cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Segment delay faults: a new fault model

We propose a segment delay fault model to represent any general delay defect ranging from a spot defect to a distributed defect. The segment length, L, is a parameter that can be chosen based on available statistics about the types of manufacturing defects. Once L is chosen, the fault list contains all segments of length L and paths whose entire lengths are less than L. Both rising and falling transitions at the origin of segments are considered. Choosing segments of a small length can prevent an explosion of the number of faults considered. At the same time, a defect over a segment may be large enough to affect any path passing through it. We present an efficient algorithm to compute the number of segments of any possible length in a circuit. We define various classes of segment delay fault tests-robust, transition, and non-robust-that offer a trade-off between fault coverage and quality.
Glucocorticoids in Mammary Secretions and Blood Serum during Reproduction and Lactation and Distributions of Glucocorticoids, Progesterone, and Estrogens in Fractions of Milk

Abstract Concentrations of glucocorticoids were measured in milk and blood serum during the estrous cycle, prepartum, parturition, postpartum, and early and late lactation. Glucocorticoids in milk did not change during the estrous cycle, averaging .35ng/ml whereas they averaged .50ng/ml prepartum, 3.08 ng/ ml at parturition, and .50ng/ml 1 wk postpartum. Glucocorticoids in milk declined from .59ng/ml to .25ng/ml as lactation advanced from 1 to 10 mo. Concentrations of glucocorticoids in blood serum were approximately 8 to 10ng/ml during all reproductive states. There was no positive relationship between percentage of milk fat and concentrations of glucocorticoids in milk. Cortisol was the predominant glucocorticoid in serum; in milk corticosterone concentrations exceeded those of Cortisol. Glucocorticoids, being more polar, had higher affinity for the nonlipid portion of milk; in contrast, progesterrone, estradiol 17β, and estrone were located predominantly in the lipid fraction of milk.
‘Friend of the Native?’: James Sivewright and the Cape Liberal Tradition

Abstract For various humanitarian, religious, and material reasons, nineteenth-century Cape liberals of South Africa were renowned for progressive views on African rights. Typically, historians have excluded Highlander James Sivewright, who advanced communications technology, industry, politics and diplomacy in South Africa from 1878 to 1898, from the Cape liberal tradition. This article examines the political actions of powerful Cape liberals and Sivewright in comparative perspective during the apex of their shared political careers within three areas of contention regarding African rights: the Masters and Servants Act (1890), the Cape Franchise (1891–1892), and Glen Grey (1894). Evidence is considered within the context of the Marxist-Liberal debate that dominated South African historiography in the 1970s and 1980s. Sivewright's life in South Africa is also explored more generally in comparative perspective with Scots in major parts of the British Empire. Sivewright not only deserves to be included as a...
Natural convection with an array of solid obstacles in an enclosure by lattice Boltzmann method on a CUDA computation platform

Abstract Lattice Boltzmann method is implemented for conjugate heat transfer of a square cavity with solid obstacles. Natural convection is considered in the fluid region while conduction is assumed in the solid obstacles. By adjusting the velocity field and thermal diffusivities, only one single temperature distribution function is needed to simulate the convection in the fluid region and the heat conduction in the solid obstacles region. As a result, matching boundary conditions at the interface are automatically satisfied. The conjugate heat transfer in a rectangular enclosure of natural convection with solid obstacles is considered next. Streamlines, temperature distributions are presented for different Rayleigh numbers, thermal diffusivity ratios and number of solid blocks. The parallel characteristic of LBM is well fitted to the parallel hardware of graphic processor units (GPU) using a CUDA platform. Implementation of conjugate heat transfer LBM algorithm on GPU is presented next. It is found that GPU can accelerate the computation by a factor up to 20 as compared to the non-parallel CPU code. It is demonstrated that lattice Boltzmann method is an effective approach to simulate conjugate heat transfer with solid obstacles.
Implant Site Infection and Bone Flap Osteomyelitis Associated with the NeuroPace Responsive Neurostimulation System

Background The NeuroPace RNS System is a method recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for closed-loop direct brain stimulation in selected patients with drug-resistant partial seizures. The long-term risks of implant site infection and accompanying bone flap osteomyelitis associated with responsive neurostimulation (RNS) devices have not been fully appreciated. Case Description We report 3 cases of refractory partial epilepsy that were treated with RNS therapy in conjunction with antiepileptic drugs. Patients underwent invasive epilepsy monitoring and resection of seizure foci. All patients continued to have debilitating partial seizures and underwent implantation of the RNS device, which resulted in various degrees of symptomatic relief. On average, the battery of the implantable pulse generator was replaced every 2 years. All 3 patients developed implant site infection and bone flap osteomyelitis with multiple implantable pulse generator replacements, and the RNS devices were removed. Bone flaps were removed in 2 patients because of significant osteomyelitis and were reconstructed in a delayed fashion with customized cranial implants. No patient had evidence of meningitis or cerebritis. The patients were treated via a multidisciplinary approach, and all patients recovered well with satisfactory wound healing and seizure control. Conclusions Implant site infection and bone flap osteomyelitis are significant adverse events associated with the RNS device. The incidence of infection in this series (10%) is comparable to the incidence reported in the long-term trial. The infection risk is mainly associated with reoperations and increases with multiple implantable pulse generator replacements. The RNS device may benefit from reducing technical risk factors that are associated with postoperative bone and soft tissue infections.
Clinical and laboratory parameter effects on traumatic brain injury patients

