cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Challenges in Moving Adaptive Training & Education from State-of-Art to State-of-Practice

Adaptive training and education (ATE) systems are the convergence of intelligent tutoring system (ITS) technologies and external training and edu- cation capabilities (e.g., serious games, virtual humans and simulations). Like ITSs, ATEs provide instructional experiences that are tailored to the learner and may be more effective than the training or educational systems alone. ATEs al- so leverage existing environments, content and domain knowledge to reduce the authoring workload. The Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) is an open-source ATE architecture with the primary goal to support easy authoring, automated instructional management during ATE experiences, and a testbed to evaluate the effect of ATE tools and methods. While this paper addresses challenges and goals in bringing ATE solutions from state-of-art to state-of-practice within GIFT, it also highlights generalized challenges in mak- ing ITS technologies ubiquitous and practical on a large scale across a broader variety of domains.
Gas Chromatography on the Determination of Methyl Cyclohexane in Workplace Air

[Objective]To establish gas chromatography method for determination of methyl cyclohexane in workplace air.[Methods]The laboratory experiments and field experiment were performed according to Standardization of Methods for Determination of Ttoxic Substances in Workplace Air.[Results]The breakthrough capacity of methyl cyclohexane was more than 15.05 mg/ 100 mg activated carbon.When the concentration of methyl cyclohexane was 21.8～127 mg/m3,sampling efficiency was 99.63%～100%.The sample could be stored in the activated carbon tube at least for 8 days.The method has good reproducibility.The relative standard deviation of Different Concentrations was 4.4%～8.4%.The average desorption efficiency was 91.8%～97.4%.The lowest detection limit was 0.13 mg/m3.Benzene,toluene,n-hexane and n-heptane did not interfere with the conditions of the method,which coexisted with methyl cyclohexane in air.[Conclusion]All indexes of this method meet the requirement of Standardization of Methods for Determination of Ttoxic Substances in Workplace Air.It is suitable for the field monitoring of methyl cyclohexane in workplace air.
Comparison of bone-patellar tendon-bone interference screw fixation and hamstring transfemoral screw fixation in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

While bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) interference screw anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a biomechanically sound construct, alternative techniques have been developed secondary to potential donor site morbidity. This study evaluates a system designed to address this problem that involves a transfemoral screw fixation device and stapling of hamstring tendons. Seven pairs of cadaveric knees underwent ACL reconstruction using either BPTB interference screw technique or semitendinosus gracilis (STG) transfemoral screw fixation and stapling. Tensile testing was performed. There was no significant difference between the two fixation types with regard to stiffness, maximum load to failure, elongation, energy to failure and yield load, displacement, and energy.
Muscarinic activation and calcium permeation of nonselective cation currents in airway myocytes

We examined the activation and Ca2+ permeation of nonselective cation channels in voltage-clamped (nystatin), fura 2-loaded equine tracheal myocytes at 35 degrees C. Methacholine (50 microM) induced a biphasic increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and a biphasic inward current consisting of a large, rapidly inactivating Ca(2+)-activated Cl current [ICl(Ca)] and a smaller, sustained nonselective cation current (Icat) ICl(Ca) but not Icat was activated by caffeine. Neither Icat nor the sustained rise in [Ca2+]i was blocked by nisoldipine, whereas both were rapidly blocked by Ni2+; Icat was determined to be Ca2+ permeant, since 1) a sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i occurred when Icat was activated, and blockade of Icat produced a rapid decline in [Ca2+]i; 2) increasing extracellular Ca2+ during Icat increased [Ca2+]i; 3) 110 mM extracellular Ca2+ shifted the reversal potential of Icat to 12 mV (Ca(2+)-to-Cs+ permeability ratio = 3.6); and 4) instantaneous voltage-clamp steps to negative potentials during Icat increased the current and [Ca2+]i, whereas depolarizing steps decreased the current and [Ca2+]i. The fraction of Icat carried by Ca2+ under physiological conditions was estimated to be 14% at -60 mV.
Comorbid anxiety increases cognitive control activation in Major Depressive Disorder.

Background Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders often co-occur, with poorer treatment response and long-term outcomes. However, little is known about the shared and distinct neural mechanisms of comorbid MDD and anxiety (MDD+Anx). This study examined how MDD and MDD+Anx differentially impact cognitive control. Methods Eighteen MDD, 29 MDD+Anx, and 54 healthy controls (HC) completed the Parametric Go/No-Go (PGNG) during fMRI, including Target, Commission, and Rejection trials. Results MDD+Anx had more activation in the anterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and caudate during Rejections, and inferior parietal lobule during correct Targets than MDD and HC. During Rejections HC had greater activation in a number of cognitive control regions compared to MDD; in the posterior cingulate compared to MDD+Anx; and in the fusiform gyrus compared to all MDD. During Commissions HC had greater activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus than all MDD. MDD had more activation in the mid-cingulate, inferior parietal lobule, and superior temporal gyrus than MDD+Anx during Commissions. Conclusions Despite similar performance, MDD and MDD+Anx showed distinct differences in neural mechanisms of cognitive control in relation to each other, as well as some shared differences in relation to HC. The results were consistent with our hypothesis of hypervigilance in MDD+Anx within the cognitive control network, but inconsistent with our hypothesis that there would be greater engagement of salience and emotion network regions. Comorbidity of depression and anxiety may cause increased heterogeneity in study samples, requiring further specificity in detection and measurement of intermediate phenotypes and treatment Targets.
Strong Homotypic Continuity in Common Psychopathology-, Internalizing-, and Externalizing-Specific Factors Over Time in Adolescents

