cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do High-Achieving Female Students Underperform in Private? The Implications of Threatening Environments on Intellectual Processing

Stereotype threat research has demonstrated that stereotypes can harm student performance in the face of public evaluation by peers or an experimenter. The current study examined whether stereotypes can also threaten in private settings. Female students completed a math test in 3-person groups, which consisted of either 2 other women (same gender) or 2 men (minority). In addition, students either believed their performance would be broadcasted to their peers (public) or not (private). Results revealed that minority students performed worse than same-gender students in both public and private environments. This finding supports the concept of threatening intellectual environments and shows how far reaching the effects of stereotypes can be. The authors discuss these findings in relation to research on tokenism and to stereotype threat and its educational implications.
Expression of Wnt3 activates Wnt/β-catenin pathway and promotes EMT-like phenotype in trastuzumab-resistant HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells.

To understand the mechanisms leading to trastuzumab resistance in HER2-overexpressing breast tumors we created trastuzumab insensitive cell lines (SKBR3/100-8 and BT474/100-2). The cell lines maintain HER2 receptor overexpression, and show increase in EGFR. Upon trastuzumab treatment, SKBR3/100-8 and BT474/100-2 cell lines displayed increased growth rate and invasiveness. The trastuzumab resistance in SKBR3/100-8 and BT474/100-2 was accompanied with activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Further investigation found that Wnt3 overexpression played a key role toward the development of trastuzumab resistance. The expression of Wnt3 in trastuzumab resistant cells increased nuclear expression of β-catenin and transactivated expression of EGFR. The increased Wnt3 in the trastuzumab resistant cells also promoted a parental EMT-like transition (epithelial to mesenchymal transition), increased N-cadherin, Twist, SLUG and decreased E-cadherin. Knockdown of Wnt3 by siRNA restored cytoplasmic expression of β-catenin, and decreased EGFR expression in trastuzumab resistant cells. Furthermore the EMT markers were decreased, E-cadherin was increased and the cell invasiveness was inhibited in response to the Wnt3 down-regulation. Conversely, SKBR3 cells which had been stably transfected with full-length Wnt3 exhibited EMT-like transition. The Wnt3 transfectants, SKBR3/Wnt3-7 and SKBR3/Wnt3-9, showed a significant decrease in E-cadherin and increase in N-cadherin, Twist and SLUG. The cells were less sensitive to trastuzumab compared to parental SKBR3 and vector transfected cells. In summary, our data suggests that Wnt3 overexpression activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway that leads to transactivation of EGFR and promotes EMT-like transition. This could be an important mechanism leading to trastuzumab resistance in HER2 overexpressing breast cancer cells.
Fusobacterium necrophorum Leukotoxin Induces Activation and Apoptosis of Bovine Leukocytes

Fusobacterium necrophorum, a gram-negative, rod-shaped, anaerobic bacterium, is a primary or secondary etiological agent in a variety of necrotic, purulent infections in humans and animals. Its major virulence factor is leukotoxin, a high-molecular-weight secreted protein, primarily toxic to ruminant leukocytes. In this study, bovine peripheral blood leukocytes were exposed to various concentrations of immunoaffinity-purified leukotoxin and the cytotoxicity was analyzed by flow cytometry and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. At very low toxin concentrations, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) showed activation, as indicated by translocation of primary and secondary granules to the periphery of the cytoplasm. Furthermore, these cells showed changes characteristic of apoptosis, including decreased cell size, organelle condensation, cytoplasmic membrane blebbing (zeiosis), and chromatin condensation and margination, and decrease in cellular DNA content. At moderately high concentrations of leukotoxin, bovine mononuclear cells were also induced to undergo programmed cell death. At very high concentrations, leukotoxin caused necrotic cell death of bovine peripheral leukocytes. The ability of F. necrophorum leukotoxin to modulate the host immune system by its toxicity, including cellular activation of PMNs and apoptosis-mediated killing of phagocytes and immune effector cells, represents a potentially important mechanism of its pathogenesis.
Mothers' depressive symptoms and children's facial emotions: examining the depression-inhibition hypothesis.

Vibrant expression of emotion is the principal means infants and young children use to elicit appropriate and timely caregiving, stimulation, and support. This study examined the depression–inhibition hypothesis: that declines in mothers' support as their depressive symptoms increase inhibit children's emotional communication. Ninety-four mothers and their 14- to 27-month-olds interacted in a university playroom. Based on microanalytic coding of discrete facial displays, results supported three components of the hypothesis. (a) As mothers' depressive symptoms increased, children displayed less facial emotion (more flat affect, less joy, less sadness, less negative). (b) Mothers' low emotional and behavioral support predicted children's low facial communication and mediated relations between mothers' depressive symptoms and children's infrequent emotion. (c) Children who were passive with mothers behaviorally expressed emotion infrequently. Children's passivity mediated relations between mothers' depressive symptoms and children's infrequent emotion displays. Contrary to modeling and contagion theories, mothers' facial displays did not mediate relations between their depressive symptoms and children's facial displays. Nor were the outcomes children experienced regulating their facial displays. Rather, findings suggest that, even when depressive symptoms are modest, young children inhibit emotion as mothers' depressive symptoms increase to withdraw from unresponsive mothers, which may adversely affect children's subsequent relationships and competencies.
Optimizing normal tissue sparing in ion therapy using calculated isoeffective dose for ion selection.

