cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phanerozoic Plate Reconstructions of the Middle East: Insights Into the Context of Arabian Tectonics and Sedimentation

The geodynamic events that shaped the Arabian plate and its hydrocarbon systems are illustrated in new animated plate reconstructions that include non-rigid deformation. The reconstructions illustrate the genetic relationships between hydrocarbon systems development and regional tectonostratigraphy. Important genetic controls include plate motions, tectonic events, basin formation and subsidence histories, deformation and uplift, eustasy, sediment supply and stratigraphic packaging (sequences), facies and depositional patterns, and paleolatitude (climate). Viewed synchronously in a regionalscale animation, the causes, feedbacks, and interrelationships between these factors are illuminated. The linkages between tectonics, stratigraphy, and eustasy are also clearly laid out in a logical context, where they can be viewed and evaluated together as a system.
Experimental observations of self-consolidated hybrid fiber reinforced concrete (SC-HyFRC) on corrosion damage reduction

Abstract Correlations between the rate of corrosion damage in reinforced concrete and observable cracking have been established by a multitude of design codes. Based on this relationship, it is inferred that cracking prevention may provide a suitable corrosion protection scheme capable of enhancing the durability/life expectancy of reinforced concrete exposed to potentially corrosive environmental conditions. A self-consolidated hybrid fiber reinforced concrete mixture is tested under a chloride-induced corrosive environment to determine the role of crack suppression in both the initiation and the propagation phases of corrosion damage. It is observed that in the presence of the hybrid fiber reinforcement, chloride migration rates are not significantly altered by the introduction of moderate cyclical mechanical loading in contrast to conventional concrete samples. Furthermore, the accumulation of damage in the propagation phase of reinforcement corrosion is significantly altered by the suppression of splitting cracks emanating radially outward from the reinforcing bar surface. While not a corrosion elimination scheme, the incorporation of hybrid fiber reinforcement is nonetheless capable of prolonging the life expectancy of a given reinforced concrete element and providing an increased measure of durability.
Progress in Understanding Type 1 Diabetes Through Its Genetic Overlap with Other Autoimmune Diseases

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most common autoimmune disease in pediatrics with a prevalence of roughly 1 in 500 children in the USA. Genome-wide association studies have identified more than 50 variants associated with increased risk for type 1 diabetes. Comparison of these variants with those identified in other autoimmune diseases reveals three important findings: (1) there is a high degree of overlap in implicated variants in diseases with similar pathophysiology, (2) in diseases with differing pathophysiology the same variants are often implicated in opposite roles, (3) in diseases with differing pathophysiology that have many non-overlapping or oppositely implicated variants there are still several variants which are overlapping or shared. Thus, the genetic overlap between T1DM and other autoimmune diseases forms the basis for our understanding of druggable targets in type 1 diabetes.
Functional MRI: Approaches to Cognitive Neuroscience Applications

Neuroimaging has, in many respects, revolutionized the study of cognitive neuroscience, the discipline that attempts to determine the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes. Early studies of brain–behavior relationships relied on a precise neurological examination as the basis for hypothesizing the site of brain damage that was responsible for a given behavioral syndrome. The advent of functional neuroimaging has enhanced the ability of cognitive neuroscientists to observe the neural dynamics that underlie cognition. Functional MRI (fMRI), in particular, has rapidly emerged as an extremely powerful technique that affords excellent spatial and temporal resolution. This chapter focuses on the principles underlying fMRI as a cognitive neuroscience tool for exploring brain–behavior relationships.
Why Privileged Self-Knowledge and Content Externalism are Compatible

In the last twenty-five years, several authors have raised problems to the thesis that privileged self-knowledge is compatible with content externalism. In particular, the ‘slow-switching’ argument, which was originally put forth by Paul Boghossian (1989), aims to show that there is no satisfactory account of how we can have privileged knowledge about our own thoughts given content externalism. Though many philosophers have found ways to block the argument, no one has worried to address a major worry that Boghossian had when he presented the argument, which is to understand under which conditions privileged self-knowledge is possible given content externalism. In this paper, I offer a diagnosis of why the ‘slow-switching’ argument fails and I show how the diagnosis enables us to provide a partial response to Boghossian’s worry.
Airborne Technology for Advanced Vehicle Operations in the Next Generation ATS.

