cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crash analysis and evaluation of vehicular impacts on W-beam guardrails placed on sloped medians using finite element simulations

Abstract With an average of six billion miles traveled per day on U.S. highways, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), transportation safety is of the utmost importance. Over the years, various traffic barrier systems, including W-beam guardrails, have been developed to reduce the number and severity of vehicle crashes. Despite their general effectiveness, improvements could be made, especially when installed on unlevelled terrains such as sloped medians. The destructive nature of crashes imposes significant challenges to barrier design using full-scale physical testing; numerical simulations thus become a viable means to support crash analysis, performance evaluation, and barrier designs. In this study, validated vehicle and W-beam models were used to perform full-scale simulations of vehicle-guardrail impacts. Fourteen single-faced and double-faced NCDOT W-beam guardrails (with placement heights of 29 and 31 inches) placed along a six-lane 46-foot median divided highway with 2.5H:1 V and 4H:1 V slopes were evaluated under front-side and backside vehicular impacts. The guardrails performance was determined by evaluating the vehicular responses based on MASH exit-box criterion, post-impact exit trajectory, yaw, pitch, and roll angles, transverse displacements, and transverse velocities.
A novel method combining additive manufacturing and alloy infiltration for NdFeB bonded magnet fabrication

Abstract In this paper, binder jetting additive manufacturing technique is employed to fabricate NdFeB isotropic bonded magnets, followed by an infiltration process with low-melting point eutectic alloys [i.e., Nd3Cu0.25Co0.75 (NdCuCo) and Pr3Cu0.25Co0.75 (PrCuCo)]. Densification and mechanical strength improvement are achieved for the as-printed porous part. Meanwhile, the intrinsic coercivity Hci is enhanced from 732 to 1345 kA/m and 1233 kA/m after diffusion of NdCuCo and PrCuCo, respectively. This study presents a novel method for fabricating complex-shaped bonded magnets with promising mechanical and magnetic properties.
Longitudinal regret after treatment for low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer patients diagnosed with low- and intermediate-risk disease have several treatment options. Decisional regret after treatment is a concern, especially when poor oncologic outcomes or declines in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) occur. This study assessed determinants of longitudinal decisional regret in prostate cancer patients attending a multidisciplinary clinic and treated with radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), brachytherapy (BT), or active surveillance (AS). METHODS Patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center who attended a multidisciplinary clinic were enrolled into a prospective study from 2006 to 2014. The Decision Regret Scale was administered at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months posttreatment. HRQoL was also assessed at regular intervals using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite and 36-item RAND Medical Outcomes Study Short Form questionnaires. Adjusted probabilities of reporting regret were estimated via multivariable logistic regression fitted with generalized estimating equations. RESULTS A total of 652 patients met the inclusion criteria (395 RP, 141 EBRT, 41 BT, 75 AS). Decisional regret was consistently low after all of these treatments. In multivariable models, only African American race (odds ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-2.47) was associated with greater regret across time. Age and control preference were marginally associated with regret. Regret scores were similar between RP patients who did and did not experience biochemical recurrence. Declines in HRQoL were weakly correlated with greater decisional regret. CONCLUSION In the context of a multidisciplinary clinic, decisional regret did not differ significantly between treatment groups but was greater in African Americans and those reporting poorer HRQoL. Cancer 2017;123:4252–4258. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Variation in Infant Experience Associated with Alternative Family Roles

Observational data on the young child interacting with either mother or father derive primarily from studies of families with traditional roles: the mother characteristically is the infant’s primary caregiver and the father fulfills the wage-earner role. Conceptualizations of maternal and paternal relationships, particularly theories stemming from the psychoanalytic tradition, similarly assume this family-role organization. Contrary to the dominant empirical and conceptual notions of early experience, however, there is a clear secular trend among all industrialized nations toward families more typically having two wage earners even when there are very young children (Cook, 1978). Indeed, the rate of increase in employment rates for U.S. mothers is greatest for those with young children. In the period in which employment rates doubled for mothers with school-age children, there was a threefold increase for mothers with pre-school-age children. In 1979 over 40% of U.S. mothers with children under age 3 were employed outside the home (U.S. Department of Labor, 1979). Despite the increasing prevalence of dual-wage-earner families, little is known about whether families with two wage earners have different styles of interacting with and caring for the young infant than is characteristically found in the traditional single-wage-earner family.
Hughlings Jackson and the “doctrine of concomitance”: mind-brain theorising between metaphysics and the clinic

