cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discrete-time equivalence for constrained semi-Markov decision processes

A continuous-time average reward Markov decision process problem is most easily solved in terms of an equivalent discrete-time Markov decision process (DMDP); customary hypotheses include that the process is a Markov jump process with denumerable state space and bounded transition rates, that actions are chosen at the jump points of the process, and that the policies considered are deterministic. We derive an analogous uniformization result applicable to semi-Markov decision processes (SMDP) under a (possibly) randomized stationary policy. For each stationary policy governing an SMDP meeting certain hypotheses, we specify a past-dependent policy on a suitably constructed DMDP; the new policy carries the same average reward on the DMDP as the original policy on the SMDP. Discrete time reduction is applied to optimization on a SMDP subject to a hard constraint, for which the optimal policy has been shown to be stationary and possibly randomized at no more than a single state. Under some convexity conditions on the reward, cost, and action space, it is shown that a non-randomized policy is optimal for the constrained problem.
Multiconnection over multichannels

Studies a multiconnection problem, in multichannel networks and proposes an effective multiconnection protocol for establishing and releasing connections with dynamic bandwidth requirement. Each originating station in the network is allowed to set up connections to several terminating stations, and send packets to these terminating stations in different slots in a TDM fashion. Similarly, each terminating station is allowed to keep connections with several originating stations, and receive packets from these originating stations in different slots in a TDM fashion. Effective slot allocation schemes for multiple connections at the same station, as well as conditions for strict-sense acceptance and rearrangeable acceptance are given.
A Three-Dimensional Unsteady CFD Model of Compressor Stability

A three-dimensional unsteady CFD code called CSTALL has been developed and used to investigate compressor stability. The code solved the Euler equations through the entire annulus and all blade rows. Blade row turning, losses, and deviation were modeled using body force terms which required input data at stations between blade rows. The input data was calculated using a separate Navier-Stokes turbomachinery analysis code run at one operating point near stall, and was scaled to other operating points using overall characteristic maps. No information about the stalled characteristic was used. CSTALL was run in a 2-D throughflow mode for very fast calculations of operating maps and estimation of stall points. Calculated pressure ratio characteristics for NASA stage 35 agreed well with experimental data, and results with inlet radial distortion showed the expected loss of range. CSTALL was also run in a 3-D mode to investigate inlet circumferential distortion. Calculated operating maps for stage 35 with 120 degree distortion screens showed a loss in range and pressure rise. Unsteady calculations showed rotating stall with two part-span stall cells. The paper describes the body force formulation in detail, examines the computed results, and concludes with observations about the code.
Capturing accurate snapshots of the Gnutella network

A common approach for measurement-based characterization of peer-to-peer (P2P) systems is to capture overlay snapshots using a crawler. The accuracy of captured snapshots by P2P crawlers directly depends on both the crawling speed and the fraction of unreachable peers. This in turn affects the accuracy of the conducted characterization based on these captured snapshots. Prior studies frequently rely on crawling the network over an hour or more, during which time the overlay may change substantially. Moreover, none of the previous measurement-based studies on P2P systems have examined the accuracy of their captured snapshots or the impact on conducted characterization.
Algorithmic management of pediatric acute mastoiditis

Abstract Objective Today, no uniformly accepted diagnostic and therapeutic criteria have been established for the management of pediatric acute mastoiditis. The aim of this study is determine the efficacy and safety of an algorithmic approach for treating pediatric acute mastoiditis. Methods The medical records of all children (n = 167) with a diagnosis of AM admitted in our center during the period 2002–2010 were retrospectively studied. Data concerning medical history, symptomatology, laboratory and imaging findings, presence of complications, treatment methods and final outcomes were reviewed and analyzed. Parenteral antibiotics and myringotomy were applied to all children on the day of admission. Initial surgical approach also included drainage or simple mastoidectomy for subperiosteal abscesses and simple mastoidectomy for children suffering from intracranial complications. Finally, simple mastoidectomy was performed as a second line treatment in children showing poor response to the initial conservative approach. Results All children were cured after a mean hospitalization of 9.8 days. The rate of intracranial complications at admission was 6.5% and the overall rate of the use of mastoidectomy 42%. Following the presented treatment scheme in all cases, no child developed additional complications while in-hospital and under treatment or after discharge. Conclusions Although simple mastoidectomy represents the most reliable and effective surgical method to treat acute mastoiditis, a more conservative approach consisting of adequate parenteral antibiotic coverage and myringotomy can be safely adopted for all children suffering from uncomplicated acute mastoiditis. Non-responsive cases should undergo simple mastoidectomy within 3–5 days in order to avoid further in-hospital acquired complications. Simple mastoidectomy should also be performed in every case of unsuccessful subperiosteal abscess drainage or presence of intracranial complications.
Pharmacologic Treatment of GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is extremely common, affecting 7–10 % of the adult population in the United States on a daily basis [1]. GERD has been found to have a greater negative impact on quality of life for a patient than more severe chronic diseases, including hypertension, heart failure, and angina [2]. The clinical range of GERD has expanded from classic esophageal symptoms of heartburn and regurgitation to now include symptoms and disease outside the esophagus, namely, the entire aerodigestive tract. Treatment of the spectrum of reflux diseases, be it isolated to the esophagus or proximal disease of the oropharynx or lungs, shares a common pathophysiology, and therefore, similar treatment strategies can be implemented with only slight variations. There is a range of effective pharmacologic treatment options for patients with reflux disease: acute symptoms of classic reflux may simply require over-the-counter (OTC) acid-neutralizing medications, while other individuals with more persistent, recurring symptoms need a more directed, long-term strategy requiring systemic medications. The nature of the disease is one of chronicity. Thus, a majority of patients started on acid-suppressant medications will have symptoms that require long-term pharmacologic treatment. With the high prevalence of reflux disease, the spectrum of reflux manifestations, and the array of products available to treat reflux, the clinical and financial burden of treating reflux patients is high. This chapter focuses on the pharmacologic treatment for reflux disease.
A Field Study of the Product Development Process as a First Step in the Design of a System to Support Concurrent Engineering

