cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactions Between Enteric Viruses and the Gut Microbiota

Abstract The mammalian host harbors an immense population of nonpathogenic microorganisms on its body surfaces termed the commensal flora or the microbiota. The gut lumen is particularly densely populated with commensal bacteria. A symbiotic relationship exists between the host and its resident intestinal microbes that strongly influences host metabolism, mucosal immunity, and susceptibility to pathogenic microbes. Since enteric viruses encounter this microbial community within the gut lumen, it is highly probable that interactions occur that positively or negatively influence the outcome of viral infection. Indeed, collective results over the past 5 years pertaining to poliovirus, reovirus, rotavirus, human and murine noroviruses, and an enteric retrovirus revealed that enteric viruses have generally evolved strategies to exploit commensal bacteria to promote efficient infection. Although the mechanisms being uncovered are diverse, they segregate into two general categories. First, commensal bacteria directly facilitate enteric viral infections by promoting viral attachment to the surface of permissive cells or enhancing viral stability. Second, commensal bacterial interactions impact antiviral immune responses in a manner conducive to successful viral infection. All bacterial ligands identified to date are bacterial surface-expressed polysaccharides. Future investigations into detailed mechanisms by which commensal bacteria stimulate viral infections of the intestine will undoubtedly reveal novel therapeutic and prevention strategies targeting these interactions.
A comparison between two ways to measure minimum frequency and an experimental test of vocal plasticity in red-winged blackbirds in response to noise

We examined whether red-winged blackbirds modulate their vocalizations in response to experimental highway noise, alternating between ambient-control and noise-playback periods. Our measures of song duration were shorter, and with a lower value of freq5% (a measure of energy distribution), during noise-playback; however, we interpret these results as noise-induced artefacts. This apparent lack of vocal plasticity should be taken cautiously because we had a small sample size and most birds produced only one song type: song type-related vocal plasticity was unlikely to be found. We found no evidence of a shift in minimum frequency with noise when this was measured with a threshold method on power spectra, but it seemed to increase when measured by eye from spectrograms. Our results suggest that the by-eye practice can lead to bias, which is problematic as several previous studies have used this procedure. Use of the threshold method, over the by-eye practice, is encouraged.
The Role of Sleep Duration on Energy Balance: an Update

The relation between sleep duration and weight status is well established, and growing evidence suggests this relation is causal. However, the mechanisms underlying the sleep/obesity relation remain controversial. We have previously reviewed the evidence relating sleep restriction to energy balance regulation, uncovering much discrepancy in physiological/hormonal explanations. Herein, we perform an in-depth assessment of the evidence, published since 2012, of the impact of sleep restriction on energy balance regulation. Increased energy intakes as a result of sleep curtailment are consistently observed, but effects on its hormonal regulators are debatable. Future studies should continue to enroll women, perform hormonal measurements under controlled, weight maintenance feeding conditions, and lengthen the intervention period beyond five nights to elucidate the mechanism linking sleep and obesity.
From Berman and Hafner's teleological context to Baude and Sachs' interpretive defaults: an ontological challenge for the next decades of AI and Law

This paper revisits the challenge of Berman and Hafner's "missing link" paper on representing teleological structure in case-based legal reasoning. It is noted that this was mainly an ontological challenge to represent some of what made legal reasoning distinctive, which was given less attention than factual similarity in the dominant AI and Law paradigm, deriving from HYPO. The response to their paper is noted and briefly evaluated. A parallel is drawn to a new challenge to provide deep structure to the legal context of textual meaning, drawing on the forthcoming work of two Constitutional law scholars who appear to place some faith in the ways of thinking that AI and Law has developed.
A thermal model and its application to semiconductively glazed insulators

If the thermal effect of semiconductive1y glazed insulator is to keep the whole insulator dry in a moist environment, the thermal model can be used to design an insulator glaze which minimizes total power loss without any unacceptable compromise in reliability.
Nonparametric network models for link prediction

Many data sets can be represented as a sequence of interactions between entities--for example communications between individuals in a social network, protein-protein interactions or DNA-protein interactions in a biological context, or vehicles' journeys between cities. In these contexts, there is often interest in making predictions about future interactions, such as who will message whom. A popular approach to network modeling in a Bayesian context is to assume that the observed interactions can be explained in terms of some latent structure. For example, tra_c patterns might be explained by the size and importance of cities, and social network interactions might be explained by the social groups and interests of individuals. Unfortunately, while elucidating this structure can be useful, it often does not directly translate into an effective predictive tool. Further, many existing approaches are not appropriate for sparse networks, a class that includes many interesting real-world situations. In this paper, we develop models for sparse networks that combine structure elucidation with predictive performance. We use a Bayesian nonparametric approach, which allows us to predict interactions with entities outside our training set, and allows the both the latent dimensionality of the model and the number of nodes in the network to grow in expectation as we see more data. We demonstrate that we can capture latent structure while maintaining predictive power, and discuss possible extensions.
Re/framing the “Good Russian Prisoner”: Challenges of Postcolonial Reassessment in Aleksandr Rogozhkin's Checkpoint

