cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting the End-to-End Tail Latency of Containerized Microservices in the Cloud

Large-scale web services are increasingly adopting cloud-native principles of application design to better utilize the advantages of cloud computing. This involves building an application using many loosely coupled service-specific components (microservices) that communicate via lightweight APIs, and utilizing containerization technologies to deploy, update, and scale these microservices quickly and independently. However, managing the end-to-end tail latency of requests flowing through the microservices is challenging in the absence of accurate performance models that can capture the complex interplay of microservice workflows with cloudinduced performance variability and inter-service performance dependencies. In this paper, we present performance characterization and modeling of containerized microservices in the cloud. Our modeling approach aims at enabling cloud platforms to combine resource usage metrics collected from multiple layers of the cloud environment, and apply machine learning techniques to predict the end-to-end tail latency of microservice workflows. We implemented and evaluated our modeling approach on NSF Cloud's Chameleon testbed using KVM for virtualization, Docker Engine for containerization and Kubernetes for container orchestration. Experimental results with an open-source microservices benchmark, Sock Shop, show that our modeling approach achieves high prediction accuracy even in the presence of multi-tenant performance interference.
The “Subtext of Everything”: High School Science Teachers’ Views of Emotions and Their Related Teaching Practices

Since most emotional regulation research is about teachers regulating their own emotions, this study sought to examine how teachers view emotions and respond to their students’ emotions. Drawing from an interactional view of emotions and emotion regulation, five science teachers were interviewed for 60–75 minutes about the emotions experienced by their students, themselves, and scientists. They were also prompted to talk about how they respond to their students’ emotions. Findings from the study include that the teachers limited their views of students’ emotions along a positive/negative binary with a focus on academic emotions. These views were in contrast to their conceptions of their own emotions and those of scientists. In addition, the teachers described three teaching practices by which they implicitly and explicitly attempted to avoid student frustration: expressing their own excitement, downplaying students’ expressions of frustration, and utilizing group work. To a lesser degree, the teachers shared how they acknowledged students’ emotions in the classroom. It is concluded that the teachers’ views of emotions were aligned with their practices to minimize student frustration since they viewed that emotion as an impediment to learning.
A novel autosomal recessive lipodystrophy syndrome due to homozygous LMNA variant

Background Despite major advances in understanding the molecular basis of various genetic lipodystrophy syndromes, some rare patients still remain unexplained. Cases We report a novel autosomal recessive lipodystrophy affecting two sisters aged 17 and 19 years and characterised by early onset intellectual disability, and subsequent development of near-generalised loss of subcutaneous fat with diabetes mellitus, extreme hypertriglyceridemia, hepatic steatosis, short stature, clinodactyly, joint contractures, leiomyoma of uterus and cataracts in childhood. The lipodystrophy was more pronounced in the upper and lower extremities, and there was no associated muscular hypertrophy. Using whole exome sequencing in this consanguineous Hispanic pedigree, we report disease-causing homozygous p.Arg545His LMNA variant in the affected subjects, and confirm the lack of pathogenic variants in other known lipodystrophy genes. The mother and a younger brother were both heterozygous for p.Arg545His LMNA variant and were overweight with acanthosis nigricans without any evidence of lipodystrophy. Our patients are distinct from previously reported autosomal recessive lipodystrophy syndromes and have no overlap with other autosomal recessive laminopathies, including mandibuloacral dysplasia, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy. Conclusion Our report of this unusual familial generalised lipodystrophy syndrome adds to the pleiotropy associated with biallelic autosomal recessive LMNA variants.
An optimal selection for ensembles of influential projects

A society creates wealth by utilizing its resources and distributing the generated goods. Thus, deciding how to allocate resources into activities is critical for the well-being of a society. One model, the multi-armed bandit problem, is concerned with optimal allocation of resources between competing activities, depending upon the degree of evolution of the activities, in order to generate benefits. In this work, following the objective of a multi-armed bandit problem, we consider a sequential optimal decision making process to collectively select an ensemble of influential projects.
Adsorption Energies of Oxygenated Aromatics and Organics on Rhodium and Platinum in Aqueous Phase

Accurately predicting adsorption energies of oxygenated aromatic and organic molecules on metal catalysts in the aqueous phase is challenging despite its relevance to many catalytic reactions such ...
IV – Oblique Head

