cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Path-integral evaluation of Feynman propagator in curved spacetime

We develop an efficient approximation procedure for evaluating the scalar Feynman propagator in arbitrary spacetimes. In the familiar manner we represent it by an integral over the transition amplitude for a Schroedinger-type equation (proper-time method). The amplitude is then represented by a Feynman path integral which is dominated by the contribution of a certain extremal path. The contributions of adjacent paths are then simply expressed by working in Fermi normal coordinates based on the extremal path. In this manner the path integral becomes an ordinary multiple integral over ''Fourier coefficients'' which represent the various paths. For a conformal field, or for spacetimes with constant scalar curvature, we evaluate the integral in the Gaussian approximation in terms of the curvature along the (geodesic) extremal path. We show the result to be related to the Schwinger-DeWitt expansion for the amplitude, but valid for well-separated end points. In the Einstein universe our expression gives the exact amplitude and propagator. In the de Sitter spacetime it gives a good approximation for the amplitude even for well-separated points. We also evaluate the post-Gaussian corrections to the amplitude, though we do not implement them in a concrete spacetime. For nonconformal fields in spacetimes with varying scalarmore » curvature, we evaluate the amplitude in the Gaussian approximation in terms of the values of the curvature along the extremal (nongeodesic) path. It is very different in form from the one mentioned earlier, which suggests the existence of novel effects arising from variation in the scalar curvature.« less
Effects of juvenile hormone (JH) analog insecticides on larval development and JH esterase activity in two spodopterans

Juvenile hormone analog (JHA) insecticides are biological and structural mimics of JH, a key insect developmental hormone. Toxic and anti-developmental effects of the JHA insecticides methoprene, fenoxycarb, and pyriproxyfen were investigated on the larval and pupal stages of Spodoptera littoralis and Spodoptera frugiperda. Bioassays showed that fenoxycarb has the highest toxicity and fastest speed of kill in 2nd instar S. littoralis. All three JHAs affected the development of 6th instar (i.e., final instar) and pupal S. frugiperda. JH esterase (JHE) is a critical enzyme that helps to regulate JH levels during insect development. JHE activity in the last instar S. littoralis and S. frugiperda was 11 and 23 nmol min(-1) ml(-1) hemolymph, respectively. Methoprene and pyriproxyfen showed poor inhibition of JHE activity from these insects, whereas fenoxycarb showed stronger inhibition. The inhibitory activity of fenoxycarb, however, was more than 1000-fold lower than that of OTFP, a highly potent inhibitor of JHEs. Surprisingly, topical application of methoprene, fenoxycarb or pyriproxyfen on 6th instars of S. littoralis and S. frugiperda prevented the dramatic reduction in JHE activity that was found in control insects. Our findings suggest that JHAs may function as JH agonists that play a disruptive role or a hormonal replacement role in S. littoralis and S. frugiperda.
Developing a Field-Tested Wetland Indicator Rating for Blue Spruce (Picea Pungens) in the Southern Rocky Mountains

To be identified as a wetland under U.S. Federal regulations, a site must, under normal circumstances, support vegetation dominated by hydrophytes. A list of hydrophytes and their wetland indicator rating is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) and is the basis for assessing the vegetation criteria of Federal wetland delineation manuals. Ratings are primarily based on expert opinion and few empirical studies have been done, particularly at landscape scales. In this study, we developed an approach for quantifying plant indicator ratings at broad spatial scales and used it to estimate the frequency that Picea pungens Engelm. (Colorado blue spruce) occurs in wetlands across a 22,921 km2 study area in the southern Rocky Mountains. Species distribution models were developed and used to inform a multistage field sampling design. Wetland soil and hydrology indicators were assessed around 423 randomly selected trees in 22 HUC12 watersheds. Only 16.5 % of trees occurred in wetlands, suggesting that a rating of facultative upland (FACU) is more appropriate than the currently published rating of facultative (FAC) for our study area. This study demonstrates that it is feasible to quantitatively evaluate ratings for species even at broad landscape scales.
Acute M2 bifurcation stenting for cerebral infarction: lessons learned from the heart: technical case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Acute ischemic stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. For patients with NIHSS scores >10 and evaluated within six hours, intra-arterial thrombolysis is the treatment of choice. The Merci retriever (Concentric Medical Inc., Mountain View, CA) and IV TPA are currently the only FDA-approved treatments for acute ischemic stroke. For patients who do not meet the criteria for TPA administration and/or in whom the Merci device fails, options are limited. Intracranial stenting for acute ischemic stroke after failed thrombolysis is now possible because of improved delivery systems and appropriately sized stents. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 26-year-old woman presented with an NIHSS score of 11 (right-sided hemiparesis and mixed aphasia) 4 hours from the time of symptom onset. CT perfusion demonstrated increased time to peak in the entire left hemisphere; conventional angiography demonstrated a left M1 occlusion. INTERVENTION: After crossing the occlusion with a micro-catheter, reteplase (2 units) was administered into the clot. Mechanical thrombolysis was then attempted, without restoration of flow. Two 3 x 12mm coronary stents were placed from the M1 into the superior and inferior divisions, respectively, with complete restoration of flow (TIMI 3). Within 72 hours, the patient had an NIHSS score of 1, with a small infarction in the external capsule. CONCLUSION: Novel stroke interventions need to be developed for patients with acute ischemic stroke in whom traditional interventions fail. We present (to our knowledge) the first case of successful revascularization of an acute M1 occlusion accomplished with placement of two coronary stents.
Toward a New Concept of Sales Management

