cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Passive microwave radiometry for the non-invasive detection of human brown fat: First human studies with direct correlation to FDG/PET

1648 Objectives Microwave radiometry non-invasively detects natural microwave radiation from internal tissues with the intensity of the signal related to the tissue temperature. In contrast to imaging modalities such as PET/CT, this method is inexpensive, noninvasive and involves no exposure to radioactivity, detecting signal from low abundance physiologically-generated microwaves. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the microwave radiometer in the assessment of BAT activity in stimulated and suppressed conditions, and compare this to the imaging gold standard, FDG PET/CT. Methods Nineteen participants were scanned with radiometry and FDG PET/CT using a cold intervention to activate BAT. The cold intervention involved the participant placing their feet on a cold ice block while sitting in a cool room. Participants exhibiting BAT activity qualitatively on PET were scanned again with both methods following a BAT minimization protocol (exposure to a warm room and a 20 mg dose of propranolol). Radiometry was performed every five minutes for two hours prior to PET imaging during both warm and cold interventions. A grid of 15 - 20 points was drawn on the participant’s upper body (data was collected at each point) and a photo was taken for comparison with PET images. Results PET identified increased signal consistent with BAT activity in 11 of 19 participants. In 9 of these 11 participants, radiometry measurements collected during the cold study were modestly, but significantly higher on points located over areas of active brown fat on PET, than in points not exhibiting BAT activity (P Conclusions Passive microwave radiometry was shown to be feasible and, with major improvements, has the potential to non-invasively detect active brown fat using the participant’s non-activated skin areas as a control.
Organ Transplantation and MicroRNA Expression

Abstract Transplantation is one of the most phenomenal successes of modern medicine. Successful outcomes depend on understanding donor organ quality, compatibility with appropriately selected recipients, and post-operative surveillance for recipient rejection, infection, allograft injury, and recurrent disease. miRNAs are emerging as powerful biomarkers in understanding these key issues in transplantation. In every aspect of a successful transplant they are ideal biomarkers because of their chemical stability, exquisite sensitivity, tissue specificity, and relatively few species. Therapeutic modulation of miRNA expression has become a clinical reality, and better characterization of their effects on inflammation and immune cell signaling is being realized. Surveillance for recurrent disease after transplant, and even prediction of future risk for recurrent disease prior to transplant, is possible through specific miRNA expression profiles.
Abstract 666: Apc restoration promotes cellular differentiation and reestablishes crypt homeostasis in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) accounts for almost 10% of all cancer mortality in the United States. The Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) tumor suppressor is mutated in the vast majority of human colorectal cancers (CRC) and leads to deregulated Wnt signaling. Using a novel mouse model in which Apc can be conditionally suppressed using a doxycycline-regulated shRNA, we previously showed that Apc suppression in adenomas and carcinomas drives rapid and widespread tumor-cell differentiation and sustained regression without relapse. However, this study was unable to explore Apc action in metastasis, which is the most common cause of death in CRC patients, since models do not live long enough for metastatic dissemination to occur. To produce a system that would enable further disease progression, we generated a comprehensive panel of colon organoid cultures that reflect iterative combinations of the 3 most common genetic lesions in human CRC: Apc-mut, Apc-mut;KrasG12D, Apc-mut;p53-mut and Apc-mut;KrasG12D;p53-mut. These cultures can be transplanted orthotopically into the colon of recipient mice or seeded in the circulation to assess primary tumor behavior and metastatic dissemination. We show that Apc silencing in organoid culture results in the dysregulated proliferation of stem and progenitor cells but this is reversible upon Apc restoration or pharmacologic inhibition of the Wnt pathway. When engrafted into the colon of recipient mice, these cells create ∼1-3 focal colon tumors that can be tracked using colonoscopy, ultrasound and bioluminescence imaging, and are largely indistinguishable from tumors that develop in transgenic models. Most importantly, triple mutant (Apc/Kras/p53) organoids form invasive adenocarcinoma and colonize the lung following tail vein injection, providing a setting to dissect the importance of Wnt pathway activity in various stages of disease progression. Ultimately, the ability to study cellular and molecular phenotypes in vitro, and assess tumor development in vivo, provides a flexible system to explore the genetic factors underlying CRC progression and metastasis, and overcomes many of the previous technical challenges of modelling advanced CRC. Citation Format: Kevin P. O’Rourke, Lukas E. Dow, Scott W. Lowe. Apc restoration promotes cellular differentiation and reestablishes crypt homeostasis in colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 666.
Pulmonary Valve Intimal Sarcoma