Dimensional models of psychopathology that posit a general psychopathology factor (i.e., p factor), in addition to specific internalizing and externalizing factors, have recently gained prominence....
Simulation of genotype-by-environment interactions on irrigated soybean yields in the U.S. Midsouth

Abstract Dynamic crop models that incorporate the effect of environmental variables can potentially explain yield differences associated with location, year, planting date, and cultivars with different growing cycles. Soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Mer.) cultivar coefficients for the DSSAT-CROPGRO model were calibrated from two growing seasons (2012 − 2013) comprising 58 irrigated environments (site × year × planting date combinations) for cultivars within maturity groups (MGs) 3 to 6 using end of season data (yield, seed weight, and seed oil and protein concentration) and previously calibrated phenology coefficients. Model accuracy after calibration of cultivar coefficients by MG (cultivars averaged within a MG) was similar compared to cultivar-specific coefficients. During the subsequent growing season in 2014 (33 environments), the model efficiency (ME) for predicting yield was 0.40, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 571 kg ha − 1 . The model was less efficient predicting seed number and seed weight (ME = 0.06 and − 0.06, respectively) than yield. The model was able to simulate differences in seed oil concentration across environments and MGs (ME = 0.52), but not protein concentration (ME = − 0.25). The analysis of yield stability had similar slopes for the observed and predicted yield regressions against an observed environmental index (EI) that were only dependent on the MG. Simulated yields were significantly different from the observed when EI > 0, but yield differences in the highest yielding environments were still relatively small (245 to 608 kg ha − 1 ). The results indicate an overall robust model performance in capturing G × E responses with coefficients calibrated by MG.
Pediatric Upper Respiratory Infection: You Cancelled the Case and Told the Parents to Reschedule, Right?

After travelling 3 h early one morning in September, a young family registers their 4-year-old son at the preoperative desk for a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) with Dr. Rhino. The child is placed in a pre-op evaluation room, and the nurse obtains vital signs and assesses the patient. The newly minted pediatric anesthesiology fellow reviews the chart outside the room and notes an otherwise healthy 4-year-old with sleep disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosed by a formal sleep study presenting for T&A.
Abstract 4250: 5′ deletion on ALK break-apart FISH and risk of false positive results

Purpose: Break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is the FDA-approved assay for detecting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), identifying patients (pts) who may benefit from ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). A case is considered positive for rearrangement either based on split 3′ and 5′ signals or loss of the 5′ signal (5′ deletion). We hypothesized that 5′ deletion on FISH may not be completely specific for presence of rearrangement, making the assay vulnerable to false positive results. Methods: An institutional IRB-approved database of NSCLC pts was queried for those with ALK-rearrangements. Clinical characteristics and response to ALK TKIs were reviewed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were obtained to further characterize ALK status. Results: Of 1614 NSCLC pts with ALK testing, 97 (6.0%) patients had abnormal ALK FISH: 30 with split signals, 24 with 5′ deletion, 3 with 3′ deletion, 1 with atypical rearrangement, and 39 with details unavailable. Pts with 5′ deletion were older (p = 0.01), had a more extensive smoking history (p = 0.03), and were more likely to harbor mutations in EGFR or KRAS (2 cases vs 0). Pts with 5′ deletion treated with ALK TKIs had a trend toward less tumor shrinkage (p = 0.07). ALK IHC and FISH were discordant in 3 of 21 pts with 5′ deletion and 0 of 26 pts with split signals (p = 0.03). NGS was concordant with ALK IHC, but not FISH, in 2 of 7 samples with 5′ deletions. All three testing modalities were concordant in 3 samples with split signals. Conclusions: NSCLC pts with 5′ deletion on ALK FISH have clinical and molecular features less typical of ALK-rearranged tumors, suggesting an unappreciated risk of false positives with this assay. While the majority of patients with 5′ deletion on ALK FISH harbor a true rearrangement and respond to ALK TKI, confirming these cases with IHC or NGS could reduce the false positive rate. Citation Format: Xin Gao, Lynette M. Sholl, Mizuki Nishino, Jennifer Heng, Pasi A. Janne, Geoffrey R. Oxnard. 5′ deletion on ALK break-apart FISH and risk of false positive results. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4250. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4250
Stock Price Reversals and Overreaction to News Events: A Survey of Theory and Evidence

Stock price reversals may be due to short-term overreactions to news, waves of unjustified optimism or pessimism about future earnings, fear and normatively “excessive” risk premia, or other causes. This paper reviews [1] the psychological literature on Bayesian decision-making and intuitive prediction; [2] the arguments that overreaction by individuals is likely to matter at the market level; [3] the evidence on short-term and long-term price reversals. The research findings are compared with the predictions of standard theories of asset pricing and market efficiency.
Ligand binding and cooperative interactions among the subunits of the tetrameric Ca2+ release channel complex of sarcoplasmic reticulum.