Purpose To investigate how the selection of ion type affects the calculated isoeffective dose to the surrounding normal tissue as a function of both normal tissue and target tissue α/β ratios. Methods and Materials A microdosimetric biologic dose model was incorporated into a Geant4 simulation of parallel opposed beams of protons, helium, lithium, beryllium, carbon, and neon ions. The beams were constructed to give a homogeneous isoeffective dose to a volume in the center of a water phantom for target tissues covering a range of cobalt equivalent α/β ratios of 1–20 Gy. Concomitant normal tissue isoeffective doses in the plateau of the ion beam were then compared for different ions across the range of normal tissue and target tissue radiosensitivities for a fixed isoeffective dose to the target tissue. Results The ion type yielding the optimal normal tissue sparing was highly dependent on the α/β ratio of both the normal and the target tissue. For carbon ions, the calculated isoeffective dose to normal tissue at a 5-cm depth varied by almost a factor of 5, depending on the α/β ratios of the normal and target tissue. This ranges from a factor of 2 less than the isoeffective dose of a similar proton treatment to a factor of 2 greater. Conclusions No single ion is optimal for all treatment scenarios. The heavier ions are superior in cases in which the α/β ratio of the target tissue is low and the α/β ratio of normal tissue is high, and protons are superior in the opposite circumstances. Lithium and beryllium appear to offer dose advantages similar to carbon, with a considerably lower normal tissue dose when the α/β ratio in the target tissue is high and the α/β ratio in the normal tissue is low.
Exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in late pregnancy increases the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, but the absolute risk is low

Commentary on: Grigoriadis S, Vonderporten EH, Mamisashvili L, et al. Prenatal exposure to antidepressants and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2014;348:f6932.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] Depression in pregnancy is common and has adverse effects on birth outcomes, mother–infant attachment, and the behaviour and development of infants and children.1–4 While effective … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBMJ%26rft.volume%253D348%26rft.spage%253Df6932%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1136%252Fbmj.f6932%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F24429387%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1136/bmj.f6932&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=24429387&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febnurs%2F18%2F1%2F15.atom
Regional soil erosion in response to land use and increased typhoon frequency and intensity, Taiwan

Reservoir sedimentation data and sediment yields from Taiwanese rivers show increased soil erosion in response to both 20th century changes in land use and a more recent increase in typhoon frequency and intensity. Decadal variations of up to 5- to 20-fold in suspended-sediment rating curves demonstrate supply-limited transport and correspond to increased sediment delivery from hillslopes due to changes in land use, regional ground shaking during the Chi-Chi earthquake, and post-2000 changes in typhoon frequency and intensity. While accelerated erosion in central Taiwan after the Chi-Chi earthquake has been documented previously, our results show that periods of increased upland erosion also occurred earlier, in response to 20th century changes in land use. Analyses of rainfall records and typhoon frequency for the period 1900–2009 further point to an island-wide increase in erosion rates corresponding to increased typhoon frequency and intensity after 1990.
Structure of stable solutions of a one-dimensional variational problem

We prove the periodicity of all H 2 -local minimizers with low energy for a one-dimensional higher order variational problem. The results extend and complement an earlier work of Stefan Muller which concerns the structure of global minimizer. The energy functional studied in this work is motivated by the investigation of coherent solid phase transformations and the competition between the effects from regularization and formation of small scale structures. With a special choice of a bilinear double well potential function, we make use of explicit solution formulas to analyze the intricate interactions between the phase boundaries. Our analysis can provide insights for tackling the problem with general potential functions.
Multimodal Functional Neuroimaging: Integrating Functional MRI and EEG/MEG

Noninvasive functional neuroimaging, as an important tool for basic neuroscience research and clinical diagnosis, continues to face the need of improving the spatial and temporal resolution. While existing neuroimaging modalities might approach their limits in imaging capability mostly due to fundamental as well as technical reasons, it becomes increasingly attractive to integrate multiple complementary modalities in an attempt to significantly enhance the spatiotemporal resolution that cannot be achieved by any modality individually. Electrophysiological and hemodynamic/metabolic signals reflect distinct but closely coupled aspects of the underlying neural activity. Combining fMRI and EEG/MEG data allows us to study brain function from different perspectives. In this review, we start with an overview of the physiological origins of EEG/MEG and fMRI, as well as their fundamental biophysics and imaging principles, we proceed with a review of the major advances in the understanding and modeling of neurovascular coupling and in the methodologies for the fMRI-EEG/MEG simultaneous recording. Finally, we summarize important remaining issues and perspectives concerning multimodal functional neuroimaging, including brain connectivity imaging.
Low-cost tools for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infection in low-resource settings

