cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cocaine attenuates blood flow but not neuronal responses to stimulation while preserving neurovascular coupling for resting brain activity.

Cocaine attenuates blood flow but not neuronal responses to stimulation while preserving neurovascular coupling for resting brain activity
Modeling of electromagnetic heating in RF copper accelerating cavities

Electromagnetic heating is a critical issue in normal conducting copper RF cavities that are employed in particle accelerators. With several tens to hundreds of kilowatts dissipated RF power, there must be an effective cooling scheme whether it is water or air based or even a combination of both. In this paper we investigate the electromagnetic heating in multiple cavities that were designed at Fermilab exploring how the electromagnetic and thermal analyses are coupled together to properly design the cooling of such cavities.
Regulation of gelatinases in human airway smooth muscle cells: mechanism of progelatinase A activation.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in tumor metastasis and invasion, inflammatory tissue destruction and remodeling, wound healing, and angiogenesis. The 72-kDa gelatinase A is...
Identification of Measures Sensitive to Fatigue Development Associated with Low-Level Exertions of the Neck Musculature and the Effects of Age

This research had two purposes: to identify measures sensitive to fatigue development associated with low force, static exertions and to investigate the effects of aging on fatigue onset associated with low-level exertions of the neck musculature.Fourteen subjects participated ranging in age from 20 to 62 years. The task consisted of a submaximal neck extension exertion held until fatigue. Based on the results of this experiment, it was found that:▪Several measures are sensitive to fatigue induced during a low-level static exertion of the neck extensor muscles, including: discomfort, three EMG time domain and four frequency domain parameters▪when comparing groups based on age, results and interpretations of effects due to age may be directly be influenced by the choice of dependent measure (such as discomfort, maximum force, and potentially time to fatigue);▪regardless of age, some subjects may exhibit fatigue resistance at low exertions levels.
Use of acetazolamide-challenge xenon CT in the assessment of cerebral blood flow dynamics in patients with arteriovenous malformations

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) may cause symptoms related to a reduction of cerebral blood flow (CBF) to surrounding brain parenchyma. To evaluate this compromise of hemodynamic reserve (commonly referred to as steal phenomenon), we used acetazolamide challenge and stable-xenon CT (Xe/CT). Baseline Xe/CT studies in 13 patients with AVMs were followed by an acetazolamide challenge to the vascular reserve. Blood flow maps were quantitated by using region-of-interest (ROI) software. ROI findings were categorized into four groups on the basis of the presence or absence of normal baseline CBF and presence or absence of normal augmentation of CBF. ROIs were designated as near site (within the vascular territory supplying the AVM) or far site (outside the vascular territory supplying the AVM). One patient had a normal baseline and normal augmentation of CBF (group 1). The other patients had a combination of one or more of the other three categories. Ten patients had parenchymal areas that exhibited either a normal or low baseline CBF with decreased augmentation; both conditions were interpreted as decreased vascular reserve (groups 2 and 3). Eleven patients had parenchymal areas that showed a low baseline CBF and normal augmentation with acetazolamide (group 4), interpreted as having a decreased demand for CBF but having a normal vascular reserve. Decreased vascular reserve was found in 27% of the nearsite areas and 17% of the far-site areas. No patients had only far-site abnormal vascular reserve. We believe that compromised vascular reserve can best be evaluated with a challenge study, such as this acetazolamide-challenge Xe/CT study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hepatitis E virus infection among sheep workers

Objective To explore hepatitis E virus infection and its related risk factors among sheep workers.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted.Serum samples from 83 workers in a live sheep market were obtained and tested for anti-HEV IgG by indirect ELISA.The Chi-Square Test was used to evaluate the difference between different proportions.Results The total positive rate of anti-HEV IgG was 39.8%.The positive rate of anti-HEV IgG was 29.5% in the 15～35 year old age group,and 51.3% in the 36～57 year old age group.The difference was statistically significant(χ2=4.0784,P=0.0434).There were no statistically significant differences in the positive rate of anti-HEV IgG between males and females,Cantoneses and non-Cantonese,workers with 1 year of experience,1-4 years of experience and ≥5 years of experience.Conclusion Hepatitis E virus infection does exist among sheep workers.Further studies are warranted.
Characterization of postcardiac transplant lymphomas. Histology, immunophenotyping, immunohistochemistry, and gene rearrangement.