In skeletal muscle, rapid release of Ca2+ ions from the intracellular membrane compartment, sarcoplasmic reticulum, (SR) is triggered by a surface membrane action potential that is communicated to the SR at specialized areas where the “junctional” SR comes in close contact with the surface membrane and tubular infoldings of the surface membane (T-tubule); at these areas protein bridges are present which span the gap between the two membrane systems (Peachey and Franzini-Armstrong, 1983). These structures have been variously termed “feet” (Franzini-Armstrong, 1970), “bridges” (Somlyo, 1979), “pillars” (Eisenberg and Eisenberg, 1982) or “spanning proteins” (Caswell and Brandt, 1989) and are now believed to be identical with the ryanodine receptor or SR Ca2+ release channel (for reviews see Lai and Meissner, 1989; Fleischer and Inui, 1989).
Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Technology Landscape

A review of current investment levels in M&S research, development and application is provided, and a subjective assessment of the “leading” organizations across various applications of M&S is suggested. In addition, a number of challenge problems in M&S are identified. Our objective is to provide a starting point for organizations in their formulation of investment and technology strategies for M&S.
Managing risk in high assurance systems by optimizing topological resources

We explore strategies for manipulating the topology of a network to promote increased and pragmatic high assurance systems. Topology matters to network threats and security, and the relative distance between nodes can impact the rate of dispersion of viruses, as well as access times in denial of service, probing, and insider threat attacks. We suggest methods to separate threatening and threatened nodes with enough hops to reduce and degrade risks. This work provides network analysts with an option to include other measures such as risk assessments to the construction and management of high assurance systems. We consider a scaled down model to demonstrate the proof of concept using artificial data. Specifically, we explore the efficacy of ring networks and the structure that occurs on k-hop networks when there are a prime number of nodes. We introduce techniques for the randomization of network topologies to manage real-time risk and provide a dynamic means to improve network security by increasing technical debt to a potential attacker.
Multiple methods of public engagement: Disaggregating socio-spatial data for environmental planning in western Washington, USA.

• The effectiveness of participatory GIS approaches at engaging different publics was explored.
Uses for expanded production of natural gas liquids: chemicals or power?

Expanded production of natural gas liquids (NGLs, ethane, propane, butanes) in the United States may continue to be utilized in domestic and international chemical manufacturing; however, this would require the development of expanded transport infrastructures. Electricity generation is an alternative use for NGLs. As a case study of the value of NGLs in electricity generation, the potential use of NGLs in the Texas electrical grid was evaluated. It was assumed that electricity would be generated in 25-MW gas turbines, located at gas-processing plants where NGLs in produced gas are separated to create pipeline-quality gas. The potential magnitude of NGL-based power generation in the Texas grid, using NGLs produced in the Eagle Ford and Barnett oil and gas production regions in Texas, was estimated to be up to 2.7 GW of electricity, 6% of average demand on the grid. The NGL-based electricity generation displaced coal and natural gas-based generation, with little impact on the use of renewables. At the assumed efficiency (34.7%) and nonfuel operating cost ($7/MWh) of small gas turbines, NGLs are only fully utilized for electricity generation in the Texas grid when fuel prices are lower than $1.50 per million BTU (a discount of $0.90 per million BTU relative to the fuel price of coal assumed in the modeling). Higher prices might be supported if NGLs are used for electricity generation at times of high demand or if larger, higher efficiency turbines are utilized. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Bioproduction of Resveratrol

Resveratrol is one of the most well-known and extensively-studied polyphenol compounds from plants. Its natural biosynthetic pathway and enzymes have been well characterized. Resveratrol possesses many health-promoting properties that promote an increasing demand for resveratrol as a food and nutrition supplement. In contrast to the traditional methods of direct extraction from plants, bioproduction of resveratrol by microorganisms serves as a cost-effective alternative strategy and has achieved remarkable progress. This review highlights the recent progress in metabolic engineering for production of resveratrol and its value-added derivatives in microbial hosts.
Comparison of Configurations of Inertial Measurement Units for Determination of Motion Parameters of Mobile Robots – Part 1: Theoretical Considerations

