cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blue matter on blue gene/L: massively parallel computation for biomolecular simulation

This paper provides an overview of the Blue Matter application development effort within the Blue Gene project that supports our scientific simulation efforts in the areas of protein folding and membrane-protein systems. The design philosophy of the Blue Gene/L architecture relies on large numbers of power efficient nodes (whose technology is derived from the world of embedded microprocessors) to enable packing of many such nodes into a small volume to achieve high performance. In order for an application to exploit the potential of this architecture, the application must scale well to large node counts. Because the scientific goals of the project entail simulating very long time-scales, up to microseconds, strong scaling of a fixed size problem to these large node counts is a requirement. In pursuit of this objective we have considered a variety of parallel decompositions and explored ways to exploit and map algorithms onto the two primary high performance interconnects provided by the Blue Gene architecture, the 3D-torus network and the collective network. Our current version of the application continues to speed up through 4096 nodes and is being used for studies of a protein/lipid system (for which some results have already been published) and for protein folding/unfolding simulations.
Bruce Hoffman and Fernando Reinares (Eds.). The Evolution of the Global Terrorist Threat: From 9/11 to Osama Bin Laden's Death

In the introduction to this dense collection of twenty-five case studies of Islamist terror attacks and plots that took place in the period between the 9/11 attacks and the death of Osama Bin Laden...
An introductory tutorial on verification and validation of simulation models

Model verification and validation are defined, and why model verification and validation are important is discussed. A graphical paradigm that shows how verification and validation are related to the model development process and a flowchart that shows how verification and validation is part of the model development process are presented and discussed. The three approaches to deciding model validity are described. Comments are made on the importance of model accuracy and documentation. An overview of conducting verification and validation is presented and a recommended procedure for verification and validation is given.
UCP2 knockout suppresses mouse skin carcinogenesis.

Mitochondrial uncoupling (uncouples electron transport from ATP production) has recently been proposed as a novel survival mechanism for cancer cells, and reduction in free radical generation is the accepted mechanism of action. However, there is no direct evidence supporting that uncoupling proteins promote carcinogenesis. Herein, we examined whether mitochondrial uncoupling affects mouse skin carcinogenesis using uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) homozygous knockout and wild-type mice. The results indicate that knockout of UCP2 significantly reduced the formation of both benign (papilloma) and malignant (squamous cell carcinoma) tumors. UCP2 knockout did not cause increases in apoptosis during skin carcinogenesis. The rates of oxygen consumption were only decreased in the carcinogen-treated UCP2 knockout mice whereas glycolysis was only increased in the carcinogen-treated wild-type mice. Finally, the levels of metabolites pyruvate, malate and succinate showed different trends after carcinogen treatments between the wild-type and UCP2 knockout mice. Our study is the first to demonstrate that UCP2 knockout suppresses carcinogenesis in vivo. Together with early studies showing that UCP2 is overexpressed in a number of human cancers, UCP2 could be a potential target for cancer prevention and/or therapy.
Materials study of the competing group-V element incorporation process in dilute-nitride films

The incorporation of small amounts of N into III-V antimonide-containing semiconductor alloys allows a drastic expansion of available wavelengths for infrared (IR) detector applications. Quaternary films containing three group-V elements can be lattice matched to the most prevalent substrates for IR applications, such as InAs, GaAs, and GaSb. It is not trivial to incorporate N while maintaining the high crystalline quality required for IR devices. Current materials characterization studies of dilute-nitride films consisting of more than two group-V elements has yielded conflicting information related to their competing behavior and the extent of N incorporation. Due to challenges related to light-element microanalysis for many characterization techniques, and the small concentrations of N involved, it is difficult to quantify the amount of N incorporated into dilute-nitride films. In this study, we use transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) to study the incorporation behaviors of the competing group-V elements in InAsSbN films.
Mexican Obsidian at Tikal, Guatemala

More than 1,200 artifacts from Tikal provide new information about the presence of Mexican obsidian in the Maya Lowlands and Teotihuacan"s possible role in its transmission. In addition to the source of green obsidian near Pachuca, six other Mexican sources were identified in the Tikal sample. These artifacts date from the early Late Preclassic into the Early Postclassic periods. Over 96 percent are prismatic blades and thin bifaces, whose recovery contexts, spatial distributions, and signs of use-wear indicate they were predominantly utilitarian and domestic artifacts used by all social groups. They were commodities that were transported over Highland-Lowland long-distance exchange networks of considerable time depth. This long-standing, interregional exchange of goods is essentially different from the relatively brief adoption and integration during the Early Classic period of objects, art styles, and behavior of Teotihuacan origin. Obsidian sequins and eccentrics of Teotihuacan style were material components of this latter phenomenon. Their forms and recovery contexts suggest use in rituals borrowed from Teotihuacan, but by lesser elites or wealthy commoners rather than by Tikal"s rulers.
Medical Image Registration Method Based on Improved Optical Flow Model

