cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
iWordNet: A New Approach to Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence

One of the main challenges in artificial intelligence or computational linguistics is understanding the meaning of a word or concept. We argue that the connotation of the term “understanding,” or the meaning of the word “meaning,” is merely a word mapping game due to unavoidable circular definitions. These circular definitions arise when an individual defines a concept, the concepts in its definition, and so on, eventually forming a personalized network of concepts, which we call an iWordNet. Such an iWordNet serves as an external representation of an individual’s knowledge and state of mind at the time of the network construction. As a result, “understanding” and knowledge can be regarded as a calculable statistical property of iWordNet topology. We will discuss the construction and analysis of the iWordNet, as well as the proposed “Path of Understanding” in an iWordNet that characterizes an individual’s understanding of a complex concept such as a written passage. In our pilot study of 20 subjects we used a regression model to demonstrate that the topological properties of an individual’s iWordNet are related to his IQ score, a relationship that suggests iWordNets as a potential new methodology to studying cognitive science and artificial intelligence.
Research note for switching from a semi-computerized to an online employment application system: A case study

The problems with this System Change Project were exacerbated by the choice of third-party software followed by significant software customization. By identifying potential lack of fit between the ...
Numerical study of natural convection in a horizontal concentric annulus using smoothed particle hydrodynamics

Abstract Natural convection is of great importance in many engineering applications. This paper presents a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method for natural convection simulation. The conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy of fluid are discretized into SPH equations. The body force due to the change of density in a temperature field is considered by the Boussinesq approximation. The SPH method is validated by experimental results in temperature distribution. Then the SPH method is applied to characterize the natural convection in a horizontal cylindrical annulus with varying both Rayleigh number (102 to 107) and Prandtl number (0.01 to 10), while in literature the effect of Prandtl number was usually not considered. In general, the flow is stable at low Rayleigh number but unstable at high Rayleigh number. The numerical results show that the transition Rayleigh number, from stable to unstable, varies with Prandtl number. Four different convection states are identified from numerical simulations, namely, stable state with one plume, unstable state with one plume, stable state with multiple plumes, and unstable state with multiple plumes. The two one-plume states are observed for all Prandtl numbers, while the two multiple-plume states are observed only for Pr = 0.1 and 0.01. It is believed that high thermal diffusivity (low Pr) enhances heat transfer, which modifies the flow and induces instability. An exception case is observed at Pr = 0.1 – the flow is unstable at Ra = 104 but stable at Ra = 105, which can be explained by vortex interactions. Therefore, the flow states depend on not only the Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers but also the vortex interactions.
Characterization of the induced matching extendable graphs with 2n vertices and 3n edges

Abstract A graph G is induced matching extendable or IM-extendable if every induced matching of G is contained in a perfect matching of G . In 1998, Yuan proved that a connected IM-extendable graph on 2 n vertices has at least 3 n − 2 edges, and that the only IM-extendable graph with 2 n vertices and 3 n − 2 edges is T × K 2 , where T is an arbitrary tree on n vertices. In 2005, Zhou and Yuan proved that the only IM-extendable graph with 2 n ≥ 6 vertices and 3 n − 1 edges is T × K 2 + e , where T is an arbitrary tree on n vertices and e is an edge connecting two vertices that lie in different copies of T and have distance 3 between them in T × K 2 . In this paper, we introduced the definition of Q -joint graph and characterized the connected IM-extendable graphs with 2 n ≥ 4 vertices and 3 n edges.
MTB-Fetch: Multithreading Aware Hardware Prefetching for Chip Multiprocessors

To fully exploit the scaling performance in Chip Multiprocessors, applications must be divided into semi-independent processes that can run concurrently on multiple cores within a system. One major class of such applications, shared-memory, multi-threaded applications, requires programmers insert thread synchronization primitives (i.e., locks, barriers, and condition variables) in their critical sections to synchronize data access between processes. For this class of applications, scaling performance requires balanced per-thread workloads with little time spent in critical sections. In practice, however, threads often waste significant time waiting to acquire locks/barriers in their critical sections, leading to thread imbalance and poor performance scaling. Moreover, critical sections often stall data prefetchers that mitigate the effects of long critical section stalls by ensuring data is preloaded in the core caches when the critical section is complete. In this paper we examine a pure hardware technique to enable safe data prefetching beyond synchronization points in CMPs. We show that successful prefetching beyond synchronization points requires overcoming two significant challenges in existing prefetching techniques. First, we find that typical data prefetchers are designed to trigger prefetches based on current misses. This approach this works well for traditional, continuously executing, single-threaded applications. However, when a thread stalls on a synchronization point, it typically does not produce any new memory references to trigger a prefetcher. Second, even in the event that a prefetch were to be correctly directed to read beyond a synchronization point, it will likely prefetch shared data from another core before this data has been written. While this prefetch would be considered “accurate” it is highly undesirable, because such a prefetch would lead to three extra “ping-pong” movements back and forth between private caches in the producing and consuming cores, incurring more latency and energy overhead than without prefetching. We develop a new data prefetcher, Multi-Thread B-Fetch (MTB-Fetch), built as an extension to a previous single-threaded data prefetcher. MTB-Fetch addresses both issues in prefetching for shared memory multi-threaded workloads. MTB-Fetch achieves a speedup of 9.3 percent for multi-threaded applications with little additional hardware.
Doing Astronomy at a Museum