The paper is concerned with the problem of determination of motion parameters of a mobile robot using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) in three different configurations. The practical goal of this research is investigation of possibilities of improvement of quality of data obtained from a 3D scanning head thanks to the application of information about motion parameters of the robot in a cost effective way. PIAP GRANITE four-wheeled skid-steered mobile robot was used as a mobile platform for the investigations. The following configurations of IMUs are considered: 1st – comprising one 3-axis accelerometer and one 3-axis gyroscope located in central part of the robot, 2nd – consisting of four identical 3-axis gyroscopes located on the robot to reduce the effect of drift of measurement of the angular velocities, 3rd – containing four 3-axis accelerometers deployed in different locations on the robot to realize so-called Gyroscope-Free Inertial Measurement Unit. The three configurations of IMUs are discussed and formulas for obtaining the motion parameters are given. In Part 2 of this article, the results of experimental research involving the three above mentioned configurations of IMUs are presented and discussed.
Examining self-compassion in romantic relationships

Abstract Self-compassion has recently emerged as a component of psychological health. Research on self-compassion processes shows that self-compassion is related to lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of positive affect. The current study examined the extent to which self-compassion is related to the quality of romantic relationships. Undergraduates (n = 261) completed online self-report questionnaires assessing self-compassion and relationship quality. Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted in order to assess the relation between self-compassion and relationship quality. Results indicated that self-compassion was moderately positively correlated with relationship quality, and that self-compassion was a unique, if weak, predictor of relationship quality. Implications of these findings for romantic relationships are discussed.
Regulatory consequences of organization of citric acid cycle enzymes.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the regulatory consequences of organization of citric acid cycle enzymes. At present, several laboratories have reported evidence for in vitro interactions among sequential enzymes. This includes interactions between functionally related matrix enzymes (1–10) and for interactions between matrix enzymes and inner mitochondrial membrane proteins (11–15). Most of these results have come from in vitro experiments where the experimental conditions differ significantly from the internal environment of the intact cell. Enzyme activities were determined in gently sonicated mitochondria (exposed activities) and in the completely disrupted mitochondria. Isocitrate was readily oxidized in gently disrupted mitochondria in the presence of externally added coenzymes. The mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase defective yeast mutant is able to oxidize propionate because these cells have cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase and the malic enzyme, so any malate formed in the cycle is easily converted to oxaloacetate or pyruvate by the enzymes. In the absence of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase, the mitochondrial malate concentration likely increased substantially, thereby making the back reaction through fumarase more probable. This observation indicates that mutation of a mitochondrial enzyme affects not only the activity of the enzyme involved, but also by changing the organization of other mitochondrial enzymes, it may cause several unexpected pleiotropic effects.
Wage Cost Moderation and Employment Growth in the Netherlands

Since the mid-1980s, the Netherlands seems to have shifted from a European pattern of rapid wage growth and low employment creation, to a more Anglo-Saxon pattern of low wage growth and high employment growth. The shift towards moderate wage costs growth was partly the result of a change in union behaviour, but cuts of taxes and social security contributions, and the rapid increase of the labour force (driven in large part by increased participation of women) also played a role. However, while employment creation has been rapid, this has mainly benefited new entrants on the labour market; hidden unemployment remains very high and has fallen only recently.
The impact of racial, geographic, and socioeconomic risk factors on the development of advanced-stage cervical cancer

ObjectivesDespite screening, disparities exist in cervical cancer incidence and outcomes. Demographic factors are associated with diagnosis at advanced stage (AS), but less is known about geographic factors. We sought to investigate risk factors for developing AS cervical cancer in Alabama.Materials
Computer Classification of Triangles and Quadrilaterals--A Challenging Application.

Many high schools have access to a com puter of some type. Below are two exercises whose solutions are within the capability of most computers available to schools. Both exercises have distinguishing pedagogical features. The mathematics required is rela tively simple but comes from several areas?synthetic geometry, analytic geome try, and linear algebra. Each of the exer cises lends itself to group analysis and plan ning and subsequent individual projects. One of them requires the study of a class of geometric figures (the nonsimple quadri laterals) not usually treated in high school courses. The computer-programming skills required are not sophisticated, but the solu tions require a careful analysis of the neces sary and sufficient conditions for each type of figure. Even if a computer is not avail able, these exercises present significant ex periences in flowcharting solutions. Here are the exercises:
Fatigue of hydrogels

