cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linear model-based fault detection and isolation for a screw compressor

Abstract This paper presents an approach that includes the implementation of suitable sensors and linear model-based fault detection and isolation (FDI) method to detect incipient faults in a screw compressor. Mathematical models that describe the causal relationships linking measurable system variables are derived from physical laws and identified through system identification techniques. These mathematical models are in the form of linear ordinary differential and difference equations. The parameters of the models are estimated by least square estimators for baseline and faulty conditions. Using baseline models, a fault detection scheme that does not require prior experience of faults is developed to detect abnormalities. The frequency response of models are, in turn, used to isolate the faults. It can be shown that the use of model parameters, which frequently are more directly influenced by faults, will enable early detection and accurate recognition of the compressor's internal faults, such as gaterotor wear, rolling friction and radiator faults.
Current Strip for Extraction of the CEA External Electron Beam

The method presently being employed for extraction of 6 GeV electrons at the Cambridge Electron Accelerator is briefly described. The major element is a current strip, situated close to the orbit inner radius, which acts both as a non-linear focusing element and a magnetic deflector. Major characteristics of the current strip are: long pulse, 60 cycle, 6 GeV operation with an rms current density of 56,000 amperes per square inch at a maximum temperature of 135°F; minimum susceptibility to radiation damage, mechanical distortion and gas evolution; and reproducible remote positioning. As a result of experiments carried out with this current strip, modifications are under consideration which would make the extraction of other beams practicable, and would eliminate the need for a supportive downstream extraction magnet. A brief discussion of the modifications is included.
Metal‐exchanged clay and zeolite additives as smoke suppressants and fire retardants for poly(vinyl chloride)

Cone calorimetry studies showed that various metalexchanged clays and zeolites containing only 3–4% of Cu(II), Cu(I), Zn(II), or Al(III) were effective smoke suppressants and fire retardants for plasticized poly(vinyl chloride). Copper(II)-Zn(II) and Cu(II)-Al(III) synergism for smoke and heat reduction was observed with binary blends of the clays, and the effectiveness of the additives was usually improved considerably by heating plasticizer-additive mixtures under very high shear before combining them with the polymer. Possible mechanisms of action of the additives are described. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 15:87–91, 2009. a 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers
Boulders and Trolleys

This discussion attempts to show that the elusive solution to the trolley problem lies hidden in the solution to another perennial problem in moral philosophy: the ducking puzzle. The key to solving the ducking puzzle is an important, but overlooked, exception to our obligation not to harm others, an exception for ‘fair competition’, which, it is argued here, is also the key to solving the trolley problem.
Teaching business intelligence to computing students through a simulation and evolutionary lab sequence

Business Intelligence (BI) techniques and workflow has changed significantly in the last few years. Due to the introduction of SAP HANA and other similar tools, real-time BI in support of business decision making is now possible. To develop student skill in real-time BI, and to allow them opportunity to see how BI techniques have evolved over the years, a semester-long BI-focused lab sequence has been employed alongside an ERP-based simulation game. The lab sequence allows computing students to see how their future work can support an organization's strategic planning and execution.
Overcoming Obstacles to the Effective Implementation of International Environmental Agreements

Since the 1970's, there has been an explosion of environmental treaties geared toward protecting the global commons and regulating international environmental issues. However, the obstacles to effectively implementing these treaties reduces many of them to mere paperwork with good intentions while environmental degradation continues unabated. This paper identifies and proposes measures to ameliorate the effects of such obstacles in a range of international environmental agreements.
Disease prevalence in a rural Andean population of central Peru: a focus on autoimmune and allergic diseases

The hygiene hypothesis, formulated to explain the increased incidence of allergic and autoimmune diseases observed in industrialized countries, remains controversial. We reflected upon this hypothesis during a medical mission to rural and impoverished villages of central Peru. The mission was carried out in July 2015 to aid three Andean villages located near Cusco, and comprised 10 American physicians, 4 nurses, and 24 students. After recording the vital signs, patients were triaged by nurses based on the major complaint, visited by physicians, and prescribed medications. Physicians wrote their notes on a one-page form and established diagnoses purely on clinical grounds, without laboratory or imaging testing. Physician notes were then analyzed retrospectively in a de-identified and double-blinded fashion. A total of 1075 patients (357 men and 718 women) were visited during 5 consecutive clinic days, 840 being adults and 235 <18 years of age. The most common complaints were back pain, stomach pain, headache, and vision loss. Osteoarthritis, gastritis, visual disturbances, and parasitic infections dominated the diagnostic categories. Thirty-seven patients (3 %) were diagnosed with an allergic or autoimmune disease, mainly represented by asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a prevalence that was not significantly lower than that reported in industrialized countries. Although a study of this nature cannot definitively support or refute the hygiene hypothesis, it does provide a novel snapshot of disease prevalence in rural Andean villages of central Peru. The study could serve as a basis to implement basic public health interventions and prepare for future missions to the same or comparable regions.
Educational Gradients and Pathways of Disability Onset Among Older Mexicans

