cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
User-Centered Design Approach:Opportunities and Challenges of Human Factors Practices in China

lnteractive products have become part of our daily work and life.The increasing demands on usability of interactive products help promotion of user-centered design(UCD)approach and also create opportunities and challenges for human factors practices.This paper reviews current UCD practices and system development processes.After pointing out the opportunities and the challenges,the paper proposes a conceptual framework and recommendations for effective UCD practices in China.
Diurnal variation of photosynthetic characteristic parameters of tea plant under fruit-tea intercropping patterns

The diurnal variation of photosynthetic characteristic parameters of five local common fruiter-tea intercropping patterns just as orange-tea,Chinese chestnut-tea,waxberry-tea,loquat-tea and gingko-tea in Suzhou Dongting Mountain region was studied using CI-340 portable photosynthesis system.The diurnal variation of photosynthetic characteristic parameters of five tested intercropping exhibited single-peak curve;and the control was double-peak curve.Correlation analysis showed that the leaf temperature increased with the increasing of the intensity of photosynthetic active radiation,which induced the increase of net photosynthetic rate,transpiration rate,stomatal conductance and the decrease of intercellular CO2 concentration.The results showed that the loquat-tea in five tested intercropping patterns was the most beneficial to the growth of tea plants,and is adaptive for cultivation in Suzhou Dongting Mountain region in Jiangsu Province,and its daily mean of net photosynthetic rate,transpiration rate,stomatal conductance,intercellular CO2 concentration was 1.46 μmol·m-2·s-1,0.91 mol·m-2·s-1,60.43 mol·m-2·s-1,305.57 μmol·m-2·s-1 respectively.
Study on Serotype and Drug Resistance of Salmonella from Retail Poultry Products and Live Poultry in Shanghai

The purpose of this study was to understand the pollution condition,popular serotype and drug resistance of Salmonellain farmer's market and supermarket,in Shanghai.A total of 240 chicken samples and 80chickens' cloaca swabs were obtained from market in 2012.Among them,70(21.9%)were positive for Salmonella.Of the 11 serotypes in 70 Salmonella isolates,S.enteritidis(47.1%),S.indiana(17.1%),S.typhimurium(8.6%)and S.derby(8.6%)were prevalent.Drug susceptibility test was conducted among the Salmonellaisolates using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.The highest level of resistance was found for nalidixie acid(75.7%),followed by sulfisoxazole(60.0%),streptomycin(60.0%)and ampicillin(51.4%).No resistance to imipenem was observed in any isolate examined.The isolated chicken Salmonellastrains had severe resistance to most drugs.40 strains of Salmonella were millti-drug resistant,the most resistart strain was resistant to 14 drugs.This study had important practical significance for prevention and control and rational drug use of salmonellosis.
Lack of interference by heparin with thrombolysis or binding of tissue- type plasminogen activator to thrombi

Coronary thrombolysis with t-PA is generally implemented with concomitant administration of heparin. However, results of studies in vitro suggest that heparin competes with fibrin for binding of tissue- type plasminogen activator (t-PA), augments activation of free plasminogen, decreases fibrin specificity, and impairs thrombolysis. To define the biological implications of these observations, we characterized effects of therapeutic concentrations of heparin on the binding of t-PA to thrombi formed in whole blood, effects of heparin on activation of plasminogen by t-PA in plasma, and effects of heparin on thrombolysis induced by t-PA in a clot lysis system designed to simulate conditions in vivo. The amount of t-PA bound to thrombi was not affected by heparin (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 5.0 U/mL). When t-PA activity was selectively and irreversibly inhibited by D-Phe-Pro-Arg- chloromethyl ketone (PPACK) the amount of t-PA-PPACK bound was similarly unaffected by heparin. Thrombolysis measured by 125I- fibrin(ogen) release and by reduction of mass of thrombi were not altered by heparin. Heparin did not affect plasminogen consumption induced by t-PA. Plasma concentrations of alpha-2-antiplasmin after exposure of blood to t-PA were less depressed with increasing concentrations of heparin. Thus, heparin in therapeutic concentrations does not interfere with binding of t-PA to thrombi, augment activation of free plasminogen, or inhibit thrombolysis. Accordingly, it appears likely that concomitant administration of heparin will not impair thrombolysis with t-PA implemented clinically.
Increased serum conjugated bilirubin in hemolytic anemia.