John Hughlings Jackson (1835–1911) is a major figure at the origins of neurology and neuroscience in Britain. Alongside his contributions to clinical medicine, he left a large corpus of writing on localisation of function in the nervous system and other theoretical topics. In this paper I focus on Jackson’s “doctrine of concomitance”—his parallelist theory of the mind-brain relationship. I argue that the doctrine can be given both an ontological and a causal interpretation, and that the causal aspect of the doctrine is especially significant for Jackson and his contemporaries. I interpret Jackson’s engagement with the metaphysics of mind as an instance of what I call meta-science—the deployment by scientists of metaphysical positions and arguments which help streamline empirical investigations by bracketing off unanswerable questions and focussing attention on matters amenable to the current tools of experimental research.
Influence of Feather Selection and Sampling Protocol on Interpretations of Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) Nonbreeding Season Foraging Habits from Stable Isotope Analysis

Isotope data from Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis) primaries P1 and P6 were compared to determine whether foraging habits change between the beginning and middle of the nonbreeding season. P6 data did not differ between samples derived from a longitudinal and a minimally invasive protocol and point samples taken from the feather bases. While P6 δ13C increased longitudinally, no δ15N longitudinal trends emerged, yet inter-individual δ15N variability was high. P6 δ13C data suggest that Hawaiian Petrels molt at low latitudes. Among colonies, all of which are located in the Hawaiian Islands, USA, low P6 δ15N values for Maui birds relative to Hawaii and Lanai birds reflect foraging segregation and differential utilization of 15N-enriched oceanic regions. For the Hawaiian Petrel, the isotopic similarity between P1 and P6 indicates that analogous ecological interpretations can be drawn from these feathers, and similar foraging habits persist from the beginning to middle of the nonbreeding season. Prolonged inter-colony foraging segregation may facilitate coexistence of colonies and, together with high intra-colony foraging diversity, may reduce extinction risk for the endangered Hawaiian Petrel.
An Investigation into Fish Escapement from a Small Impoundment through a Pipe Spillway and Implications for Predatory Impacts on Small Stream Fishes

Escape of predatory fish from impoundments and their impact on native stream fishes, especially threatened and endangered fish, are concerns of fishery managers. This investigation was designed to ...
Classes of Convolutional Codes and Encoders

The codes and encoders were analyzed according to their distance properties in Chapter 3. In this chapter, we will discuss classes of convolutional codes and encoders with the objective of further understanding their structure.
Immunopathogenesis of HSV Keratitis

Herpes stromal keratitis (HSK) is an immunoinflammatory disease that is triggered by herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of the cornea. Most herpetic eye disease is caused by HSV type 1 (HSV-1). Primary HSV-1 infection often occurs early in life and with minimal or no symptoms. However, during primary infections that typically occur on mucosal surfaces, the virus invades sensory neurons and is transported by a retrograde axonal transport mechanism to the neuronal cell bodies in sensory ganglia, and there establishes a life-long latent infection. During HSV-1 latency, complete viral genomes are retained in neurons, but no virions are produced. Periodic exposure to inductive signals such as stress and ultraviolet irradiation leads to HSV-1 reactivation from latency, anterograde transport, and release of infectious virions. Viral shedding in the cornea can trigger recurrent HSK, a T-cell-orchestrated inflammatory response that leads to progressive scarring and visual impairment. HSK is a leading infectious cause of corneal blindness in developed countries, and an important indication for penetrating keratoplasty. Here we review the current literature regarding the immunopathogenic mechanisms that contribute to corneal damage during HSK.
The Neurogenetics of Energy Balance

Energy balance is tightly controlled in humans and other animals: perturbations that increase or decrease energy (fat) stores provoke countervening responses to restore adiposity to baseline. Changes in energy expenditure, whether at the level of basal metabolic rate or activity, generally impact energy balance only modestly due to compensatory changes in feeding. Thus, alterations in systems that modulate food intake relative to energy expenditure, rather than systems that regulate energy utilization alone, dominate in the control of adiposity. Genetic perturbations that alter body weight, both in animal models and in human patients and populations have aided in the identification and study of the systems that control energy balance. The genetic causes of obesity for which we have a rudimentary understanding of underlying mechanism fall within the CNS, and many of these lesions lie in genes important to the function of crucial hypothalamic circuits that control feeding. Others encode more general modulators of neurophysiology that impact feeding systems in addition to other neural circuits. From the standpoint of neural mechanism, however, a great many genetic lesions associated with altered energy balance remain incompletely understood. Understanding the neural systems impacted by these genetic alterations will not only reveal the physiologic underpinnings of energy homeostasis, but may also identify targets for therapeutic intervention.
The Impact of Land Titling on Tropical Forest Resources