METHODS: A single institution retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with TBI at a level I trauma center from 2000-2014 was conducted. Clinical outcome was based on Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at hospital discharge. Parameters analyzed were age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at presentation to emergency department, Injury Severity Score (ISS), length of stay (LOS), intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), ICP monitor duration, central venous pressure (CVP), pO2, blood lactate, and blood sodium. Initial, minimum, and maximum values of all pressures and laboratory parameters were recorded during hospital stay. Regression analysis was conducted using SPSS 21.
Who Are These Workers, Anyway?

The focal article by Bergman and Jean (2016) raises an important issue by documenting the underrepresentation of nonprofessional and nonmanagerial workers in industrial and organizational (I-O) research. They defined workers as, “people who were not executive, professional or managerial employees; who were low- to medium-skill; and/or who were wage earners rather than salaried” (p. 89). This definition encompasses a wide range of employee samples: from individuals working in blue-collar skilled trades like electricians and plumbers to police officers, soldiers, and call center representatives to low-skill jobs such as fast food, tollbooth operators, and migrant day workers. Because there is considerable variability in the pay, benefits, skill level, autonomy, job security, schedule flexibility, and working conditions that define these workers’ experiences, a more fine-grained examination of who these workers are is necessary to understand the scope of the problem and the specific subpopulations of workers represented (or not) in existing I-O research.
Abstract 2296: Aldose reductase inhibition prevents human colon cancer cells growth by miR-21 and FOXO3a-mediated regulation of PTEN

We have shown earlier that the inhibition of aldose reductase (AR), a NADPH-dependent aldo-keto reductase, prevents growth factor-induced proliferation of colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Recent studies indicate that changes in microRNA (miRNA) expression can contribute to cancer by modulating the functional expression of critical genes involved in cancer growth and metastasis. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which AR regulates miRNA expression and their dependent mitogenic effects in cancer cells is not known. Therefore, we investigated how AR regulates growth factor -induced expression of miRNAs in colon cancer cells. Our results indicate that inhibition of AR significantly down-regulated growth factor-induced miR-21 expression in HT29, SW480 and Caco-2 human colon cancer cells. Further, AR inhibition also increased PTEN, a direct target of miR-21 that contributes cancer cell growth and invasion. Inhibition of AR also prevented the EGF-induced phosphorylation of PTEN and FOXO3a, which prevents cell proliferation. Treatment of human colon cancer cells with AR inhibitor, fidarestat, prevented the EGF-induced DNA binding activity of AP1, phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, c-Jun and c-Fos. More importantly, in HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma xenograft tissues, miR-21 expression was lower, and PTEN and FOXO3a levels were significantly higher in AR inhibitor-treated mice compared to controls. Collectively, these results show a novel role of AR in mediation of growth factor-induced colon cancer cell proliferation by increasing miR-21 expression and inactivating or decreasing PTEN and FOXO3a through the ROS/PI3K/AKT/AP1 pathway, indicating that AR inhibitors could be used for the prevention/therapy of colon carcinogenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2296. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2296
Validation Test Results from the Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Monitor

We report on the results from validation testing the Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Monitor (VCAM). VCAM is an autonomous environmental monitor based on a miniature gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer and is scheduled to be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) on shuttle mission STS-131. VCAM is capable of providing measurements of both ppb levels of volatile constituents and the atmospheric major constituents (nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide) in a space vehicle or station. It is designed to operate autonomously and maintenance free, approximately once per day, with a self-contained gas supply sufficient for a one-year lifetime. VCAM performance is sufficient to detect and identify 90% of the target compounds specified at the 24-hour Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentration level. This paper presents a summary of the pre-flight validation test results for VCAM.
Social Support Indirectly Predicts Problem Drinking Through Reduced Psychological Distress.

