cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Packet Loss Burstiness: Measurements and Implications for Distributed Applications

Many modern massively distributed systems deploy thousands of nodes to cooperate on a computation task. Network congestions occur in these systems. Most applications rely on congestion control protocols such as TCP to protect the systems from congestion collapse. Most TCP congestion control algorithms use packet loss as signal to detect congestion. In this paper, we study the packet loss process in sub-round-trip-time (sub-RTT) timescale and its impact on the loss-based congestion control algorithms. Our study suggests that the packet loss in sub-RTT timescale is very bursty. This burstiness leads to two effects. First, the sub-RTT burstiness in packet loss process leads to complicated interactions between different loss-based algorithms. Second, the sub-RTT burstiness in packet loss process makes the latency of data transfers under TCP hard to predict. Our results suggest that the design of a distributed system has to seriously consider the nature of packet loss process and carefully select the congestion control algorithms best suited for the distributed computation environments.
Heartbroken is a specific downstream mediator of FGF receptor signalling in Drosophila

Drosophila possesses two FGF receptors which are encoded by the heartless and breathless genes. HEARTLESS is essential for early migration and patterning of the embryonic mesoderm, while BREATHLESS is required for proper branching of the tracheal system. We have identified a new gene, heartbroken, that participates in the signalling pathways of both FGF receptors. Mutations in heartbroken are associated with defects in the migration and later specification of mesodermal and tracheal cells. Genetic interaction and epistasis experiments indicate that heartbroken acts downstream of the two FGF receptors but either upstream of or parallel to RAS1. Furthermore, heartbroken is involved in both the HEARTLESS- and BREATHLESS-dependent activation of MAPK. In contrast, EGF receptor-dependent embryonic functions and MAPK activation are not perturbed in heartbroken mutant embryos. A strong heartbroken allele also suppresses the effects of hyperactivated FGF but not EGF receptors. Thus, heartbroken may contribute to the specificity of developmental responses elicited by FGF receptor signalling.
How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Gifted Education in New York City

New York City provides a dynamic case study of problems and possibilities in urban gifted education. The story is grounded globally in changing understandings of teaching, learning, and expertise, based on converging evidence from developmental psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and education. Diverse forces are at play locally, including bottom-up and top-down political pressures, concerns about equity and social justice, media responses, and changing legislation and standards. Resulting changes in NYC educational practice are interpreted as a movement toward a mastery model of giftedness, including providing a flexible range of programming options to address individual students’ diverse gifted learning needs, expanded teacher development and networking opportunities, and changing identification policies. Recommendations focus on urban concerns and opportunities, with an emphasis on the importance to gifted development of practice, practice, practice.
Connecting Business Incubator Development with Human Resource Development

This paper explores the literature of human resource development (HRD) that contributes to the relationship between business incubator management and development. It provides an overview of the role of HRD in transforming from incubator management into incubator development. The research also discusses the benefits and outcomes for incubator development with the perspective of HRD. Finally, recommendations are made to guide the practice and future study so that HRD can make effective contribution to the goal of developing entrepreneurs and start-up businesses.
Structure and Hyperfine Interaction of Si3≡ Si• Defect Clusters

The Pb center located at the Si(111)/SiO2 interface1,2 and the D-center in a-Si and a-Si:H3–5 each have g-tensors whose isotropic part g ~ 2.0055. A value of g = 2.0055 ± 0.0005 is considered to be diagnostic of radicals with the schematic structure Si3 ≡ Si•, in which the trivalent defect atom is bonded into the bulk material through three Si nearest neighbors. When the nearest neighbors are not all Si atoms (e.g., the E′ center in silica, O3≡ Si•) characteristically different ESR signatures are obtained. The similarity of the Pb and D-center g-factors suggests that the two defects might resemble each other closely not only in their schematic structures, but also in their detailed physical conformation and electronic structure.
Enhanced hypothalamic noradrenaline biosynthesis in Goldblatt I renovascular hypertension.

1. Hypertension was induced in rats by renal artery clip with the contralateral kidney removed (Goldblatt I) or left intact (Goldblatt II). 2. Plasma noradrenaline was increased 62% in the Goldblatt I animals after 3 weeks. 3. Hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine β-hydroxylase activities, and the concentration of noradrenaline were increased in the Goldblatt I animals after 3 weeks. 4. Enhanced hypothalamic noradrenaline synthesis may be a pathogenic factor in Goldblatt I renovascular hypertension.
Statistics of Legal Infrastructures