The registration methods based on optical flow can be conveniently implemented and the registration process is efficient.But all of the appeared registration methods based on optical flow use the initial optical flow model,which make the image fuzzed seriously so that it can not be used.In this paper we improve the regularization term in the initial optical flow model and introduce a motion-blurred image restoration algorithm.The new method reduced the blurring of the initial optical flow model.The experiment results show that results of high accuracy and efficiency can be obtained using the image registration method based on improving the optical flow model.
National Review of Interscholastic Competitive Balance Solutions Related to the Public-Private Debate

The public-private debate in interscholastic athletics has vexed athletic administrators and policy-makers for more than a century. The ability of private schools to secure athletic talent beyond the defined geographic borders that restrain public schools has led to competitive imbalance in many states. Competitive imbalance is evidenced by a disproportionate amount of athletic success demonstrated by private schools, often in the form of state championships. To determine the current landscape of interscholastic competitive balance, commissioners and high-ranking officials at each state association listed within the directory of the National Federation of State High Schools (NFHS) were contacted to identify their policies. Current competitive balance solutions include enrollment classifications, separate playoffs, enrollment multipliers and subtractors, tournament success factors, and consideration of socioeconomic factors. The results of this analysis provide an overview of competitive balance solutions being implemented in the United States.
Why the History of Medicine

The merits of medical history have been appreciated ever since medicine emerged as a profession in antiquity. Research into the history of medicine began to be nurtured during the 18 th century and courses on medical history began to be incorporated into the medical curriculum by the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Unfortunately, the benefits of medical history and its inclusion in medical education have come under increasing scrutiny over the past few decades. Ironically, the erosion began at about the same time that scholarly work in the history of medicine was beginning whilst that of scientific discovery and innovation in medicine was accelerating. Essentially, the demands of rigorous research into the history of medicine in the 20 th century gradually led to the emergence of medical history as an independent discipline within academic departments of history. Simultaneously, the exponential growth of new information generated by medical research led to an overcrowded medical curriculum in which teaching medical history is contested and dismissed. Paradoxically, it is the very wealth of new information being generated in medicine and its history that has led to an increasing chasm between them. This manuscript examines the reasons that brought about the separation of medicine from its history and proposes potential solutions to their rapprochement.
The distal cytoplasmic domain of the erythropoietin receptor induces granulocytic differentiation in 32D cells.

The role of hematopoietic growth factors in lineage commitment and differentiation is unclear. We present evidence that heterologous expression of an erythroid specific receptor allows granulocytic differentiation of a myeloid cell line. We have previously characterized a truncation mutant of the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR), which is associated with familial erythrocytosis ( Blood 89:4628, 1997). This truncated EpoR lacks the distal 70 amino acids of the cytoplasmic domain. To study the functional role of this distal receptor domain, 32D cells, a murine interleukin-3 (IL-3)–dependent myeloid line, were transfected with the wild-type EpoR (32D/EpoR WT) or the truncated EpoR (32D/EpoR FE). 32D cells expressing either the full-length or truncated EpoR display equivalent proliferative rates in saturating concentrations of Epo. There is a dramatic difference in maturational phenotype between the two cell lines, however. The 32D/EpoR FE cells and mock transfected 32D cells have an immature, monoblastic morphology and do not express the primary granule protein myeloperoxidase. The 32D/EpoR WT cells, on the other hand, demonstrate granulocytic differentiation with profuse granulation, mature, clumped chromatin, and myeloperoxidase expression. There is no evidence of erythroid differentiation in 32D cells transfected with either the full-length or truncated EpoR. Treatment of the cells with the specific Jak2 inhibitor tyrphostin AG 490 inhibits myeloid differentiation driven by the distal EpoR. We conclude that: (1) the distal cytoplasmic domain of the EpoR is able to induce a specific myeloid differentiation signal distinct from mitogenic signaling, and (2) these data extend to myelopoiesis the growing body of evidence that the cellular milieu, not the specific cytokine receptor, determines the specificity of differentiation after cytokine receptor activation. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
A thiono-β-lactam substrate for the β-lactamase II of Bacillus cereus. Evidence for direct interaction between the essential metal ion and substrate