This paper reports the results of the first phase of an ongoing research study undertaken at a real-world production facility. The purpose of this phase was to use a context-based, ethnographic approach to understand and identify issues relevant to the design of a system to support the product development process. The results of this study yielded information that could not have been obtained by a formal, controlled study in a laboratory setting. In general, the results suggest a need for more efficient storage and retrieval of critical information, for increased communication of that information, and for alternative media to supplement paper-based communication. It appears that a computer-based system could be designed to support a more responsive, more collaborative approach to the product development process.
Wetting and Dewetting Transitions on Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Many natural superhydrophobic structures have hierarchical two-tier roughness which is empirically known to promote robust superhydrophobicity. We report the wetting and dewetting properties of two-tier roughness as a function of the wettability of the working fluid, where the surface tension of water/ethanol drops is tuned by the mixing ratio, and compare the results to one-tier roughness. When the ethanol concentration of deposited drops is gradually increased on one-tier control samples, the impalement of the microtier-only surface occurs at a lower ethanol concentration compared to the nanotier-only surface. The corresponding two-tier surface exhibits a two-stage wetting transition, first for the impalement of the microscale texture and then for the nanoscale one. The impaled drops are subsequently subjected to vibration-induced dewetting. Drops impaling one-tier surfaces could not be dewetted; neither could drops impaling both tiers of the two-tier roughness. However, on the two-tier surface, drops i...
Vlsi Metallization by Coherent Magnetron Sputtering

Magnetron sputtering has been used extensively to deposit interconnect layer, diffusion barrier layer, adhesion layer and anti-reflection layer in semiconductor production. As the dimension of VLSI devices get smaller, it is becoming increasingly difficult to deposit these metal layers into high aspect ratio contacts and vias using conventional sputtering method. Coherent sputtering, where a perforated plate (collimator) is placed between the sputtering target and wafer, improves bottom coverage and step coverage. In the recent years, coherent sputtering has been used to deposit titanium, titanium nitride and aluminum films. However, the existence of collimator changes the deposition processes and properties of the deposited films. In this article, we will discuss some of the properties of coherent deposition.
Applying the Knowledge

If we consider how physician services are compensated, much can be understood regarding business and practice trends over the recent decades. The bulk of physician services for Medicare patients are compensated through Medicare Part B and determined using submitted Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. The situation is analogous for physician services provided for patients covered by Medicaid and private insurance. As such, the bulk of physician services are covered by relatively set payments per service provided, with the caveat that there be corresponding International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes submitted to justify the provided service(s). This has led to a number of somewhat predictable trends.
Application of ultrasonic detection for partial discharge to cable terminals

This paper studies the influence of the discharge point depth on the ultrasonic detection results of partial discharge in cable terminals to find an effective method to analyze discharge position and discharge level according to the results of cable terminal discharge ultrasonic signal field test.With ultrasonic wave propagation and attenuation theory,this paper analyzes the tangential and longitudinal distribution pattern of discharge signals in cable terminal surface and puts forward a calculation method about the true depth and discharge level of partial discharge source on the cable terminal by the way of theory analysis,simulated calculation,laboratory test and field application.The result reveals that the detected ultrasonic signal level decreases as the axial distance or the central separation angle between the discharge point and the test point increases,and the depth of discharge point influences the change rate of the detected ultrasonic signal level along with the axial distance and the central separation angle.The lower depth means the larger change rate and the higher depth means the less change rate.It's also revealed that the measured discharge point depth and discharge level by the proposed iteration method are consistent with real situation.
HIV infection status and awareness of AIDS related knowledge in males visiting sexually transmitted disease clinics in Sanmen county,Zhejiang