The impact of land tenure security on tropical deforestation and land management, more generally, is an issue that has received a great deal of discussion, and which possesses significant policy implications. If land tenure encourages planning over the long term, then the awarding of titles and the enforcement of private property rights may provide a decentralized approach to controlling rapid loss of forest. The economic theory on the role of tenure security on the management of assets such as land is well articulated, and in the case of tropical forest predicts a reduction in forest exploitation and destruction. Despite the conceptual appeal of the theoretical argument, little empirical work has been accomplished addressing specifically the role of secure land tenure on rates of forest clearance in tropical frontiers. The present chapter seeks to rectify this situation by combining data from a detailed survey of households with a time series of classified satellite images. In the summer of 1996, the authors conducted a survey along the Transamazon Highway in the state of Para, Brazil, compiling information from 347 lots belonging to small-holders. In addition to the survey, they compiled a six year time-series of classified Landsat TM images for an 11-year period between 1986 and 1997 (1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997). These images cover the survey area and provide a dynamic account of the land cover changes for a sub-sample of the lots queried in the original survey. The chapter gives an account of the survey sample, and results of a statistical analysis addressing the impact of title on the commercial exploitation of hardwoods and on rates of deforestation. Given knowledge of the year of titling and a series of images bracketing 11 -years, the research considers, on a lot-by-lot basis, rates of deforestation before and after the awarding of title. The paper is concludes with a discussion of the implications of findings for policy.
MONITORING FOR LEAD CONTAMINATION

Abstract One of the first accomplishments of the Sub-committee on Low-Level Contamination of Materials and Reagents of the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, has been a study of the radioactive contamination of commercial lead. Twelve lead samples, ten from current commercial production and two “aged” specimens, showed a wide range of contamination levels. Yet, several of the commercial samples were comparable to the best aged leads available for low-level gamma shielding. The contaminant was identified as 210Pb. Good correlation was observed in the measurements at three laboratories. The radioactive contamination in lead is caused by 210Pb which occurs in lead derived from ores geologically associated with uranium. Since the decay products have a high ratio of alpha to gamma radiation and since alpha counting is considerably less complex than gamma counting, the alpha technique is definitely indicated. 210Pb concentrations of 1 to 100 pCi/g could be measured by means of the 210Po daughter. Therefore, lead samples may be monitored by alpha counting. A similar rationale is applicable to the beta radiation from 210Pb and its daughters. Therefore, beta counting must be considered as an alternate possible monitoring technique. Commercially available alpha and beta counters and techniques have been investigated to determine which of these would be applicable to a monitoring system, what counting times are required and what methods are most suitable. Apparatus on hand has been tested, and some apparatus was borrowed and purchased for evaluation. The results indicate that standard commercial equipment will provide adequate monitoring for lead contamination and so make practical the supply and acquisition of very-low activity lead.
Disseminated histoplasmosis in pediatric kidney transplant recipients-A report of six cases and review of the literature.

Background We report a case series of histoplasmosis in KTx patients in a children's hospital in an endemic area. Methods All KTx cases from January 1, 2002, to August 31, 2016, were reviewed to identify those with disseminated histoplasmosis. Results The attack rate of histoplasmosis among our KTx patients was 6.9 per 100 cases. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 16 years (11-18). Comorbidities included glomerulosclerosis (3), medullary cystic disease (1), and obstructive uropathy (2) and HIV (1). There were 5 deceased and 1 living-related donor transplants, and no patient had a history of rejection prior to histoplasmosis. Median time from transplant to histoplasmosis was 14.8 months (IQR 2.2-38.3) and 33% occurred in the first year after transplant. Urine and/or serum antigens were positive in all patients. They were either treated with amphotericin B and transitioned to an azole or received azole monotherapy. Most (83%) received chronic suppression with itraconazole. No patients died and relapse occurred in 1 patient after repeat transplant. Conclusions KTx patients in endemic areas are at risk for disseminated histoplasmosis. Further study is needed to determine which factors portend the need for fungal prophylaxis in this subset of patients.
A Follower-Based Control Allocation in Multi-Agent Networks

This paper investigates the consensus problem in a multi-agent system with a leader, using the concept of swarm intelligence. Matrix equations are given to obtain equilibrium state of the network, and the average-based control input is defined accordingly. Two network control rules are subsequently developed, where in one of them the control input is only applied to the leader, and in the other one it is only applied to the neighbors of the leader (follower-based control allocation strategy or swarm intelligence approach). It is shown that the latter control strategy has a faster convergence rate. Simulations confirm the efficacy of the proposed follower-based control allocation strategy.
Comparison of NIST SA13a and SA4b SQUID Array Amplifiers

Several current and proposed cosmic microwave background experiments use transition edge sensor bolometer focal planes coupled to the digital frequency-domain multiplexing (DfMux) electronics. This readout architecture sums bolometer signals in a SQUID array amplifier (SAA). In this study, we investigate the properties of two SAA designs, the SA4b, which is currently used in the DfMux system, and the SA13a. The SA13a design is gradiometric, making it less sensitive to stray magnetic field pickup. It has lower input inductance and is laid out on the chip as a re-configurable array with 6 banks of 64 series SQUIDs that can be arranged in any series and parallel configurations to optimize array noise, peak-to-peak modulation depth, and dynamic output resistance. The SA13a design reported on here is configured with 3 banks in series $$\times $$ 2 banks in parallel. The SA4b is a series array of 100 SQUIDs in series, each with an 8-turn input coil.
Retinal dystrophy associated with a Kizuna (KIZ) mutation and a predominantly macular phenotype.