Low-cost technologies to diagnose and monitor human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in developing countries are a major subject of current research and health care in the developing world. With the great need to increase access to affordable HIV monitoring services in rural areas of developing countries, much work has been focus on the development of point-of-care technologies that are affordable, robust, easy to use, portable and of sufficient quantitative accuracy to enable clinical decision-making. For diagnosis of HIV infection, some low-cost tests, such as lateral flow tests and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, are already in place and well established. However, portable quantitative tests for rapid HIV monitoring at the point of care have only recently been introduced to the market. In this review, we discuss low-cost tests for HIV diagnosis and monitoring in low-resource settings, including promising technologies for use at the point of care, that are available or close to market.
Alterations in Shoulder Kinematics and Associated Muscle Activity in People With Symptoms of Shoulder Impingement

Background and Purpose. Treatment of patients with impingement symptoms commonly includes exercises intended to restore “normal” movement patterns. Evidence that indicates the existence of abnormal patterns in people with shoulder pain is limited. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze glenohumeral and scapulothoracic kinematics and associated scapulothoracic muscle activity in a group of subjects with symptoms of shoulder impingement relative to a group of subjects without symptoms of shoulder impingement matched for occupational exposure to overhead work. Subjects. Fifty-two subjects were recruited from a population of construction workers with routine exposure to overhead work. Methods. Surface electromyographic data were collected from the upper and lower parts of the trapezius muscle and from the serratus anterior muscle. Electromagnetic sensors simultaneously tracked 3-dimensional motion of the trunk, scapula, and humerus during humeral elevation in the scapular plane in 3 hand-held load conditions: (1) no load, (2) 2.3-kg load, and (3) 4.6-kg load. An analysis of variance model was used to test for group and load effects for 3 phases of motion (31°–60°, 61°–90°, and 91°–120°). Results. Relative to the group without impingement, the group with impingement showed decreased scapular upward rotation at the end of the first of the 3 phases of interest, increased anterior tipping at the end of the third phase of interest, and increased scapular medial rotation under the load conditions. At the same time, upper and lower trapezius muscle electromyographic activity increased in the group with impingement as compared with the group without impingement in the final 2 phases, although the upper trapezius muscle changes were apparent only during the 4.6-kg load condition. The serratus anterior muscle demonstrated decreased activity in the group with impingement across all loads and phases. Conclusion and Discussion. Scapular tipping (rotation about a medial to lateral axis) and serratus anterior muscle function are important to consider in the rehabilitation of patients with symptoms of shoulder impingement related to occupational exposure to overhead work.
Signal Transduction Events in Chicken Interleukin-1 Production

Abstract The HD11 chicken macrophage cell line was studied for growth characteristics using different culture media, serum concentrations, and incubation temperatures. Growth curves at 37 C revealed that the cells grew best in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% colostrum-free bovine serum (CFBS). Growth was not supported by RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with the serum replacement Nu Serum nor by PC-1 culture medium alone. However, coating culture plates with either chicken serum or Nu Serum enhanced HD11 cell growth in the PC-1 medium. Growth at 40 C was equivalent to that obtained at 37 C when RPMI 1640 medium with 10% CFBS or PC-1 medium in plates coated with chicken serum were used. Several stimuli were tested for their ability to induce interleukin-l (IL-1) in HD11 macrophages under serum-free conditions. Lipopolysaccharide (2.5 μg/mL) or silica (50 μg/mL), increased extracellular IL-1 significantly after a 24-h treatment. In contrast, a superinduction protocol using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, cycloheximide, butyrate, and actinomycin D did not increase extracellular IL-1 significantly. All three stimulants significantly elevated intracellular IL-1 after treatment. Protein kinase C inhibitors (H7 and retinal) as well as calmodulin-dependent kinase inhibitors (W7 and TFP) significantly diminished IL-1 production in the intracellular and extracellular compartments. Elevated cyclic adenosine 5′-monophosphate (cAMP) actuated by dibutyryl cAMP also increased IL-1 significantly. The data indicate that both protein kinase C and calmodulin-dependent kinase mechanisms are important in signal transduction leading to IL-1 production.
Evading Equilateral Triangles without a Map

Consider an arrangement of equilateral non-overlapping translated triangles in the plane and two points S and T so that the segment ST is parallel to a side of each of the triangles. Assume one needs to navigate from point S to pointT by evading the triangular obstacles without any previous knowledge of the location of the obstacles. The navigator becomes aware of a triangle once it is contacted along the path. The given algorithm enables the navigator to reach the target pointT by a path with length less than p 3d(1 + 2 d2 ), where d is the length of ST .
Reinventing academic publishing online. Part II: A socio-technical vision