Objective Between 2% and 9% of cardiac transplant recipients develop posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease, which includes lymphomas. These are usually aggressive Epstein-Barr virus-associated B-cell proliferations similar to those seen in other immunodeficiency states. A retrospective pathologic study of the tumor tissue from 21 cardiac transplant recipients with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease was undertaken. Design Tumor histology, immunohistochemistry, immunophenotyping, and DNA analysis for clonal gene rearrangement and the presence of Epstein-Barr virus DNA were performed. Patients The mean patient age was 53.4 +/- 10.2 years (range 33-67 years); 33% of the patients were alive at the time of study. Results Histologically, the samples comprised one Burkitt's lymphoma, three diffuse mixed lymphomas, eight diffuse large-cell lymphomas, and nine immunoblastic lymphomas. Thirteen (93%) of 14 samples were infiltrated by small reactive T cells; five of the lymphomas qualified as T-cell rich. Of 14 cases studied, 12 had clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangements, 1 had oligoclonal bands, and 1 exhibited only a germline pattern. The B cells were CD10+, CD19+, and CD20+, and the reactive T cells were CD2+, CD3+, CD5+, CD7+, CD8+, and CD57+ by immunophenotyping. Conclusions In this patient series, morphologically aggressive lymphomas and disseminated disease occurred early as well as late after transplantation. Most of the tumors showed a reactive T-cell component, which may represent a host attempt at controlling the B-cell proliferation.
New species of Chrysidea Bischoff and a key to the Madagascan species (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae)

Two new species of the chrysidid genus Chrysidea Bischoff (brooksi and zimmermanni) are descriptionbed from Madagascar. A key to the 12 known species from the island is presented.
Social Validity and Ethics

Publisher Summary Ethics is a critical component of any professional field. The presence or lack of ethical behavior within a profession can have considerable impact on the individuals receiving professional services. Ethical standards are derivations of the values within society and fluctuate with the knowledge base and conditions present in a society. Wolf, in conceptualizing social validity, simultaneously promoted the associated ethical considerations necessary in applied behavior analysis. Examination of the validity of goals, procedures, and effects of treatments incorporates the values present within a society upon which ethical standards are based. Basically, an examination of social validity has considerable overlap with an examination of ethical values. Obtaining social validity data from parents who frequently use physical punishment with a child may also be reflective of the ethical values of the parents, which could be based on limited information such as memories of the techniques that were used by their parents on them. Social validity data from consultants may be reflective of the ethical values within their training programs, professional organizations, employment, and the like. Social validity data obtained from larger segments of society may reveal ethical values that are dependent upon popularity of movements, the prevalence of rhetoric, economic conditions, and other factors. Increasing measurement of social validity and utilizing the information may be another method for incorporating ethical values into the practice of applied behavior analysis. Although more direct examinations of ethics are necessary, social validity does assist in incorporating the values of society and offers a method of checks and balances for behavior treatments.
Optimal suppression of therapeutic interference for real-time therapy and imaging with an integrated HIFU/imaging transducer

In ultrasound imaging-guided HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) treatment by using an integrated HIFU/imaging transducer, the reflected therapeutic wave significantly interferes with the imaging signal during simultaneous therapy and imaging. In order to obtain ultrasound B-mode images with acceptable resolution, these interferences should be minimized at least to −40 dB level. It was previously demonstrated that coded excitation with fixed notch filtering could reduce the sidelobe level of the HIFU interference to lower than −40 dB while normal short pulse excitation showed higher than a −30 dB sidelobe level due to remnant ripples after fixed notch filtering. In this article, we presented that both HIFU noise and remnant ripples for short pulse excitation could be minimized by using an adaptive HIFU interference suppression technique. A prototype integrated HIFU/imaging transducer with cylindrically shaped aperture was fabricated and A-mode signal and B-mode image experiments were performed to prove the feasibility of the proposed method experimentally.
Tracing the Development and Entrenchment of Oppression in Mississippi Adult and Higher Education

In this chapter, we explore illustrative episodes from Mississippi’s history that frame our understanding of how oppression came to be entrenched in the state’s adult and higher educational spaces. We briefly outline the development of racialized oppression in K-12 education as a precursory condition to oppression in adult and higher education. We then describe episodes of oppression in Mississippi’s adult and higher education history. These include an analysis of how the Sovereignty Commission and the Citizens’ Councils worked to create oppressive conditions for low-income students, students of color, and queer students in higher education and to suppress adult education efforts. We also document the history of violence against marginalized groups and civil rights workers in the state. We end this chapter with a discussion of how Mississippi’s past is intricately connected to its present and future.
Improving the accuracy of high-throughput protein-protein affinity prediction may require better training data

