cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rural Energy in Developing Countries: A Challenge for Economic Development

▪ Abstract The energy problems of the developing world are both serious and widespread. Lack of access to sufficient and sustainable supplies of energy affects as much as 90% of the population of many developing countries. Some 2 billion people are without electricity; a similar number remain dependent on fuels such as animal dung, crop residues, wood, and charcoal to cook their daily meals. Without efficient, clean energy, people are undermined in their efforts to engage effectively in productive activities or to improve their quality of life. Developing countries are facing two crucial—and related—problems in the energy sector. The first is the widespread inefficient production and use of traditional energy sources, such as fuelwood and agricultural residues, which pose economic, environmental, and health threats. The second is the highly uneven distribution and use of modern energy sources, such as electricity, petroleum products, and liquefied or compressed natural gas, which pose important issues of ...
Stressful life events and previous episodes in the etiology of major depression in women: an evaluation of the "kindling" hypothesis.

OBJECTIVE: Although previous evidence has suggested that the etiologic role of stressful life events in major depression is reduced in recurrent versus first-onset cases, this question deserves reexamination because of potential methodological limitations of the previous studies. METHOD: Members of female-female twin pairs from a population-based registry (N=2,395), who were interviewed four times over a period of 9 years, formed a study group that contained 97,515 person-months and 1,380 onsets of major depression. Discrete-time survival, proportional hazards model, and piece-wise regression analyses were used to examine the interaction between life event exposure and number of previous depressive episodes in the prediction of episodes of major depression. RESULTS: For those with zero to nine previous depressive episodes, the depressogenic effect of stressful life events declined substantially with increasing episode number. However, the association between stressful life events and major depression was ...
DNA Methylation and Its Implications and Accessibility for Neuropsychiatric Therapeutics

In this review, we discuss the potential pharmacological targeting of a set of powerful epigenetic mechanisms: DNA methylation control systems in the central nervous system (CNS). Specifically, we focus on the possible use of these targets for novel future treatments for learning and memory disorders. We first describe several unique pharmacological attributes of epigenetic mechanisms, especially DNA cytosine methylation, as potential drug targets. We then present an overview of the existing literature regarding DNA methylation control pathways and enzymes in the nervous system, particularly as related to synaptic function, plasticity, learning and memory. Lastly, we speculate upon potential categories of CNS cognitive disorders that might be amenable to methylomic targeting.
CHAOTIC COMMUNICATION USING TIME-DELAYED OPTICAL SYSTEMS

We discuss experimental demonstrations of chaotic communication in several optical systems. In each, an erbium-doped fiber ring laser (EDFRL) produces chaotic fluctuations of light intensity onto which is modulated a message consisting of a sequence of pseudorandom digital bits. This combination of chaos and message propagates at a wavelength of ~ 1.5 microns through standard single-mode optical fiber from the transmitter to a receiver, where the message is recovered from the chaos. We present evidence of the high-dimensional nature of the chaotic waveforms and demonstrate chaotic communications through 35 km of single-mode optical fiber at up to 250 Mbit/s, a rate that is, at present, limited only by the speed of our detector electronics.
The CXCR4/CXCL12 axis in cutaneous malignancies with an emphasis on melanoma.

The highly metastatic and variable behavior of melanoma has accentuated the need for early detection and targeted therapy. Putative targets identified include those belonging to the extensive network of chemokines and their receptors. One such target is the chemokine receptor CXCR4, a G protein-coupled receptor with a 34 amino acid extracellular N-terminus, the primary ligand of which is CXCL12 (SDF-1, stromal derived factor-1). The ligand uniquely utilizes the Nterminus of CXCR4 for signal transduction and stimulates the protein kinase B (AKT)/mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Functionally, the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis is believed to play a key role in cell migration and proliferation. Upregulation of CXCR4 and consequently dysregulation of the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis has been implicated in the progression of several lineage-unrelated malignancies including melanoma. The contributions of the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis in melanomagenesis are well documented. More recently, the potential cooperativity between the mutational status of BRAF and the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis has been shown, lending credence to the concept that both CXCR4 and CXCL12 may be putative targets for therapy in melanoma. In this review, we summarize the role of the CXCR4/CXCL12 axis in cancer progression and metastasis, with an emphasis on cutaneous malignancy, melanoma in particular. Furthermore, we discuss the effects of CXCL12 on CXCR4 expressing malignant cells in vitro and the potential prognostic utility of both CXCR4 and CXCL12 expressions. Lastly, we highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting this axis and the unique response of CXCR4 expression to anti-cancer treatments with an emphasis on melanoma
The Avenger and the Redeemer: Christianity & the Cultural Matrix