INTRODUCTION Educational disparities research is less common in developing countries. We evaluate whether educational gradients of disability onset exist in Mexico across groups (birth cohort and sex) and whether the association is unexplained or indirect via health (health behaviors, chronic conditions, and self-rated health) or economic (income, wealth, and health insurance) pathways. METHOD Data come from the Mexican Health & Aging study. Activities of daily living are reported in 2001, 2003, and 2012 by respondents and spouses aged 50+ (N = 9,560). Groups are analyzed using logistic regression to test education-disability onset associations. RESULTS Significant education-ADL onset associations were observed across groups, and much of these associations were direct (unexplained by pathways). Indirect effects operated primarily through the health pathway. DISCUSSION Those with less education were disadvantaged in terms of disability across birth cohorts and sex. Unexplained effects of education may suggest unobserved mediators or differential returns to resources by educational level.
Responses of the ticks Amblyomma hebraeum and A. variegatum to known or potential components of the aggregation-attachment pheromone. III. Aggregation.

Nine known or potential components of the aggregation-attachment pheromone of the ticksAmblyomma hebraeum andA. variegatum were tested as long-range attractants. In field assays, laboratory-reared unfed male and female ticks were released 4 m downwind of treated filter-paper targets. Carbon dioxide was used to activate the ticks and the numbers attracted to the targets were recorded. Adults ofA. hebraeum were attracted to six compounds (benzaldehyde, 2,6-dichlorophenol, heptadecane, methyl salicylate, nonanoic acid and o-nitrophenol) and adults ofA. variegatum to four compounds (2,6-dichlorophenol, methyl salicylate, nonanoic acid and o-nitrophenol). The most important attractant forA. hebraeum was o-nitrophenol; methyl salicylate and o-nitrophenol were the most important attractants forA. variegatum. Nonanoic acid and o-nitrophenol attracted significantly more female than maleA. hebraeum. Both species were also attracted by a mixture of the nine compounds.
Molecular dynamics simulations and electronic excited state properties of a self-assembled peptide amphiphile nanofiber with metalloporphyrin arrays

We have employed molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemistry methods to study the structures and electronic absorption properties of a novel type of photonic nanowire gel constructed by the self-assembly of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) and the chromophore-(PPIX)Zn molecules. Using molecular dynamics simulations, structures of the self-assembled fiber were determined with atomistic detail, including the distribution of chromophores along the nanofiber and the relative distances and orientations of pairs of chromophores. In addition, quantum chemistry calculations were used to determine the electronic structure and absorption properties of the chromophores in the fiber, so as to assess the capabilities of the nanofiber for photonics applications. The calculations show that the PA nanofiber provides an effective scaffold for the chromophores in which the chromophores form several clusters in which nearest neighbor chromophores are separated by less than 20 A. The calculations also indicate that the chromophores can be in both the hydrophilic shell and hydrophobic core portions of the fiber. There are only small spectral shifts to the B-band of the porphyrins arising from the inhomogeneous microelectronic environment provided by the fiber. However, there are much stronger electronic interactions between nearby pairs of chromophores, leading to a more significant red shift of the B-band that is similar to what is found in the experiments and to significant excitonic coupling that is seen in circular dichroism spectra. This electronic interaction between chromophores associated with the PA nanofiber structure is crucial to future applications of these fibers for light-harvesting applications.
Research on Automatic Semantic Integration Approach of Linked Data

Study automatic semantic correlation data fusion method,increase the degree of the semantic integration of associated data. Using the traditional algorithm for automatic semantic integration of data,often only on the same data fusion of knowledge unit,assume that for different knowledge unit,data fusion for different attribute correlation data,the data between the semantic integration difficult to achieve. Therefore,based on concepts of relevance and importance of measurement algorithm of automatic semantic correlation data fusion method. In view of the automatic semantic correlation calculation correlation data,in order to avoid for high-end semantic discriminant error,using semantic concept semantic association screening,access to the concept of probability,selected according to the improved algorithm steps to realize the further integration of automatic semantic correlation data. Experimental results show that the improved algorithm for automatic semantic of associated data fusion,could obtain the effective choice correlation automatic semantic concepts and semantic correlation value,so as to realize the automatic semantic of associated data fusion,improve the degree of automatic semantic integration,has a great advantage.
Esophageal Spasm/Noncardiac Chest Pain Hypertensive Esophageal Peristalsis, (Nutcracker Esophagus) and Hypertensive Lower Esophageal Sphincter