The prevailing concept of the sales manager's role has changed markedly from the beginning of this century; this is the era of the marketing concept. In this article, the author contends that busin...
Calculated operations of the AWT-27 USING FAST-AD. I - Modeling, start-up, and shut-down

In order to meet the U.S. Wind Energy Program goal of designing wind turbines to be fatigue resistant and low cost, structural simulation is required for design, design analysis, and certification The FAST-AD code has been created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory by the marriage of the FAST code and AeroDyn aerodynamics subroutines. This code runs rapidly; however, it has not been compared to the test data or otherwise validated. In this paper the AWT-27 twobladed teetering wind turbine is modeled and results are compared to test data. Part I of this study deals with the modeling, start-up and shut-down operations. Operation at various wind speeds and with various m-flow conditions will be dealt with in a subsequent paper. Start-up and shut-down calculations for time history of rotor rpm and torque were made. Rotor rpm histories showed good agreement with test data. Low speed shaft histories showed fair agreement with test data.
An Escalation in the Recognition of Cell Death Pathways

Copyright: © 2014 Scovassi AI. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The research focused on cell death is very fascinating and involves many groups aiming at identifying the multiple factors regulating this “ultimate” process. After the observation of dead cell morphology by the first basic microscopes, the development of more sophisticated techniques allowed to decipher the molecular elements involved in cell death and to manage them in order to impede or enforce this process.
A Continuous Linear Bijection with Discontinuous Inverse

(1971). A Continuous Linear Bijection with Discontinuous Inverse. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 78, No. 5, pp. 532-533.
Major Issues and Key Technologies to a Strong and Smart Grid in China

This paper introduces the background and current research status of smart grid across the world,analyses the necessity to construct strong smart grid in China.Based on the analysis of the technical problems existing in large-scale new energy integration,operation and control of power grid,and dual-direction interaction between users and gird,it discusses the technical issues existing in the future development of domestic strong smart grid,including standards related to new energy integration,key issues in power transmission and distribution,new generation smart dispatching support system as well as intelligent service for electricity consumption and so on.
Morphology and distribution of antennular sensilla in Macrobrachium nipponense

Scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy were used to examine the morphology and distribution of antennular sensilla of the Macrobrachium nipponense.The results showed that there is no sexual dimorphism in the morphology and distribution of the antennular sensilla. Each antennule consisted of two flagella,the medial flagellum and the lateral flagellum on which there is an appendage flagellum.There are four types of sensilla on the flagella of antennules of M.nipponense: aesthetascs,two types of simple setae and denticulated setae.Aesthetascs are located on the appendage flagella of the antennules.The distal part of the aesthetasc is very soft and there is no pore on the tip of the aesthetascs.Other types of setae are located on both the lateral and medial flagella.Type Ⅰ simple setae are smooth with a pore on the tip.They usually appear in groups with type Ⅱ or denticulated setae and they are shorter than the type Ⅱ and the denticulated setae. Type Ⅱ setae are smooth with scales around tip,with complicated pore structure.There are two different sizes of denticulated setae.The 1/2~1/3 distal portion of the denticulated setae is studded with numerous denticles.Their tips and pore structures are similar to those of type Ⅱ setae.
Parallel encoding of sensory history and behavioral preference during Caenorhabditis elegans olfactory learning