Part I of this paper outlined the limitations of feudal academic knowledge exchange and predicted its decline as cross-disciplinary research expands. Part II now suggests the next evolutionary step is democratic online knowledge exchange, run by the academic many rather than the few. Using socio-technical tools it is possible to accept all, evaluate all and publish all academic documents. Editors and reviewers will remain, but their role will change, from gatekeepers to guides. However, the increase in knowledge throughput can only be supported by activating the academic community as a whole. Yet that is what socio-technical systems do --- activate people to increase common gains. Part 1 argued that scholars must do this or be left behind in the dust of progress. The design proposed here is neither wiki, nor e-journal, nor electronic repository, nor reputation system, but a hybrid of these and other socio-technical functions. It supports print publishing as a permanent archive byproduct useful to a living, online knowledge exchange community. It could also track academic submissions, provide performance transcripts to promotion committees, enable hyperlinks, support attribution, allow data-source sharing, retain anonymous reviewing and support relevance and rigor in evaluation. Rather than a single "super" KES, a network of online systems united by a common vision of democratic knowledge exchange is proposed.
Improved three-dimensional Look-Locker acquisition scheme and angle map filtering procedure for T1 estimation.

The three-dimensional (3D) Look–Locker (LL) acquisition is a widely used fast and efficient T1 mapping method. However, the multi-shot approach of 3D LL acquisition can introduce reconstruction artifacts that result in intensity distortions. Traditional 3D LL acquisition generally utilizes a centric encoding scheme that is limited to a single phase-encoding direction in k space. To optimize k-space segmentation, an elliptical scheme with two phase-encoding directions is implemented for the LL acquisition. This elliptical segmentation can reduce the intensity errors in the reconstructed images and improve the final T1 estimation. One of the major sources of error in LL-based T1 estimation is a lack of accurate knowledge of the actual flip angle. A multi-parameter curve-fitting procedure can account for some of the variability in the flip angle. However, curve fitting can also introduce errors in the estimated flip angle that can result in incorrect T1 values. A filtering procedure based on goodness of fit (GOF) is proposed to reduce the effect of false flip angle estimates. Filtering based on GOF weighting can remove probable incorrect angles that result in bad curve fitting. Simulation, phantom and in vivo studies have demonstrated that these techniques can improve the accuracy of 3D LL T1 estimation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flexible optical probe for planar lightwave circuits testing

A flexible optical probe that accomplishes wafer-level directional coupling of light into optical waveguides is investigated optically and mechanically. Unoptimized directional coupling efficiency of 4% was achieved into an S-shaped polymer test waveguide.
Bed-thickness structure of multi-sourced ramp turbidites; Devonian Brallier Formation, central Appalachian Basin

Turbidite bed thickness-frequency relationships within the Upper Devonian Brallier Formation of the Central Appalachian Basin follow the form of a negative exponential distribution. The presence of such distributions indicates that deposition occurred via Poisson-like stochastic processes, wherein initiation of turbidite formation was largely independent of rates of sediment accumulation along shelf margins. Autocorrelation analysis of bed thicknesses from these sections likewise strongly supports an interpretation of temporally stochastic deposition. Autocorrelograms of turbidite sandstone and inter-turbidite shale thicknesses fail to fall outside the expected range of a random arrangement of bed thickness. Consideration of the Brallier Formation relative to previously reported analyses of turbidites from other depositional systems indicates that the form of thickness-frequency relations within any turbidite system is strongly dependent upon gross morphology of the depositional system. As such, multi-sourced ramp turbidites are, in this case, found not to exhibit fractal scaling in their bed-thickness relationships, but rather an exponential form of scaling common to many sedimentary systems.
Experimental Demonstrations of Optical Neural Computers

We describe two expriments in optical neural computing. In the first a closed optical feedback loop is used to implement auto-associative image recall. In the second a perceptron-like learning algorithm is implemented with photorefractive holography.
Optimal estimation of vanishing points in a Manhattan world

In this paper, we present an analytical method for computing the globally optimal estimates of orthogonal vanishing points in a “Manhattan world” with a calibrated camera. We formulate this as constrained least-squares problem whose optimality conditions form a multivariate polynomial system. We solve this system analytically to compute all the critical points of the least-squares cost function, and hence the global minimum, i.e., the globally optimal estimate for the orthogonal vanishing points. The same optimal estimator is used in conjunction with RANSAC to generate orthogonal-vanishing-point hypotheses (from triplets of lines) and thus classify lines into parallel and mutually orthogonal groups. The proposed method is validated experimentally on the York Urban Database.
Mechanical properties of acrylic based latex blend coatings