Two books on law and development and the law-and-finance literature have produced a major opening for the field of international statistical comparisons of legal systems. This review provides some background from microstructure to help the understanding of the effects the statistical comparisons demonstrate and to point out opportunities for further research.
An Update on STEADY-PD III: A Phase 3 Study of Isradipine as a Disease Modifying Agent in Patients with Early Parkinson’s Disease (P2.341)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of isradipine 10 mg daily to slow progression of disability in early PD. Background: Isradipine, a dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist, is neuroprotective in in vitro/in vivo models of parkinsonism. Epidemiological data suggests a reduced risk of PD with chronic use of dihydropyridines. Our Phase II study found isradipine 10 mg daily to be safe and well tolerated in early Parkinson9s disease (PD); a dosage that achieves serum concentrations found to be neuroprotective in animal models of PD. Methods: The study is a 36 month, Phase 3, parallel group, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy of isradipine 10mg daily in 336 participants with early PD as measured by the change in the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part I-III score. Secondary outcome measures include clinically meaningful measures of disability progression in early PD: 1) Time to initiation and utilization of dopaminergic therapy; 2) Time to onset of motor complications; 3) Change in non-motor disability. Exploratory measures include global measures of functional disability, quality of life, change in the ambulatory capacity, cognitive function and pharmacokinetic analysis. Results: The study was funded by NINDS and is being conducted at 55 Parkinson Study Group sites in US and Canada. As of October 23, 2015 335 subjects have been enrolled and there have been two premature withdrawals. The currently enrolled cohort is 69.3[percnt] male and 90.6[percnt] caucasian. Of the first 332 subjects, the mean (SD) age is 61.7 (9.6) years; total UPDRS is 26.9 (9.4); and MOCA is 28 (1.5). We anticipate enrollment to be completed by November 2015. Conclusion: This study represents a unique opportunity to evaluate the potential impact of a novel therapy to slow progression of PD disability and provide clinically meaningful benefits. Study supported by the NINDS U01NS080818 and U01NS080840 Disclosure: Dr. Simuni has received personal compensation for activities with Acadia, Abbvie, Allergan, GE Medical, Eli Lilly, Harbor Ibsen, Impax, Lundbeck, Merz, the National Parkinson Foundation, Navidea, Pfizer, TEVA, UCB Pharmaceuticals, and US World Medications Dr. Lowell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Oakes has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for Springer. Dr. Hodgeman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Harkin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Greco has nothing to disclose. Dr. Biglan has received personal compensation for activities with UCB Inc and KJT Consulting as a consultant.
Minimal soil quality impact by cold season pasture management in Vermont

Small-scale dairy farming is economically challenging; however, management intensive grazing practices have allowed many farms to become profitable. Traditional barn housing during cold seasons is a large expense and could be adapted to further economic gains. In this study, three cold season pasture management practices, such as bedded pack (BP) compost amendment, out-wintering (OW) on pasture, and stockpiling (SP) mixed grass–legume pasture forage, were evaluated for impact to soil and forage quality within pasture. Composite soil and forage samples were collected during spring and autumn 2009–2010 for soil physical, chemical, and biological analyses (nematode community structure) and forage quality. Out-wintering favored fungal decomposition (P = 0.089), and all treatments promoted soil food web structure, with a mean structure index value of 63 ± 1.71 SE. Negative impacts to soil health, including physical structure and soil chemistry, were not detected. Impacts to forage quality included decreased de...
Primer on the Healthcare System

The healthcare system in the United States is complex. The system prior to 2010 consisted of employer-sponsored private insurance covering the majority of the individuals in the US, with some covered under public insurance and approximately 40 million uninsured individuals. Under the old system, these uninsured individuals had very little resources available to them to navigate the system. With the passage of the Affordable Care Act the landscape will change; more employers will offer insurance, many individuals will be purchasing insurance on their own via state-based healthcare exchanges, Medicaid rolls will increase and there will be increased subsidies for the poor to purchase health insurance .
Salvage therapy with bendamustine for temozolomide refractory recurrent anaplastic gliomas: a prospective phase II trial

There is no standard therapy for recurrent anaplastic glioma (AG). Salvage therapies include alkylator-based chemotherapy, re-resection with or without carmustine implants, re-irradiation and bevacizumab. Bendamustine is a novel bifunctional alkylator with CNS penetration never previously evaluated in AG. Assess response and toxicity of bendamustine in recurrent AG in a phase II trial. Adults with radiation and temozolomide refractory recurrent AG were treated with bendamustine. A cycle of bendamustine was defined as two consecutive days of treatment (100 mg/m2/day) administered once every 4 weeks. Success of treatment was defined as progression free survival (PFS) at 6 months of 40 % or better. Twenty-six adults [16 males; 10 females: median age 40 years (range 30–65)] were treated, 12 at first recurrence and 17 at second recurrence. Prior salvage therapy included re-resection (14), chemotherapy (11) and re-radiation (2). Grade 3 treatment-related toxicities included lymphopenia (11 patients; Grade 4 in 3), myalgia, pneumonia, diarrhea, leukopenia, allergic reaction and thrombocytopenia in one patient each. One patient discontinued therapy due to toxicity. There were five instances of bendamustine dose delays all due to lymphopenia. There were no dose reductions due to toxicity. The median number of cycles of therapy was 3 (range 1–8). Best radiographic response was progressive disease in 12 (46 %), stable disease in 13 (50 %) and partial response in 1 (4 %). Median, 6- and 12-month PFS was 2.7 months (range 1–52), 27 and 8 % respectively. In patients with recurrent AG refractory to Z, bendamustine has manageable toxicity and modest single agent activity though not meeting pre-specified study criteria.
The Scope of the Problem