Abstract Hydrogels have been developed since the 1960s for applications in personal care, medicine, and engineering. Evidence has accumulated that hydrogels under prolonged loads suffer fatigue. Symptoms include change in properties, as well as nucleation and growth of cracks. This article is the first review on the fatigue of hydrogels. Emphasis is placed on the chemistry of fatigue—concepts and experiments that link symptoms of fatigue to processes of molecules. Symptoms of fatigue are characterized by testing samples with and without precut cracks, subject to prolonged static and cyclic loads. We describe the use of energy release rate for samples with precut cracks, under the conditions of large-scale inelasticity, for hydrogels of complex rheology. Highlighted are three experimental setups: pure shear, tear, and peel, where energy release rate is readily obtained for materials of arbitrary rheology. We describe chemistries of bonds and topologies of networks. Noncovalent bonds and some covalent bonds are reversible: they reform after breaking under relevant conditions. Most covalent bonds are irreversible. Each topology of networks is a way to connect reversible and irreversible bonds. We review experimental data of hydrogels of five representative topologies of networks. We compare the Lake-Thomas threshold, the cyclic-fatigue threshold, and the static-fatigue threshold. Fatigue is a molecular disease. All symptoms of fatigue originate from one fundamental cause: molecular units of a hydrogel change neighbors under prolonged loads. Fatigue correlates with rheology, according to which we distinguish poroelastic fatigue, viscoelastic fatigue, and elastic-plastic fatigue. Many hydrogels have sacrificial bonds that act as tougheners. We distinguish tougheners of two types according to their stress-relaxation behavior under a prolonged static stretch. A liquid-like toughener relaxes to zero stress, and increases neither static-fatigue threshold nor cyclic-fatigue threshold. A solid-like toughener relaxes to a nonzero stress, increases static-fatigue threshold, but does not increase cyclic-fatigue threshold. We outline a strategy to create hydrogels of high endurance. Because of the molecular diversity among hydrogels, the chemistry of fatigue holds the key to the discovery of hydrogels of properties previously unimagined. It is hoped that this review helps to connect chemists and mechanicians.
A mononuclear RhIII tetraphosphine complex, [RhCl2(C25H40P4)]BF4·C3D6O, crystallized as a perdeuteroacetone solvate

The title mononuclear RhIII complex, (bis{[2-(diethyl­phosphino-κP)­ethyl]­phenyl­phosphino}methane)­di­chlororho­dium(III) tetra­fluoro­borate perdeuteroacetone solvate, [RhCl2(C25H40P4)]BF4·C3D6O, is based on the racemic η4-coordinated tetraphosphine ligand (Et2PCH2CH2)(Ph)PCH2P(Ph)(CH2CH2PEt2). The Rh—Cl distances are 2.4164 (7) and 2.4282 (7) A, and the Rh—P bond distances are in the range 2.2501 (7)–2.3649 (7) A, with distorted octahedral coordination geometry for the Rh atom.
An alternative approach for estimating the accuracy of colposcopy in detecting cervical precancer.

Introduction Since colposcopy helps to detect cervical cancer in its precancerous stages, as new strategies and technologies are developed for the clinical management of cervical neoplasia, precisely determining the accuracy of colposcopy is important for characterizing its continued role. Our objective was to employ a more precise methodology to estimate of the accuracy of colposcopy to better reflect clinical practice.
Assessing Malnutrition Before Major Oncologic Surgery: One Size Does Not Fit All.

Background There are multiple definitions for malnutrition, without evidence of superiority of any one definition to assess preoperative risk. Therefore, to aid in identification of patients that might warrant prehabilitation, we aimed to determine the optimal definition of malnutrition before major oncologic resection for 6 cancer types. Methods The American College of Surgeons NSQIP database was queried for patients undergoing elective major oncologic operations from 2005 to 2017. Nutritional status was evaluated using the European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition definitions, NSQIP's variable for >10% weight loss during the previous 6 months, and the WHO BMI classification system. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate the adjusted effect of nutritional status on mortality and major morbidity. Results We identified 205,840 operations (74% colorectal, 10% pancreatic, 9% lung, 3% gastric, 3% esophageal, and 2% liver). A minority (16%) of patients met criteria for malnutrition (0.6% severe malnutrition, 1% European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 1, 2% European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 2, 6% NSQIP, and 6% mild malnutrition), 31% were obese, and the remaining 54% had a normal nutrition status. Both mortality and major morbidity varied significantly between the nutrition groups (both p Conclusions The definition of malnutrition used to assess postoperative risk is specific to the type of cancer being treated. These findings can be used to enhance nutritional preparedness in the preoperative setting.
Dallas UtErus Transplant Study: Early Outcomes and Complications of Robot-assisted Hysterectomy for Living Uterus Donors.

Background Uterus transplantation is a treatment for absolute uterine infertility and can be performed with living and deceased donors. Given the safety and increased utilization of robotic assistance with other gynecologic and transplant donor operations, we adopted a robot-assisted approach to donor hysterectomy. This study compared early outcomes and morbidity of the robot-assisted approach to donor hysterectomy with the traditionally performed open approach and addressed whether the robot-assisted approach is safe and offers advantages for the donor. Methods Our institution has performed 18 living donor hysterectomies for uterus transplantation. This retrospective review compared the last 5 cases utilizing a robot-assisted technique and vaginal extraction of the uterus graft with the first 13 cases performed with an open laparotomy technique. Demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative data were examined. Results There were no differences between the robot-assisted and the open living donor group with respect to age, body mass index, or gynecological history. Although the median operative time was shorter for the open approach (6.27 vs 10.46 h), the donors' median estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, and length of sick leave were less with the robot-assisted approach. There was no conversion to open hysterectomy in the robot-assisted cases, and the incidence of complications was similar between the 2 groups. There was no difference in early graft function. Conclusion These preliminary results show that robot-assisted living donor hysterectomy is feasible and safe for the donors; it allows a faster postoperative recovery and the same early graft function.
Kidney transplantationImmunosuppressionFrontiers in Immunosuppression