In 1994–96 the newly independent Russian media took the lead in interpreting the Russian army’s disorganized and brutal Chechen campaign as an authoritarian state’s abuse of its own citizens, innocent civilians, and inexperienced recruits who, in Harsha Ram’s words, were “caught in the spiral of violence resulting from Russian military aggression and Chechen reaction.” In their expository coverage of the uncaring Russian state on the one hand and the courageous but violent Chechen insurgents on the other, independent news channels employed the readily recognizable nineteenth century literary mythology of the Caucasus in which the post-Soviet Russian people now collectively filled the role of the proverbial Prisoner of the Mountains, traditionally a weary romantic poet persecuted in his oppressive homeland yet culturally alienated from the freedom-loving Caucasian tribes that hold him captive. In contrast to the news media’s dominant focus on the Russian people’s post-imperial trauma, several artists engaged the paradigmatic Prisoner myth more thoughtfully to reflect on the ordinary ethnic Russians’ role and responsibilities in a new post-imperial setting. Aleksandr Rogozhkin’s 1999 war drama Checkpoint (Blokpost) evoking Tolstoy’s early fiction about the Caucasus (along with Vladimir Makanin’s 1994 novella Prisoner of the Caucasus [Kavkazskii plennyi] and Sergei Bodrov’s 1996 cinematic adaptation of Lev Tolstoy’s eponymous tale, Prisoner of the Mountains [Kavkazskii plennik], challenges and complicates the independent media’s simplistic anti-state rhetoric, and critically examines the imperial-era mythology that serves as its ideological framework.
Axonal disruption in white matter underlying cortical sulcus tau pathology in chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disorder associated with repetitive traumatic brain injury. One of the primary defining neuropathological lesions in CTE, based on the first consensus conference, is the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau in gray matter sulcal depths. Post-mortem CTE studies have also reported myelin loss, axonal injury and white matter degeneration. Currently, the diagnosis of CTE is restricted to post-mortem neuropathological analysis. We hypothesized that high spatial resolution advanced diffusion MRI might be useful for detecting white matter microstructural changes directly adjacent to gray matter tau pathology. To test this hypothesis, formalin-fixed post-mortem tissue blocks from the superior frontal cortex of ten individuals with an established diagnosis of CTE were obtained from the Veterans Affairs-Boston University-Concussion Legacy Foundation brain bank. Advanced diffusion MRI data was acquired using an 11.74 T MRI scanner at Washington University with 250 × 250 × 500 µm3 spatial resolution. Diffusion tensor imaging, diffusion kurtosis imaging and generalized q-sampling imaging analyses were performed in a blinded fashion. Following MRI acquisition, tissue sections were tested for phosphorylated tau immunoreactivity in gray matter sulcal depths. Axonal disruption in underlying white matter was assessed using two-dimensional Fourier transform analysis of myelin black gold staining. A robust image co-registration method was applied to accurately quantify the relationship between diffusion MRI parameters and histopathology. We found that white matter underlying sulci with high levels of tau pathology had substantially impaired myelin black gold Fourier transform power coherence, indicating axonal microstructural disruption (r = −0.55, p = 0.0015). Using diffusion tensor MRI, we found that fractional anisotropy (FA) was modestly (r = 0.53) but significantly (p = 0.0012) correlated with axonal disruption, where lower FA was associated with greater axonal disruption in white matter directly adjacent to hyperphosphorylated tau positive sulci. In summary, our findings indicate that axonal disruption and tau pathology are closely associated, and high spatial resolution ex vivo diffusion MRI has the potential to detect microstructural alterations observed in CTE tissue. Future studies will be required to determine whether this approach can be applied to living people.
Outcomes Over 90-Day Episodes of Care in Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries Receiving Joint Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background In an effort to improve quality and reduce costs, payments are being increasingly tied to value through alternative payment models, such as episode-based payments. The objective of this study was to better understand the pattern and variation in outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries receiving lower extremity joint arthroplasty over 90-day episodes of care. Methods Observed rates of mortality, complications, and readmissions were calculated over 90-day episodes of care among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who received elective knee arthroplasty and elective or nonelective hip arthroplasty procedures in 2013-2014 (N = 640,021). Post–acute care utilization of skilled nursing and inpatient rehabilitation facilities was collected from Medicare files. Results Mortality rates over 90 days were 0.4% (knee arthroplasty), 0.5% (elective hip arthroplasty), and 13.4% (nonelective hip arthroplasty). Complication rates were 2.1% (knee arthroplasty), 3.0% (elective hip arthroplasty), and 8.5% (nonelective hip arthroplasty). Inpatient rehabilitation facility utilization rates were 6.0% (knee arthroplasty), 6.7% (elective hip arthroplasty), and 23.5% (nonelective hip arthroplasty). Skilled nursing facility utilization rates were 33.9% (knee arthroplasty), 33.4% (elective hip arthroplasty), and 72.1% (nonelective hip arthroplasty). Readmission rates were 6.3% (knee arthroplasty), 7.0% (elective hip arthroplasty), and 19.2% (nonelective hip arthroplasty). Patients' age and clinical characteristics yielded consistent patterns across all outcomes. Conclusion Outcomes in our national cohort of Medicare beneficiaries receiving lower extremity joint arthroplasties varied across procedure types and patient characteristics. Future research examining trends in access to care, resource use, and care quality over bundled episodes will be important for addressing the challenges of value-based payment reform.
Racial disparities in health conditions among prisoners compared with the general population