In Venerable Bede’s Northumbria, and later in Iceland, Christianity arrived sporting a reputation for delivering people from misfortune, for preserving the country against invasion and attack, restoring to the people the good things of the past, safeguarding them from the designs of their enemies, and granting them peace and abundance in the land of their forebears. The new religion brought good fortune, provided wise counsel, and gave instructions for the conduct of personal and social affairs. Here was a religion equipped with what people needed, whether as victims of economic and social deprivation, dislocation, personal isolation, fear and insecurity, or as rulers and elites facing a swift and harsh reversal of fortune. “Accept the Faith and keep the commands of Him who delivered you from all your earthly troubles and raised you to the glory of an earthly kingdom,” the troubled King Edwin was told. For Edwin and his people, Christianity offered the healing and cleansing needed to remove all offenses in their midst and to repay their faith and labors with supernatural signs, miracles, and blessings.1 It is a promise with familiar resonance for Africans, too, for the desire for supernatural blessing and protection against evil spirits is as old as the African race. It was not just mere curiosity that drew Africans to religion but a fundamental need for an answer to the endemic riddle of life and to the pressure of historical experience.
Ruthenium, [1,3‐Bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)‐2‐imidazolidinylidene]dichloro(phenylmethylene)(tricyclohexylphosphine) (Grubbs' Second‐Generation Catalyst)

[246047-72-3] C46H65Cl2N2PRu (MW 848.97) InChI = 1S/C21H26N2.C18H33P.C7H6.2ClH.Ru/c1-14-9-16(3)20(17(4)10-14)22-7-8-23(13-22)21-18(5)11-15(2)12-19(21)6;1-4-10-16(11-5-1)19(17-12-6-2-7-13-17)18-14-8-3-9-15-18;1-7-5-3-2-4-6-7;;;/h9-12H,7-8H2,1-6H3;16-18H,1-15H2;1-6H;2*1H;/q;;;;;+2/p-2 InChIKey = FCDPQMAOJARMTG-UHFFFAOYSA-L Physical Data: purple to dark brown microcrystalline solid. Bench stable and can be handled in solid form in the atmosphere. Solubility: commonly used in dichloromethane, dichloroethane, benzene, and toluene. Also soluble in THF, diethyl ether, and tert-butyl methyl ether. Some applications do not require rigorously dry or degassed solvents. For demanding applications, metathesis reactions that require longer reaction times, or reactions that are heated for a prolonged period, degassed or distilled solvents are highly recommended. Form supplied in: free-flowing, dark purple microcrystals. Preparative Methods: 1, 2 reagent is commercially available (Sigma–Aldrich Chemical Co.). Most applications use the commercial reagent. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: the microcrystalline reagent can be handled in the air. The Grubbs' complex should be stored for long periods under inert atmosphere in the dark. Degradation can be identified using 31P NMR (δ + 31.41 ppm (CD2Cl2)).
Residential Child Care in Malaysia: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Caregiver–Child Interactions

A number of children around the world require out-of-home care, and many children in Asia needing alternative care grow up in residential care homes. The impact and experience of being in residenti...
Culture, Human Development and Economic Growth

Economic growth, the traditional objective of development policy, is concerned with increasing the output of goods and services, in the expectation that this will increase human well being and reduce poverty. More recently, there has been a shift in favour of human development, where emphasis is placed on increasing an individual’s capabilities, widening choice and expanding freedom.1 There is much discussion, even controversy, about the relationship between economic growth and human development:2 are they in opposition? do they have different policy implications? or do they come down to much the same thing in the end?
Exploring the Framing of Diversity Rhetoric in “Top-Rated in Diversity” Organizations:

This study provides a summative content analysis and framing analysis of 15 of the top 20 corporate websites identified on the 2010 DiversityInc Survey as “top-ranked” in diversity management, to a...
Organic-to-Aqueous Phase Transfer of Cadmium Chalcogenide Quantum Dots using a Sulfur-Free Ligand for Enhanced Photoluminescence and Oxidative Stability.

This paper describes a procedure for transferring colloidal CdS and CdSe quantum dots (QDs) from organic solvents to water by exchanging their native hydrophobic ligands for phosphonopropionic acid (PPA) ligands, which bind to the QD surface through the phosphonate group. This method, which uses dimethylformamide as an intermediate transfer solvent, was developed in order to produce high-quality water-soluble QDs with neither a sulfur-containing ligand nor a polymer encapsulation layer, both of which have disadvantages in applications of QDs to photocatalysis and biological imaging. CdS (CdSe) QDs were transferred to water with a 43% (48%) yield using PPA. The photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield for PPA-capped CdSe QDs is larger than that for QDs capped with the analogous sulfur-containing ligand, mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), by a factor of 4 at pH 7, and by up to a factor of 100 under basic conditions. The MPA ligands within MPA-capped QDs oxidize at Eox ∼ +1.7 V versus SCE, whereas cyclic voltammogram...
Transfer entropy between cortical and basal ganglia electrophysiology