Rarely is conjugated hyperbilirubinemia associated with hemolytic anemia. This article describes three patients with hemolytic anemia (two autoimmune acquired and one congenital spherocytic) in whom an increase in the conjugated bilirubin fraction occurred. The increase subsided after amelioration or control of the hemolytic process.
The Effects of Nudity, Suggestiveness, and Attractiveness on Product Class and Brand Name Recall

This laboratory experiment found that nudity had a serious negative impact on brand name recall. This result is especially important because the degree of nudity was quite mild. Contrary to prediction, nudity had no effect on product class recall. As expected, no other significant effects were found.
Tradeoffs in scalable data routing for deduplication clusters

As data have been growing rapidly in data centers, deduplication storage systems continuously face challenges in providing the corresponding throughputs and capacities necessary to move backup data within backup and recovery window times. One approach is to build a cluster deduplication storage system with multiple deduplication storage system nodes. The goal is to achieve scalable throughput and capacity using extremely high-throughput (e.g. 1.5 GB/s) nodes, with a minimal loss of compression ratio. The key technical issue is to route data intelligently at an appropriate granularity.We present a cluster-based deduplication system that can deduplicate with high throughput, support deduplication ratios comparable to that of a single system, and maintain a low variation in the storage utilization of individual nodes. In experiments with dozens of nodes, we examine tradeoffs between stateless data routing approaches with low overhead and stateful approaches that have higher overhead but avoid imbalances that can adversely affect deduplication effectiveness for some datasets in large clusters. The stateless approach has been deployed in a two-node commercial system that achieves 3 GB/s for multi-stream deduplication throughput and currently scales to 5.6 PB of storage (assuming 20X total compression).
Transverse Wake Field Effects on Intense Bunches with Application to the SLAC Linear Collider

The theory of transverse beam break-up is summarized and briefly discussed in this paper. It is then applied to the SLAC linear accelerator to give the various design tolerances for beam injection and alignment of accelerator components for the linear collider operation.
The Monochromatic Compton X-ray Source for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy

The Compton X-ray source (CXS) is based on Compton backscattering of a high peak power (TW), short pulse (~200 fs) laser beam off energetic electrons (20-80 MeV) produced by an 11.424 GHz photoinjector/linear accelerator. Monochromatic X-rays tunable between 15 and 80 keV result from the Compton scattering process. The compact CXS is much smaller than storage ring synchrotron light sources and fits in a single room and thus holds great potential in clinical applications. Biomedical studies are under way to explore the superiority of the CXS in early cancer detection and better diagnostics by monochromatic imaging, and the novel x-ray phototherapy[1] that marries radiation therapy with nano-scale cancer targeting.
Case Report: A Rosette-forming Glioneuronal Tumor in the Tectal Plate in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis Type I

We report the case of a 41-year-old female with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) who developed a rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor (RGNT) in the tectal plate. This tumor was diagnosed in 2002 when the patient presented with obstructive hydrocephalus, which was subsequently treated with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and then an endoscopic third ventriculostomy. Initially thought to be a pilocytic astrocytoma, it was followed with serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) until tumor progression and development of a large fourth ventricular cystic component prompted resection via suboccipital craniotomy. Histological examination demonstrated an RGNT, a WHO Grade 1 tumor, with neurocytic rosettes, perivascular pseudorosettes, and elements resembling a pilocytic astrocytoma. Initially, the patient did well after her craniotomy, but postoperative complications set in that eventually led to her death. In this case report, we describe a relatively rare tumor that, despite its benign nature, leads to frequent complications and deficits due to its surgically challenging location. Along with previously reported examples, this cases raises the possibility of a causal relationship between NF1 and RGNT.
Spatio-temporal optimization through model predictive control: A case study in airborne wind energy

This paper presents a model predictive control (MPC)-based spatio-temporal optimization strategy that is applied to the problem of optimizing the altitude of an airborne wind energy (AWE) system. Altitude optimization for AWE systems represents a challenging problem under which the wind speed at the operating altitude dictates the net power produced by the system. The wind speed varies with both time and altitude and is typically only instantaneously observable at the operating altitude of the AWE system. The MPC strategy proposed in this work avoids the need for a computationally expensive Markov process model for characterizing the wind speed and is structured in a way that the need for instantaneous power maximization (termed exploitation) is balanced with the need to maintain an accurate map of wind speed vs. altitude (termed exploration). The MPC strategy is calibrated through data-driven statistical characterizations of the wind profile and is validated through real wind speed vs. altitude data.
Assisting College Students With Athletic Disengagement

This article examines college student disengagement from sports, presents a multidimensional concept of athletic identity, and introduces a new measure intended to assist college counselors in thei...
Factors Affecting Visits to the Emergency Department for Urgent and Nonurgent Ocular Conditions