In this chapter we lay the foundation for this book by describing the pervasiveness of alcohol and drug use, and the intersections between substance use and criminal behavior in the United States today. The research documenting the relationship between alcohol, drug use, and criminal behavior is robust, and substance use is common among those involved with the criminal justice system. To provide a broad overview of these relationships, we will first distinguish drug and alcohol abuse, dependence, disorders, and addiction. Second, we will set the stage for a discussion of drugs and crime by describing the prevalence of alcohol, drug use, and drug-related arrest among adolescents and adults in the U.S. Theories of the drug–crime nexus will be introduced, and examples will be illustrated using case studies when possible.
Cellular metabolic alterations after focal cerebral ischemia with or without bone marrow transplantation determined by cytochrome oxidase histochemistry

P220 To determine the degree and extent of changes in cellular metabolic demand after stroke and bone marrow cell transplantation, a histochemistry assay of cytochrome oxidase (COx) which correlates with neuronal activity was employed,. Adult Wistar rats (n=9) were subjected to transient (2 h) middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). At 1 d after ischemia, bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs, 4x105 in 10 :l) were transplanted intracerebrally into the ischemic boundary zone in the striatum and the cortex. The ischemia rats with (n=4) or without (n=5) MSC transplantation were sacrificed at 14 d after MCAo. Bone marrow cells were harvested from normal donor adult rats and cultured in Iscove s Modified Dulbecco s medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. MSCs were isolated by their adherence to the plastic dishes from the whole bone marrow cells at 72 h of incubation. Subsequently, the MSCs were cultured for 2 weeks and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU, as a tracer to identify cells derived from bone marrow) was added into the medium at 3 d before transplantation. Cellular metabolic activity in the ischemic damaged brain was measured on a standard section per animal using quantitative histochemistry of COx with the Global Lab Image Analysis system. Immunohistochemistry staining was employed to identify BrdU-MSCs. COx was absent in the ischemic core in all experimental animals. However, COx activity was intense and prominent in the areas of BrdU-MSCs, as well as the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult forebrain. COx (72.8% of the normal hemisphere) was significantly increased (p=0.004) in the ipsilateral hemisphere after MCAo with MSC transplantation, compared with MCAo alone (30.4%). Since MSCs contain a population of marrow stem-like cells and the SVZ of the adult forebrain contains a population of neural stem-like cells, our data indicate that COx provides cellular metabolic evidence that stem-like cells (MSCs and SVZ cells) are activated in response to ischemic brain damage.
Photoelectrons in the Quiet Polar Wind

This study presents a newly coupled model capable of treating the superthermal electron population in the global polar wind solution. The model combines the hydrodynamic Polar Wind Outflow Model (PWOM) with the kinetic SuperThermal Electron Transport (STET) code. The resulting PWOM-STET coupled model is described and then used to investigate the role of photoelectrons in the polar wind. We present polar wind results along single stationary field lines under dayside and nightside conditions, as well as the global solution reconstructed from nearly 1000 moving field lines. The model results show significant day-night asymmetries in the polar wind solution owing to the higher ionization and photoelectron fluxes on the dayside compared to the nightside. Field line motion is found to modify this dependence and create global structure by transporting field lines through different conditions of illumination and through the localized effects of Joule heating.
Understanding Security Threats in Consumer Drones Through the Lens of the Discovery Quadcopter Family

In this paper we identify new threats to drones in an effort to have a better public discussion of realistic attacks that vendors need to take into consideration when designing their products. In particular we study in detail the security of a new drone family (U818A) released in 2016, which is quickly becoming a best-selling brand, and is re-purposed and sold by a variety of drone vendors. We implemented and tested several attacks and considered privacy issues (e.g., remotely accessing someone else's drone to take video or images of a private setting), security issues (e.g., stealing a drone mid-flight), and safety issues (e.g., taking down a drone operated by someone else). We finish the paper by recommending basic steps to improve the security of drones.
Palauan: A Sketch of the Grammar

This chapter constitutes a short introduction to Palauan grammar, including an overview of the complex morphosyntax of the language. Some grasp of these details is necessary to following later discussions that involve noun and verb morphology. The chapter also covers more general aspects of syntactic analysis as they are reflected in Palauan, including underlying constituent order and issues concerning null arguments.
Reforming the New Confirmation Process: Replacing 'Despise and Resent' with 'Advice and Consent'