Linear measures such as cross-correlation, coherence, and directed transfer functions have previously been applied to investigate the functional connectivity between brain regions. However, such methods do not account for nonlinear interactions between the signals. Separately, dopaminergic cell transplants have been shown to provide symptomatic amelioration and partial electrophysiological normalization of aberrant basal ganglia firing patterns in Parkinson's Disease. However, the precise extent and mechanisms of basal ganglia electrophysiological normalization have remained unclear. In this experiment we computed the transfer entropy between electroencephalograms (EEGs) and basal ganglia local field potentials (LFPs) from urethane-anesthetized rats, in order to investigate both linear and nonlinear interactions. We used the 6-hydroxy-dopamine lesioned medial forebrain bundle hemiparkinsonian (HP) rat model, and recorded from the substantia nigra and subthalamic nucleus of normal rats, HP rats, and HP rats with murine fetal ventral mesencephalic cell transplants, looking separately at slow wave EEG epochs versus global activation epochs. We found that both the crosscorrelation and the transfer entropy between the motor cortical EEG and basal ganglia LFPs was increased in the HP group (p&#60;0.05) and returned to normal levels in the grafted group, in most nuclei and conditions. However, the transfer entropy more robustly showed the difference between the groups. Our findings indicate that transfer entropy is a sensitive tool for nonlinear inter-nucleic functional connectivity analyses, and demonstrate the novel restorative ability of dopaminergic grafts for the parkinsonian basal ganglia electrophysiology.
Do errors and critical events relate to hernia repair outcomes

Abstract Background The study aimed to validate an error checklist for simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia (LVH) repair procedures. We hypothesize that residents' errors can be assessed with a structured checklist and the results will correlate significantly with procedural outcomes. Methods Senior residents' (N = 7) performance on a LVH simulator were video-recorded and analyzed using a human error checklist. Junior residents (N = 38) performed two steps of the same simulated LVH procedure. Performance was evaluated using the error checklist and repair quality scores. Results There were no significant differences between senior and junior residents' checklist errors (p > 0.1). Junior residents' errors correlated with hernia repair quality (p = 0.05). Conclusions The newly developed assessment tool showed significant correlations between performance errors, critical events, and hernia repair quality. These results provide validity evidence for the use of errors in performance assessments. Summary This study validated an error checklist for simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia (LVH) repair procedures. The checklist was designed based on errors committed by chief surgery residents during LVH repairs. In a separate data collection, junior residents were evaluated using the checklist. Hernia repair quality was also assessed. Errors significantly correlated with hernia repair quality (p = 0.05).
Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs), Identified on Endogenous Huntingtin, Cluster within Proteolytic Domains between HEAT Repeats

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins regulate various cellular processes. PTMs of polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin (Htt) protein, which causes Huntington’s disease (HD), are likely modulators of HD pathogenesis. Previous studies have identified and characterized several PTMs on exogenously expressed Htt fragments, but none of them were designed to systematically characterize PTMs on the endogenous full-length Htt protein. We found that full-length endogenous Htt, which was immunoprecipitated from HD knock-in mouse and human post-mortem brain, is suitable for detection of PTMs by mass spectrometry. Using label-free and mass tag labeling-based approaches, we identified near 40 PTMs, of which half are novel (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD005753). Most PTMs were located in clusters within predicted unstructured domains rather than within the predicted α-helical structured HEAT repeats. Using quantitative mass spectrometry, we detected significant differences in the ...
Abstract 2306: Sleep duration and risk of fatal prostate cancer in CPS-I and CPS-II

There is growing evidence that factors associated with circadian rhythm disruption may be associated with prostate cancer risk. In a previous analysis focusing on shift-work in the Cancer Prevention Study (CPS)-II that included only employed men, we observed an association between short sleep duration and higher risk of prostate cancer death that was limited to the first eight years of follow-up of the cohort. To corroborate and expand on these results, we examined the association between sleep duration and death from prostate cancer in a combined analysis of men in CPS-II and men enrolled in an earlier cohort study, CPS-I, regardless of employment status. After excluding men with uninterpretable sleep information, prevalent cancer and prevalent prostate disease at baseline, the analysis included 407,649 men from CPS-I followed from 1950 through 1972, and 416,040 men from CPS-II followed from 1982 through 2012. During follow-up, 1,546 men in CPS-I and 8,704 men in CPS-II died of prostate cancer. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate multivariable-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) and estimates were meta-analyzed using a fixed-effects model because the design and population of CPS-I and CPS-II were similar. Among men aged 65 years and younger, short sleep duration was associated with higher risk of death from prostate cancer during the first eight years of follow-up; compared to 7 hours/night, the RRs (95% CIs) for 3-5, and 6 hours/night were 1.61 (1.10-2.37), and 1.25 (0.99-1.58), respectively. Among men older than age 65 years, the corresponding RRs (95% CIs) were 0.97 (0.68, 1.38), and 1.02 (0.82, 1.27), respectively. There was no association between sleep duration and fatal prostate cancer during later follow-up. These findings support evidence that factors related to circadian rhythms may increase fatal prostate cancer risk. The observed association between short sleep duration and higher risk of fatal prostate cancer only during the first 8-years of follow-up suggests that short sleep duration could affect later stages of prostate carcinogenesis. Reasons for lack of an association in older men are unclear but may include the marked decline in nocturnal melatonin levels with age, which could reduce the relative biologic impact of melatonin inhibition by sleep-deprivation. Citation Format: Susan M. Gapstur, Victoria L. Stevens, Brian D. Carter, Ying Wang, Eric J. Jacobs. Sleep duration and risk of fatal prostate cancer in CPS-I and CPS-II [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2306. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2306
Improved adaptation in exogenously and endogenously changing environments