An 8-thionocephalosporin was shown to be a substrate of the beta-lactamase II of Bacillus cereus, a zinc metalloenzyme. Although it is a poorer substrate, as judged by the Kcat./Km parameter, than the corresponding 8-oxocephalosporin, the discrimination against sulphur decreased when the bivalent metal ion in the enzyme active site was varied in the order Mn2+ (the manganese enzyme catalysed the hydrolysis of the oxo compound but not that of the thiono compound), Zn2+, Co2+ and Cd2+. This result is taken as evidence for kinetically significant direct contact between the active-site metal ion of beta-lactamase II and the beta-lactam carbonyl heteroatom. No evidence was obtained, however, for accumulation of an intermediate with such co-ordination present.
Low dose verapamil as an adjunct therapy for medically refractory epilepsy – An open label pilot study

Previous studies using verapamil as an adjunct therapy to anti-seizure medications have used doses ranging from 120 to 240mg per day. However, despite showing promising results, there was an increased incidence of side effects. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and tolerability of low dose verapamil (20mg p.o. tid) as adjunct therapy to patient's anti-seizure medications irrespective of the type or etiology of the epilepsy. In an open-label pilot study we enrolled 20 adult patients with history of epilepsy who continued to have a minimum of 2 seizures a month despite being on or having tried maximum tolerated doses of 3 or more standard antiepileptic drugs under the supervision of an epileptologist. 10 of the 19 patients (53%) who continued in the study had >50% reduction in seizure frequency. 2 of the patients (10%) had <50% seizure reduction. The remaining 7 patients (37%) had no reduction in their seizures. There was no discontinuation due to adverse events. P-Glycoprotein is a prototypical drug transporter that has been strongly implicated in drug resistance in epilepsy. Verapamil at a relatively low dose was well tolerated compared to previous studies which used up to 240mg per day and seems to have contributed to a statistically significant improvement in seizure control in patients with medically refractory epilepsy, especially in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. A randomized double blind controlled study at this low dose with larger sample size may be more informative.
P101 How to do more with less in the molecular HLA laboratory

Aim Providing molecular HLA services with increased volumes and no additional staff, while maintaining or improving the quality of output. Methods A contracted LEAN consultant created an in-house team to study the molecular HLA lab workflow, consisting of evaluating sample volumes, error rates, and staffing levels. The team then implemented the following: Phase one was to cross train staff to perform all lab functions as cross training was viewed to offer flexibility in all aspects of the workload and process. Phase two was to determine the most efficient workflow. Standard Work, Single-Piece-Flow, along with standard batches versus Right-Size-Batches were studied to evaluate the efficacy of each. Phase three studied the error rates and re-work rates for all processes to determine root cause of errors, to include evaluating staff errors and the need for automation and/or upgrading technology. Phase four consisted of the design of a visual, posted Production Board, to include process timing, task assignments, and daily metrics including sample volumes and individual and collective staff output. Results Even as the volumes continue to increase, the implementation of the changes resulting from the points above have shown a substantial impact, including: Error rate reductions. For example, the decrease in the pre-analytical error rate from 7.9% to 3.2%. Turn-Around-Time (TAT) reductions. For example, the TAT for Chimerism testing has decreased by half, even as the volume has increased by almost 300%. Increased cross training. Allows for greater flow of ideas on efficiency and cooperation in response to higher volumes. Increased team work and staff morale. Better communication via the production board has increased job satisfaction. Improvements in automation and technology. Data gathered helped obtain new equipment and software. Improvements in services offered. Data on the bone marrow program showed that SBT would not offer the resources needed to meet our TAT goals. The decision was made to validate and implement NGS as our method of high resolution typing. Conclusions As the lab continues to grow and adjust, efficiency, staff morale, and client satisfaction continue to improve as a result of the LEAN implementations. Now, areas of concern are considerably easier to define and problem-solve.
Untreated Superior Vena Cava Aneurysm: Radiological Significance and Review of the Literature

Superior vena cava (SVC) aneurysms are a rare entity. The majority of the literature is in the form of case reports. SVC aneurysms are often an incidental finding with iatrogenic, congenital, or idiopathic etiologies. Treatment goals focus on preventing theoretical rupture or thrombus formation. Management options include observation, conservative medical management, surgical excision, and thrombin injection. We present a 73-year-old female with an incidental SVC aneurysm discovered on computed tomography (CT) of the thorax. The patient was observed without intervention for greater than 6 years. No complications were attributable to the SVC aneurysm during follow-up or over the course of the patient's life.
Pulsar may be strange star

"Strange matter" is a hypothetical state of matter that consists of roughly equal numbers of up, down and strange quarks. Moreover, these quarks are not confined – unlike the up and down quarks that make up the protons and neutrons in ordinary matter. Some physicists have even conjectured that strange matter is the absolute ground state of bulk matter, rather than iron-56, which is the most stable of all the nuclei.
Experimental Study on Wireless Mobile Sensor Configurations for Output-Only Modal Identification of a Beam Testbed