Working as an astronomer-curator in a planetarium at a major collections-based museum offers opportunities and challenges very different from those encountered by colleagues at universities and observatories. It may be counterintuitive, but it’s true; one can do serious astrophysics research at a museum while connecting millions of people to the wonders of modern science. In this chapter I discuss how the advent of high-resolution digital projectors has brought about “space shows” – 3D immersive journeys through the universe that transcend the earth-bound “sky shows” of the past century. Producing these multi-million dollars movies puts a curator at the intersection of modern astrophysics and Hollywood movie production. Permanent and temporary exhibitions allow curators to present both the basics of our science and cutting edge discoveries to millions of visitors. While we can’t interact personally with every child who visits, we can devote significant efforts to upgrading the skills of science teachers. This has a strong multiplicative effect, and is where most of our education efforts are directed. Finally I note that hosting VIPs and donors, both at the museum and on travel is a delightful way to garner support for our science and our museum.
Stochastic planning with first order decision diagrams

Dynamic programming algorithms have been successfully applied to propositional stochastic planning problems by using compact representations, in particular algebraic decision diagrams, to capture domain dynamics and value functions. Work on symbolic dynamic programming lifted these ideas to first order logic using several representation schemes. Recent work introduced a first order variant of decision diagrams (FODD) and developed a value iteration algorithm for this representation. This paper develops several improvements to the FODD algorithm that make the approach practical. These include, new reduction operators that decrease the size of the representation, several speedup techniques, and techniques for value approximation. Incorporating these, the paper presents a planning system, FODD-PLANNER, for solving relational stochastic planning problems. The system is evaluated on several domains, including problems from the recent international planning competition, and shows competitive performance with top ranking systems. This is the first demonstration of feasibility of this approach and it shows that abstraction through compact representation is a promising approach to stochastic planning.
Polydentate Ligands and Their Effects on Catalysis

In recent years, tremendous interest and research activity has been expended on transition metal complexes of tertiary phosphine ligands.(1,2) Metalphosphine complexes display a tremendous range of coordination numbers, stereochemistries, catalytic properties, and selectivities. The effects can also be “fine-tuned” by purposeful variation of the steric and electronic effects of the substituent groups on phosphorus and from synthesis of polydentate phosphines.(2)
The more (mutations), the better

High somatic tumor mutational burden predicts response to immune checkpoint inhibitors across multiple cancers.
Baseline sensitivity of Cercospora zeae-maydis to pydiflumetofen, a new succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor fungicide.

Abstract Gray leaf spot, caused by the fungus Cercospora zeae-maydis, is an important foliar disease of corn (Zea mays) in the United States (U.S.). Application of foliar products that contain quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) and demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides is one way that corn farmers in the U.S. manage this disease. Since DMI and QoI fungicides pose medium to high risks of selecting for resistant fungal pathogens, it is important that fungicides from different classes be registered for use on corn to manage gray leaf spot. The fungicide pydiflumetofen (adepidyn; Syngenta Crop Protection, Greensboro, NC) is a new succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) that currently is being registered for use on corn in the U.S. The objective of this study was to establish the baseline sensitivity of C. zeae-maydis isolates collected from different areas of the U.S. to pydiflumetofen using in vitro assays. Effective concentrations of pydiflumetofen in which C. zeae-maydis isolates were inhibited by 50% (EC50 values) ranged from 0.0008 to 0.0101 μg/ml, with mean and median values of 0.0040 and 0.0038 μg/ml, respectively. These results can be used as part of a fungicide resistance monitoring program for C. zeae-maydis in the U.S.
An extension of de Vries duality to completely regular spaces and compactifications

Abstract De Vries duality yields a dual equivalence between the category of compact Hausdorff spaces and a category of complete Boolean algebras with a proximity relation on them, known as de Vries algebras. We extend de Vries duality to completely regular spaces by replacing the category of de Vries algebras with certain extensions of de Vries algebras. This is done by first formulating a duality between compactifications and de Vries extensions, and then specializing to the extensions that correspond to Stone-Cech compactifications.
Pharmacodynamic (PD) assessment using FLT-PET/CT imaging in patients treated with an interrupted high-dose axitinib schedule.