My essay analyzes recent confirmation controversies involving Bill Lann Lee, James Hormel, and Richard Holbrooke, among others. I argue that these controversies have highlighted Senate customs, like the "hold," that give senators a de facto veto power over presidential nominees. These customs developed under old Senate norms that had built-in safeguards against abuses; but, I argue, a "new Senate style" has emerged with which these old customs are a poor fit. My contention is that the Senate should undertake reforms to rein in obstructionist senators before the executive branch, which has already begun to circumvent the Senate through the use of open-ended "acting" appointments and recess appointments, bypasses it altogether. In addition to describing the replacement of the old Senate norms with new ones, and detailing the effect those new norms have had on Senate behavior in the confirmation process, I suggest several reforms that the Senate could undertake to prevent the irresponsible use of Senate power from further eroding its important responsibility to offer "advice and consent" to presidential nominations. These reforms range from making needed changes to the Senate's rules to creating an informal process for providing "advice" to presidents during the nomination process.
Clinical Toxicology of Common Drugs and Chemicals: Colon

A large variety of drugs and chemicals have been shown to cause adverse effects on the colon. The mechanisms of toxicity are also diverse and include (1) alterations in colonic motility, (2) changes in mucosal absorptive or secretory function, (3) ischemia, and (4) production of inflammatory and necrotic changes that disrupt the mucosa leading to ulceration, hemorrhage, and possibly invasion of the bowel wall by lumenal bacteria. Drugs and chemicals commonly reach the colon by circulation in blood but also can be directly applied to the colonic mucosa in a delayed-release formulation, in ileal effluent if there is poor absorption of the drug in the proximal intestine, or when it is purposefully administered by enema. Occasionally, colonic injury results from exposure to chemicals inadvertently deposited in the colon, for example, sterilizing agents that remained in inadequately rinsed colonoscopes and were later instilled during colonoscopy. Many isolated case reports detail possible adverse effects of various drugs on the colon, but a true causal relationship is often unclear from the information about a single case. However, with some drugs there are multiple reports of a similar consequence of exposure and here the association of the drug with a toxic effect seems more certain. Because of space limitations, this chapter addresses examples of drug-induced colon toxicity in which a cause- and- effect relationship seems likely. Several reviews have been published where individual reports of additional possible toxic drug reactions are detailed (Cappell and Simon 1993; Fortson and Tedesco 1984).
Analysis of Nonlinear Stochastic Systems

The dynamics of a mechanical system are usually modeled as differential equations in Euclidian space R d or on a smooth manifold M. For systems with lumped parameters and without memory an adequate model are ordinary differential equations (ODE) , where the vector field f describes the directional field of the dynamics, depending on the systems parameters p ∈ R m. (Time dependent fields f(x,t) fit into this framework by considering (1, f(x,t) on R × M.)
EXPECTED-MODE AUGMENTATION ALGORITHMS FOR VARIABLE-STRUCTURE MULTIPLE-MODEL ESTIMATION

This paper presents a new class of variable-structure algorithms, referred to as expected-mode augmentation (EMA), for multiple-model estimation. In this approach, the original model set is augmented by a variable set of models intended to match the expected value of the unknown true mode. These models are generated adaptively in real time as (globally or locally) probabilistically weighted sums of modal states over the model set. This makes it possible to cover a large continuous mode space by a relatively small number of models at a given accuracy level. Performance of the proposed EMA algorithms is evaluated via a simulated example of a maneuvering target tracking problem.
Damage Index Matrix: A Novel Damage Identification Method Using Hilbert-Huang Transformation

As novel construction materials become more economically and technically available throughout the globe, the structures become more complex. Therefore, an unexpected failure of these structures causes catastrophic economical and fatal losses. Over the past decades, a number of vibration based damage detection techniques have been developed to avoid unexpected failure in structures. These damage detection methods identify presence, location and magnitude of developed damage in the structure associated to change of modal properties such as natural frequency, mode shape and modal damping. An essential limitation of these techniques is that they are majorly sensitive to high intensity of damage only and do not correctly respond to minor to intermediate damage severities. This research proposed a novel damage detection methodology based on application of Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) on the acceleration response of the structure. HHT consists of Empirical Mode Decomposition followed by Hilbert Transform of the signal. The method develops a Damage Index Matrix for the structure by connecting energy index of the instrumented structural points. Viability of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical examples and laboratory experiments. The method was able to locate both single and multiple damage scenarios in numerical models as well as laboratory experiment.
Seroprevalence of brucellosis in Mississippi shelter dogs.