Malignant cardiac tumors are very rare. They carry a high risk of morbidity and death. We present a case of malignant intimal sarcoma that originated from the pulmonary valve leaflet in a 72-year-old woman. The clinical presentation was gradual onset of shortness of breath and fatigue.We successfully removed the tumor, with pulmonary valve preservation.
Intermediate-Dose Interleukin-2 Demonstrates Activity in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) has demonstrated activity as an antineoplastic and biomodulatory agent, but its activity in hematologic malignancies has not been fully defined. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) has been characterized as a disorder of mature clonal CD4+CD7− cells with a predominantly Th2 cytokine profile and a blunted response to Th1 and Fas-associated apoptosis. Durable responses have been reported in several advanced CTCL patients in prior studies using high dose IL-2, but the capacity of IL-2 as an immune modulator to upregulate Th1 cytokine secretion and to facilitate a cytotoxic T-cell response in CTCL has not been studied. To further explore the activity of IL-2 to restore a Th1 phenotype and to induce an antitumor response in CTCL, we treated 11 patients with advanced or refractory CTCL with intermediate dose IL-2 (11 MIU subcutaneously daily x 4 days for 6 weeks with 2 weeks rest). The median age was 60 (range 55–72) among 6 females and 5 males. Disease was stage IB-IIA in 4, IIB in 2, III-IVB in 5, and 7 had circulating Sezary cells. Four had evidence of significant lymphadenopathy on CT scans. The mean prior therapies was 3, with 4 patients having received 3 or more systemic cytotoxic therapies. Five patients had prior electron beam irradiation, and 5 had prior biological therapies, including IFN in 3, bexarotene in 4, and interleukin-12 in one. The median cycles administered was 2 (range 1–8). Two patients were discontinued for toxicity, one with grade 3 constitutional symptoms and one who had severe underlying cardiovascular disease and developed bilateral lower extremity deep venous thromboses. Overall, therapy was well tolerated with grade 3 fatigue in 3 patients and grade 2 eosinophilia in one. Response data includes: 4 patients with partial response, including 3 with Sezary syndrome and one with diffuse plaque stage disease; 3 patients with stable disease; 2 patients with progressive disease; 2 patients discontinued before completing one cycle and were inevaluable for response. One patient with diffuse pruritis, erythroderma and circulating Sezary cells completed 8 cycles of therapy and had a complete response in the skin but persistence of a low number of Sezary cells in the blood. Immunophenotypic analysis of circulating lymphocytes revealed an overall increase in CD4+CD25+ cells during therapy, suggesting a direct immunomodulatory effect of IL-2. In summary, our experience with intermediate dose IL-2 demonstrates that the therapy was well tolerated and was associated with biological activity in patients with extensive and refractory CTCL, with responses noted in 3 of 7 patients with Sezary syndrome. Based on our results, we intent to explore the biomodulatory effects of IL-2 on both normal T-cells and Sezary cells to attempt to define the role of IL-2 as a single agent or in combination with other biological agents in patients with CTCL.
Investigation of growth parameter influence on hydrothermally grown ZnO nanowires using a research grade microwave

Hydrothermal growth methods allow for low-temperature synthesis of ZnO nanowires (NWs) directly on a variety of novel substrates required for proposed flexible substrate applications such as power-harvesting fabrics [1]. Although hydrothermal growth opens up a new realm of application possibilities, a major drawback of this method is growth time — up to 20 hours or longer have been reported as necessary to yield desired NW morphologies [2]. The use of microwave heating of the nutrient solution has recently been reported to speed the growth process [3]. Although hydrothermal growth temperature has been reported to be a critical process variable [4], the conventional microwave used previously [3] did not offer a direct method of controlling process temperature. Instead, indirect control of growth temperature was attempted by microwave power level adjustment. Other typical microwaves change power level through variations in duty cycle. In this work, a research grade microwave oven, equipped with integrated temperature control, was used to systematically investigate the impact of growth temperature, growth time, and solution concentration on ZnO NW length, diameter, aspect ratio, growth orientation, density, and wire morphology.
Electrode and Stimulation Parameters for a Thalamic Visual Prosthesis

Introduction Our long term goal is to develop a visual prosthesis which interfaces with the thalamic visual center of the brain to restore vision to patients who have lost sight through glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness for which no satisfactory medical treatment exists. Glaucoma is a group of neurodegenerative disorders that affects the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer of the eye in 60 million people worldwide [1] and is a disease especially prevalent among peoples of the Gulf region. RGCs link the early visual signal processing of the eye with subsequent visual processing centers of the brain. Of these structures, the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) located in the thalamus is the primary target for RGC signals. Many groups are seeking to combat vision loss through use of prostheses; currently, two retinal prostheses are approved clinical devices. Because these retinal prostheses require intact RGCs, they have merit for patients with diseases like age–related macular degeneration (AMD) and retin...
Complexity and rate-distortion tradeoff via successive refinement

