cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Process Evaluation of a Community Garden at an Urban Outpatient Clinic

In addition to expediting patient recovery, community gardens that are associated with medical facilities can provide fresh produce to patients and their families, serve as a platform for clinic-based nutrition education, and help patients develop new skills and insights that can lead to positive health behavior change. While community gardening is undergoing resurgence, there is a strong need for evaluation studies that employ valid and reliable measures. The objective of this study was to conduct a process evaluation of a community garden program at an urban medical clinic to estimate the prevalence of patient awareness and participation, food security, barriers to participation, and personal characteristics; garden volunteer satisfaction; and clinic staff perspectives in using the garden for patient education/treatment. Clinic patients (n = 411) completed a community garden participation screener and a random sample completed a longer evaluation survey (n = 152); garden volunteers and medical staff completed additional surveys. Among patients, 39% had heard of and 18% had received vegetables from the garden; the greatest barrier for participation was lack of awareness. Volunteers reported learning about gardening, feeling more involved in the neighborhood, and environmental concern; and medical staff endorsed the garden for patient education/treatment. Comprehensive process evaluations can be utilized to quantify benefits of community gardens in medical centers as well as to point out areas for further development, such as increasing patient awareness. As garden programming at medical centers is formalized, future research should include systematic evaluations to determine whether this unique component of the healthcare environment helps improve patient outcomes.
External memory bidirectional search

This paper studies external memory bidirectional search. That is, how bidirectional search algorithms can run using external memory such as hard drives or solid state drives. While external memory algorithms have been broadly studied in unidirectional search, they have not been studied in the context of bidirectional search. We show that the primary bottleneck in bidirectional search is the question of solution detection - knowing when the two search frontiers have met. We propose a method of delayed solution detection that makes external bidirectional search more efficient. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the approach.
Small High-Definition Video Cameras as a Tool to Resight Uniquely Marked Interior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos)

Many bird species of conservation concern have behavioral or morphological traits that make it difficult for researchers to determine if the birds have been uniquely marked. Those traits can also increase the difficulty for researchers to decipher those markers. As a result, it is a priority for field biologists to develop time- and cost-efficient methods to resight uniquely marked individuals, especially when efforts are spread across multiple States and study areas. The Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos) is one such difficult-to-resight species; its tendency to mob perceived threats, such as observing researchers, makes resighting marked individuals difficult without physical recapture. During 2015, uniquely marked adult Interior Least Terns were resighted and identified by small, inexpensive, high-definition portable video cameras deployed for 29-min periods adjacent to nests. Interior Least Tern individuals were uniquely identified 84% (n = 277) of the time. This method also provided the ability to link individually marked adults to a specific nest, which can aid in generational studies and understanding heritability for difficult-to-resight species. Mark-recapture studies on such species may be prone to sparse encounter data that can result in imprecise or biased demographic estimates and ultimately flawed inferences. High-definition video cameras may prove to be a robust method for generating reliable demographic estimates.
nTMS, MEG, and fMRI: Comparing and Contrasting Three Functional Mapping Techniques

This chapter compares and contrasts the three functional mapping techniques of nTMS, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and functional MRI. It is divided into two sections: the first section describes each of the three modalities, highlighting aspects of each modality that distinguish it from the others; the second section compares and contrasts these three modalities and seeks to help the reader identify which modality(ies) would be most helpful for given clinical situations.
Mechanical behavior of PDMS at low pressure

Polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) are used in a wide range of soft devices including lab-on-chip, soft robots and flexible electronics. These technologies are currently considered for space exploration applications. We experimentally study the effects of vacuum pressure on the dynamics of PDMS resonator and demonstrate that, unlike hard materials, it exhibits an appreciable change in modulus manifested as a shift in resonance frequency with varying pressure. To reveal this dependence, we carefully probe the dissipation due to air pressure damping acting on the surface of the membrane. For a 1 µm thick membrane, the modulus of the PDMS decreases when the pressure is below P t = 3.175 Torr, whereas at pressures above the dynamics are dominated by gas damping in the free molecular flow and viscous regimes. We conjecture that the observed effect is a consequence of a change in shear modulus resulting in a logarithmic linear relationship between pressure and stiffness for a circular PDMS membrane. These results are important for the application of PDMS microdevices at low pressure.
Potential Role of Glucocorticoids in the Pathophysiology of Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)