Abstract Canine brucellosis is an emerging disease and compatible with a One Health management approach. Previous research has found higher prevalence of Brucella canis in stray dog populations than in owned animals, and shelter dogs may represent a zoonotic risk to pet owners. Dogs may also contract other Brucella spp., including Brucella suis, which is carried by some feral swine in the United States and poses a public health risk. Diagnostic tests for Brucella spp. are imperfect. Misclassification of disease status can result in serious repercussions for canine and human health including the unnecessary euthanasia of false positive dogs or failure to identify and remove false negative dogs from susceptible populations. Correct interpretation of any diagnostic test requires knowledge of the pre-test probability of disease in the population, therefore the objective of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the seroprevalence of B. canis and B. suis in Mississippi shelter dogs to guide evidence-based diagnostic testing and inform policy recommendations. Banked serum samples from 571 dogs collected in 2016–2017 as a representative sample of the Mississippi shelter dog population were tested for B. canis using a rapid slide agglutination test (RSAT) and for B. suis using a buffered acidified plate agglutination test. No dogs were seropositive for B. suis antibodies. Twenty-eight dogs (4.9%) were seropositive for B. canis antibodies on the RSAT, with 13 dogs (2.3%) remaining positive when retested with the addition of 2-mercaptoethanol to increase specificity. Test prevalence by shelter ranged from 0 to 8.6%. True prevalence was estimated using stochastic modeling to account for test performance and clustering of dogs by shelter. Approximately 65% of modeled shelters did not have seropositive dogs. For shelters where B. canis was present, the mean modeled seroprevalence was 17.8%. This cross-sectional study reveals important information regarding the distribution of B. canis seroprevalence in Mississippi shelter dogs. Current diagnostic tests lack the sensitivity needed to correctly identify individual infected dogs, but population testing may provide a reasonable estimate of disease. Eradication or control measures may be most efficiently allocated to shelters where canine brucellosis has been identified to effectively minimize transmission among dogs and to humans.
Small Carrots, No Sticks: Engaging Campus Business Partners in the Design and Deployment of New Enterprise Services in a Decentralized Campus Environment

During a single academic year, Carnegie Mellon University Libraries' Digital Strategy team launched two major IT service offerings in support of university-wide strategic initiatives: A new Integrated Library System (ILS) and an Enterprise Research Information Management System. The former replaces the operational heart of the library; the latter positions the library at the center of the research enterprise at Carnegie Mellon, introducing Libraries to entirely new and demanding customers and partners. We outline the challenges of engaging campus business partners in a remarkably decentralized environment and present strategies and tactics used by the Library IT project and service managers to facilitate successful service launches. This includes a review of approaches to engagement and timeline management with campus customers and data providers, vendor management tactics, and evolving efforts to foster support for our services and associated projects.
Transcriptomic responses of Serratia liquefaciens cells grown under simulated Martian conditions of low temperature, low pressure, and CO 2 -enriched anoxic atmosphere.

Results from previous experiments indicated that the Gram-negative α-proteobacterium Serratia liquefaciens strain ATCC 27592 was capable of growth under low temperature (0 °C), low pressure (0.7 kPa), and anoxic, CO2-dominated atmosphere–conditions intended to simulate the near-subsurface environment of Mars. To probe the response of its transcriptome to this extreme environment, S. liquefaciens ATCC 27592 was cultivated under 4 different environmental simulations: 0 °C, 0.7 kPa, CO2 atmosphere (Condition A); 0 °C, ~101.3 kPa, CO2 atmosphere (Condition B); 0 °C, ~101.3 kPa, ambient N2/O2 atmosphere (Condition C); and 30 °C, ~101.3 kPa, N2/O2 atmosphere (Condition D; ambient laboratory conditions). RNA-seq was performed on ribosomal RNA-depleted total RNA isolated from triplicate cultures grown under Conditions A-D and the datasets generated were subjected to transcriptome analyses. The data from Conditions A, B, or C were compared to laboratory Condition D. Significantly differentially expressed transcripts were identified belonging to a number of KEGG pathway categories. Up-regulated genes under all Conditions A, B, and C included those encoding transporters (ABC and PTS transporters); genes involved in translation (ribosomes and their biogenesis, biosynthesis of both tRNAs and aminoacyl-tRNAs); DNA repair and recombination; and non-coding RNAs. Genes down-regulated under all Conditions A, B, and C included: transporters (mostly ABC transporters); flagellar and motility proteins; genes involved in phenylalanine metabolism; transcription factors; and two-component systems. The results are discussed in the context of Mars astrobiology and planetary protection.
Leveraging industrial statistics in the data revolution: The Youden Memorial Address at the 63rd Annual Fall Technical Conference

We are in the midst of a “Data Revolution” that is transforming our economy. This revolution is as large and profound as other major economic shifts from the introduction of the printing press to t...
Metal Ions in Halide Perovskite Materials and Devices

The influence of metal ions on perovskite properties and resulting device performance has been undeniable in progressing the field of inorganic and organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites. Here we provide a review on the capacity of metal ions to impart a broad range of effects from controlling crystallization to the alloying, doping, and passivation of perovskite materials. Although some metal ions have already proved effective in modulating bandgaps through alloying, their ability to control crystallization, carrier concentration, and emissive effects still require significant improvements in fundamental understanding. This presents enormous opportunities in research that may afford novel properties and applications through unparalleled control of perovskite materials.
Satisfiability Checking for Mission-Time LTL

