cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A class abstraction technique to support the analysis of Java programs during testing

In this paper, we describe a class abstraction technique (CAT) for Java programs that support the testing process by capturing aspects of software complexity based on the combination of class characteristics. These class characteristics relate to properties of the class features such as concurrency, polymorphism, exception handling, and accessibility as well as relationships between classes. Our taxonomy (CAT) for Java allows us to generate a finite number of possible class groups (taxa). Each class C in a Java program is cataloged into a group that summarizes the dependencies with other types realized through declarations and definitions in C. We also provide a high-level design for a tool to catalog Java classes based on our taxonomy.
The Role of Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) in Ovarian Cancer

Overall outcomes for women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remain relatively poor, and superior methods of treatment are needed. EOC is a peritoneal surface malignancy that is relatively sensitive to chemotherapy agents, making it a good target for i.p. chemotherapy. Because there is strong laboratory data demonstrating the ability of hyperthermia to increase the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents, the addition of hyperthermia to i.p. chemotherapy, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), makes theoretical sense. This article reviews the current literature and discusses the possible role for HIPEC in EOC at significant natural history time points: front line, at the time of interval debulking, in consolidation, and for recurrent disease. The conclusion is that much further research is needed but that HIPEC could sensibly be researched at all the natural history time points in EOC.
Out of Our Comfort Zones: Reflections about Teaching Qualitative Research at a Distance

How does an increase in distance technology alter the teaching of qualitative research? This article uses a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (McKinney, 2007) framework in which each author collected data in the form of personal narrative essays about teaching qualitative research from a distance, course products, teaching evaluations, and student comments. Individually we created a narrative reflection on the teaching and learning of qualitative methodology; particularly comparing our individual experiences with both distance and in-person teaching formats. Through these reflective essays, we provide ideas about our teaching of qualitative research via distance technology as a conceptual conversation about the nature of teaching qualitative research in non-face-to-face settings within schools of education. Looking across the essays we found that teaching qualitative methodology is rooted in relational ideas that may be difficult in a distance setting. We each individually struggled with the loss of time for learning new technology or traveling over a distance, which may have compromised the integrity of our other faculty job requirements. One common recommendation was that there be some level of face-to-face interaction, even over distance technologies, as a way to facilitate relational concepts in qualitative teaching. Keywords: Reflection, Teaching Qualitative Research, Distance Education, Teaching and Learning Teaching qualitative research means spending time building the essential skills of a qualitative researcher such as good observation, good interviewing, and good communication skills. These skills are essential to elicit meaningful data to use for subsequent analysis. The face-to-face course delivery method, with its high level of personal interaction and use of role modeling, seems essential to both learning and practicing these skills. Further, qualitative research emerged as a means of including voices and many qualitative research traditions rely on participation in the community and attention to power relations (Carspecken, 1996; Foley, 2002), highly subjective and relational realms. The face-to-face teaching model clearly allows for building high levels of personal interaction and attention to participation as students learn qualitative skills. However, instructional delivery methods are quickly changing to fill a need for distance students (Allen & Seaman, 2010; Carnevale, 2005; Kaya, 2010). More and more universities are beginning to offer master’s and doctoral level courses online, or using hybrid models incorporating other distance education media (Allen & Seaman, 2010; Carnevale, 2005). By distance, we mean courses that in some way are not held on the main physical campus of the university (e.g., completely on-line, partially on-line, teleconferencing, meeting at satellite locations). This may mean that these courses are at an
Physically realizable gate models

Proposes an objective criterion for determining if, given a specific circuit technology, a gate model is suitable for synthesis and verification. This is based on relating the analog circuit behavior to the digital model behavior using a formal definition of implementation. We illustrate the type of design errors which occur when the criterion is not satisfied, and introduce a gate model designed to satisfy the criterion. >
The spatial skyline queries

In this paper, for the first time, we introduce the concept of Spatial Skyline Queries (SSQ). Given a set of data points P and a set of query points Q each data point has a number of derived spatial attributes each of which is the point's distance to a query point. An SSQ retrieves those points of P which are not dominated by any other point in P considering their derived spatial attributes. The main difference with the regular skyline query is that this spatial domination depends on the location of the query points Q SSQ has application in several domains such as emergency response and online maps. The main intuition and novelty behind our approaches is that we exploit the geometric properties of the SSQ problem space to avoid the exhaustive examination of all the point pairs in P and Q. Consequently, we reduce the complexity of SSQ search from O(|P|2|Q|) to O(|S|2|C|+√|P|), where |S| and |C| are the solution size and the number of vertices of the convex hull of Q, respectively.We propose two algorithms, B2S2 and VS2, for static query points and one algorithm, VCS2, for streaming Q whose points change location over time (e.g., are mobile). VCS2 exploits the pattern of change in Q to avoid unnecessary re-computation of the skyline and hence efficiently perform updates. Our extensive experiments using real-world datasets verify that both R-tree-based B2S2 and Voronoi-based VS2 out perform the best competitor approach in terms of processing time by a wide margin (4-6 times better in most cases).
Habitat relationships of eastern red-backed salamanders ( Plethodon cinereus ) in Appalachian agroforestry and grazing systems