11105 Background: Axitinib (AX) is a potent inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) of VEGFR-1,2,3. We previously showed that exposure to AX resulted in a decrease in tumor proliferation and v...
Staged Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) Treatments to Left Insular Low-Grade Glioma.

Background and importance Low-grade insular gliomas remain challenging tumors for aggressive resection because of the numerous functional and vascular structures surrounding them. Because of the potential morbidities associated with open surgical resection, less invasive techniques may confer a more optimal balance between cytoreduction and surgical complications. For this reason, we evaluated the use of laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) for resection of a dominant hemisphere oligodendroglioma World Health Organization (WHO) grade II in a 68-yr-old patient by use of multiple staged surgeries for its resection. Clinical presentation Patient KK was a 68-yr-old female who was found to have a large, left-sided insular mass that was shown to be an oligodendroglioma WHO grade II, positive for codeletion 1p/19q and IDH1 mutant on biopsy. Over the course of 3 mo, KK underwent 2 stages of LITT, targeting different areas of the 5-cm tumor. The 60-d magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a reduction in size of the tumor from 5.2 × 3.3 × 2.4 cm to 3.6 × 1.9 × 1.4 cm. She returned for a second stage targeting the anterior portion of the tumor. KK did well postoperatively and went on to postsurgical chemoradiation. At the 2-yr follow-up, the lesion showed near resolution on MRI. Conclusion This case report demonstrates successful use of LITT for staged surgeries to treat a left hemisphere-dominant insular lesion. This establishes the use of LITT as a viable, minimally invasive option to treat tumors that are difficult to access or pose concerns for increased morbidity through an open surgery.
Impact of an HIV-trained clinical pharmacist intervention on error rates of antiretroviral and opportunistic infection medications in the inpatient setting.

Background: Based on a retrospective study performed at our institution, 38% of inpatients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were found to have a medication error involving their anti-retroviral (ARV) and/or opportunistic infection (OI) prophylaxis medications. Objective: To determine the impact of a dedicated HIV-trained clinical pharmacist on the ARV and OI prophylaxis medication error rates at our institution. Methods: A prospective quality improvement project was conducted over a six month period to assess the impact of a dedicated HIV-trained clinical pharmacist on the ARV and OI prophylaxis medication error rates. IRB approval received. Results: There were 144 patients included in this analysis, who experienced a combined 76 medication errors. Compared to historical control study conducted at our institution, the percent of patients who experienced a medication error remained stable (38% vs. 39%, respectively) and the error rate per patient was similar (1.44 vs. 1.36, p=NS). The percent of medication errors that were corrected prior to discharge increased from 24% to 70% and the median time to error correction decreased from 42 hours to 11.5 hours (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Errors relating to ARV or OI prophylaxis medications remain frequent in inpatient people living with HIV/AIDS. After multiple interventions were implemented, ARV and OI prophylaxis medication errors were corrected faster and with greater frequency prior to discharge, however, similar rates of errors for patients existed. Dedicated HIV clinicians with adequate training and credentialing are necessary to manage this specialized disease state and to reduce the overall number of medication errors associated with HIV/AIDS.
Electroencephalographic (EEG) Analysis of Individuals Experiencing Acute Mental Stress

On an almost daily basis, individuals experience varying forms of stress. The stress experienced can range in intensity and quantity and if not properly handled can lead to problematic mental and physical disorders. In this study, subjects are monitored for varying acute mental stress levels using electroencephalography, heart rate, and galvanic skin conductance. The research accomplished in this study was broken into two parts. The first part induced acute mental stress through a mobile game application both inside and outside of a faraday cage chamber. The use of the faraday cage chamber allowed for the observance of Radio Frequency (RF) interference behavior on electroencephalography, heart rate, and skin conductance devices. Overall, it was found that the use of a faraday cage chamber provided no significant changes to the values obtained by electroencephalography, heart rate, and skin conductivity sensors. The second part induced acute mental stress through both an arithmetic exam and mobile game application. The goal of the second part of the experimentation was to determine whether a mobile game application could induce a greater sense of urgency and stress than an arithmetic exam. Individual trials were conducted to determine if there existed a correlation between the data received from electroencephalography, heart rate, and skin conductance measurement devices. Overall, the data perceived from electroencephalography showed results which mimicked that of other studies accomplished at other learning institutions and promoted the conclusion that the mobile game application was more stress inducing than a mathematical exam. Heart rate and skin conductance data gathered also agreed with the overall findings gathered from electroencephalography data.
Intercepting Endometrial Cancer: Opportunities to Expand Access Using New Technology