A complete characterization of the mechanical properties of acrylic based latex blend coatings comprising hard (T g = 45°C) and soft (T g = -5°C) phases is presented. Although clear and transparent in appearance, these blends remain phase separated through the entire range of compositions based on their hard phase content. Blends with less than 50% hard phase (soft blends) show a typical rubber-like behavior with large elongation to break and low stiffness, whereas those with more than 50% hard phase (hard blends) exhibit a progressively glassy behavior. The values of effective Youngs moduli and Poisson's ratios lie within the bounds calculated from Hashin-Shtrikman models and exhibit a sigmoidal shaped profile as a function of composition, in close agreement with the solutions of Hill-Budiansky equations. These results, along with interpretations based on a percolation theory, indicate that a phase inversion to a continuous hard matrix from the soft one occurs around 30-40% hard phase content, a conclusion further supported by scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surfaces.
The Syrian Opposition: Salafi and Nationalist Jihadism and Populist Idealism

The debate over international responses to the Assad governments continued barrel-bombing and lethal use of chemical weapons centered on the dominance and agenda of ‘extremists’ in the Syrian oppos...
Climate science: Ice streams waned as ice sheets shrank.

It emerges that ice discharge from a major ice sheet did not increase rapidly at the end of the most recent ice age. The finding points to steady, not catastrophic, ice-sheet loss and sea-level rise on millennial timescales. See Letter p.322
Hierarchical optimization for neutron scattering problems

We present a scalable optimization method for neutron scattering problems that determines confidence regions of simulation parameters in lattice dynamics models used to fit neutron scattering data for crystalline solids. The method uses physics-based hierarchical dimension reduction in both the computational simulation domain and the parameter space. We demonstrate for silicon that after a few iterations the method converges to parameters values (interatomic force-constants) computed with density functional theory simulations.
Effect of ethanol on the synthesis and secretion of apoA-I- and apoB-containing lipoproteins in HepG2 cells

The short- and long-term effects of ethanol on the production of lipids and apolipoproteins (apo) in HepG2 cells were studied. Short-term incubation with 1% ethanol caused a significant 32% increase in the cellular content of both triglycerides and cholesteryl esters. Under these conditions, the net accumulation in the medium of triglycerides, unesterified cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, apoA-I, and apoE was stimulated by 75%, 41%, 43%, 19%, and 39%, respectively. ApoA-I and apoE mRNA levels increased by 15%. The major short-term effect of ethanol was on the net accumulation of apoB in the medium which was stimulated by 56-100% in the presence of 0.1-1.0% ethanol. Under these conditions, apoB mRNA abundance was elevated by 17-26% and LDL receptor activity was unchanged. The increase in apoB accumulation in the medium was predominantly due to augmented secretion of newly synthesized apoB-100 which was evident at 0.05% ethanol. The secretion of newly synthesized apoA-I was not altered by short-term incubation with < or = 0.5% ethanol. The rate of apoB production was positively correlated with the cellular and secreted cholesteryl esters and secreted triglycerides. Addition of Pfizer CP-113,818, an inhibitor of acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase, caused a 69% reduction in the secretion of cholesteryl esters and a 24% decrease in that of apoB-100. In contrast to the short-term effect of ethanol, long-term incubation with ethanol resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the secretion of newly synthesized apoA-I without significantly affecting that of apoB-100. The increase in apoA-I secretion was evident at 0.05% ethanol and reached a maximum of 77% at 0.5% ethanol. These observations indicate that in HepG2 cells the effect of ethanol on the production of apoA-I- and apoB- containing lipoproteins is both time- and dose-dependent and is different in these two apolipoproteins.
Bioenergetics and water requirements of the redback vole, Clethrionomys gapperi.

The effects of temperature on food consumption, assimilation efficiency, oxygen uptake, and water requirements of the redback vole, Clethrionomys gapperi , were studied. Gross and net caloric intakes varied inversely with temperature and the relationships were geometric rather than linear. Assimilation efficiency was maximal at 25°C (78.9 per cent) and lowest at 10°C (72.2 per cent). Manometric measurements of oxygen consumption indicated a resting metabolic rate of 3.14 cc O2/g/hr, a thermoneutral zone from 25 to 28°C, and a thermal conductance of 0.255 cc O2/g/hr/°C. Water consumption increased with temperatures above and below 15°C. Minimum water requirements, including free water, food moisture, and metabolic water, were 0.64 g H2O/g/day at 15°C. These data are compared to those of other small mammals.
The effect of recreational gunfire noise on hearing in workers exposed to occupational noise.