Objective To understand the prevalence of HIV infection and high risk factors in males visiting sexually transmitted disease(STD) clinics in Sanmen,Zhejiang province. Methods The analysis was conducted on the data of sentinel surveillance for AIDS in Sanmen from 2009 to 2013 Results In the sentinel surveillance,1862 males visiting STD clinics were surveyed,and blood samples were collected from them. Among these males,76. 05% were married and 87. 17% were aged 20- 49 years. Among the males surveyed,the average awareness rate of AIDS related knowledge was 75. 94% and most of them had received no service for HIV /AIDS prevention. Among the 1862 males,61. 38% had sex with female sex workers(FSW) and 36. 17% had sex with casual sex partners in recent 3 months and45. 98% had STD in the latest year. The annual differences in the proportion of having sex with FSW or casual partners and STD prevalence in these males during this period had statistically significance(P 0. 001). Ten males were detected to be HIV positive(0. 54%). The HIV infection rate increased with year. Conclusion The HIV infection rate was low but increased with year in males visiting STD clinics in Sanmen. Among this population,the awareness rate of AIDS related knowledge was low,the proportion of those receiving AIDS prevention service was low and the proportion of those having sex with FSW and causal sex partners was high. It is necessary to conduct health education and behavior intervention in STD clinics through the cooperation between disease control sector and clinical medicine sector.
High frequency of abnormal levels of IgA anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: relationship with antiphospholipid syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of IgA, in addition to IgM and IgG, anti-beta2-GPI and anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to relate the presence of these antibodies to symptoms of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS). METHODS Sera from 100 blood bank donors (controls) and 48 patients with SLE were tested by ELISA. The same enzyme conjugates were used in the measurement of aCL and anti-beta2-GPI. Medical records were reviewed for the presence of manifestations of APS: arterial occlusion, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accident, transient ischemic attack, venous thrombosis (deep or superficial), hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, repeated fetal loss, leg ulcers, seizures, avascular bone necrosis, cerebritis, or migraine. RESULTS Above normal levels of antibodies of all 3 isotypes against beta2-GPI were found in 5% of controls and 73% of patients with SLE. Antibodies against cardiolipin in the 2 groups were found in 5 and 37%, respectively. IgA anti-beta2-GPI was found in 2% of controls and 58% of patients with SLE; in contrast, only 2% of patients with SLE had IgA aCL. In the 48 patients studied, thrombosis and fetal loss were present in 10 (Group 1), other manifestations of APS were present in 18 (Group 2), and none in 20 (Group 3). Antibodies to beta2-GPI of all 3 isotypes were found in a higher proportion of APS (Group 1 plus Group 2) (82%) than in Group 3 (50%) (p < 0.01, chi-squared). There was also a significantly higher proportion of patients with elevated anti-beta2-GPI in Group 1 (90%) than in Group 3 (p < 0.02). There was a significantly higher frequency (p < 0.01) and level (p < 0.05) of IgA anti-beta2-GPI in patients with APS than in those with no APS manifestations. Moreover, compared to aCL and with other isotypes of anti-beta2-GPI, the highest antibody levels were observed in IgA antibeta2-GPI. CONCLUSION The sensitivity of the anti-beta2-GPI antibody test for APS in patients with SLE is significantly increased by measuring IgA, in addition to IgM and IgG isotype.
Acoustic Poisson-like effect in periodic structures

Redirection of acoustic energy by 90° is shown to be possible in an otherwise acoustically transparent sonic crystal. An unresponsive “deaf” antisymmetric mode is excited by matching Bragg scattering with a quadrupole scatterer resonance. The dynamic effect causes normal unidirectional wave motion to strongly couple to perpendicular motion, analogous to the quasi-static Poisson effect in solids. The Poisson-like effect is demonstrated using the first flexural resonance in cylindrical shells of elastic solids. Simulations for a finite array of acrylic shells that are impedance and index matched to water show dramatic acoustic energy redirection in an otherwise acoustically transparent medium.
Severe Reactions to DTP Vaccine

Severe reactions experienced by 60 children within 48 hours of DTP immunization were reported from the UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.
Family-Centered Pediatric Radiation The rapy: A Nurse-Led Quality Improvement Collaboration Model