This paper studies how a particular variation in a wireless mobile sensor configuration can influence modal identification accuracy. A mobile sensor network simultaneously measures vibration data in time while scanning over a large set of points in space. Previous research has demonstrated that such data can be specified under the dynamic sensor network (DSN) data class and examined using the truncated physical state-space model (TPM). The extended structural dentification using expectation maximization (STRIDEX) algorithm is applied to determine maximum likelihood estimates of the TPM model parameters, which are related to structural modal properties. With this approach, numerous mode shape ordinates can be extracted from each sensor, exemplifying the advantageous spatial information provided by mobile sensors as well as DSN data in general.
A theoretical study of shape and proportion

A white disk lacking visible texture was placed in several types of visibly structured surrounds. S responded by drawing the shape of the target and by representing the proportions. The results indicate that shape and proportion responses are distinct from each other. Changes in the nature of the area external to the area seen bounded by the edge affect shape responses more than proportion responses.
Integration of a Physician Assistant Into an Ophthalmology Consult Service in an Academic Setting.

Purpose To describe the impact of a physician assistant (PA) in an academic ophthalmology consult service. Design Evaluation research. Methods A PA was integrated into our ophthalmology consult service to enhance resident education. First-year resident annual surgical logs before and after the introduction of the PA were reviewed. Residents were anonymously surveyed for their perceptions regarding the impact of the PA integration on their residency experience. Consult wait time was compared for residents and the PA. Internal financial metrics for the PA were reviewed for a cost scenario analysis using 2016 national salary data for PAs. Results The PA made approximately 28 days per year for each first-year resident available for alternative clinical assignments, which resulted in a 75% increase in total first-year resident annual surgical volume. The majority of residents (93%) strongly agreed that having a PA improved both their ophthalmic education (by enabling them to spend time on other clinical assignments) and their service-to-education balance on the consult rotation. Adjusted median consult wait time for residents was 28 minutes longer ( P Conclusions Integrating a PA into an ophthalmology consult service can optimize the resident clinical service–to-education balance, reduce consult wait time, and be financially feasible. PAs trained in ophthalmology present a unique opportunity for all institutions that require clinical ophthalmology expertise.
Optical trapping and manipulation of single particles in air: Principles, technical details, and applications

Abstract Trapping a single aerosol particle allows detailed investigation of its fundamental properties over extended time periods without external interferences. Optical trapping has developed into a powerful tool to perform such single-particle studies. However, trapping and manipulating a single particle in air, especially an irregularly shaped, absorbing particle, is much more challenging than that of a particle in a liquid solution. Even though the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, recent experimental developments advanced the technique for trapping single particles in air, making it possible to manipulate and characterize a wide range of single particles. In this paper, we review recently demonstrated optical configurations for trapping and manipulating single airborne particles. Based on different trapping principles, we tentatively categorize them into radiation-pressure traps, photophoretic traps, and universal optical traps (UOTs). Radiation-pressure traps are based on the radiation pressure force resulting from photon momentum transfer; they include the early optical levitation configurations and the well-known optical tweezers. Photophoretic traps are based on the complex photophoretic forces that occur in absorbing particles; they are classified by the optical arrangements and include single-beam, dual-beam, and confocal-beam traps. UOTs can trap a variety of different types of particles, including transparent or absorbing, spherical or irregularly shaped, and liquid or solid particles. In order to evaluate each optical trapping scheme, four key aspects, i.e., simplicity, robustness, flexibility, and efficiency, of an optical trapping configuration are discussed. In addition to the stable optical trapping, optical manipulations from one dimension to three dimensions allow studying various single particles with great flexibility. With the single particle stably trapped and flexibly manipulated in air, other analytical techniques can be used to characterize these particles. Recent updates on optical methods for characterizing and monitoring single particles in air are discussed, such as light scattering, Raman spectroscopy, and cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS).
Kinesin-Binding Protein (KBP) buffers the activity of Kif18A and Kif15 in mitosis to ensure accurate chromosome segregation

Mitotic kinesins must be regulated in mitosis to ensure a precise balance of spindle forces and accurate segregation of chromosomes into daughter cells. Here we characterize Kinesin Binding Protein (KBP) function in metaphase and show it regulates the kinesins Kif18A and Kif15. KBP expression impacts chromosome alignment and spindle length, both phenotypes observed in cells deficient of Kif18A and Kif15, and affects spindle integrity and kinetochore oscillations. We show through gliding filament and microtubule co-pelleting assays that KBP directly inhibits Kif18A and Kif15 motor activity by preventing microtubule-binding. The localizations of Kif18A and Kif15 are affected by overexpression of KBP, which we show is dominantly cytosolic in cells. Cells deficient in KBP regulation have multiple lagging chromosomes in anaphase, an effect that is recapitulated by Kif15 and Kif18A overexpression. We propose a model were KBP acts as a protein buffer in mitosis, protecting cells from excess activity of Kif18A and Kif15 to ensure accurate segregation of chromosomes.
What is a 'multiplier' anyway? Assessing the economics of local foods systems toolkit