Although endometrial cancer is often diagnosed at an early curable stage, the incidence and mortality from endometrial cancer is rising and minority women are particularly at risk. We hypothesize that delays in clinical presentation contribute to racial disparities in endometrial cancer mortality and treatment-related morbidity. Improved methods for endometrial cancer risk assessment and distinguishing abnormal uterine bleeding and postmenopausal bleeding from physiologic variation are needed. Accordingly, we propose a multipronged strategy that combines innovative patient education with novel early detection strategies to reduce health impacts of endometrial cancer and its precursors, especially among Black women. Futuristic approaches using gamification, smartphone apps, artificial intelligence, and health promotion outside of the physical clinic hold promise in preventing endometrial cancer and reducing morbidity and mortality related to the disease, but they also raise a number of questions that will need to be addressed by future research.
Impact of a vaccine intervention on county-level rates of acute hepatitis B in West Virginia, 2011–2018

The rate of acute hepatitis B in West Virginia (WV) has been increasing since 2006. To reduce new infections, WV implemented a vaccine intervention (WV Pilot Project), which provided over 10,000 doses of hepatitis B vaccine to at-risk adults in 18 counties. The objectives of this study were to describe yearly changes in acute hepatitis B incidence and assess county-level impact of the WV Pilot Project using geospatial methods. County rates of acute hepatitis B and vaccine doses per 100,000 population were visualized biannually from 2011 to 2018. Local indicators of spatial autocorrelation were used to detect county-level clustering. Significant differences in the median rate of acute hepatitis B pre and post intervention in counties receiving vaccine were evaluated using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and bootstrapping. A Bland-Altman graph visualized significant differences in county-level rates of acute hepatitis B before and after the WV Pilot Project compared to the statewide estimate. Analyses identified significant geographic clustering of acute hepatitis B in southern WV across all four time-periods. Nine of the 18 (50%) counties receiving vaccine had significant declines in acute hepatitis B incidence compared to the statewide mean difference estimate. Findings suggest that increased dissemination of hepatitis B vaccine through local health departments and existing harm reduction services can reduce the incidence of acute hepatitis B in states such as WV, which have been disproportionately affected by substance misuse.
Mobility network models of COVID-19 explain inequities and inform reopening.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic markedly changed human mobility patterns, necessitating epidemiological models that can capture the effects of these changes in mobility on the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)1. Here we introduce a metapopulation susceptible-exposed-infectious-removed (SEIR) model that integrates fine-grained, dynamic mobility networks to simulate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in ten of the largest US metropolitan areas. Our mobility networks are derived from mobile phone data and map the hourly movements of 98 million people from neighbourhoods (or census block groups) to points of interest such as restaurants and religious establishments, connecting 56,945 census block groups to 552,758 points of interest with 5.4 billion hourly edges. We show that by integrating these networks, a relatively simple SEIR model can accurately fit the real case trajectory, despite substantial changes in the behaviour of the population over time. Our model predicts that a small minority of 'superspreader' points of interest account for a large majority of the infections, and that restricting the maximum occupancy at each point of interest is more effective than uniformly reducing mobility. Our model also correctly predicts higher infection rates among disadvantaged racial and socioeconomic groups2-8 solely as the result of differences in mobility: we find that disadvantaged groups have not been able to reduce their mobility as sharply, and that the points of interest that they visit are more crowded and are therefore associated with higher risk. By capturing who is infected at which locations, our model supports detailed analyses that can inform more-effective and equitable policy responses to COVID-19.
Higher complication rates after management of lower extremity fractures in lower socioeconomic classes: Are risk adjustment models necessary?:

IntroductionAlternative payment models, such as bundled payments, have been proposed to control rising costs in orthopaedic trauma surgery. Without risk adjustment models, concerns exist about the ...
Individual characteristics and geospatial reasoning ability: a multigroup analysis of age, culture, and gender

Professionals routinely view, interpret, and make decisions using geospatial data. Nevertheless, our scientific understanding of how individuals work with geospatial information is still limited. W...
The Porchlight Project: A Pilot Study to Adapt the Senior Companion Program to Enhance Memory Care Services and Supports.

Older adult volunteer programs present an important opportunity to provide low cost, community-based support to families living with Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (A...
The scaled target learning model: Revisiting learning in the balloon analogue risk task.