This paper compares black-white health disparities among prisoners to disparities in the noninstitutionalized community to provide a more complete portrait of the nation’s heath. We use data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities and the 2002 and 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for incarcerated and noninstitutionalized adult (aged 18–65) men and women, respectively. Health disparities between black and white male prisoners based on self-reported prevalence are similar to disparities in the general population for hypertension and diabetes but significantly reduced for kidney problems and stroke. Health disparities between black and white female prisoners are similar to disparities in the general population for obesity but significantly reduced for hypertension, diabetes, heart problems, kidney problems, and stroke. Our study reveals that prisoners report far worse health profiles than non-prisoners but there is differential health selection into prison for whites and blacks, and population health estimates for adult black men in particular underreport the true health burden for U.S. adults. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating prison populations in demographic and public health analyses.
Change in morphology and modern sediment thickness on the inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York between 2011 and 2014: Analysis of hurricane impact

Abstract Seafloor mapping investigations conducted on the lower shoreface and inner continental shelf offshore of Fire Island, New York in 2011 and 2014, the period encompassing the impacts of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, provide an unprecedented perspective regarding regional inner continental shelf sediment dynamics during large storm events. Analyses of these studies demonstrate that storm-induced erosion and sediment transport occurred throughout the study area in water depths up to 30 m. Acoustic backscatter patterns were observed to move from ~ 1 m to 450 m with a mean of 20 m and movement tended to decrease with increasing water depth. These patterns indicate that both of the primary inner continental shelf sedimentary features in the study area, linear sorted bedforms offshore of eastern Fire Island and shoreface-attached sand ridges offshore of central and western Fire island, migrated alongshore to the southwest. The migration of the sorted bedforms represents the modification of an active ravinement surface and is thought to have liberated a significant volume of sediment. Comparison of isopach maps of sediment thickness show that the volume of modern sediment composing the lower shoreface and shoreface-attached sand ridges decreased by ~ 2.8 × 106 m3 across the ~ 73 km2 of common seafloor mapped in both surveys. However, a similar analysis for the relatively calmer 15-yr period prior to 2011 revealed significant accretion. This allows speculation that the shoreface-attached sand ridges are maintained over decadal timescales via sediment supplied through erosion of Pleistocene outwash and lower Holocene transgressive channel-fill deposits exposed on the inner continental shelf, but that the sand ridges also periodically erode and move to the southwest during large storm events. Analyses show that significant storm-induced erosion and sediment transport occurs far seaward of the 5 to 9 m depth of closure assumed for Fire Island, where it is thought that an onshore-directed sediment flux from the inner continental shelf to the littoral system is required to balance the coastal sediment budget. It is also thought that the morphology of the shoreface-attached sand ridges controls the persistent shape of the adjacent shoreline through modification of incident waves. Thus, we suggest that the sediment dynamics of the inner continental shelf and both storm-induced and anthropogenic modification of the field of shoreface-attached sand ridges be considered in future coastal resiliency planning.
Interpretation of optical three-dimensional coherent spectroscopy

As an extension to powerful two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy, optical three-dimensional (3D) coherent spectroscopy has been experimentally implemented and found beneficial in studying various systems in physics and chemistry. A critical challenge is how to interpret 3D spectra and extract useful quantitative information, given the richness and complexity of 3D data. Here, we demonstrate how the information of a system's optical response is manifested in 3D spectra by theoretical simulations of a few representative examples including a homogeneous three-level V system, an inhomogeneous three-level V system, and an inhomogeneous three-level ladder system. These examples show that important parameters of the system can be extracted from the spectral pattern, peak positions, amplitudes, and line shapes. The method developed here can be used to analyze 3D spectra of more sophisticated systems which might be a generalization or combination of the three examples, contributing to develop a general approach for the interpretation of 3D spectra.
First Observations of Short-Period Eastward Propagating Planetary Waves From the Stratosphere to the Lower Thermosphere (110 km) in Winter Antarctica