We learn from experience. When we repeatedly encounter a signal that is coupled to either reward or punishment, we eventually learn to expect the two to occur together. This phenomenon is called associative learning. Within the brain, distinct groups of neurons process information about the signal and about reward and punishment. In addition to storing information individually (as non-associative memories), the neurons communicate with one another and combine their information to create associations. Like humans and many other animals, the roundworm and model organism Caenorhabditis elegans can learn to associate odors with rewards or punishments. By teaching worms that a scent predicts either food or a lack of food, Cho et al. now show that different cells and molecules support the formation of these two associations. C. elegans detect odors using sensory neurons. Repeated exposure to an odor reduces a neuron’s sensitivity to that odor, and Cho et al. show that this occurs irrespective of whether the odor is paired with reward or with punishment. This indicates that the neuron stores information about the odor as a non-associative memory. By contrast, pairing an odor with reward has differing effects on associative learning to pairing that same odor with punishment. Pairing an odor with a reward increases a sensory neuron’s ability to communicate with target neurons – ultimately, those that control movement – whereas odor-punishment pairing reduces this ability. Further experiments showed that an insulin peptide supports learning about odors and punishments, but not about odors and rewards. The next challenge is to identify the molecules that strengthen or weaken communication between sensory neurons and target neurons after associative learning. It will also be important to identify the other neurons and molecules that detect rewards and punishments, to gain a more complete picture of how the brain acquires this information.
SIMD Functions Via OpenMP

This chapter discusses vectorization via the use of Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD)-enabled functions in C, C++, and Fortran. Using a financial code problem as the example, the chapter discusses issues that impact optimal vectorization, then presents modified code and performance results. SIMD-enabled functions can greatly enhance application performance without making significant changes to a program. This chapter focuses on (1) the use of the OpenMP pragma SIMD directive that explicitly tells the compiler to turn a loop into an SIMD vector loop and (2) the use of the OpenMP SIMD processor() clause that tells the compiler to generate a vector loop for one or more CPU architecture types. In combination, these give us the ability to create portable libraries and executables containing efficient vector loops for multiple CPU architectures. The appropriate vector loops are selected automatically at runtime with no recompilation required.
Carbonyl Group Derivatization

Enamines, imines, hydrazones and oximes represent the common nitrogen derivatives of ketones and aldehydes (Scheme 1). Both hydrazones and oximes were of importance before the availability of modern spectral techniques for the conversion of liquid carbonyl containing compounds into solid materials that could be correlated with known samples by melting point and mixed melting point methods. While these applications have all but disappeared, these derivatives, as well as enamines and imines, have emerged as important intermediary species in overall transformations that effect substitution α to the original carbonyl group. Much of this work is based on the seminal contributions of Stork.1–4
Anachronisme, rebuts et survivances dans Les escaliers de Chambord et le Dernier Royaume de Pascal Quignard

This thesis investigates the particular conception of time developed by Pascal Quignard in his series Dernier Royaume and his novel Les escaliers de Chambord. We argue that this conception of time, which Quignard refers to as Le Jadis, operates through an anachronistic method based on a semiotic apparatus of waste, or rejects. The argument is presented in three different chapters. The first chapter uses the work of Jacques Ranciere and Georges Didi-Huberman to show the way in which the concept of anachronism embraces a temporality that blurs the lines between past, present, and future and creates openings to summon and redeem forgotten relics of the past. The second chapter analyzes this open relation to time in Dernier Royaume and Les escaliers de Chambord. In these works, Quignard’s notion of Le Jadis seeks specifically to awaken a vertiginously distant conception of past that is incomplete, non-linear, and perpetually becoming. The last chapter analyzes the manner in which Le Jadis can reappear as an active force through the mediation of waste, which constitutes a specific class of signs. The work of Quignard is one of montage and remontage — fragment by fragment, scrap by scrap — of the pieces of memory, which he strives to reopen and release from the linear entrapment of chronological time to which they have been relegated.
School counsellor training, attitudes, and perceptions of preparedness to provide services to students with disabilities in inclusive schools in Turkey

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the role of school counsellors’ attitudes and training on their perceptions of preparedness to provide services to students with disabilities (SWD). Participants were 105 practicing school counsellors who completed the Attitudes toward Disabled Persons Scale Form-O (ATDP-O) as well as the School Counsellor Preparedness Survey-Revised (SCPS-R) in a web-based format. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted with three types of counsellor training (courses, experiences and conferences/workshops) and counsellor attitudes towards SWD. The results revealed that school counsellors’ attitudes and training significantly predicted preparedness with an approximately 10% of variance explained. Out of all four variables, attitudes appeared to be the only significant predictor of preparedness scores. Results also indicated that school counsellors did not feel completely prepared to work with SWD.
Generating Behavioral Data for the Design Process