Dysphagia and noncardiac chest pain can be associated with spastic and hypercontractile esophageal motor disorders, provided that structural lesions, inflammation, and gastroesophageal reflux are excluded. Currently one of the best methods used to identify and classify esophageal contractile abnormalities is esophageal manometry. In the last years, manometry has undergone a significant paradigm shift. Combination of solid-state high-resolution manometry with esophageal pressure topography (EPT) provides a seamless dynamic display of esophageal pressure morphology and function, which is subjectively easy to interpret, yet lends itself to more sophisticated analyses and detailed characterization of normal and abnormal esophageal motility. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of pathophysiology underlying the esophageal spasm, spastic achalasia, hypertensive peristalsis, and hypercontractile lower esophageal sphincter, as well as the criteria for their diagnosis based on the features observable on EPT. Together with presenting patient complaint, phenotypes of esophageal motor disorders defined by EPT may help guide the management of spastic and hypercontractile esophageal motor disorders. Additionally, these phenotypes may also refine future clinical trials and improve our understanding of how these motor abnormalities may generate symptoms.
New Capabilities to Calculate Volumes of SCALE/KENO-VI Geometry Models

The KENO V.a and KENO-VI three-dimensional (3-D) Monte Carlo criticality computer codes in the SCALE (Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation) [1] computer software system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are widely used and accepted around the world for criticality safety analyses. The primary objective in the initial development and ongoing enhancements to SCALE is to provide easy-to-use calculational tools for performing accurate safety analyses of nuclear facilities and packages. The SCALE KENO-VI program does not calculate volumes for model bodies by default. The reason is that the calculation of volumes in KENO-VI is more difficult than in KENO V.a due to the generalized geometry in KENO-VI that allows body intersections. Volumes are not needed for the calculation of k-effective, but they are necessary for the calculation of other parameters such as fluxes and fission densities. They are also required for TRITON6/KENO-VI fuel depletion calculations to correctly normalize the power densities. The options for the calculation or input of volumes in KENO-VI have been improved for SCALE 5.1. In addition, the GeeWiz user interface [2] and KENO3D visualization tool [3] have been enhanced to calculate KENO-VI volumes analytically and write those volumes directly to a KENO-VI input file. This new feature is a significant capability that will prove useful for applications that use a KENO-VI (i.e., SCALE Generalized Geometry Package) model and require accurate volumes for model bodies.
Sources and content of iodine in California milk and dairy products.

In recent years, milk and milk products have been implicated as a major contributor to dietary iodine. The possible sources of iodine in milk are supplemental iodine in dairy feeds, iodophor-containing sanitizers used at the dairy farm and/or the processing plant, iodophor-containing teat dips used to control the spread of mastitis among dairy cows, and iodine-containing medications used by veterinarians. A five-year program to determine the California raw milk iodine concentration and identify the sources of adventitious iodine has resulted in the California dairy industry deciding late in 1980 to reduce iodine supplementation of dairy feeds. This resulted in a decrease in milk iodine concentration in samples received in 1981 to 256 ± 234 μg/kg compared to 1980, when the concentration was 474 ± 304 μg/kg. The industry has set up a program to monitor the raw milk iodine concentration at the producer level, thus ensuring that the concentration will continue to decline.
B-Cell Depletion — A Frontier in Monoclonal Antibodies for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a disabling autoimmune disease in which immune cells target central nervous system (CNS) antigens, leading to demyelination, glial activation, and subsequent loss of neurons and axons.1 There are three main subtypes of multiple sclerosis: relapsing–remitting, in which patients recover partly or fully from attacks but go on to have others; secondary progressive, in which patients with relapsing–remitting disease have progression of disability between attacks; and primary progressive, in which patients have continual progression from the time of onset of the disease.2 Over the past two decades, a remarkable number of new therapies have been developed that reduce . . .
Circulating Tumor Cells: Toward Sophisticated Approaches in Managing Metastatic Breast Cancer

Important therapeutic innovations within the past several years have resulted in only modest survival benefits for women with metastatic breast cancer. In this setting, cancer remains incurable and treatment is mainly palliative, involving judiciously applied multiple endocrine, chemotherapeutic, or biologic therapies in an attempt to induce a series of remissions and, ultimately, adequate palliation. At present, we lack both a consensus management algorithm and an ideal treatment model of specific subsets of women.
Hand Hygiene Perception and Practice Among Health Care Workers in Saudi Hospitals: A Cross Sectional Survey