Unique Fe lidar observations in May 2014 at McMurdo, combined with Aura-Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements, lead to a new discovery that the amplitudes of 4-day and 2.5-day planetary waves (PWs) grow rapidly from 1–2 K at 100 km to over 10 K at 110 km. This report is also the first observation of short-period (1–5 days) eastward propagating PWs from 30 km all the way to 110 km. The Specified Dynamics-Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model reproduces the observed three dominant peaks of amplitudes in temperature and coherent vertical phase structures. The data-model comparison indicates a possible mechanism: After PWs originated from the stratosphere dissipate along the critical level, the surviving waves are amplified by in-situ instability in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, resulting in the second (third) peak in geopotential (temperature). This third peak in temperature explains the PW amplitude growth from 100 to 110 km.
Unity in the Variety of Quotation

This chapter argues that while quotation marks are polysemous, the thread that runs through all uses of quotation marks that involve reference to expressions is pure quotation, in which an expression formed by enclosing another expression in quotation marks refers to that enclosed expression. We defend a version of the so-called disquotational theory of pure quotation and show how this device is used in direct discourse and attitude attributions, in exposition in scholarly contexts, and in so-called mixed quotation in indirect discourse and attitude attributions. We argue that uses of quotation marks that extend beyond pure quotation have two features in common. First, the expressions appearing in quotation marks are intended to be understood, and that they are intended to be understood is essential to the function that such quotations play in communication, though this does not always involve the expressions contributing their extensional properties to fixing truth conditions for the sentences in which they appear. Second, they appeal to a relation to the expression appearing in quotation marks that plays a role in determining the truth conditions of the sentences in which they appear.
Isolation and characterization of pathogenic leptospires associated with cattle.

Abstract Pathogenic leptospires colonize the renal tubules of reservoir hosts of infection, including cattle, and are excreted via urine. In order to identify circulating serovars of pathogenic leptospires in beef cattle, and their associated rates of urinary excretion, a cross sectional study was performed. Fifty urine samples were collected one day each month over 12 consecutive months (N = 600), directly from the bladder of beef cattle at a single slaughter facility and assessed for the presence of leptospires by culture and the fluorescent antibody test (FAT). Where possible, a matched serum sample was also collected for the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Forty-three urine samples were either culture positive or FAT positive, indicating that 7.2% of sampled beef cattle were actively excreting leptospires in urine. Twenty-three urine samples were culture positive. Sequence analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA and secY indicated that all isolates were Leptospira borgpetersenii. Typing by serology indicated that all isolates were serogroup Sejroe. An overall seroprevalence of 20% (MAT ≥ 1:25) was determined; positive bovine sera was most reactive to serogroup Sejroe (serovar Hardjo) (8.1%), and serogroup Australis (serovar Bratislava) (6.7%). There was poor correlation between seroprevalence and excretion of leptospires since 18/43 (41.9%) cattle, which were positive by culture or FAT, were seronegative. The virulence of two selected isolates of L. borgpetersenii was confirmed by experimental infection in small animal models of infection. Results confirm that L. borgpetesenii continues to circulate in beef cattle and that multiple diagnostic assays are required to detect active shedding. These findings also highlight beef cattle as a reservoir host for the potential zoonotic transmission of leptospires.
Simultaneous Turbulence Mitigation and Moving Object Detection

Turbulence mitigation refers to the stabilization of videos with non-uniform deformations due to the influence of optical turbulence. Typical approaches for turbulence mitigation follow averaging or de-warping techniques. Although these methods can reduce the turbulence, they distort the independently moving objects which can often be of great interest. In this chapter, we address the problem of simultaneous turbulence mitigation and moving object detection. We discuss a three-term low-rank matrix decomposition approach in which we decompose the turbulence sequence into three components: the background, the turbulence, and the object. This extremely difcult problem is simplified into a minimization of nuclear norm, Frobenius norm, and l 1 norm. This method is based on two observations: First, the turbulence causes dense Gaussian noise, and therefore can be captured by Frobenius norm (as the Frobenius norm is equivalent to a squared loss function), while the moving objects are sparse and thus can be captured by l 1 norm. Second, since the objects motion is linear and intrinsically different than the Gaussian-like turbulence, a Gaussian-based turbulence model can be employed to enforce an additional constraint on the search space of the minimization. We demonstrate the performance of the discussed approach on challenging sequences which are signicantly distorted with atmospheric turbulence and include extremely tiny moving objects.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Juvenile Victims of Sexual Abuse

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based intervention for use with children and adolescents who have been exposed to trauma and/or are experiencing traumatic grief. Although TF-CBT can be completed in as few as 12 sessions, additional sessions can be provided as needed. In this chapter, TF-CBT is reviewed and I provide information about use of this treatment with adolescents who have perpetrated abuse and are victims themselves. Included in this chapter is a treatment outline and worksheets that correspond to the various components of TF-CBT.
Manipulation of amino acid balance in maize seeds.