Problem: Parents of children diagnosed with cancer face a number of physical, emotional, and social hurdles in the race for a cure. Family schedules shift dramatically to accommodate daily radiation therapy treatment appointments. Ambulatory procedure unit nursing staff attempt to teach and interpret the process without the benefit of a family-centered intradepartmental structured communication process to promote safe care with these families. Methods: Implementation of a structured family-centered interprofessional standard work model to promote interdepartmental collaboration. The project implemented a structured family-centered interview and standard work algorithms to improve the radiation therapy family experience. Results: A structured, streamlined, interdepartmental interview, teaching format, and educational resources for nurses to use with families. Standardized work roles were formulated to improve the communication algorithm and collaboration between departments. Conclusion: The implementation of a nurse-led, standardized work process increased interprofessional collaboration, resulting in increased communication and a family-centered perioperative care model.
ATF3 regulates PINK1 transcription in lung epithelial cells of the aging lung

Aging is associated with increased susceptibility to Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Alveolar type II cells (AECII) in IPF lung have marked accumulation of dysmorphic and dysfunctional mitochondria, associated with low expression of the PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1). These mitochondrial abnormalities can be recapitulated in mice combining advancing age and ER (endoplasmic reticulum) stress stimulation and in PINK1 deficient mice. However, the molecular mechanism linking ER stress and PINK1 expression are still unknown. PINK1 transcription is significantly reduced in A549 cells exposed to tunicamycin (TM), a well-known ER stressor. This reduction is reversed in the presence of actinomycin D suggesting transcriptional repression of PINK1 by ER stress. Also, TM induces expression of genes involved in the unfolded protein response (UPR) including the activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a member of the ATF/CREB family that can act as a transcriptionalrepressor. Analyses of the human PINK1 promoter reveals the presence of two ATF3 consensus sites upstream of the transcriptional starting site. Depletion of ATF3 in cells showed reduced ATF3 expression and increased PINK1 transcript levels at baseline and after TM treatment. Immunohistochemistry studies found that ATF3 is highly expressed in aging human lungs and AECII lining honeycomb areas of IPF lungs. These data are the first to link ATF3 to PINK1 expression in any system and suggest that ER stress, via ATF3, can regulate mitochondrial homeostasis by repression of PINK1 gene transcription. Also, strategies designed to modulate PINK1 or ATF3 expression might lessen severity of pulmonary fibrosis, especially in the context of the aging lung.
Belarus: Preventing Terrorism in Preemptive Authoritarianism

The threat of terrorism, in what is often referred to as the “last dictatorship in Europe,” Belarus, has traditionally been viewed as relatively low because of the conflict-avoidant nature of its domestic and international politics. The population of Belarus is characterized by a high level of ethnical and religious homogeneity. Belarus does not have any ongoing conflicts or territorial claims with its neighboring states and the Belarusian military forces do not participate in operations abroad. However, during the last decade, Belarus experienced several violent attacks against civilians, law enforcement agencies, and foreign embassies. Since 2008, Belarus has taken its place among countries with a high risk of terrorist attacks, ranking 34th in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) in 2011 after the Minsk Metro bombing caused 15 fatalities and more than 200 casualties. The authoritarian nature of the regime and its ongoing fight against the opposition complicates the activity of terrorist groups, due to the extreme level of government control over communication and financial sources, particularly those of a foreign nature. However, the nondemocratic nature of the regime jeopardizes the fight against terrorism. A by-product of the oppression of civil society is a low level of trust toward the government from nongovernment groups and citizens, and therefore hinders cooperation. Close partnership with Russia and other countries within the CIS ATC is beneficial for counterterrorism activities because of Russia’s experience. However, the troubled relationship with the West complicates Belarus’ ability to combat domestic terrorism, and the dominating discourse of “stability” shifts the focus for counterterrorism activities onto external sources, even though all previous terrorist attacks have been domestically grown.
Optical characteristics of novel bulk and nanoengineered laser host materials

The hexagonal apatite single crystals have been investigated for their applications as laser host materials. Czochralksi and flux growth methods have been utilized to obtain single crystals. For low temperature processing (<100 0C), several techniques for crystal growth have been developed. The hexagonal apatite structure (space group P63/m) is characteristic of several compounds, some of which have extremely interesting and useful properties as laser hosts and bone materials. Calcium lanthanum silicate (Nd-doped) and lanthanum aluminate material systems were studied in detail. Nanoengineered calcium and lanthanum based silicates were synthesized by a solution method and their optical and morphological characteristics were compared with Czochralski grown bulk hydroxyapatite single crystals. Materials were evaluated by absorbance, fluorescence and Raman characteristics. Neodymium, iron and chromium doped crystals grown by a solution method showed weak but similar optical properties to that of Czochralski grown single crystals.
Nationalizing gold: The Vietnamese SJC gold bar and the Indian Gold Coin