Woodland salamander responses to either traditional grazing or silvopasture systems are virtually unknown. An information-theoretic modelling approach was used to evaluate responses of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) to silvopasture and meadow conversions in southern West Virginia. Searches of area-constrained plots and artificial coverboards that were distributed across a gradient of agricultural conversion and grazing intensity, including hardwood silvopastures, hay meadows, forest edges, and reference forests yielded 2823 salamanders between May 2004 and November 2005. Salamander presence and abundance were positively associated with increasing cover of herbaceous vegetation and negatively associated with the intensity of agricultural disturbance. Although salamander presence and abundance appeared to be negatively influenced by agricultural disturbance when compared to reference forest conditions, the occurrence of red-backed salamanders within agriculturally modified habitats indicates this species may be more resilient to forest conversion than previously thought. This study suggests that herbaceous vegetation retained within some agricultural treatments, in combination with artificial cover, may at least partially mitigate the loss of forest canopy for red-backed salamanders.
The rate of coagulation of a dilute polydisperse system of sedimenting spheres

We consider a dilute dispersion containing small rigid particles in a Newtonian fluid. These spherical particles are of different size and density, and they settle relative to one another under the action of gravity. When the particles become close, they exert an attractive van der Waals force on each other, and doublets are formed when two particles come into contact as a result of this force. The rate at which doublets are formed is calculated using a trajectory analysis to follow the relative motion of pairs of particles.We restrict our attention to dispersions where the Peclet number is large (negligible Brownian motion) and where the Reynolds number is small (negligible fluid inertia). However, the effects of the inertia of the particles on their trajectories are included, and these are measured by the Stokes number. A key dimensionless parameter is identified, denoted by Qij which provides a measure of the relative importance of gravity and the van der Waals force. An asymptotic solution to the trajectory equations is presented for large values of this parameter in the case of zero Stokes number. This asymptotic solution is then complemented by numerical computations of the particle trajectories. Application to typical hydrosol and aerosol dispersions is presented, and, in particular, a comparison is made between the effects of van der Waals forces and Maxwell slip in promoting collisions between aerosol particles.
A heuristic approach to efficient production of detector sets for an artificial immune algorithm-based bankruptcy prediction system

Bankruptcy prediction has been extensively studied. These studies provide a rich library of important variables to be considered in predicting whether a particular company faces bankruptcy. Furthermore, systems designers can utilize the findings of these studies as a reservoir of knowledge that complements the knowledge accumulated from the advancement of computer immunology in designing and developing a bankruptcy prediction system. In this paper, the author proposes a heuristic approach to efficient production of detector sets for an artificial immune algorithm (ARIA) that takes advantages of the knowledge derived from bankruptcy prediction literature, and explores the issues related to time and space complexities of different artificial immune algorithms. Furthermore, he provides a preliminary evidence on the time complexity associated with the new approach to detector set production and designing an ARIA-based bankruptcy prediction system.
Credibility Versus Competition: The Impact of Party Size on Decisions to Enter Presidential Elections in South America and Europe

How does a party’s size affect its decision to run a candidate for president? Consistent with the literature, the authors posit that environmental factors influence the likelihood that a party ente...
Challenges of fulfilling the promise of tunnel FETs

III-V Hetero-junction Tunnel FET (HTFET) are promising candidates for supply voltage scaling down to sub-0.5V due to their promise of sub-kT/q switching without compromising on-current (I ON ). Recently n-type III-V HTFET with reasonable I ON and sub-kT/q switching at V DS =0.5V have been demonstrated [1]. However, steep switching performance of III-V HTFET till date has been limited to range of drain current (I DS ) spanning over less than a decade. Here, we analyze primary roadblocks in the path towards achieving steep switching performance in III-V HTFET. Temperature dependent current-voltage measurements on III-V HTFET are performed and calibrated numerical simulations are used to quantify the metrics towards realizing sub-kT/q switching over large I DS range.
Societal Disregard for the Needs of the Infertile