Although the etiology of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preeclampsia (PE) remains unclear, most investigators attribute the initial “insult” to poor utero-placental perfusion due to defective trophoblast invasion that ultimately compromises fetal well-being.1, 2, 3 The resultant hypoxia curtails the remodeling of uterine vessels by invasive cytotrophoblasts in the second trimester.1,2 Our results suggest that mediators of fetal stress [i.e., glucocorticoids (GC)] may in fact alter placental gene expression and contribute to the destruction of the placental villous network in pregnancies with IUGR/PE. We will present a molecular model through which GC, induced in response to fetal stress, promotes the placental villous damage observed in pregnancies associated with IUGR/PE. This model incorporates the roles of trophoblast plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-l, mesenchymal extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and their regulation by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. We will employ the term “IUGR/PE” to describe those pregnancies with severely growth-restricted fetuses may also complicated by maternal PE These conditions frequently coexist, and a review of the literature suggests that this placental pathology may be associated with both IUGR and PE. Furthermore, considerable attention has been given to the role of exogenously administered and stress-induced endogenous increases in fetal GC and the development of IUGR. There is mounting evidence that aberrant elevations in GC during fetal life and/or IUGR may result in fetal programming of chronic diseases of adulthood such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, and hypertension.
An Algebraic Approach to the Askey Scheme of Orthogonal Polynomials

We call such a pair a Leonard pair on V . We give a correspondence between Leonard pairs and a class of orthogonal polynomials. This class coincides with the terminating branch of the Askey scheme and consists of the q-Racah, q-Hahn, dual q-Hahn, q-Krawtchouk, dual q-Krawtchouk, quantum q-Krawtchouk, affine q-Krawtchouk, Racah, Hahn, dual Hahn, Krawtchouk, Bannai/Ito, and orphan polynomials. We describe the above correspondence in detail. We show how, for the listed polynomials, the 3-term recurrence, difference equation, Askey-Wilson duality, and orthogonality can be expressed in a uniform and attractive manner using the corresponding Leonard pair. We give some examples that indicate how Leonard pairs arise in representation theory and algebraic combinatorics. We discuss a mild generalization of a Leonard pair called a tridiagonal pair. At the end we list some open problems. Throughout these notes our argument is elementary and uses only linear algebra. No prior exposure to the topic is assumed.
Metabolic Engineering – Applications, Methods, and Challenges

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several industrial fermentation examples. The methodologies used in metabolic engineering and the challenges and approaches complementary to metabolic engineering for industrial strain and bioprocess development are also discussed in the chapter. Classical metabolic engineering changes cell metabolism by changing its pathway enzyme(s) or regulatory protein(s) using recombinant DNA technology, thus improving the productivity and yield of an industrial fermentation product or producing novel biochemical compounds. However, classical metabolic engineering rarely considers gene regulation, and it is thus difficult to guide the selection of target genes for modification. Inverse metabolic engineering takes advantage of the knowledge learned from mutants or existing strains with improved performance. Functional genomics using high-throughput approaches provides more efficient metabolic engineering design and analysis, but still has limitations. Cellular metabolism and phenotypes are strongly influenced by the growth environment and thus can be manipulated by changing the medium composition or process conditions. Therefore, interactions between cells and the environment should not be overlooked in metabolic engineering. Functional genomics is currently the most effective approach for increasing knowledge at the molecular level of metabolic and adaptive processes in cells, and has become a new scientific field providing powerful tools for unraveling and understanding biological complexity.
Atrial arrhythmias are associated with increased mortality in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a deadly vascular disease, characterized by increased pulmonary arterial pressures and right heart failure. Considering prior non-US studies of atrial arrhy...
Acular LS before and during LASIK for the control of pain: a randomized, masked contralateral eye trial.

Purpose To assess the effect of ketorolac tromethamine 0.4% (Acular LS; Allergan Inc) drops in controlling LASIK pain. Methods A prospective, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled study was performed to evaluate the effect of Acular LS on LASIK pain. Patients were given two unmarked bottles prior to surgery, one containing ketorolac tromethamine 0.4% (ketorolac group) and the other containing Refresh Tears (Tears group). Patients were randomly assigned to instill Acular LS in one eye and Refresh Tears in the fellow eye four times a day beginning 48 hours prior to LASIK, just before the keratome pass, and at the conclusion of surgery. Bilateral simultaneous LASIK was performed on the right eye followed by the left eye. Pain was assessed on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 6 (extreme pain) immediately after surgery on each eye and again 4 to 6 hours after surgery. Patients were evaluated at postoperative day 1 for microstriae and flap slips. Results Sixty eyes of 30 patients were enrolled in the study. No eyes experienced postoperative flap slips or microstriae. The mean postoperative pain score in the Tears group of 1.23 +/- 1.33 was significantly higher (P=.002) than the postoperative score of 0.53 +/- 0.86 in the ketorolac group. The mean intraoperative pain score in the Tears group of 1.43 +/- 1.31 was higher (P=.085) than the intraoperative score of 0.97 +/- 1.16 in the ketorolac group. Conclusions Pre- and intraoperative treatment with Acular LS significantly reduces postoperative LASIK pain.
Squaring a Circular Segment.