We demonstrate how successive refinement ideas can be used in point-to-point lossy compression problems in order to reduce complexity. We show two examples, the binary-Hamming and quadratic-Gaussian cases, in which a layered code construction results in a low complexity scheme that attains optimal performance. For example, when the number of layers grows with the block length n, we show how to design an O(nlog(n)) algorithm that asymptotically achieves the rate distortion bound. We then show that with the same scheme, used with a fixed number of layers, successive refinement is achieved in the classical sense, and at the same time the second order performance (i.e. dispersion) is also tight.
Working with the Inner Child

As discussed above, when patients act more like children and relate to the therapist as a parent, the usual conceptualizations are transference or regression. A more natural and direct way to work with this phenomenon is to think of the patient as having an inner child who is influencing the adult patient’s thinking and reactions. We describe how a compassionate and positive approach to the inner child is extremely helpful in combating the shame that usually stands in the way of work with EDPs in which patient show intense and “young” ways of reacting and feeling. The chapter includes how the relationship heals and how the interaction can form what Carl Rogers referred to as a corrective emotional experience.
Rate of Convergence in the Central Limit Theorem for Generalized Convolutions

The theory of Generalized Convolutions represents an unifying approach to many limit schemes in the probability theory, like Central Limit Theorems for i.i.d. random variables, extreme value theory, Kingman convolution and others. The main idea is, that in contrast to the usual summation and maxima scheme, the operation between random variables may itself be random. This random effect of the operation first appeared in a seminal work of Kingman (1963). The structure of Kingman convolution attracted attention of many specialists, among them Urbanik (1964, 1973, 1988), Bingham (1971, 1984), Volkovich (1980, 1984). It was Urbanik (1964), who developed a theory of generalized convolutions studying binary operations on probability measures on the positive half-line, that possess analogues of the most important properties of ordinary convolution. Kingman’s work provides only an example of such an operation. We shall refer to generalized convolutions of probability measures on R + as to Urbanik convolutions. The theory of Urbanik convolutions is very extensive now. We summarize it in Section 2. The main open problem in this area is the rate of convergence in the Central Limit Theorem. In Section 3 we deal with sharp estimates of the rate of convergence for normalized Urbanik convolutions to generalized stable laws. In Section 4 we present an example of a generalized convolution of random vectors and provide an estimate of the rate of convergence of an n-fold generalized convolution to a generalized stable vector.
Deconfinement transition at weak coupling in Yang-Mills theory on a torus

We describe a weak coupling realization of the deconfinement transition in gauge theory compactified on $R^3\times S^1$. We consider Yang-Mills theory with a single Weyl fermion of mass $m$ in the adjoint representation of the gauge group. The fermion is subject to periodic boundary conditions, $\lambda(0)=\lambda(L)$, where $L$ is the size of the circle $S_1$. This theory reduces to thermal Yang-Mills theory in the limit $m\to\infty$. In the limit $m\to 0$ the deconfinement transition can be studied using weak coupling methods. The analysis is based on semi-classical objects characterized by topological and magnetic charges. At leading order the relevant configurations are monopole-instantons and monopole-anti-monopole pairs ("bions"). We argue that in the $m-L$ plane the weak coupling transition is continuously connected to the deconfinement transition in pure gauge theory.
Travel Times for Screening Mammography: Impact of Geographic Expansion by a Large Academic Health System

Rationale and Objectives This study aims to assess the impact of off-campus facility expansion by a large academic health system on patient travel times for screening mammography. Materials and Methods Screening mammograms performed from 2013 to 2015 and associated patient demographics were identified using the NYU Langone Medical Center Enterprise Data Warehouse. During this time, the system's number of mammography facilities increased from 6 to 19, reflecting expansion beyond Manhattan throughout the New York metropolitan region. Geocoding software was used to estimate driving times from patients' homes to imaging facilities. Results For 147,566 screening mammograms, the mean estimated patient travel time was 19.9 ± 15.2 minutes. With facility expansion, travel times declined significantly (P Conclusions Health system mammography facility geographic expansion can improve average patient travel burden and reduce travel time variation among sociodemographic populations. Nonetheless, existing patients strongly tend to return to established facilities despite potentially shorter travel time locations, suggesting strong site loyalty. Variation in travel times likely relates to various factors other than facility proximity.
Cultivation of Anaerobic Bacteria in Canned Food

We will isolate anaerobic bacteria from locally canned food using an anaerobic jar with gas generator. The presumptive Clostridium perfringens will be identified on various selective media together with Gram staining and endospore staining. The pH value of the canned food will be measured.
Herbert Busemann (1905--1994). A biography for his Selected Works edition

This is a biography of Herbert Busemann (1905--1994). The final version will appear in Volume I of the Selected Works of Herbert Busemann (2 volumes, Springer Verlag, to appear in 2017).
Equivalence Testing of Complex Particle Size Distribution Profiles Based on Earth Mover’s Distance