Purpose To determine the frequency of emergency department (ED) visits for nonurgent and urgent ocular conditions and risk factors associated with ED use for nonurgent and urgent ocular problems. Design Retrospective, longitudinal cohort analysis. Participants All enrollees aged 21 years or older in a United States managed care network during 2001–2014. Methods We identified all enrollees visiting an ED for ocular conditions identified by International Classification of Diseases, billing codes. Diagnosis is well-described as urgent, nonurgent, or other. We assessed the frequency of ED visits for urgent and nonurgent ocular conditions and how they changed over time. Next, we performed multivariable Cox regression modeling to determine factors associated with visiting an ED for urgent or nonurgent ocular conditions. Main Outcome Measures Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of visiting an ED for urgent or nonurgent ocular conditions. Results Of the 11 160 833 enrollees eligible for this study, 376 680 (3.4%) had 1 or more ED visit for an eye-related problem over a mean ± standard deviation of 5.4±3.3 years' follow-up. Among these enrolled, 86 473 (23.0%) had 1 or more ED visits with a nonurgent ocular condition and 25 289 (6.7%) had at least 1 ED visit with an urgent ocular condition. Use of the ED for nonurgent ocular problems was associated with younger age ( P P P P P P Conclusions Nearly one-quarter of enrollees who visited the ED for an ocular problem received a diagnosis of a nonurgent condition. Better educating and incentivizing patients to seek care for nonurgent ocular diseases in an office-based setting could yield considerable cost savings without adversely affecting health outcomes and could allow EDs to better serve patients with more severe conditions.
Assessing nurses' adherence to a central line maintenance care checklist on a pediatric inpatient unit

Adherence to evidence-based central line maintenance practices remains a challenge, particularly in complex patient populations. Using an evidence-based observational checklist, areas of nonadherence were identified and a focused educational intervention was developed, resulting in improved adherence across all aspects of the central line maintenance care bundle.
Biocrust moss populations differ in growth rates, stress response, and microbial associates

A growing body of research supports the feasibility of biocrust rehabilitation. Identifying populations of key species that are amenable to cultivation and that are resilient in rehabilitation contexts would advance the efficacy of these technologies. Here we investigate the growth and stress response of the cosmopolitan biocrust moss, Syntrichia ruralis. We sampled populations of S. ruralis along a precipitation seasonality gradient from the Colorado Plateau ecoregion of the western United States. We cultivated these populations in an experiment manipulating duration of hydration periods on a weekly cycle. We then treated greenhouse grown materials with brief, stressful watering events, measuring how many events they could survive. All populations grew at an accelerated rate compared to growth in a natural setting, at least doubling biomass in five months. Increasing duration of hydration periods led to more growth in all but one population. Volunteer biocrust algae and cyanobacteria developed during cultivation, and differed among populations. Greenhouse grown mosses differed in their response to stressful watering, with the most susceptible populations dying at half the number events compared to the most tolerant. These findings argue for informed selection and deployment of Syntrichia ruralis populations for soil rehabilitation.
Pulmonary artery intravascular abscess: A rare complication of incomplete infective endocarditis treatment in the setting of injection drug use.

Abstract Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious complication of injection drug use. Right-sided IE encompasses 5–10% of all IE cases, with the majority involving the tricuspid valve (TV). The predominant causal organism is Staphylococcus aureus. Most cases of right-sided IE can be successfully treated with antimicrobials, but approximately 5–16% require eventual surgical intervention. We report the case of a 36-year-old female with active injection drug use who developed methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus IE of the tricuspid valve. Associated with poor adherence to medical therapy as a consequence of opioid addiction, she developed septic emboli to the lungs and an intravascular abscess in the left main pulmonary artery. These long-term potentially fatal, sequelae of incompletely treated IE require surgical intervention, as medical therapy is unlikely to be sufficient. Surgical management may involve TV replacement, pulmonary artery resection, and pneumonectomy. Prevention of these complications may have been achieved by concurrent opioid addiction therapy. An intravascular pulmonary artery abscess is a novel complication of advanced IE that has not been previously reported. This complication likely arose due to incomplete IE treatment as a consequence of opioid addiction, highlighting the need for concurrent addiction management. Intravenous antimicrobial therapy is likely not adequate, and surgical intervention, including pulmonary artery resection and pneumonectomy may be necessary.
Vaccination with recombinant PIV5 expressing influenza neuraminidase provides protection against homologous and heterologous influenza virus infection (P4291)

Vaccination is considered the most effective measure for controlling influenza virus infection, however current vaccination methods are inadequate. Virus-vectored vaccines offer an appealing alternative. Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5), a non-segmented, negative-stranded RNA virus (NNSV) in the family Paramyxoviridae is an appealing vector candidate as it has a stable genome without a DNA phase in its life cycle, is readily grown to high titers in approved vaccine cell lines, and infects many mammals without causing disease. Neuraminidase (NA), a glycoprotein found on the surface of influenza A virus as well as virus-infected cells is more conserved than the hemagglutinin surface glycoprotein, the primary antigen in current influenza vaccines. This increases the likelihood of achieving broad protection if used as a vaccine antigen. We show that vaccination with PIV5 expressing the NA from H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI; rPIV5-N1 (H5N1)) or pandemic H1N1 (rPIV5-N1 (H1N1)) primes robust NA-specific antibody and T cell responses and confers complete protection against homologous (NA-matched) influenza virus challenge. Moreover, immunization also confers significant cross-protection against challenge with heterologous influenza virus within the same NA type. These results suggest that NA can be an effective vaccine antigen and protect against even a stringent challenge, such as with H5N1 HPAI virus, making it an appealing candidate pandemic influenza vaccine.
Wettbewerbsfähiger durch Allianzen: Illusion oder Wirklichkeit?