Hearing sensitivity for an experimental group of 278 industrial workers who engaged in recreational shooting was compared with that of an age-matched control group of 278 nonshooting industrial wor...
A 30–75 $\text{dB}\Omega$ 2.5 GHz 0.13- $\mu\text{m}$ CMOS Receiver Front-End With Large Input Capacitance Tolerance for Short-Range Optical Communication

This paper describes the design and implementation of a linear optical receiver front-end for short range optical communication applications in 0.13- $\mu\text{m}$ CMOS technology. While conventional optical receivers are typically implemented using limiting amplifiers (LA), emerging optical systems are expected to employ advanced modulation schemes, which require preserving the signal envelope. The proposed linear optical receiver architecture utilizes super-Gm transimpedance amplification with common-mode restoration and constant settling time automatic gain control (AGC) with background illumination cancellation to preserve the signal linearity while tolerating capacitance up to 15 pF for large area photo-detectors. Linearity aware design of transimpedance amplifiers (TIA), variable gain control (VGA), and post amplifiers (PA) are discussed before introducing an exponential generator based on the parasitic BJTs available in the used technology. Consuming 40 mW from a 1.2 V supply in the presence of ∼15 pF input capacitance, the circuit achieves a binary modulation data rate of 5 Gbps with an input sensitivity of $\sim 65\ \mu\text{A}$ maintaining a bit-error rate (BER) $ . S-parameter measurements show a constant −3 dB bandwidth of 2.5 GHz for a wide dynamic range of ∼45 dB (30–75 $\text{dB}\Omega$ ) with dB-linearity error better than ±1 dB. To demonstrate the optical functionality of the architecture, an external photodiode (PDCS70T-GS) is directly wirebonded to the chip. Optical measurements confirm a sensitivity of −9.5 dBm $(\text{BER} at a highest data rate of 5 Gb/s $(\lambda = 680\ \text{nm})$ . The noise and linearity performance of the receiver is verified using input referred integrated noise and 1 dB-compression point measurements for different gain settings.
As a Team, We Can Be "Ghost Busters".

In their study, Zafar and colleagues demonstrate that our interpretations and recommendations do not exist in a vacuum; radiologists must embrace the opportunity and responsibility of working with our referring colleagues to optimize patient care when identifying and reporting on incidental findings.
Inoculation of ophiostomatoid fungi in loblolly pine trees increases the presence of subterranean termites in fungal lesions

Many bluestain (ophiostomatoid) fungi are inoculated into trees via bark beetle activity, but their ecological roles are not fully understood, particularly for interactions with invertebrates outside bark beetle and phoretic mite associations. Recently, correlational field studies and small-scale laboratory feeding trials have demonstrated subterranean termites have increased presence on and preferential feeding of bluestain-infected wood, but experimental field evidence is lacking. To test the hypothesis that bluestain fungi increase termite presence in infected trees, we inoculated 72 loblolly pine trees in the southeastern USA with one of four bluestain fungi (Ophiostoma minus, O. ips, Leptographium terebrantis, L. procerum), a combination (O. minus + L. terebrantis), or H2O as a control. Over four years, all fungi-inoculated trees formed lesions around injection sites, while control trees formed no lesions except for two contaminated control trees that were excluded from analyses. Bluestain-inoculated trees had increased termite presence in and around fungal lesions, whereas control trees had no termites present. Specifically, termites were present on 35 % of fungi-inoculated trees, presence was consistent over time, and there was no difference among fungal species. This study experimentally demonstrates a link between bluestain fungi and subterranean termites in forests, which could impact tree dynamics post-bluestain infection.
The Impact of Supermarkets on Nutrition and Nutritional Knowledge: A Food Policy Perspective

This chapter provides an analytical and policy perspective on the rapid emergence of supermarkets and their modern supply chains, and the subsequent impact on food security and nutritional well-being. The story is complicated because there are important opportunities and challenges raised by the supermarket revolution. On the positive side, supermarkets and modern supply chains offer significantly enhanced food safety, the opportunity to fortify basic food staples with essential vitamins and minerals, and the potential to stabilize food prices, thus contributing to food security. On the negative side, supermarkets offer an enticing array of “junk foods” that are likely contributors to the obesity epidemic and rapid spread of non-communicable diseases. Government policies can shape both the positive and negative dimensions at the margin, but most of the dynamics of supermarket growth are stimulated by technological changes and consumer demands that are beyond the control of governments.
MAKING PERIOPERATIVE HANDOFF COMMUNICATION COUNT BY IMPROVING SAFETY AND QUALITY IN A NEW CONGENITAL HEART PROGRAM

Background: Coordination among units, staff and equipment for a congenital cardiac surgical patient requires a strategic process. Structured handoff processes enhance teamwork, communication and patient outcomes. Transitioning patients from the operating room (OR) to the congenital cardiac intensive
CULTURAL IDENTITY, DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCE: A LOOK AT GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN EDUCATION

Deals with cultural identity permeated by diversity and difference in the setting of educational policy in Brazil. The political and religious conservatism is acting to keep the idea of fixed and natural identities, excluding the possibilities of the formation of cultural identity as a fluidic, social and historical. Has the objective to understand gender intersected with sexuality in the area of education as a cultural phenomenon to identity marks, diversity and differences. It is a descriptive and explanatory theoretical study with contribution of the literature research. It concludes that identities are displaced in contemporary times and its fixity occurs in conservative discourse, requiring debates in political education to build respect for differences with attention to character built both "center" and the "margins".
Tensile failure of polyacrylonitrile fibers