One goal of structural biology is to understand how a protein’s 3-dimensional conformation determines its capacity to interact with potential ligands. In the case of small chemical ligands, deconstructing a static protein-ligand complex into its constituent atom-atom interactions is typically sufficient to rapidly predict ligand affinity with high accuracy (>70% correlation between predicted and experimentally-determined affinity), a fact that is exploited to support structure-based drug design. We recently found that protein-DNA/RNA affinity can also be predicted with high accuracy using extensions of existing techniques, but protein-protein affinity could not be predicted with >60% correlation, even when the protein-protein complex was available. X-ray and NMR structures of protein-protein complexes, their associated binding affinities and experimental conditions were obtained from different binding affinity and structural databases. Statistical models were implemented using a generalized linear model framework, including the experimental conditions as new model features. We evaluated the potential for new features to improve affinity prediction models by calculating the Pearson correlation between predicted and experimental binding affinities on the training and test data after model fitting and after cross-validation. Differences in accuracy were assessed using two-sample t test and nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test. Here we evaluate a range of potential factors that may interfere with accurate protein-protein affinity prediction. We find that X-ray crystal resolution has the strongest single effect on protein-protein affinity prediction. Limiting our analyses to only high-resolution complexes (≤2.5 A) increased the correlation between predicted and experimental affinity from 54 to 68% (p = 4.32x10−3). In addition, incorporating information on the experimental conditions under which affinities were measured (pH, temperature and binding assay) had significant effects on prediction accuracy. We also highlight a number of potential errors in large structure-affinity databases, which could affect both model training and accuracy assessment. The results suggest that the accuracy of statistical models for protein-protein affinity prediction may be limited by the information present in databases used to train new models. Improving our capacity to integrate large-scale structural and functional information may be required to substantively advance our understanding of the general principles by which a protein’s structure determines its function.
Understanding capsid assembly and genome packaging for adeno-associated viruses

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are promising therapeutic viral vectors. Their capsid is assembled from viral proteins VP1, VP2 and VP3, aided by an assembly-activating protein, followed by replication protein mediated packaging of their 4.7-kb genome with inverted terminal repeats as packaging signals. To aid improvement of AAV vectors, knowledge of viral determinants of successful capsid assembly and genome packaging is important. We review the current knowledge of these two processes and efforts to overcome limited DNA packaging capacity and limit the packaging of unwanted foreign DNA in vector development. Residues involved in essential capsid assembly and genome packaging interactions cannot be manipulated in vector engineering. This information thus aids strategies to improve vector production and to increase AAV packaging capacity toward improved efficacy of this vector system.
Neurosyphilis and HIV Infection

Syphilis and HIV are both diseases of major public health importance globally, affecting tens of millions of people and leading to millions of deaths every year. There is a complex demographic, epidemiologic, and biologic interaction between the HIV virus and Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis. These interactions lead not only to higher rates of coinfection but also are believed to affect pathogenic mechanisms that result in early central nervous system syphilis among HIV-coinfected patients. Acute syphilitic meningitis and neuro-ophthalmologic syphilitic involvement are also believed to occur at a higher rate and early in the course of syphilis among HIV-coinfected individuals. There needs to be a higher index of suspicion for syphilitic involvement of the CNS among HIV patients especially those with ophthalmological and/or ontological complaints. While there may need to be subtle differences, current recommendations for diagnostic workup for neurosyphilis in HIV-coinfected patients are similar to that of non-HIV patients. Intravenous penicillin remains the treatment of choice for neurosyphilis.
Mitigating Selective Jamming Attacks in Smart Meter Data Collection using Moving Target Defense

In Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks, power data collections from smart meters are static. Due to such static nature, attackers may predict the transmission behavior of the smart meters which can be used to launch selective jamming attacks that can block the transmissions. To avoid such attack scenarios and increase the resilience of the AMI networks, in this paper, we propose dynamic data reporting schedules for smart meters based on the idea of moving target defense (MTD) paradigm. The idea behind MTD-based schedules is to randomize the transmission times so that the attackers will not be able to guess these schedules. Specifically, we assign a time slot for each smart meter and in each round we shuffle the slots with Fisher-Yates shuffle algorithm that has been shown to provide secure randomness. We also take into account the periodicity of the data transmissions that may be needed by the utility company. With the proposed approach, a smart meter is guaranteed to send its data at a different time slot in each round. We implemented the proposed approach in ns-3 using IEEE 802.11s wireless mesh standard as the communication infrastructure. Simulation results showed that our protocol can secure the network from the selective jamming attacks without sacrificing performance by providing similar or even better performance for collection time, packet delivery ratio and end-to-end delay compared to previously proposed protocols.
The Effect of Rainfall Uncertainty on Occupational Choice in Rural Nepal

Despite the prevalence of agriculture as the main occupation in rural Nepal, evidence suggests that households strive to diversify their sources of income. This paper investigates why this is the case. Using household data from the World Bank and information on rainfall for the various regions of Nepal, we find that occupational choice is mainly determined by the uncertainty associated with historical rainfall patterns. Where the head is employed in agriculture, other family members are less likely to choose agriculture as an occupation in areas where rain is uncertain. Our results suggest that diversification is necessary in order to insure total household income against aggregate weather shocks. The negative effect of rainfall uncertainty on occupational choice is less obvious in household that have access to credit. The main policy implication of this study is that improving access to credit markets for poor households may help reduce their vulnerability to rain shocks.
Data-driven prediction of the high-dimensional thermal history in directed energy deposition processes via recurrent neural networks

Abstract Directed Energy Deposition (DED) is a growing additive manufacturing technology due to its superior properties such as build flexibility at multiple scales and limited waste. However, both experimental and physics-based models have limitations in providing accurate and computationally efficient predictions of process outcomes, which is essential for real-time process control and optimization. In this work, a recurrent neural network (RNN) structure with a Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) formulation is proposed for predicting the high-dimensional thermal history in DED processes with variations in geometry, build dimensions, toolpath strategy, laser power and scan speed. Our results indicate that the model can accurately predict the thermal history of any given point of the DED build on a test-set database with limited training. The model’s general applicability and ability to accurately predict thermal histories has been demonstrated through two overarching tests conducted for long time spans and non-trained geometries.
Luminance and vertical eye illuminance thresholds for occupants’ visual comfort in daylit office environments

Abstract This paper investigates field measured visual parameters inside a daylit office space to define occupants' visual comfort thresholds, particularly for a view direction parallel to windows. Twelve human subjects performed a computer-based reading and typing task and provided subjective responses on various luminous environments, which were created by adjusting interior venetian blinds and electric lighting fixtures. A total of 120 different lighting conditions were tested and documented for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. High dynamic range photography was conducted to capture the luminance distributions of interior surfaces in addition to horizontal and vertical illuminance measurements by sensors. Statistical analysis of the collected data defined occupants’ visual comfort thresholds: a luminance of 2420 cd/m2 and luminance contrast ratio of 11.7. These new thresholds lie perfectly within the existing visual discomfort threshold ranges and confirm that a higher glare source luminance is tolerant in a view direction parallel to windows compared to view facing windows. A vertical eye illuminance threshold was also defined, but there are large discrepancies among the existing and newly defined thresholds. The collected subjective survey data also revealed 53%–60% evaluation accuracy rates of the existing glare indices. Daylight Glare Index and Unified Glare Rating metrics show the highest evaluation accuracy when daylight is the only light source. The CIE Glare Index metric shows the highest accuracy when both natural and electric lighting are introduced. Full understanding of visual comfort parameters and validation of the existing glare indices would help to achieve successful daylight harvesting in buildings.
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Stroke Rehabilitation: Present and Future

Stroke is the leading cause of severe lasting adult disability around the world. Despite efforts to standardize post-stroke care and rehabilitation a significant percentage of patients remain permanently disabled. Life expectancy after stroke is on the rise in part due to improvements in health care. Hence, it is necessary to develop cost efficient ways to improve the beneficial effects of customary neurorehabilitative interventions (i.e., physical and occupational therapy) on motor and cognitive function after stroke. Over the years, transcranial direct current stimulation has emerged as a possible neuromodulatory tool adjuvant to standard neurorehabilitative therapy. Recent meta-analysis suggested moderate beneficial effects of tDCS on motor function after stroke. However, results from clinical trials have not been conclusive, suggesting the need to understand mechanisms underlying tDCS effects, including optimal stimulation protocols, timing, duration and magnitude of stimulation, and the identification of patient groups more amenable to tDCS effects. Here we discuss study results (organized by functional deficits) to date and discuss critically available evidence. Future studies could benefit from tighter experimental designs, more detailed description of methodologies, preregistration when appropriate and enhanced replication efforts.
Isotope Effect in Bilayer WSe2.