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates the anatomic section of oblique head. The zygomatico-orbital canal transmits a branch of the zygomatic nerve from the orbit to the malar eminence. The infraorbital canal has been seen. The incisive canal has been seen. The incisive foramen is formed by the conjunction of the incisive canals. The incisive foramen is the lower aperture of the two incisive canals. The incisive canals arise on each side of the nasal septum at the junction of the premaxilla and postmaxilla. The incisive canals and incisive foramen transmit the terminations of the sphenopalatine arteries, which anastomose with the terminal branches of the greater palatine artery. The infraorbital artery arises from the internal maxillary artery and passes through the pterygopalatine fossa and then forward along with the infraorbital nerve to the infraorbital groove and canal. The inferior alveolar nerve, a sensory branch of the mandibular nerve, supplies sensory innervation to the lower teeth and gums. The inferior alveolar artery arises from the internal maxillary artery medial to the neck of the mandibular condyle. The inferior orbital fissure separates the floor of the orbit from the lateral wall of the orbit in its posterior two-thirds. This is the widest section of the inferior orbital fissure. The inferior orbital fissure is much wider on its anterior end than it is on its middle or posterior end; the center is its narrowest portion. The inferior orbital fissure is bounded by the greater wing of the sphenoid laterally and by the orbital plate of the maxilla medially.
Automated assessment of COVID-19 pulmonary disease severity on chest radiographs using convolutional Siamese neural networks

Purpose To develop an automated measure of COVID-19 pulmonary disease severity on chest radiographs (CXRs), for longitudinal disease evaluation and clinical risk stratification. Materials and Methods A convolutional Siamese neural network-based algorithm was trained to output a measure of pulmonary disease severity on anterior-posterior CXRs (pulmonary x-ray severity (PXS) score), using weakly-supervised pretraining on ~160,000 images from CheXpert and transfer learning on 314 CXRs from patients with COVID-19. The algorithm was evaluated on internal and external test sets from different hospitals, containing 154 and 113 CXRs respectively. The PXS score was correlated with a radiographic severity score independently assigned by two thoracic radiologists and one in-training radiologist. For 92 internal test set patients with follow-up CXRs, the change in PXS score was compared to radiologist assessments of change. The association between PXS score and subsequent intubation or death was assessed. Results The PXS score correlated with the radiographic pulmonary disease severity score assigned to CXRs in the COVID-19 internal and external test sets (ρ=0.84 and ρ=0.78 respectively). The direction of change in PXS score in follow-up CXRs agreed with radiologist assessment (ρ=0.74). In patients not intubated on the admission CXR, the PXS score predicted subsequent intubation or death within three days of hospital admission (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve=0.80 (95%CI 0.75-0.85)). Conclusion A Siamese neural network-based severity score automatically measures COVID-19 pulmonary disease severity in chest radiographs, which can be scaled and rapidly deployed for clinical triage and workflow optimization.
Development of a flexible, sweat-based neuropeptide Y detection platform

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) biomarker levels have a close association with the diagnosis of Major Depression Disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders. Quantifying NPY in correlation to self-reported symptoms will be an important measure to ensure a relatively uniform diagnosis and help with disease prognosis of these disorders. The work presented is a novel, passive eccrine sweat based, electrochemical detection platform for quantification of NPY biomarker levels. The paper offers a comparison between non-porous and porous sensor platforms using various electrochemical detection techniques. This work uses a novel strategy towards designing an optimal nanobioelectronic interface to measure NPY. The portability aspect of this detection platform is discussed by the demonstration a novel, portable EmStat Pico based electronic platform. The detection limit of the sensor is 10 pg mL−1 and its range is 20–500 pg mL−1. The NPY detection platform is envisioned to be a wearable point-of need monitoring system for management of chronic anxiety disorders and MDD.
Infralimbic Cortex Biases Preference Decision Making for Offspring over Competing Cocaine-Associated Stimuli in New Mother Rats.

Abstract In the context of drug abuse, converging evidence suggests that cocaine use in new mothers is significantly reduced by the competing motivation related to child rearing. Given the demonstrated importance of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in decision-making processes, we investigated the contribution of distinct regions of the mPFC [anterior cingulate (Cg1), prelimbic (PrL), infralimbic (IL)] to decision making in new mother rats performing a concurrent pup/cocaine choice conditioned place preference (CPP) task. When given a choice, inactivation of IL cortex significantly biased decision making of mother rats toward cocaine-associated cues, highly contrasting the distribution of preferences by control groups. In contrast, inactivation of PrL cortex had the opposite effect, significantly increasing offspring bias in the decision making, such that none of the mothers chose the cocaine-associated alternative. Cg1 inactivation was without effect. Functional inactivation of these same mPFC subregions had no effect in a non-conflict CPP task in which context-induced cocaine or pup seeking were examined separately. Notably, inactivation of the IL cortex also interfered with maternal behavior. Taken together, we have identified a specific role of the IL cortex in the prioritization of offspring over drug competing alternatives, thus promoting resistance to drug use in new mothers.
What embodies an effective surgical educator? A grounded theory analysis of resident opinion.

