP chemotherapy enhancement and potential sensitization effect across various ranges of CAP jet application. This was further supported with in vivo findings demonstrating that a single CAP jet applied non-invasively through the skull potentially sensitizes GBM to subsequent treatment with TMZ. Gene functional enrichment analysis further demonstrated that co-treatment with CAP and TMZ resulted in a downregulation of cell cycle pathway genes. These observations indicate that CAP can be potentially useful in sensitizing GBM to chemotherapy and for the treatment of glioblastoma as a non-invasive translational therapy.
Preparation and Use of Monospecific Antisera to Capitella SP. I.

The opportunistic polychaetes formerly known as Capitella capitata are the archetypal pioneers in soft-bottom benthic succession. Capitella is now known to be comprised of several morphologically indistinguishable but reproductively isolated sibling species. Capitella sp. I is widely distributed on the east coast of the United States and has been used in a number of experimental and toxicological studies. We used three immunoelectrophoretic techniques (i.e., 2-dimensional, Kroll’s line, and Laurell’s rocket electrophoresis) to identify and purify a dominant antigen in this species. To study the role of Capitella species in field experiments, we developed a monospecific antiserum to this major antigen. We plan to use this monospecific typing serum and FITC-immunocytochemical staining to identify the formalin-preserved larvae and juveniles of Capitella sp. I. This immunocytochemical staining technique will enable us to test processes controlling the distribution and abundance of Capitella sp. I in the field.