Particle size distribution (PSD) is an important property of particulates in drug products. In the evaluation of generic drug products formulated as suspensions, emulsions, and liposomes, the PSD comparisons between a test product and the branded product can provide useful information regarding in vitro and in vivo performance. Historically, the FDA has recommended the population bioequivalence (PBE) statistical approach to compare the PSD descriptors D50 and SPAN from test and reference products to support product equivalence. In this study, the earth mover’s distance (EMD) is proposed as a new metric for comparing PSD particularly when the PSD profile exhibits complex distribution (e.g., multiple peaks) that is not accurately described by the D50 and SPAN descriptor. EMD is a statistical metric that measures the discrepancy (distance) between size distribution profiles without a prior assumption of the distribution. PBE is then adopted to perform statistical test to establish equivalence based on the calculated EMD distances. Simulations show that proposed EMD-based approach is effective in comparing test and reference profiles for equivalence testing and is superior compared to commonly used distance measures, e.g., Euclidean and Kolmogorov–Smirnov distances. The proposed approach was demonstrated by evaluating equivalence of cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion PSDs that were manufactured under different conditions. Our results show that proposed approach can effectively pass an equivalent product (e.g., reference product against itself) and reject an inequivalent product (e.g., reference product against negative control), thus suggesting its usefulness in supporting bioequivalence determination of a test product to the reference product which both possess multimodal PSDs.
Rapid measurement of long-range distances in proteins by multidimensional 13 C– 19 F REDOR NMR under fast magic-angle spinning

The ability to simultaneously measure many long-range distances is critical to efficient and accurate determination of protein structures by solid-state NMR (SSNMR). So far, the most common distance constraints for proteins are 13C–15N distances, which are usually measured using the rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) technique. However, these measurements are restricted to distances of up to ~ 5 A due to the low gyromagnetic ratios of 15N and 13C. Here we present a robust 2D 13C–19F REDOR experiment to measure multiple distances to ~ 10 A. The technique targets proteins that contain a small number of recombinantly or synthetically incorporated fluorines. The 13C–19F REDOR sequence is combined with 2D 13C–13C correlation to resolve multiple distances in highly 13C-labeled proteins. We show that, at the high magnetic fields which are important for obtaining well resolved 13C spectra, the deleterious effect of the large 19F chemical shift anisotropy for REDOR is ameliorated by fast magic-angle spinning and is further taken into account in numerical simulations. We demonstrate this 2D 13C–13C resolved 13C–19F REDOR technique on 13C, 15N-labeled GB1. A 5-19F-Trp tagged GB1 sample shows the extraction of distances to a single fluorine atom, while a 3-19F-Tyr labeled GB1 sample allows us to evaluate the effects of multi-spin coupling and statistical 19F labeling on distance measurement. Finally, we apply this 2D REDOR experiment to membrane-bound influenza B M2 transmembrane peptide, and show that the distance between the proton-selective histidine residue and the gating tryptophan residue differs from the distances in the solution NMR structure of detergent-bound BM2. This 2D 13C–19F REDOR technique should facilitate SSNMR-based protein structure determination by increasing the measurable distances to the ~ 10 A range.
2ν 2 –ν 2 and 2ν 2 bands of H 2 16 O, H 2 17 O, and H 2 18 O: line positions and strengths

High-resolution spectra of H216O, H217O, and H218O were recorded with a Fourier-transform spectrometer, covering transitions in the (020)–(010) and (020)–(000) bands. The measured line frequencies were used to determine high-accuracy values of rotational energy levels in the (020) vibrational states for the three isotopic species. Measurements of the line strengths were fitted to a model in which 19 transition moment parameters were determined for each band and molecule. The fitting technique did not consider interactions between the (020), (100), and (001) vibrational states. The experimental results provide a more accurate representation of the line positions and strengths than those currently available for these bands.
Probabilistic Interpretations of Copulas and Their Convex Sums

The copula C contains valuable information about the type of dependence that exists between random variables having C as their copula. It is this dependence, captured in the copula, which is of interest in this paper. One might think of a copula as a canonical representative of all those distribution functions H that correspond to random variables X and Y which have a specific sort of relationship to each other. It would be nice to have a catalog of copulas which specifies the sort of dependence each copula captures. With such a long term goal in mind, we give probabilistic interpretations for certain copulas, i.e., we give necessary and sufficient conditions on the random variables X and Y in order that C should be their copula. Also we give probabilistic interpretations for convex sums (mixtures) of copulas.
New Observation on Androgen Action: Androgen Receptor Stabilization and Antisteroid Effects of LHRH Agonists

The androgenic activity of testosterone and its 5c(-metabolites is classically defined as the growth promoting effect on the male reproductive tract. By contrast, the stimulatory effect of these hormones on nitrogen balance and body weight is referred to as their anabolic action (1). This latter effect results from androgen stimulation of protein synthesis in tissues, such as liver, kidney, bone and muscle, which compromise a major portion of body mass. Even though the anabolic and androgenic actions of testosterone were once thought to be distinct effects of a hormone, it is now clear that these are organ-specific responses. In most tissues, the effects of androgens are mediated via androgen receptors (2–4) and are inhibited by antiandrogens (5). In addition, the post-receptor actions of androgens are mediated via common intracellular events regardless of the tissue (6).
Outcomes after unstable pertrochanteric femur fracture: intermediate versus long cephalomedullary nails