Fitness landscapes are visual metaphors that appeal to our intuition for real-world landscapes to help us understand how populations evolve. The object inspiring the metaphor is better described as...
Genetic instability and tumor cell variation

It has been a provocative experience to share my thoughts on tumor heterogeneity. This is not a subject I previously pondered in specific terms, but when I began to review the subject, it was apparent that the problem of tumor heterogeneity is one of the fundamental problems of cancer therapy [1–12]. Treating cancer is analogous to shooting at a continuously moving target. As our comprehension of cancer improves through scientific advances, the more scientific strategic approaches to control this devastating disease appear to be akin to Don Quixote throwing our national resources at the windmills in the fields outside Barcelona [13]. This is not to suggest that the expenditures have not resulted in remarkable scientific achievements but rather a successful conclusion has not been reached.
Harry & Arthur: Truman, Vandenberg, and the Partnership That Created the Free World. By Lawrence J. Haas. (Lincoln, NE: Potomac Books, 2016. Pp. xix, 313. $29.95.)

The author of this study has produced a very well‐written account of the early post‐World War II years that is at once both fascinating and frustrating. His thesis is that “from April of 1945 to Ju...
The relationship between impulsivity and methamphetamine use severity in a community sample.

Abstract Background Abuse of psychostimulants, including methamphetamine (MA), has been linked to heightened impulsivity. While previous research has demonstrated differences in impulsivity between MA users and non-substance users, less is known about variability in impulsivity within MA users and whether the severity of MA use related problems predicts impulsivity within individuals who regularly use MA. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between impulsivity and MA use severity. Method Non-treatment seeking individuals who reported regular MA use (n = 177) completed an impulsivity battery comprising self-report and behavioral measures. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to test the relationship between the MA use related problem severity and measures of impulsivity. Results The final SEM model of impulsivity and MA use related problems (CFI = 0.897, RMSEA = 0.059, S-B scaled χ2 [260,n = 103] = 406.86) revealed that greater MA use severity was associated with greater self-reported impulsiveness, but no relationship was found between MA use severity and behavioral measures of impulsivity. Conclusions The current findings extend previous research by providing additional evidence that MA use is associated with increased self-reported impulsivity and highlights the importance of evaluating impulsivity as a multidimensional construct.
Experiences and lessons learned offering certificates in computer technology

Our Computer Science Department applied for and received a grant of $280,000 to create and offer Certificates in 6 technical areas (Computing Technology Literacy, Dynamic Web Site Programming, UNIX System Administration, Database Application Development, TCP/IP Networking, and Advanced Software Engineering). The goal of the Grantor (Colorado Institute of Technology) was to increase the educational level of the technology workforce in Colorado. Each Certificate required the completion of 5 courses totaling approximately 15 semester hour credits. The implementation of this program required the addition of several new courses, the recruitment of students new to the college, and the management of day-to-day operations and budgets. Many of the experiences discussed provide lessons learned that should be valuable to other Computer Science programs with an interest in providing technology courses with specific areas of emphasis.
The Board Bites Back: Bilski and the B.P.A.I.

ions are stored in a tangible medium, while rejecting the same inventions standing alone."). 119. Nuijten, 500 F.3d at 1351, 1356 n.6. 120. Li, 2008-1213 at 9; In re Lowry, 32 F.3d 1579 (Fed. Cir. 1994) 121. Lowry, 32 F.3d at 1583. 122. Exparte Mazzara, 2008-4741 slip op. (B.P.A.I. Feb. 5, 2009). 123. Id. at 20. 2009] BERKELEY TECHNOLOGY LAW JOURNAL the specification, is to be read so broadly as to include clearly subjectmatter ineligible scope. 124 The Board cited to two examples. In one decision the specification expressly defined the computer readable media to include paper, which is not subject-matter eligible. 125 Another decision had claims that included intangible media, like a carrier wave. 126 This is not a separate test for Beauregard claims-the board is simply looking to see if the claim scope includes traditionally subject-matter ineligible areas, like printed matter and carrier waves. The claim in Mazzara specified that it was for software embodied on a "computer usable medium," but the specification did not expressly define that term. Refusing to categorically invalidate all Beauregard claims that failed to make such a definition, the Board held that any subject-matter ineligible scope that the term might cover was "incidental." 127 The Board accordingly held the claim eligible. Some other decisions have apparently followed this line of reasoning. For example, the Zybura Board rejected Claim 24, a Beauregard claim, but only because the "claims recite a storage medium that encompasses a carrier wave or signal"-the specification specifically so defined it. 128 Thus the Zybura Board did not categorically reject Beauregard claims, but rejected only those that include in their scope general network transmission as "computer-readable media." And in Atkin, the Board did not address the subject-matter eligibility of Claim 5, which was a Beauregard claim, though it sua sponte raised subject-matter objections on other nonBeauregard software methods and held them ineligible. 1 29 Other Board decisions are in direct conflict with these decisions. In Ex parte Mitchell, the board squarely rejected the idea that limiting software to a computer-readable medium made it subject-matter eligible. The Board, having already held another claim in method form to be subjectmatter ineligible, refused to allow the Beauregard claim:
Knowledge-based Tuning I: Design and Tuning of Fuzzy Control Surfaces with Bezier Function