When behavioral scientists seek to study architectural impact or become involved in the design process, they are often unfamiliar with architectural methods and with many of the problems faced by designers. Architects rely upon scientific theories, methods, and data to construct stable physical structures and upon past experience when considering aesthetic components of design, but they typically use less systematic assessments of user perceptions and needs. User populations may not be specified in great detail when designs are conceived, and survey- based assessment of those populations that are known may not allow identification of design variables that cannot be easily articulated. The designer is required to approximate the needs and expectations of people with whom contact is unlikely and must translate clients’ estimates of needs and spatial requirements into minimally expensive, maximally effective environments. The number of decisions that must be made, combined with the pressures of limited resources, nonspecific client needs, and estimates of space use, and a lack of data about the effects of specific design variables or configurations of variables have led to continued reliance on intuitive judgments of behavioral impact. The results of these decisions may be positive, but the legacy of Pruitt-Igoe (e.g., Yancey, 1972) serves to remind us of the unexpected results of such decisions. Clearly, a thorough and systematic consideration of the social and psychological effects of various design features must precede the development of future environments.
Breast Radiation Exposure in Female Orthopaedic Surgeons

Background: Breast cancer prevalence is higher among female orthopaedic surgeons compared with U.S. women. The most common breast cancer site, the upper outer quadrant (UOQ), may not be adequately shielded from intraoperative radiation. Factors associated with higher breast radiation exposure (protective apron size and type, surgeon position, and C-arm position) have yet to be established. Methods: An anthropomorphic torso phantom, simulating the female surgeon, was placed adjacent to a standard operating table. Dosimeters were placed over the UOQ and lower inner quadrant (LIQ) of the breast, bilaterally. Scatter radiation dose-equivalent rates were measured during continuous fluoroscopy to a pelvic phantom (simulating the patient). Four apron sizes (small, medium, large, and extra-large), 2 apron types (cross-back and vest), 2 surgeon positions (facing the table and 90° to the table), and 2 C-arm positions (anteroposterior and cross-table lateral projection) were tested. Results: The median dose-equivalent rate of scatter radiation to the UOQ (0.40 mrem/hr) was higher than that to the LIQ of the breast (0.06 mrem/hr) across all testing, although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.05). The cross-back aprons provided higher protection to the LIQ compared with the vests (p < 0.05). Lead protection in sizes that were too small or too large for the torso had higher breast radiation dose-equivalent rates. C-arm cross-table lateral projection was associated with higher breast radiation exposure (0.98 mrem/hr) compared with anteroposterior projection (0.13 mrem/hr) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Breast radiation exposure is higher in a C-arm lateral projection compared with an anteroposterior projection. Higher dose-equivalent rates were observed for the UOQ compared with the LIQ of the breast and for aprons that were too small or too large, although these differences did not reach significance. Factors that may reduce radiation exposure include lead protection of appropriate size and distancing the axilla from the patient and x-ray tube. Clinical Relevance: Increased breast cancer prevalence has been reported for female orthopaedic surgeons. The UOQ of the breast may be at risk for intraoperative radiation exposure. Methods of reducing exposure are warranted.
Immunomodulatory Effects of Histone Deacetylase 6 Inhibition in Suppressor Immune Cells in Multiple Myeloma

Abstract 128 The interaction of myeloma (MM) cells with bone marrow accessory cells and/or the extracellular matrix induces genomic, epigenomic and functional changes which promote tumor development, progression, cell adhesion mediated-drug resistance (CAM-DR), and immune suppression. To develop the most efficient anti-MM treatment strategy and prevent tumor escape from immune recognition, both enhancing anti-MM effector immune response and overcoming MM-induced immune suppression is essential. Suppressive immune cells including myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), regulatory T cells (Treg) and IL-17 secreting Th (Th17) cells act as tumor promoters and suppressors of effector immune response, and therefore represent a significant barrier to current anti-tumor therapeutic strategies. Since, we and others have reported increased numbers of Treg and Th17 cells in MM, we here assessed MDSCs in both peripheral blood (PBMC) and bone marrow (BMMC) of patients with MM compared to healthy donors. Phenotypic analysis by flow cytometry showed a significant increase in CD14−CD11b+HLA-DRlowCD15+ MDSCs in both PBMC and BMMC from MM patients compared to healthy donors (p Disclosures: Hideshima:Acetylon: Consultancy. Raje:Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millenium: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acetylon: Research Funding. Bradner:Acetylon: Scientific Founder. Richardson:Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Johnson & Johnson: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millennium: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Munshi:Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millennium: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Onyx: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Anderson:Novartis: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Merck: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Onyx: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millennium: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acetylon: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Interventions in Medical Settings