First paragraph: This special issue examines the effectiveness of organizing and conducting formal impact assess­ments in measuring the economic impacts and opportunity costs associated with local food system policies, programming, and investment. It features 11 articles by a diverse range of academic research­ers and community stakeholders who have used the publication, the Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, Assessments and Choices[1] (which we refer to as “the Toolkit” hereafter) to initialize, frame, and carry out eco­nomic impact assessments of local and regional food system activity. Many of the case studies fea­tured in this special issue are directly connected to the over 30 technical assis­tance workshops pro­vided by the Toolkit’s authors and other partners between 2015 and 2018 follow­ing the Toolkit’s release. Our intention in compil­ing these papers is to gauge whether practitioners and researchers find the Toolkit useful in demon­strating compelling evidence of the economic impacts of food system development strategies, and when they do, to demonstrate its utility and share best practices. [1] See the Toolkit online at https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/economics-local-food-systems-toolkit-guide-community-discussions-assessments See the press release for this article.
The Unique and Innovative Contribution of Omdurman City to National Unity and Nation Building in Sudan from 1900 to the 1980s

The objective of this study is to investigate the factors that enabled the city of Omdurman to grow and become an important socio-cultural, political and innovative urban center that contributed po...
The Structure, Measurement Invariance, and External Validity of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale–Brief in a Sample of At-Risk Adolescents:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and measurement invariance of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale–Brief version (BIS-Brief) in an archival sample of 315 adolescents (81% ...
Seasonal and elevational variation in glucose and glycogen in two songbird species.

Birds naturally maintain high glucose concentrations in the blood and tissues, even when relying on fat to meet the metabolic demands of flight or thermogenesis. One possibility is that high glucose levels might be needed to deal with these metabolic demands. Thus, we hypothesized that birds chronically exposed to colder temperatures and higher elevations have higher circulating glucose and tissue free glucose and glycogen compared to conspecifics living at warmer temperatures and lower elevations. Adult House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) and House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) were captured from Phoenix, AZ (340 m elevation), and Albuquerque, NM (1600 m elevation), during the summer and winter months. We measured plasma glucose, as well as free glucose and glycogen from multiple tissues. In general, high elevation and colder temperatures were associated with higher tissue glycogen and higher free glucose concentrations in the brain. These findings indicate that glucose and glycogen are subject to seasonal phenotypic flexibility as well as geographic variations that may relate to local food availability and abundance.
Optical coherence tomography angiography findings in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with no ocular disease

Retinal manifestations are present in 10% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and consist of vascular changes that can be sight-threatening. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a novel imaging modality that detects movement inside the blood vessels without dye injection and transforms this movement into an angiographic map. The aim of this study is to describe subclinical vessels changes in the eyes of patients with SLE but no retinal manifestations. In this cross-sectional study, 15 patients with SLE but no clinical ophthalmic manifestations were scanned through OCTA of the iris and at the level of the macula. Qualitative aspects of the iris vessels, and measure of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and vessel density were compared to a cohort of 15 normal controls. Patients with SLE, even in the absence of ophthalmic manifestations, present a qualitative increase in the iris vessels flow, and enlargement of the FAZ (0.22 ± 0.12 mm2) and a decrease in the vascular density (11.221 ± 1.933 mm−1) of the superficial capillary plexus on OCTA that cannot be highlighted clinically. OCTA can be used in a noninvasive way to detect subclinical vascular changes in patients with SLE. How this information will influence the follow-up and management of these cases will require further prospective studies with a collaborative effort between ophthalmologists and rheumatologists.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy presenting with acute sensorineural hearing loss in an intestinal transplant recipient.

A 20-year-old male presented 3.5 years after intestinal transplantation with rapidly progressive sensorineural hearing loss. Initial brain imaging was consistent with inflammation and/or demyelination. Lumbar puncture was initially non-diagnostic and a broad infectious workup was unrevealing. Three months after presentation, a repeat LP detected JC virus for which tests had not earlier been conducted. He continued to deteriorate despite withdrawal of prior immunosuppression and addition of mirtazapine, maraviroc, and steroids. He died of progressive neurologic decompensation 5 months after his initial presentation. This case highlights progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) as a rare complication after solid organ transplantation and acute sensorineural hearing loss as an unusual first presenting symptom of PML. JC virus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute sensorineural hearing loss in any immunocompromised patient.
Soil Research and Soil Mapping History