Isotopes of an element have the same electron number but differ in neutron number and atomic mass. However, due to the thickness-dependent properties in MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se, Te) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), the isotopic effect in atomically thin TMDs still remains unclear especially for phonon-assisted indirect excitonic transitions. Here, we report the first observation of the isotope effect on the electronic and vibrational properties of a TMD material, using naturally abundant NAWNASe2 and isotopically pure 186W80Se2 bilayer single crystals over a temperature range of 4.4–300 K. We demonstrate a higher optical band gap energy in 186W80Se2 than in NAWNASe2 (3.9 ± 0.7 meV from 4.41 to 300 K), which is surprising as isotopes are neutral impurities. Phonon energies decrease in the isotopically pure crystal due to the atomic mass dependence of harmonic oscillations, with correspondingly longer E2g and A21g phonon lifetimes than in the naturally abundant sample. The change in electronic ban...
Enantioselective Small Molecule Synthesis by Carbon Dioxide Fixation Using a Dual Broensted Acid/Base Organocatalyst.

This metal-free method uses inexpensive, nontoxic carbon dioxide as a substrate for the enantioselective synthesis of cyclic carbonates using a dual Broenstedt acid/base organocatalyst.
Fatty Liver Disease: A Practical Approach.

Context.— Fatty liver disease is now one of the most commonly encountered entities in the practice of liver pathology. Distinguishing simple steatosis from steatohepatitis is critical because the l...
Tying the knot with a robot: legal and philosophical foundations for human–artificial intelligence matrimony

Technological progress may eventually produce sophisticated robots with human-like traits that result in humans forming meaningful relationships with them. Such relationships would likely lead to a demand for human–artificial intelligence (AI) matrimony. U.S. Supreme Court decisions that expanded the definition of marriage to include interracial and same-sex couples, as well as those that have not extended marriage to polygamous relationships, provide guidance regarding the criteria that human–AI would have to meet to successfully assert a right to marry. Ultimately, robots will have to possess certain characteristics of personhood to marry, including the capacity to contract and to engage in an intimate relationship. Alternatively, if AIs can simulate these abilities sufficiently, we may believe that they have these capacities. Even if AIs genuinely possess the capabilities necessary to enter into a marriage, it is social acceptance of intelligent non-humans as life partners that will likely influence legal development is this realm rather than personhood criteria. However, AIs are likely to face bias due to their “artificial” rather than biological nature. Yet, Peter Singer’s influential argument regarding speciesism in the context of animal rights implies that AIs with specific human-like qualities cannot be justifiably denied certain rights.
Differentiation of burn wounds in an in vivo porcine model using terahertz spectroscopy

The accuracy of current burn triage techniques has remained between 50-70%. Accordingly, there is a significant clinical need for the quantitative and accurate assessment of partial-thickness burn injuries. Porcine skin represents the closest animal model to human skin, and is often used in surgical skin grafting procedures. In this study, we used a standardized in vivo porcine burn model to obtain terahertz (THz) point-spectroscopy measurements from burns with various severities. We then extracted two reflection hyperspectral parameters, namely spectral area under the curve between approximately 0.1 and 0.9 THz (-10 dB bandwidth in each spectrum), and spectral slope, to characterize each burn. Using a linear combination of these two parameters, we accurately classified deep partial- and superficial partial-thickness burns (p = 0.0159), compared to vimentin immunohistochemistry as the gold standard for burn depth determination.
The association of age, body mass index, and frailty with vestibular schwannoma surgical morbidity

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether increased body mass index (BMI), age, or frailty influence vestibular schwannoma (VS) short-term surgical morbidity. Methods The 2005–2017 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for patients with VS undergoing surgical resection. Age was stratified according to age Results A total of 1405 patients were included consisting of 56.7 % females with a mean age of 50.7 ± 13.8 years and mean BMI of 29.4 ± 6.6. Patients Conclusions Increased age, BMI, and frailty among VS patients were associated with different post-operative complication rates, operation time, or LOS. Knowledge of these can optimize care for at-risk patients.
Structurally distinct telomere-binding proteins in Ustilago maydis execute non-overlapping functions in telomere replication, recombination, and protection.