Optimal cephalomedullary nail (CMN) length for unstable pertrochanteric femur fractures is controversial. Long CMNs (L-CMNs) are currently recommended; however, intermediate-length CMNs (I-CMNs) may provide stable fixation without the additional surgical steps required by L-CMNs. We analyzed outcomes after unstable pertrochanteric femur fractures treated with L-CMNs or I-CMNs to determine whether functional outcomes, perioperative measures, complications, and mortality and reoperation rates differ by CMN length. We retrospectively reviewed medical records at our institution for 100 patients who received surgical treatment for pertrochanteric femur fractures from June 2014 to June 2016. Data from 43 unstable pertrochanteric femur fractures treated with L-CMNs (n = 25) or I-CMNs (n = 18) were analyzed. We evaluated operative time, fluoroscopy time, intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusions, and perioperative complications; peri-implant fracture, malunion, reoperation, and death; and neck–shaft angle, tip–apex distance, and 6-month postoperative functional scores. We analyzed categorical data with Fisher exact tests and continuous data with Student t tests. P 0.05). We found operative advantages of I-CMNs over L-CMNs with no difference in treatment outcomes. Level IV, Retrospective case series study.
Suppression of Cold Weather Events over High-Latitude Continents in Warm Climates

AbstractRecent studies, using Lagrangian single-column atmospheric models, have proposed that in warmer climates more low clouds would form as maritime air masses advect into Northern Hemisphere hi...
A Prospective Study of Alcohol Involvement and the Dual-Systems Model of Adolescent Risk-Taking During Late Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

AIMS To estimate interactions and unique effects of behavioral approach and behavioral control on alcohol involvement hypothesized by dual-systems models, during adolescence and emerging adulthood. DESIGN In a longitudinal study, behavioral approach and behavioral control were examined in relation to alcohol involvement, cross-sectionally and prospectively. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A total of 846 general population twins born in Colorado, USA were assessed twice (mean = 17.3 and 22.8 years; female = 51.4%; white = 91.8%). MEASUREMENTS Behavioral approach was measured by self-report questionnaires of sensation-seeking and subjective effects of alcohol. Behavioral control was measured by self-reported lack of planning and nine executive functioning (EF) tasks. Interviewers administered semi-structured clinical interviews to assess alcohol use and disorder (AUD). FINDINGS None of 36 interaction effects was statistically significant (β = -0.16-0.14, P > 0.06), suggesting that dual systems are additively related to alcohol involvement. In multiple regression models, behavioral approach and behavioral control explained independent variance in alcohol use quantity (β = 0.09-0.33, P < 0.04) and frequency (β = -0.11-0.29, P < 0.03) at both waves. During adolescence, only subjective effects (β = 0.27-0.28, P < 0.001) explained independent variance in AUD. Moreover, measures of the same construct explained independent variance in alcohol involvement: for behavioral control, lack of planning and EF were associated with alcohol frequency in adolescence (β = -0.11-0.25, P < 0.02) and AUD in emerging adulthood (β = -0.09-0.16, P < 0.03). For the behavioral approach, subjective effects were associated with all measures at both waves (β = 0.20-0.33, P < 0.01) and sensation-seeking was associated with all measures in emerging adulthood (β = 0.09-0.11, P < 0.04). In prospective models, adolescent alcohol involvement was associated with later lack of planning (β = 0.12-0.18, P < 0.03) and lack of planning in adolescence was associated with later alcohol involvement (β = 0.12-0.14, P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Both the behavioral approach and behavioral control components of dual-systems models explain alcohol involvement during adolescence and adulthood, and different measures of the same system assess separate risk processes. The relations between alcohol involvement and the dual systems appear to be bidirectional.
Safety benefits of arterials’ crash risk under connected and automated vehicles