The documented evidence shows that the soils of Sri Lanka were first studied according to crops grown as tea, coffee, cinnamon, rice, and forest soils as early as 1886. The first agricultural experiment in the world according to the factorial design was established in 1929 by Eden (Eden 1929) at St. Coomb’s estate of the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) where three levels each of N, P, and K were used. Soil studies initiated with classification and mapping, shifted to soil fertility and rice soils and to irrigated agriculture with settlement schemes in the Dry zone. Soils were first classified and mapped according to the parent material and then shifted to soil morphology using soil profile and characters of each horizon. Subsequently, soils were classified and mapped according to Great Soil Groups using similarity of relative sequence of soil horizons. The most recent soil maps show the Soil Taxonomic equivalents and WRB-FAO legend with soil series. Due to climatic and topographic variations as well as biodiversity, six of the twelve Soil Taxonomic orders are found in Sri Lanka. Soil Associations and Soil Complexes are used as mapping units as soils vary along the catena due to topographic factors.
Family Caregiving at the End of Life and Hospice Use: A National Study of Medicare Beneficiaries

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Hospice care confers well-documented benefits to patients and their families, but it is underutilized. One potential reason is inadequate family support to make end-of-life decisions and care for older adults on hospice at home. We assessed the association between amount of family support and hospice use among a population of decedents and among specific illness types. DESIGN Prospective cohort study using the National Health and Aging Trends Study waves 2011 to 2017, linked to Medicare claims data. SETTING Contiguous United States. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1,868 NHATS decedents. MEASUREMENTS Outcome variable was 1 day or longer of hospice. Family caregiving intensity was measured by self-reported hours of care per week and number of caregivers. Covariates included probable dementia status and other demographic, clinical, and functional characteristics. RESULTS At the end of life, hours of family caregiving and numbers of helpers vary widely with individuals with dementia receiving the most hours of unpaid care (mean = 64.5 hours per week) and having 2.4 unpaid caregivers on average. In an adjusted analysis, older adults with cancer receiving 40 hours and more of unpaid care/week as compared with fewer than 6 hours per week were twice as likely to receive hospice care at the end of life (odds ratio = 2.0; 95% confidence interval = 1.0-4.1). This association was not seen among those with dementia or among decedents in general. No significant association was found between number of caregivers and hospice use at the end of life. CONCLUSION Older adults at the end of life receive a high number of hours of help at the end of life, many from more than one caregiver, which may shape hospice access. Better understanding of disparities in hospice use can facilitate timely access to care for older adults with a serious illness. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:2288-2296, 2020.
CLF-Based Control for Hybrid Dynamical Systems

Pointwise minimum norm control laws for hybrid dynamical systems are proposed. Hybrid systems are given by differential equations capturing the continuous dynamics or flows, and by difference equations capturing the discrete dynamics or jumps. The proposed control laws are defined as the pointwise minimum norm selection from the set of inputs guaranteeing a decrease of a control Lyapunov function. The cases of individual and common inputs during flows and jumps, as well as when inputs enter through one of the system dynamics, are considered. Examples illustrate the results.
Resistant Fit Regression Normalization for Single-cell RNA-seq Data

All mRNA quantification, including single-cell mRNA sequencing, requires normalization to correct for technical variation and to make measurements of two or more samples comparable. The choice of normalization method impacts the downstream analysis. All common approaches (applying scaling factors, variational inference, and quantile regression) currently focus on removing technical variations but ignore localized variations of biological origin. To address this problem, we propose a new framework to normalize for technical effects while also aligning RNA-seq datasets for a biologically meaningful comparison. We present an iterative optimization method using the notion of a resistant fit regression to isolate localized perturbations. Both simulated data and real data are resistant-fit normalized and compared with popular normalization methods. This comparison shows that the resistant fit works better under localized biological variations.
Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics of Hot Steep Malt Extracts and Association to Sensory Traits

In the brewing industry, there is value in defining sensory attributes of malt, and recent protocols have been developed that enable analysis of aroma and taste. One method, the “hot steep,” is a h...
'Bad Blood': Reconciling the Recording Industry and Copyright Protections on the Internet

The Recording Industry is dealing with a crisis. Revenues are down, artists are angry, and other Recording Industry insiders are pushing back against the current system of revenue sharing. The culprit? Internet streaming services. With the advent of these websites, the Recording Industry has found no successful way to fight back against the profit hemorrhage. With the creation of the new Music Modernization Act, however, music copyright will again be seeing a change and increase to the protections it has available. This paper seeks to delve into the original Recording Industry revenue sharing infrastructure and the copyright rights that went along with it, while also dealing with the proposed legislation to increase those rights.
Children Simultaneously Learn Multiple Dimensions of Information during Shared Book Reading