Social policies in the United States often favor families and encourage reproduction — but not for infertile persons. When the infertile want to have children, health care funding policy, legal rules, and popular sentiments generally are not very sympathetic. Infertile couples typically must rely on their own resources to procreate, without reimbursement by their health insurance, the law may erect barriers to assisted reproductive services, as with prohibitions against surrogate motherhood, and infertile couples may not find much concern for their plight from friends or even some family members.Such discounting of the needs of the infertile is unjust and reflects a misunderstanding of the nature of infertility. Infertility is a disability — and a very serious one for some people — yet it is often misperceived as not a real handicap or even as enabling. Scholars writing on reproductive issues frequently valorize life without children. These societal sentiments are reflected in anti-discrimination law. The protections that persons with other disabilities enjoy do not extend to the infertile. Respect for the fundamental interest in reproduction justifies changes in social attitudes and reforms in the law to ensure fair treatment for the infertile.
New Developments in Marriage Penalties and Bonuses

This article explores marriage penalties and bonuses for low- and moderate-income persons with children in 2002 and 2010. It analyzes the impact of the earned income tax credit, the child credit, and other provisions for a standard couple, which is defined as two equal-earning persons with two children. The earned income tax credit frequently imposes severe marriage penalties on low- and moderate-income couples, and the provision of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) aimed at reducing this source of marriage penalties makes only a small difference. On the other hand, the expansion of the child credit that was enacted in EGTRRA causes a substantial reduction in marriage penalties for many low- and moderate-income couples. The article shows that much of the child credit's beneficial impact on marriage penalties is due to its partial refundability and explores how various changes in the child credit would affect marriage penalties and bonuses.
Developmental stages of Praon pequodorum Viereck (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae), a pea aphid parasitoid

Praon pequodorum Viereck, a parasitoid of the pea aphid, has four larval instars. At 21.1°C, eclosion of the egg occurs 3 days after oviposition. The 1st and 4th instars are mandibulate, while the 2nd and 3rd are amandibulate. Supernumerary larvae are eliminated during the 1st instar, probably by physical combat. The host aphid is killed on day 6. The 4th-instar larva spins a skirtlike cocoon underneath the mummified aphid, in which prepupal and pupal development occurs. Adult emergence begins 13 days after oviposition. In certain cases, aberrant internal pupation followed by successful adult emergence was observed.
Self-Assembly in Nafion Membranes upon Hydration: Water Mobility and Adsorption Isotherms

By means of dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, we explored geometrical, transport, and sorption properties of hydrated Nafion-type polyelectrolyte membranes. Composed of a perfluorinated backbone with sulfonate side chains, Nafion self-assembles upon hydration and segregates into interpenetrating hydrophilic and hydrophobic subphases. This segregated morphology determines the transport properties of Nafion membranes that are widely used as compartment separators in fuel cells and other electrochemical devices, as well as permselective diffusion barriers in protective fabrics. We introduced a coarse-grained model of Nafion, which accounts explicitly for polymer rigidity and electrostatic interactions between anionic side chains and hydrated metal cations. In a series of DPD simulations with increasing content of water, a classical percolation transition from a system of isolated water clusters to a 3D network of hydrophilic channels was observed. The hydrophilic subphase ...
ANITA and the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays

Abstract ANITA 1 observed 16 cosmic ray triggered radio impulses during 35 days aloft in its 2007-2008 flight.
Chapter 1 – Introduction to Nanoparticles and Nanotoxicology

Nanotechnology deals with fabrication and control of nanoparticles, which range from 1 to 100 nm in at least one dimension. Particles greater than 500 nm are called bulk particles. Nanotoxicology is study of the nature, effects, and detection of nanoparticles and the treatment of ensuing toxicities. Nanotechnology, although considered to be a recent phenomenon, has been used by ancient civilizations in construction, glass coloring, and medicine. In general, nanoparticles exhibit considerable chemical and structural diversity, but they also exhibit some common unique properties, such as a high surface area to volume ratio, which exponentially decreases with an increase in size; a high surface reactivity, which is inversely related to the size and degree of functionalization; and unique electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. Because of their common properties and chemical/structural diversity, nanoparticles have broad applications in medicine, the environment, and industry. The physicochemical characteristics that give nanoparticles their unique properties are also responsible for their toxicity and the resulting human, animal, and environmental health concerns. An understanding of these health concerns is essential for the successful application of nanoparticles, especially in the area of medicine and environmental cleanup. The unique properties of nanoparticles that account for their beneficial effects are also responsible for their unusual toxicity, which may be different than the toxicity of the bulk particles. The aims of this chapter are to introduce nanotechnology and nanotoxicology, as well as to discuss their relevance to public and environmental health.
Renal function in renal and renovascular hypertension.