In this chapter, a new design and tuning scheme is proposed for FLCs. The Bezier curve function is used to adjust surface shape by means of varying a set of parameters without the knowledge of traditional FLC parameters (scaling factors, membership functions, and control rules). The proposed tuning method can be applied to various forms of FLCs as the surface shape of these controllers can be readily presented by Bezier functions. In the simulation study, the GA was applied to adjust automatically parameters of Bezier functions and therefore control surfaces of FLCs. Simulation results showed that the proposed design and tuning scheme could significantly improve the overall performance of FLCs.
Linearity as the basic law of psychophysics: Evidence from studies of the neural mechanisms of roughness magnitude estimation

The search for general laws governing our perceptual representation of the external world goes back at least to Fechner and is no less important now than it was then. Fechner used human discrimination performance to infer that the basic relationship between subjective intensity and the intensity of a physical stimulus was logarithmic. A hundred years later, Stevens demonstrated that direct subjective report frequently results in a power law rather than a logarithmic law. However, it was soon appreciated that power laws and logarithmic laws are indistinguishable without peering inside the mechanisms leading to a subject’s responses. After doing so, Mountcastle and his colleagues proposed that the basic law is linearity between the neural representation of an intensive continuum and its subjective magnitude. We were drawn to the same conclusion in a study of the neural coding mechanisms of roughness perception that was designed to be independent of any assumptions about the basic laws of psychophysics. We adopted consistency as the test of neural coding hypotheses. The single, consistent neural coding hypothesis that survived all challenges resulted in a linear relationship between the neural coding measure and subjects’ reports of intensity. That hypothesis was that roughness perception depends on spatial variation in the SAI afferent population response. This study and other similar studies support the idea that once the internal neural representation of intensity is established, the fundamental laws are linear, as Mountcastle proposed over thirty years ago.
The Second Campaign for Liberation: Casanare´s Struggle to Win Freedom from Boyacá during Colombia´s National Front Era (1958-1974)

During the ongoing bicentennial celebrations of Independence, Colombians extol Casanare�s role in Bolivar�s Liberation Campaign of 1819, the march across the Andes that defeated the Spanish at the battles of Pantano de Vargas (July 25) and Boyaca (August 7), but they have paid scant attention to the region�s twentieth century struggle to gain freedom from the rule of neighboring Boyaca. During the National Front Era (1958-1974), Casanare�s sense of abandonment by Tunja evolved into a determined initiative to throw off the department�s rule and regain its autonomy as a national intendancy. This article reviews the complicated relationship between the highland and the plains regions; describes Casanare�s struggle to recover its autonomy; and explains why in 1974, the people of Casanare rejoiced in the region�s elevation to the status of national intendancy while inhabitants of the other territories of the Llanos were actively lobbying to become departments
A Sorted-Partitioning Approach to Fast and Scalable Dynamic Packet Classification

The advent of software-defined networking (SDN) leads to two key challenges for packet classification on the dramatically increased dynamism and dimensionality. Although packet classification is a well-studied problem, no existing solution satisfies these new requirements without sacrificing classification speed. Decision tree methods, such as HyperCuts, EffiCuts, and SmartSplit can achieve high-speed packet classification, but support neither fast updates nor high dimensionality. The tuple space search (TSS) algorithm used in Open vSwitch achieves fast updates and high dimensionality but not high-speed packet classification. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach, PartitionSort, that combines the benefits of both TSS and decision trees achieving high-speed packet classification, fast updates, and high dimensionality. A key to PartitionSort is a novel notion of ruleset sortability that provides two key benefits. First, it results in far fewer partitions than the TSS. Second, it allows the use of multi-dimensional interval trees to achieve logarithmic classification and update time for each sortable ruleset partition. Our extensive experimental results show that The PartitionSort is an order of magnitude faster than the TSS in classifying packets while achieving comparable update time. The PartitionSort is a few orders of magnitude faster in construction time than SmartSplit, a state-of-the-art decision tree classifier, while achieving a competitive classification time. Finally, the PartitionSort is scalable to an arbitrary number of fields and requires only linear space.
Application of ReaxFF-Reactive Molecular Dynamics and Continuum Methods in High-Temperature/Pressure Pyrolysis of Fuel Mixtures