Abstract: The chapter discusses methods of producing acrylonitrile polymer using different procedures for polymerization and extruding the acrylic fibers utilizing dry and wet spinning techniques. It also includes an indepth discussion of the fine structure, the mechanical properties and the mechanisms accounting for the tensile and fatigue failures of the fibers. The unique tensile and many physical properties found result from the strong interactions present among the chains due to the presence of polar acrylonitrile groups. Unlike most natural and manufactured fibers, the acrylic fibers do not give evidence of a well-defined two-phase fine structure; however, they do clearly show the presence of fibrillar morphology with reasonably strong cohesion between the fibrils. Tensile rupture usually supports granular breaks but fatigue failure leads to shearing of the bundles of fibrils and their separating along the weakest planes, resulting in split fiber at the broken ends. Although, acrylic fiber production has seen a decline, owing to the increased awareness lately of the environmental concerns and the high cost of recovery of the solvents, the fiber continues to be the primary precursor for the development of high quality carbon fibers.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Research at the Interface of Finance, Operations, and Risk Management (iFORM): Recent Contributions and Future Directions

Interface of finance, operations, and risk management (iFORM) is a relatively new research area dealing with timely, complex, and boundary-spanning issues in a variety of settings from start-ups to global enterprises. iFORM research addresses ways to better integrate physical, financial, and informational flows by combining the operational choices of the firm with its financial decisions, and merging information flows between the firm and its customers and suppliers with informational flows between the firm and its investors. We report on the main research themes of the recent iFORM research, based on, and going beyond, papers that appeared in the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management iFORM special issue. We highlight the main emerging contributions in the area. Among the most frequently addressed issues in current research include the following: supply chain finance, such as trade credit and buyer-intermediated finance and their effects on supply chain performance; agency problems, such as risk...
Fault detection and diagnosis for nonlinear systems: A new adaptive Gaussian mixture modeling approach

Abstract In heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, early detection and diagnosis of faults are of critical importance to save energy and improve the performance of system components. The challenge is developing an automatic fault detection and diagnosis algorithm for monitoring of multi-mode nonlinear systems. This paper proposes a novel adaptive Gaussian mixture model (AGMM) approach for automatic fault detection and diagnosis in nonlinear systems. The concept of this method relies on developing a time-varying probabilistic machine-learning model for non-linear systems. In this study, Gaussian mixture model regression (GMMR) technique is used to model a nonlinear system based on measurement data. Unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is then integrated with GMMR for adjusting the model parameters based on the feedback of residuals between observation and model prediction. The proposed algorithm is able to detect and diagnose simultaneous faults in systems from monitoring variations of key GMMR parameters. The application of AGMM method is demonstrated for detection and diagnosis of common faults in a water-cooled multi-chiller plant system. Faults including energy efficiency degradation in chillers were tested with the proposed method. Results indicate that the AGMM approach is successful in detection and diagnosis of simultaneous faults.
Elementary teachers’ beliefs about multicultural education practices

As the diversity of American schools is increasing, teachers should understand the role culture plays in the classroom and employ teaching practices that accommodate students from diverse cultural ...
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells genetically engineered to deliver IL-12 to the tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer.

141Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for solid tumor malignancies has not shown the same degree of clinical efficacy observed in hematologic malignancies such as B-ALL. The...
Shorter interval between radiation therapy and salvage laryngopharyngeal surgery increases complication rates following microvascular free tissue transfer

Abstract Purpose To evaluate how the interval between radiation and salvage surgery for advanced laryngeal cancer with free tissue transfer reconstruction influences complication rates. Materials and methods This is a retrospective series of 26 patients who underwent salvage laryngectomy or laryngopharyngectomy with vascularized free tissue reconstruction (anterolateral thigh or radial forearm) following radiation or chemoradiation between 2012 and 2017 at a single academic center. The primary outcome was incidence of postoperative complications, including pharyngocutaneous fistula. Secondary outcomes included the need for a second procedure, time to resumption of oral feeding, feeding tube dependence, and hospital length of stay. Results Salvage surgery was performed for persistence (7/26, 27%), recurrence/new primary (12/26, 46%), and dysfunctional larynges (7/26, 27%). Twenty-two (85%) defects were reconstructed with an anterolateral thigh free flap and 4/26 with a radial forearm free flap (15%). There were no flap failures. There were significantly more complications in patients undergoing surgery within 12 months of completion of radiation therapy (7/12, 58%) versus those undergoing surgery after 12 months (1/14, 7%; p = .02). Patients experiencing complications more often required a second procedure (4/7 vs. 0/1; p = .02), experienced a longer delay to initiation of oral diet (61 vs. 21 days; p = .04), and stayed in the hospital longer (28 vs. 9 days; p = .01). Conclusions Shorter intervals between definitive radiation and salvage laryngopharyngeal surgery with free tissue reconstruction increases postoperative complications, hospital length of stay, and the likelihood of feeding tube dependence. Reconstructive surgeons can use these findings to help guide preoperative patient counseling and assess postoperative risk.
Differential Effects of Performance Feedback on Multiple Strategic Changes