ABSTRACTBackground: The experience of psychological distress can contribute to problem drinking in young adults. Social support can protect against the development of distress and thus may indirectly minimize problem drinking. Objective: To test a model of problem drinking in young adults based on the concepts of social support and psychological distress. Methods: A two-wave panel study was conducted over the course of one year, during 2014–15, with 211 university students (M age = 21.06 years, SD = 1.60 years) who completed online survey measures of problem drinking, various indicators of social support, and various indicators of psychological distress. Results: The data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. After controlling for concurrent problem drinking and psychological distress, there was no direct prospective effect of social support on problem drinking. However, social support predicted reductions in psychological distress over time, and this reduced psychological distress predicted re...
In memoriam: The legacies of John F. Kurtzke and Richard T. Johnson

The end of 2015 saw the passing of John F. Kurtzke and Richard T. Johnson, two legends in neurology, and founding fathers of neuroepidemiology, neurovirology and neuroimmunology. Here, we pay tribute to these two giants by discussing their impact on the genesis of these profoundly important disciplines.
Seasonal Distribution and Climatic Correlates of Dengue Disease in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract Dengue has been regularly reported in Dhaka, Bangladesh, since a large outbreak in 2000. However, to date, we have limited information on the seasonal distribution of dengue disease and how case distribution correlates with climate. Here, we analyzed dengue cases detected at a private diagnostic facility in Dhaka during 2010–2014. We calculated Pearson cross-correlation coefficients to examine the relationship between the timing of cases and both rainfall and temperature. There were 2,334 cases diagnosed during the study period with 76% over the age of 15 years. Cases were reported in every month of the study; however, 90% of cases occurred between June and November. Increases in rainfall were correlated with increases in cases 2 months later (correlation of 0.7). The large proportion of adult cases is consistent with substantial population susceptibility and suggests Dhaka remains at risk for outbreaks. Although cases occurred year-round, public health preparedness should be focused during peak months.
Early docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acid supplementation in extremely-low-birth-weight infants

Extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants accrue large deficits in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) and require improved supplementation strategies. We hypothesized that once daily DHA+ARA drops applied to buccal mucosa will increase blood levels. Thirty ELBW infants were randomized to receive DHA 20 mg/kg/d + ARA 40 or 60 mg/kg/d + ARA 120 mg/kg/d or placebo within 72 h of age for 8 wk duration. Red blood cell phospholipid levels of DHA (primary) and ARA (secondary) were measured at 2 and 8 wk of age. Twenty-eight survivors with a median birth weight of 806 g completed dosing and sampling. Red blood cell levels were similar between the three groups at 2 wk (DHA: 4.62 wt% (interquartile range (IQR) 4.1–5.5) for all, P = 0.29 between groups; ARA: 21.1 wt% (IQR 18.78–22.6) for all, P = 0.41 between groups) and 8 wk (DHA: 6.0 wt% (IQR 5.1–7.1) for all, P = 0.57 between groups; ARA: 20.1 wt% (IQR 18.3–23.1) for all, P = 0.63 between groups). DHA in all infants showed a median increase of 31% from 2 to 8 wk (P 0.6). Daily buccal DHA and ARA supplements did not affect fatty acid levels in ELBW infants.
Communication traits and leadership emergence: Examining the impact of argumentativeness, communication apprehension, and verbal aggressiveness in work groups

Organizations utilize work groups to accomplish many of their needs. Often, these work groups have no prescribed roles for their members, thus allowing leaders to emerge. Researchers have focused on traits to explain who might emerge as a group's leader. The current study examines the communication traits of argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness, and communication apprehension for their impact on leadership emergence. Participants were placed in groups of three and were instructed to discuss who, of two job candidates, should be hired for a university position. Results indicated that argumentativeness and communication apprehension were associated with leadership and combined were better predictors of leadership than either communication trait alone. Verbal aggressiveness was not associated with leadership emergence.
Pharmaceuticals, Plant Drugs

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by A.D. Kinghorn, D. Chavez, volume 3, pp. 1145–1152, © 2003, Elsevier Ltd.
Comparison of Nonlinear Static Procedures and Modeling Assumptions for the Seismic Design of Ordinary Bridges

AbstractThe three most common nonlinear displacement-based methods were applied in the seismic design of two bridges in western Tennessee, and their results in terms of maximum seismic displacement demand and displacement ductility were compared. In addition, two different support-modeling configurations were evaluated. The results indicate that use of the simplified LRFD procedure results in a displacement demand higher than that of the other procedures. The support configuration with simplified seat-type abutments with rigid bent foundations provides results not significantly different than those achieved from the more detailed configuration with stub-wall abutment with flexible bent foundations, but it required fewer modeling efforts.
The Supra-aortic Area

The supra-aortic area is that portion of the left side of the mediastinum situated behind the anterior mediastinum and extending cephalad from the aortic arch to the thoracic inlet. The radiographic anatomy of the area is predicated upon the anatomy of the aorta and its major branches.
Musical Motif Discovery from Non-Musical Inspiration Sources