Acute and chronic injury and illness and their associated medical care are among the most frequent potentially traumatic events (PTEs) experienced by children worldwide. Following medical PTEs up to 30% of children and parents develop persistent and impairing PTSS. Impairment related to PTSS can be especially problematic in medically-involved children: PTSS is associated with poorer adherence, health-related quality of life, and health outcomes, and greater use of healthcare services. Medical settings can serve as an ideal place to identify children and families who are experiencing emotional difficulties related to medical diagnoses and care and to begin interventions. Taking a trauma-informed approach to medical care, interventions and screening can be integrated into standard care. Based on child and family’s needs, interventions can be implemented at universal, targeted, and/or indicated levels across the peri-trauma, acute medical care, and ongoing care or discharge from care phases of medical PTEs. More research is necessary to establish the most efficacious treatments for those children who are experiencing significant PTSS related to the medical events. Injury, illness, and associated medical care are among the most frequent potentially traumatic events (PTEs) experienced by children (Murray and Lopez 1996). While most children are resilient and display transient distress after PTEs, a notable subset demonstrates adverse psychological reactions that often include (but can extend beyond) posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS; Kahana et al. 2006; Kassam-Adams et al. 2013; Price et al. 2016). Medical traumatic stress is defined as PTSS and other emotional reactions that develop because of injury, illness, or their treatment in children and families (Kazak et al. 2006). A meta-analysis revealed that nearly 20 % of injured and 10 % of ill children develop persistent and impairing PTSS; similar rates are reported for parents (Kahana et al. 2006; Landolt et al. 2003). A recent systematic review suggests that roughly 30 % of ill and injured children and their parents experience subthreshold yet clinically significant PTSS (Price et al. 2016). PTSS can be especially problematic in medically involved children, as they are associated with poorer adherence, health-related quality of life, and health outcomes (e.g., mental health, functional impairment, pain perception, general health; Landolt et al. 2009; Zatzick et al. 2008). In addition, as described in Chaps. 2 and 3, millions of children have encountered other PTEs such as witnessing violence or natural disasters (Copeland et al. 2007). After PTE exposure, many children interact with healthcare networks, with most families visiting their primary care provider first if they need help managing reactions (Schappert and Rechsteiner 2008). Thus, medical settings can be an ideal setting to identify PTSS and intervene.
Eveningness and Later Sleep Timing Are Associated with Greater Risk for Alcohol and Marijuana Use in Adolescence: Initial Findings from the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence Study

Author(s): Hasler, Brant P; Franzen, Peter L; de Zambotti, Massimiliano; Prouty, Devin; Brown, Sandra A; Tapert, Susan F; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Pohl, Kilian M; Sullivan, Edith V; De Bellis, Michael D; Nagel, Bonnie J; Baker, Fiona C; Colrain, Ian M; Clark, Duncan B | Abstract: BackgroundAbundant cross-sectional evidence links eveningness (a preference for later sleep-wake timing) and increased alcohol and drug use among adolescents and young adults. However, longitudinal studies are needed to examine whether eveningness is a risk factor for subsequent alcohol and drug use, particularly during adolescence, which is marked by parallel peaks in eveningness and risk for the onset of alcohol use disorders. This study examined whether eveningness and other sleep characteristics were associated with concurrent or subsequent substance involvement in a longitudinal study of adolescents.MethodsParticipants were 729 adolescents (368 females; age 12 to 21nyears) in the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence study. Associations between the sleep variables (circadian preference, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, sleep timing, and sleep duration) and 3 categorical substance variables (at-risk alcohol use, alcohol bingeing, and past-year marijuana use [y/n]) were examined using ordinal and logistic regression with baseline age, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and psychiatric problems as covariates.ResultsAt baseline, greater eveningness was associated with greater at-risk alcohol use, greater bingeing, and past-year use of marijuana. Later weekday and weekend bedtimes, but not weekday or weekend sleep duration, showed similar associations across the 3 substance outcomes at baseline. Greater baseline eveningness was also prospectively associated with greater bingeing and past-year use of marijuana at the 1-year follow-up, after covarying for baseline bingeing and marijuana use. Later baseline weekday and weekend bedtimes, and shorter baseline weekday sleep duration, were similarly associated with greater bingeing and past-year use of marijuana at the 1-year follow-up after covarying for baseline values.ConclusionsFindings suggest that eveningness and sleep timing may be under recognized risk factors and future areas of intervention for adolescent involvement in alcohol and marijuana that should be considered along with other previously identified sleep factors such as insomnia and insufficient sleep.
A new world order? Finding a local place for educational leadership

ABSTRACTIn this critical essay, I ask how educational researchers will move beyond repeating critiques of neoliberalism and learn how to address on-the-ground events that disrupt neoliberal policies and practices. By deconstructing neoliberalism, I hope to challenge its fixed and almost transcendent status, and to offer curricular and pedagogical ways of knowing based on Dewey's philosophy of experience and social relations.
A new society for the "New World".