In order to meet NextGen safety, environmental and capacity goals, details for the NextGen Air Transportation System are being developed in concert with the design of several advanced airborne vehicles. This paper describes the unique performance characteristics and missions selected for five advanced vehicles and summarizes the safety challenges that these advanced vehicles will face as they are introduced into the NextGen Air Transportation System circa 2025. This paper will focus on the onboard avionics system functionality that is needed to mitigate the sa fety hazards when these advanced vehicles are utilized on capacity-enhancing missions across our future NextGen Air Transportation System.
Epidemiological analysis on mumps in Hongze County from 2004 to 2011

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of mumps in Hongze County during 2004- 2011,so as to provide the scientific basis for the prevention and control of mumps. Methods The descriptive epidemiological analysis method was adpoted to analyze the reported mumps cases in the China Disease Surveillance Information Reporting System. Results A total of 566 mumps cases were reported cumulatively in Hongze County from 2004 to 2011,and the average annual reported incidence was 18. 38 /100 000. The cases mainly concentrated in the 4- 14 year- old group,which accounted for 85. 69%,and among them,the age of 10- 14 group had the highest incidence. Students and preschool children were easily infected,accounting for 90. 11%. The peak incidence occurred from March to May and December. Male got infected more easily than female. During the past 8 years,there were totally 13 outbreak of mumps and 225 cases occurred in primary schools and kindergartens,accounting for 39. 75%. Conclusions Strengthening monitoring and management of mumps,and improving the vaccination rate of mumps in the population under 15 years old are effective ways to control mumps outbreaks.
Two-Tier Pricing under Liberalization

The British Post Office introduced two-tier pricing in the 1970s. The basic idea was to differentiate First Class from Second Class mail according to service quality rather than content. Processing of Second Class Mail is deferred during peak periods, recognizing inter alia the added cost of meeting fixed service standards at such times. The introduction of two-tier pricing was a major breakthrough at the time, both from a practical as well as a theoretical point of view, and it has been employed successfully in varying forms by several other Post Offices (POs) since then. Crew, Kleindorfer and Smith (1990) (CKS) showed how two-tier pricing was related to the mainstream of the theory of peak-load pricing, which can be traced back at least to Boiteux (1949). CKS demonstrated that such service-differentiated pricing offered an efficient solution to the peak-load problem. In practice, the system of First Class and Second Class has continued basically unchanged from the original path-breaking idea of the 70’s, with some adjustments being made in the application, definition and measurement of service standards.
Alternative methods for dealing with nonnormality and heteroscedasticity in paleontological data

Although numerical methods are highly useful in paleontological studies, potential problems arise with application of parametric statistical methods to paleontological data. Most common statistical tests assume data are normally distributed and that multiple populations have equal variances (homoscedasticity). Paleontological data frequently do not satisfy these assumptions, thereby affecting results of tests and potentially misleading scientific interpretations. Nonparametric tests should be used when assumptions of parametric tests are violated. Normal scores tests, which utilize expected normal deviates (rankits) substituted for original data, are the most powerful nonparametric tests. Despite their potential utility, normal scores tests have received little attention, primarily because of difficulties encountered with rankit conversion. Recent advances in microcomputer technology provide viable methods for rankit conversion, thus making normal scores tests accessible for routine application. Normal scores tests provide a practical method of dealing with nonnormality and heteroscedasticity common in paleontological data.
Back to 1913?: The Ryan Blueprint and Its Problems

With the election of Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s domination of Congress, it is time to seriously consider President Trump’s tax plan and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s blueprint for fundamental tax reform. The Trump plan lacks detail, but includes unrealistically large and regressive tax cuts. The Ryan blueprint combines reduced individual rates with a consumption or cash flow type business tax applicable to large businesses. This blueprint represents a regressive return to the type of tariffs that financed the US government before the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913, which is a betrayal of the working class voters that elected Mr. Trump. In addition, the Ryan blueprint has three major problems: It is incompatible with our WTO obligations and with our tax treaties, and will not solve the problems of income shifting and inversions it is designed to address.
Fundamentals of Plasmonics

We first review the necessary components of electrodynamics and establish a practical notion of optical excitations. Next, we specialize to plasmonic excitations, and discuss their classical features. Finally, we cover theoretical aspects of techniques that probe the properties of plasmons in practice.
Excellent Disease-Free Survival after Double Cord Blood Transplantation Using a Reduced Intensity Chemotherapy Only Conditioning Regimen in a Diverse Adult Population.