Abstract Background Effective surgical education is key to resident professional and personal development. There is little literature defining or assessing effective surgical educators and no common definition of effectiveness in use. The opinion of surgical residents has never been qualitatively studied. Our aim was to determine what general surgery residents perceive as qualities of effective surgical educators. Methods A qualitative and quantitative study of general surgery senior residents (postgraduate year [PGY]–4 and –5) at a single tertiary academic institution was performed. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with all senior residents to determine the overall opinion of effective educators. Thematic analysis was performed using grounded theory. Participants completed a Likert-based survey to determine which qualities of an effective educator were (1) most critical and (2) had been most commonly encountered during training. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Results Data saturation occurred after 13 interviews (7 PGY-4, 6 PGY-5). Interviewees described attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions essential for effective surgical educators. They described important attributes of the trainee–trainer relationship and learning environment. On quantitative analysis, excellent communication, promoting a positive learning climate, timely constructive feedback, and technical expertise were ranked as most critical. Residents most often encountered educators with excellent communication, who fostered a positive learning climate, with clinical and technical expertise, and who provided leadership or mentorship. Conclusion General surgery residents believe effective educators recognize the importance of communication and a positive learning environment, are able to adapt to the learner or environment, have clinical and technical expertise, and form a bond with their learner. This framework can inform faculty development programs to improve surgical education.
A Denver Refugee Clinic Blood Lead Level Analysis in Refugee Females of Reproductive Age, 13-45 years, 2014-2019.

The objective was to determine if refugee females of reproductive age (FRA) are at risk of having elevated blood lead levels (BLL). A retrospective quality improvement project conducted at a Denver community health center (9/2014–3/2019) evaluated BLLs from initial domestic medical examinations (DME) in 312 FRA refugees (13–45 years). Associations between elevated BLL and demographic factors were explored using multivariable regression analysis. Of 312 FRA refugees, BLLs ranged from < 2.0 to 26.2 mcg/dL, 5% had elevated BLLs. Of pregnant refugees (49), 4% had elevated BLLs. Afghani country of origin was positively associated with elevated BLLs, adjusting for age (FRA: Prevalence Ratio 6.90 [2.68–17.77], p < 0.0001). Afghani FRA refugees, irrespective of pregnancy and breast-feeding status, should have BLL testing at DME. Nationally representative evaluations of FRA refugees are needed to determine if BLL screening should be expanded to all FRA refugees, irrespective of pregnancy or breast-feeding status.
Treatment Updates in Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Postural tachycardia syndrome is a common condition characterized by the presence of orthostatic intolerance in conjunction with excessive postural tachycardia. This review will focus on treatment updates in postural tachycardia syndrome and will include a discussion of rehabilitative, vasopressor, heart rate modulation, volume expansion, and immunomodulatory treatment strategies. A recent study added to existing literature the benefits of exercise retraining in postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) patients who were able to successfully complete a 3-month exercise regimen. Another recent, novel study reported the benefits of respiratory retraining in POTS patients reporting breathlessness. The benefits of volume expansion in the treatment of POTS were strengthened by 2 recent studies, including a study demonstrating the value of oral rehydration salts in improving hemodynamic parameters in POTS patients and another prospective study demonstrating the value of IV saline infusions in POTS patients. A recent meta-analysis reviewed the efficacy of ivabradine in the treatment of POTS, while another systematic review and meta-analysis reviewed the benefits of metoprolol in the treatment of childhood and adolescent POTS. Also included in this review is that of a large clinical trial comparing propranolol and bisoprolol alone and with pyridostigmine, demonstrating efficacy of beta blockers and an absence of any clear additive benefit with pyridostigmine. A retrospective review of droxidopa in a large POTS cohort reported improvement in only 27% of POTS patients. Recent approaches to the pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment of cognitive dysfunction and fatigue in POTS patients were reviewed. Finally, a retrospective series of the benefits of intravenous immunoglobulin in POTS suspected of being autoimmune is reviewed. The treatment of postural tachycardia syndrome is complex and nuanced, requiring a combination of lifestyle and pharmacologic treatments in most patients. This review provides treatment updates for this enigmatic condition.
PEDOMETER-DETERMINED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS IN INNER-CITY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Objectives Many children in inner-city schools spend an entire school-day sitting. Even on days with physical education (PE), it is unclear whether students’ physical activity levels increase. Objectives: 1) To determine students’ baseline physical activity levels; 2) To assess students’ physical activity levels on days with or without PE. Methods A prospective observational study of kindergarten and first grade students in inner-city elementary school. We obtained subjects’ height, weight and demographic data. Physical activity was measured by a sealed Yamax Digi-Walker pedometer worn by subjects during 5 consecutive school days. We calculated body mass index (BMI) for age and defined “overweight” as a BMI ⩾85%. Mean number of steps was computed for days with and without PE. We compared mean number of steps to BMI-referenced standards. Independent and paired samples t-tests were used. Results Of 179 participants, 169 (94.4%) had complete data. 48.5% were male; mean age was 5.9 years (SD 0.6). Over 47% of students were “overweight”. Students took an average of 2606 (SD 1255) steps/day. In contrast, the published norm for pedometer-determined steps in 6-year-old children is 6599 (SD 1008) steps. Similarly, overweight students took fewer steps than published standards for overweight 6-year-old children (2587 (SD 1239) vs 4988 (SD 1206)). Overall, students took significantly more steps on PE days than on non-PE days (2798 vs 2571, p = 0.004). Conclusions Pedometer-measured physical activity in inner-city students is substantially lower than reported norms. Although students took more steps on PE days, this number was also less than the recommended standard.
Sequential ilioinguinal or anterior intrapelvic approach with anterior approach to the hip during combined internal fixation and total hip arthroplasty for acetabular fractures