Mission-time LTL (MLTL) is a bounded variant of MTL over naturals designed to generically specify requirements for mission-based system operation common to aircraft, spacecraft, vehicles, and robots. Despite the utility of MLTL as a specification logic, major gaps remain in analyzing MLTL, e.g., for specification debugging or model checking, centering on the absence of any complete MLTL satisfiability checker. We prove that the MLTL satisfiability checking problem is NEXPTIME-complete and that satisfiability checking Open image in new window , the variant of MLTL where all intervals start at 0, is PSPACE-complete. We introduce translations for MLTL-to-LTL, Open image in new window , MLTL-to-SMV, and MLTL-to-SMT, creating four options for MLTL satisfiability checking. Our extensive experimental evaluation shows that the MLTL-to-SMT transition with the Z3 SMT solver offers the most scalable performance.
Surgical Correction of Healed Legg-Calve-Perthes Deformity

Healed Legg-Calve-Perthes disease is a complex problem to manage for the treating orthopaedic surgeon. Legg-Calve-Perthes disease begins as a pediatric disorder characterized by osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Once the initial osteonecrotic insult resolves, the patient is left with a complex deformity of the proximal femur and acetabulum leading to symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement and, potentially, hip instability. Throughout this review, we will highlight the relevant patient evaluation, radiographic parameters, and surgical algorithm to aid in the management of this difficult problem. Treatment of this condition is best achieved through a surgical dislocation approach to thoroughly address the intra- and extra-articular sources of femoroacetabular impingement, with the occasional patient requiring a redirective acetabular osteotomy to further improve morphology and function.
Parents report fewer executive functioning problems and repetitive behaviors in young dual-language speakers with autism.

More dual language learners (DLLs) are being identified early with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, many families are still being advised against dual language exposure, despite a lack of e...
Self-paced treadmills do not allow for valid observation of linear and non-linear gait variability outcomes in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Background Due to the imposed constant belt speed, motorized treadmills are known to change linear and non-linear gait variability outcomes. This is particularly true of patients with Parkinson’s disease where the treadmill can act as an external pacemaker. Therefore, the use of treadmills is generally not recommended when quantifying gait variability. Self-paced treadmills allow for updating the belt speed relative to the walking speed of the subject and might, therefore, be a useful tool for the collection of long consecutive walking trials, necessary for gait variability observations. Research question To validate gait variability measures collected on a self-paced treadmill as compared to overground walking. Methods Thirteen healthy subjects and thirteen patients with Parkinson’s disease performed 5 – 8 minute long walking trials: overground, on a treadmill at a constant speed, as well as in three different self-paced treadmill modes. Stride times and stride lengths were recorded using a validated IMU-system and variability was quantified using the coefficient of variation, sample entropy, and detrended fluctuation analysis. Overground and treadmill trials were compared using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, method error, and Bland and Altman analysis. Results For healthy subjects, the self-paced treadmill resulted in increased correlation coefficients of 0.57 – 0.74 as compared to a constant speed treadmill. Correlation coefficients for stride length variability between overground and treadmill walking were not significant. For patients, generally, large errors of 33-40% of stride time variability were observed between overground and treadmill walking. Stride length variability is most similar at a constant belt speed and shows errors of 14-39%. Significance Despite an improvement of temporal gait variability validity in the self-paced mode for healthy subjects, the large systematic and random errors between overground and self-paced treadmill walking prohibit meaningful gait variability observations in patients with Parkinson’s disease using self-paced treadmills.
δ and φ back-donation in An IV metallacycles

In all known examples of metal–ligand (M–L) δ and φ bonds, the metal orbitals are aligned to the ligand orbitals in a “head-to-head” or “side-to-head” fashion. Here, we report two fundamentally new types of M–L δ and φ interactions; “head-to-side” δ and “side-to-side” φ back-bonding, found in complexes of metallacyclopropenes and metallacyclocumulenes of actinides (Pa–Pu) that makes them distinct from their corresponding Group 4 analogues. In addition to the known Th and U complexes, our calculations include complexes of Pa, Np, and Pu. In contrast with conventional An–C bond decreasing, due to the actinide contraction, the An–C distance increases from Pa to Pu. We demonstrate that the direct L–An σ and π donations combined with the An–L δ or φ back-donations are crucial in explaining this non-classical trend of the An–L bond lengths in both series, underscoring the significance of these δ/φ back-donation interactions, and their importance for complexes of Pa and U in particular. Metal-ligand δ and φ interactions, though considered weak, may be necessary for fully describing the electronic and geometric structures of certain compounds. Here, in actinide metallacycles, the authors discover two new types of M-L δ and φ back-bonds that contribute substantially to their unusual chemical behavior.
Empirical Modeling of Hot Air-Drying Kinetics of Horseradish Dehydration