Because of the pleiotropic toxicities of available immunosuppressants, new approaches have employed agents that seek to mitigate nephrotoxicity. Phase III trials of belatacept, a conjugate of cytotoxic lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and immunoglobulin that seeks to block T-cell activation signal 2, displayed significantly improved renal allograft function among standard (but much less so, among extended) criteria donor kidneys. However, there was no evident protection against chronic processes. Indeed, the study arm experienced an increased incidence of acute rejection episodes and posttransplant lymphoproliferative diseases. A Phase II trial of sotrastaurin, a nonselective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor that may exert effects on signals 1 and 2, showed little benefit on renal graft function with an excess of acute rejection episodes, tachycardia, and serious infections when used as base therapy in combination with mycophenolate sodium and steroids after withdrawal of tacrolimus (TRL) treatment at 3 months. Phase II trials of tasocitimib, a putative blocker of Janus kinase (Jak)3-mediated transduction of signal 3, produced improved renal allograft function compared with TRL-based therapy. However, treated patients showed prominent inhibition of Jak 2, a widely distributed mediator of growth and differentiation signals in a variety of tissues, thereby engendering increased rates of infections and serious diseases. Major advances in this enterprise might be achieved with the discovery of agents that more specifically target intermediates selective for lymphoid cells: For example, lymphocyte cell kinase (lck; signal 1), CTLA-4 itself (signal 2), or Jak 3 (signal 3). Preliminary work in animal models supports these avenues for future drug development.
Mining Physicians' Opinions on Social Media to Obtain Insights Into COVID-19: Mixed Methods Analysis.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is considered to be the most daunting public health challenge in decades. With no effective treatments and with time needed to develop a vaccine, alternative approaches are being used to control this pandemic. Objective: The objective of this paper was to identify topics, opinions, and recommendations about the COVID-19 pandemic discussed by medical professionals on the Twitter social medial platform. Methods: Using a mixed methods approach blending the capabilities of social media analytics and qualitative analysis, we analyzed COVID-19–related tweets posted by medical professionals and examined their content. We used qualitative analysis to explore the collected data to identify relevant tweets and uncover important concepts about the pandemic using qualitative coding. Unsupervised and supervised machine learning techniques and text analysis were used to identify topics and opinions. Results: Data were collected from 119 medical professionals on Twitter about the coronavirus pandemic. A total of 10,096 English tweets were collected from the identified medical professionals between December 1, 2019 and April 1, 2020. We identified eight topics, namely actions and recommendations, fighting misinformation, information and knowledge, the health care system, symptoms and illness, immunity, testing, and infection and transmission. The tweets mainly focused on needed actions and recommendations (2827/10,096, 28%) to control the pandemic. Many tweets warned about misleading information (2019/10,096, 20%) that could lead to infection of more people with the virus. Other tweets discussed general knowledge and information (911/10,096, 9%) about the virus as well as concerns about the health care systems and workers (909/10,096, 9%). The remaining tweets discussed information about symptoms associated with COVID-19 (810/10,096, 8%), immunity (707/10,096, 7%), testing (605/10,096, 6%), and virus infection and transmission (503/10,096, 5%). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that Twitter and social media platforms can help identify important and useful knowledge shared by medical professionals during a pandemic.
HPC-MixPBench: An HPC Benchmark Suite for Mixed-Precision Analysis

With the increasing interest in applying approximate computing to HPC applications, representative benchmarks are needed to evaluate and compare various approximate computing algorithms and programming frameworks. To this end, we propose HPC-MixPBench, a benchmark suite consisting of a representative set of kernels and benchmarks that are widely used in HPC domain. HPC-MixPBench has a test harness framework where different tools can be plugged in and evaluated on the set of benchmarks. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our benchmark suite by evaluating several mixed-precision algorithms implemented in FloatSmith, a tool for floating-point mixed-precision approximation analysis. We report several insights about the mixed-precision algorithms that we compare, which we expect can help users of these methods choose the right method for their workload. We envision that this benchmark suite will evolve into a standard set of HPC benchmarks for comparing different approximate computing techniques.
Online interprofessional learning environment to prepare Doctor of Nursing Practice students for team-based primary care.