Introduction: Mutations in Kizuna (KIZ), a gene involved in ciliary function, have been previously associated with rod-cone dystrophy with relative macular sparing and a number of other systemic abnormalities.Purpose: We present a patient with a phenotype dominated by retinal dystrophy and macular cysts as a result of a homozygous nonsense mutation in KIZ.Methods: A 32-year-old female of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry presented with progressive central vision loss and peripheral visual field loss following decades of night-blindness. She was noted to have a bull's-eye pattern of macular hyper-autofluorescence, intraretinal cystoid macular changes and outer retinal atrophy in both eyes. Visual fields were constricted to T (p.Arg76*) nonsense mutation. The patient was treated with topical dorzolamide and showed significant improvement in the degree of macular cysts.Conclusion: Mutations in KIZ can present with a predominantly macular phenotype and develop cystoid macular changes responsive to carbonic anhydrase inhibitor treatment. Because of the importance of KIZ in cilia function, it is critical to look for associated systemic manifestations to ensure best patient care.
Evolutionary relationships among bifidobacteria and their hosts and environments

The assembly of animal microbiomes is influenced by multiple environmental factors and host genetics, although the relative importance of these factors remains unclear. Bifidobacteria (genus Bifidobacterium, phylum Actinobacteria) are common first colonizers of gut microbiomes in humans and inhabit other mammals, social insects, food, and sewages. In humans, the presence of bifidobacteria in the gut has been correlated with health-promoting benefits. Here, we compared the genome sequences of a subset of the over 400 Bifidobacterium strains publicly available to investigate the adaptation of bifidobacteria diversity. We tested 1) whether bifidobacteria show a phylogenetic signal with their isolation sources (hosts and environments) and 2) whether key traits encoded by the bifidobacteria genomes depend on the host or environment from which they were isolated. We analyzed Bifidobacterium genomes available in the PATRIC and NCBI repositories and identified the hosts and/or environment from which they were isolated. A multilocus phylogenetic analysis was conducted to compare the genetic relatedness the strains harbored by different hosts and environments. Furthermore, we examined differences in genomic traits and genes related to amino acid biosynthesis and degradation of carbohydrates. We found that bifidobacteria diversity appears to have evolved with their hosts as strains isolated from the same host were non-randomly associated with their phylogenetic relatedness. Moreover, bifidobacteria isolated from different sources displayed differences in genomic traits such as genome size and accessory gene composition and on particular traits related to amino acid production and degradation of carbohydrates. In contrast, when analyzing diversity within human-derived bifidobacteria, we observed no phylogenetic signal or differences on specific traits (amino acid biosynthesis genes and CAZymes). Overall, our study shows that bifidobacteria diversity is strongly adapted to specific hosts and environments and that several genomic traits were associated with their isolation sources. However, this signal is not observed in human-derived strains alone. Looking into the genomic signatures of bifidobacteria strains in different environments can give insights into how this bacterial group adapts to their environment and what types of traits are important for these adaptations.
Sex-Related Differences in Performance Fatigability Independent of Blood Flow Following a Sustained Muscle Action at a Low Perceptual Intensity

The purpose of this investigation was to use the RPE clamp protocol to examine sex-related differences in performance fatigability and neuromuscular responses as the result of a sustained isometric leg extension muscle action anchored to RPE = 2. Twenty adults (10 men, 10 women) performed sustained muscle actions at RPE = 2 for 5-min. Maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) were performed prior to and following the sustained muscle actions. Neuromuscular (electromyographic and mechanomyographic) parameters and force were recorded, and the values were normalized to respective MVICs and calculated every 5% across the 5-min work bout. Femoral artery blood flow (FABF) was assessed at pretest, immediately posttest, and 5-min posttest. Polynomial regression was used to define the individual and composite normalized neuromuscular and force versus time relationships during the sustained muscle action. Mixed factorial ANOVAs were used to examine differences in performance fatigability and blood flow. For performance fatigability, the men (62.4 ± 14.4 kg–43.1 ± 11.5 kg) exhibited a significantly (P < 0.05) greater decrease pretest to posttest in MVIC than the women (44.1 ± 4.8 kg vs. 38.1 ± 6.1 kg). There were different fatigue-induced neuromuscular patterns of responses between the men and women across time. For blood flow responses, however, there was no sex-related difference, but pretest (283.3 ± 70.8 mL/min) was significantly (P < 0.05) less than immediately posttest (424.5 ± 133.5 mL/min) and 5-min posttest (324.4 ± 78.3 mL/min). Thus, men demonstrated a greater degree of performance fatigability than the women, which was independent of differences in FABF. Factors such as the neuromuscular system and muscle morphology likely contributed to the difference in performance fatigability.
Overcoming Barriers to Technology Adoption When Fostering Entrepreneurship Among the Poor: The Role of Technology and Digital Literacy