The popularity of gold in India and Vietnam is attributed to either cultural values or an undeveloped financial sector. Yet gold also serves as an important reserve asset for central banks, more so than ever following the 2008 financial crisis. By way of exploring this juxtaposition, I turn to recent campaigns in each country to promote a national gold form, the SJC bar in Vietnam and the Indian Gold Coin. Although the campaigns have been framed in oppositional termsâ€”the Vietnamese state has sought to demonetize gold, the Indian state to promote its monetizationâ€”I reconcile this contradiction by examining the particular histories of gold in each country and why gold served as a particularly potent symbol of economic liberalization. Gold, I argue, ultimately links citizens in the Global South with actors in the heart of the international monetary system; thus the promotion of these two national brands of gold shows stateâ€ led efforts to intervene in processes of value creation.
On the mechanism of the palladium-catalyzed tert-butylhydroperoxide- mediated wacker-type oxidation of alkenes using quinoline-2-oxazoline ligands

The mechanism of the tert-butylhydroperoxide-mediated, Pd(Quinox)-catalyzed Wacker-type oxidation was investigated to evaluate the hypothesis that a selective catalyst-controlled oxidation could be achieved by rendering the palladium coordinatively saturated using a bidentate amine ligand. The unique role of the Quinox ligand framework was probed via systematic ligand modifications. The modified ligands were evaluated through quantitative Hammett analysis, which supports a "push-pull" relationship between the electronically asymmetric quinoline and oxazoline ligand modules.
Constitutive Equations and a Time Integration Procedure for Isotropic Hyperelastic-Viscoplastic Solids

ABSTRACT From a physical point of view, it is desirable that the elasticity, in a set of elastic-plastic constitutive equations for metallic materials, be modeled as a hyperelastic relation, and the plasticity as rate dependent. However, it has been common practice in most of the current analytical and numerical work in elasto-plasticity to use a hypoelastic relation to model the elastic response of a material, and to approximate the plasticity (at low homologous temperatures) as rate-independent. We have formulated a set of simple constitutive equations for isotropic materials which have the desirable attributes listed above. Also, we have formulated, implemented, and evaluated the performance of a fully implicit time integration procedure for our constitutive equations.
A Space-Time Analysis of Void Reactivity Feedback in Boiling Water Reactors

The space-time effects associated with the void reactivity feedback in a commercial boiling water reactor were studied with the aid of the two-dimensional (R,Z) time-dependent coupled neutronics thermal-hydraulics computer code BNL-TWIGL. The statistical weight factor (SWF), which equates a point-reactor model to an appropriate space-dependent model, was used to quantify these effects. The SWF varied for the different reference reactor conditions and types of void perturbations considered. Its significant magnitude demonstrated that unless proper account is taken of multidimensional effects in plant transient calculations, the void feedback will be incorrect, and this will lead to errors in power and temperature. The presence of bypass void was found to increase the void reactivity feedback. The influence of other feedback mechanisms was studied, and a suggestion was offered for obtaining a measurement of the void reactivity coefficient.
The Thermal Exhaust System: Radiation- and Thermally-Driven Winds and Jets

Exhaust systems vent spent fuel away from the combustion chamber in order to allow fresh fuel to enter. Black hole engines actually have five different exhaust systems, each with a different purpose.
A method for screening the quality of hospital care using administrative data: preliminary validation results.

Applying a computerized algorithm to administrative data to help assess the quality of hospital care is intriguing. As Iezzoni and colleagues point out, there are major differences of opinion as to the worth of such efforts. This article significantly advances the state of the art in using administrative data to screen for potential quality-of-care problems. In addition, this work on identifying complications of care goes well beyond the emphasis of many government organizations on hospital mortality rates. One question, however, not raised in the paper is: What is a practical upper limit to the sensitivity and specificity in comparing computerized screen results with the consensus judgments of a group of independent physicians? Advanced statistical techniques (such as bootstrapping) might be used to estimate the stability of consensus judgments by physician groups. When the judgments of two groups of physicians are compared with each other, the resulting sensitivity and specificity will not be .99! In addition, more training of members of the physician panels would probably have increased interrater reliability. While acknowledging this problem, the researchers' detailed analysis of the panel results is intriguing and represents a model for such studies. It is hoped that the authors will follow up on the avenues opened here. Furthermore, what degree of accuracy is necessary to identify facilities with higher-than-expected rates of complications? The authors discuss problems involved in using administrative data to target hospitals and departments for more costly in-depth reviews of quality. It is hoped that the promising findings that are reported here will be validated in other studies. Certainly their algorithms should find a ready audience in insurers and hospitals willing to try them out. Finally, should we expect additional research to lead to improvement in the authors' algorithms? I believe the algorithms will prove difficult to improve upon; but perhaps we should not worry about this. At some point, however, the cost of trying to identify and correct quality problems in "minimally outlier" hospitals will exceed the benefits, particularly given alternative uses for the funds. Might we now be close the the "flat of the curve" in the development of such systems for identification of quality problems? This issue should be discussed much further in future studies.
Urinary symptoms are associated with certain urinary microbes in urogynecologic surgical patients