Umbilical cord blood is a useful stem cell source for patients without matched related or unrelated donors. However, single cord blood unit transplantation in adults is associated with high transplant related mortality, mostly due to infection. In this study, we used a reduced intensity conditioning regimen followed by infusion of two partially matched cord blood units. The conditioning regimen was fludarabine 30mg/m 2 /day x 6 days, melphalan 100mg/m 2 /day x 1 day, and rabbit antithymocyte globulin 1.5 mg/kg/day x 4 days. Cord blood units were a 4/6 or better HLA match or better with each other and with the patient, and contained a minimum combined pre-freeze cell dose of 3.7 x 10 7 NC/kg. GVHD prophylaxis was cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil. Twenty-one patients, 15 males (71%) and 6 females (29%), median age 49 years (range 24–63 years) participated in a Phase I study. The diagnoses were AML (n=8), ALL (n=1), NHL (n=5), CLL (n=2), MDS (n=2), Hodgkins Disease (n=2), and aplastic anemia (n=1). Fifteen percent of patients were non Caucasian. The cell doses infused were a median of 4.0 x10 7 NC/kg (range 3.0–5.3 x10 7 ) and 2.0 X10 5 CD34+ cells/kg (range 0.6–10.0 x10 5 ). Two patients (both with MDS complicating aplastic anemia) experienced primary graft failure, and received successful second cord blood transplants using a different conditioning regimen. Among the remaining 19 patients, the median time to an absolute neutrophil count >500 was 20 days (range 15–34 days). The median time to a platelet count >20,000 unsupported were 41 days (range 21–125 days). One patient experienced a secondary graft failure, and is well following infusion of previously stored autologous cells. 4 patients (21%) experienced Grades II-IV acute GVHD, and only one patient (5%) experienced Grade III GVHD. There were no patients with Grade IV GVHD and no deaths from acute GVHD. Twelve patients were evaluable for chronic GVHD, and 3 patients (25%) had chronic GVHD of which one case was extensive disease. The 100 day transplant related mortality was 14%. The deaths were due to a CNS bleed, Epstein Barr virus lymphoproliferative disorder, and staphylococcal sepsis. Chimerism analysis showed predominance of one cord by Day +100 in 79% of patients evaluable for 100-day follow-up. In 85% of these patients the first cord blood unit infused predominated. One patient has had progressive disease. With a median follow-up of 7 months (range 2–16 months), the overall survival is 79% and the disease-free survival is 64%. The projected one year disease-free survival is 64%. In conclusion, 1) engraftment of adult patients appears to be acceptable using double cord blood products and reduced intensity, non TBI conditioning regimen; 2) the risk of serious acute and chronic GVHD is low, 3) patients with aplastic anemia/MDS may require more intensive immunosuppression to allow engraftment, 4) GVL appears to be preserved despite the low T cell dose.
Transnational Politics and the Acehnese in Malaysia

This chapter focuses on the inner workings of the Acehnese organisation, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), in Malaysia and the broader struggle for independence from Indonesia. It begins the work of comparing the political transnationalism of the Acehnese versus the Chins and makes an important point that cultural and historical ties with the host state does not necessarily advantage one migrant group over another, or make their experiences with the host state completely dissimilar. On the contrary, both the Chins and the Acehnese faced similar challenges and opportunities while trying to mobilise and organise in Malaysia, while largely living here as undocumented migrants.
Cancer chemoprevention through dietary flavonoids: what’s limiting?

Flavonoids are polyphenols that are found in numerous edible plant species. Data obtained from preclinical and clinical studies suggest that specific flavonoids are chemo-preventive and cytotoxic against various cancers via a multitude of mechanisms. However, the clinical use of flavonoids is limited due to challenges associated with their effective use, including (1) the isolation and purification of flavonoids from their natural resources; (2) demonstration of the effects of flavonoids in reducing the risk of certain cancer, in tandem with the cost and time needed for epidemiological studies, and (3) numerous pharmacokinetic challenges (e.g., bioavailability, drug–drug interactions, and metabolic instability). Currently, numerous approaches are being used to surmount some of these challenges, thereby increasing the likelihood of flavonoids being used as chemo-preventive drugs in the clinic. In this review, we summarize the most important challenges and efforts that are being made to surmount these challenges.
Scarce Resource Allocation During Disasters: A Mixed-Method Community Engagement Study

Background During a catastrophe, health-care providers may face difficult questions regarding who will receive limited life-saving resources. The ethical principles that should guide decision-making have been considered by expert panels but have not been well explored with the public or front-line clinicians. The objective of this study was to characterize the public's values regarding how scarce mechanical ventilators should be allocated during an influenza pandemic, with the ultimate goal of informing a statewide scare resource allocation framework. Methods Adopting deliberative democracy practices, we conducted 15 half-day community engagement forums with the general public and health-related professionals. Small group discussions of six potential guiding ethical principles were led by trained facilitators. The forums consisted exclusively of either members of the general public or health-related or disaster response professionals and were convened in a variety of meeting places across the state of Maryland. Primary data sources were predeliberation and postdeliberation surveys and the notes from small group deliberations compiled by trained note takers. Results Three hundred twenty-four individuals participated in 15 forums. Participants indicated a preference for prioritizing short-term and long-term survival, but they indicated that these should not be the only factors driving decision-making during a crisis. Qualitative analysis identified 10 major themes that emerged. Many, but not all, themes were consistent with previously issued recommendations. The most important difference related to withholding vs withdrawing ventilator support. Conclusions The values expressed by the public and front-line clinicians sometimes diverge from expert guidance in important ways. Awareness of these differences should inform policy making.
Race, Gender, Sexuality, and the Threat of “Anchor/Terror Babies”