Hand hygiene is recognized as the leading measure to prevent transmission of microorganisms and to reduce the incidence of health care associated infections in the hospitals. It is estimated that annually millions of patients are suffering from healthcare associated infections; however, hand hygiene is one of the most important contributing factors to healthcare acquired infections. A descriptive cross sectional design was utilized. 160 participants were included consisting of all accessible health care professions. A questionnaire adopted from the World Health Organization perception survey of health care workers was utilized, gathering data about the demographic data, the attitudes, and the opinions toward hand hygiene. The majority of the participants were females, young and from the nursing profession. Most of them reported that they had received previous education and they routinely use alcohol-based hand rub in their daily clinical practice. The majority believes that the availability of alcohol-based hand rubs at each point of care, receiving education on hand hygiene, and the use of hand hygiene posters have a great effect on the compliance with hand hygiene at the hospital. Half of the participants believe that the infection control committee members are the best to remind them to perform hand hygiene; while, most of them doesnâ€™t prefer patients or their relatives as a reminder to perform hand hygiene. In conclusion, the respondents reported a high self-efficacy in performing hand hygiene and positive attitudes toward hand hygiene as one of the most effective strategies to reduce health care associated infections.
The Emerging Field of Digital Humanities: An Interview with Johanna Drucker

In an interview with Professor Johanna Drucker, she shares her new collaboratively written book, Digital_Humanities, and her thoughts on the growth of Digital Humanities and its place and future in the academy. Her insights highlight the critical approaches of Digital Humanities (DH) and how DH challenges traditional notions of scholarship and opens up new methods of humanistic inquiry.
Aluminum, a neurotoxin which affects diverse metabolic reactions

Experimental evidence is summarized to support the hypothesis that chronic exposure to low levels of aluminum may lead to neurological disorders. These disorders result from defective phosphorylation--dephosphorylation reactions, reduced glucose utilization and site-specific damage inflicted by free radicals produced by altered iron metabolism. The brain is a highly compartmentalized organ. Therefore, a co-localization of critical mass of metabolic errors rather than a single event may be essential to precipitate a neural disease. Aluminum appears to participate in formulating this critical mass. Patients with dialysis dementia get partial relief by desferroxamine which chelates aluminum. However, it also chelates iron and therefore limits its applicability. While the specific chelator for aluminum is yet to be made available, exercising a caution in aluminum intake appears prudent.
Moving toward greater security: The effects of repeatedly priming attachment security and anxiety

Abstract Contemporary models of personality development suggest that state-level changes that are maintained for long periods of time have the potential to coalesce into more enduring trait-level changes. In this research, we explored whether repeatedly increasing participants’ state-level attachment security via priming might educe trait-level changes over the course of four months. Results indicated that both repeated security and anxiety primes were effective in reducing participants’ trait levels of attachment anxiety over time. In contrast, neither prime generally affected participants’ well-being. The fact that both primes had similar results suggests that one “active ingredient” in attachment priming may be reflecting upon close relationships—irrespective of the valence of those relationships. Moreover, our findings are compatible with the notion that repeated or prolonged changes to state-level security have the potential to coalesce into trait-level changes.
CXCL10 increases in human skeletal muscle following damage but is not necessary for muscle regeneration.

CXCL10 is a chemokine for activated and memory T cells with many important immunological functions. We recently found that CXCL10 is upregulated in human muscle following contraction-induced damage. No information is available on the role of CXCL10 in the context of muscle damage or repair. In this study, we confirm that CXCL10 is elevated in human muscle at 2 and 3 days following damage and perform cell culture and animal studies to examine the role of CXCL10 in muscle repair. CXCL10 did not impact proliferation rates of human primary myoblasts but it did promote myogenic differentiation in vitro, suggesting a possible direct impact on muscle regeneration. To test if CXCL10 was dispensable for effective muscle regeneration in vivo, we measured functional and histological markers of muscle repair out to 14 days postmuscle injury caused by a myotoxin in wild-type (WT) mice and CXCL10 knockout (KO) mice. Between genotypes, no significant differences were found in loss or restoration of in situ muscle force, cross-sectional area of newly formed myofibers, or the number of embryonic myosin heavy chain-positive myofibers. In addition, KO animals were not deficient in T-cell accumulation in the damaged muscle following injury. Gene expression of the other two ligands (CXCL9 and 11) that bind to the same receptor as CXCL10 were also elevated in the damaged muscle of KO mice. Thus, other ligands may have compensated for the lack of CXCL10 in the KO mice. We conclude that CXCL10 is not necessary for effective muscle regeneration.
Collars and Intestines: Practical Conforming Delaunay Refinement

While several existing Delaunay refinement algorithms allow acute 3D piecewise linear complexes as input, algorithms producing conforming Delaunay tetrahedralizations (as opposed to constrained or weighted Delaunay tetrahedralizations) often involve cumbersome constructions and are rarely implemented. We describe a practical construction for both “collar” and “intestine”-based approaches to this problem. Some of the key ideas are illustrated by the inclusion of the analogous 2D Delaunay refinement algorithms, each of which differs slightly from the standard approach. We have implemented the 3D algorithms and provide some practical examples.
Diaphragm pacing for acute respiratory failure