Persistent and de novo symptoms decrease satisfaction after urogynecologic surgery. We investigated whether the preoperative bladder microbiome is associated with urinary symptoms prior to and after urogynecologic surgery. One hundred twenty-six participants contributed responses to the validated OABq symptom questionnaire. Catheterized (bladder) urine samples and vaginal and perineal swabs were collected immediately preoperatively. Bacterial DNA in the urine samples and swabs was sequenced and classified. Preoperative symptom severity was significantly worse in sequence-positive patients. Higher OABq Symptom Severity (OABqSS) scores (more symptomatic) were associated with higher abundance in bladder urine of two bacterial species: Atopobium vaginae and Finegoldia magna. The presence of Atopobium vaginae in bladder urine also was correlated with its presence in either the vagina or perineum. Two specific bacterial species detected in bladder urine, Atopobium vaginae and Finegoldia magna, are associated with preoperative urinary symptom severity in women undergoing POP/SUI surgery. The reservoir for Atopobium vaginae may be adjacent pelvic floor niches. This observation should be validated in a larger cohort to determine whether there is a microbiologic etiology for certain preoperative urinary symptoms.
Optimal perturbations for controlling the growth of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability

A discrete adjoint-based method is employed to control multi-mode Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instabilities via strategic manipulation of the initial interfacial perturbations. We seek to find to what extent mixing and growth can be enhanced at late stages of the instability and which modes are targeted to achieve this. Three objective functions are defined to quantify RT mixing and growth: (i) variance of mole fraction, (ii) a kinetic energy norm based on the vertical velocity and (iii) variations of mole fraction with respect to the unperturbed initial state. The sensitivity of these objective functions to individual amplitudes of the initial perturbations are studied at various stages of the RT instability. The most sensitive wavenumber during the early stages of the instability closely matches the most unstable wavenumber predicted by linear stability theory. It is also shown that randomly changing the initial perturbations has little effect at early stages, but results in large variations in both RT growth and its sensitivity at later times. The sensitivity obtained from the adjoint solution is employed in gradient-based optimization to both suppress and enhance the objective functions. The adjoint-based optimization framework was capable of completely suppressing mixing by shifting all of the interfacial perturbation energy to the highest modes such that diffusion dominates. The optimal initial perturbations for enhancing the objective functions were found to have a broadband spectrum resulting in non-trivial coupling between modes and depends on the particular objective function being optimized. The objective functions were increased by as much as a factor of nine in the self-similar late-stage growth regime compared to an interface with a uniform distribution of modes, corresponding to a 32% increase in the bubble growth parameter and 54% increase in the mixing width. It was also found that the interfacial perturbations optimized at early stages of the instability are unable to predict enhanced mixing at later times, and thus optimizing late-time multi-mode RT instabilities requires late-time sensitivity information. Finally, it was found that the optimized distribution of interfacial perturbations obtained from two-dimensional simulations was capable of enhancing the objective functions in three-dimensional flows. As much as 51% and 99% enhancement in the bubble growth parameter and mixing width, respectively, was achieved, even greater than what was reached in two dimensions.
Internal to Common Carotid Artery Peak Systolic Velocity Ratios for Predicting North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial Stenosis: Derivation/Validation Study Using a Machine Learning Technique:

The association between internal carotid artery/peak systolic velocity and stenosis severity as measured by the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial is known. The association of ...
When autonomous agents model other agents: An appeal for altered judgment coupled with mouths, ears, and a little more tape

Abstract Agent modeling has rightfully garnered much attention in the design and study of autonomous agents that interact with other agents. However, despite substantial progress to date, existing agent-modeling methods too often (a) have unrealistic computational requirements and data needs; (b) fail to properly generalize across environments, tasks, and associates; and (c) guide behavior toward inefficient (myopic) solutions. Can these challenges be overcome? Or are they just inherent to a very complex problem? In this reflection, I argue that some of these challenges may be reduced by, first, modeling alternative processes than what is often modeled by existing algorithms and, second, considering more deeply the role of non-binding communication signals. Additionally, I believe that progress in developing autonomous agents that effectively interact with other agents will be enhanced as we develop and utilize a more comprehensive set of measurement tools and benchmarks. I believe that further development of these areas is critical to creating autonomous agents that effectively model and interact with other agents.
Testing a Contextual Model of Effects of Father Involvement on Child Behaviors