This study examined the complications and outcomes of geriatric acetabular fractures treated with open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) performed via combined ilioinguinal or anterior intrapelvic (AIP) approach to acetabulum and anterior approach to the hip. Eight patients with a fracture of the acetabulum were treated at a Level I trauma center between 2010 and 2019 with combined ORIF/THA using an ilioinguinal or AIP approach for the acetabulum and a separate anterior approach to the hip. Wound dehiscence, peri-incisional skin necrosis, surgical site infection, dislocation, fracture union, acetabular component stability, and heterotopic ossification (HO) were utilized as outcome measures. Merle d'Aubigne–Postel scores were collected for the six patients that had one-year minimum follow-up. The mean patient age was 77 years. Four patients had anterior wall fractures, two had associated both column fractures, and two had anterior column–posterior hemitransverse fractures. All fractures healed with stable fixation of the acetabular component by 6 months. There were no instances of skin necrosis, dislocation, infection, or re-operation. One patient had a superficial wound dehiscence that resolved with local wound care. One patient developed radiographic HO but was clinically asymptomatic. The mean Merle d'Aubigne–Postel score was 15.8 (range = 14–16). Our small series of geriatric patients with fracture of the acetabulum treated with combined ORIF/THA, via the ilioinguinal or AIP approach with a separate anterior approach to the hip, demonstrates satisfactory outcomes with low complications after one-year of follow-up. Further research of these challenging injuries with more patients is warranted in order to determine the subset of fracture types best treated with this method and THA survivorship.
Building Ho’s Army: Chinese Military Assistance to North Vietnam: Xiaobing Li, Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2019. 296 pp. Hardcover. $50. ISBN: 9780813177946

A major historiographic development in the post-Cold War study of the Cold War has been the increased use of multinational and multilingual archives. The use of a wide range of primary sources has ...
The Importance of Pets During a Global Pandemic: See Spot Play

This chapter discusses my personal experiences as a clinician who contracted COVID-19, as a director of a nonprofit animal sanctuary, and as a clinician working in animal-assisted therapy (AAT) who has had to modify her treatment model in consideration of the quarantine health mandates. Although the human-animal bond has long been acknowledged as an effective treatment model, it is still considered a burgeoning field. The current health crisis has brought the benefits of the human-animal bond to the forefront of public perception. Both zooeyia (the benefits of the human-animal bond) and zoonosis (diseases transmitted by animals) will be discussed, as well as adaptations to AAT to work with clients remotely during quarantine regulations.
Biochar addition to vineyard soils: effects on soil functions, grape yield and wine quality

In response to increasing concerns over climate change, soil health and wine quality, grape growers are seeking new practices (e.g., biochar application) to minimize their environmental footprint while increasing productivity and the quality of their products. To explore the potential of biochar-based amendments to achieve these goals in wine grape production, vineyard trials were established in the fall of 2018. Two Oregon sites were chosen with distinct soil types and climates (Willamette Valley and Rogue Valley) but planted with the same grapevine scion/rootstock Pinot noir combination. Four treatments were applied under vines at each location: no biochar-no tillage (NT); no biochar + tillage (B0); 18 tons ha−1 biochar + tillage (B18); 35 tons ha−1 biochar + tillage (B35). In 2019, a suite of soil health, plant, and crop variables were measured, and wines were produced after harvest. The incorporation of biochar modified the chemical and physical composition of soils at the two studied locations, increasing the bioavailability of carbon and nitrogen, their gravimetric water content and the concentration of plant available micro and macro nutrients. No responses of plant physiology parameters or productivity at either site were found after biochar incorporation when compared with controls. Conversely, a significant and gradual decrease in the amount of wine tannins was found as a result of biochar application in wines produced from grapes from the Woodhall location. Long-term field experiments are required to assess the effects of biochar on soil properties, vine physiology, productivity, and grape and wine quality several years after incorporation.
Racial Differences in the Risk of Prenatal Depression Among Women Experiencing Childhood and Adult Stressors.