One of the major determinants that influence the nutritive values of plant seeds is the amino acid composition of seed proteins. A large fraction of seed proteins is constituted by the protein reserves referred to as seed storage proteins. They are synthesized in abundance in the embryo or the endosperm through a complex plant developmental program. These proteins serve as an essential nutrient source to support early plant seedling growth upon germination. Because of their abundance in plant seeds and their favorable amino acid composition, seed storage proteins of many agricultural crops have become the major source of nutrition for monogastric animals, including humans.
Efficiency and safety of animal cloning.

Developmental totipotency of the cell nuclei in the early embryonic stage was first clearly demonstrated by Spemann (1938). He ligated a recently fertilized newt egg so that cell division occurred in only one of two halves. When the nucleated portion cleaved to 8 to 16 cells, one of these nuclei was allowed to enter the uncleaved portion of the egg before it was completely separated from the rest. This resulted in the development of two normal larvae, indicating that the nuclei of an 8–16 cell embryo retain full developmental potential. Theoretically, 8–16 genetically identical offspring can be obtained from a single 8–16 cell embryo. Since most frontier experiments of animal cloning were carried out with the frog (Gurdon, 19622; Di Berardinom 1997), it was somewhat unexpected that the first animal cloned with an adult somatic cell was a mammal (sheep), not a frog. Almost all investigators thought that nuclei of adult somatic cells of the frog (and all other higher animals) were differentiated irreversibly and had lost their developmental totipotency. (1997) surprised the world by reporting the birth of a sheep (Dolly) that was cloned with an adult mammary gland cell. We (Wakayama et al., 1998) and (1998) soon confirmed that cloning with adult somatic cells was indeed possible, at least in the mouse and cattle. Subsequently, goats, pigs rabbits and a cat were cloned from adult somatic cells (Polejaeva et al., 2000; Behboodi et al., 2001; Chesne et al., 2002; Shin et al., 2002). The cells used for cloning include: cumulus cells, oviductal cells and skin cells (Table 1). Table 1. Comparison of cloning success rates1 in various animals Type of Donor Cell Species Total number of reconstructed (nuclear-transferred) oocytes Number (%) of live offspring Notes Ref2 FETAL Fibroblast Mouse 3057 5(0.2) 1 Bovine 276 4(1.4) 1 died 2 1896 6(0.3) 3 Goat 285 3(1.1) 4 Pig 210 1(0.5) 5 Sheep 417 14(3.4) 11 died within 6 months 6 JUVENILE Skin cell Bovine 175 1(0.6) Died 51 days later 7 Sertoli cell Mouse 1190 7(0.6) 8 ADULT Mammary gland cell Sheep 227 1(0.4) 9 Cumulus cell Mouse 2468 31(1.3) 10 Fibroblast Bovine 440 6(1.4) 2 died 11 664 8(1.2) 12 Granulosa cell Bovine 557 10(1.8) 13 Pig 977 5(0.5) 14 1 As many investigators did not describe the original numbers ofthe oocytes used for nuclear transfer, success rates of cloning shown here are based on the number of reconstructed oocytes. 2 Ref(1) Ono et al., 2001; (2) Cibelli et al., 1998; (3) Lanza et al., 2000; (4) Baguisi et al., 1999; (5) Onishi et al., 2000; (6) McCreath et al., 2000; (7) Renard et al., 1999; (8) Ogura et al., 2000; (9) Wimmut et al., 1997; (10) Wakayama et al., 1998; (11) Kubota et al., 2000; (12) Lacham-Kaplan et al., 2000; (13) Wells et al., 1999; (14) Polejaeva et al., 2000.
Chapter 2 – THIN FILMS ON ELECTRODES FOR DIRECT PROTEIN ELECTRON TRANSFER

Electron transfer reactions involving proteins or enzymes are of central importance to life. Photoinitiated electron transfer directed across membranes via reaction center proteins enables photosynthesis in plants and bacteria to provide food and oxygen. Direct electron exchange between enzymes and electrodes makes fundamental voltammetric studies of redox enzymes possible and allows electrodes to replace the enzyme's natural redox partners. There are a number of important enzymes, including glucose oxidase used in glucose sensors, for which efficient direct electron transfer is still in process to be achieved. Ultrathin films use only tiny amounts of enzyme, and direct electron transfer simplifies the system by eliminating the need for an electron mediator to communicate with the electrode. The chapter summarizes the research history of the electrochemistry of proteins, highlighting breakthroughs that fostered the development of modern thin-film protein bioelectrochemistry. The chapter includes studies with monomolecular protein films—including those formed in situ with the use of a coadsorbate to facilitate protein adsorption, or by covalent and electrostatic binding.
Why IDDQ Testing

The 80s saw a strong emphasis on quality and reliability primarily because end users of semiconductor ICs, like system houses, auto industry, etc., demanded it [333]. The transition to a globally competitive market in the 80s was the main cause of this added emphasis, by end users, on improving quality. These market forces have led to the standardization of very high quality,levels. These quality levels cannot be achieved without I DDQ testing.
Neurosyphilis: A Simulation Case for Emergency Medicine Residents.