While national and regional neuroendocrine societies have existed for some time in Europe and Asia, the Americas have not had a regional society devoted to neuroendocrinology since the “American Neuroendocrine Society” which was active in the 1990s and 2000s. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Nirvana: Clinical Grade Variant Annotator

Sequencing an individual genome typically produces approximately three million variants compared to the human reference genome. The consequence for each variant depends on the location and nature of the variant and is a key question for genetic analysts performing clinical diagnosis. Variant annotation describes how a variant affects the sample's genome. These annotations include the functional consequence on the different transcripts for a gene or in proximal regulatory regions. Annotation also includes additional data on what is known about a given variant that can help in understanding its relevance to a given line of investigation. Often this data is provided by different sources and contain allele frequencies for different populations, clinical implications, relevance to cancer types, additional studies, etc. Ultimately this information helps clinicians interpret variants when providing a diagnosis. The three most widely used open source annotation tools are VEP, SnpEff and AnnoVar. VEP is widely considered to be most accurate of the three, but is also slower than both SnpEff and AnnoVar. When annotating the variants from a 30x genome (NA12878), VEP finished in 18 hours whereas SnpEff 4.3g and AnnoVar finish in 15 min and 67 min respectively using one core. We present Nirvana, an open source clinical variant annotator, that is both accurate (over 99.9% concordance with VEP) and fast (takes 7 min to annotate NA12878). Nirvana is used in all of Illumina's relevant analysis pipelines and is tested rigorously to ensure adherence to clinical standards.
Workshop Summary: Intergranular Embrittlement

The workshop was started by an introductory lecture by Losch on intergranular fracture. He reviewed recent experimental and theoretical work performed during the last five years, particularly focussing on two aspects of intergranular brittle fracture: One is the effect of grain boundary segregation of solutes or impurities in metals and alloys. The other is the effect of grain boundary structure and orientation on fracture modes. Also theoretical models of atomistic mechanism of fracture were discussed on the basis of quantum mechanic calculations which show chemical bond modification due to impurity segregation, and of pair potential calculations more related to structural considerations at the grain boundaries.
The Evidenced-Based Practitioner: Applying Research to Meet Client Needs (2017)

The Evidenced-Based Practitioner: Applying Research to Meet Client Needs is written by Catana Brown, an occupational therapist, and is intended for entry-level graduate students in rehabilitation s...
Studying Interpersonal Factors in Suicide: Perspectives from Depression Research

In this chapter we have attempted to outline ways in which research on interpersonal factors in suicide can advance. Using the literature on interpersonal factors in depression as a model, we have described four topics that have implications for studying interpersonal factors in suicide. We have suggested that suicide research will advance if researchers use more precise and rigorous approaches to the measurement of interpersonal variables, particularly interpersonal stress, account for the existence of comorbidity and its effects on suicide risk, and utilize a developmental conceptualization to understand the origins and course of suicidal ideation and behavior over time. Although each topic addresses specific issues in the study of interpersonal factors, many of our recommendations cut across topics. Specifically, our main methodological recommendation is the use of prospective, longitudinal designs to study the course of suicide risk over time and to identify interpersonal precursors, correlates, and consequences of suicidal ideation and behavior. In addition, we have called for an examination of the actual interpersonal circumstances of suicidal people’s lives in order to best understand their interpersonal context. As for theoretical recommendations, we propose taking a perspective that considers how the suicidal person both reacts to and contributes to their interpersonal context. To date, research has focused almost exclusively on suicidal reactions to interpersonal circumstances. Consistent with a developmental psychopathology perspective and a stress generation perspective, we suggest that the best understanding of the role of interpersonal factors in suicide will come from knowing not only what types of interpersonal factors can lead to suicide, but how people at risk for suicidal ideation and behavior shape their interpersonal worlds.
Tracking Hardware Configurations in a Heterogeneous Network with syslogd

Keeping track of the RAM, disk drives, and various SCSI, network, and display adaptors currently installed in dozens (or even hundreds) of workstations can be a nearly impossible task, particularly in environments where hardware is frequently "borrowed" from one workstation and moved to another, or where machines frequently come and go. This paper describes a novel method of using syslog(3) to allow the workstations themselves to log their current hardware configuration with a central host every time they boot. The application reuses existing tools wherever possible, and thus provides a good degree of platform independence. The programs work with nearly any UNIX system, and should be extendable to other non-UNIX (but TCP/IP enabled) systems with only modest effort.
Signals from a politicized bar: the solicitor general as a direct litigant before the U.S. Supreme Court