Many music composition algorithms attempt to compose music in a particular style. The resulting music is often impressive and indistinguishable from the style of the training data, but it tends to lack significant innovation. In an effort to increase innovation in the selection of pitches and note durations, we present a system that discovers musical motifs by coupling machine-learning techniques with an inspirational component. Unlike many generative models, the inspirational component allows the composition process to originate outside of what is learned from the training data. Candidate motifs are extracted from non-musical data such as audio, images, and sleep signals. Machine-learning algorithms select the motifs that most resemble the training data. We find that the inspirational motif discovery process is more efficient than random generation. We also extract motifs from real music scores, identify themes in the piece according to a theme database, and measure the probability of discovering thematic motifs verses non-thematic motifs. We examine the information content of the motifs by comparing the entropy of the discovered motifs, candidate motifs, and training data. We measure innovation by comparing the probability of the training data and the probability of the discovered motifs given the model.
Unbiased estimation of reliability function from a mixture of two exponential distributions based on a single observation

Abstract In this paper we investigate an aspect of unbiased estimation of the reliability function, based on a single observation from a mixture of two exponential distributions with known mixing proportions. We introduce a few equivalent versions of unbiased estimators, and find that they give proper estimates only if negative weights on component mixture distributions are allowed.
New analytical equations for skin and proximity effects in interconnects operated at high frequency

For the first time, analytical equations for skin and proximity effects are derived to successfully describe current distributions in advanced CMOS technology interconnects subject to high-frequency signals. The analytical solution matches simulations evaluating skin depth as a function of interconnect geometry and operating frequency.
Geographies of indigeneity: Indigenous migrant women’s organizing and translocal politics of place

Proposing a Critical Latinx Indigeneities framework to understand Latin American Indigenous migration and the possible relationships and responsibilities arriving to new Indigenous territories entails, the article analyzes how mobility is creating translocal Indigenous social worlds and transregional ways of being by exploring how socio-spatial relations are being reorganized in relation to indigeneity, gender, and migration. Based on long-term collaborative research with the Frente Indigena de Organizaciones Binacionales (FIOB), this article examines translocal community formation and political organizing among the Latin American Indigenous diaspora in Los Angeles. It explores the geographies of indigeneity produced through the production of sacred geographies, mobile circuits of labor, and spatial projects created by women’s collective organizing and the emergence of Oaxacan Indigenous culinary and musical landscapes.
Jamais vu all over again

What is the basis for the feeling that someplace or someone is familiar? Molas et al. have identified brain structures involved in signaling familiarity, a necessary element for the expression of preference for novelty.
Lumen area change (Delta Lumen) between inspiratory and expiratory multidetector computed tomography as a measure of severe outcomes in asthmatic patients

Background Quantitative computed tomographic (QCT) biomarkers of airway morphology hold potential for understanding and monitoring regional airway remodeling in asthmatic patients. Objective We sought to determine whether the change in airway lumen area between total lung capacity (TLC) and functional residual capacity (FRC) lung volumes measured from CT imaging data was correlated with severe outcomes in asthmatic patients. Methods We studied 152 asthmatic patients (90 female and 62 male patients) and 33 healthy subjects (12 female and 21 male subjects) using QCT. Postprocessing of airways at generations 1 to 5 (1 = trachea) was performed for wall area percentage, wall thickness percentage (WT%), lumen area at baseline total lung capacity (LA TLC ), lumen area at baseline functional residual capacity (LA FRC ), and low attenuation area at FRC. A new metric (reflecting remodeling, distal air trapping, or both), Delta Lumen, was determined as follows: Percentage difference in lumen area (LA TLC − LA FRC )/LA TLC × 100. Results Postprocessing of 4501 airway segments was performed (3681 segments in the 152 patients with asthma and 820 segments in the 33 healthy subjects; range, 17-28 segments per subject). Delta Lumen values were negatively correlated with WT% and low attenuation area ( P P Conclusion Reduced Delta Lumen value in the central airways measured by using QCT is a promising exploratory biomarker of unstable refractory asthma that warrants further study.
Pediatric Obesity: Influence on Drug Dosing and Therapeutics.

Obesity is an ongoing global health concern and has only recently been recognized as a chronic disease of energy homeostasis and fuel partitioning. Obesity afflicts 17% of U.S. children and adolescents. Severe obesity (≥120% of the 95th percentile of body mass index (BMI) for age, or a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 ) is the fastest-growing subgroup and now approaches 6% of all U.S. youth. Health consequences (eg, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease) are related in a dose-dependent manner to severity of obesity. Because therapeutic interventions are less effective in severe obesity, prevention is a high priority. Treatment plans involving combinations of behavioral therapy, nutrition, and exercise achieve limited success. Only one drug, orlistat, is U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for long-term obesity management in adolescents 12 years and older. As part of comprehensive medication management, clinicians should consider the propensity for a given drug to aggravate weight gain and to consider alternatives that minimize weight impact. Medication management must take into account developmental changes as well as the pathophysiology of obesity and comorbidities. Despite expanding insight into obesity pathophysiology, there are gaps in its translation to therapeutic application. The historical construct of obesity as simply a fat-storage disorder is fundamentally inaccurate. The approach to adjusting doses based solely on body size and extrapolating from therapeutic knowledge of adult obesity may be based on assumptions that are not fully substantiated. Classes of drugs commonly prescribed for comorbidities associated with obesity should be prioritized for clinical research evaluations aimed at optimizing dosing regimens in pediatric obesity.
Microaggressions, Macroaggressions, and Modern Racism in the Media and Popular Culture