The adoption of new technologies can contribute to both efficiency and effectiveness and is a key source of long-term competitive advantage in entrepreneurial ventures. This is particularly relevant for poverty entrepreneurs. However, the literature on technology adoption and use in the poverty context is sparse, and is predominantly focused on developing economies. The current article seeks to address these shortcomings. We identify critical areas of typical ventures launched by the poor that are affected by technology. Attention is devoted to understanding technology as a product versus a process and what this distinction means for poverty entrepreneurs. We introduce a conceptual framework linking technology and digital literacy, technology adoption, and absorptive capacity to venture inputs and outputs. Dynamic interactions among these variables are explored. Implications for theory development and management practice, together with recommendations for future research, are provided.
Acquired and modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in patients treated for cancer

Cardiac mortality is the leading cause of death secondary to malignancy in survivors of cancer. The field of cardio-oncology is dedicated to identifying and, if possible, modifying risk factors that contribute to significant cardiac morbidity and mortality. Many risk factors for the development of cancer-related cardiotoxicity overlap with risk factors in cardiovascular disease such as hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes among others. These risk factors are usually modifiable while others such as genetics, type of malignancy, and need for chemotherapy are less modifiable. This article summarizes acquired and modifiable risk factors in both pediatric and adult patients treated for cancer.
Growing up in a Pandemic: Biomedical and Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Crisis on Children and Families

The COVID-19 pandemic creates a cascade of social and mental health consequences for children, adolescents, and their families. After reviewing the known pediatric and epidemiological data on children, we discuss key features of children's mental health in response to this crisis, their specific needs, and the impacts of social distancing, confinement, and adverse childhood events. While acknowledging potential long-term consequences in this psychosocially vulnerable population, we also caution health and social care workers against pathologizing normal reactions to an abnormal global crisis.
Dancing to the Same Tune: Commonality in Securities Lending Fees

We document that there is commonality in the loan fees that short sellers pay, and the common component of loan fees explains a significant amount of their variation. The time series of the loan fee common component is highly correlated with several well-documented asset pricing and macro factors, suggesting that loan fee commonality is associated with states of the world that are consequential to investors. At the asset level, we compute sensitivities of stocks’ loan fees to the loan fee common component and document that stocks with high loan fees tend to also exhibit high sensitivity to the loan fee common component. While controlling for other priced short-selling factors, we document a statistically significant negative relationship between the systematic volatility of loan fees (with respect to the loan fee common component) and stock returns, indicating that this commonality is priced in the cross-section of stock returns. In addition to this pricing implications, we present evidence that loan fee commonality is associated with lower price efficiency, suggesting that loan fee commonality is an important limit to arbitrage. Finally, we present evidence that loan demand may be the primary driver of the observed fee commonality.
Three Mistakes About Semantic Intentions

(I) It is common to believe that a speaker refers to x in virtue of intending to do so. I have four objections. (1) The view is too intellectualized. (2) It is theoretically incomplete: In virtue of what did the speaker intend to refer to x? (3) Once completed it is redundant. (4) It is misleading. (II) A central idea of Gricean “intention-based semantics” is that speaker meaning is constituted by the speaker’s intention to communicate a certain content to an audience. I argue that the meaning is constituted by the content of the thought expressed. The requirement that the speaker intends to communicate that thought is theoretically unmotivated. (III) It is standard among Griceans to believe that there is some constitutive constraint on what a speaker can intend by an utterance, a belief arising from one about a constraint on intentions in general. That alleged constraint ranges from the astonishingly strong “positive” one that X cannot intend to A unless X believes that she will A, to the much weaker “negative” one that X cannot intend to A unless she lacks the belief that she cannot A. I argue that there are no such constitutive constraints on intentions.
The Double-Edged Sword: Does Biomechanism Increase or Decrease Judges' Sentencing of Psychopaths?

We tested whether expert testimony concerning a biomechanism of psychopathy increases or decreases punishment. In a nationwide experiment, U.S. state trial judges (N 181) read a hypothetical case (based on an actual case) where the convict was diagnosed with psychopathy. Evidence presented at sentencing in support of a biomechanical cause of the convict's psychopathy significantly reduced the extent to which psychopathy was rated as aggravating and significantly reduced sentencing (from 13.93 years to 12.83 years). Content analysis of judges' reasoning indicated that even though the majority of judges listed aggravating factors (86.7%), the biomechanical evidence increased the proportion of judges listing mitigating factors (from 29.7 to 47.8%). Our results contribute to the literature on how biological explanations of behavior figure into theories of culpability and punishment.
Evaluation of Fluorinated Cromolyn Derivatives as Potential Therapeutics for Alzheimer's Disease.