Abstract The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) is a sequential decision making paradigm that assesses risk-taking behavior. Several computational models have been proposed for the BART that characterize risk-taking propensity. An aspect of task performance that has proven challenging to model is the learning that develops from experiencing wins and losses across trials, which has the potential to provide further insight into risky decision making. We developed the Scaled Target Learning (STL) model for this purpose. STL describes learning as adjustments to an individual’s strategy in reaction to outcomes in the task, with the size of adjustments reflecting an individual’s sensitivity to wins and losses. STL is shown to be sensitive to the learning elicited by experimental manipulations. In addition, the model matches or bests the performance of three competing models in traditional model comparison tests (e.g., parameter recovery performance, predictive accuracy, sensitivity to risk-taking propensity). Findings are discussed in the context of the learning process involved in the task. By characterizing the extent to which people are willing to adapt their strategies based on past experience, STL is a step toward a complete depiction of the psychological processes underlying sequential risk-taking behavior.
The Histone H1-like protein AlgP facilitates even spacing of polyphosphate granules in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Synthesis of polyphosphate (polyP) is an ancient and universal stress and starvation response in bacteria. In many bacteria, polyP chains come together to form granular superstructures within cells. Some species appear to regulate polyP granule subcellular organization. Despite the critical role of polyP in starvation fitness, the composition of these structures, mechanism(s) underpinning their organization, and functional significance of such organization are poorly understood. We previously determined that granules become transiently evenly spaced on the cell’s long axis during nitrogen starvation in the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa>. Here, we developed a granule-enrichment protocol to screen for polyP granule-localizing proteins. We identified AlgP as a protein that associates with polyP granules. We further discovered that AlgP is required for the even spacing of polyP granules. AlgP is a DNA-binding protein with a 154 amino acid C-terminal domain enriched in ‘KPAA’ repeats and variants of this repeat, with an overall sequence composition similar to the C-terminal tail of eukaryotic histone H1. Granule size, number, and spacing are significantly perturbed in the absence of AlgP, or when AlgP is truncated to remove the C-terminus. The ΔalgP and algPΔCTD mutants having fewer, larger granules. We speculate that AlgP may contribute to spacing by tethering polyP granules to the chromosome, thereby inhibiting fusion with neighboring granules. Our discovery that AlgP facilitates granule spacing allows us for the first time to directly uncouple granule biogenesis from even spacing, and will inform future efforts to explore the functional significance of granule organization on fitness during starvation.
Parent Experiences and Perceptions of Safety When Transporting Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Importance Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of unintentional deaths of children ages 1 and older, particularly children with health care needs. Objective To explore family caregivers' experiences and current practices while transporting children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Design A concurrent nested mixed-methods approach was used to gain insight into caregiver experiences. Setting Participants completed an online Qualtrics survey. Participants A convenience sample of 54 caregivers of children with ASD from 17 U.S. states. Results Themes that emerged include sensory behaviors of children, education related to child passenger safety, and participation in the community. Statistically significant findings suggest a correlation between caregivers (n = 39) being less likely to participate in activities away from home if the child had attempted to elope (p = .013), displayed aggressive behaviors (p = .005), or demonstrated self-injurious behaviors (p = .001). Conclusions and relevance The findings suggest a correlation between caregivers limiting the distance traveled during vehicular transportation and behavioral safety concerns. If caregivers must limit travel, they may refrain from accessing the community and engaging in leisure pursuits. What This Article Adds: The findings suggest that therapists who treat children with ASD should be familiar with child passenger safety restraints, particularly for elopement.
Poly-glutamine-dependent self-association as a potential mechanism for regulation of androgen receptor activity

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a central role in prostate cancer. Development of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) requires androgen-independent activation of AR, which involves its large N-terminal domain (NTD) and entails dramatic epigenetic changes depending in part on histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) that interact with AR. The AR-NTD is rich in low-complexity sequences, including a polyQ repeat. Longer polyQ sequences were reported to decrease transcriptional activity and to protect against prostate cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these observations are unclear. Using NMR spectroscopy, here we identify weak interactions between the AR-NTD and the KDM4A catalytic domain, and between the AR ligand-binding domain and a central KDM4A region that also contains low-complexity sequences. We also show that the AR-NTD can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation in vitro, with longer polyQ sequences phase separating more readily. Moreover, longer polyQ sequences hinder nuclear localization in the absence of hormone and increase the propensity for formation of AR-containing puncta in the nucleus of cells treated with dihydrotestosterone. These results lead us to hypothesize that polyQ-dependent liquid-liquid phase separation may provide a mechanism to decrease the transcriptional activity of AR, potentially opening new opportunities to design effective therapies against CRPC.
An Updated Meta-Analysis on the European Society of Cardiology 0/1-Hour Algorithm's Efficacy and Safety Outcomes