Mechanical ventilation is required in greater than 33% of patients in intensive care units (ICU) across the United States, and has increased at 4% per year over the past decade.1,2 Over 20% of ICU patients are on a ventilator greater than 7 days, with 40–60% of their ventilator time spent weaning after their initial acute event resolves. Over 100,000 tracheostomies are done in the United States yearly because of prolonged mechanical ventilation. Furthermore, mechanical ventilation results in a higher cost of treatment estimated at $16 billion annually with mechanically ventilated patients consuming a majority of ICU dollars.3–5 With an aging society, the incidence of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation is increasing.6 There is an estimated 500 new high spinal cord injury (SCI) patients yearly in the United States who develop acute respiratory failure with subsequent need for long-term mechanical ventilation. The complexity of mechanical ventilation along with its negative attributes has been well documented. These include increased loss of sense of smell, difficulty with transfers, equipment malfunction, decreased mobility, embarrassment from noise, tubes and tracheostomy, increased respiratory infections, decreased survival rates and increased cost approaching $200,000 a year per patient.7,8
Social Determinants of Mental Health: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

The present review synthesizes recent literature on social determinants and mental health outcomes and provides recommendations for how to advance the field. We summarize current studies related to changes in the conceptualization of social determinants, how social determinants impact mental health, what we have learned from social determinant interventions, and new methods to collect, use, and analyze social determinant data. Recent research has increasingly focused on interactions between multiple social determinants, interventions to address upstream causes of mental health challenges, and use of simulation models to represent complex systems. However, methodological challenges and inconsistent findings prevent a definitive understanding of which social determinants should be addressed to improve mental health, and within what populations these interventions may be most effective. Recent advances in strategies to collect, evaluate, and analyze social determinants suggest the potential to better appraise their impact and to implement relevant interventions.
Discourse-level comprehension engages medial frontal Theory of Mind brain regions even for expository texts

In addition to understanding individual word meanings and processing the syntactic and semantic dependencies among those words within a sentence, language comprehension often requires constructing a higher-order discourse structure based on the relationships among clauses and sentences in the extended context. Prior fMRI studies of discourse-level comprehension have reported greater activation for texts than unconnected sentences in what-appear-to-be regions of the Theory of Mind (ToM) network. However, those studies have generally used narratives rich in mental state content, thus confounding coherence and content. We report an fMRI experiment where ToM regions were defined functionally in each participant, and their responses were examined to texts vs. sentence lists. Critically, we used expository texts to minimize mental state content. Medial frontal but not posterior ToM regions exhibited small but reliable increases in their responses to texts relative to unconnected sentences, suggesting a role for these regions in discourse comprehension independent of content.
Transcriptional Regulation of Lipophorin Receptors Supports Neuronal Adaptation to Chronic Elevations of Activity.

Summary Activity-dependent modifications strongly influence neural development. However, molecular programs underlying their context and circuit-specific effects are not well understood. To study global transcriptional changes associated with chronic elevation of synaptic activity, we performed cell-type-specific transcriptome profiling of Drosophila ventral lateral neurons (LNvs) in the developing visual circuit and identified activity-modified transcripts that are enriched in neuron morphogenesis, circadian regulation, and lipid metabolism and trafficking. Using bioinformatics and genetic analyses, we validated activity-induced isoform-specific upregulation of Drosophila lipophorin receptors LpR1 and LpR2, the homologs of mammalian low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family proteins. Furthermore, our morphological and physiological studies uncovered critical functions of neuronal lipophorin receptors (LpRs) in maintaining the structural and functional integrities in neurons challenged by chronic elevations of activity. Together, our findings identify LpRs as molecular targets for activity-dependent transcriptional regulation and reveal the functional significance of cell-type-specific regulation of neuronal lipid uptake in experience-dependent plasticity and adaptive responses.
Assessing the biomechanical properties of the porcine crystalline lens as a function of intraocular pressure with optical coherence elastography.

In this study, we investigated the relationship between the biomechanical properties of the crystalline lens and intraocular pressure (IOP) using a confocal acoustic radiation force (ARF) and phase-sensitive optical coherence elastography (OCE) system. ARF induced a small displacement at the apex of porcine lenses in situ at various artificially controlled IOPs. Maximum displacement, relaxation rate, and Young’s modulus were utilized to assess the stiffness of the crystalline lens. The results showed that the stiffness of the crystalline increased as IOP increased, but the lens stiffening was not as significant as the stiffening of other ocular tissues such as the cornea and the sclera. A mechanical hysteresis in the lens was also observed while cycling IOP, indicating that the viscoelastic response of the lens is crucial to fully understanding its biomechanical properties.
Risk of preterm and early term birth by maternal drug use