Der Begriff Allianz ist fur viele gedanklich mit langfristigen Strategien zur Bewaltigung herausragender Aufgaben verbunden. Die Bildung von Allianzen gerade zwischen Grosunternehmen wird in der Wirtschaftspresse deshalb auch gern in schillernden Farben dargestellt. Doch nur selten wird der Weg einer Allianz uber die Entstehungsphase hinaus weiterverfolgt.
On the Interpretation of Formal Languages and the Analysis of Logical Properties

We can distinguish different senses in which a formar language can be said to have been provided with an interpretation. We focus on two: (i) We provide a model (or structure) and a definition of satisfaction and truth in the standard way (ii) We provide a translation into a natural language. We argue that the sentences of a formal language interpreted as in (i) do mot have meaning. A formal language interpreted as in (i) models the way the truth'Elf a sentence would be affected by two factors: the in terpretation as in (ii) of the language, and a way the world might be. Viewing in this way the relation between interpreting a formal language as in (i) and as in (ii) allows us to justify the conceptual adequacy of the standard model-theoretic definitions of the properties of logical truth and logical consequence.
Gender and the Division of Labor

This chapter focuses on the division of labor between women and men and the distinction commonly drawn between domestic work and paid work. Work performed directly in the service of families – including housework and childcare – is often unacknowledged because of cultural assumptions that a wife or mother should do it in the privacy of the home. Paid work, on the other hand, is much more public and historically associated with men. Holding a job and earning a salary has been considered to be a husband’s traditional family obligation, whereas tending to home and children traditionally has been considered a wife’s primary obligation (even if she also works outside the home).
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells, Automotive Applications

Since the discovery of fuel cells in the nineteenth century, they have been designed for operation with liquid alkaline, acid, and solid oxide ion conducting electrolytes in different temperature ranges to produce electrical power for stationary, portable, and automotive applications. The liquid acid that provides ionic conduction has been replaced by fairly thin proton conducting membranes such as polystyrenes and perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) like Nafion and more recently with hydrocarbon-based polymers. These fuel cells incorporating a proton-conducting membrane rather than liquid electrolyte to separate the anode and cathode (forming a 3-layer sandwich or catalyst coated membrane) are referred to as PEMFCs. PEMFCs are preferred for use in automotives for a multitude of reasons including their high volumetric and gravimetric power density.
Surgical Neuromodulation of Tinnitus: A Review of Current Therapies and Future Applications.

Introduction Tinnitus is the conscious perception of an auditory sensation in the absence of external stimulus. Proposed theories are based on neuroplastic changes that occur due to sensory deprivation. The authors review the relevant literature on functional imaging and neuromodulation of tinnitus and describe potential targets for deep brain stimulation (DBS). Materials and methods A MEDLINE keyword and Medical Subject Heading term literature search was performed using PubMed for tinnitus, neuromodulation, DBS, transcranial magnetic stimulation, epidural electrode stimulation, intradural electrode stimulation, functional imaging, and connectivity. Data from these reports were extracted and reviewed. Results Multiple imaging studies are employed to understand the pathophysiology of tinnitus. Abnormal regions and altered connectivity implicated in tinnitus include auditory pathway and limbic structures. Neuromodulation attempts to correct this hyperexcitable state by disrupting these aberrant oscillations and returning activity to baseline. Applied treatment modalities include transcranial magnetic stimulation, epidural/intradural electrode stimulation, and DBS. More recently, modulation of autonomic pathways through vagus nerve stimulation and paired auditory sounds has demonstrated tinnitus improvement via plasticity changes. Conclusions DBS shows much promise as a therapeutic option for tinnitus. Stimulation of the auditory pathway, particularly the medial geniculate body, could counteract thalamocortical dysrhythmias and reduce gamma activity implicated in the tinnitus percept. Stimulation of the limbic pathway could decrease attention to and perception of tinnitus. Additional studies, focusing on the involvement of thalamic and limbic structures in the pathophysiology of tinnitus, are needed to support the use of DBS.
Sigma models on fiber bundles with a Grassmannian base space

Some magnetic phenomena in correlated electron systems were recently shown to be described in the continuum limit by a class of sigma models with a target space interpolating between ${S}^{3}$ and $C{P}^{1}$. In this paper we study a generalization of such models with a target space given by a fiber bundle with a Grassmannian base space. The metric of our target space is shown to be left-symmetric which implies that it is fully parametrized by two constants: the first one---the conventional coupling constant---is responsible for the overall scale of the target space while the second constant $\ensuremath{\kappa}$ parametrizes the size of the fibers. In two dimensions these sigma models are perturbatively renormalizable. We calculate their $\ensuremath{\beta}$ functions to two loops and find the RG flow of the coupling constants. We calculate the two-point function in the UV limit, which has a power law dependence with an exponent dependent on the RG trajectory.
A coupled cavity whispering gallery mode transducer