The preservation of perishable horseradish crop is essential to increase the shelf-life and supply year-round. Hot air-drying method is commercially viable for preserving fruits and vegetables. However, drying conditions such as drying temperature affect the drying kinetic and the final quality of dried products. It is necessary to understand how drying temperature and blanching affect the drying kinetics of horseradish for the prediction of the right drying conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the hot air-drying kinetics by fitting commonly used five empirical models to establish right hot air-drying conditions for drying of horseradish. The unblanched (control, C) and blanched (B) horseradish slices were dried at 50, 70 and 85℃ until reaching to an equilibrium moisture content (db). The moisture reduction data were collected at certain intervals and the moisture content data were converted to moisture ratio (MR). The MR data were used to predict the drying kinetics of horseradish drying using five empirical models. The results indicated that drying kinetics followed the constant drying rate period and falling rate period for all three drying temperatures. The five tested models were able to predict the drying kinetics with R 2 (0.96-0.99) and RMSE (0.01-0.06) depending on the models and blanching. However, diffusion approach model was the best fitted model securing the highest R 2 and the lowest RMSE. The findings of this research are expected to be significantly important for horseradish drying effectively.
State of the Science of Palliative Care in Solid Organ Transplantation

Introduction:Both solid organ transplant candidates and recipients and their family caregivers have complex care needs and may benefit from palliative care. But palliative care is not often conside...
Abstract IA-04: Pancreatic cancer cells assemble a CXCL12-keratin 19 coating to resist immunotherapy

How pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells stimulate CXCR4 to exclude T cells and resist T cell checkpoint inhibitors is not known. We find that CXCL12, the ligand forCXCR4 that is produced by the cancer-associated fibroblast, “coats” human PDA and colorectal cancer cells as covalent heterodimers with keratin 19 (KRT19). Modeling the formation of the heterodimer with three proteins shows that KRT19 binds CXCL12 and transglutaminase-2 (TGM2), and that TGM2 converts the reversible KRT19-CXCL12 complex into the covalent heterodimer. This model is validated by showing that cancer cells in mouse PDA tumors must express KRT19 and TGM2 to become coated with CXCL12, exclude T cells, and resist immunotherapy with anti-PD-1 antibody. Thus, PDA cells have a cell-autonomous means by which they capture CXCL12 to mediate immune suppression, which is potentially amenable to therapy. Citation Format: Douglas Fearon, Zhikai Wang. Pancreatic cancer cells assemble a CXCL12-keratin 19 coating to resist immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer; 2020 Sep 29-30. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(22 Suppl):Abstract nr IA-04.
Chapter 4 – Advances in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Health Interventions*

Recent work has clarified the welfare implications of the application of cost-effectiveness analysis to the allocation of health care. Although cost-effectiveness analysis shares many similarities with cost-benefit analysis, it did not develop as an outgrowth of neoclassical welfare economics. Consequently, even though the welfare implications of public decisionmaking based on cost-benefit analysis have long been understood, until recently the conditions under which decisions made on the basis of cost-effectiveness criteria lead to potential Pareto improvement had received little attention. This chapter describes the welfare economic foundations of cost-effectiveness analysis and how such foundations can be applied to resolve controversies in the application of the technique. It also discusses procedures for applying the technique, the circumstances under which decision rules based on cost-effectiveness analysis have desirable welfare economic properties, the appropriate perspective for the analysis, and issues in measuring outcomes. Even when standard welfare economic assumptions are not fully accurate descriptions of the markets and conditions in which health care is delivered, cost-effectiveness analysis can be a useful guide to allocation decisions.
Entropy Based Ranking Method for Nodes on Weighted and Directed Networks

Numerous research works have been conducted to find suitable models to measure node centralities with a view to determine the most important and influential nodes on a complex network. Out of the numerous existing centrality metrics, only few deal with centrality at the subgraph level. We modified the subgraph centrality model based on Entropy centrality by considering weights on directed networks. The modified subgraph centrality model now captures the intensity of interactions between a pivot node and the direct influence it exerts on its neigbhours as well as its indirect influence on its 2 - hop neighbours. A performance evaluation was done on weighted and directed real world network datasets. We equally compared the modified subgraph centrality with Out-Degree Centrality, Betweeness Centrality, Out-Closeness Centrality, Eigenvector Centrality and Pagerank Centrality. The results show that the modified subgraph centrality can rank nodes distinctly on directed and weighted networks.
Numerical investigation into the dynamic behavior of sands

Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide further understanding of the mechanical behavior of soils when subjected to high-pressure and high-rate loadings. To this end, finite-element (FE) analyses of dynamic compaction and penetration events were conducted using the advanced elastic/plastic soil model of Lade (1977) which was extrapolated to large pressures and implemented into the FE framework. To ensure improved accuracy of the results for conditions involving loading/unloading and stress path changes, an implicit integration scheme was adopted. The simulation results for dynamic densification show that the initial precompaction of the material has a strong influence on both the wave speed and the shape of the wave front. As concerns the initiation of penetration, the simulation results indicate that for the same material, the inception and nature of the localization bands are also strongly dependent on the level of precompaction of the target material. Namely, for a low precompaction level, upon impact multiple bands develop whereas for a larger initial precompaction level, a primary localization band develops.
Next-Generation Design and Technology Co-optimization (DTCO) of System on Integrated Chip (SoIC) for Mobile and HPC Applications

This paper demonstrates the next-generation design and technology co-optimization (DTCO) of system on integrated chip (SoIC) for mobile and HPC applications, where the SoIC technology was proposed to integrate multichips with different functionality and technology into a single SoC chip. The new DTCO includes overall die partitioning, die integration, and interconnect. These methodologies can be used for improving time-to-market and trade-off between performance and cost. In this paper, two prototypes of stacking CPU and memory dies are demonstrated with 15% performance gain and 30% average point-to-point distance reduction.
Cloning and characterization of glycogen branching and debranching enzymes from the parasitic protist Trichomonas vaginalis.

Abstract The protist Trichomonas vaginalis is an obligate parasite of humans and the causative agent of trichomoniasis, a common sexually transmitted infection. The organism has long been known to accumulate glycogen, a branched polymer of glucose, and to mobilize this reserve in response to carbohydrate limitation. However, the enzymes required for the synthesis and degradation of glycogen by T. vaginalis have been little studied. Previously, we characterized T. vaginalis glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase, the key enzymes of glycogen synthesis and degradation, respectively. We determined that their regulatory properties differed from those of well-characterized animal and fungal enzymes. Here, we turn our attention to how glycogen attains its branched structure. We first determined that the glycogen from T. vaginalis resembled that from a related organism, T. gallinae. To determine how the branched structure of T. vaginalis glycogen arose, we identified open reading frames encoding putative T. vaginalis branching and debranching enzymes. When the open reading frames TVAG_276310 and TVAG_330630 were expressed recombinantly in bacteria, the resulting proteins exhibited branching and debranching activity, respectively. Specifically, recombinant TVAG_276310 had affinity for polysaccharides with long outer branches and could add branches to both amylose and amylopectin. TVAG_330630 displayed both 4-α-glucanotransferase and α1,6-glucosidase activity and could efficiently debranch phosphorylase limit dextrin. Furthermore, expression of TVAG_276310 and TVAG_330630 in yeast cells lacking endogenous glycogen branching or debranching enzyme activity, restored normal glycogen accumulation and branched structure. We now have access to the suite of enzymes required for glycogen synthesis and degradation in T. vaginalis.
Breastfeeding inequities in South Africa: Can enforcement of the WHO Code help address them? - A systematic scoping review.

Suboptimal breastfeeding rates in South Africa have been attributed to the relatively easy access that women and families have had to infant formula, in part as a result of programs to prevent maternal-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. This policy may have had an undesirable spill-over effect on HIV-negative women as well. Thus, the aims of this scoping review were to: (a) describe EBF practices in South Africa, (b) determine how EBF has been affected by the WHO HIV infant feeding policies followed since 2006, and (c) assess if the renewed interest in The Code has had any impact on breastfeeding practices in South Africa. We applied the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for scoping reviews and reported our work in compliance with the PRISMA Extension (PRISMA-ScR). Twelve databases and platforms were searched. We included all study designs (no language restrictions) from South Africa published between 2006 and 2020. Eligible participants were women in South Africa who delivered a healthy live newborn who was between birth and 24 months of age at the time of study, and with known infant feeding practices. A total of 5431 citations were retrieved. Duplicates were removed in EndNote and by Covidence. Of the 1588 unique records processed in Covidence, 179 records met the criteria for full-text screening and 83 were included in the review. It was common for HIV-positive women who initiated breastfeeding to stop doing so prior to 6 months after birth (1–3 months). EBF rates rapidly declined after birth. School and work commitments were also reasons for discontinuation of EBF. HIV-positive women expressed fear of HIV MTCT transmission as a reason for not breastfeeding. The Review found that while enforcing the most recent WHO HIV infant feeding guidelines and the WHO Code may be necessary to improve breastfeeding outcomes in South Africa, they may not be sufficient because there are additional barriers that impact breastfeeding outcomes. Mixed-methods research, including in-depth interviews with key informants representing different government sectors and civil society is needed to prioritize actions and strategies to improve breastfeeding outcomes in South Africa.
Transthyretin amyloid fibrils alter primary fibroblast structure, function and inflammatory gene expression.

Transthyretin (TTR) cardiac amyloidosis involves deposition of fibrils of misfolded TTR in the aging human heart, leading to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Our novel in vitro studies show t...