This chapter discusses the media’s impact on us, and it discusses common racist microaggressions and macroaggressions found in the media. The chapter also examines forms of media with prosocial messages and those that are positive, empowering, affirming, and provide nuanced and intricate views of racial and cultural groups.
Aggregate Path Coupling: Higher Dimensional Theory

In this chapter, we extend the aggregate path coupling technique derived in the previous section for the Blume-Capel model to a large class of statistical mechanical models that is disjoint from the mean-field Blume-Capel model. The aggregate path coupling method presented here extends the classical path coupling method for Gibbs ensembles in two directions. First, we consider macroscopic quantities in higher dimensions and find a monotone contraction path by considering a related variational problem in the continuous space. We also do not require the monotone path to be a nearest-neighbor path. In fact, in most situations we consider, a nearest-neighbor path will not work for proving contraction. Second, the aggregation of the mean path distance along a monotone path is shown to contract for some but not all pairs of configurations. Yet, we use measure concentration and large deviation principle to show that proving contraction for pairs of configurations, where at least one of them is close enough to the equilibrium, is sufficient for establishing rapid mixing.
Psychological Essentialism in Serek ha-Yaḥad and the Two Spirits Treatise

This paper investigates the psychological mechanisms that underpin Qumran sectarian dualism and its construction of in-group/out-group boundaries. Specifically, evidence from experimental and developmental psychology and cognitive anthropology is used to argue that Serek ha-Yaḥad and the Two Spirits Treatise (1QS 3:13–4:26) reflect a deeply-engrained psychological essentialism wherein non-group members are conceptualized as having inherently different biological essences. This essentialist tendency is easily extended to the social domain in what scholars call the “naturalization” of social groups. After reviewing this literature, the paper examines the Serek and Treatise’s use of kinship terms, the word “spirit,” and language denoting human nature and living species, in order to demonstrate that essentialist intuitions about outsiders provide a foundation for the sect’s dualistic worldview. Importantly, the essentialist thinking in these texts is also firmly grounded in and channeled through the intertextual interpretation of scripture, drawing heavily on the rich creation vocabulary in Genesis 1–3.
The Topology of Complex Analytic Varieties and the Lefschetz Hyperplane Theorem

One of the main sets of mathematical results proved in this book is a collection of theorems on the topology of complex analytic varieties. There are generalizations of the Lefschetz hyperplane theorem for complex projective varieties, and generalizations of the theorem that the homotopy dimension of a Stein manifold is bounded by its complex dimension. In this section of the introduction, we give a sketch of the statements of the theorems with motivation and some history. Technically precise statements of the theorems in their most general form are grouped together in Chapter 1 of Part II of the book.
Methane, Hydrogen and Helium in Hydrothermal Fluids at 21°N on the East Pacific Rise

Methane in 350°C hydrothermal fluids at 21°N on the East Pacific Rise occurs in concentrations greater than 1.1 cc (STP)/kg. Hydrogen concentrations vary from 8 to 38 cc(STP)/kg, showing a considerable range between different vent fields. Helium concentrations exceed 0.021 cc(STP)/kg. The injection rates of methane and hydrogen into the deep ocean indicate replacement times of the order of 30 years, implying that consumption of methane and hydrogen in the water column must be very rapid. Variations of end-member concentrations of methane, hydrogen and possibly helium, as well as δ13C(CH4), among vent fields suggests either chemical control of reactive gas abundances and/or variations in gas contents of ridge crest basalts. Measurements of methane and helium in basalt glass from the EPR show CH4/3He ratios of 2.5 × 106, compared to 3.5 × 106 in hydrothermal fluid from the same area. Carbon isotope evidence, CO2 CH4 isotope geothermometry, the lack of suitable thermocatalytic sources of organic carbon, and the similarity between CH4/3He ratios in these hydrothermal fluids and mid-ocean ridge basalts, point to an abiogenic origin of hydrothermal methane, extracted directly from basalt by circulating seawater.
The Federal Interest in the Transfer of Patent License Rights in Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy Code section 365 affords a debtor in possession broad power to assume and assign executory contract rights notwithstanding most nonbankruptcy law restrictions on assignment of those rights. As an exception to this general power, a debtor in possession can neither assume nor assign executory contract rights if, under "applicable law," such rights are not assignable to a third party. Under patent common law, a patent licensee may not transfer its rights unless the terms of the license affirmatively permit transfer or the licensor otherwise consents. This patent common law rule of interpretation serves as "applicable law" in the patent licensee's bankruptcy case, and appears to bar the debtor in possession from exploiting such rights without the licensor's consent. Although the relevant statutory language is clear, the federal circuit courts of appeal are divided on whether a patent licensor can block a debtor in possession from assuming for its own use patent license rights that under "applicable" patent law it cannot assign to a third party. The article looks beyond the justifications courts have given for their conflicting decisions and recasts them as incomplete responses to problems of inefficiency.
3D Body Reconstruction for Immersive Interaction