Examine the risk of preterm birth (PTB, < 37 weeks) and early term birth (37–38 weeks) for women with reported drug abuse/dependence. The population was drawn from singleton livebirths in California from 2007 to 2012. Drug abuse/dependence was determined from maternal diagnostic codes (opioid, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, other, or polysubstance). Relative risks, adjusted for maternal factors were calculated for PTB and early term birth. Of the 2,890,555 women in the sample, 1.7% (n = 48,133) had a diagnostic code for drug abuse/dependence. The percentage of PTBs varied from 11.6% (cannabis) to 24.3% (cocaine), compared with 6.7% of women without reported drug abuse/dependence. Women with reported drug abuse/dependence during pregnancy were at increased risk of having a PTB and all but those using cannabis were at risk of having an early term birth. Women using cocaine and polysubstance were at the highest risk of birth < 32 weeks.
Probability of misclassification in model-based clustering

Cluster analysis is an important problem of unsupervised machine learning. Model-based clustering is one of the most popular clustering techniques based on finite mixture models. Upon fitting of a mixture model, one question naturally arises as to how many misclassifications there are in the partition. At the same time, rather limited literature is devoted to developing diagnostic tools for obtained clustering solution. In this paper, an algorithm is developed for efficiently estimating the misclassification probability. The confusion probability map and classification confidence region are proposed for predicting the confusion matrix, identifying which cluster causes the most confusion, and understand the distribution of misclassifications. Application to real-life datasets illustrates the developed technique with promising results.
mAKAPβ signalosomes – A nodal regulator of gene transcription associated with pathological cardiac remodeling

Striated myocytes compose about half of the cells of the heart, while contributing the majority of the heart's mass and volume. In response to increased demands for pumping power, including in diseases of pressure and volume overload, the contractile myocytes undergo non-mitotic growth, resulting in increased heart mass, i.e. cardiac hypertrophy. Myocyte hypertrophy is induced by a change in the gene expression program driven by the altered activity of transcription factors and co-repressor and co-activator chromatin-associated proteins. These gene regulatory proteins are subject to diverse post-translational modifications and serve as nuclear effectors for intracellular signal transduction pathways, including those controlled by cyclic nucleotides and calcium ion. Scaffold proteins contribute to the underlying architecture of intracellular signaling networks by targeting signaling enzymes to discrete intracellular compartments, providing specificity to the regulation of downstream effectors, including those regulating gene expression. Muscle A-kinase anchoring protein β (mAKAPβ) is a well-characterized scaffold protein that contributes to the regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms how this prototypical scaffold protein organizes signalosomes responsible for the regulation of class IIa histone deacetylases and cardiac transcription factors such as NFAT, MEF2, and HIF-1α, as well as how this signalosome represents a novel therapeutic target for the prevention or treatment of heart failure.
Occlusion-based computational periscopy with consumer cameras

The ability to form images of scenes hidden from direct view would be advantageous in many applications – from improved motion planning and collision avoidance in autonomous navigation to enhanced danger anticipation for first-responders in search-and-rescue missions. Recent techniques for imaging around corners have mostly relied on time-of-flight measurements of light propagation, necessitating the use of expensive, specialized optical systems. In this work, we demonstrate how to form images of hidden scenes from intensity-only measurements of the light reaching a visible surface from the hidden scene. Our approach exploits the penumbra cast by an opaque occluding object onto a visible surface. Specifically, we present a physical model that relates the measured photograph to the radiosity of the hidden scene and the visibility function due to the opaque occluder. For a given scene–occluder setup, we characterize the parts of the hidden region for which the physical model is well-conditioned for inversion – i.e., the computational field of view (CFOV) of the imaging system. This concept of CFOV is further verified through the Cram´er–Rao bound of the hidden-scene estimation problem. Finally, we present a two-step computational method for recovering the occluder and the scene behind it. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method using both synthetic and experimentally measured data.
Talbot-effect structured illumination: pattern generation and application to long-distance $$\upmu $$μ-MTV

A new scheme is described and characterized to generate very fine structured illumination patterns that can be used to significantly improve the spatial resolution of molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) and other techniques that rely on structured illumination. MTV is particularly suited to measure spatial gradients of velocity as well as second-order derivatives, but has traditionally suffered from a limited resolution. MTV has gained a broad adoption in high-speed gas dynamics and has also been applied to a lesser extent in aqueous flows. The present work makes use of the optical Talbot effect, a near-field diffraction phenomenon, to generate an array of quasi-parallel beamlets with very flexible beam spacing and diameter. Both pitch and width have been demonstrated down to the order of 10 $${\upmu \mathrm {m}}$$, which is about ten times smaller than that performed in previous MTV studies. Structured illumination with Talbot effect has potential for even smaller sizes. Several parameters are extensively characterized, including beamlet size, spacing, and persistence. Optimization of the optical components is also discussed, including lasers and lenses. Simple analytical models enable to assist in the design of experiments with Talbot effect. The technique is demonstrated with 1D multi-line and 2D grids with simple MTV tests in water. The selected caged dye is used for the first time in MTV and conveniently enables the use of green PIV lasers to read the tagged lines.
“SLITHER INTO THE HEART”: SALMONELLA ENDOCARDITIS FOLLOWING RATTLESNAKE MEAT INGESTION