Lugo-Lugo and Bloodsworth-Lugo analyze the discourse around immigration and its allusions to invasion and (in)security informed by the 9/11 construction of “terrorist attacks”—a discourse initiated by President George W. Bush in the wake of the September 11, 2001 events. Discussions surrounding “anchor babies,” seen as the offspring of “illegal aliens,” situate women’s bodies (and more specifically, Latina bodies) as a new threat to the security of the country via fertility rates and citizenship status (similar to discussions of the war on terror as “a new kind of war”). To illustrate, the authors use conservative discourse surrounding “anchor/terror babies,” as public figures began to formulate women’s bodies as carriers of terrorist fetuses/babies, thereby offering a different formulation of immigrants and babies in a 9/11 era.
Effect of surface tension and geometry on cavitation in soft solids

Abstract Unbounded growth of cavity in soft solids subjected to internal pressure is a commonly observed phenomenon. Such phenomenon has been harnessed by developing cavitation rheology technique (CR) to investigate the local mechanical properties of many complex soft materials. The elasticity of the material, surface energy, and geometric factors in combination can dictate the cavitation behavior in a complex manner. We report a finite element based framework capturing the coupled effect of elastic strain energy and surface tension on the cavitation phenomenon. We show results for a spherical cavity in an infinite elastic media and for the CR geometry. The surface tension is shown to increase the critical pressure for cavitation. The energy release rate also depends on the surface tension. In CR geometry, by varying the distance between the needle and the immovable sample boundaries, we have captured the conditions leading to confinement. Our results provide new understanding regarding the effects of geometry and surface tension on the cavitation phenomenon in soft solids.
Evaluation of the Blott Cartridge for Enhanced Gas Phase Sequencing at Maximum Sensitivity

Publisher Summary Recently a new sequencer cartridge designed specifically for polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes has become commercially available (Blott cartridge, Applied Biosystems). This reaction cartridge orients the sample so that solvent flow is parallel to the protein loaded membrane surface. This orientation together with the narrow width of the sample chamber slot minimizes bubble trapping on top of the membrane and channeling of solvent around the sample is effectively eliminated or minimized. As fluid movement relative to the membranes has been improved, wetting of the membrane should be improved, facilitating better extraction of the ATZ amino acids and byproducts. This chapter evaluates this new cartridge design using a program that had already been optimized for high sensitivity sequencing on PVDF membranes to determine whether the Blott cartridge would offer any further advantages. The Blott cartridge is superior to the standard cartridge design when sequencing proteins absorbed to PVDF membranes as indicated by decreased lag or carryover and by improved tryptophan yields. Better solvent extraction reduces byproducts and/or solvent washes can be reduced. Improved solvent extraction also means that the protein side of electroblotted PVDF samples can be oriented in any direction and bands can be stacked if necessary to further increase sample loads. As more PVDF bands can be loaded, the amount of protein available for sequencing can be increased when working with very large proteins or diffuse bands.
Rapid snare sliding technique: An easy approach to difficult percutaneous transmitral commissurotomy.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a major health hazard in most developing countries as well as sporadically in developed economies with high prevalence rates. Mitral stenosis is among the important morbid valvular conditions accounting for 25% of RHD cases. Percutaneous transmitral commissurotomy (PTMC) using Inoue balloon is the standard treatment for severe mitral stenosis with favorable Wilkins score. In certain cases it is difficult to cross mitral valve (MV) either due to dilated left atrium (LA), low septal puncture, or severe mitral valvular and subvalvular stenosis leading to prolonged procedure time or failure of PTMC procedure. We describe a case of RHD with severe mitral stenosis and dilated LA where crossing MV was difficult and successful PTMC was performed using rapid snare sliding technique to cross the MV. .
IONTOPHORETIC DYE LABELING OF EMBRYONIC CELLS

This chapter discusses the iontophoretic dye labeling of embryonic cells. Developmental biology strives to understand the establishment of biological form. In almost every example, embryonic development involves the groups of cells that once appeared indistinguishable from one another while undergoing morphogenetic movements and phenotypic differentiation, thereby becoming different. Thus, this generation of diversity is, in many ways, the central task of developmental biology, whether studied at the tissue, cell, or molecular levels. Progress at any of these levels requires reliable knowledge of the fate map of the embryo and of the cell lineage of single precursor cells. The experimental requirements for cell lineage and fate map studies are very similar. Both require a means of labeling a cell in a defined region of the embryo, of identifying the progeny of the labeled cells over time, and of scoring the final phenotypes and positions of the progeny.
George Dantzig: Equations, Equations, and Equations

Dantzig was the progenitor of the simplex method for linear programming. A viewpoint in his spirit approaching P versus NP entirely via linear equations is presented and defended.
Molecular biology of mating-type determination in Schizophyllum commune.