In this paper we present an approach for capturing 3D body motion and inferring human body posture from detected silhouettes. We show that the integration of two or more silhouettes allows us to perform a 3D body reconstruction while each silhouette can be used for identifying human body postures. The 3D reconstruction is based on the representation of body parts using Generalized Cylinders providing an estimation of the 3D shape of the human body. The 3D shape description is refined by fitting an articulated body model using a particle filter technique. Identifying human body posture from the 2D silhouettes can reduce the complexity of the particle filtering by reducing the search space. We present an appearance-based learning method that uses a shape descriptor of the 2D silhouette for classifying and identifying human posture. The proposed method does not require an articulated body model fitted onto the reconstructed 3D geometry of the human body: It complements the articulated body model since we can define a mapping between the observed shape and the learned descriptions for inferring the articulated body model.
English plus: Exploring the socioeconomic benefits of bilingualism in southern Californiat

This paper presents the results of a study carried out in Southern California with a multiethnic and multigenerational sample of young adults in their 20s and 30s. It merges two major surveys of adult children of immigrants, IIMMLA (Immigration and Intergenerational Mobility in Metropolitan Los Angeles) and the San Diego half of CILS (the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study). Both surveys utilized the same measures for key variables, and were carried out at about the same time in the six contiguous counties of Southern California with respondents were of similar ages, ethnicities, and generations. The analysis focuses on the independent effects of fluent bilingualism (measuring multiple dimensions of linguistic ability) on three socioeconomic outcomes: dropping out of high school, occupational status, and earnings. Southern California, as the nation’s largest regional site of immigrant incorporation over the past three decades – and home to the largest nationalities and most diverse types of immigrants (including professionals, refugees and undocumented laborers) to have settled in the U.S. over this period, as well as to their rapidly growing second generations – is a strategic site for such research. Of the region’s 21 million residents, half speak a language other than English at home, while half speak English only. Remarkably, controlling for major predictors, multivariate analyses show significant effects of bilingualism on all three socioeconomic outcomes: decreasing the odds of dropping out of high school, and increasing occupational status and earnings.
Stalling, Conﬂict, and Settlement

A widely-held assumption in the study of litigation and settlement is that if litigation is costly and settlement bargaining is costless, then in a complete-information setting, all disputes will settle with no need for litigation. This assumption is wrong. Even with complete information, perfectly rational parties may fail to settle out of court, and plaintiﬀs will spend resources to ﬁle suit, only for the parties thereafter to settle in court. This is because, outside of litigation, a strategy of stalling may be optimal for a defendant, and the plaintiﬀ’s only alternative is (costly) litigation. In this paper, I present a simple model demonstrating how stalling occurs, derive empirical predictions from the model, show how the model explains categories of litigation that existing models reliant on private information cannot explain (large numbers of debt-collection cases that are litigated, but no issues are contested), and discuss policy implications (including the limits of prejudgment interest as a tool to encourage settlement).
A distributionally robust optimization approach to reconstructing missing locations and paths using high-frequency trajectory data

Abstract Daily high-frequency trajectory data (e.g., 0.1-s connected vehicle data) provide a promising foundation to improve the observability of travel demand dynamics. However, the raw trajectories are not always accurate and complete due to technical and privacy issues. This paper proposes a data-driven optimization modeling framework to reconstruct the location-duration-path choices for the missing observations from the incomplete trajectories. By processing many-day raw trajectories, we observe a set of historical choices of location-duration-path and identify missing observations in space and time dimensions. To improve computational efficiency, we apply data-driven network-time prisms that reduce the search space for the missing choices. Then, we formulate Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) models with likelihood bounds, a special case of data-driven optimization models using phi-divergences (i.e., χ 2 distance), to reconstruct the missing choices. To solve the minimax programs of the DRO models while maintaining tractability, we reformulate and solve the equivalent dual problems of the DRO models based on the strong duality theory. To demonstrate and validate the proposed models, we use a real-world connected vehicle dataset containing around 2,800 connected vehicles over two separate months in Southeast Michigan from the Safety Pilot Model Deployment (SPMD) project and a transportation network from OpenStreetMap.
Optimal Designs in Three-Level Cluster Randomized Trials With a Binary Outcome