Russ Gordon (gordon@whitman.edu) received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1987 under the influence of Jerry Uhl. Since then, he has been teaching at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and doing research in real analysis. When not making excursions into what his right-brained wife Brenda refers to affectionately as "mathland" or contemplating the meaning of life, he enjoys hiking in the mountains, listening to music and watching movies with his son Charles, helping out at the neighborhood middle school, and eating his wife's wonderfully prepared vegetarian meals.
Regulation of Starch Synthesis: Enzymological and Genetic Studies

Significant advances have been made with respect to elucidating the structure, the allosteric site, interactions of effectors, covalent modifications, and the amino acid sequence of the ADPG synthetase. It is hoped that in the near future, sufficient information will be obtained to enable facile manipulation of the plant tissue ADPG synthetase gene and its product.
MODEL APPLICATIONS IN 2- AND 3-D

From the very beginning, finite element methods have been applied to two-dimensional problems. The three- node (linear) triangle has been utilized in the derivation of the element matrices for several engineering applications. Most of the present texts present the results for such applications as stress analysis, heat conduction, and ground water seepage. This chapter presents the four-node rectangular (bilinear) element, but this element is not often used because of the difficulty of fitting complex engineering shapes with rectangles. The chapter also presents the formulation of isoparametric elements. It discusses the extensions of the isoparametric element to a three-dimensional application to illustrate how easy it is to change from one element type to another.
Allocation of Aid Between and Within Recipients: A Political Economic Approach

One reason for giving foreign aid to a recipient country is the benefit of the poor in that country.1 However, it is well established that it is very difficult for donor countries to enforce that aid reaches intented targets, and foreign aid is highly fungible (see [3], [7], [13], [24] ). This is rather surprising given that the total amount of aid that a donor country gives out is limited and there is strong competition from developing countries for access to this limited fund.2 One would expect that recipient countries would set their house in order to receive a greater amount of aid.
Author Response to Peck (2018), "Questionable Use of 'Nonorganic' in 'Estimating Nonorganic Hearing Thresholds'".

Purpose The purpose of this letter is to respond to Dr. Peck's (2018) letter to the editor regarding the use of the term “nonorganic” to describe hearing loss, demonstrated by the pure tone audiogr...
Study on Coordinated Control Strategy of Reactive Power Compensation Device in DC Converter Station with New-generation Synchronous Condensers

In order to meet the higher demand of dynamic reactive power support is put forward in the UHV DC power transmission project, the new-generation synchronous condensers are applied in the UHV DC/AC. However, the excitation system of the new-generation synchronous condensers and the reactive power compensation device of the DC converter station are controlled individually, and there is no reasonable coordination strategy. Therefore, the transient reactive power support capability of the synchronous condenser is analyzed in this paper considering with excitation control characteristics. Then, the transient reactive power demand of the HVDC transmission system is also analyzed. Based on this, the coordinated control strategy of the reactive power compensation device in DC converter station with synchronous condensers are proposed, and a coordinated control system is given in this paper. Finally, the simulation model of the new-generation synchronous condensers access to UHV DC power grids are built based on the PSCAD software. The digital simulation results validate the proposed coordinated control strategy.
Wood, B. Dan, with Soren Jordan. Party Polarization in America: The War Over Two Social Contracts

Party Polarization in America is an ambitious work. In the authors’ words, “this book develops a general explanation for party polarization in America from both historical and contemporary perspect...
Difference in Student Performance When Changing Course Duration

The change in the students’ life requirements and responsibilities requires alteration of the way courses are offered in the university level. One of the things that can be changed is the duration of a course. The author was the instructor of a statics course that was offered in three different course durations, while maintaining the same contact hours. The course durations were three, five and 15 weeks, with some restrictions applied on students choosing the shorter alternatives. The main purpose of the research is to evaluate the difference in student performance in these three settings and evaluate their suitability. The overall student performance was evaluated using two different techniques; class GPA and student evaluation of their achievement of the course outcomes. It can be seen from the results that the student performance was different from one setting to the other. It can also be seen that the performance was best when the students took the course in an accelerated setting and were not allowed to take any other courses concurrently. The class performance was inversely proportional to the course duration. The results also showed that there was no significant change in the student evaluation of their grasp of the material. It is recommended to evaluate the performance of these students in dependent courses.
Tissue characterisation and myocardial mechanics using cardiac MRI in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