Fungi are masters of genetics. This feature has not escaped the awareness of either classical or molecular geneticists (1). The prowess of fungi at recombining genes in both the sexual and asexual modes of their life cycles and the diversity of developmental and metabolic pathways in which they regulate expression of their genes has been, so to speak “fertile mycelium” for investigation. No less important, the simplicity of their life cycles and the facility with which many fungal species can be manipulated in the laboratory have contributed immensely to their popularity in experimental genetics. The rationale for genetic study of fungi has been that they would reveal genetically interesting, biologically significant and economically important attributes of the fungi. The correctness of this rationale has been proven repeatedly, and today the relevance of these studies is being confirmed by the finding that fungi and higher cells share many analogous and homologous molecules, pathways and mechanisms (2). These commonalities extend to the basic mechanisms by which fungi and higher cells regulate the expression of their genetic information during development (3–6).
The superiority of relative criteria in partial matching and generalization

Some familiar justifications for concluding that a data element D is an unacceptable match to a pattern element P are examined for their suitability for partial-matching applications. All of these absolute criteria are found to be unacceptable in that they rule out some plausible partial matches. A partial matching program, REIAX, is described which justifies the conclusion that a data element D is an unacceptable match to a pattern element P on the grounds that some other data element Db is a better match to P. The use of such relative criteria makes it possible to compute all of the kinds of mappings that Kling [9] has claimed are required to account for instutions about similarity. The ability to form unrestrictive mappings allows RELAX to construct generalizations that have eluded other approaches [5, 6].
The One-Factorization Conjecture

The following conjecture has been made independently by a number of mathematicians (including the author, who was certainly not the first):
Energy harvesting and evaluation of a novel piezoelectric bridge transducer

Abstract A novel bridge transducer based on the cymbal design has been developed for energy harvesting from impact loading by vehicle-induced deformations on pavement. The bridge transducer consists of a 2 mm thick 32 × 32 mm square soft PZT ceramic and hardened steel end caps. A unique electrode design enables the PZT to be poled along its length, effectively utilizing d33 mode for enhanced energy generation. The effective d33, of d33eff of a bridge transducer is 19,000 pC/N and the effective piezoelectric voltage coefficient, g33eff, is 2150 × 10−3 Vm/N. When compared to the conventional cymbal transducer design, horizontal poling increases energy and voltage considerably. Each loading at 600 lbs generates 0.83 mJ of energy from the prototype transducer module with 64 transducers in parallel. Loading under simulated traffic conditions at 500 lb and 5 Hz generates 2.1 mW at a resistive load of 330 kOhm. The reliability and cycles to failure of the transducer design is studied and the transducers are evaluated after 50,000 loading cycles. Inconsistency in the epoxy layer thickness has been identified as the cause of premature failure.
Intravenous fluid and electrolyte management in children and young people

Abstract NICE published guidance NG29 in December 2015 entitled Intravenous fluid therapy in children and young people in hospital and in September 2016 Quality Standard QS131. These patient safety documents were developed following avoidable deaths in children who were given inappropriate or excessive volumes of intravenous fluids or who were inappropriately monitored, leading to acute symptomatic hyponatraemic encephalopathy. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations of NG29, but anyone prescribing intravenous fluids should be familiar with them. This article does not reiterate NG29, but aims to help the reader: (i) revise their relevant basic science knowledge, while challenging their understanding of osmosis; (ii) use correctly the terms tonicity and osmolarity in clinical practice; and (iii) manage some electrolyte derangements.
Downslope Winds and Dust Storms in the Salton Basin

AbstractThe Salton basin is a closed, subsea level basin located in extreme southeastern California. At the center of the basin lies the Salton Sea, the state’s largest inland lake, which is surrou...
Arthropod diversity in alley cropped black walnut ( Juglans nigra L.) stands in eastern Missouri, USA

Knowledge of the complex interactions among trees, crops and their associated fauna is necessary to determine the viability of a particular agroforestry practice. Information is lacking concerning these interactions, particularly in temperate agroforestry practices. We examined the effects of two forages on the growth, nut production, and arthropod communities of alley cropped eastern black walnut, Juglans nigra L. Experimental plots of eastern black walnut, intercropped with alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., smooth bromegrass, Bromis inermis Leyss., or no vegetation were sampled with sweep nets prior to each cutting date for the forages. Comparisons were made between treatments and sampling dates. Tree growth measurements, nut yield and other nut quality measurements were taken at the end of each growing season. There were no differences in tree growth among alleyway treatments. The first season's nut yield was greater from trees with vegetation-free alleyways; otherwise nut production did not differ among the treatments. Arthropods were more numerous and diverse in alley cropped alfalfa than in alley cropped bromegrass or in the vegetation-free controls. Alley cropped bromegrass supported a more diverse population of arthropods than did the vegetation-free control. Arthropod diversity in the tree canopies did not differ among treatments. Alley cropped forages supported a more diverse and even arthropod fauna than did adjacent monocropped forages. We conclude that alley cropped forages had a relatively minor impact on the growth and nut yield of walnut trees.
Large Scale and Big Data: Processing and Management