Abstract This paper aims to investigate the safety impact of connected vehicles and connected vehicles with the lower level of automation features under vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication technologies. Examining the lower level of automation is more realistic in the foreseeable future. This study considered two automated features such as automated braking and lane keeping assistance which are widely available in the market with low penetration rates. Driving behavior of connected vehicles (CV) and connected vehicles lower level automation (CVLLA) were modeled in the C++ programming language with considering realistic car following models in VISSIM. To this end, safety impact on both segment and intersection crash risks were explored through surrogate safety assessment techniques under various market penetration rates (MPRs). Segment crash risk was analyzed based on both time proximity-based and evasive action-based surrogate measures of safety: time exposed time-to-collision (TET), time integrated time-to-collision (TIT), time exposed rear-end crash risk index (TERCRI), lane changing conflicts (LCC), and number of critical jerks (NCJ). However, the intersection crash risk was evaluated through the number of conflicts extracted from microsimulation (VISSIM) using the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM). A logistic regression model was also developed to quantify the crash risk in terms of observed conflicts obtained in the intersection influence areas. The results suggest that both CV and CVLLA reduce segment crash risk significantly in terms of the five surrogate measures of safety. Furthermore, the logistic regression results clearly showed that both CV and CVLLA have lower intersection crash risks compared to the base scenario. In terms of both segment and intersection crash risks, CVLLA significantly outperforms CV when MPRs are 60% or higher. Thus, the results indicate a significant safety improvement resulting from implementing CV and CVLLA technologies at both segments and intersections on arterials.
An efficient MCMC history matching workflow using fit-for-purpose proxies applied in unconventional oil reservoirs

Abstract History matching is a very challenging task because tremendous amount of simulations runs are required to achieve an acceptable accuracy target. In this paper, we develop and evaluate an assisted history matching (AHM) workflow using proxy-based Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, which is fully-automated and efficient for application in unconventional reservoirs. We use a synthetic simple case to compare the accuracy between four types of proxies: quadratic polynomial, cubic polynomial, k-nearest neighboring (KNN), and kriging. Also, we investigate the accuracy of proxy in different contexts such as different measurement errors and different quantity of initial simulation points. The results show that kriging proxy is more accurate than KNN proxy and cubic proxy. The quadratic proxy was the least accurate in our evaluations. However, if larger measurement error is introduced, the distinction between accuracy of proxy of the four proxies becomes less clear in spite of their different computational costs. The appropriate number of initial simulation points is another key to improve the AHM workflow efficiency. Incorporating these findings, we implement the AHM workflow on a synthetic field case and successfully perform history matching and uncertainty quantification.
Authoritarian Traits as Predictors of Candidate Preference in 1976 United States Presidential Election

Responses of 39 males and 41 females to a questionnaire containing items from the dogmatism and F scales showed Wallace/Reagan supporters were higher on authoritarianism than Ford/Carter adherents ...
Strange Vernaculars: How Eighteenth-Century Slang, Cant, Provincial Languages, and Nautical Jargon Became English

Janet Sorensen's Strange Vernaculars offers a rich counter history to the old saws about the standardization of English in Dr. Johnson's Dictionary and late eighteenth-century grammar and rhetoric....
Outpatient Telemedicine Program in Vascular Surgery Reduces Patient Travel Time, Cost, and Environmental Pollutant Emissions

Background We analyze the impact of outpatient telemedicine services on the travel burden of vascular surgery patients with regard to distance, time, and cost, as well as the emission of environmental pollutants. Methods Retrospective analysis was used to compare the patient travel expenditure and environmental impact associated with telemedicine encounters versus hypothetical in-person traditional consultations for all outpatient virtual care encounters with vascular surgery patients from October 2015 to October 2017. The primary outcomes measured were travel distance saved, travel time saved, travel costs saved, reduction in fuel consumption, and reduction in environmental pollutant emission. Results Over a two-year period, 146 outpatient telemedicine encounters were conducted among 87 unique patients (61 females, 26 males; mean age, 60 ± 13 years). The average one-way distance saved by the utilization of telemedicine services was 15.6 ± 6.3 miles, with an average roundtrip savings of 31.2 miles. The average one-way travel time saved was 19.5 ± 9.2 minutes, with an average roundtrip savings of 39 minutes. By using telemedicine services, these vascular surgery patients saved an average of $4.26 in gas and parking costs at each telemedicine encounter. The total reduction in passenger vehicle emission of environmental pollutants, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxides, and volatile organic compounds was 1632 kg, 42,867 g, 3160 g, and 4715 g, respectively, with a total of 194 gallons of gas saved from driving. Conclusions Utilization of telemedicine services reduces the travel distance, time, and costs for vascular surgery patients. Outpatient telemedicine programs may also provide environmental benefit through the reduction of greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions.
Evaluating the Impact of Price-Responsive Load on Power Systems Using Integrated T&D Simulation

This paper explores the differences between simulating price-responsive load (PRL) interactions with power systems using integrated transmission and distribution (T&D) models and transmission-only (T-only) models. This analysis uses the Integrated Grid Modeling System (IGMS) software to capture “ISO-to-appliance” simulations using a synthetic T&D model built on the PJM 5-Bus transmission network with multiple full-scale taxonomy feeders that include physics-based models of thousands of customers and PRLs. The results show important differences in the impacts of PRLs between integrated T&D and T-only models. Experiments with the synthetic integrated T&D dataset demonstrated that integrated T&D simulation revealed notably larger differences between the PRL and no-PRL cases for load, and prices compared to T-only simulation. Similarly, differences are observed between the price response of individual buildings and distribution feeders and the corresponding transmission bus in the integrated T&D simulations, which are difficult to capture in traditional T-only simulations.
A Terminal Event.