Background Cromolyn is an anti-neuroinflammatory modulator with a multifactorial mechanism of action that has been shown to inhibit amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation and enhance microglial uptake and clearance of Aβ. Objective We report the effects of fluoro-cromolyn derivatives on microglial cell toxicity and microglial clearance of Aβ42. Methods Microglial cell toxicity for cromolyn derivatives were determined in naive BV2 microglial cells. Microglial clearance assays were performed with Aβ42 in naive BV2 microglial cell line and single cell clone BV2 line expressing CD33WT. PET imaging was performed for three F-18 analogs in a rhesus macaque. Results All compounds but derivative 8 exhibited low microglial cell toxicity. Cromolyn 1 and derivatives 2, 4, and 7 displayed an increased uptake on Aβ42 in naive BV2 microglial cells. Derivative 4 increased Aβ42 uptake in a dose-dependent manner and at 75μM resulted in a one-fold increase in Aβ42 uptake in BV2-CD33WT. PET imaging for three [18F]cromolyn analogs revealed the order of brain tracer penetration to be 4a > 10 > 2a. Tracer 4a exhibited enhanced uptake in areas of high perfusion (putamen, grey matter, and cerebellum) and lower signal in areas of lower perfusion (caudate, thalamus, and white matter). Conclusion Substantial uptake of Aβ42 in both naive BV2 and BV2-CD33WT cells observed with 4 indicate conversion of microglial cells from a pro-inflammatory to an activation state favoring Aβ phagocytosis/clearance. These findings suggest that a fluoro-cromolyn analog could reduce fibril-prone Aβ42in vivo and thereby serve as a therapeutic for the treatment and prevention of AD.
Vision Powered Conversational AI for Easy Human Dialogue Systems

In this paper, we propose an end to end goal-oriented conversational AI agent that can provide contextual information from a potential hazard site. We posit the conversational agent as a FloodBot capable of seeing, sensing, assessing hazard condition, and ultimately conversing about them. We present our domain-specific FloodBot design-solution and learning-experience from the real-time deployment in a flash flood devastated city that uses state-of-the-art deep learning models. We specifically used computer vision and pertinent natural language processing technologies to empower the conversation power of the FloodBot. To deliver such practical and usable AI, we chain multiple deep learning frameworks and create a human-friendly question-answer based dialogue system. We present our deployment details from the last five months and validate the results using ongoing COVID19’s impact on the area as well.
Quality of control groups in randomised trials of multiple myeloma enrolling in the USA: a systematic review

Summary To our knowledge, no study has evaluated the quality of control groups in randomised controlled trials of multiple myeloma. We aimed to do a systematic review of randomised controlled trials of multiple myeloma to ascertain the quality of the control groups used. PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, and CinicalTrials.gov were searched for articles of randomised controlled trials of multiple myeloma based in the USA that initiated participant enrolment between Jan 1, 2010, and June 30, 2020. A control group regimen was considered to be inferior if a previous randomised controlled trial had shown an improved progression-free survival versus the control group before enrolment. Of 49 identified randomised controlled trials, seven (14%) began enrolling patients into inferior control groups after an existing superior regimen to the control had already been published. Nine (18%) of the 49 trials continued enrolment on substandard control groups after data emerged during the study enrolment period. The median time that newer data emerged regarding inferiority of the control group from the time a trial first enrolled a patient was 13 months (IQR 8–29 months). 12 (75%) of these 16 randomised controlled trials are published, and nine (75%) of the 12 published trials had overlapping investigators with trials that had previously shown the inferiority of the control group being used. Greater scrutiny on the quality of control groups in randomised controlled trials of multiple myeloma is needed.
Intelligence, empathy, and memory: Exploring moral enhancement through gene editing, training, and computer–brain interfaces

In this research article, I seek to expand the conversation regarding moral enhancement by identifying traits or capacities that if enhanced would lead to an increase in moral behaviour. I decided to focus on the three capacities: intelligence, empathy and memory. These abilities do not necessarily lead to moral behaviour on their own; however, building on a study on the relationship of intelligence and morality, I argued that enhancing intelligence and empathy simultaneously allows for moral behaviour as an emergent property. Intelligence alone is not sufficient because even though greater intelligence leads to more prosocial behaviour, prosocial behaviour is not inherently moral. Empathy alone can lead to partiality, especially favouring those who are a part of one’s in-group. The virtue of prudence, practical wisdom, relies on more than intellect or reason; it requires lived experience in order to effectively deliberate. Memory provides intelligence with that information. There are a variety of ways in which human enhancement can be pursued. I chose to focus on three methods in this study: gene editing, training and computer–brain interfaces. Turning to the existing scientific literature, I attempted to find examples or potential ways in which intelligence, empathy and memory could be enhanced through these methods. Genetic examples are difficult given the complexity of multi-gene traits, and that heritability is only a small percentage of overall variance. Training these capacities has had limited success, and there is no consensus in the literature on how effective is the training. Computer–brain interfaces appear to offer potential, but some experiments have only just begun on human subjects, whilst other approaches are still being tested on other animals. Contribution: This article ends with an appeal to prioritise moral enhancements over other forms. Doing so allows for a great impact on society and a safer overall approach to enhancements.
Evidence of glacial activity during MIS 4 in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA

The Ziegler Reservoir fossil site near Snowmass Village, Colorado, provides a rare opportunity to examine environmental conditions in the Rocky Mountains during marine isotope stage (MIS) 4 (71–57 ...
AWGAN: A Powerful Batch Correction Model for scRNA-seq Data

With the advancement of technology, we can generate and access large-scale, high dimensional and diverse genomics data, especially through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). However, integrative downstream analysis from multiple scRNA-seq datasets remains challenging due to batch effects. In this paper, we focus on scRNA-seq data integration and propose a new deep learning framework based on Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network (WGAN) combined with an attention mechanism to reduce the differences among batches. We also discuss the limitations of the existing methods and demonstrate the advantages of our new model from both theoretical and practical aspects, advocating the use of deep learning in genomics research.
Empirical Evidence on Fiscal Decentralization in Four African Countries

Measuring fiscal decentralization can be challenging. Fiscal decentralization deals with devolving responsibilities to sub-national government on both sides of the budget: revenue and expenditure. Thus, to understand the nature of their fiscal behavior the components of both the revenue and expenditures sides of local government budgets must be analyzed. One poignant problem is that countries collect and aggregate data in different manners, making it challenging at times to conduct cross-country comparisons.
Complex systems in metabolic engineering

Metabolic engineers manipulate intricate biological networks to build efficient biological machines. The inherent complexity of this task, derived from the extensive and often unknown interconnectivity between and within these networks, often prevents researchers from achieving desired performance. Other fields have developed methods to tackle the issue of complexity for their unique subset of engineering problems, but to date, there has not been extensive and comprehensive examination of how metabolic engineers use existing tools to ameliorate this effect on their own research projects. In this review, we examine how complexity affects engineering at the protein, pathway, and genome levels within an organism, and the tools for handling these issues to achieve high-performing strain designs. Quantitative complexity metrics and their applications to metabolic engineering versus traditional engineering fields are also discussed. We conclude by predicting how metabolic engineering practices may advance in light of an explicit consideration of design complexity.
Ascorbic acid and collagen fiber formation.

Publisher Summary Despite the fact that the deficiency state known as scurvy has been recognized since antiquity and that it has been classically described by Walter as involving the healing of wounds as well as the maintenance of wounds that have already healed, it was not until 1919 that Aschoff and Koch, and then Hojer in 1924, carried out detailed histological studies. Those studies were soon followed by the studies of Wolbach and Howe, that related the action of the accessory factor (vitamin C) to proper connective tissue, and particularly collagen, formation. The early quantitative work directed toward confirming a relationship between ascorbic acid and the production of collagen was based primarily on the measurement of the tensile strength of healing wounds in normal and scorbutic animals. Since it is unequivocal that the failure of wounds to heal normally, with resulting poor tensile strength, is due primarily to the failure to produce collagen, these experiments on the relationship of ascorbic acid to wound healing reflect the role of ascorbic acid in collagen formation. In spite of the obvious relationship between ascorbic acid and collagen fiber formation, little is known concerning the exact mechanism by which ascorbic acid acts. Both the cellular physiology and the biosynthetic mechanisms still await clarification.
A circularly polarized multimode patch antenna with full hemispherical null steering for GPS applications

Pattern reconfigurable antennas offer an additional degree of freedom in the design of communications systems with which to mitigate potential threats in the electromagnetic environment. GPS receivers for example are notoriously susceptible to low power jammers and benefit from the use of reconfigurable null forming antennas. A common implementation consists of a patch array of N elements fed by a beamforming network to generate N-1 scannable nulls. Active and switched parasitic beamforming array approaches can require sophisticated algorithms to compute the required complex weighting at each antenna element. Another approach is to excite N orthogonal radiating modes on the same element or collocated elements and use phase and amplitude weighting to scan N-1 beam peaks and nulls. The approach taken in [1] realizes a circularly polarized (CP) directional mode and a linearly polarized (LP) omnidirectional mode excited on the same rectangular patch. However, only low elevation azimuthal jammers can be effectively nulled while maintaining CP in the main beam. collocated patch antennas in [2] produce CP directional modes capable of azimuthal ring nulls. An LP multimode antenna using amplitude weighting and switched phase to achieve full hemispherical beam peak and null steering was reported in [3]. We propose a novel multimode patch antenna capable of both low axial ratio main beam and full hemispherical null steering. All results are based on full wave simulations performed using Ansoft's High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS).
Low-power parametric wavelength conversion in 45nm microelectronics CMOS silicon-on-insulator technology

We demonstrate seeded four-wave mixing in a photonic circuit fabricated within an unmodified commercial microelectronics CMOS SOI platform, using a minimally dispersive microcavity design.
The precaution of the rich and poor