Picture books inherently contain many parallel dimensions of information and serve as a rich source of input for children. However, studies of children’s learning from picture books tend to focus o...
Characterizations of a distributional parameter that evaluates contents of immature fibers within and among cotton samples

Thickness of the cotton fiber wall or fiber maturity is an important property affecting fiber quality, yield, and textile performance. Due to the complexity of within-sample variation, mean values alone are not sufficient to evaluate cotton maturity. Distributional parameters should be examined for accurately evaluating cotton maturity variations within a sample. However, maturity distributions have not been well characterized due to difficulties of determining maturity from individual fibers with lengthy and laborious microscopic techniques. Cottonscope was developed recently as an alternative for efficiently measuring fiber maturity by analyzing 20,000 snippets from a cotton sample. Thus, we investigated if Cottonscope enabled assessing maturity distributions as accurately as the microscopic method. Maturity distributions determined by Cottonscope were closer to normal distribution curves as compared with those determined by a microscopic method. By comparing maturity with chemical compositions of developing fibers at various stages, a new maturity threshold of the severely immature fibers was selected. Using this threshold, a distributional parameter, immature fiber content (IFC) was measured by both Cottonscope and microscopic methods from cotton reference materials composed of a broad maturity range. The Cottonscope IFC was strongly and significantly correlated with the IFC measured by the microscopic method. It also enabled distinguishing maturity variations from the cotton samples sharing an identical mean maturity. Therefore, the distributional parameter may be used to improve the ways of evaluating the within-sample maturity variation and detecting differences of fiber maturity distributions among cotton samples.
Doeblin’s Theory for Markov Chains

After discussing a few general properties of Markov chains on finite and countable state spaces, Chap. 2 is devoted to Doeblin’s theory for and the probabilistic interpretation of stationary distributions.
The Real World Roadless Rules Challenges

The legal status of America* s 58.5 million acres of Inventoried Roadless Areas has been unsettled for nearly a decade. These wild areas were given strict protection in the final days of the Clinton Administration, but President Clinton's Roadless Rule was suspended and later overturned by the Bush Administration when it promulgated its State Petitions Rule. Both rules were challenged in various courts, with conflicting results. As it stands, the United States Forest Service is simultaneously compelled to follow the Roadless Rule by the Ninth Circuit and barred from following the rule by the Tenth. This Note argues that both rules are invalid and that a new rule is needed for long-term stability. This new rule should initially require strict protection by the federal government but should allow for some local input to prevent another reversal when the Republican Party eventually retakes the White House.
The effects of Present Hedonistic Time Perspective and Past Negative Time Perspective on substance use consequences.

Abstract Background The overuse of substances can lead to economic, physical, and social consequences. Previous research has demonstrated associations between time perspective and frequency of substance use, but no studies have investigated time perspective's effect on substance use consequences. This study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. Methods Using an MTurk sample ( N = 531), latent factor models tested the hypothesis that both Present Hedonistic Time Perspective (PrHTP) and Past Negative Time Perspective PaNTP positively predict alcohol and illicit drug use consequences. Bootstrap analyses were then used to test the hypothesis that PrHTP indirectly affected the relationship between PaNTP and alcohol and illicit drug use consequences. Results PrHTP significantly predicted alcohol and illicit drug use consequences. PaNTP also significantly predicted alcohol and illicit drug use consequences. PrHTP was found to indirectly affect the relationship between PaNTP and substance use consequences for both alcohol and illicit drugs. Conclusions The findings are consistent with previous research and introduce time perspective as an individual differences risk factor for substance use consequences. The partial and full indirect effects are consistent with the idea that individuals with a PaNTP may develop a PrHTP, placing them at risk for substance use consequences.
Future trends in Chlamydia pneumoniae research and the place of macrolides in treatment

This paper will concentrate on Chlamydia pneumoniae, whch is the most common non-viral intracellular pathogen and has been a major focus of this Symposium. It has now been 10 years since we first obtained serologic evidence suggesting that the untypeable Chlamydia isolate obtained from the eye of a child in Taiwan in 1965 was associated with respiratory tract infection [l], and then isolated a s d a r strain from acute respiratory hsease 121. While much circumstantial evidence has accumulated that the TwAR organism causes acute respiratory disease, there have been very few appropriately controlled investigations directed at proving an etiologic role for the organism in acute respiratory disease (ARD) [3].
An indexing method for two-d pattern matching with applications to digital image searches