Duplex telomere binding proteins exhibit considerable structural and functional diversity in fungi. Herein we interrogate the activities and functions of two Myb-containing, duplex telomere repeat-binding factors in Ustilago maydis, a basidiomycete that is evolutionarily distant from the standard fungi. These two telomere-binding proteins, UmTay1 and UmTrf2, despite having distinct domain structures, exhibit comparable affinities and sequence specificity for the canonical telomere repeats. UmTay1 specializes in promoting telomere replication and an ALT-like pathway, most likely by modulating the helicase activity of Blm. UmTrf2, in contrast, is critical for telomere protection; transcriptional repression of Umtrf2 leads to severe growth defects and profound telomere aberrations. Comparative analysis of UmTay1 homologs in different phyla reveals broad functional diversity for this protein family and provides a case study for how DNA-binding proteins can acquire and lose functions at various chromosomal locations. Our findings also point to stimulatory effect of telomere protein on ALT in Ustilago maydis that may be conserved in other systems. Yu et al. provide evidence that Ustilago maydis employs two structurally distinct telomere-binding proteins to perform complementary functions in telomere maintenance in this organism. While UmTay1 regulates primarily telomere replication and recombination, UmTrf2 is responsible for telomere protection.
Defining Clinical Utility of Tumor Biomarker Tests: A Clinician's Viewpoint

Tumor biomarker tests (TBTs) are used to guide therapeutic strategies for patients with cancer. However, the regulatory environment for TBTs in the United States is inconsistent and, in general, TBTs are poorly valued. The National Academy of Medicine has recommended that TBTs should not be used in general practice until they are shown to have analytical validity and clinical utility. The latter term, first coined by the Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention Initiative, has been widely stated but is indeterminately defined. In considering whether a TBT has clinical utility, several factors need to be considered: (1) What is the intended use of the TBT? (2) What are the end points that are used to determine clinical utility? (3) How substantial does the difference in end points between groups defined by the TBT need to be to determine therapeutic strategies? (4) What is the risk tolerance of the stakeholders? and (5) Who are the stakeholders that make the decision? For all these factors, the data used to consider clinical utility must be derived from level I evidence studies. In conclusion, there is no strict definition of clinical utility for a TBT. However, consideration of these factors will lead to more objective conclusions. Doing so will facilitate value-based decisions regarding whether a TBT should be used to guide patient care.
Reaction Kinetics and Mechanism for the Catalytic Reduction of Propionic Acid over Supported ReOx Promoted by Pd

Silica- and titania-supported Pd, Re, and Pd-promoted Re catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and characterized using X-ray diffraction and H2 chemisorption. The rate of cataly...
Cloud-backed mobile cognition

Low-power embedded technology offers a roadmap for enabling deep learning (DL) applications in mobile scenarios, like future autonomous vehicles. However, the lack of breakthrough power efficiency improvements can jeopardize the realization of truly “cognitive” mobile systems that meet real-time deadlines. This work focuses on the new generation cloud-backed mobile cognition system architecture where vehicles execute DL applications with dynamic assistance from the cloud. We unveil opportunities for power-efficient inferencing at the edge through a technique that balances inference execution across the cloud and the vehicle. This level of adaptation results in significant power efficiency improvements compared to all or nothing solutions, where inferences execute either completely on the vehicle or completely in the cloud. In addition, the cloud can have an active role in helping the vehicle to improve its DL capabilities by communicating relevant model updates, with up to 63% bandwidth savings and negligible accuracy degradation when the proposed relevance-driven federated learning technique is used. Finally, the cloud-backed mobile cognition concept is extended to the case of “flying clouds” where vehicles connect to flying drones that provide services while in flight. Although their capabilities are not on par with the stationary cloud, the flying cloud reduces services’ latency significantly and enables critical functionalities.
Intravenous Delivery of Lung-Targeted Nanofibers for Pulmonary Hypertension in Mice