Rocket engines, gas turbines, HCCI engines, and other such combustion devices frequently exceed the critical pressure of the fuel or the oxidizer. Modeling of combustion processes at high-pressure operating condition is required to determine the reaction rates based on which chemical kinetic models are developed. The current need is to focus on the transfer from low pressure to high-pressure conditions as this can have a significant effect on the chemistry as well as the reaction rates. The ReaxFF reactive force field method is a computationally feasible method used to study the combustion kinetics of fuels and fuel mixtures at supercritical condition. In this chapter, ReaxFF-MD is used to investigate the effect of a highly reactive fuel on the properties of a less reactive fuel at different levels of concentration, temperature, and density/pressure. The activation energies, based on Arrhenius-type rate laws, are compared with those from Continuum simulations and the limitations of the latter has been elaborated on. The study reveals a pressure/temperature regime and mixing conditions, where simple first-order kinetics-based Arrhenius-type relations cannot be applied. The reason can be attributed to different initial reaction mechanisms and product distributions of the two fuels considered. These results indicate how ReaxFF-based molecular dynamics simulations can provide significant atomistic insights on the combustion properties of fuel mixtures at supercritical conditions, where experiments are difficult to perform.
Tele-ICU Patient Experience: Focus on Family-Centered Care

Connected health strategy has become an imperative for hospitals that are focused on achieving exceptional family-centered care outcomes, pivotal to organizational sustainability in emerging value-based care markets in the USA. Telemedicine is operationally essential for healthcare delivery reform, to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care that engages and improves the health of people in their communities. Telemedicine ICU (tele-ICU) operations have been a mainstay of outstanding critical care outcomes for over a decade. Tele-ICUs operating under a centralized hub, where ancillary resources are available, have full potential to support family-centered care outcomes. As FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp, and other video solutions are typical conferencing venues outside hospitals, our patients, families, and clinicians ought to have policies, procedures, and technologies to support in-hospital, on-demand connectivity. The connected health options for intensive care are endless: visitation, consultation, collaboration, harmonization, education, and care coordination – all virtually available to the patient, family, and clinician team, any time of the day or night, operationally coordinated by the centralized telemedicine resource teams.
U.S.-Japan relations in the era of Trump: Navigating the turbulence of “America First”

Guest Opinion of U.S.-Japan relations in the era of Trump: Navigating the turbulence of “America First”
Context-Sensitive Modeling and Analysis of Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Systems for Anomaly Detection and Diagnosis

Cyber-physical manufacturing systems (CPMS) can be defined by the integration of control, network communication, and computing with a physical manufacturing process. In this work, we present a hybrid model of CPMS combining sensor data, context information, and expert knowledge. We used the identification of global operational states and a multimodel framework to improve anomaly detection and diagnosis. The anomaly detection is based on context-sensitive adaptive threshold limits. Root cause diagnosis is based on classification models and expert knowledge. The proposed approach was implemented using the Internet of Things (IoT) to extract data from a computer numerical control machine. Results showed that using a context-sensitive modeling strategy allowed to combine physics-based and data-driven models for residual analysis to detect an anomaly in the part, machine, or process. The identification of root cause was improved by adding context information in classification models to identify worn or broken tools and wrong material. Note to Practitioners—Anomaly detection and diagnosis of manufacturing equipment is a complex problem. Some of the challenges are complex machine dynamics and nonstationary operating conditions. This paper describes a framework for modeling manufacturing equipment using a combination of sensor data, context information, and system knowledge. The proposed modeling framework is used to improve anomaly detection for diagnostics using a context-sensitive strategy. This work aims to support more effective maintenance actions by identifying problems in the machine, part, or process. The modeling and anomaly detection strategy was used to identify anomalies in computer numerical control machines and can be extended to other equipment on the plant floor.
Deceased donor kidney transplant complicated by spontaneous rupture of native kidney in a HIV patient.

Spontaneous native kidney rupture (SNKR) is a rare occurrence, commonly associated with underlying renal tumors or acquired renal cystic disease in both the kidney transplant (KT) and non-KT populations. Herein, we present a 65-year-old African American man who experienced a non-malignant SNKR 6 days after a deceased donor KT and underwent emergent native nephrectomy. The patient’s hospital course was complicated by thrombocytopenia and refractory hypertension. He experienced delayed graft function and was maintained on hemodialysis until post-operative day 30. This case demonstrates an unusual presentation of SNKR in the immediate post-KT setting and illustrates the clinical decision-making algorithm.
Randomized Asynchronous Recursions with a Sinusoidal Input