To conduct secondary data analyses to test a heuristic contextual model of father involvement (mother and father report of father caregiving) at 5 years of age on children’s internalizing, externalizing, and delinquency behaviors subsequently measured at middle childhood. Data from two waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study were analyzed. Path analyses found that mother-reported father involvement was significantly negatively predictive of child externalizing in girls and delinquency in boys, even after controlling for the effects of father age, socioeconomic status, and health, and including the effects of mother involvement in the models. Mother involvement was significantly positively predictive of child externalizing in girls and delinquency in boys. In the context of a model that explicitly considers the confounding effects of father characteristics and mother involvement, early father involvement was found to be predictive of later lessened child externalizing behaviors.
F0-Consistent Many-To-Many Non-Parallel Voice Conversion Via Conditional Autoencoder

Non-parallel many-to-many voice conversion remains an interesting but challenging speech processing task. Many style-transfer-inspired methods such as generative adversarial networks (GANs) and variational autoencoders (VAEs) have been proposed. Recently, AU-TOVC, a conditional autoencoders (CAEs) based method achieved state-of-the-art results by disentangling the speaker identity and speech content using information-constraining bottlenecks, and it achieves zero-shot conversion by swapping in a different speaker’s identity embedding to synthesize a new voice. However, we found that while speaker identity is disentangled from speech content, a significant amount of prosodic information, such as source F0, leaks through the bottleneck, causing target F0 to fluctuate unnaturally. Furthermore, AutoVC has no control of the converted F0 and thus unsuitable for many applications. In the paper, we modified and improved autoencoder-based voice conversion to disentangle content, F0, and speaker identity at the same time. Therefore, we can control the F0 contour, generate speech with F0 consistent with the target speaker, and significantly improve quality and similarity. We support our improvement through quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Feasibility of Tablet-Based Patient-Reported Symptom Data Collection Among Hemodialysis Patients.

Introduction Individuals receiving in-center hemodialysis have high symptom burdens but often do not report their symptoms to care teams. Evidence from other diseases suggest that use of symptom electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) may improve outcomes. We assessed the usability of a symptom ePROM system and then implemented a quality improvement (QI) project with the objective of improving symptom communication at a US hemodialysis clinic. During the project, we assessed the feasibility of ePROM implementation and conducted a substudy exploring the effect of ePROM use on patient-centered care. Methods After conducting usability testing, we used mixed methods, guided by the Quality Implementation Framework, to implement a 16-week symptom ePROM QI project. We performed pre-, intra-, and postproject stakeholder interviews to identify implementation barriers and facilitators. We collected ePROM system-generated data on symptoms, e-mail alerts, and response rates, among other factors, to inform our feasibility assessment. We compared pre- and postproject outcomes. Results There were 62 patient participants (34% black, 16% Spanish-speaking) and 19 care team participants (4 physicians, 15 clinic personnel) at QI project start, and 32 research participants. In total, the symptom ePROM was administered 496 times (completion rate = 84%). The implementation approach and ePROM system were modified to address stakeholder-identified concerns throughout. ePROM implementation was feasible as demonstrated by the program’s acceptability, demand, implementation success, practicality, integration in care, and observed trend toward improved outcomes. Conclusions Symptom ePROM administration during hemodialysis is feasible. Trials investigating the effectiveness of symptom ePROMs and optimal administration strategies are needed.
MARDU: Efficient and Scalable Code Re-randomization

Defense techniques such as Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) were role models in preventing early return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks by keeping performance and scalability in the forefront, making them widely-adopted. As code reuse attacks evolved in complexity, defenses have lost touch with pragmatic defense design to ensure security, either being narrow in scope or providing unrealistic overheads. We present MARDU, an on-demand system-wide re-randomization technique that maintains strong security guarantees while providing better overall performance and having scalability most defenses lack. We achieve code sharing with diversification by implementing reactive and scalable, rather than continuous or one-time diversification. Enabling code sharing further minimizes needed tracking, patching, and memory overheads. The evaluation of MARDU shows low performance overhead of 5.5% on SPEC and minimal degradation of 4.4% in NGINX, proving its applicability to both compute-intensive and scalable real-world applications.
Awareness on privacy settings in Social Networking Sites among the undergraduates in Eastern University, Sri Lanka