INTRODUCTION Distinguishing between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and other causes ofleft ventricular hypertrophy can be difficult in children. We hypothesised that cardiac MRI T1 mapping could improve diagnosis of paediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and that measures of myocardial function would correlate with T1 times and extracellular volume fraction. METHODS Thirty patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy completed MRI with tissue tagging, T1-mapping, and late gadolinium enhancement. Left ventricular circumferential strain was calculated from tagged images. T1, partition coefficient, and synthetic extracellular volume were measured at base, mid, apex, and thickest area of myocardial hypertrophy. MRI measures compared to cohort of 19 healthy children and young adults. Mann-Whitney U, Spearman's rho, and multivariable logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients had increased left ventricular ejection fraction and indexed mass. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients had decreased global strain and increased native T1 (-14.3% interquartile range [-16.0, -12.1] versus -17.3% [-19.0, -15.7], p < 0.001 and 1015 ms [991, 1026] versus 990 ms [972, 1001], p = 0.019). Partition coefficient and synthetic extracellular volume were not increased in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Global native T1 correlated inversely with ejection fraction (ρ = -0.63, p = 0.002) and directly with global strain (ρ = 0.51, p = 0.019). A logistic regression model using ejection fraction and native T1 distinguished between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and control with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.91. CONCLUSION In this cohort of paediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, strain was decreased and native T1 was increased compared with controls. Native T1 correlated with both ejection fraction and strain, and a model using native T1 and ejection fraction differentiated patients with and without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Long-Term Survival for Myeloma after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation.

Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable with only a small proportion of patients (pts) surviving over 10 years (long-term survivors). It has been over 3 decades since the first autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was done for MM at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC). We sought from this study to describe patient and disease characteristics of long-term MM survivors after ASCT. Methods We included consecutive pts who underwent their first ASCT at MDACC between January 1988 and December 2015. The primary objective was to assess and compare baseline characteristics and predictive factors for long-term vs short-term (died within10 years from diagnosis) MM survivors. We excluded MM survivors with 10 years were assessed by logistic regression models. Results Among 2176 pts who underwent their first ASCT during the study period, 1409 pts met the eligibility criteria of which 392 (28%) were long-term survivors and 1017 (72%) were short-term survivors. Only 24 and 43% of pts in the long-term and short-term survivor groups received proteasome inhibitor-based induction. Compared to short-term survivors, higher percentage of pts in the long-term survivor group were younger 10 years (Table). ISS Stage III (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.19-1.05; p=0.08) showed a trend towards shorter OS. Maintenance treatment was not significantly associated with surviving > 10 years. Median follow-up from diagnosis for the long-term survivor group was 13 years (10-30 years); among this group, the 15-year PFS rate was 19% (95% CI 14% - 23%) and the 15-year OS rate was 62% (95% CI 56% - 68%) (Figure 1). The cumulative incidence rates of relapse at 1, 3, and 5 years in the short-term survival group were 9%, 63%, and 82%, respectively, compared to 2%, 20%, and 40%, respectively, in the long-term survivor group (p Conclusions ASCT is associated with durable responses and prolonged survival in a subgroup of MM pts irrespective of type of induction therapy and/or use of maintenance therapy. Duration of remission after transplant is the strongest predictor for long-term survival. Age
Attention-Aware Discrimination for MR-to-CT Image Translation Using Cycle-Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks.

An architecture that uses a variational autoencoder-enhanced, attention-aware, cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (A-CycleGAN) for MR-to-CT image translation is described; this is the ...
Hemodynamic conditions that favor bleb formation in cerebral aneurysms.

Background Although it is generally believed that blebs represent weaker spots in the walls of intracranial aneurysms (IAs), it is largely unknown which aneurysm characteristics favor their development. Objective To investigate possible associations between aneurysm hemodynamic and geometric characteristics and the development of blebs in intracranial aneurysms. Methods A total of 270 IAs in 199 patients selected for surgical clipping were studied. Blebs were visually identified and interactively marked on patient-specific vascular models constructed from presurgical images. Blebs were then deleted from the vascular reconstruction to approximate the aneurysm before bleb formation. Computational fluid dynamics studies were performed in these models and in cases without blebs. Hemodynamic and geometric characteristics of aneurysms with and without blebs were compared. Results A total of 173 aneurysms had no blebs, while 97 aneurysms had a total of 122 blebs. Aneurysms favoring bleb formation had stronger (p Conclusions Strong and concentrated inflow jets, high-speed, complex, and unstable flow patterns, and concentrated, oscillatory, and heterogeneous WSS patterns favor the formation of blebs in IAs. Blebs are more likely to form in large, elongated, and irregularly shaped aneurysms. These adverse characteristics could be considered signs of aneurysm instability when evaluating aneurysms for conservative observation or treatment.
Disposable Sensor Devices Fabricated by Paper Crafting Tools