Neurosyphilis is a dangerous and increasingly more prevalent sexually transmitted infection of the central nervous system caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum that can present during the advanced stages of the disease (tertiary syphilis). Health care providers must remain vigilant in screening for syphilis in patients with high-risk behaviors as a delay in diagnosis and treatment may lead to symptom progression and debilitating sequelae years later. To date, there have been no published simulation case studies on neurosyphilis. This simulation case, based on a real patient encounter, is written for emergency medicine residents to diagnose and manage a patient presenting with the sequelae of neurosyphilis. This case was run for four separate iterations at a simulation center with two residents and an attending physician acting as confederates. Following the case, learners were provided with bedside debriefing, and a question and answer session. Based on post-simulation qualitative assessment, junior residents alone were less likely to perform a comprehensive integumentary exam without the presence of senior residents, although both groups failed to elicit pertinent sexual history until they discovered syphilitic lesions. After case completion and debriefing, all learners were able to demonstrate the understanding of the primary learning objectives.
Attitude Estimation Algorithm of Abnormal Gait Recognition with Dynamic Step Conjugate Gradient

In this paper, a conjugate gradient hybrid filtering fusion algorithm for multi-sensor data fusion is proposed to solve the problems of gyroscope drift and cumulative error in gait analysis system based on inertial sensors. The algorithm improves the attitude resolution algorithm for abnormal gait recognition effectively. A conjugate gradient optimization algorithm with dynamic step length is proposed to solve the problem that the traditional conjugate gradient algorithm can only tackle the problem of the settlement accuracy under the constant motion rate. The step length is proportional to the actual physical angular velocity length of human motion, which meets the requirements of abnormal gait recognition under different motion rates. As for the problem of the inaccurate attitude calculation angle caused by motion acceleration generated from the non-uniformity of human motion, a motion acceleration suppression algorithm is proposed, which separates the gravity acceleration from motion acceleration to improve the accuracy of the gait analysis system. By comparing this fusion algorithm of conjugate gradient hybrid filter with other algorithms, we can conclude that the proposed algorithm can reduce the accumulated error of gyroscope and the interference of motion acceleration on the solution accuracy and improve the static performance and dynamic performance of the abnormal gait recognition system effectively.
A Running Performance Metric and Termination Criterion for Evaluating Evolutionary Multi- and Many-objective Optimization Algorithms

Researchers have spent a considerable effort in evaluating the goodness of a solution set obtained by an evolutionary multi-objective algorithm. However, most performance metrics assume that the knowledge of the exact Pareto-optimal set is available. Also, most metrics evaluate an algorithm’s performance based on the final solution set, which fails to capture their performance during intermediate generations. In this paper, we investigate a running performance metric which can be applied to measure the performance at any time during the algorithm execution and no true optimum needs to be known for computing the metric. In general, multi-objective algorithms either improve the convergence based on the dominance relation or the diversity in the solution set. Our proposed running metric makes use of this fact by keeping track of the indicators regarding the extreme points and the ND solution set each generation and derives measures of convergence and diversity. Moreover, by introducing a threshold and comparing the values of indicators a set of termination criteria is also suggested. Finally, we demonstrate how our running performance metric can be used to compare multiple evolutionary multi-objective algorithms with each other. An implementation of the proposed methodology is available at pymoo, a multi-objective optimization framework: https://pymoo.org.
Social Determinants and COVID-19 Disparities: Differential Pandemic Effects and Dynamics

The COVID-19 pandemic has had disproportionately negative impacts on socially disadvantaged and underserved populations around the world. Inequality and the related social determinants that impact certain groups are directly related to the adverse health outcomes of vulnerable populations during the pandemic. People in disadvantaged communities are generally more prone to occupational exposure to the virus and tend to have limited access to health care and higher rates of comorbidities. Outcomes related to widespread school closures are also of particular concern for underserved communities. Additionally, these populations are more susceptible to the negative economic outcomes of the pandemic. There is an urgent need for research and policy solutions regarding the impact of the COVID-19, with particular attention to the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, a foundation for which is offered in this discussion.
FD-UWA: Full-Duplex Underwater Acoustic Comms via Self-Interference Cancellation in Space

Traditionally, underwater acoustic communications is half duplex, i.e., the hydrophones and transducers operate in non-overlapping time-slots/frequency-bands in one direction at a time or frequency. To double the spectral efficiency and allow simultaneous transmission and reception in Full-Duplex mode (FD), a Self-Interference Cancellation (SIC) technique in space is introduced and deployed. Specifically, a novel underwater acoustic system is proposed to perform FD-SIC efficiently via an integrated design combining underwater Acoustic Vector Sensor (AVS) and Phased Array Transducer (PAT) to realize spatial SIC. The energy focusing function of the Beamformer (BF) helps PAT avoid self and mutual spatial interference. The AVS keeps updating the direction of arrival information to let BF adjust the steering angle via an adaptive protocol. The proposal is evaluated and verified via simulations in realistic underwater acoustic channels and is able to achieve 59 dB SIC at 80 kHz steering angle at -5 ° and at least 37 dB within the steering angle region before the input of digital SIC. This indicates that the design is a promising solution for the chosen angle region to perform spatial SIC as well as to prevent the grating lobe interference. The design is being experimentally validated using the data collected from an underwater testbed and implemented on an Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board that provides energy efficiency and real-time processing capabilities.
Statistically responsible artificial intelligences