ABSTRACT Integrating interprofessional education in an online Doctor of Nursing Practice program is challenging. This article describes the implementation of an online interprofessional education program for students in Doctor of Nursing Practice Family Nurse Practitioner, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and dietetics programs to prepare them for team-based primary care.
Safety-Critical Optimal Control for Autonomous Systems

This paper presents an overview of the state of the art for safety-critical optimal control of autonomous systems. Optimal control methods are well studied, but become computationally infeasible for real-time applications when there are multiple hard safety constraints involved. To guarantee such safety constraints, it has been shown that optimizing quadratic costs while stabilizing affine control systems to desired (sets of) states subject to state and control constraints can be reduced to a sequence of Quadratic Programs (QPs) by using Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) and Control Lyapunov Functions (CLFs). The CBF method is computationally efficient, and can easily guarantee the satisfaction of nonlinear constraints for nonlinear systems, but its wide applicability still faces several challenges. First, safety is hard to guarantee for systems with high relative degree, and the above mentioned QPs can easily be infeasible if tight or time-varying control bounds are involved. The resulting solution is also sub-optimal due to its myopic solving approach. Finally, this method works conditioned on the system dynamics being accurately identified. The authors discuss recent solutions to these issues and then present a framework that combines Optimal Control with CBFs, hence termed OCBF, to obtain near-optimal solutions while guaranteeing safety constraints even in the presence of noisy dynamics. An application of the OCBF approach is included for autonomous vehicles in traffic networks.
STABILITY OF LARGE SAILING VESSELS: A CASE STUDY

The U.S. Coast Guard training barque EAGLE (WIX 327), built in 1936 as the HORST WESSEL by Blohm & Voss in Germany, has recently been renovated to improve her performance. As part of the renovation, the stability of large sailing vessels in general and EAGLE in particular were studied. Changes in the subdivision, ballast and tankages were made to satisfy the criteria of two-compartment damage stability. Extensive renovation in the areas of machinery, structure, navigation and habitability were also made during the same period while maintaining her scheduled training cruises each year.
Western United States grapevine breeding

Abstract The western United States is home to one of the world’s premiere grape-growing regions. California accounts for 90% of the wine produced, 99% of the table grapes grown and nearly all of the raisin grapes grown in the United States. Economically, this accounts for sales of $23.1 billion for California wine, $1.5 billion for California table grapes and $725 million for California raisins. On a global scale, California ranked sixth for total vineyard acreage, fourth for wine production and second for raisin grape production in 2013. The hefty production base in California has made California a pivotal centre for grapevine breeding in new wine, table, raisin and rootstock cultivars. Public institutions, private companies and several dedicated individual breeders have all contributed pieces to the history of breeding in the western United States.
Scintillation Detector for the Measurement of Ultra-Heavy Cosmic Rays on the Super-TIGER Experiment

We discuss the design and construction of the scintillation detectors for the Super-TIGER experiment. Super-TIGER is a large-area (5.4sq m) balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the abundances of cosmic-ray nuclei between Z= 10 and Z=56. It is based on the successful TIGER experiment that flew in Antarctica in 2001 and 2003. Super-TIGER has three layers of scintillation detectors, two Cherenkov detectors and a scintillating fiber hodoscope. The scintillation detector employs four wavelength shifter bars surrounding the edges of the scintillator to collect the light from particles traversing the detector. PMTs are optically coupled at both ends of the bars for light collection. We report on laboratory performance of the scintillation counters using muons. In addition we discuss the design challenges and detector response over this broad charge range including the effect of scintilator saturation.
Environmentally benign carbonylation of nitrobenzene and aniline

Abstract Carbonylation of nitrobenzene and aniline on supported metal catalysts provides an environmentally benign route to isocyanate synthesis. Infrared studies suggest that both oxidative and reductive carbonylation proceed via the insertion of adsorbed CO into adsorbed nitrene. Adsorbed nitrene is formed from the deoxygenation of nitrobenzene in the reductive carbonylation pathway and from the dehydrogenation of aniline in the oxidative carbonylation pathway. With appropriate catalysts, oxidative carbonylation can take place at significantly milder conditions than reductive carbonylation.
Perception of Horizontal Aircraft Separation on a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information

The influence of various display symbologies in a cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI) on pilot perception of horizontal aircraft separation is investigated. In a series of nine experiments using different combinations of display symbology, information update rate, display viewing time and encounter geometry, subjects were asked to predict whether an intruder aircraft would pass in front of or behind their own aircraft. It is found that displayed history did not improve task performance, although it was desired by the pilots when no other display of aircraft turn rate was available, and that pilots made fewer errors when they had predictive information. Variations in the rate of updating information from 0.1 to 4 sec and viewing times from 1 to 16 sec are not observed to affect performance. It is concluded that the present task, which may arise in a collision avoidance situation, would require an onboard computer to make a prediction of relative aircraft position and display it on the CDTI.
On Invariant Post-randomization for Statistical Disclosure Control