Pulmonary hypertension is a highly morbid disease with no cure. Available treatments are limited by systemic adverse effects due to non-specific biodistribution. Self-assembled peptide amphiphile (PA) nanofibers are biocompatible nanomaterials that can be modified to recognize specific biological markers to provide targeted drug delivery and reduce off-target toxicity. Here, PA nanofibers that target the angiotensin I-converting enzyme and the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) are developed, as both proteins are overexpressed in the lung with pulmonary hypertension. It is demonstrated that intravenous delivery of RAGE-targeted nanofibers containing the targeting epitope LVFFAED (LVFF) significantly accumulated within the lung in a chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension mouse model. Using 3D light sheet fluorescence microscopy, it is shown that LVFF nanofiber localization is specific to the diseased pulmonary tissue with immunofluorescence analysis demonstrating colocalization of the targeted nanofiber to RAGE in the hypoxic lung. Furthermore, biodistribution studies show that significantly more LVFF nanofibers localized to the lung compared to major off-target organs. Targeted nanofibers are retained within the pulmonary tissue for 24 h after injection. Collectively, these data demonstrate the potential of a RAGE-targeted nanomaterial as a drug delivery platform to treat pulmonary hypertension.
Data-Driven Forecasting of Agitation for Persons with Dementia: A Deep Learning-Based Approach

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 10 million people are newly diagnosed with dementia each year and a global prevalence of nearly 50 million persons with dementia (PwD). The vast majority of PwD living at home receive the majority of their care from informal familial caregivers. The quality of life (QOL) of familial caregivers may be significantly impacted by their caregiving responsibilities and resultant caregiver burden. A major contributor to caregiver burden is the random occurrence of agitation in PwD and familial caregivers’ lack of preparedness to manage these episodes. Caregiver burden may be reduced if it is possible to forecast impending agitation episodes. In this study, we leverage data-driven deep learning models to predict agitation episodes in PwD. We used Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), a deep learning class of algorithms, to forecast agitations up to 30 min before actual agitation events. In particular, we managed the missing data by estimating the missing values and compensated for the class imbalance challenge by down-sampling the majority class. The simulations were based on real-world data from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caregivers and PwD dyads home environments, including ambient noise level, illumination, room temperature, atmospheric pressure (Pa), and relative humidity. Our results show the efficacy of data-driven deep learning models in predicting agitation episodes in community-dwelling AD dyads with accuracy of 98.6% and recall (sensitivity) of 84.8%.
O-021 Middle meningeal artery embolization for chronic subdural hematoma: a national database study of 292 patients in the United States

Background Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) has been used as an effective minimally invasive treatment for chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH). The demographics and clinical outcomes after MMAE treatment for cSDH have not yet been studied using the large scale of a national database. Methods We queried all MMAE cases up to March 19th, 2021 from the TriNetX Analytics Network. We identified patients >18 years old who underwent MMAE for the treatment of cSDH. Patient demographics, baseline characteristics, comorbidities, and clinical outcomes were evaluated within 1-year post-MMAE. 1-year mortality and recurrence analyses were performed after propensity score matching to control for baseline characteristics and comorbidities. Results A total 292 patients were included (mean age: 70.6 ± 13.9, 27.7% female, 71.6% White, 13.0% Black/African American, and 15.4% other). Essential hypertension (71.9%), heart disease (61.6%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (27.4%), nicotine dependence (26.0%), chronic kidney disease (19.52%), and overweight/obesity (18.2%) were among the most prevalent comorbidities. At presentation, 21.6% and 42.7% were on antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy, respectively. Outcomes within a one-year follow-up were 6.2% (or 2.74-5.82% when propensity-matched) for mortality (18 patients), 0.34-3.4% for repeat MMAE (1-10 patients), 6.5% for craniotomy/craniectomy after MMAE (19 patients), 5.1% for burr hole procedures (15 patients), and 0.35-3.5% for low vision/blindness (1-10 patients). Conclusion MMAE is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of cSDH. This represents the first analysis of patients undergoing MMAE for cSDH using a national database. Disclosures A. Nia: None. R. Lall: None. V. Srinivasan: None. P. Kan: None.
Bob Nagel and the Emptiness of the Supreme Court's Standards of Review

In this piece, written to honor Robert Nagel on his retirement, I focus on the arguments he made in a student note on the Supreme Court's rational basis standard of review.
Predicting Beliefs in Psychological Misconceptions with Psychology Knowledge and the Critical Reflection Test: A Replication and Extension:

BackgroundPsychological misconceptions permeate our culture, with many people endorsing these erroneous beliefs.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous findings that...
Heat Transfer in Multilayered Thin Film Materials Applied to Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy

Heat transfer from a modulated laser incident on a multilayered thin film material is theoretically analyzed as a continuum system accounting for thermal contact resistance between the layers and a...
Biocidal Efficacy of Non-Equilibrium Plasma Sources: A Comparative Study