This study considers a randomized asynchronous form of the discrete time-invariant state-space models, in which only a random subset of the state variables is updated in each iteration. When the system has a single input in the form of a complex exponential, it is shown that the output signal still behaves like an exponential in a statistical sense. The study presents the necessary and sufficient condition that ensures the stability of a randomized asynchronous system, which does not necessarily require the stability of the state transition matrix.
The heat balance integral method for cylindrical extruders

In the hot end of a 3-D printer, polymer feedstock flows through a heated cylinder in order to become pliable. This setup determines a natural upper limit to the speed at which the polymer may be extruded. The case of polymers which undergo the crystalline-melt transition is considered; the resulting mathematical model is a Stefan-like moving boundary-value problem for the polymer temperature. Using the heat balance integral method provides an analytical approximation for the temperature. Several different conditions which use this temperature to establish the maximum velocity are considered; using a pointwise polymer exit temperature in the hot end matches well with experimental data.
Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila in children with acute respiratory infection

Objective To analyze the characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumo-niae(MP), Chlamydia pneumo-niae (CP), Legionella pneumophila (LP) in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection. Methods Serum and urine were collected from 5275 children (aged from 3 days to 16 years old) admitted with acute respiratory tract infection from Jan. to Dce. 2012. The levels of MP-IgM, CP-IgM in serum, and LP antigen in urine were detected by passive agglutination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunochromatographic assay respectively. The epidemiology of positive cases were analyzed. Results 1. Among 5275 children with acute respiratory tract infection, 1537 cases (29.1%) were detected with at least 1 type of the pathogens: MP infection was 20.1% (1060 cases), CP infection was 8.7%(45 cases), and LP positive rate was 0.3%(18 cases), mix infection rate was 2.56%(135 cases).2. The prevalence of MP, CP and LP infections in the different months and quarters were significantly different(all P<0.01). The positive rate of MP was highest in November while it was lowest in May. The positive rate of CP was highest in November while it was lowest in July. The positive rate of LP was highest in December, no infection case was found in February, May and the time during July to November.3. In all, the occurrence of positive results of MP, CP, and LP in children were higher in winter than that in other seasons. The infection of December was more than that in the other month. Meanwhile, infection of MP, CP and LP were mostly occured in children over age of 5. In addition, the positive rates were higher in male than that in female. Furthermore, children with bronchial pneumonia had higher positive rates of infection compared to children with acute respiratory tract infection. Conclusion Pathogen detection is an important basis for the diagnosis of children with the infection of MP, CP, LP. Key words: Acute respiratory tract infection; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Chlamydia pneumoniae; Legionella pneumophila; Child
An Novel On-line Monitoring Method for Double-Y Type Shunt Capacitor Bank

The high voltage shunt capacitor bank is crucial for the stability of the power system. Double-Y type is a common connection mode for shunt capacitor. To improve the on-line monitoring ability for internal faults of shunt capacitor bank, a novel scheme basing on neutral point unbalance current is proposed. Firstly, the characteristic of neutral point unbalance current of shunt capacitor is theoretical analyzed under ideal condition. Considering the asymmetry of electrical quantity and parameters in the actual situation, Latin hyper square sampling method is used. It makes random combination of all possible complex working conditions and calculate the unbalanced current distribution under all possible working conditions. The proposed scheme can identify the fault severity and fault location.
Pediatric Intensivists Reply to "Can a Parent Refuse the Brain Death Examination?"

As pediatric intensivists who perform brain death exams routinely, it was with great concern that we read the recent Ethics Rounds article by Lee et al, “Can a Parent Refuse a Brain Death Examination?”.1 We fundamentally disagree with the authors’ conclusions and the conclusions of Drs Truog and Tasker in their 2017 Chest Counterpoint,2 upon which Lee et al base their argument. We support the analysis of Lewis and Greer in their rebuttal3 of Truog and Tasker, namely that “just as consent is not needed to diagnose cardiopulmonary failure, consent should not be needed to evaluate for total brain failure.”3 There … E-mail: nicholas.ettinger{at}bcm.edu
The impact of per diem senior pediatric radiologists in an academic setting

Value to pediatric radiologists Older radiologists, who compose approximately 7% of the radiology workforce [[1]], generally do not want to continue to work late or overnight shifts and would like to work fewer or no weekend days Traditionally, academic radiology departments are staffed by full-time faculty who provide clinical service and resident/student teaching while pursuing academic and research goals necessary for advancement and promotion During a 6-month period (September 2019 to February 2020), three senior diagnostic pediatric radiologists and one senior pediatric interventional radiologist participated in a per diem employment arrangement The total combined salary cost for the three per diem diagnostic radiologists for this period was 38% lower than the total compensation of one typical FTE body radiologist, while the total RVUs generated was only 8 3% lower than the typical FTE radiologist [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Pediatric Radiology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )
Herbivore-herbivore interactions complicate links between soil fertility and pest resistance