The patterns of renal function in renal parenchymal and renovascular hypertension are considered. In hypertension due to polycystic kidney disease the pattern indicates a proportional decrease of renal blood flow and of glomerular filtration rate. In hypertension associated with acute glomerulonephritis and in the early stages of chronic glomerulonephritis, the filtration fraction is characteristically low. In hypertension secondary to renal artery stenosis, split renal function studies reveal excessive tubular reabsorption of water in the affected kidney.
Antagonizing effect of glucocorticoid on SEB-induced immune tolerance in high-risk corneal transplantation in rats

AIM: To study the antagonizing effects of glucocorticoid on the immune tolerance induced by staphylococcal enterotoxin B(SEB) and the mechanism involved. METHODS: High risk corneal transplantation was performed using rats with different minor histocompatibility antigens. Lewis rats were used as the receptor and F344 as the donor. Suture was used to make high risk corneal transplantation model. Before and after corneal transplantation, peribulbar injection of SEB or SEB plus glucocorticoid was performed. After surgery, rejection index (RI) and the survival time of the corneal grafts were recorded using a slit lamp microscope. Response of lymphocytes and the percentage of sub population of lymphocytes in the recipient spleens, peripheral blood and submandibular gland were determined using flow cytometry and mixed lymphocyte culture technique. RESULTS: Peribulbar SEB of proper dose increased the survival time of corneal grafts and decreased the immune response of mixed cultured lymphocytes. The fraction of CD4+/NK1.1 +NKT cells was significantly increased in the spleen, peripheral blood and submandibular gland of the receptor from 0 05 to 0 17, 0 02 to 0 12 and 0 02 to 0 07 respectively. But the survival time of corneal grafts in the group receiving SEB plus glucocorticoid was not increased. The percentage of CD4+/NK1 1 +NKT cells in various tissues was decreased. CONCLUSION: SEB plus glucocorticoid cannot increase the survival time of corneal graft in high risk corneal transplantation. Glucocorticoid antagonizes the immune tolerance induced by SEB. This decreased immune tolerance may be correlated with the down regulation of CD4+/NK1.1+NKT cells by glucocorticoid.
Differences between First-Time and Repeat Visitors

Tourism has become a vital part of most state economies. In recognition of this, most states conduct advertising and promotional campaigns to attract visitors and conduct various kinds of research to evaluate these campaigns. Although repeat visitation accounts for more than half of the discretionary trips made to many of these states, little of this research has focused on the differences between repeat and first-time visitors. This paper reports the findings from two studies that addressed behavioral differences between these two groups.
High-Throughput Fluorescence-Based Screen to Identify Factors Involved in Nuclear Receptor Recruitment to Response Elements

The glucocorticoid receptor is an inducible transcription factor which plays important roles in many -physiological processes. Upon activation, GR interacts with regulatory elements and modulates the expression of genes. Although GR is widely expressed in multiple tissues, its binding sites within chromatin and the genes it regulates are tissue specific. Many accessory proteins and cofactors are thought to play a role in dictating GR's function; however, mechanisms involved in targeting GR to specific sites in the genome are not well understood. Here we describe a high-throughput fluorescence-based method to identify factors involved in GR loading at response elements. This screen utilizes a genetically engineered cell line that contains 200 repeats of a glucocorticoid response promoter and expresses GFP-tagged GR. Upon treatment with corticosteroids, GFP-GR forms a steady-state distribution at the promoter array, and its concentration at this focal point can be quantitatively determined. This system provides a novel approach to identify activities important for GR loading at its response element using siRNA libraries to target factors that enhance or inhibit receptor localization.
Procedural outcomes with use of the flash ostial system in aorto-coronary ostial lesions

Background The Flash Ostial system (Ostial Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA) was designed to optimize implantation of aorto-ostial coronary stents by flaring the proximal stent struts against the aortic wall. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical record, angiograms, and intravascular ultrasound images of 22 aorto-ostial percutaneous coronary interventions performed at our institution between March and September 2015. The Flash Ostial system was used in 13 cases (59%). Results Mean age was 67 ± 8 years and all patients were men. The target vessel was the right coronary artery (59%), left main (27%), or a saphenous vein graft (14%); 59% of the lesions had moderate/severe calcification. The mean number of predilation balloons was 1.8 ± 1.6, mean Flash ostial balloon diameter was 3.3 ± 0.5 mm and mean inflation pressure was 13.1 ± 4.0 atmospheres. Intravascular ultrasonography (available for 19 patients) revealed mean ostial minimum lumen cross-sectional area (MLA) of 9.2 ± 3.0 mm2 and reference MLA of 8.5 ± 2.7 mm2. The percent difference between ostial and reference MLA was higher in cases in which the Flash Ostial system was used versus those where it was not (9.6 ± 5.5% vs. 4.0 ± 2.8%, P = 0.03). All stent struts were well apposed. Technical success was 100%. One patient developed a left groin pseudoaneurysm treated with thrombin injection and one patient had a periprocedural myocardial infarction. Median contrast, fluoroscopy time, and procedure time were 235 mL, 33 min, and 118 min, respectively. Conclusions The Flash Ostial system can be successfully used in aorto-ostial stenting, resulting in large ostial vessel MLA. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Investigation of the Dermal Absorption and Irritation Potential of Sertaconazole Nitrate Anhydrous Gel