Salmonella foodborne infections have been well described. Cardiac complications of Salmonella, including Infective Endocarditis (IE) however are very rare. 50-year-old Hispanic male presented with chest pain, fever & septic shock. Troponin & ECG were unremarkable. Patient was started on empiric
PPAR alpha-targeted mitochondrial bioenergetics mediate repair of intestinal barriers at the host-microbe intersection during SIV infection

Author(s): Crakes, Katti; Rocha, Clarissa; Grishina, Irina; Hirao, Lauren; Napoli, Eleonora; Gaulke, Christopher; Fenton, Anne; Datta, Sandipan; Arredondo, Juan; Marco, Maria; Sankaran-Walters, Sumathi; Cortopassi, Gino; Giulivi, Cecilia; Dandekar, Satya
The Gravitational Path Integral and Critical Dimensions of Linear and Nonlinear Locally Supersymmetric σ Models

It is well known that Slavnov-Taylor identities can be derived from path integrals by making a change of integration variable which corresponds to a symmetry transformation and using the fact that the classical action is invariant under this symmetry. When the measure is invariant under the symmetry transformation one obtains only contributions from the action and external sources. For rigid symmetries, one first replaces the parameter by a local parameter and in this way the Noether current enters in the Ward identities. For local symmetries with external gauge fields one can make a local classical gauge transformation, but if the gauge fields are dynamical, one must instead consider the rigid BRST symmetry of the quantum action.
Reliability and Validity of the Boston Bedside Quantitative Sensory Testing Battery for Neuropathic Pain.

Objective Recent studies suggest that sensory phenotyping may provide critical information for the diagnosis and management of patients with chronic neuropathic pain (NP). However, many formal quantitative sensory testing (QST) paradigms require expensive equipment, a dedicated location, and substantial time commitments on the part of patient and examiner, highlighting the need for a convenient and portable "bedside" QST battery. We developed and tested a bedside QST battery in a sample of patients with chronic NP. Methods Participants (N = 51) attended two in-person visits over approximately two weeks, during which they underwent QST using both laboratory-based equipment and simple, easily accessible bedside tools. Participants also completed questionnaires about their daily pain and NP symptoms. Results Test-retest reliability estimates were highly statistically significant and did not differ between bedside (mean r = 0.60) and laboratory-based (mean r = 0.72) QST. Bedside QST variables and corresponding laboratory-based QST variables were highly correlated, suggesting adequate criterion validity for the bedside tests. Conclusions Results from the present study may have important implications for the sensory phenotyping and subsequent management of patients with chronic NP. Implementation of a protocol that uses inexpensive, portable, and convenient tools may allow for the application of QST in variety of clinical settings and advance NP research.
Sources of Medical Information for Oncology Physicians during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a national cross-sectional survey

Because the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has completely transformed the accepted norms and approaches to cancer care delivery in the United States, we sought to understand the sources of medical information that oncology physicians seek and trust. We recruited 486 oncology physicians to an anonymous cross-sectional online survey through social media from March 27, 2020, to April 10, 2020, with 79.2% reporting their sources of medical information during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found a diverse array of reported sources for COVID-19 information that most commonly included professional societies (90.7%), hospital or institutional communications (88.6%), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (69.9%); however, trust in these sources of information varied widely, with professional societies being the most trusted source. These results highlight the important role that professional societies, hospitals, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention play in ensuring dissemination of consistent, high-quality practice recommendations for oncology physicians.
Netosis and Inflammasomes in Large Vessel Occlusion Thrombi

The inflammatory response appears to play a critical role in clotting in which neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are the major drivers of thrombosis in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The inflammasome is an innate immune complex involved in the activation of interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-1β through caspase-1, but whether the inflammasome plays a role in NETosis in AIS remains poorly understood. Here we assessed the levels of inflammasome signaling proteins in NETs and their association with clinical and procedural outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy for AIS. Electron microscopy and immunofluorescence indicate the presence of NETs in thrombi of patients with AIS. Moreover, the inflammasome signaling proteins caspase-1 and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) were also present in clots associated with the marker of NETosis citrullinated histone 3H (CitH3). Analysis of protein levels by a simple plex assay show that caspase-1, ASC and interleukin (IL)-1β were significantly elevated in clots when compared to plasma of AIS patients and healthy controls, while IL-18 levels were lower. Moreover, multivariate analyses show that IL-1β levels in clots contribute to the number of passes to achieve complete recanalization, and that ASC, caspase-1 and IL-18 are significant contributors to time to recanalization. Thus, inflammasome proteins are elevated in NETs present in thrombi of patients with AIS that contribute to poor outcomes following stroke.
Treatment approaches for the patient with T2 low asthma.