Large Scale and Big Data: Processing and Management provides readers with a central source of reference on the data management techniques currently available for large-scale data processing. Presenting chapters written by leading researchers, academics, and practitioners, it addresses the fundamental challenges associated with Big Data processing tools and techniques across a range of computing environments.The book begins by discussing the basic concepts and tools of large-scale Big Data processing and cloud computing. It also provides an overview of different programming models and cloud-based deployment models. The books second section examines the usage of advanced Big Data processing techniques in different domains, including semantic web, graph processing, and stream processing. The third section discusses advanced topics of Big Data processing such as consistency management, privacy, and security.Supplying a comprehensive summary from both the research and applied perspectives, the book covers recent research discoveries and applications, making it an ideal reference for a wide range of audiences, including researchers and academics working on databases, data mining, and web scale data processing.After reading this book, you will gain a fundamental understanding of how to use Big Data-processing tools and techniques effectively across application domains. Coverage includes cloud data management architectures, big data analytics visualization, data management, analytics for vast amounts of unstructured data, clustering, classification, link analysis of big data, scalable data mining, and machine learning techniques.
BK Polyomavirus Virus Glomerular Tropism: Implications for Virus Reactivation from Latency and Amplification during Immunosuppression.

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), or BKV infection, is ubiquitous and usually non-pathogenic, with subclinical infections in 80–90% of adults worldwide. BKV infection is often associated with pathology in immunocompromised individuals. BKV infection often is associated with renal impairment, including ureteral stenosis, hemorrhagic cystitis, and nephropathy. BKV infection is less commonly associated with pneumonitis, retinitis, liver disease, and meningoencephalitis. BKV is known to replicate, establish latency, undergo reactivation, and induce clinical pathology in renal tubular epithelial cells. However, recent in vitro studies support the notion that BKV has expanded tropism-targeting glomerular parenchymal cells of the human kidney, which could impact glomerular function, enhance inflammation, and serve as viral reservoirs for reactivation from latency during immunosuppression. The implications of BKV expanded tropism in the glomerulus, and how specific host and viral factors that would contribute to glomerular inflammation, cytolysis, and renal fibrosis are related to BKV associated nephropathy (BKVAN), have not been explored. The pathogenesis of BKV in human glomerular parenchymal cells is poorly understood. In this review, I examine target cell populations for BKV infectivity in the human glomerulus. Specifically, I explore the implications of BKV expanded tropism in the glomerulus with regard viral entry, replication, and dissemination via cell types exposed to BKV trafficking in glomerulus. I also describe cellular targets shown to be permissive in vitro and in vivo for BKV infection and lytic replication, the potential role that glomerular parenchymal cells play in BKV latency and/or reactivation after immunosuppression, and the rare occurrence of BKV pathology in glomerular parenchymal cells in patients with BKVAN.
Variance-Reduced Decentralized Stochastic Optimization with Gradient Tracking--Part I: GT-SAGA

In this paper, we study decentralized empirical risk minimization problems, where the goal is to minimize a finite-sum of smooth and strongly-convex functions available over a network of nodes. In this Part I, we propose \textbf{\texttt{GT-SAGA}}, a decentralized stochastic first-order algorithm based on gradient tracking \cite{DSGT_Pu,DSGT_Xin} and a variance-reduction technique called SAGA \cite{SAGA}. We develop the convergence analysis and the iteration complexity of this algorithm. We further demonstrate various trade-offs and discuss scenarios in which \textbf{\texttt{GT-SAGA}} achieves superior performance (in terms of the number of local gradient computations required) with respect to existing decentralized schemes. In Part II \cite{GT_SVRG} of this two-part paper, we develop and analyze \textbf{\texttt{GT-SVRG}}, a decentralized gradient tracking based implementation of SVRG \cite{SVRG}, another well-known variance-reduction technique.
Secondhand smoke exposure in public and private high-rise multiunit housing serving low-income residents in New York City prior to federal smoking ban in public housing, 2018.