Background: In 2011, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has recommended the 0/1-hour algorithm with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays to diagnose acute myocardial infarction. However, there is no defined difference between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI). Methods: We conducted the first meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observation studies from inception to 13 August 2021 that evaluated the 0/1-hour algorithm with hs-cTnT or hs-cTnI. The statistical analysis was performed using R version 3.6.3 with packages “metaprop” and “metafor”. We constructed two-by-two tables, pooled studies by a random-effects model using proportion, and calculated sensitivity, NPV, specificity, and PPV with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Two RCTs and 15 observational studies were included with total of 17,883 patients and a median weighted follow-up period of 267 days. For hs-cTnT-Roche, the rates of pooled sensitivity was 98% (95% CI 94-99, I2 =87%), NPV was 99% (95% CI 98-100%, I2 =88%), specificity was 93% (95% CI 90-96%, I2 =98%), and PPV was 61% (95% CI 44-75%, I2 =98%). On the other hand, hs-cTnI-Pooled had a sensitivity of 99% (95% CI 97-99%, I2 =48%), NPV of 100% (95% CI 100-100%, I2 =41%), specificity of 95% (95% CI 94-97%, I2 =95%), PPV of 68% (95% CI 63-73%, I2 =71%) Conclusion: Assays of hs-cTnI-Pooled have higher values of sensitivity, NPV, specificity, and PPV when compared to hs-cTnT-Roche.
Biomarkers as MEDiators of racial disparities in Risk factors (BioMedioR): rationale, study design and statistical considerations.

Background Relative to White adults, Black adults have a substantially higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, both key risk factors for stroke, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, and dementia. Blood biomarkers have shown promise in identifying contributors to racial disparities in many chronic diseases. Methods We outline the study design and related statistical considerations for a nested cohort study, the Biomarker Mediators of Racial Disparities in Risk Factors (BioMedioR) study, within the 30,239-person biracial REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study (2003-present). Selected biomarkers will be assessed for contributions to racial disparities in risk factor development over median 9.4 years of follow-up, with initial focus on hypertension and diabetes. Here we outline study design decisions and statistical considerations for the sampling of 4,400 BioMedioR participants. Results The population for biomarker assessment was selected using a random sample study design balanced across race and sex to provide the optimal opportunity to describe association of biomarkers with the development of hypertension and diabetes. Descriptive characteristics of the BioMedioR sample and analytic plans are provided for this nested cohort study. Conclusions This nested biomarker study will examine pathways with the target to help explain racial differences in hypertension and diabetes incidence.
Reporting on the temporal properties of visual events masked with continuous flash suppression.

Abstract To what extent can individuals introspect on dynamic properties of masked stimuli? Specifically, can observers report about the order in which a visual stimulus occurs, relative to a behavior, even when that stimulus is dramatically reduced in visibility via masking? Masking stimuli using continuous flash suppression, we asked participants to report on whether the stimulus appeared before or after a button-press. Data collected across three studies are consistent with the notion that information on the temporal order of events is preserved even when the visibility of the event in question is impoverished. These data may suggest that dynamic properties of masked stimuli are a promising set of features for understanding questions regarding an observer’s perceptual experience and limitations of high-level information processing.
Towards a mechanically checked theory of computation

Formal mathematical logic is ideally suited to describing computational processes. We discuss the use of one particular mechanized mathematical logic, namely ACL2 (A Computational Logic for Applicative Common Lisp) to model computational problems and to prove theorems about such models. After a few elementary examples, we explain how computational artifacts are formalized in ACL2 and we summarize the main industrial applications of ACL2 as of 1999.
The Distribution of Fat in Dried Dairy Particles Determines Flavor Release and Flavor Stability

Dried dairy ingredients are utilized in various food and beverage applications for their nutritional, functional, and sensory properties. Dried dairy ingredients include milk powders of varying fat content and heat treatment and buttermilk powder, along with both milk and whey proteins of varying protein contents. The flavor of these ingredients is the most important characteristic that determines consumer acceptance of the ingredient applications. Lipid oxidation is the main mechanism for off-flavor development in dried dairy ingredients. The effects of various unit operations on the flavor of dried dairy ingredients have been investigated. Recent research documented that increased surface free fat in spray dried WPC80 was associated with increased lipid oxidation and off-flavors. Surface free fat in spray-dried products is fat on the surface of the powder that is not emulsified. The most common emulsifiers present in dried dairy ingredients are proteins and phospholipids. Currently, only an association between surface free fat and lipid oxidation has been presented. The link between surface free fat in dried dairy ingredients and flavor and flavor stability has not been investigated. In this review, some hypotheses for the role of surface free fat on the flavor of dried dairy ingredients are presented along with proposed mechanisms.
Cloning, expression, and chromosomal localization of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 2. A new member of the receptor kinase family.