Abstract Objective To identify treatment approaches that can be used in the management of patients with asthma who lack significant type 2 inflammation, also called T2 low asthma. Data Sources Recent expert guideline updates on the management of asthma, recent journal articles and review articles, and foundational journal articles are referenced. Study Selections This review cites clinical cohort studies of highly characterized patients with asthma, clinical interventional trials of high impact, mechanistic studies relevant to T2 low asthma, and emerging work in this area. Results T2 low asthma accounts for approximately one-third to one-half of individuals with asthma. Characteristics of participants with T2 low asthma include higher body mass index, cigarette smoking/smoke exposure, relative lack of responsiveness to steroids, less bronchodilator reversibility, and often the presence of neutrophilic inflammation. Multiple available interventions target these characteristics, including standard inhalers, azithromycin, and lifestyle interventions of weight loss and smoking cessation. Conclusion Treatment of T2 low asthma should involve currently available approaches and will benefit from improved definition and understanding of disease pathobiology.
Hybrid fusion protein as a dual protease inhibitor for the healing of chronic wounds

Diseases bring about the need for interventions that pinpoint each specific aspect of the illness. Commonly, remission of a complex disease is accomplished by mixing treatments, medications, and therapeutics together in a fashion where they may negatively interact with each other or never arrive at the diseased site as a systemic heterogeneous mixture. Chronic wounds display intricacy as they are very localized and have their own environment where tissue deconstruction due to high levels of numerous proteases outweighs normal tissue reconstruction. This idea leads to the necessity of a protein that contains low diffusivity rates for localized treatment, strength against high concentrations of proteolytic species that lead to degradation of short chain peptides, while encompassing broad inhibitory effects against multiple proteases. Elastin-like peptides are an attractive, thermoresponsive, protein-based drug delivery partner as they contain low diffusivity and serve as a stable architecture for short chain peptide fusion. In this project, a novel elastin-like peptide-based protein has been created to target the inhibition of both human neutrophil elastase and matrix metalloprotease-2. As a biologic, this is unique as it is a protein with specific biological activities against multiple proteases, ultimately displaying the potential to mix and match differing biologically active peptides within one amino acid sequence.
CDPcholine, CDPethanolamine, Lipid Metabolism and Disorders of the Central Nervous System

CDPamines are essential precursors for the biosynthesis de novo of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The phosphoamine moiety is enzymically transferred to the diacylglycerol or other diradylglycerol by the choline or ethanolami ne specific phosphotransferase. As described in the following sections, CDPamines, especially CDPcholine, have been used to reverse increases in fatty acid levels following ischemia. CDPcholine has been used successfully to treat several types of central nervous system diseases including ischemia, Parkinson disease, cerebrovascular disease, senile dementia, and tardive dyskinesia. CDPcholine effects in these diseases may be related in part to its ability to increase dopamine levels.
Associations of Dietary Carbohydrate Quality (CQ) with Daily Interstitial Glucose Patterns in Community-Dwelling Individuals: a Pilot Study

Background: In controlled feeding studies, daily glucose patterns assessed by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) reflect overall dietary carbohydrate quality (CQ) and the pattern of carbohydrate i...
Digital time-lapse microscopy of yeast cell growth.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the digital time-lapse microscopy of yeast cell growth. A large number of yeast experiments are performed with macroscopic colonies, which may contain 10 8 or more cells. The behavior of a colony when replica plated to nonpermissive conditions—such as an auxotrophic tester plate—can be remarkably decisive: growth or no growth. However, observations—such as papillation, uneven growth of cells when struck out, slow growth, and inhomogeneous colony phenotypes—inevitably reflect the underlying variations in growth and survival of individual cells that often are not determined genetically but stochastically. From the first reports of time-lapse observation of yeast growth until the present, a significant cell-to-cell variability in cell cycle parameters and other responses among genetically identical cells cultured under identical conditions has been observed. Experiments in which large populations of yeast cells are sampled at various times during steady-state growth or after a shift in conditions, fixed, and then imaged are of proven value. The chapter also discusses high-resolution transmitted light microscopy of living yeast.
A PAC learning approach to one-bit compressed sensing

In this paper, the problem of one-bit compressed sensing (OBCS) is formulated as a problem in probably approximately correct (PAC) learning theory. In particular, we study the set of half-spaces generated by sparse vectors, and derive explicit upper and lower bounds for the Vapnik- Chervonenkis (VC-) dimension. The upper bound implies that it is possible to achieve OBCS where the number of samples grows linearly with the sparsity dimension and logarithmically with the vector dimension, leaving aside issues of computational complexity. The lower bound implies that, for some choices of probability measures, at least this many samples are required.