Summary In this paper, we investigate certain operational and inferential aspects of invariant Post-randomization Method (PRAM) as a tool for disclosure limitation of categorical data. Invariant PRAM preserves unbiasedness of certain estimators, but inflates their variances and distorts other attributes. We introduce the concept of strongly invariant PRAM, which does not affect data utility or the properties of any statistical method. However, the procedure seems feasible in limited situations. We review methods for constructing invariant PRAM matrices and prove that a conditional approach, which can preserve the original data on any subset of variables, yields invariant PRAM. For multinomial sampling, we derive expressions for variance inflation inflicted by invariant PRAM and variances of certain estimators of the cell probabilities and also their tight upper bounds. We discuss estimation of these quantities and thereby assessing statistical efficiency loss from applying invariant PRAM. We find a connection between invariant PRAM and creating partially synthetic data using a non-parametric approach, and compare estimation variance under the two approaches. Finally, we discuss some aspects of invariant PRAM in a general survey context.
Studies on the Disulfide Bonds of Glycoprotein Hormones: LOCATIONS IN THE α CHAIN BASED ON PARTIAL REDUCTIONS AND FORMATION OF 14C-LABELED S-CARBOXYMETHYL DERIVATIVES

Abstract To gain information concerning the location of the five disulfide bonds of the common, α, subunit of pituitary thyrotropin and luteinizing hormone, bovine thyrotropin-α and luteinizing hormone-α were partially reduced with low concentrations of dithioerythritol, and the resulting cysteine residues were labeled with [1-14C]iodoacetic acid. The labeled subunits were then completely reduced and carboxymethylated with nonradioactive iodoacetic acid. Peptides containing S-carboxymethylcysteine were isolated from samples labeled after different conditions of partial reduction. Determination of the specific radioactivities of the S-carboxymethylcysteines indicated the initial simultaneous opening of two bridges involving half-cystines at positions 11, 14, 35, and 36 of the α sequence (Liao, T.-H., and Pierce, J. G. (1971) J. Biol. Chem. 246, 850–865) with disulfide bonds most likely between half-cystines 11, 14 with either 35 and 36, or 36 and 35. The distribution of radioactivity in the other half-cystine positions indicates bonds between residues 32–64, 63–91, and 86–88.
Coherent Raman Scattering in High-Pressure/High Temperature Fluids: An Overview

The present understanding of high-pressure/high-temperature dense-fluid behavior is derived almost exclusively from hydrodynamic and thermodynamic measurements. Such results average over the microscopic aspects of the materials and are, therefore, insufficient for a complete understanding of fluid behavior. At present, dense-fluid models can be verified only to the extent that they agree with the macroscopic measurements. Recently, using stimulated Raman scattering, Raman induced Kerr effect scattering, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, we have been able to probe some of the microscopic phenomenology of these dense fluids. In this paper, we discuss primarily the use of CARS in conjunction with a two-stage light-gas gun to obtain vibrational spectra of shock-compressed liquid N2, O2, CO, their mixtures, CH3NO2, and N2O. These experimental spectra are compared to synthetic spectra calculated using a semiclassical model for CARS intensities and best fit vibrational frequencies, peak Raman susceptibilities, and Raman linewidths. For O2, the possibility of resonance enhancement from collision-induced absorption is addressed. Shifts in the vibrational frequencies reflect the influence of increased density and temperature on the intramolecular motion. The derived parameters suggest thermal equilibrium of the vibrational levels is established less than a few nanoseconds after shock passage. Vibrational temperatures are obtained that agree with those derived from equation-of-state calculations. Measured linewidths suggest that vibrational dephasing times have decreased to subpicosecond values at the highest shock pressures.
Cytopathology of pulmonary adenocarcinoma with a single histological pattern using the proposed International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (IASLC/ATS/ERS) classification

BACKGROUND Guidelines for histological subtyping in patients with surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) were recently proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society. The objective of the current study was to investigate the cytomorphology of these subtypes of ADC in cases with matched histology specimens demonstrating a single pure subtype. METHODS The authors reviewed their database for patients with histological diagnoses of primary lung ADC with a single histological pattern observed on surgical resection and investigated the cytological findings in 18 matched cytology specimens to eliminate sampling issues in cases of mixed ADC. RESULTS Resections were classified as acinar (7 specimens), solid (6 specimens), lepidic (2 specimens), mucinous (2 specimens), and papillary (1 specimen). Cytology specimens demonstrating a solid pattern had a predominance of 3-dimensional clusters (5 of 6 vs 0 of 12 specimens) (P = .0007, Fisher exact test), necrotic background (3 of 6 vs 0 of 12 specimens) (P = .02), pleomorphic nuclei (6 of 6 vs 1 of 12 specimens) (P = .0004), irregular nuclear contours (6 of 6 vs 3 of 12 specimens) (P = .009), and nuclear enlargement (5 of 6 vs 2 of 12 specimens) (P = .01) compared with the nonsolid patterns. Nuclear pseudoinclusions were present only in nonsolid patterns (5 of 12 specimens), although this finding was not statistically significant (P = .05) CONCLUSIONS Cytological features of lung ADC subtypes proposed by the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society classification overlap. However, architectural and nuclear features may be helpful, particularly in distinguishing the prognostically adverse solid pattern from other patterns. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2015;123:306–17. © 2015 American Cancer Society.