Product and geographic diversification are both important corporate strategies for firm growth and performance. Yet, some firms choose to emphasize one form of diversification over the other. A han...
Neutronics Analysis for the MARS Li-Pb Blanket and Shield

A neutronics analysis for the MARS Li-Pb blanket and shield is presented. A thin blanket with a thick Fe-1422 reflector yields a tritium breeding ratio of 1.13 and an energy multiplication of 1.39. This blanket design has the attractive features of low cost, reduced activated waste, and ease of maintenance. A shield has been designed to provide adequate magnet protection.
Topics in Tomography

In computerized tomography X-ray transmission measurements are recorded on a computer memory and a mathematical algorithm is applied to produce a numerical description of the tissue density as a function of position within a thin slice of the body. This function is then displayed visually. The X-ray machine projects several hundred parallel pencil beams in the plane of the slice, and the attenuation of each beam is recorded. This procedure is then repeated many times with a small change in the angle at each time. The mathematical problem is to devise an efficient algorithm for computing the density function from the X-ray measurements.
Risk Assessment for Cardiovascular Disease With Nontraditional Risk Factors: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Importance Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death among adults in the United States. Treatment to prevent CVD events by modifying risk factors is currently informed by the Framingham Risk Score, the Pooled Cohort Equations, or similar CVD risk assessment models. If current CVD risk assessment models could be improved by adding more risk factors, treatment might be better targeted, thereby maximizing the benefits and minimizing the harms. Objective To update the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on using nontraditional risk factors in coronary heart disease risk assessment. Evidence Review The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on using nontraditional risk factors in CVD risk assessment, focusing on the ankle-brachial index (ABI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level, and coronary artery calcium (CAC) score; the health benefits and harms of CVD risk assessment and treatment guided by nontraditional risk factors combined with the Framingham Risk Score or Pooled Cohort Equations compared with using either risk assessment model alone; and whether adding nontraditional risk factors to existing CVD risk assessment models improves measures of calibration, discrimination, and risk reclassification. Findings The USPSTF found adequate evidence that adding the ABI, hsCRP level, and CAC score to existing CVD risk assessment models results in small improvements in discrimination and risk reclassification; however, the clinical meaning of these changes is largely unknown. Evidence on adding the ABI, hsCRP level, and CAC score to the Pooled Cohort Equations is limited. The USPSTF found inadequate evidence to assess whether treatment decisions guided by the ABI, hsCRP level, or CAC score, in addition to risk factors in existing CVD risk assessment models, leads to reduced incidence of CVD events or mortality. The USPSTF found adequate evidence to conceptually bound the harms of early detection and interventions as small. The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of using the ABI, hsCRP level, or CAC score in risk assessment for CVD in asymptomatic adults to prevent CVD events. Conclusions and Recommendation The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of adding the ABI, hsCRP level, or CAC score to traditional risk assessment for CVD in asymptomatic adults to prevent CVD events. (I statement)
A Surgeon Scorecard Is Associated with Improved Value in Elective Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Background:Despite increasing interest in total joint arthroplasty registries, evidence of the impact of physician-level performance on the value of care provided to patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an unblinded o
Paired-agent imaging for detection of head and neck cancers

Head and neck cancers overwhelmingly overexpress epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This overexpression has been utilized for head and neck cancers using molecular targeted agents for therapy and cancer cell detection. Significant progress has been made in using EGFR-targeted fluorescent antibody and Affibody molecule agents for fluorescent guided surgery in head and neck cancers. Although success in achieving tumor-to-background ratio of 3-5 have been achieved, the field is limited by the non-specific fluorescence in normal tissues as well as EGFR specific fluorescence in the oral cavity. We propose that paired-agent imaging (PAI) could improve the contrast between tumor and normal tissue by removing the fluorescent signal arising from non-specific binding. Here, ABY-029 - an anti-EGFR Affibody molecule labeled with IRDye 800CW - and IRDye 680RD conjugated to Affibody Control Imaging Agent molecule (IR680-Affctrl) are used as targeted and untargeted control agents, respectively, in a panel of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) to test the ability of PAI to increase tumor detection. Initial results demonstrate that binding potential, a value proportional to receptor concentration, correlates well to EGFR expression but experimental limitations prevented pixel-by-pixel analysis that was desired. Although promising, a more rigorous and well-defined experimental protocol is required to align ex vivo EGFR immunohistochemistry with in vivo binding potential and fluorescence intensity. Additionally, a new set of paired-agents, ABY-029 and IRDye 700DX, are successfully tested in naive mice and will be carried forward for clinical translation.