In its dealings with the U.S. Supreme Court, the solicitor general’s office enjoys remarkable success. Previous accounts of the solicitor general advantage roundly explain the phenomenon as a function of the office being a source of reliable legal information to Supreme Court justices. I demonstrate, however, that macro-level analysis—the office’s overall winning percentage—misses an intricate dynamic between policy-minded justices and the executive agency. Examining every case between 1961 and 2007 in which the solicitor general’s office represented the United States before the Supreme Court, I demonstrate that “the solicitor general advantage” is present but contingent on justice-level ideological congruence. Justices who are ideologically opposed to the incumbent president treat the solicitor general’s office as an ordinary litigant, affording it no deferential treatment. Notably, adversarial voting—that is, voting behavior when faced with a political opponent—is heightened when the solicitor general’s office appears before the Court as petitioner, whereas ideological influences are nonexistent when the office appears as respondent.
From on high: Geochemistry of alpine springs, Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range, USA

Snowmelt‐fed springs and small (0.5 km²) upland catchments in alpine areas of the western United States contribute significantly to the quantity and inorganic chemistry of water delivered to downstream basins but have not been studied extensively. Mineral weathering, transit time, and hydrologic mixing control the solute chemistry of waters that drain the upland zone of Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range, and adjacent areas in the granitic core of the Southern Rocky Mountains. Water in 37 springs sampled in this study flows in generally short steep paths (~0.3 km) through shallow regolith with mean transit times (MTT) of weeks to months, producing solutions dominated by Si, Ca²⁺, Na⁺, and HCO₃⁻, locally SO₄²⁻. Rock type is a significant control on spring, surface, and shallow groundwater chemistry, and plagioclase (oligoclase) is the major source of dissolved Na⁺ and Si. Concentrations of Ca²⁺ exceed stoichiometric predictions of oligoclase weathering by ~3.5×; excess Ca²⁺ likely represents weathering of aeolian material, vein calcite, or trace minerals. Concentrations of base cations and Si increase slowly with estimated MTT of 0.2 years for Niwot Ridge spring waters, and several years for shallow groundwater sampled by wells. Chemical weathering of silicate minerals is slow with estimated rates of ~2.0 and 0.2 pmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ for oligoclase and microcline, respectively; the most mineralized spring waters are saturated only with respect to kaolinite and montmorillonite. More than 50% of the dissolved base cations + Si measured in Boulder Creek at Orodell (~25 km downstream) accumulate before water emerges from alpine springs on Niwot Ridge. Warming global temperatures are shifting more high‐elevation precipitation to rain, potentially changing run‐off patterns, transit time, and solute loads. Acquisition of solutes by alpine waters thus has implications far beyond small upland catchments.
MOCVD homoepitaxy of Si-doped (010) β-Ga2O3 thin films with superior transport properties

Record-high electron mobilities were achieved for silicon-doped (010) β-Ga2O3 homoepitaxial films grown via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Key growth parameters were investigated to reduce the background doping and compensation concentration. Controllable n-type Si doping was achieved as low as low-1016 cm−3. Record carrier mobilities of 184 cm2/V s at room temperature and 4984 cm2/V s at low temperature (45 K) were measured for β-Ga2O3 thin films with room-temperature doping concentrations of 2.5 × 1016 and 2.75 × 1016 cm−3, respectively. Analysis of temperature-dependent Hall mobility and carrier concentration data revealed a low compensation concentration of 9.4 × 1014 cm−3. Using the two-donor model, Si on the tetrahedrally coordinated Ga(I) site represented the primary shallow donor state, and the secondary donor state was found to possess an activation energy of 120 meV. The demonstration of high-purity and high-quality β-Ga2O3 thin films with uniform and smooth surface morphology via MOCVD will harness its advantages as an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor for power electronic and short-wavelength optoelectronic device applications.
Randomized Concurrent Set Union and Generalized Wake-Up

We consider the disjoint set union problem in the asynchronous shared memory multiprocessor computation model. We design a randomized algorithm that performs at most O(log n) work per operation (with high probability), and performs at most O(m #8226; (α(n, m/(np)) + log(np/m + 1)) total work in expectation for a problem instance with m operations on n elements solved by p processes. Our algorithm is the first to have work bounds that grow sublinearly with p against an adversarial scheduler.We use Jayanti's Wake Up problem and our newly defined Generalized Wake Up problem to prove several lower bounds on concurrent set union. We show an Ω(log min {n,p}) expected work lower bound on the cost of any single operation on a set union algorithm. This shows that our single-operation upper bound is optimal across all algorithms when p = nΩ(1). Furthermore, we identify a class of "symmetric algorithms'' that captures the complexities of all the known algorithms for the disjoint set union problem, and prove an Ω(m•(α(n, m(np)) + log(np/m + 1))) expected total work lower bound on algorithms of this class, thereby showing that our algorithm has optimal total work complexity for this class. Finally, we prove that any randomized algorithm, symmetric or not, cannot breach an Ω(m •(α(n, m/n) + log log(np/m + 1))) expected total work lower bound.
Metasurface Based Uncooled Microbolometer with High Fill Factor