INTRODUCTION Stress exposure during a woman's own childhood and adulthood likely elevate risk of prenatal depression (PND). However, most PND screening tools fail to assess for events prior to conception. This study examined the differential effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and adult life stressors on PND. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted among 199 racially diverse pregnant women, ages 18 to 43, recruited from clinics and ongoing university-based studies between 2012 and 2018. The ACE Scale assessed maternal childhood trauma exposure. Validated scales examining subjective stressors assessed for chronic adult stressors. PND was assessed with the Edinburgh Depression Scale, with the Rini Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale as a covariate. Associations were measured using multivariable linear regression modeling. Results were stratified by self-identified Black or white race. RESULTS Among 199 participants, mean age was 26.8 years and 67.8% were Black. Controlling for age, race, education, and prenatal anxiety, all participants reporting both childhood trauma and adult stressors were at increased risk for PND (p < 0.0001). PND risk was increased among Black women with childhood stressors (p < 0.01) or three or more adult stressors (p < 0.0001) and among White women following any number of adult stressors (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION These findings highlight the importance of cumulative exposure to stress and trauma across the life span as indicators of risk for PND. Black and white participants had differential development of risk, depending on timing and number of exposures. Prenatal depression risk screening during routine prenatal care should include an assessment of current and historical trauma and stressors.
OSHA’S Chemical Regulations, 1970–1976

The adverse effects of asbestos were well documented long before the Occupational Safety and Health Act. By 1918, U.S. and Canadian insurance companies had stopped selling life insurance policies to asbestos workers. In the early 1920’s, a new disease involving progressive scarring of the lungs leading to respiratory disability and heart failure was noted, and it was called asbestosis. By the 1930’s, there were suspicions that asbestos was a carcinogen; this was confirmed by British and American studies in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Database Limitations: Other Information Needs

It must be said that the “screening” procedures that are being used with these data are trustworthy only if they determine that the pollution potential for a specific pesticide site use situation is extremely high or extremely low. More accurate predictions can be made using computer simulation modeling to integrate a much more detailed process description, which includes more information about the properties of the chemical and the use and site situation of concern. Considerable progress is being made in this area [49,61], and it is clear that the adequate characterization of a pesticide’s behavior in the environment (not to mention its toxicology) requires more than six parameters. The Beltsville ARS database [116], which contains the six parameters compiled here plus heats of vaporization, phase transition temperatures, hydrolysis and photolysis rate constants, and specific soil sorption coefficients, is a step in the right direction. Although many of those data are missing, much of that will become available as part of the reregistration process, and the quality and completeness of reporting of that data should be improved as a result of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) compliance.
The effect of cultural distance on contracting decisions: The case of executive compensation☆

Abstract This paper focuses on how differences in national culture may relate to cross-country differences in the structure of executive compensation contracts. We know that firms design executive compensation contracts to reduce conflicts of interest between owners and managers. We contend that cultural context affects these conflicts of interest and hypothesize that firms from cultures that are similar (different) should design compensation contracts that are similar (different). To specify cultural context, we calculate cultural distance using value dimensions from Hofstede (1980) and test for a relation between culture and contracting using compensation data for 39 countries from 1996–2009. Our findings indicate that culture is a significant determinant of cross-sectional differences in compensation structures. These results are robust to our use of instrumental variables methodologies (to mitigate concerns of potential omitted variables and reverse causation). By exploring the relatively unexplored impact of national culture on compensation structure, we hope to contribute to a better overall understanding of contracting decisions.
Stand-replacing fires reduce susceptibility of lodgepole pine to mountain pine beetle outbreaks in Colorado

Aim As climate change is increasing the frequency, severity and extent of wildfire and bark beetle outbreaks, it is important to understand how these disturbances interact to affect ecological patterns and processes, including susceptibility to subsequent disturbances. Stand-replacing fires and outbreaks of mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae, are both important disturbances in the lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta, forests of the Rocky Mountains. In the current study we investigated how time since the last stand-replacing fire affects the susceptibility of the stand to MPB outbreaks in these forests. We hypothesized that at a stand-scale, young post-fire stands (< c. 100–150 years old) are less susceptible to past and current MPB outbreaks than are older stands. Location Colorado, USA. Methods We used dendroecological methods to reconstruct stand-origin dates and the history of outbreaks in 23 lodgepole pine stands. Results The relatively narrow range of establishment dates among the oldest trees in most sampled stands suggested that these stands originated after stand-replacing or partially stand-replacing fires over the past three centuries. Stands were affected by MPB outbreaks in the 1940s/1950s, 1980s and 2000s/2010s. Susceptibility to outbreaks generally increased with stand age (i.e. time since the last stand-replacing fire). However, this reduced susceptibility of younger post-fire stands was most pronounced for the 1940s/1950s outbreak, less so for the 1980s outbreak, and did not hold true for the 2000s/2010s outbreak. Main conclusions Younger stands may not have been less susceptible to the most recent outbreak because: (1) after stands reach a threshold age of > 100–150 years, stand age does not affect susceptibility to outbreaks, or (2) the high intensity of the most recent outbreak reduces the importance of pre-disturbance conditions for susceptibility to disturbance. If the warm and dry conditions that contribute to MPB outbreaks concurrently increase the frequency and/or extent of severe fires, they may thereby mitigate the otherwise increased landscape-scale susceptibility to outbreaks. Potential increases in severe fires driven by warm and dry climatic trends may lead to a negative feedback by making lodgepole pine stands less susceptible to future MPB outbreaks.
Chapter 1 - Mass transfer in axial flows through randomly packed fiber bundles