A mode transducer is described which generates a whispering gallery mode output with a TE11 mode input. Radiation pattern data and estimates of mode purity and efficiency are given for a TE15,2 transducer.
Immigrant and Refugee Explanatory Models of Chronic Disease: Provider "Learning Up" for Culturally Responsive Care

Immigrant and refugee populations in North Carolina bring with them traditionally based explanatory models (EMs) of disease that influence health care interactions. Providers who encounter these models are often challenged with how best to leverage them for prevention outreach and care. Participation in "learning up" opportunities increases provider awareness and capacity for cultural responsiveness when dealing with immigrant and refugee clients.
Parallel algorithms through approximation: graphs, data privacy and machine learning

We describe a paradigm for designing parallel algorithms on massive graphs by employing approximation techniques. Instead of solving a problem exactly, for which efficient parallel algorithms do not exist, we seek a solution with provable approximation guarantees via approximation algorithms. Furthermore, we design approximation algorithms with high degrees of concurrency. We show the computation of degree-constrained subgraphs as an example of this paradigm.
Distributing Synthetic Focusing Over Multiple Push-Detect Events Enhances Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging Performance

Plane wave (PW) imaging is a commonly used method for tracking waves during shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI), but its unfocused transmission beam reduces tracking accuracy and precision. Coherent compounding minimizes this problem, but SWEI’s stringent frame rate requirement and the coarse pitch of most clinical transducers limit its effectiveness. Synthetic aperture imaging (SAI) is an alternate ultrasound imaging approach with a much tighter focus than PW imaging, but its lower transmission power has deterred researchers from using SAI in SWEI. Hadamard-encoded multielement SAI can overcome this limitation. However, only a limited number of subapertures (3–5) can be transmitted in a single push-detect event. We have developed methods to distribute more subapertures or more compounding angles over multiple push-detect events. In this paper, we report the results of experiments conducted on phantoms to assess SWEI’s performance when using Hadamard-encoded distributed-multielement synthetic aperture (HDMSA) imaging or distributed plane wave compounding (DPWC) to track shear waves. Tracking shear waves with HDMSA improved the elastographic signal-to-noise ratio (SNRe) by 61.6%–89.5% depending on the phantom employed. Similarly, DPWC tracking improved SNRe by 56.2%–93.3% for the same group of phantoms. Compared to focused ultrasound tracking (at the focus), SNRe improved by 28.6% and 32.5% when tracking shear waves with HDMSA and DPWC, respectively. Long acquisitions could introduce decoding errors that decrease the performance when performing HDMSA tracking within the clinical setting. Nevertheless, the results of studies performed on the bicep muscle of three healthy volunteers demonstrate that for stationary organs, tracking shear waves with HDMSA yielded repeatable elastograms that offer better elastographic performance than those produced with current tracking methods.
Abstract I25: Understanding and exploiting natural barriers to pancreatic tumorigenesis

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extraordinarily aggressive cancer that arises in the context of a unique tumor microenvironment. Molecularly, PDAC involves a combination of undruggable cancer drivers, including activating mutations in the KRAS oncogene and disruption of tumor suppressors such a TP53, SMAD4, and CDKN2A together with poorly characterized epigenetic changes that correlate with metastatic progression. Histologically, PDAC arises within a heterogeneous tissue microenviroment characterized by dense fibroinflammatory stroma that influences disease progression and limits therapy response. Our laboratory has developed genetically engineered mouse models based on ES cells (GEMMESCs) of pancreas cancer, where chimeric mice are produced directly from multiallelic ES cells harboring a latent KrasG12D oncogene together with all the genetic elements needed for Kras activation in the together with those needed for tetracycline-inducible (and reversible) regulation of short hairpin RNAs targeting capable of suppressing any gene of interest at any time after pancreas cancer initiation. Using this system, we have probed the epigenetic requirements for pancreas cancer initiation and compare them to those required for pancreatic regeneration following tissue damage; in addition, we have explored the metabolic programs needed for p53 to suppress tumorigenesis. Our studies have identified elements of cellular plasticity that act at multiple points that suppress pancreas cancer progression and identify actionable intervention points required for these transitions. Citation Format: Scott W. Lowe. Understanding and exploiting natural barriers to pancreatic tumorigenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2019 Sept 6-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(24 Suppl):Abstract nr I25.
Electrical Properties 1