Abstract Soil fertility is tightly linked with herbivore pressure because it affects the nutritional status of host plants as well as the production of anti-herbivore defenses. This in turn can influence whether herbivores in different feeding guilds render plants more or less susceptible to one another. Thus, growers’ fertility management choices may impact herbivores through a variety of indirect channels. We examined relationships between soil fertility and interactions between phloem-feeding and leaf-chewing herbivores on broccoli (Brassica oleracea) plants in the greenhouse, taking advantage of natural variation in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in soils from 20 working organic vegetable farms. Next, we experimentally fertilized soil in a field trial with N and/or P to examine the consequences of these nutrients for growth of and interactions between specialist and generalist herbivores. Soils on our cooperating farms varied widely in P and N concentrations, with 40% exceeding recommended pre-plant N concentrations and 90% exceeding P recommendations. In single-herbivore infestations, augmenting N in the soil increased caterpillar (Pieris rapae) growth, augmented N and P additively enhanced generalist green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) colonization, and augmented P (but not N) increased specialist cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) growth. In dual-guild herbivore infestations, caterpillars facilitated specialist cabbage aphid growth in the absence of fertilizer, but this pattern disappeared under augmented N, and reversed under augmented P. We found that a complex web of indirect effects linked soil fertility to herbivore performance, depending on the identity of the nutrients being altered, the ecological roles of responding herbivore species (i.e., specialist versus generalist), and indirect interactions between chewing and sucking herbivores. More generally, we highlight that successful use of fertility management to improve pest resistance requires careful consideration of herbivore feeding niches and herbivore-herbivore interactions.
Motion-tolerant non-contact heart-rate measurements from radar sensor fusion

Microwave radar technology is very attractive for ubiquitous short-range health monitoring due to its non-contact, see-through, privacy-preserving and safe features compared to the competing remote technologies such as optics. The possibility of radar-based approaches for breathing and cardiac sensing was demonstrated a few decades ago. However, investigation regarding the robustness of radar-based vital-sign monitoring (VSM) is not available in the current radar literature. In this paper, we aim to close this gap by presenting an extensive experimental study of vital-sign radar approach. We consider diversity in test subjects, fitness levels, poses/postures, and, more importantly, random body movement (RBM) in the study. We discuss some new insights that lead to robust radar heart-rate (HR) measurements. A novel active motion cancellation signal-processing technique is introduced, exploiting dual ultra-wideband (UWB) radar system for motion-tolerant HR measurements. Additionally, we propose a spectral pruning routine to enhance HR estimation performance. We validate the proposed method theoretically and experimentally. Totally, we record and analyze about 3500 seconds of radar measurements from multiple human subjects.
Rapid Improvement of Symptoms after Fibrinolysis in a Patient with Multiple Sclerosis Exacerbation (P3.405)

Objective: To describe a unique case of rapid improvement in multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbation following fibrinolytic therapy. Background: Most demyelinating lesions in MS emerge around deep cerebral venules and are associated with fibrin deposition. Fibrin depletion ameliorates clinical symptoms in a mouse model for MS. We and others reported acute demyelinating lesions with restricted diffusion (ADLRD) seen on brain and spinal cord MRI in selected MS patients during clinical relapse. The pathogenesis of restricted diffusion is not clear but an ischemic process is possible. Design/Methods: The patient is a 38-year-old woman with relapsing-remitting MS treated with fingolimod. Her baseline neurological exam was significant for mild right hemisensory deficit and right hemiparesis. The patient developed acute onset of flaccid right-sided weakness and hypoesthesia involving the face, arm and leg. Due to rapid and fulminant onset of neurological deficit, she was suspected to have a stroke and received intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA, 0.9 mg/kg) at 227 minutes after symptom onset. The patient was followed with serial neurological exams and MRI. Results: Prior to rtPA treatment, her NIH Stroke Scale score was 9. The patient’s deficit rapidly improved in 5.4 hours after intravenous rtPA administration (NIH Stroke Scale score was 1, right upper limb drift). Brain MRI at 20 hours after symptom onset revealed a large (2.8×2.4 cm) symptomatic, contrast-enhancing ADLRD in the left centrum semiovale. However, the patient’s deficits deteriorated again by 21 hours from initial symptom onset with flaccid hemiplegia of the right side and NIH Stroke Scale score of 12. After a 5-day course of IV methylprednisolone followed by 5 sessions of plasmapheresis, she partially regained motor strength. NIH Stroke scale score on day 15 was 7. Conclusions: Rapid transient clinical improvement after a single infusion of rtPA during acute MS relapse suggests that fibrin is a potential therapeutic target in acute MS exacerbation. Study Supported by: N/A Disclosure: Dr. Balashov has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with TEVA, Genzyme. Dr. Balashov has received research support from Biogen. Dr. Dhib-Jalbut has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with TEVA, Genzyme. Dr. Dhib-Jalbut has received research support from TEVA, Biogen. Dr. Rybinnik has nothing to disclose.