A Terminal Event A 54-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of constant, nonradiating lumbar pain. Over the 6 months before this presentation, severe back pain frequently awakened him from s...
Ground-state actinide chemistry with scalar-relativistic multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory.

We have examined the performance of Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory (MC-PDFT) for computing the ground-state properties of actinide species. Specifically, we focused on the properties of UN2 and various actinyl species. The properties obtained with MC-PDFT at the scalar-relativistic level are compared to Kohn-Sham DFT (KS-DFT); complete active space self-consistent field theory, CASSCF; coupled-cluster theory, CCSD(T) and CCSDT; as well as multireference perturbation theory (CASPT2). We examine the degree to which MC-PDFT improves over KS-DFT and CASSCF while aligning with CASPT2, CCSD(T), and CCSDT. All properties that we considered were for the CASPT2 electronic ground states. For structural parameters, MC-PDFT confers very little advantage over KS-DFT, especially the B3LYP density functional. For NpO23+, MC-PDFT and local KS-DFT functionals excessively favor the bent structure, whereas CCSDT and CASPT2 predict the bent and linear structures as isoenergetic. For this special case, hybrid KS-DFT functionals like PBE0 and B3LYP provide results closer to CASPT2 and CCSDT than MC-PDFT. On a more positive note, MC-PDFT is very close to CASPT2 and CCSD(T) for the redox potentials, energetics of redox chemical reactions, as well as ligand-binding energies. These are encouraging results since MC-PDFT is more affordable. The best MC-PDFT functional is ft-PBE. Our findings suggest that MC-PDFT can be used to study systems and excited states with larger strong electron correlation effects than were considered here. However, for the systems and properties considered here, KS-DFT functionals do well, justifying their usage as the bulwark of computational actinyl chemistry over the last two to three decades.
Business First: Trump’s Economic Measures as Offensive Weaponry

In an increasingly competitive world, American power has declined on the international scene since the mid-2000s. While different on innumerable counts, both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump have shared a diagnosis of a downward trend for American power and have sought to capitalize on American economic strengths. Sanctions use, already increasing under the Obama administration, has exploded under the Trump administration. In concert with President Trump’s zeal for trade wars and tariffs, America under the Trump administration has become much more economically confrontational. While aspects of the Trump administration’s approach may be unique, others represent a continuation of already existing trends and may intensify in an era of great power competition.
Insurance-Mandated Medical Weight Management Programs in Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients Do Not Improve Postoperative Weight Loss Outcomes at 1 Year

Qualification for bariatric surgery is based upon strict medical guidelines, but individual insurance companies may introduce additional requirements for approval and coverage as they deem necessary. A mandatory preoperative medical weight loss management (MWM) program is commonly such a requirement. The primary objective of this study is to assess the effect of MWM programs on weight loss outcomes. A retrospective review of all sleeve gastrectomies performed between 2012 and 2016 at our institution was conducted. Patients were divided into two groups: those who required a preoperative MWM program, and those who did not. A 1:1 greedy nearest-neighbor method matching algorithm was used to match patients based on age, BMI, smoking, gender, race, sleep apnea, and diabetes. Total weight loss and percent excess weight loss at 1 year for each group were compared. A total of 3059 sleeve gastrectomy patients were reviewed. Of these, 941 patients had adequate data points to be evaluated. The matching algorithm resulted in 530 patients for the final analysis, 265 patients in each group. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, BMI, smoking, gender, race, sleep apnea, or diabetes. A paired t test found no significant differences between the MWM group and the control group at 1 year in both total weight loss (36.7 kg vs 36.2 kg) and in percent excess weight loss (56.5% vs 55.8%, p = 0.24). There was no significant difference in weight loss outcomes after 1 year in patients required by insurance to participate in MWM programs compared to those who were not. The necessity of these programs should be questioned.
Just Looking and Staring Back: Challenging Ableism Through Disability Performance Art

This article advocates for art curriculum to be guided by the goal of challenging the discrimination, stigmatization, marginalization, and medicalization of disabled people. The Disability Arts Movement provides an important site through which to engage students in exploring the sociopolitical issue of ableism in art curriculum. The pedagogical strategies of disability performance artists Carrie Sandahl, Mary Duffy, and Petra Kuppers are examined for the purposes of establishing an affirmative model that focuses upon the cultural contributions of disabled people rather than an orientation that focuses upon individual functional limitations. It is suggested that the strategies of critical appropriation and autobiography used by these artists offer ways through which to conceptualize disability as a sociopolitical issue in art curriculum. In its conclusions, this article suggests that an integration of the sociopolitical orientation and affirmative model of disability in the classroom be employed guided by ...
Uncertainty Estimation for Semantic Segmentation of Hyperspectral Imagery