Use of Social networking sites (SNS) have grown rapidly over the past decades. Users occupy more time on social networking sites than other recreational activities. However, the tremendous use of Social Networking Sites is thereby prone to privacy concerns and risks. Therefore, a study was intended in an attempt to identify the reasons for using Social Networking Sites, examine the level of awareness of users on privacy settings, privacy policy and risk of avoiding privacy settings and to determine the training needs on the usage of Social Networking Sites among undergraduates of Eastern University, Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to derive responses from a sample size of 391 undergraduates from the Eastern University, Sri Lanka selected through stratified random sampling. The present study revealed that the highest percentages of the undergraduates use SNS for Information sharing (93.07%) and for Academic purposes (92%), which was followed by Social interaction (86.13%), Entertainment (85.33%) and Self-Expression (81.87%). It was noted that only 15% of the respondents have awareness about privacy policy at an excellent level. Moreover, around 20.06% and 24.13% of the undergraduates have marked their awareness level on privacy policy at a good and satisfactory level respectively. The overall median percentage for awareness about the privacy policy, settings, and associated risk is 58.33%, 66.7%, and 66.7% respectively. Results revealed that municipality and faculty has a significant influence on awareness on privacy setting in SNS (p < 0.05) and the urban has highest median awareness (70%) than rural (58.6%). The majority of the respondents confirmed that they required training on control cybercrimes (51.47%) followed by SNS in higher education (48.8%). It was recommended that university authorities should organize user education programmes to enhance knowledge of students on privacy settings in social networking sites as well as facilitators should assist students in incorporating them into their learning activities in a coherent way.
Pre-operative Pulmonary Function and Association with Left Ventricular Assist Devices Outcomes

Introduction Comorbidities including pulmonary disease are common in patients undergoing LVAD implantation. The impact of pre-implant pulmonary function on post-implant LVAD outcomes has not been comprehensively explored. In this study, we examined the association between pre-implant pulmonary function on post-implant outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of 415 primary LVAD implants at our center between 2008 and 2019 identified 251 patients with pre-implant pulmonary function tests (PFT), of which 248 had pre-implant chest CT scans. PFT results were classified as obstructive or restrictive and were sub-stratified by severity. Chest CT scan findings were assessed for presence of fibrosis or emphysema. Our primary outcome was 1-year mortality. Secondary outcomes included reintubation, days on mechanical ventilation, post-operative pneumonia, ICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS and 30-day mortality. Continuous variables were evaluated using two-sample Student's t-test or Wilcoxon test. Categorical variables were evaluated using χ2 test or Fisher's exact test. The group comparison in outcomes were assessed using logistics regression and linear regression. Results PFTs and chest CT scans were completed at a median of 42 days (IQR 18-127 days) and 26 days (IQR 10-63 days), respectively, prior to LVAD implantation. 84 patients (35%) had obstructive lung disease (52% moderately severe or severe) and 132 patients (55%) had restrictive lung disease (23% moderately severe or severe). Lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was normal in 23% of patients and reduced in others by mild (29%), moderate (41%) or severe (7%) degrees. Presence or severity of either obstructive or restrictive lung disease on PFTs were not associated with primary or secondary outcomes. Severe reduction in DLCO and presence of fibrosis on chest CT scan were both strongly predictive of mortality at 30 days (OR 10.0, CI 1.52-65.63, p Conclusions Pulmonary disease is common in patients undergoing LVAD implantation. The presence and severity of obstructive or restrictive lung disease on pre-implant PFTs were not predictive of post LVAD outcomes. However, a severe reduction of DLCO and pulmonary fibrosis on pre-implant chest CT scan were associated with 30-day and 1-year mortality.
Longitudinal uncoupling of the heart and arteries with aging in a community-dwelling population

Although mechanical energy transfer between the heart and arterial system, referred to as arterial-ventricular (AV) coupling, is an important determinant of cardiovascular performance, how AV coupling changes over time within and among individuals as they age has not been fully explored. We studied 129 participants (baseline age 21-96) of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, free of clinical CVD. Participants underwent repeated multigated cardiac blood pool scans to estimate left ventricular (LV) volumes (SV, EDV, and ESV). Total systemic vascular resistance (TSVR), total arterial compliance (TAC), effective arterial elastance (Ea), and end-systolic LV elastance (Elv) were calculated using LV volumes and brachial BP measurements; calculated Ea/Elv was the measure of AV coupling. Linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate person-specific rates of change (Change) for each variable. The rate at which Ea increased over time was faster than the rate at which Elv increased, resulting in AV uncoupling (increased Ea/Elv) over time that was significantly greater in women than in men. Loss of arterial compliance was the main determinant of (Ea/Elv)Change, which was negatively associated with changes in SV and EDV but positively with changes in ESV. Progressive AV uncoupling occurred with aging and was more pronounced in women than men. While Ea change did not differ by sex, Elv increased at a slower rate in women than in men. AV uncoupling was inversely associated with EDV and SV rates of change and a directly associated with an increase in ESV rate of change. Additional studies are needed to explore the functional consequences of AV uncoupling in healthy individuals with respect to the emergence of age-associated clinical cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.