1. ABSTRACT The literature contains numerous correlations of mass transfer coefficients for axial flows through randomly packed fiber bundles. The predictions of these correlations can differ by an order of magnitude. This large variation severely limits the usefulness of the correlations for design purposes and confounds an understanding of the underlying physics. While the literature suggests randomness in fiber packing may contribute to the variation, a rigorous analysis of mass transfer in randomly packed bundles has not been reported. The results of such analyses are summarized here for uniform wall concentration and uniform wall mass flux boundary conditions. The results indicate that channeling through randomly packed bundles can dramatically reduce mass transfer coefficients relative to regularly packed bundles, especially in the well-developed limit. However, experimental mass transfer coefficients are significantly different from predicted values for regularly and randomly packed bundles; the literature contains correlations that predict much higher and much lower values. This suggests that other factors can control performance such as cross-flow regions that exist near shell ports or poor fluid distribution from the shell inlet port.
Enhanced recovery of cytomegalovirus in conventional tube cultures with a spin-amplified adsorption

Low-speed centrifugation-mediated adsorption was evaluated as an enhancement of infectivity of clinical and laboratory strains of cytomegalovirus (CMV) occurring with cells grown in conventional culture tubes. The time required for reporting of primary isolates of CMV from urine specimens adsorbed onto monolayers of WI-38 cells in culture tubes was calculated. Of 668 specimens adsorbed by the stationary phase (SP) method, 98 were positive by cytopathic effect (CPE) that required an average of 16.8 days for recovery in culture. However, the appearance of CPE required a shorter average time of 11.9 days for 70 CMV strains isolated from 283 specimens adsorbed in tube cultures by the spin-amplified (SA) method. In another phase of clinical CMV recovery, urine specimens were adsorbed by the SA method onto cell cultures grown in both shell vials and test tubes. Of 594 specimens inoculated, a total of 74 were positive by either CPE in test tubes or immunostaining-localized early antigen in shell vials. Approximately one-third of these CMV isolates were recovered only by CPE from specimens adsorbed by the SA method in test-tube cultures. In a related study to further evaluate differences between adsorption methods, the AD-169 laboratory strain of CMV was adsorbed by SP and SA methods onto MRC-5 cells grown in both culture vessels. Early antigen detection by immunomicroscopy was found in the infected cells at least 2 to 4 days prior to the appearance of CPE, regardless of adsorption procedure. In both vessels, the replication of AD-169 virus in cultures adsorbed by the SA method consistently exceeded that of virus adsorbed by the SP procedure. CPE occurred 24 to 48 h earlier and progressed two to four times more extensively; early antigen was expressed two- to fourfold greater within 24 to 48 h postinfection; and foci of infected cells containing late antigen were two to four times greater in number at 1, 2, and 5 days postinfection. Overall, the replication and enhancement of infectivity of laboratory and clinical strains of CMV as determined by CPE and early and late antigen expression occurred most efficiently with specimens adsorbed by the SA method onto cultures grown in conventional tubes or shell vials.
Iterative Snapping of Odometry Trajectories for Path Identification

An increasing number of mobile devices are capable of automatically sensing and recording rich information about the surrounding environment. Spatial locations of such data can help to better learn about the environment. In this work, we address the problem of identifying the locations visited by a mobile device as it moves within an indoor environment. We focus on devices equipped with odometry sensors that capture changes in motion. Odometry suffers from cumulative errors of dead reckoning but it captures the relative shape of the traversed path well. Our approach will correct such errors by matching the shape of the trajectory from odometry to traversable paths of a known map. Our algorithm is inspired by prior vehicular GPS map matching techniques that snap global GPS measurements to known roads. We similarly wish to snap the trajectory from odometry to known hallways. Several modifications are required to ensure these techniques are robust when given relative measurements from odometry. If we assume an office-like environment with only straight hallways, then a significant rotation indicates a transition to another hallway. As a result, we partition the trajectory into line segments based on significant turns. Each trajectory segment is snapped to a corresponding hallway that best maintains the shape of the original trajectory. These snapping decisions are made based on the similarity of the two curves as well as the rotation to transition between hallways. We will show robustness under different types of noise in complex environments and the ability to propose coarse sensor noise errors.
Reliability and reproducibility of quantitative assessment of left ventricular function and volumes with 3-slice segmentation of cine steady-state free precession short axis images.