Effective topical therapy of cutaneous fungal diseases requires the delivery of the active agent to the target site in adequate concentrations to produce a pharmacological effect and inhibit the growth of the pathogen. In addition, it is important to determine the concentration of the drug in the skin in order to evaluate the subsequent efficacy and potential toxicity for topical formulations. For this purpose, an anhydrous gel containing sertaconazole nitrate as a model drug was formulated and the amount of the drug in the skin was determined by in vitro tape stripping. The apparent diffusivity and partition coefficients were then calculated by a mathematical model describing the dermal absorption as passive diffusion through a pseudo-homogenous membrane. The skin irritation potential of the formulation was also assessed by using the in vitro Epiderm™ model. An estimation of the dermal absorption parameters allowed us to evaluate drug transport across the stratum corneum following topical application. The estimated concentration for the formulation was found to be higher than the MIC100 at the target site which suggested its potential efficacy for treating fungal infections. The skin irritation test showed the formulation to be non-irritating in nature. Thus, in vitro techniques can be used for laying the groundwork in developing efficient and non-toxic topical products.
bioassayR: Cross-Target Analysis of Small Molecule Bioactivity.

Despite a large and rapidly growing body of small molecule bioactivity screens available in the public domain, systematic leverage of the data to assess target druggability and compound selectivity has been confounded by a lack of suitable cross-target analysis software. We have developed bioassayR, a computational tool that enables simultaneous analysis of thousands of bioassay experiments performed over a diverse set of compounds and biological targets. Unique features include support for large-scale cross-target analyses of both public and custom bioassays, generation of high throughput screening fingerprints (HTSFPs), and an optional preloaded database that provides access to a substantial portion of publicly available bioactivity data. bioassayR is implemented as an open-source R/Bioconductor package available from https://bioconductor.org/packages/bioassayR/.
Strain-Mediated Modification of Phagraphene Dirac Cones

A first-principles study on the electronic and dynamical properties of phagraphene [Nano Lett. 2015, 15 (9), p 6182] is presented. This carbon allotrope exhibits a square unit cell, Dirac cones, and robustness against uniaxial deformation. By analyzing the contribution of each carbon atom orbital in the formation of the electronic states, we conclude that only the pz orbitals of 8 out of the 20 atoms in the square unit cell are responsible of the formation of the nanostructure Dirac cones. Spatial symmetry breaking of the underlying honeycomb-like network upon shear stress application leads to a band gap opening. The analysis of the phonon spectra demonstrates that the dynamical stability of phagraphene is guaranteed for small distortion angles. Phagraphene is identified here as the first all-C graphitic monolayer with Dirac cones modifiable by a small and realistic physical deformation. The analysis and conclusions of this study can be applied to other monolayered materials exhibiting Dirac cones in squa...
The dancer's hip

Conditions that occur in the dancer's hip fall into the following categories: poor training; conditions that occur as the result of normal use; overuse syndromes, including tendinitis and myositis; and conditions referring pain to the hip. Dancers are highly motivated and goal oriented and often suppress symptoms for long periods, making diagnosis and treatment difficult. Observing the dancer at work and understanding his art are emphasized, and a practical guide to therapy is presented. Development of proper dance technique and a proper flexibility program can decrease the incidence of injuries.
Daylight glare evaluation with the sun in the field of view through window shades

Abstract This paper provides new insights on daylight glare evaluation for cases with the sun in the field of view through window shades. 41 human subjects (n = 41) were tested while performing specific office activities, with 14 shade products of different openness factors and visible transmittance values (direct and total light transmission characteristics) installed on the windows. The measured variables and survey results were used to: (i) associate discomfort glare with measured and modeled parameters (ii) evaluate the robustness of existing glare indices for these cases (iii) examine alternate illuminance-based criteria for glare assessment through fabrics, extract discomfort thresholds and suggest a new related index and (iv) propose corrections in the DGP equation coefficients when the sun is visible through the shades. The modified DGP equation resulted in the best fit; the findings show that the general form of the DGP equation is reasonable and can be adjusted to account for different cases, by clustering different sets of coefficients for different environmental conditions or fenestration systems. The new alternate glare discomfort index developed in this study, based on direct and total-to-direct vertical illuminance on the eye, captures the impact of sunlight as well as the interdependence between the fabric color, overall brightness, and the apparent intensity of the visible sun. It can simplify annual simulations, eliminating the need for detailed luminance mapping of the interior, and can be directly associated with fabric optical properties for development of design guidelines and glare-based shading controls.
Radiologic Imaging of Nasal Polyposis