Disposable sensor device concepts are presented in this work by the use of traditional paper crafting tools and techniques. A printer, a paper-cutting machine, and a laminator were used to create electrodes and hydrophobic barriers. With the combination of different paper crafting techniques, electrodes as well as microfluidic channels could be fabricated. For demonstration, a paper-based microfluidic device with impedance readout is introduced in this study. Laser printed polyester particles from a toner were used as an adhesive interface for a metal film transfer process, resulting in a defined electrode pattern. A cut pattern produced by a paper-cutting machine was used to produce distinct hydrophobic barriers, which constituted microfluidic channels and sample reservoirs. The application was demonstrated by developing flexible interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). The developed IDEs could be used to determine chemical concentrations of electrolyte and glucose. The presented fabrication method is suitable for rapid, low-cost production of flexible disposable sensors from digital files using well-known crafting practices.
Transcranial Focused Ultrasound for Non-invasive Neuromodulation of the Visual Cortex

Currently, blindness cannot be cured and patients' living quality can be compromised severely. Ultrasonic neuromodulation is a promising technology for the development of non-invasive cortical visual prosthesis. We investigated the feasibility of transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) for noninvasive stimulation of the visual cortex to develop improved visual prosthesis. tFUS was used to successfully evoke neural activities in the visual cortex (VC) of both normal and retinal degenerate (RD) blind rats. Our results showed that blind rats showed more robust responses to ultrasound stimulation compared to normal rats. (p<0.001, two-sample t-test). Three different types of ultrasound waveforms were used in the three experimental groups. Different types of cortical activities were observed when different US waveforms were used. In all rats, when stimulated with continuous ultrasound waves, only short-duration responses were observed at ‘US on & off’ time points. In comparison, pulsed waves evoked longer low-frequency responses. Testing different parameters of pulsed waves showed that a pulse repetition frequency higher than 100Hz is required to obtain the low-frequency responses. Based on the observed cortical activities, we inferred that acoustic radiation force (ARF) is the predominant physical mechanism of ultrasound neuromodulation.
Predictors of Anastomotic Leak After Esophagectomy for Cancer: Not All Leaks Increase Mortality.

BackgroundThe impact of preoperative chemotherapy/radiation on esophageal anastomotic leaks (ALs) and the correlation between AL severity and mortality risk have not been fully elucidated. We hypot...
Does openness to trade make countries more vulnerable to sudden stops, or less? Using gravity to establish causality

Openness to trade is one factor that has been identified as determining whether a country is prone to sudden stops in capital inflows. Several authors have offered empirical evidence that having a large tradable sector reduces the contraction necessary to adjust to a given cut-off in funding. Such studies may, however, be subject to the problem that trade is endogenous. We use the gravity instrument for trade openness, which is constructed from geographical determinants of bilateral trade. We find that openness indeed makes countries less vulnerable to crises, and that the relationship is even stronger when correcting for the endogeneity of trade.
Investigation of Cyclic Process Variations Within Hall–Héroult Reduction Cells

The hundreds of aluminum reduction cells within an aluminum smelter are typically operated in an individual fashion. It is known that reduction cells from a single potline can have different behavior and performance depending on their different lining design, historical performance and/or setpoints for bath chemistry, temperature and electrical resistance. The pot operational state is generally characterized by a limited set of pseudo real time indicators and different variables, such as bath chemistry or temperature, manually sampled at low frequency, where consecutive samples can be separated by a few days. Smelting operators have designed process control systems and reaction procedures to cope with process variations, while not always acknowledging the cyclic variations characterizing the pot state. This paper sheds some light on cyclic operation parameters variations and how it can impact negatively control actions taken by the control system or the pot operators.
Neonatal hyperoxia impairs adipogenesis of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and fat accumulation in adult mice

Preterm birth is a risk factor for growth failure and development of respiratory disease in children and young adults. Their early exposure to oxygen may contribute to lung disease because adult mice exposed to hyperoxia as neonates display reduced lung function, changes in the host response to respiratory viral infections, and develop pulmonary hypertension and heart failure that shortens their lifespan. Here, we provide new evidence that neonatal hyperoxia also impairs growth by inhibiting fat accumulation. Failure to accumulate fat may reflect a systemic defect in adipogenic potential of stem cells because bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells (BMSCs) isolated from the mice grew slower and were more oxidized compared to controls. They also displayed reduced capacity to accumulate lipid and differentiate into adipocytes. BMSCs from adult mice exposed to neonatal hyperoxia express lower levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), a transcription factor that drives adipocyte differentiation. The defect in adipogenesis was rescued by expressing PPARγ in these cells. These findings reveal early life exposure to high levels of oxygen may suppresses fat accumulation and impair adipogenic differentiation upstream of PPARγ signaling, thus potentially contributing to growth failure seen in people born preterm.
Computing minimal surfaces with differential forms