Abstract Background Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with 41,000 deaths attributable to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. On July 30, 2018, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development passed a rule requiring public housing authorities to implement smoke-free housing (SFH) policies. Objectives Prior to SFH policy implementation, we measured self-reported and objective SHS incursions in a purposeful sample of 21 high-rise buildings (>15 floors) in New York City (NYC): 10 public housing and 11 private sector buildings where most residents receive federal housing subsidies (herein ‘Section 8’ buildings). Methods We conducted a baseline telephone survey targeting all residents living on the 3rd floor or higher of selected buildings: NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents were surveyed in April-July 2018 (n = 559), and residents in ‘Section 8’ buildings in August-November 2018 (n = 471). We invited non-smoking household participants to enroll into a longitudinal air monitoring study to track SHS exposure using: (1) nicotine concentration from passive, bisulfate-coated nicotine filters and (2) particulate matter (PM2.5) from low-cost particle monitors. SHS was measured for 7-days in non-smoking households (NYCHA n = 157, Section 8 n = 118 households) and in building common areas (n = 91 hallways and stairwells). Results Smoking prevalence among residents in the 21 buildings was 15.5%. Two-thirds of residents reported seeing people smoke in common areas in the past year (67%) and 60% reported smelling smoke in their apartments coming from elsewhere. Most stairwells (88%) and hallways (74%) had detectable nicotine levels, but nicotine was detected in only 9.9% of non-smoking apartments. Substantial variation in nicotine and PM2.5 was observed between and within buildings; on average nicotine concentrations were higher in NYCHA apartments and hallways than in Section 8 buildings (p Conclusions SFH policies may help in successfully reducing SHS exposure in public housing, but widespread pre-policy incursions suggest achieving SFH will be challenging.
Laser Characteristics for VCSELs for 77 K and 4 K Optical Data Applications

Small-sized vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) offer the possibility of very low power consumption along with high reliability for cryogenic data transfer. Cryogenic data transfer has applications in focal plane array cameras operating at 77 K, and at the lower temperature of 4 K for data extraction from superconducting circuits. A theoretical analysis is presented for 77 K and 4 K operation based on small cavity, oxide-free VCSEL sizes of 2 to $6~\mu \text{m}$ , that have been shown to operate efficiently at room temperature. Temperature dependent operation for optimally-designed VCSELs are studied by calculating the response of the laser at 77 K and 4 K to estimate their bias conditions needed to reach modulation speed for cryogenic optical links. The temperature influence is to decrease threshold for reducing temperature, and to increase differential gain for reducing temperature. The two effects predict very low bias currents for small cavity VCSELs to reach needed data speed for cryogenic optical data links. Changing the number of top-mirror pairs has also been studied to determine how cavity design impacts speed and bit energy. Our design and performance predictions paves the way for realizing highly efficient, ultra-small VCSEL arrays with applications in optical interconnects.
On the weak solutions to a stochastic two-phase flow model

We study, in this article, a stochastic version of a coupled Allen–Cahn–Navier–Stokes model in a two- or three-dimensional bounded domain. The model consists of the Navier–Stokes equations for the ...
Retrieval processes and Audience design

Abstract Conversational partners develop shared knowledge. In referential communication tasks, partners collaboratively establish brief labels for hard-to-name images. These image-label mappings are associated in memory with that partner, evidenced by use of those brief labels with the same partner, and longer descriptions with new partners. According to the people-as-contexts view, the conversational partner functions as a contextual cue to support retrieval of conversationally-relevant information. Inspired by findings from the memory literature that context effects can be stronger when retrieval is more explicit, two experiments test the hypothesis that the speaker will be more likely to invoke the partner as a retrieval cue when retrieval processes are more explicit. The results indicated a strong effect of partner that, contrary to these predictions, was not boosted by explicit retrieval processes. The lack of an effect of retrieval processes speaks to the ubiquity with which language use in conversation is tailored to the particular people with whom we converse.
A Little Dab Will Do: A Case of Cannabis-Induced Psychosis.

A patient presented to the emergency department with his brother due to recent onset of paranoid behavior that escalated over the past month. The patient endorsed paranoid delusions of people watching him and following him in a black truck. The patient admitted to being unable to sleep for the past two weeks and to having hypervigilant behavior whenever he leaves the house. Due to the patient’s presentation, the differential diagnosis included schizophrenia, substance-induced psychotic disorder, psychotic disorder due to another medical condition, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder with mood incongruent psychotic features. Upon interview, the patient stated he was using marijuana to decrease his self-reported anxiety and other social stressors since the age of 13 years. Over the past month, the patient says he has been “dabbing,” which is a highly concentrated form of cannabis mainly consumed by experienced users. These “dabs” have an extremely high tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content (up to 80%), which is the main psychoactive component in cannabis products. Since the patient began using this potent form of cannabis, he has had increasing difficulty functioning at work and worsening symptoms of psychosis. After eliciting this information and noting the patient had a positive urine drug screen for cannabis, a diagnosis of cannabis-induced psychosis along with severe cannabis use disorder was made. There is a trend towards increasing THC concentrations in cannabis products. This case highlights the importance of being aware of these highly potent cannabis products and their potential harms. Patients should approach these products with caution, as they are not only more dangerous to manufacture but also have the potential to induce psychosis in susceptible populations.
Innovative standardized reporting template for prostate mpMRI improves clarity and confidence in the report