CT is the primary modality used to evaluate patients with NP, but MR does have an occasional role. Conventional radiographs are no longer within the standard of care for the evaluation of the paranasal sinuses. Modern helical multislice CT scanners can produce reconstructed images of diagnostic quality in any plane of imaging. Cystic fibrosis patients have preferential opacification of the paranasal sinuses, whereas non-CF patients with NP have preferential opacification of the nasal cavity. On MRI, fungal infection may have very low signal on T2-weighted images, and may thus mimic aerated sinuses.
Investigating the fidelity of an improvement-assessment tool after one vacuum bell treatment session

The severity of the condition and associated risk usually steer the choice for either a surgical or conservative intervention. This is also the case for treating chest wall deformities such as pectus excavatum where novel non-surgical treatments have been developed to gradually alleviate the condition making use of the elastic nature of the costal cartilages in pediatric patients. An instrument for quantifying the improvement after such treatments has been developed to produce a numerical and visual gauge of the change. In this research, a validation experiment is conducted to assess the fidelity of the developed instrument utilizing real patients' data after undergoing a single treatment session. Patients are scanned using the constructed apparatus before and after treatment and manual hand-measurements are recorded to be used as a frame of reference. We report on the statistical results of these measurements in the validation of the scanning and comparison apparatus.
The potential economic burden of Zika in the continental United States.

Background As the Zika virus epidemic continues to spread internationally, countries such as the United States must determine how much to invest in prevention, control, and response. Fundamental to these decisions is quantifying the potential economic burden of Zika under different scenarios. Methodology/Principle findings To inform such decision making, our team developed a computational model to forecast the potential economic burden of Zika across six states in the US (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) which are at greatest risk of Zika emergence, under a wide range of attack rates, scenarios and circumstances. In order to accommodate a wide range of possibilities, different scenarios explored the effects of varying the attack rate from 0.01% to 10%. Across the six states, an attack rate of 0.01% is estimated to cost $183.4 million to society ($117.1 million in direct medical costs and $66.3 million in productivity losses), 0.025% would result in $198.6 million ($119.4 million and $79.2 million), 0.10% would result in $274.6 million ($130.8 million and $143.8 million) and 1% would result in $1.2 billion ($268.0 million and $919.2 million). Conclusions Our model and study show how direct medical costs, Medicaid costs, productivity losses, and total costs to society may vary with different attack rates across the six states and the circumstances at which they may exceed certain thresholds (e.g., Zika prevention and control funding allocations that are being debated by the US government). A Zika attack rate of 0.3% across the six states at greatest risk of Zika infection, would result in total costs that exceed $0.5 billion, an attack rate of 1% would exceed $1 billion, and an attack rate of 2% would exceed $2 billion.
Compresso: Efficient Compression of Segmentation Data for Connectomics

Recent advances in segmentation methods for connectomics and biomedical imaging produce very large datasets with labels that assign object classes to image pixels. The resulting label volumes are bigger than the raw image data and need compression for efficient storage and transfer. General-purpose compression methods are less effective because the label data consists of large low-frequency regions with structured boundaries unlike natural image data. We present Compresso, a new compression scheme for label data that outperforms existing approaches by using a sliding window to exploit redundancy across border regions in 2D and 3D. We compare our method to existing compression schemes and provide a detailed evaluation on eleven biomedical and image segmentation datasets. Our method provides a factor of 600–2200x compression for label volumes, with running times suitable for practice.
Journalists as Purveyors of Partial Truths

Ideally, democratic citizens enjoy equal opportunity to deliberate, vote, and express feedback, as well as equal voice enabling them to civically participate in order to further their interests and concerns. To take full advantage of these equalities, journalism must serve as an effective mechanism to ensure that citizens are able to participate. Many news stories feature personal and dramatic elements of events exclusively (narrow-context information), but those hoping to become informed and motivated require socially contextualized (broad-context) information as well. In this chapter, I argue that the journalistic presentation of hybrid accounts consisting of narrow- and broad-context information best enables citizens to become informed about, and motivated to resolve, societal problems.
Population Model of Quorum Sensing with Multiple Parallel Pathways