Do households use savings to buffer against income fluctuations? Despite its common use to understand household savings decisions, the evidence for the buffer-stock model is surprisingly weak and inconsistent. This paper develops new testable implications based on a property of the model that the assets that households target for precautionary reasons should encapsulate all preferences and risks and the target should scale one for one with permanent income. I test these implications using the Survey of Consumer Finances in the United States. Those with incomes over $60,000 fit the model predictions very well, but below $60,000 households become increasingly precautionary. Income uncertainty is unrelated to the level of precaution. Moreover, households hold substantially weaker precautionary tendencies than standard models with yearly income shocks predict. Instead I propose and estimate a model of monthly disposable income shocks and a minimum subsistence level that can accommodate these findings.
Growth and survival of post-settlement sea urchins

This chapter discusses the growth and survival of sea urchins. Growth in echinoids means change in mass, diameter and, shape of the test, which requires expansion, calcification, and production of soft tissues. Skeletal growth is based on cellular processes that result in both shape changes during growth and rates of diameter change. Echinoid skeletons consist of ossicles that include spines, elements of Aristotle's lantern, and plates of the test that are attached to each other by small projections and collagen threads. The skeletal attributes provide information for interpreting overall growth of the body as well as measures of environmental conditions. This chapter also focuses on the survival rates that are based on following cohorts in the field, which does not appear to have been done with sea urchins, or can be based on combining information on growth transitions with size–frequency data and these methods have been applied to sea urchins.
Interactions of minute virus of mice and adenovirus with host nucleoli.

Biochemical evidence is presented that both minute virus of mice (MVM) and adenovirus interact with the nucleolus during lytic growth and that MVM can also target specific changes involving nucleolar components in adenovirus-infected cells. These virus-nucleolus interactions were studied by analysis of intranuclear compartmentalization of both viral DNAs and host nucleolar proteins: (i) MVM in mouse cells (its normal host) replicates its DNA in the host nucleoli; (ii) specific nucleolar proteins as well as small nuclear ribonucleoprotein antigens are recompartmentalized to multiple intranuclear foci in adenovirus-infected HeLa cells; and (iii) when adenovirus helps MVM DNA replication in a nonpermissive human cell (HeLa), the MVM DNA is also recompartmentalized for synthesis. The data suggest mechanisms for disruption of nucleolar function common to oncogenic or oncolytic virus lytic growth and cell transformation. Images
Association of HIV-1 Envelope-Specific Breast Milk IgA Responses with Reduced Risk of Postnatal Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV-1

Infants born to HIV-1-infected mothers in resource-limited areas where replacement feeding is unsafe and impractical are repeatedly exposed to HIV-1 throughout breastfeeding. Despite this, the majority of infants do not contract HIV-1 postnatally, even in the absence of maternal antiretroviral therapy. This suggests that immune factors in breast milk of HIV-1-infected mothers help to limit vertical transmission. We compared the HIV-1 envelope-specific breast milk and plasma antibody responses of clade C HIV-1-infected postnatally transmitting and nontransmitting mothers in the control arm of the Malawi-based Breastfeeding Antiretrovirals and Nutrition Study using multivariable logistic regression modeling. We found no association between milk or plasma neutralization activity, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, or HIV-1 envelope-specific IgG responses and postnatal transmission risk. While the envelope-specific breast milk and plasma IgA responses also did not reach significance in predicting postnatal transmission risk in the primary model after correction for multiple comparisons, subsequent exploratory analysis using two distinct assay methodologies demonstrated that the magnitudes of breast milk total and secretory IgA responses against a consensus HIV-1 envelope gp140 (B.con env03) were associated with reduced postnatal transmission risk. These results suggest a protective role for mucosal HIV-1 envelope-specific IgA responses in the context of postnatal virus transmission. This finding supports further investigations into the mechanisms by which mucosal IgA reduces risk of HIV-1 transmission via breast milk and into immune interventions aimed at enhancing this response. IMPORTANCE Infants born to HIV-1-infected mothers are repeatedly exposed to the virus in breast milk. Remarkably, the transmission rate is low, suggesting that immune factors in the breast milk of HIV-1-infected mothers help to limit transmission. We compared the antibody responses in plasma and breast milk of HIV-1-transmitting and -nontransmitting mothers to identify responses that correlated with reduced risk of postnatal HIV-1 transmission. We found that neither plasma nor breast milk IgG antibody responses were associated with risk of HIV-1 transmission. In contrast, the magnitudes of the breast milk IgA and secretory IgA responses against HIV-1 envelope proteins were associated with reduced risk of postnatal HIV-1 transmission. The results of this study support further investigations of the mechanisms by which mucosal IgA may reduce the risk of HIV-1 transmission via breastfeeding and the development of strategies to enhance milk envelope-specific IgA responses to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission and promote an HIV-free generation.