Studies of Si, Ge donors and Fe, Mg as acceptors in β-Ga2O3 through temperature-dependent van der Pauw and Hall effect measurements of samples grown by a variety of methods are presented in this chapter. Si and Ge are identified as shallow donors with donor energy of 30 meV instead of DX states. Fe is a deep acceptor with its energy level 860 meV below the conduction band edge. Mg-doped samples present an activation energy of 1.1 eV, but the type could not be resolved. Unintentional donors and acceptors are also discussed including intrinsic defects (i.e., vacancies) and extrinsic impurities. Last, an unintentional donor with energy of 110 meV is presented and the impacts of its incomplete ionization to power devices are discussed.
Optimal Control of State-Affine Dynamical Systems

Optimal control of state-affine systems with finite or infinite dimensions is considered. The control performance is measured by a cost functional with state-affine Lagrangian and terminal cost. Relying upon such affine structure, a simple proof of Pontryagin's maximum principle as a necessary condition for optimality is presented. This principle requires any optimal control to resolve a certain two-point boundary value problem. As the main contribution of this paper, an iterative algorithm is proposed that converges to the solution of this boundary value problem. This solution is regarded then as a candidate optimal control. Several applications are outlined for the optimal control problem of this paper, including: optimal control of unobserved stochastic systems (continuous-time Markov chain and diffusion process), convection-diffusion partial differential equations, and Lyapunov matrix differential equations.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of universal germline testing for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Abstract Background Historically, germline testing of patients with pancreatic cancer was performed selectively in patients with a strong family history of cancer. Current guidelines recommend universal testing because some patients may have actionable germline pathogenic variants without family history. Methods We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis using a decision-tree model to compare universal versus selective testing strategies for patients with pancreatic cancer. Costs, probabilities, and overall survival were estimated from the published literature and institutional data. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses explored model uncertainty. Results Universal germline genetic testing had an incremental cost of $310 with an increase of 0.003 life-years. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $121,924/life-years. Parameters which were most impactful (sensitivity analysis) included the median overall survival of patients with advanced disease treated with personalized therapy, cost of personalized therapy for advanced disease, and the probability of receiving personalized therapy in advanced disease. A strategy of selective testing was more cost-effective in 59% of iterations when the willingness-to-pay threshold was set to $100,000/life-years. Conclusion Our model suggested that selective germline testing of patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer is more cost-effective than universal testing. Additional research is needed to explore the impact of cascade testing of relatives on cost-effectiveness.
The Temperature Coefficients of Frequency of Surface Acoustic Wave Devices With SiO x N y Passivation Films on LiTaO 3 Substrates

This work assessed the possible correlation between the refractive index of a SiO x N y passivation film on a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device and the temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of the device itself. The data demonstrate that the refractive index does correlate with the TCF as well as the frequency of the one-port resonator. SiO x N y passivation films having an optimal refractive index can potentially suppress the frequency shifts caused by the deposition of such layers, and can change the TCF from that for a Si3N4 film to that for SiO2. The results also show that the coupling coefficient of the one-port resonator increases when using a SiO x N y film with a lower refractive index, which changes the TCF such that this value approaches that for a SiO2 film. Finite-element method spectral domain analyses established that the frequency responses of the one-port resonators were affected by the velocity and temperature coefficient of velocity of the dielectric films deposited on the interdigital transducer electrodes. Thus, adjusting the refractive index of the SiO x N y film can be used to control the properties of an SAW device, including the TCF.
An Uncertainty Quantification Framework for Autonomous System Tracking and Health Monitoring

This work proposes a perspective towards establishing a framework for uncertainty quantification of autonomous system tracking and health monitoring. The approach leverages the use of a predictive process structure, which maps uncertainty sources and their interaction according to the quantity of interest and the goal of the predictive estimation. It is systematic and uses basic elements that are system agnostic, and therefore needs to be tailored according to the specificity of the application. This work is motivated by the interest in low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle operations, where awareness of vehicle and airspace state becomes more relevant as the density of autonomous operations grows rapidly. Predicted scenarios in the area of small vehicle operations and urban air mobility have no precedent, and holistic frameworks to perform prognostics and health management (PHM) at the system- and airspace-level are missing formal approaches to account for uncertainty. At the end of the paper, two case studies demonstrate implementation framework of trajectory tracking and health diagnosis for a small unmanned aerial vehicle.
Modeling transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings

Purpose of review Mathematical, statistical, and computational models provide insight into the transmission mechanisms and optimal control of healthcare-associated infections. To contextualize recent findings, we offer a summative review of recent literature focused on modeling transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings. Recent findings The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic shift in the modeling landscape as the healthcare community has raced to characterize the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 and develop effective interventions. Inequities in COVID-19 outcomes have inspired new efforts to quantify how structural bias impacts both health outcomes and model parameterization. Meanwhile, developments in the modeling of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridioides difficile, and other nosocomial infections continue to advance. Machine learning continues to be applied in novel ways, and genomic data is being increasingly incorporated into modeling efforts. Summary As the type and amount of data continues to grow, mathematical, statistical, and computational modeling will play an increasing role in healthcare epidemiology. Gaps remain in producing models that are generalizable to a variety of time periods, geographic locations, and populations. However, with effective communication of findings and interdisciplinary collaboration, opportunities for implementing models for clinical decision-making and public health decision-making are bound to increase.
Pediatric Orthopedic Trauma Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the practice of pediatric orthopedic trauma surgery in both outpatient and inpatient settings. While significant declines in patient volum...
Association of atopic dermatitis with poor school behaviors in US children and adolescents.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic disease associated with itch, sleep disturbance (SD), headaches, obesity and mental health comorbities. AD is associated with behavioral problems in children, e.g. fighting, threatening others and nervousness. Little is known about impacts of AD on school behavior, including task completion, impulsivity and connectedness. We examined associations of AD, comorbid SD or asthma, and school behavior.
A Religious Worldview: Protecting One’s Meaning System Through Religious Prejudice

For some people, religion strongly influences their worldviews. We propose that religious outgroups threaten the foundational beliefs of people with strong religious worldviews (RWVs) by endorsing alternative belief systems and that this threat contributes to religious prejudice. To examine these ideas, we developed a measure of RWV strength and assessed the role of RWV threat in religious prejudice. Across five studies, strength of RWV was related to religious prejudice, including derogation and denial of alternative religious viewpoints, as well as support for suppressing, avoiding, and even aggressing against religious outgroups. These responses were strongest toward religious outgroups whose worldviews were the most different, and therefore most threatening. Mediational analyses revealed that strong RWV people expressed heightened prejudice because of the worldview threat posed by religious outgroup members. These findings indicate that the avoidance and subjugation of religious outgroups can serve as a worldview protection strategy for some people.
The Older Child's Theory of Mind

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the discussion of the older child's theory of mind. This research has dealt with important issues such as when young children are able to understand the representational nature of beliefs, that human behavior is caused by beliefs and desires, and even that mental phenomena are distinct from physical phenomena. The chapter focuses on the work that begun to do on later developments in children's theories of mind that addresses some questions, such as how does children's developing theory of mind relate to their acquisition of cognitive strategies, and to their intelligence as assessed by psychometric techniques. Research on later developments in children‘s theory of mind forms a link between the current work on young children's acquisition of the basic components of a theory of mind, and the earlier work on metacognition, which tended to focus on children's knowledge about variables that affect different types of mental activities, such as memory or attention.
STAIR: Practical AIMD Multirate Multicast Congestion Control

Existing approaches for multirate multicast congestion control are either friendly to TCP only over large time scales or introduce unfortunate side effects, such as significant control traffic, wasted bandwidth, or the need for modifications to existing routers. We advocate a layered multicast approach in which steady-state receiver reception rates emulate the classical TCP sawtooth derived from additive-increase, multiplicative decrease (AIMD) principles. Our approach introduces the concept of dynamic stair layers to simulate various rates of additive increase for receivers with heterogeneous round-trip times (RTTs), facilitated by a minimal amount of IGMP control traffic. We employ a mix of cumulative and non-cumulative layering to minimize the amount of excess bandwidth consumed by receivers operating asynchronously behind a shared bottleneck. We integrate these techniques together into a congestion control scheme called STAIR which is amenable to those multicast applications which can make effective use of arbitrary and time-varying subscription levels.
C 3 and C 4 Species Changes Identified by δ 13 C values of soil organic matter in a Colorado prairie

We measured carbon isotope signatures (δ 13 C) from 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil depth intervals for grassland soils near Boulder, Colorado. These grasslands included tall-, short-, and mixed-grass prairies that were grazed, ungrazed, or hayed. Soils exhibited δ 13 C signatures consistent with observations that current sites are a mix of C 3 and C 4 species, with C 3 plants more abundant in mixed-grass than in native tall- or shortgrass prairies. The δ 13 C signatures were not significantly different for grassland types; however, management treatments (grazing, no grazing, haying) significantly influenced changes in soil δ 13 C signatures from the 0-10 cm to 10-20 cm soil depth intervals. We observed a correlation ( r = 0.63) between isotopic values of surface soils and percent native species in total vegetation cover. Overall, the community type with the lowest percentage of nonindigenous species cover had the most enriched δ 13 C signature. Sites currently grazed by prairie dogs, cattle, or both herbivores had stronger C 3 signatures, indicating that grazing may have increased C 3 plant productivity in these communities at the expense of C 4 grasses. This finding differs from studies of native shortgrass steppe where grazing has the opposite effect on the relative abundance of these 2 functional groups of plants. This result, along with the correlation between C 3 isotopic values and nonnative vegetation abundance, provides evidence that management practices that maintain dominance of C 4 grasses should be encouraged.
Statin Use and Serum Lipid Levels Are Associated With Survival Outcomes After Surgery for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the association of statin use and preoperative serum lipid parameters with oncologic outcomes following surgery for renal cell carcinoma. Methods A total of 850 patients who underwent surgery for localized renal cell carcinoma at our institution from 2000 to 2012 were included. Use of statins, preoperative serum lipid profile, and comprehensive clinicopathologic features were retrospectively recorded. Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model were employed to compare survival outcomes. Results There were 342 statin users and 508 non-users. Median follow-up was 25.0 months. Statin users were older, had greater body mass index, and had worse performance status than non-users. Tumor pathologic characteristics were balanced between groups. Five-year recurrence free survival (RFS) was 77.9% for non-users compared with 87.6% for statin users ( P = .004). After adjustment for clinicopathologic variables, statin use was independently associated with improved RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33-0.86, P = .011) and overall survival (HR 0.45, 95%CI 0.28-0.71, P = .001). In patients with available serum lipid parameters (n = 193), 5-year RFS was 83.8% for patients with triglycerides 250 mg/dL ( P 250 mg/dL) was independently associated with worse RFS (HR 2.69, 95%CI 1.22-5.93, P = .015) on multivariate analysis. Conclusion Statin use was independently associated with improved survival, whereas elevated serum triglyceride levels correlated with worse oncologic outcomes in this cohort. These findings warrant validation in prospective studies.
“A Aids mudou de cara”: memória coletiva e novas oportunidades para o ativismo da Aids no Brasil