Quorum sensing (QS) is a bacterial communication mechanism that uses signal-receptor binding to regulate gene expression based on cell density, resulting in group behaviors such as biofilm formation, bioluminescence and stress response. In certain bacterial species such as Vibrio harveyi, several parallel QS signaling pathways drive a single phosphorylation–dephosphorylation cycle, which in turn regulates QS target genes. In this paper, we investigate the possible role of parallel signaling pathways by developing a mathematical model of QS in V. harveyi at both the single-cell and population levels. First we explore how signal integration may be achieved at the single-cell level, and how different model parameters influence the process. We then consider two examples of signal integration at the population level: a one-population model responding to two environmental cues (cell density and mass transfer), and a two-population model with distinct cell densities. In each case, we use contraction analysis to reduce the population model to an effective single-cell model.
Spatio-temporal modeling of electric loads

Advanced spatio-temporal electric load modeling and accurate spatio-temporal load forecast are essential to both short-term operation and long-term planning of power systems. This paper explores the spatio-temporal dependencies of electric load time series. The Southern California feeder load data show that feeders which are spatially close to each other share a more similar load pattern than those located further apart. This finding motivates us to develop the vector autoregressive model and the extended dynamic spatio-temporal model to emulate the spatio-temporal correlations of the real-world electric load time series. The testing results show that both models effectively capture the spatio-temporal patterns in the real-world electric load time series. Compared to the traditional vector autoregressive model, the proposed extended dynamic spatio-temporal model not only provides more accurate spatio-temporal electric load forecast but also obtains a parsimonious description of the high dimensional dataset.
Value of ecosystem-based management

Taking the pulse of an ecosystem is not quite as straightforward as taking the pulse of a person, especially when that ecosystem is the Chesapeake Bay. At 195 miles long and 3,237 square miles in area, the size and complexity of the bay’s coupled social and ecological systems has challenged efforts to assess its health. Building on more than 30 y of research, Lefcheck et al. (1) offer an innovative way to take the pulse of this much loved and debilitated coastal estuary. By developing a model of the bay ecosystem that brings data from long-term, large-scale monitoring together with knowledge of the mechanisms underlying those patterns, Lefcheck et al. make a compelling case that ecosystem restoration initiatives of the last 30+ y are paying off. The results of Lefcheck et al. (1) show the nutrient reduction enabled by a series of watershed scale agreements over the last three decades are consistent with the observed increase in the bay-wide area of underwater grasses, also known as submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV). SAV is one of the primary sentinels of bay health, and the extent of eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) and the 15 other species commonly found in different parts of the bay is one of the primary means by which scientists evaluate the effectiveness of nutrient reduction measures and other restoration strategies (2). Based on their results, Lefcheck et al. (1) propose that much of the SAV recovery observed through aerial and on-the-ground surveys over the last 30 y is a direct result of the monumental effort to reduce nutrient inputs and lower nutrient concentrations throughout the bay. Some may be loathe to draw conclusions this bold from a modeling study. However, the scope of the scientific and management challenges in the Chesapeake, as in many other coastal regions worldwide, demands creativity. … [↵][1]1Email: heather.leslie{at}maine.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Mutual Engagement in Spaces of Tension: Moving from Dialogue toward Action across Multiple Contexts.

Guided by a critical race praxis for educational research lens, the authors worked individually alongside their students in a K–12 or higher education classroom, embracing spaces of tension derived from the push and pull between oppression and liberation. The authors explain how these tensions troubled the ways in which humanizing practices are cultivated within constricting institutional contexts. This work supported the authors’ classroom communities to move from dialogue toward collective action.
A KINEMATIC MODEL OF WAVE PROPAGATION

We present a purely kinematic model of wave propagation in an excitable medium, namely cardiac tissue. The kinematic model is constructed from a standard reaction-diffusion model, using asymptotic techniques to track the position and velocity of each propagating wave front and wave back. The kinematic model offers a substantial improvement in computational efficiency without sacrificing the ability to predict the onset of certain arrhythmias. More- over, the linearized kinematic model equations can be solved exactly in terms of generalized Laguerre polynomials, allowing us to extract valuable physiological information.
The Heat Transport System and Plant Design for the HYLIFE-II Fusion Reactor

HYLIFE is the name given to a family of self-healing liquid-wall reactor concepts for inertial confinement fusion. This HYLIFE-II concept employs the molten salt, Flibe, for the liquid jets instead of liquid lithium used in the original HYLIFE-I study. A preliminary conceptual design study of the heat transport system and the balance of plant of the HYLIFE-II fusion power plant is described in this paper with special emphasis on a scoping study to determine the best intermediate heat exchanger geometry and flow conditions for minimum cost of electricity. 11 refs., 8 figs.
Soil Colloidal Interactions and Hierarchy of Structures