As a step in a Dynamic Data-Driven Applications Systems (DDDAS) method to characterize the background in a vehicle tracking problem, we extend the application of deep learning to a hyperspectral dataset (the AeroRIT dataset) to evaluating network uncertainty. Expressing uncertainty information is crucial for evaluating what additional information is needed in the DDDAS algorithm and where more resources are required. Hyperspectral signatures tend to be very noisy, when captured from an aerial flight and a slight shift in the atmospheric conditions can alter the signals significantly, which in turn may affect the trained network’s classifications. In this work, we apply Deep Ensembles, Monte Carlo Dropout and Batch Ensembles and study their effects with respect to achieving robust pixel-level identifications by expressing the uncertainty within the trained networks on the task of semantic segmentation. We modify the U-Net-m architecture from the AeroRIT paper to account for the frameworks and present our results as a step towards accounting for sensitive changes in hyperspectral signals.
Examining Student–Teacher Relationship and Callous–Unemotional Traits in Children with Adverse Childhood Experiences

Aggression in childhood has been linked to short- and long-term negative outcomes. One area of aggression that has gained attention in the literature is the construct of callous/unemotional (C/U) traits, which have also been associated with deleterious outcomes. Theoretical support for associations between C/U traits and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is largely based on retrospective research conducted in adult populations, while there remains a dearth of research examining these relations in children. This study aimed to evaluate associations between ACEs and C/U traits and the student–teacher relationship (STR) as a moderator of these associations. Participants included male students between the ages of 6 and 14 attending school in a residential treatment setting (N = 86) and their teachers. Cross-sectional data were collected from educational files, child self-report measures, and teacher-report measures. Main and interaction effects were estimated within path models that included callous, uncaring, and unemotional traits as multiple outcomes. Significant interaction effects of both STR conflict and closeness emerged on the association between ACEs and callous traits (β = .12; p = .03 and β = − .10; p = .04, respectively). At high levels of STR conflict and low levels of STR closeness, there was a significant positive association between ACEs and callous traits. This association was only marginally significant at low levels of conflict and high levels of closeness. Findings highlight how the STR might exacerbate or mitigate callousness in children with a history of ACEs and thereby help to inform clinical and educational practices for high-risk youth.
Host fibrinogen drives antimicrobial function in Staphylococcus aureus peritonitis through bacterial-mediated prothrombin activation

The blood-clotting protein fibrinogen has been implicated in host defense following Staphylococcus aureus infection, but precise mechanisms of host protection and pathogen clearance remain undefined. Peritonitis caused by staphylococci species is a complication for patients with cirrhosis, indwelling catheters, or undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Here, we sought to characterize possible mechanisms of fibrin(ogen)-mediated antimicrobial responses. Wild-type (WT) (Fib+) mice rapidly cleared S. aureus following intraperitoneal infection with elimination of ∼99% of an initial inoculum within 15 min. In contrast, fibrinogen-deficient (Fib–) mice failed to clear the microbe. The genotype-dependent disparity in early clearance resulted in a significant difference in host mortality whereby Fib+ mice uniformly survived whereas Fib– mice exhibited high mortality rates within 24 h. Fibrin(ogen)-mediated bacterial clearance was dependent on (pro)thrombin procoagulant function, supporting a suspected role for fibrin polymerization in this mechanism. Unexpectedly, the primary host initiator of coagulation, tissue factor, was found to be dispensable for this antimicrobial activity. Rather, the bacteria-derived prothrombin activator vWbp was identified as the source of the thrombin-generating potential underlying fibrin(ogen)-dependent bacterial clearance. Mice failed to eliminate S. aureus deficient in vWbp, but clearance of these same microbes in WT mice was restored if active thrombin was administered to the peritoneal cavity. These studies establish that the thrombin/fibrinogen axis is fundamental to host antimicrobial defense, offer a possible explanation for the clinical observation that coagulase-negative staphylococci are a highly prominent infectious agent in peritonitis, and suggest caution against anticoagulants in individuals susceptible to peritoneal infections.
U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Challenges Go Beyond Supply.

A trio of current Annals articles each takes a different route to the same conclusion, which is the use initial supplies of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines to immunize as many persons as possible with a single-dose regimen may achieve more benefit than a more effective 2-dose regimen in a smaller population The model of Paltiel et al makes the case for a single-dose vaccine, even if it is somewhat less effective than a 2-dose regimen of another vaccine Barnabas and Wald argue for single-dose immunization campaigns involving the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, despite the absence of long-term efficacy data from clinical trials The model from Tuite et al questions the practice of reserving the second dose for every person immunized Supported by strong public health systems, rapid vaccine production, and equitable vaccine distribution within the US and around the world, vaccination strategies driven by data can bring an end to COVID-19