Abstract Objectives Quantitative assessment of left ventricular (LV) functional parameters in cardiac MR requires time-consuming contour tracing across multiple short axis images. This study assesses global LV functional parameters using 3-slice segmentation on steady state free precision (SSFP) cine short axis images and compares the results with conventional multi-slice segmentation of LV. Methods Data were collected from 61 patients who underwent cardiac MRI for various clinical indications. Semi-automated cardiac MR software was used to trace LV contours both at multiple slices from base to apex as well as just 3 slices (base, mid, and apical) by two readers. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), LV volumes, and LV mass were calculated using both methods. Results Bland–Altman plot revealed narrow limits of agreement (−4.4% to 5.1%) between LVEF obtained by the two methods. Bland–Altman analysis showed slightly wider limits of agreement between end-diastolic volumes (−5.0 to 12.0%; −3.9 to 8.5ml/m 2 ), end-systolic volumes (−10.9 to 14.7%; −4.1 to 6.5ml/m 2 ), and LV mass (−5.2 to 12.7%; −4.8 to 10.2g/m 2 ) obtained by the two methods. There was a small mean difference between LV volumes and LV mass obtained using multi-slice and 3-slice segmentation. No statistically significant difference existed between the LV parameters obtained by the two readers using 3-slice segmentation ( p >0.05). Multi-slice assessment required approximately 15min per study while 3-slice assessment required less than 5min. Conclusions 3-slice segmentation of the left ventricle at basal, mid, and apical levels on cine SSFP short axis images can provide rapid and reliable assessment of LVEF with good reproducibility. The 3-slice method also provides a reasonable estimate of the LV volumes and LV mass.
Linkage of the Wilson disease gene to chromosome 13 in North-American pedigrees.

Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting in copper accumulation to toxic levels. Patients may present with neurologic, hepatic, or hematologic disease at any age between the first and fifth decade of life. Because of clinical heterogeneity, genetic heterogeneity in the etiology of the disease has been proposed. Recently, linkage of the WD locus to loci on 13q has been demonstrated in five Middle-Eastern kindreds. We have used esterase D and several polymorphic markers on 13q to investigate linkage in WD pedigrees from the United States and Canada. Ten kindreds, three with hepatic and seven with neurologic presentations, were informative, yielding a lod score of 2.189 at a recombination fraction of .06 with probe 7F12 at D13S1. Patients were generally of mixed European background, but one particularly informative pedigree was Hispanic. Our data confirm the provisional assignment of the gene for WD to 13q. More specifically, our findings indicate that, irrespective of ethnic background or clinical presentation, the linkage to 13q will be present in most pedigrees. The relative lack of linkage heterogeneity indicates that closely linked polymorphic loci on 13q can be useful in prenatal and presymptomatic diagnosis and in heterozygote detection.
Apparent and true resistant hypertension: definition, prevalence and outcomes

Resistant hypertension, defined as blood pressure (BP) remaining above goal despite the use of > or =3 antihypertensive medications at maximally tolerated doses (one ideally being a diuretic) or BP that requires > or =4 agents to achieve control, has received more attention with increased efforts to improve BP control rates and the emergence of device-based therapies for hypertension. This classically defined resistant group consists of patients with true resistant hypertension, controlled resistant hypertension and pseudo-resistant hypertension. In studies where pseudo-resistant hypertension cannot be excluded (for example, 24-h ambulatory BP not obtained), the term apparent resistant hypertension has been used to identify 'apparent' lack of control on > or =3 medications. Large, well-designed studies have recently reported the prevalence of resistant hypertension. Pooling prevalence data from these studies and others within North America and Europe with a combined sample size of >600,000 hypertensive participants, the prevalence of resistant hypertension is 14.8% of treated hypertensive patients and 12.5% of all hypertensives. However, the prevalence of true resistant hypertension, defined as uncontrolled both by office and 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring with confirmed medication adherence, may be more meaningful in terms of identifying risk and estimating benefit from newer therapies like renal denervation. Rates of cardiovascular events and mortality follow mean 24-h ambulatory BPs in patients with resistant hypertension, and true resistant hypertension represents the highest risk. The prevalence of true resistant hypertension has not been directly measured in large trials; however, combined data from smaller studies suggest that true resistant hypertension is present in half of the patients with resistant hypertension who are uncontrolled in the office. Our pooled analysis shows prevalence rates of 10.1% and 7.9% for uncontrolled resistant hypertension among individuals treated for hypertension and all hypertensive individuals, respectively.
Mutations in Lettuce Improvement

Lettuce is a major vegetable in western countries. Mutations generated genetic variations and played an important role in the domestication of the crop. Many traits derived from natural and induced mutations, such as dwarfing, early flowering, male sterility, and chlorophyll deficiency, are useful in physiological and genetic studies. Mutants were also used to develop new lettuce products including miniature and herbicide-tolerant cultivars. Mutant analysis was critical in lettuce genomic studies including identification and cloning of disease-resistance genes. Mutagenesis combined with genomic technology may provide powerful tools for the discovery of novel gene alleles. In addition to radiation and chemical mutagens, unconventional approaches such as tissue or protoplast culture, transposable elements, and space flights have been utilized to generate mutants in lettuce. Since mutation breeding is considered nontransgenic, it is more acceptable to consumers and will be explored more in the future for lettuce improvement.
Effect of strain and stress on the relative dimensions of the 'hard' and 'soft' regions in crept NaCl single crystals