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes ubiquitous, it will be increasingly involved in novel, morally significant situations. Thus, understanding what it means for a machine to be morally responsible is important for machine ethics. Any method for ascribing moral responsibility to AI must be intelligible and intuitive to the humans who interact with it. We argue that the appropriate approach is to determine how AIs might fare on a standard account of human moral responsibility: a Strawsonian account. We make no claim that our Strawsonian approach is either the only one worthy of consideration or the obviously correct approach, but we think it is preferable to trying to marry fundamentally different ideas of moral responsibility (i.e. one for AI, one for humans) into a single cohesive account. Under a Strawsonian framework, people are morally responsible when they are appropriately subject to a particular set of attitudes—reactive attitudes—and determine under what conditions it might be appropriate to subject machines to this same set of attitudes. Although the Strawsonian account traditionally applies to individual humans, it is plausible that entities that are not individual humans but possess these attitudes are candidates for moral responsibility under a Strawsonian framework. We conclude that weak AI is never morally responsible, while a strong AI with the right emotional capacities may be morally responsible.
The rare presentation of the de Winter's pattern: Case report and literature review

Abstract Although not classified as a ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), the patterns known as equivalents also require prompt recognition and treatment. A 50-year-old male with no pertinent history presented to the emergency department for chest pain that radiated to his left shoulder. An electrocardiogram (EKG) revealed findings consistent with the de Winter's pattern, which were greater than 1 mm upsloping ST depressions at the J point in leads V3-V6 (maximally in leads V3–V5), tall, peaked T waves in leads II, III, and V3–V5, ST elevations in lead aVR, and 1 mm ST elevation in V1 and V2. The physical exam, troponins, and other laboratory investigations were unrevealing. Urgent, diagnostic coronary angiography revealed complete occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which was successfully treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and two drug-eluting stents. After the stent placement, arterial blood flow was re-established and the ECG normalized. The patient was started on guideline based treatment and discharged home once medically stable. The de Winter's pattern on electrocardiogram indicates a significant coronary artery disease. This pattern requires urgent intervention, typically percutaneous stent placement.
Sperm cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization, and embryo freezing

Abstract The cryopreservation of gametes and tissues is one of the most efficient tools for managing both large and small collections of valuable genetic resources. Cryopreservation minimizes the expenses associated with animal and facility maintenance, such as personnel, water, power, and space. It extends the time that offspring can be produced from individual organisms, reduces the need to maintain live populations, provides flexibility for planning future experiments and research projects, and can prevent the catastrophic loss of irreplaceable research lines. For zebrafish, the cryopreservation of sperm has been routinely practiced since the 1980s, whereas the cryopreservation of embryos has not been possible until recently. In this chapter, we present the procedures for sperm collection, dilution, cryopreservation, thawing, and in vitro fertilization used at the Zebrafish International Resource Center to successfully bank fish lines. In the second part, we present the latest protocol developed at the University of Minnesota to cryopreserve fish embryos using microinjection, rapid cooling, and laser warming.
Broad-Spectrum Resistance Genes PI2(T) and PI9(T) are Clustered on Chromosome 6

Pi9(t) was introgressed from the wild rice Oryza minuta and Pi2(t) was transferred from a breeding line developed at CIAT. Both Pi2(t) and Pi9(t) were previously mapped on rice chromosome 6 and confer high level of resistance to diverse blast isolates. To further test their resistance spectrum, 43 blast isolates collected from 13 countries were used to inoculate the Pi2(t) and Pi9(t) plants. Pi9(t) was highly resistant to all isolates tested and Pi2(t) was resistant to 36 isolates, confirming the broad-spectrum resistance of these two genes to diverse blast isolates. To understand the molecular basis of broad-spectrum resistance, we conducted fine-mapping of the two blast resistance genes. A highresolution genetic map was established using RAPD markers tightly linked to Pi9(t). Using these markers, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) contig was constructed covering about 100 kb at the Pi9(t) locus. Interestingly, all the Pi9(t) markers closely segregated with the Pi2(t) gene in an F2 mapping population. Whether Pi9(t) and Pi2(t) are tightly linked or allelic is under investigation.
Toward integrated operator interface for advanced teleoperation under time-delay