Abstract The beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (beta ARK) specifically phosphorylates the agonist-occupied form of the beta-adrenergic and related G protein-coupled receptors. Structural features of this enzyme have been elucidated recently by the isolation of a cDNA that encodes bovine beta ARK. Utilizing a catalytic domain fragment of the beta ARK cDNA to screen a bovine brain cDNA library we have isolated a clone encoding a beta ARK-related enzyme which we have termed beta ARK2. Overall, this enzyme has 85% amino acid identity with beta ARK, with the protein kinase catalytic domain having 95% identity. The ability of beta ARK2 to phosphorylate various substrates was studied after expression in COS 7 cells. Although beta ARK2 is essentially equiactive with beta ARK in phosphorylating an acid-rich synthetic model peptide it was only approximately 50% as active when the substrate was the agonist-occupied beta 2-adrenergic receptor and only approximately 20% as active toward light-bleached rhodopsin. As with beta ARK, phosphorylation of the receptor substrates by beta ARK2 was completely stimulus dependent. RNA blot analysis with selected bovine tissues reveals an mRNA of 8 kilobases with a distribution similar to that of beta ARK. More detailed RNA analysis using a ribonuclease protection assay in various rat tissues suggests that the beta ARK2 message is present at much lower levels (typically 10-20%) than the beta ARK message. In the rat the beta ARK2 mRNA is localized predominantly in neuronal tissues although low levels are also observed in various peripheral tissues. The beta ARK2 gene has been localized to a region of mouse chromosome 5 whereas the beta ARK gene is localized on mouse chromosome 19. These data suggest the existence of a "family" of receptor kinases which may serve broadly to regulate receptor function.
Multi-dimensional approach to high resolution and high speed binary-to-thermometer decoding

A binary-to-thermometer decoding logic that allows high speed decoding at high resolution is presented. DNL performance of both binary-weighted and thermometer-coded decoding schemes in digital-to-analog conversion is discussed. Other works on binary-to-thermometer decoder are explored. In multi-dimensional decoding, a small decoding circuit is attached to each current cell in a current-steering DAC to minimize the delay caused by the traditionally large combinational binary-to-thermometer decoders. Doing so, a larger number of bits can be decoded using thermometer-coded method without having to sacrifice in decoding speed. This also relaxes the matching requirements between the thermometer-coded current sources and eventually saving silicon area.
The Functional Approach to the Wisconsin Test For Insanity

and purely theoretical sense, any effort which may be exerted in attempting to indulge in a criticism of its feasibility will amount to naught. For when considering the problem there involved, the practical aspect must be accentuated by bearing in mind that: the issue of insanity is an issue of fact to be determined by the jury; the prosecution has cast upon it the burden of proving the sanity of the accused; the proof thereof must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt and therefore the defense is established when doubt has been successfully injected into the case. That which has been found to be true in Wisconsin is, by analogy, equally as true in the several other states where this test is applied as the sole means of ascertaining the presence or absence of legal insanity. For in reference to no one jurisdiction can the assertion be positively made that the test is self sufficient and impassive, as contradistinguished to being volatile and sensitive to the influences of those forces that lie dormant in the principles of adjective law. Therefore, it is evident that success in coping with the situation does not lie in dabbling with these tests in an isolated sense, but rather in viewing them in what might well be termed their natural environment.
Does the Tachocline Show Solar Cycle Related Changes

The tachocline at the base of the convection zone is generally believed to be the seat of the solar dynamo. Here we investigate whether the tachocline shows any detectable change using several 72 day time-series of the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) Medium-/ data. We do not find any clear evidence of change with time.
Continuous Commissioning Energy Management Case Study of an Outpatient Clinic Building

ABSTRACT Continuous commissioning (CC) utilizes the HVAC system retrofit with system optimization theory and advanced technologies in a federal outpatient clinic building. The case study building has a basement and a first floor with patient rooms, offices, and a pharmacy. The HVAC system consists of two single-duct VAV air handling units (AHUs), 112 single-duct pneumatic controlled pressure independent terminal boxes, and associated hot/chilled water booster pumps. Both AHUs share one heat recovery heat exchanger. Major retrofit efforts include installing a VFD on the exhaust fan and reheat hot water pump, and installing fan airflow stations (FAS) and pump waterflow stations (PWS). This article presents optimal control strategies, which include outside air intake control, heat recovery from exhaust air control, supply fan control integrated with FAS, return fan control, optimal control for terminal boxes, and hot water and chilled water pump speed control. The measured daily utility data after CC shows t...
The reversal of methotrexate cytotoxicity to mouse bone marrow cells by leucovorin and nucleosides