We describe a new algorithm that solves a classical geometric problem: Find a surface of minimal area bordered by an arbitrarily prescribed boundary curve. Existing numerical methods face challenges due to the non-convexity of the problem. Using a representation of curves and surfaces via differential forms on the ambient space, we reformulate this problem as a convex optimization. This change of variables overcomes many difficulties in previous numerical attempts and allows us to find the global minimum across all possible surface topologies. The new algorithm is based on differential forms on the ambient space and does not require handling meshes. We adopt the Alternating Direction Method of Multiplier (ADMM) to find global minimal surfaces. The resulting algorithm is simple and efficient: it boils down to an alternation between a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and a pointwise shrinkage operation. We also show other applications of our solver in geometry processing such as surface reconstruction.
Synergies of green building retrofit strategies for improving sustainability and resilience via a building-scale food-energy-water nexus

Abstract This study examines a green building retrofit plan through a system dynamics model (SDM) creating symbiosis embedded in a building-scale food-energy-water (FEW) nexus. An indicator approach was employed to exploit cross-domain seams via the use of carbon, water, and ecological footprints for sustainability, as well as food security and energy supply reliability ratio for resilience. The SDM was formulated to demonstrate a continuous stormwater treatment outflow model for rooftop farming with stormwater reuse for irrigation, nutrient cycling via the use of green sorption media, and green energy harvesting in support of rooftop farming. We prove that green energy use, stormwater reuse, and rooftop farming can lower carbon, water, and ecological footprints, avoid CO2 emissions via carbon sequestration in rooftop farming, and improve energy supply reliability and food security. Case 1 (Base Case) includes no retrofit (current condition), Case 2 includes rooftop farming and stormwater reuse, and Case 3 incorporates additional green energy harvesting for sustaining rooftop farming. All three scenarios were assessed using a life cycle assessment (LCA) to generate water and carbon footprints. Case 3 exhibited a 2.24% reduction of total building energy demand from the utility grid due to renewable energy harvesting, while the preservation of nitrogen and phosphorus via the use of green sorption media for crop growth promoted nutrient cycling by maintaining 82% of nitrogen and 42% of phosphorus on site. The ecological footprints for the three case studies were 0.134 ha, 0.542 ha, 6.50 ha, respectively. Case 3 was selected as the best green building retrofit option through a multicriteria decision analysis.
Development of an In Ovolo Embryo Culture Procedure for Hydrangea

Abstract Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is a potential source of cold hardiness that is needed for improvement of bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla). Seeds have been produced from H. macrophylla × H. paniculata crosses, but seedlings derived from the few seed that germinated died at a very young age. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of in ovolo embryo culture for producing this interspecific hybrid. Six media, which differed in basal media formulation and sucrose concentration, were tested using H. macrophylla intraspecific ovules collected 3 to 4 and 5 to 6 weeks after pollination. The highest percent germination for both time periods was obtained on Gamborg's B-5 medium supplemented with 2% sucrose; therefore, this medium was chosen for culture of H. macrophylla x H. paniculata ovules. Plants germinated from interspecific ovules cultured 3 to 6 weeks after pollination, but all died before forming two sets of true leaves. A slow-growing bacterial contamination that was pre...
The Accuracy of Numerically Computed Orbits of Dynamical Systems in Rk

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses an extension of the method to higher dimensional maps. The chapter describes the accuracy of numerically computed orbits of dynamical systems in R k .The chapter considers one-dimensional maps and shows that the ideas of the shadowing lemma could be used to give an alternative method where the shadowing error is calculated as the orbit is computed.
Towards a compositional SPIN

This paper discusses our initial experience with introducing automated assume-guarantee verification based on learning in the SPIN tool. We believe that compositional verification techniques such as assume-guarantee reasoning could complement the state-reduction techniques that SPIN already supports, thus increasing the size of systems that SPIN can handle. We present a “light-weight” approach to evaluating the benefits of learning-based assume-guarantee reasoning in the context of SPIN: we turn our previous implementation of learning into a main program that externally invokes SPIN to provide the model checking-related answers. Despite its performance overheads (which mandate a future implementation within SPIN itself), this approach provides accurate information about the savings in memory. We have experimented with several versions of learning-based assume guarantee reasoning, including a novel heuristic introduced here for generating component assumptions when their environment is unavailable. We illustrate the benefits of learning-based assume-guarantee reasoning in SPIN through the example of a resource arbiter for a spacecraft.
Training in clinical breast examination as part of a general surgery core curriculum.