The two-dimensional pattern matching problem is to find all occurrences of a two-dimensional m × m matrix P (called the pattern) in another (larger) two-dimensional n × n matrix T (called the text). Most known algorithms for the problem first pre-process the pattern or patterns to make subsequent searches fast. Since each search still takes time proportional to the size of the text, such algorithms are inappropriate in applications in which the text is large and fixed and one will search for many different patterns in the text. We propose an algorithm that first processes the text into an index structure in such a way that subsequent searches with different patterns can be performed very quickly. The construction of the index takes O(n2log n) time and O(n2) space. The algorithm may produce false matches, in which the algorithm claims a “match” between P and some submatrix of T while they are actually not equal. However, as will be seen, the probability that a false match can occur is negligible. All occurrences of P in T, probably with a few false matches, can be found in O(m2) time in the worst case, regardless of the distribution of the elements in T and P. Under the assumption that both T and P are random matrices, the algorithm can find all (correct) occurrences of P in T in O(m + log n) expected time. We applied our algorithm to a digital image search problem and we will present experimental results.
A modular environment for geophysical inversion and run-time autotuning using heterogeneous computing systems

Heterogeneous computing systems have recently come to the forefront of the High-Performance Computing (HPC) community's interest. HPC computer systems that incorporate special purpose accelerators, such as Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), are said to be heterogeneous. Large scale heterogeneous computing systems have consistently ranked highly on the Top500 list since the beginning of the heterogeneous computing trend. By using heterogeneous computing systems that consist of both general purpose processors and special- purpose accelerators, the speed and problem size of many simulations could be dramatically increased. Ultimately this results in enhanced simulation capabilities that allows, in some cases for the first time, the execution of parameter space and uncertainty analyses, model optimizations, and other inverse modeling techniques that are critical for scientific discovery and engineering analysis. However, simplifying the usage and optimization of codes for heterogeneous computing systems remains a challenge. This is particularly true for scientists and engineers for whom understanding HPC architectures and undertaking performance analysis may not be primary research objectives. To enable scientists and engineers to remain focused on their primary research objectives, a modular environment for geophysical inversion and run-time autotuning on heterogeneous computing systems is presented. This environment is composed of three major components: 1) CUSH—a framework for reducing the complexity of programming heterogeneous computer systems, 2) geophysical inversion routines which can be used to characterize physical systems, and 3) run-time autotuning routines designed to determine configurations of heterogeneous computing systems in an attempt to maximize the performance of scientific and engineering codes. Using three case studies, a lattice-Boltzmann method, a non-negative least squares inversion, and a finite-difference fluid flow method, it is shown that this environment provides scientists and engineers with means to reduce the programmatic complexity of their applications, to perform geophysical inversions for characterizing physical systems, and to determine high-performing run-time configurations of heterogeneous computing systems using a run-time autotuner.
Reliable Semantic Systems for Decision Making: Defining a Business Rules Ontology for a Survey Decision System

Concepts like “decision analysis” and “data mining” refer to knowledge engineering techniques used by researchers to gather statistics and influence decisions about requirements. These concepts are also relevant when defining meaningful business rules as evaluation criteria for decision making. In this chapter, a decision domain is modeled for community health outreach survey. The basic semantic framework is stated in terms of inference statements, facts, and business rules. The semantic web, web ontologies, and linked data models are referenced in architecting a desirable system. A sample survey dataset is also reviewed to explicitly understand the business rules influencing the design of decision criteria, categories, and variables. For this reason, evaluating the size of the sample, decision criteria, and typical survey structures is important to establish a baseline semantic decision domain. Business users can derive constraints and conditions pertaining to empirical outcomes appearing in data analysis by reviewing semantic design patterns. Data mining constructs are also applied to the data to learn about patterns within the sample size and introduce new evaluation criteria to clarify survey questions. This discussion identifies the best practices of applying business rules to drive planning decisions.
Leadership in small online collaborative learning groups: a distributed perspective

We examined emergent leadership in small online collaborative learning groups of pre-service math and science teachers. Groups worked online to design interdisciplinary instructional units. We employed a distributed leadership framework (Spillane, 2007) and adapted a coding system previously developed by Li, et al. (2007) to determine that group leadership was highly distributed among participants and to illustrate that leadership emerged through different forms of participation described in this paper. Findings help validate the theoretical concept of distributed small-group cognition and lead to interesting research questions regarding the design and scaffolding of small-group learning online.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood from Pregnant Hispanic Women Living in Brownsville, Texas

Venous blood was drawn from 35 pregnant Hispanic women living in Brownsville, Texas, and matched cord blood was collected at birth. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to measure concentrations of 55 individual PAHs or groups of PAHs. Results indicate that these women and their fetuses were regularly exposed to multiple PAHs at comparatively low concentrations, with levels in cord blood generally exceeding levels in paired maternal blood. While the possibility of related adverse effects on the fetus is uncertain, these exposures in combination with socioeconomically-disadvantaged and environmentally-challenging living conditions raise legitimate public health concerns.