The goal of the current study was to evaluate the effect of a standardized prostate mpMRI reporting template on urologists’ understanding and confidence in counselling a patient on the results of the MRI. To do this we performed a survey study to assess the understanding and confidence of urologists reviewing reports prior to (pre) and after (post) adoption of a standardized mpMRI template. Six urologists reviewed ten pre- and post- mpMRI templated reports and completed a survey to assess the clarity of key elements and the confidence in counseling the patient. The urologists were blinded to the study objective. Nonparametric constrained permutation test for significance was performed to compare the results prior to and after implementation of the template. 29 pre- and 30 post-template mpMRI reports were reviewed. The average score for the post-template reports was significantly higher (10.7 ± 0.6 vs 7.5 ± 2.7 [ p< 0.001]) regardless of the reviewer. Urologists were also overall more confident in counselling patients when the standardized mpMRI reporting template had been used. Implementation of a standardized template for reporting of prostate mpMRI findings resulted in improved clarity and confidence in counselling patients. Radiologists should consider implementing a standardized reporting template to improve clinicians’ understanding and confidence of the report.
A quick method of determining rock surface area for quantification of the invertebrate community

Stone and rock substrates provide important habitat for many types of stream-dwelling invertebrates. Measures of the invertebrate communities inhabiting rock substrates are often an important component of ecological, monitoring and disturbance studies in streams. A major obstacle to researchers examining rock-inhabiting invertebrates is the time and effort expended on currently used methods of determining rock surface area to derive invertebrate densities on these substrates. In an attempt to more efficiently determine invertebrate densities from rock substrates in streams, we tested a direct method of calculating rock surface area from rock weight or displacement volume. This method allows very quick determinations of rock surface area in the field. Surface area estimates made using this technique were highly correlated to those from a widely used and more time-consuming method. Measurements made using this new method should theoretically give better surface area estimates than any other commonly used technique.
DEEP LEARNING FOR REMOTE SENSING IMAGE CLASSIFICATION FOR AGRICULTURE APPLICATIONS

Abstract. This research examines the ability of deep learning methods for remote sensing image classification for agriculture applications. U-net and convolutional neural networks are fine-tuned, utilized and tested for crop/weed classification. The dataset for this study includes 60 top-down images of an organic carrots field, which was collected by an autonomous vehicle and labeled by experts. FCN-8s model achieved 75.1% accuracy on detecting weeds compared to 66.72% of U-net using 60 training images. However, the U-net model performed better on detecting crops which is 60.48% compared to 47.86% of FCN-8s.
Comparison of the effect of epidural versus intravenous patient controlled analgesia on inpatient and outpatient functional outcomes after adult degenerative scoliosis surgery: a comparative study.

Abstract BACKGROUND Perioperative pain can negatively impact patient recovery after spine surgery and be a contributing factor to increased hospital length of stay and cost. Most data currently available is extrapolated from adolescent idiopathic cases and may not apply to adult and geriatric populations with thoracolumbar spine degeneration. PURPOSE Study the impact of epidural analgesia on pain control and outcomes after adult degenerative scoliosis surgery in a large single-institution series of adult patients undergoing thoraco-lumbar-pelvic fusion. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective single-center review of prospectively collected data. PATIENT SAMPLE Patients undergoing thoracolumbar fusion with pelvic fixation. OUTCOME MEASURES Self-reported measures: Visual analog scale for pain. Physiologic Measures: Oral pain control requirements converted into daily morphine equivalents. Functional Measures: Ambulation perimeter after surgery, urinary retention and constipation rates. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed patient data for the years 2016 and 2017 before the use of patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), and then 2018 and 2019 after its implementation, for all thoracolumbar degenerative procedures, and compared their postoperative outcomes measures. RESULTS There were 46 patients in the PCEA group and 37 patients in the intravenous PCA (IVPCA) groups. All patients underwent long segment posterolateral thoracolumbar spinal fusion with pelvic fixation. Patients in the PCEA group had lower pain scores and ambulated greater distances compared with those in the IVPCA group. PCEA patients also had lower urinary retention and constipation rates, but no increased intraoperative or postoperative complications related to catheter placement. CONCLUSIONS PCEA can provide optimal pain control after adult degenerative scoliosis spine surgery, and may promote greater early ambulation, while decreasing postoperative constipation and urinary retention rates.
Improving the Legal Environment for Startup Financing by Rationalizing Rule 144

Author(s): Ganor, Mira | Abstract: Private Equity is a crucial form of financing for start-ups and, therefore, important for economic innovation and growth. The securities laws have an enormous impact on the ability of start-ups to obtain private equity investment. One of the most important of these laws is the SEC's Rule 144. Surprisingly, there has been little academic analysis on the efficacy of this rule. This paper shows that Rule 144 is likely to impair and distort the financing of start-ups. The paper also explains how Rule 144 can be modified to reduce these costs without interfering with any of the functions for which it was designed.