Cluster randomized trials (CRTs) were originally proposed for use when randomization at the subject level is practically infeasible or may lead to a severe estimation bias of the treatment effect. However, recruiting an additional cluster costs more than enrolling an additional subject in an individually randomized trial. Under budget constraints, researchers have proposed the optimal sample sizes in two-level CRTs. CRTs may have a three-level structure, in which two levels of clustering should be considered. In this paper, we propose optimal designs in three-level CRTs with a binary outcome, assuming a nested exchangeable correlation structure in generalized estimating equation models. We provide the variance of estimators of three commonly used measures: risk difference, risk ratio, and odds ratio. For a given sampling budget, we discuss how many clusters and how many subjects per cluster are necessary to minimize the variance of each measure estimator. For known association parameters, the locally optimal design is proposed. When association parameters are unknown but within predetermined ranges, the MaxiMin design is proposed to maximize the minimum of relative efficiency over the possible ranges, that is, to minimize the risk of the worst scenario.
Coordinated Damping Control for Power System Dynamic Stability based on Wide-area Expert System

This paper proposed a novel coordinated control technique among multiple FACTS damping controllers based on the wide-area collaborative expert control system theory. The grid operation status and interaction of multiple FACTS controllers was monitored in real time based on the advanced experience of control experts, and efficient extraction of the feature quantity of multiple FACTS coordinated control was achieved. In what follows, real-time coordination control decisions were automatic generated through sub-expert systems which ensured the coordinated control of multiple FACTSs within the regional grid. The sub-expert systems were supervised and coordinated by the primary coordinated system, and the coordinated control of multiple FACTS controllers within the system was realized in real time, which provided a new solution to multiple FACTS devices coordinated control in complex power systems. Time domain simulation results validated the conclusion.
Overexpression of CD6 and PD-1 Identifies Dysfunctional CD8 + T-Cells During Chronic SIV Infection of Rhesus Macaques

Effective CD8+ T-cell responses play an important role in determining the course of SIV/HIV viral infection. Here we identified a unique population of dysfunctional CD8+ T-cells in lymphoid tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of rhesus macaques with chronic SIV infection characterized by co-expression of CD6 and PD-1. The frequency of CD6 and PD-1 co-expressing CD8+ T-cells was significantly increased in lymphoid tissues and BAL during chronic SIV infection compared to pre-infection levels. These CD6+PD-1+CD8+ T-cells displayed impaired proliferation, cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity compared to their CD6-PD-1+CD8+ T cell counterparts. The frequency of CD8+PD-1+ and CD8+CD6-PD-1+ T-cells in the lymph node and bone marrow did not correlate with SIV viral load, whereas the frequency of CD8+CD6+PD-1+ T-cells positively correlated with SIV viral load in these tissues highlighting the contribution of CD6 to disease progression. CD6+PD-1+CD8+ T-cells expressed elevated levels of SHP2 phosphatase compared to CD6-PD-1+CD8+ T-cells providing a potential mechanism by which CD6 may induce T-cell dysfunction during chronic SIV infection. Combined targeting of CD6 and PD-1 effectively revived the CD8+ T-cell proliferative response in vitro suggesting a strategy for potential therapeutic benefit.
StrVCTVRE: A supervised learning method to predict the pathogenicity of human structural variants

Whole genome sequencing resolves clinical cases where standard diagnostic methods have failed. However, preliminary studies show that at least half of these cases still remain unresolved, even after whole genome sequencing. Structural variants (genomic variants larger than 50 base pairs) of uncertain significance may be the genetic cause of a portion of these unresolved cases. Historically, structural variants (SVs) have been difficult to detect with confidence from short-read sequencing. As both detection algorithms and long-read/linked-read sequencing methods become more accessible, clinical researchers will have access to thousands of reliable SVs of unknown disease relevance. We show that filtering these SVs by overlap with cataloged SVs is an imperfect solution. Innovative methods to predict the pathogenicity of these SVs will be needed to realize the full diagnostic potential of long-read sequencing. To address this emerging need, we developed StrVCTVRE (Structural Variant Classifier Trained on Variants Rare and Exonic), a classifier that can be used to distinguish pathogenic SVs from benign SVs that overlap exons. We made use of features that capture gene importance, coding region, conservation, expression, and exon structure in a random forest classifier. We found that some features, such as expression and conservation, are important but are absent from SV classification guidelines. Although databases of SVs reflect size biases from sequencing techniques, we leveraged multiple databases to construct a size-matched training set of rare, putatively benign and pathogenic SVs. In independent test sets, we found our method performs accurately across a wide SV size range, which will allow clinical researchers to eliminate nearly 60% of SVs from consideration at an elevated sensitivity of 90%. However, our method and its assessment are still constrained by a small training dataset and acquisition bias in databases of pathogenic variants. StrVCTVRE fills an empty niche in the clinical evaluation of SVs of unknown significance. We anticipate researchers will use it to prioritize SVs in patients where no variant is immediately compelling, empowering deeper investigation into novel SVs and disease genes to resolve cases.
Can salient stimuli really be suppressed