This paper briefly describes an advanced teleoperator (ATOP) system and its control station where a variety of computer-based operator interface devices and techniques are integrated into a functional setting, accommodating a primary operator and secondary operators. Computer graphics is a key operator interface component in the control station where new types of manual interface devices also are employed. The results of some generic and application task experiments are summarized, including the performance of a simulated remote satellite servicing task, carried out under four to eight seconds communication time delay, using satellite TV and Internet computer communication links. In conclusion, the paper highlights the lessons learned so far. >
Controlling Engineering Problem Solving

Engineering problem solving requires both domain knowledge and an understanding of how to apply that knowledge. While much of the recent work in qualitative physics has focused on building reusable domain theories, there has been little attention paid to representing the control knowledge necessary for applying these models. This paper shows how qualitative representations and compositional modeling can be used to create control knowledge for solving engineering problems. This control knowledge includes modeling assumptions, plans and preferences. We describe an implemented system, called TPS (Thermodynamics Problem Solver) that illustrates the utility of these ideas in the domain of engineering thermodynamics. To date, TPS has solved over 30 problems, and its solutions are similar to those of experts. We argue that our control vocabulary can be extended to most engineering problem solving domains and employed in a variety of problem solving architectures.
Online Cruising Mile Reduction in Large-Scale Taxicab Networks

In the taxicab industry, a long-standing challenge is how to reduce taxicabs’ miles spent without fares, i.e., cruising miles. The current solutions for this challenge usually depend on passengers to actively provide their locations in advance for pickups. To address this challenge without the burden on passengers, in this paper, we propose a cruising system, $pCruise$ , for taxicab drivers to find efficient routes to pick up passengers to reduce cruising miles. According to the real-time pick-up events from nearby taxicabs, $pCruise$ characterizes a cruising process with a cruising graph , and assigns weights on edges of the cruising graph to indicate the utility of cruising corresponding road segments. Our weighting process considers the number of nearby passengers and taxicabs together in real-time, aiming at two scenarios where taxicabs are explicitly or implicitly coordinated with each other. Based on a weighted cruising graph, when a taxicab becomes vacant, $pCruise$ provides a distributed online scheduling strategy to obtain and update an efficient cruising route with the minimum length and at least one arriving passenger. We evaluate $pCruise$ based on a real-world GPS dataset from a Chinese city Shenzhen with $14{,}000$ taxicabs. The evaluation results show that $pCruise$ assists taxicab drivers to reduce cruising miles by $42$ percent on average.
EMT/MET: systems for modeling and detecting errant email

The Malicious Email Tracking (MET) system is an online "behavior-based" security system employing anomaly detection techniques to detect deviations from a system's or user's normal email behavior, rather than solely by attempting to identify known attacks against a system via signature-based methods. The Email Mining Toolkit (EMT) is an offline data analysis system designed to assist a security analyst compute, visualize and test models of email behavior for use in MET. In this paper, we enumerate the features implemented in the EMT system.
Effects of etravirine on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of warfarin in rats

Background and Purpose Warfarin is often used with etravirine (ETV) to prevent HIV-related thromboembolic events. As both warfarin and ETV bind to plasma proteins and are metabolized by hepatic cytochrome P450s, they are likely to interact. Hence, we evaluated the effect of ETV on the pharmacokinetics and blood clotting time of racemic warfarin in rats. Experimental Approach Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats, in which the jugular vein had been cannulated, were studied. The control group (n = 10) received 1 mg·kg−1 racemic warfarin i.v., and the test group (n = 13) 1 mg·kg−1 of racemic warfarin followed by 25 mg·kg−1 ETV i.v. Serial blood samples were collected for up to 144 h and the blood clotting time (calculated as international normalized ratio [INR]) measured in blood plasma at each sample point. Plasma concentrations of R-warfarin, S-warfarin, R-7-hydroxywarfarin and S-7-hydroxywarfarin were measured by a LC/MS/MS method using a chiral lux cellulose-1 column. Pharmacokinetic parameters were analysed using non-compartmental methods. Key Results ETV significantly increased, by threefold, the systemic clearance and volume of distribution of S-warfarin, but not those of R-warfarin. ETV decreased the total AUC of warfarin, but had no effect on its elimination half-life. ETV also increased the systemic clearance of both R-7-hydroxywarfarin and S-7-hydroxywarfarin but only increased the volume of distribution of R-7-hydroxywarfarin. Interestingly, the effect of warfarin on blood clotting time (INR) was significantly increased in the presence of etravirine. Conclusion and Implications Our data suggest that etravirine may potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin and this could have clinical significance.
Policy framework for automatic data management

The popularity of e-business has lead to an exponential and unstructured growth in the applications space coupled with an increase in the database size. This has led to an increase in the complexity of the database management task. Moreover, organizations are increasingly concerned about the privacy of data. Thus, managing such large ever growing and privacy-preserving database is complex and time-consuming task. In this paper, we describe a policy-based framework for autonomic database management using business objects. Our system automatically manages data based on events.