This paper presents the design, fabrication, characterization, and noise reduction of metasurface integrated uncooled infrared (IR) microbolometers. The metasurface allows the devices to be fabricated with the supporting arms positioned underneath the microbolometer pixel. This permits the use of longer supporting arms without sacrificing the fill factor in a focal plane array. The longer arms reduce the thermal conductance between the microbolometer pixel and the substrate. The metasurface also allows the IR absorption to be engineered to achieve broadband or narrowband response. The inclusion of the metasurface is shown to improve the device performance including, primarily by lowering the electrical resistance of the microbolometer although the temperature coefficient of resistance slightly improved. This reduced the 1/f noise by two orders of magnitude over an identical device with no metasurface.
Agglomeration and innovation: Selection or true effect?:

This paper separates two mechanisms through which agglomeration increases average firm innovation: selection (less innovative firms being forced out of agglomerations) and true agglomeration (firms...
Exploring the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Mental Health in an Undergraduate Student Population

This quantitative study examined the link between food insecurity and mental health concerns among a sample of 1,229 undergraduate students at a large, public university. Using logistic regression,...
Offering Payment in Clinical Research: Enrolling Individuals With or at Risk for Opioid Use Disorder:

Offering payment is an important means of facilitating research participation. Yet, offers of payment raise ethical challenges that may be heightened when prospective participants suffer from or ar...
Rehabilitation of Alien Hand Syndrome Complicated by Contralateral Limb Apraxia.

A previously independent 66-year-old right-handed male presented with right-sided weakness, preferring the lower-extremities with additional impaired gait and dysarthria for 1-day duration. Imaging found a large left hemispheric anterior cerebral artery ischemic infarction with multiple lacunar infarcts. He exhibited frontal, callosal, and posterior variants of Alien Hand Syndrome which impeded activities of daily living. Although limited in evidence, a trial of clonazepam was initiated based on previous case reports describing suspected efficacy. Botulinum toxin A was not used given the patient's immediate need and limited hospital length of stay. Right upper extremity constricting therapies improved intermanual conflict and spontaneous grasping and levitation (arm elevation in retroflexion) activity; however, concomitant left upper extremity motor apraxia complicated task-oriented activities. The combination of pharmaceutical and therapeutic interventions improved the patient's quality of life as assessed by clinical observation, functional independence measures from 41 to 57, and patient-reporting. This case report aims to increase awareness of a potential barrier to rehabilitation of a debilitating and rare condition and to discuss current assessment tools and treatment options supported by available evidence.
Macropinocytosis as a Key Determinant of Peptidomimetic Uptake in Cancer Cells

Peptides and peptidomimetics represent the middle space between small molecules and large proteins-they retain the relatively small size and synthetic accessibility of small molecules while providing high binding specificity for biomolecular partners typically observed with proteins. During the course of our efforts to target intracellular protein-protein interactions in cancer, we observed that the cellular uptake of peptides is critically determined by the cell line-specifically, we noted that peptides show better uptake in cancer cells with enhanced macropinocytic indices. Here, we describe the results of our analysis of cellular penetration by different classes of conformationally stabilized peptides. We tested the uptake of linear peptides, peptide macrocycles, stabilized helices, β-hairpin peptides, and cross-linked helix dimers in 11 different cell lines. Efficient uptake of these conformationally defined constructs directly correlated with the macropinocytic activity of each cell line: high uptake of compounds was observed in cells with mutations in certain signaling pathways. Significantly, the study shows that constrained peptides follow the same uptake mechanism as proteins in macropinocytic cells, but unlike proteins, peptide mimics can be readily designed to resist denaturation and proteolytic degradation. Our findings expand the current understanding of cellular uptake in cancer cells by designed peptidomimetics and suggest that cancer cells with certain mutations are suitable mediums for the study of biological pathways with peptide leads.
Seismic Data Processing

In this chapter, a simplified processing stream for marine data is described, and then modifications in the stream are included along with modification rationales. The basic marine processing stream is given in table 10.1. Then a simplified processing stream for land data and modifications thereof are described. Multiple suppression using F-K filters on normal-moveout-corrected CDP gathers and the effect of phase on Wiener-Levinson are described in detail. Then follows the practical problem of reading labels on seismic sections and the meaning of polarity.