Este artigo trata da analise da construcao da memoria coletiva do ativismo contra o HIV/Aids no Brasil, desenvolvido a partir de entrevistas com quinze ativistas de Sao Paulo. Neste artigo, examina-se a percepcao de um “enfraquecimento” da luta contra a Aids desde os anos 1980/90, os chamados “anos heroicos”, quando se estabeleceu um ativismo poderoso e publico que conseguiu angariar conquistas importantissimas no tratamento de pessoas que vivem com HIV/Aids. Mostra-se que o chamado atual “enfraquecimento” do movimento nao considera a emergencia de novos caminhos menos visiveis para enfrentar a Aids, que ja nao requer o mesmo tipo de ativismo dos “anos heroicos”. Conclui-se que esses novos caminhos – o tratamento universal de pessoas que vivem com HIV/Aids, a incorporacao da prevencao do HIV/Aids em sistemas de atendimento basico de saude e o surgimento de novas redes de ativistas – nem sempre sao considerados “ativismo”, justamente em razao da memoria coletiva do ativismo contra a Aids, que ainda enfatiza as glorias, os metodos e as conquistas dos “anos heroicos”.
A Case of Sclerodermatous Graft‐versus‐Host Disease Responsive to Imatinib Therapy

Sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease (sGVHD) is a rare, late complication of hematopoietic cell transplantation. Classified as a variant of chronic graft-versus-host disease, sGVHD is thought to be predominantly an immune-mediated response characterized by aberrant T-cell function and dysregulation of tyrosine kinase cascades. Recently, the profibrotic cytokine transforming growth factor B and stimulatory autoantibodies against the platelet-derived growth factor receptor have been implicated in the pathogenesis of sGVHD. Treatment of sGVHD remains disappointing and largely limited by systemic side effects. Imatinib mesylate is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been shown to selectively inhibit both the platelet-derived growth factor receptor and transforming growth factor-β signaling pathways. We report a case of sGVHD in a pediatric patient that was resistant to traditional therapy but showed improvement in cutaneous symptoms following daily treatment with 400 mg of imatinib mesylate. Due to its favorable side-effect profile, specificity for molecular pathways deranged in sGVHD and proven efficacy in other sclerodermoid diseases, imatinib mesylate is a promising new tool in the management of this challenging disease.
Gastric volvulus in an 11 year old with a history of repaired congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Gastric volvulus is rare in pediatrics. We report a case of gastric volvulus in an 11 year old boy with a history of repaired congenital diaphragmatic hernia. He presented to the emergency department with intermittent abdominal pain, nausea and non-bilious non-bloody emesis. Computerized tomography suggested gastric volvulus which was confirmed at operation. He had reduction of the volvulus and gastrostomy tube placement. His post-operative recovery was unremarkable.
Synchronized and unsynchronized chaos in a modulated bidirectional ring laser

Regimes of antisynchronized quasiperiodic and synchronized and unsynchronized chaotic oscillations have been observed in a bidirectional solid-state ring laser with modulated pump and are chracterized in terms of the maximum Lyapunov exponent. The results can be understood in terms of the coupled dynamics of two counterpropagating modes of a ring laser coupled to atomic population inversion.
Minimean optimal key arrangements in hash tables

For an open-addressing hash functionh and a setA ofn keys, letCh(A) be the expected retrieval cost when the keys are arranged to minimize the expected retrieval cost in a full table. It is shown that, asymptotically for largen, whenh satisfies a certain doubly dispersive property, as is the case for double hashing,Ch(A)=0(1) with probability 1 ź 0(1) for a randomA.