The cytotoxic effect of methotrexate (MTX) for mouse bone marrow cells has been studied by in vitro of the granulocyte precursor cell (CFU-C) in a medium containing dialyzed fetal calf serum and dialyzed L-cell supernatant. The formation of 50-cell colonies was inhibited to 50% of control by 10(-8) M MTX. Further increases in MTX concentration rapidly abolished colony formation by CFU-C. The potential of leucovorin and nucleosides to rescue the CFU-C from MTX toxicity was studied. Toxicity of 10(-7) M MTX was completely reversed by equimolar concentrations of leucovorin, but with higher MTX concentrations, relatively more leucovorin was required. While 10(-5) M MTX was rescued by 10(-3) M leucovorin, rescue of the toxic effect of 10(-4) M MTX by 10(-3) M leucovorin was not observed. In contrast to the rescue by Leucovorin, toxicity of all MTX concentrations up to 10(-4) M was completely prevented by 10(-5) M thymidine with 10(-5) M adenosine, inosine, or hypoxanthine. Single nucleosides or thymidine with guanosine were ineffective, as were lower concentrations (less than or equal to 10(-6)M) of the effective combinations. Thus, while leucovorin reversed the MTX toxicity to CFU-C competitively, rescue by nucleosides was noncompetitive. The significance and possible usefulness of these findings for chemotherapeutic protocols are discussed.
Ant System for the k-Cardinality Tree Problem

This paper gives an algorithm for finding the minimum weight tree having k edges in an edge weighted graph. The algorithm combines a search and optimization technique based on pheromone with a weight based greedy local optimization. Experimental results on a large set of problem instances show that this algorithm matches or surpasses other algorithms including an ant colony optimization algorithm, a tabu search algorithm, an evolutionary algorithm and a greedy-based algorithm on all but one of the 138 tested instances.
Olfactomedin 4 Inhibits Cathepsin C-Mediated Protease Activities, Thereby Modulating Neutrophil Killing of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in Mice

Neutrophils kill bacteria generally through oxidative and nonoxidative mechanisms. Whereas much research has focused on the enzymes essential for neutrophil killing, little is known about the regulatory molecules responsible for such killing. In this study, we investigated the role of olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4), an olfactomedin-related glycoprotein, in neutrophil bactericidal capability and host innate immunity. Neutrophils from OLFM4−/− mice have increased intracellular killing of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in vitro. The OLFM4−/− mice have enhanced in vivo bacterial clearance and are more resistant to sepsis when challenged with S. aureus or E. coli by i.p. injection. OLFM4 was found to interact with cathepsin C, a cysteine protease that plays an important role in bacterial killing and immune regulation. We demonstrated that OLFM4 inhibited cathepsin C activity in vitro and in vivo. The cathepsin C activity in neutrophils from OLFM4−/− mice was significantly higher than that in neutrophils from wild-type littermate mice. The activities of three serine proteases (neutrophil elastase, cathepsin G, and proteinase 3), which require cathepsin C activity for processing and maturity, were also significantly higher in OLFM4−/− neutrophils. The bacterial killing and clearance capabilities observed in OLFM4−/− mice that were enhanced relative to wild-type mice were significantly compromised by the additional loss of cathepsin C in mice with OLFM4 and cathepsin C double deficiency. These results indicate that OLFM4 is an important negative regulator of neutrophil bactericidal activity by restricting cathepsin C activity and its downstream granule-associated serine proteases.
Smokers' expectations on dining services: a qualitative study

The purpose of this study is to explore smokers' expectations on dining services as well as to render implications in enhancing these services for smokers. Eight men and two women were selected from an online smokers' forum and interviewed by telephone. The informants highlighted the need for both an outdoor smoking area and for a more entertaining and relaxing environment. Moreover, as illustrated by opinions from the participants, special discounts and promotions designed for smokers would be an encouragement for them to visit more frequently, although these are not considered essential aspects of dining services.
Fermentation metabolism and its evolution in algae

Fermentation or anoxic metabolism allows unicellular organisms to colonize environments that become anoxic. Free-living unicellular algae capable of a photoautotrophic lifestyle can also use a range of metabolic circuitry associated with different branches of fermentation metabolism. While algae that perform mixed-acid fermentation are widespread, the use of anaerobic respiration is more typical of eukaryotic heterotrophs. The occurrence of a core set of fermentation pathways among the algae provides insights into the evolutionary origins of these pathways, which were likely derived from a common ancestral eukaryote. Based on genomic, transcriptomic, and biochemical studies, anaerobic energy metabolism has been examined in more detail in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlamydomonas) than in any other photosynthetic protist. This green alga is metabolically flexible and can sustain energy generation and maintain cellular redox balance under a variety of different environmental conditions. Fermentation metabolism in Chlamydomonas appears to be highly controlled, and the flexible use of the different branches of fermentation metabolism has been demonstrated in studies of various metabolic mutants. Additionally, when Chlamydomonas ferments polysaccharides, it has the ability to eliminate part of the reductant (to sustain glycolysis) through the production of H2, a molecule that can be developed as a source of renewable energy. To date, little is known about the specific role(s) of the different branches of fermentation metabolism, how photosynthetic eukaryotes sense changes in environmental O2 levels, and the mechanisms involved in controlling these responses, at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. In this review, we focus on fermentation metabolism in Chlamydomonas and other protists, with only a brief discussion of plant fermentation when relevant, since it is thoroughly discussed in other articles in this volume.