In many parent materials the sorting of individual grains appears in haphazard manner. As soil formation commences the particles, the voids between them, and the accessory life forms become organized to structures or architectures that stamp each soil as an individual.
Possible Glial Modulation of Neuronal Activity by Eicosanoids and Phosphoinositide Metabolites

Metabolites of phosphoinositides and of arachidonic acid (AA) may serve central roles as intermediates in signal transmission and regulation of cellular processes. Our understanding of the pathways for the generation of these metabolites and of their biological role is primarily derived from studies in non-neural tissues. An especially detailed body of knowledge has been accumulated concerning their role in the communication between platelets and vascular endothelial cells during platelet activation (Lapetina, 1983; Rittenhouse-Simmons, 1984; Nishizuka, 1984; Zucker and Nacmias, 1985). Similar metabolic pathways are activated in neural tissue in response to a variety of stimuli (for review see: Wolf, 1982; Berridge et al., 1984).
Experimental studies on performance of ventilators stored in the Strategic National Stockpile.

Background: The Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a collaborative initiative with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to gain a better understanding of ventilators that are used during national emergencies. This initiative was intended to test reliability of ventilator devices stored long term in the CDC Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and also used by the Department of Defense. These ventilators are intended to be used by trained operators to provide ventilatory support to adult and pediatric populations under diverse environmental conditions. The authors evaluated device performance and possible effects of long-term storage. Methods: Three SNS ventilator models: Impact Uni-Vent 754 Eagle™, Covidien (Puritan Bennett) LP10, and CareFusion LTV 1200 were used in this study. A total of 36 ventilators, 12 per model, were evaluated for performance in simulated adult populations using a test lung. The parameters evaluated included battery charge status and capability, battery longevity, positive end expiratory pressure consistency, device performance on AC and DC (battery) power, and device durability testing. Results: The out-of-the-box run time was equal to or higher than the manufacturer’s specifications for fully charged batteries for all ventilators except 58 percent of the Impact 754 ventilators. No significant ventilator performance issues were observed in terms of tidal volume consistency, proximal pressure, oxygen consumption, and a 2000-hour run test in LP10 models. Conclusions: These findings provide information about the long-term storage of ventilators that have regular maintenance, and their ability to perform reliably during a public health emergency.
Beyond bouncy gaits: The role of multiscale compliance in skeletal muscle performance

McNeill Alexander demonstrated that compliant tendons could improve locomotor performance by decoupling muscle length changes from joint movements and mechanical energy fluctuations. This was revolutionary for our understanding of animal locomotion, but also highlighted the limitations of our understanding of the contractile performance of muscle under the dynamic conditions relevant to movement. This review addresses the potential for biological compliance to not only alter the demands on muscle but also fundamentally change contractile performance. Compliance exists across all spatial scales within the muscle. Molecule scale compliance is observed in the thin filament and the cytoskeletal protein titin likely acts as an activation-dependent variable-stiffness spring. Larger scale connective tissue compliance is found not only in tendons but also the more structurally complex extracellular matrix and aponeuroses. The interaction of the compliance in these structures with the contractile elements of muscle, and the variation in this interaction across physiological conditions, appears to explain muscle phenomena central to locomotion but not readily explained by the crossbridge and sliding filament theories, such as history dependence, the energetics of cyclical contractions, the nonlinear effect of activation level on muscle performance and the effect of age on muscle and locomotor capacity.
Moving patients from emergency department to medical intensive care unit: Tracing barriers and root contributors.

Abstract Background Patient transfers involve the physical movement of patients, along with the transfer of their care-related information, responsibility, and control between sending and receiving clinicians. Patient transfers between critical care units are complex and vulnerable to bottlenecks. Objective To examine the patient transfer process from emergency department (ED) to medical intensive care unit (MICU). Materials and Method A qualitative study on transfers from ED to MICU was conducted at two academic hospitals. Using a process-based methodological approach supported by shadowing of patient transfers and clinician interviews, we examined the process-based similarities and differences in barriers and strategies used across hospitals. Results Phases underlying ED-MICU transfer process included: pre-transfer phase involving ED care coordination and MICU transfer decision-making; transfer phase involving ED-MICU resident handoff, and post-transfer phase involving MICU care planning and management. Discussion and Conclusion Transfer of information, responsibility and control between sending and receiving clinicians is key to effective management of interdependencies between the pre-transfer, transfer and post-transfer phases underlying the patient transfer process. Evidence-based strategies to address challenges related to transfer of information, responsibility and control include the use of videophones and communication checklists, the allocation of a crash bed, engagement of sending, receiving and consulting teams in the physical movement of patients, and in-hospital transfer protocols.