Abstract Background. Early detection of breast cancer relies on a multidisciplinary approach that includes patient breast self‐examination, radiographic studies, and clinical breast examination (CBE). This study was undertaken to assess the value of formal CBE instruction by the surgery department using solicone breast models. Methods. Thirty students were randomized in their first week of junior surgical clerkship to undergo or forgo a one‐hour CBE retraining session. They were subsequently evaluated on technical competence and the ability to detect masses in an opaque sil‐icone breast model. These skills were reassessed one month later. Results. The students who underwent the teaching session performed significantly better than the control group in both the early (scores 1.23 vs 2.67, p < 0.05) and the late (scores 0.15 vs 2.14, p < 0.05) testing sessions. Con‐clusions. These data suggest significant improvement in CBE in students receiving formalized instruction. Further evaluation is needed prior to i...
Androgen receptor (AR) suppresses normal human prostate epithelial cell proliferation via AR/β-catenin/TCF-4 complex inhibition of c-MYC transcription

INTRODUCTION Physiologic testosterone continuously stimulates prostate stromal cell secretion of paracrine growth factors (PGFs), which if unopposed would induce hyperplastic overgrowth of normal prostate epithelial cells (PrECs). METHODS Lentiviral shRNA stable knock down of c-MYC, β-catenin, or TCF-4 completely inhibits normal (i.e., non-transformed) human PrECs growth. c-MYC enhancer driven reporter expression and growth is inhibited by two chemically distinct molecules, which prevent β-catenin signaling either by blocking TCF-4 binding (i.e., toxoflavin) or by stimulating degradation (i.e., AVX939). Recombinant DKK1 protein at a dose, which inhibits activation of canonical Wnt signaling does not inhibit PrEC growth. Nuclear β-catenin translocation and PrEC growth is prevented by both lack of PGFs or Akt inhibitor-I. Growth inhibition induced by lack of PGFs, toxoflavin, or Akt inhibitor-I is overcome by constitutive c-MYC transcription. RESULTS In the presence of continuous PGF signaling, PrEC hyperplasia is prevented by androgen binding to AR suppressing c-MYC transcription, resulting in G0 arrest/terminal differentiation independent of Rb, p21, p27, FoxP3, or down regulation of growth factors receptors and instead involves androgen-induced formation of AR/β-catenin/TCF-4 complexes, which suppress c-MYC transcription. Such suppression does not occur when AR is mutated in its zinc-finger binding domain. DISCUSSION Proliferation of non-transformed human PrECs is dependent upon c-MYC transcription via formation/binding of β-catenin/TCF-4 complexes at both 5′ and 3′ c-MYC enhancers stimulated by Wnt-independent, PGF induced Akt signaling. In the presence of continuous PGF signaling, PrEC hyperplasia is prevented by androgen-induced formation of AR/β-catenin/TCF-4 complexes, which retains binding to 3′ c-MYC enhancer, but now suppresses c-MYC transcription. Prostate 74:1118–1131, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Systems Engineering Approaches To Gene Expression Profiling

Abstract Several data analysis algorithms exist for the analysis of gene expression data resulting from cDNA microarray experiments. From a biological perspective, all of these have a number of disadvantages, some of which are addressed in this study. Dimensionality reduction, a priori specification of the number of classes and the need for a training set are a few of these disadvantages. To address these issues, we propose two novel approaches based on systems engineering principles. The proposed algorithms do not (1) require a training set, (2) require the a priori specification of the number of classes and (3) perform any dimensionality reduction. The first algorithm has been used on three gene expression data sets (yeast cell cycle data, human fibroblast response to serum data and the cutaneous melanoma data) from the open literature, while the second has been used on the fibroblast data set. The results found in general are at least in excellent agreement with studies in the open literature or they reveal further knowledge, which was not available previously. The present study, thus, establishes the viability and strength of the proposed algorithms for gene expression data analysis.
Generation 1.5, Educational Experiences Of

Differences in nativity (of self and parents) and age at arrival, which are criteria used to distinguish between generational cohorts, are known to affect significantly the modes of acculturation of adults and children in immigrant families, especially with regard to language and ethnic identity, educational attainment and aspirations, patterns of social mobility, outlooks and frames of reference, and even their propensity to sustain transnational attachments over time. However, despite the import of intergenerational analysis for the study of the long-term impact of immigration, the meaning and measurement of “generations” has varied. The term “one-and-a-half” or “1.5” generation distinguishes those who immigrate as children from the “first” generation of immigrants who migrate as adults and the “second” generation of native-born persons of foreign parentage. Segments of any foreign-born population can be further refined into distinct types, depending on their ages and life stages at migration. Among those who immigrate as children their processes of acculturation and educational experiences can vary significantly depending on whether their migration occurred during early childhood, middle childhood, or adolescence. They are at starkly different life stages at the point of migration and begin their adaptation processes in very different social contexts. Educational and other adaptive outcomes are also affected by historical circumstances (such as the case of war-torn refugees), the cultural distance traveled by migrant populations, their socioeconomic resources, legal status and contexts of reception in host countries. While life stage and generational status matter, intergenerational analyses need to consider multiple possible determinants of concrete outcomes, and situate and interpret the data within larger contexts.
Parturient Paresis. VIII. Results of Parathyroidectomy of Cows