Although it is often assumed that a physically salient stimulus automatically captures attention even when it is irrelevant to a current task, the signal-suppression hypothesis proposes that observers can actively suppress a salient-but-irrelevant distractor. However, it is still unknown whether suppression alone (i.e., without target enhancement) is potent enough to override attentional capture by a salient singleton in an otherwise-homogeneous background. The current study addressed this issue. On search trials (70% of trials), participants searched for a shape target on trials that either did or did not contain an irrelevant color singleton. The effects of learning to suppress the color of the singleton were examined on interleaved probe trials (30% of trials). On these trials, participants searched for a probe target letter; those letters were presented on four ovals (one colored oval and three gray ovals). Each colored oval was a singleton that was one of three types: the color of the distractor on search trials, the color of the target on search trials, or a neutral color that had not appeared on search trials. Responses were faster for the probe target on a neutral-colored or target-colored item than on a gray-colored item; however, responses were slower for the probe target on a distractor-colored item than on a gray-colored item. The results demonstrate a powerful suppression mechanism overriding attentional capture by a singleton item.
Detection of vowel transition regions from Hindi language

Abstract The vowel transition regions are the crucial landmarks in the speech signal. These vital regions are present at both ends of the vowel. They lie in the junction between a consonant and a vowel (CV) regions. This region plays an important role in numerous speech applications like speaker recognition, emotion conversion, speech rate modification, and CV unit recognition. The performance of these applications crucially depends on the accuracy of the estimation of vowel transition regions. In this paper, we have proposed a method for determining the transition regions based on the rate of change of formant frequencies using zero-time windowing and numerator of the group-delay function. Zero-time windowing derives the instantaneous formant frequencies accurately at every sample location due to the contribution of that sample itself. The numerator of the group-delay function enhances the formant frequencies. The proposed transition region detection method is evaluated on CV, and continuous speech databases recorded in the Hindi language. The proposed method has shown around 12% improvement in accuracy compared to the existing method.
Beclin-1-Dependent Autophagy Improves Outcomes of Pneumonia-Induced Sepsis.

Objective We previously demonstrated that promoting Beclin-1-dependent autophagy is cardiac protective during endotoxemia shock, suggesting that autophagy-based approaches may become a promising therapeutic strategy for sepsis. In this study, we applied both genetic and pharmacological approaches to evaluate whether Beclin-1 activation improves sepsis outcomes in a model of pneumonia-induced sepsis. Methods Sepsis was induced in mice by Klebsiella pneumoniae infection via intubation, and outcomes of clinical sickness scores, systemic infection, inflammation, survival, and pulmonary pathology were examined. Evaluation of Beclin-1 activation was achieved by comparing strains of C57BL/6J wild type and Becn1F121A that carries a transgenic expression of Beclin-1-active mutant F121A, and by comparing animal groups treated with Beclin-1-activating peptide, Tat-beclin-1 peptide (TB-peptide), or with vehicle control. The status of autophagy in the lung tissue was examined in autophagy reporter mice, CAG-RFP-EGFP-LC3, by fluorescence microscopy. Results Pulmonary infection by K. pneumoniae produced an insufficient, maladaptive autophagy in the lung. Activation of Beclin-1 by forced expression of active mutant Becn1F121A or by treatment with TB-peptide enhanced autophagy and significantly reduced sickness scores, systemic infection, and circulating and pulmonary cytokine production. Both approaches demonstrated notable benefits in limiting post-infection pathogenesis in the lung, such as decreases in alveolar congestion, hemorrhage, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and alveolar wall thickness. Conclusion Data suggest that targeted activation of Beclin-1 alleviates adverse outcomes of pneumonia-induced sepsis, and thus, possess a therapeutic potential.
The impact of gel fingernail polish application on the reduction of bacterial viability following a surgical hand scrub.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of gel nail polish application on the reduction of bacterial viability immediately after a surgical hand scrub. STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SAMPLE POPULATION Ten fingernails each from 40 female health care professionals and students. METHODS Participants' fingernails were randomized to receive no polish or gel nail polish during a manicure from a licensed manicurist. One day and 14 days after manicure, participants' fingernails were sampled before and after a surgical hand scrub with chlorhexidine gluconate. The samples for each fingernail were serially diluted, plated on a Trypsin sheep blood agar and MacConkey's agar plate, and incubated for 36 h. For each plate, bacterial colony forming units (CFU)/ml were determined. Mixed linear models were used to assess factors associated with the logarithmic reduction of viable bacterial counts from pre- to post-surgical scrub. RESULTS In the final model, no association was detected between gel nail polish and reduction of viable bacterial count (p = .09). On Day 14, among longer nail lengths (2 to <3-mm and ≥3-mm), surgical scrubs resulted in greater reduction in bacterial counts in left-handed than right-handed participants (p < .01). Increasing nail length was correlated with increased CFU/ml post-scrubbing (p < .001). CONCLUSION Application of gel nail polish did not seem to affect the ability of surgical scrub to reduce bacterial viability 1 and 14 days after a manicure. CLINICAL IMPACT This study does not provide evidence to prevent application of gel nail polish on short fingernails in surgeons prior to surgical hand scrub with chlorhexidine gluconate.