It is shown that the L exp h and L exp s ratio, where these are respectively the average dimensions of the hard and soft regions as a function of stress and strain in crept NaCl single crystals, significantly influences the steady-state creep and power-law breakdown in these crystals. This is suggested to be due to a change in the internal stresses of the material. The present observations also indicate that steady-state creep is more likely to be influenced by the degree of refinement in the cell boundaries within the subgrains than by the formation of equiaxed subgrains under power-law conditions.
Abstract 981: The role of caffeine in sensitizing lung cancer cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Cisplatin is an important anticancer drug that has been used widely for treatment of many types of cancer, including lung cancer. The effectiveness of the drug, however, often diminishes quickly due to the development of tumor cell drug resistance in patients. Therefore, it is important to explore different strategies that either can sensitize tumor cells to cisplatin or can reverse the tumor cell drug resistance. We have studies the effect of caffeine in cisplatin-induced apoptosis of lung cancer cells. Using both CRL5985 lung adenocarcinoma cells and HTB182 lung squamous carcinoma cells, the results of our caspase-3 activation studies demonstrated that the caffeine prior treatment significantly increased the cisplatin-induced caspase-3 activation in these lung cancer cells. Our quantitative PCR (real time PCR) results revealed that the prior caffeine treatment caused a great increase in transcription of PUMA, a pro-apoptotic protein, in the cisplatin-treated HTB182 and CRL5985 lung cancer cells. Our western blot results further indicated that the protein level of the PUMA was significantly more increased when the lung cancer cells was treated with caffeine prior to the cisplatin treatment. In addition, our western blot results also revealed that the phosphorylation level of Chk1 at serine 317 was decreased but the phosphorylation level of ATM at serine 1981 was increased for the lung cancer cells treated with caffeine prior to the cisplatin treatment compared to that of the cells treated with only cisplatin. These results suggest that caffeine can sensitize lung cancer cells to cisplatin via inhibiting ATR but increasing ATM activation, resulting in an increase in PUMA expression and apoptosis of the treated lung cancer cells. Therefore, caffeine can sensitize lung cancer cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Citation Format: Gan Wang. The role of caffeine in sensitizing lung cancer cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 981. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-981
Molecular-Dynamics Simulation of the Surface Diffusion of n-Alkanes on Pt(111)

Abstract In the present study, the equilibrium adsorption and the dynamics of surface diffusion in a model of ethane and n-butane on a Pt(111) surface were simulated with molecular dynamics. At low temperatures, we found that both admolecules adsorb in a specific binding site. Through analysis of the trajectories, several features of the dynamics were resolved. At low temperature, we observed that diffusion occurs through a nearest-neighbor hopping mechanism involving both lateral rotation and axial translation. At high temperatures, the admolecule makes multiple-site hops and nonlocalized long flights. The temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficients was analyzed and was found to exhibit good Arrhenius behavior. The apparent diffusion coefficients follow trends seen in related experimental studies. In the case of ethane, a comparison between the diffusion barrier measured in the molecular-dynamics simulations and the theoretical barrier predicted by transition-state theory indicates that the simu...
Bilateral parotid diffuse hyperplastic oncocytosis : Case report

p n oncocyte is an epithelial cell that probably origiates from a metaplasia of acinar or ductal epithelim. It is larger than an acinar cell and has an abunant granular eosinophilic cytoplasm, a well-marked order, and a centrally placed pyknotic nucleus. The ytoplasm is filled with tightly packed pleomorphic itochondria. Although its biologic significance has ot been definitively ascertained, the cell’s appearnce may represent an intracellular age-related metaolic disturbance caused by a defect in the mitochonria. Mitochondria produce energy through the anufacture of adenosine triphosphate. Aging is hought to cause a functional exhaustion of mitochonrial enzymes, resulting in a compensatory mitochonrial hyperplasia that occupies approximately 0% of the cellular cytoplasm. Oncocytic cells are most commonly found in the alivary glands, thyroid, parathyroid, and kidney, ith the parotid gland being the most common site. mall regions of oncocytic metaplasia are frequently een in normal salivary glands. By the age of 70 years, ncocytes can be universally found in all parotid lands. As with any cell, the oncocyte has the bility to proliferate. This cellular activity has been lassified into 3 histologic patterns. The diffuse yperplastic oncocytosis (DHO) and the multifocal odular oncocytic hyperplasia (MNOH) are thought o be hyperplastic in nature, whereas the third (onocytoma) is considered to be a true neoplasm. Regardless, the difference between the hyperplaias and neoplasm is not distinct. Clear cells are ften seen in oncocytic lesions and at times are pre-