Summary Nonlactating pregnant cows and nonpregnant lactating dairy cows were thyroparathyroidectomized. Blood serum calcium and plasma inorganic phosphorus analyses were made at various intervals before and after thyroparathyroidectomy. A marked decrease in serum calcium and less of a decrease in inorganic phosphorus occurred after removal of the parathyroid glands. None of the cows exhibited symptoms of milk fever, although the serum calcium of several of the cows decreased to the range where milk fever symptoms occur. The natural diet of ruminants has a high Ca : P ratio and, on this diet, the adult ruminant cow can maintain pregnancy, parturiate, and lactate in the absence of parathyroids.
The Z-Transform Method

In the last four chapters we used the so-called time domain analysis. In this approach we investigate difference equations as they are, that is, without transforming them into another domain. We either find solutions of the difference equations or provide information about their qualitative behavior.
Partnerships, Profit Sharing, and Quality Competition in the Medical Profession

This paper contains a theoretical model of medicalpartnerships with individual quantity and qualitychoice. The firm selects price, the number ofpartners and profit sharing. The firm encouragesinter-firm quality competition and discouragesintra-firm quality competition through differentialprofit sharing. An empirical model using data from anationwide survey of medical practices supports thetheoretical results. Further, empirical resultssupport the view that time per visit can be used as aproxy index for quality in the primary carephysician market.
2. Comorbidities and complications

Abstract This self-directed learning module highlights the preexisting comorbid conditions and the medical complications during and after rehabilitation of the patient with stroke. Part of the chapter on stroke rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Medical Knowledge Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation, this article identifies several of the major associated medical problems, such as venous thromboembolism, pneumonia, seizure, and pressure sore; discusses methods of management for each of these problems; and reviews implications of associated conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and secondary complications for rehabilitation and outcome.
Highly secure strong PUF based on nonlinearity of MOSFET subthreshold operation

Silicon physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are security primitives relying on intrinsic randomness of IC manufacturing. Strong PUFs have a very large input-output space which is essential for secure authentication. Several proposed strong PUFs use timing races to produce a rich set of responses. However, these PUFs are vulnerable to machine-learning attacks due to linear separability of the output function resulting from the additive nature of timing delay along timing paths. We introduce a novel strong silicon PUF based on the exponential current-voltage behavior in subthreshold region of FET operation which injects strong nonlinearity into the response of the PUF. The PUF, which we term subthreshold current array (SCA) PUF, is implemented as a two-dimensional n×k transistor array with all devices subject to stochastic variability operating in subthreshold region. Our PUF is fundamentally different from earlier attempts to inject nonlinearity via digital control techniques, which could also be used with SCA-PUF. Voltages produced by nominally identical arrays are compared to produce a random binary response. SCA-PUF shows excellent security properties. The average inter-class Hamming distance, a measure of uniqueness, is 50.3%. The average intra-class Hamming distance, a measure of response stability, is 0.6%. Crucially, we demonstrate that the introduced PUF is much less vulnerable to modeling attacks. Using a machine-learning technique of support-vector machine with radial basis function kernel for best nonlinear learnability, we observe that “information leakage” (rate of error reduction with learning) is much lower than for delay-based PUFs. Over a wide range of the number of observed challenge-response pairs, the error rate is 3− 35X higher than for earlier designs.
Event Structure in the Production of High Mass Photon Pairs

The event structure associated with the production of massive photon pairs is studied to ${\cal O}(\alpha^2/alpha_s)$. The cross sections for two photon and two photon plus one jet events are given. The Dalitz plot structure of events with two photons and a jet is also presented. These distributions will provide checks on our understanding of the production mechanisms for massive photon pairs, a signal thought to be important for searches for the Higgs boson in the intermediate mass region.
Comparison of CORDIC algorithm implementations on FPGA families

This paper presents different implementations of CORDIC algorithm on two field programmable gate array (FPGA) families, namely Xilinx XC4000XLA and VIRTEX series. Pipelining is used to improve the throughput and speed of the design. Xilinx foundation computer aided design (CAD) tools are used for synthesis, simulation and implementation on the FPGAs. A comparative study on the performance of these implementations is presented. Metrics for comparison and analysis are speed and cost. The area occupied by the design in the FPGA gives a measure of the cost. Based upon the metrics, the best design is identified.