Disinfecting foods and their contact surfaces is imperative to agriculture and food-processing industries. There is compelling rationale in employing atmospheric pressure plasmas for decontamination as they enable the treatment of heat-sensitive materials at ambient conditions. By producing a chemically rich environment, non-equilibrium plasma discharges are tremendously effective in the inactivation of bacteria and viruses. The in-situ generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) eliminates the need for chemicals and makes it a green technology.
Generalized Creditors and Particularized Creditors: Against a Unified Theory of Standing in Bankruptcy

Courts have struggled toward a unified theory to explain when the trustee has exclusive jurisdiction to sue a third party for harms done to a bankrupt debtor, and when creditors have exclusive jurisdiction to sue the third party. Courts have proclaimed that when every creditor can sue the third party, then none of them can, and the right belongs solely to the trustee. Creditor rights are “generalized.” If only a proper subset of creditors can sue the third party, then the trustee is not able to subrogate to the subset. Such creditors are “particularized.” This paper proclaims the test a failure. It announces the result rather than producing it. There are no generalized creditor rights or particularized creditor rights. There are only creditor rights and causes of action that are property of the estate. As for creditor rights, the trustee is subrogated to fraudulent transfer avoidance rights under Bankruptcy Code § 544(b)(1). Otherwise, the trustee is not subrogated. “Piercing the corporate veil” is not a generalized creditor right and not a cause of action at all. It is the assertion that two persons are the same person. If the corporate veil can be pierced, property of the apparent third person is actually property of the bankruptcy estate. For this reason, the trustee has control and the creditors are kept at bay by bankruptcy’s “automatic stay.” The article defends the recent settlement with the Sackler family in the historic Purdue Pharmacy opioid bankruptcy as entirely within the province of the bankruptcy estate.
The Impact of Workers' Remittances on Macro Indicators: The case of the Gulf Cooperation Council

This paper aims to explore the potential role of the GCC states on their way to recovery, with a special reference to potential impact of remittances on their macroeconomic indicators. In effect, this study attempts to investigate the direction of causality between main macro indicators and remittances, and to identify whether the latter helps or hinders economic recovery of the GCC states. In the past, the economic costs and benefits of expatriates have been rather overlooked in the mainstream economics. However, as remittances have become an increasingly attractive source of external funding for many developing countries, research in this area has now grown a new momentum. As the economic theory suggests, the long run net benefits from the employment of foreign workers is expected to be positive for all parties involved. Remittances generate a number of positive contributions to economic development of the recipient countries by reducing poverty, as well as increasing aggregate investment and promoting growth. Today remittances out of GCC states amount to nearly $35 billion per annum, comparable to FDI flows and significantly larger than ODA. In particular, out of 12 million expatriates living and working in the GCC, nearly 3.5 million come from four Middle Eastern developing economies: Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Yemen. According to the World Bank (2009) figures, Egyptian and Yemeni workers in GCC together have remitted around $5-$7 billion per annum to their respective home countries. Amongst many, a recent study on GCC by Naufal and Termos (2009) on the determinants of remittances has brought to surface a number of issues. In the light of this study and the previous ones, this research uses several macro indicators (real GDP, real money supply, real interest rates, real effective exchange rates, and real remittances) based on a time-series data analysis of the six states of GCC over the period 1990-2010. Our preliminary findings tend to partly support the view that oil prices do cause variations in remittances, and that in turn acts as a decelerating factor on appreciation of local currency. However, there appear to be a one-way causality from remittances to most macro indicators, indicating that GCC macroeconomy tools are not powerful enough to reduce the outflow of remittances. Furthermore, the preliminary results, based on the application of vector autoregressive modelling, tend to indicate that anticipated size of remittances can be deflationary and have no serious effect on economic recovery. However, any unanticipated levels of remittances can reduce money velocity, hence slowing down the process of economic recovery.
Quine as a Member of the Tradition of the Universality of Language

When Quine returned from his European pilgrimage in 1932–3, he brought back a heavier intellectual baggage than has sometimes been acknowledged. Among the main shrines of logical analysis Quine had visited were Rudolf Carnap’s Prague and the Vienna of the Wiener Kreis. Now one of the characteristic tenets of the Vienna Circle in general and of Carnap in particular at that time was an exclusive reliance on what they called the formal mode of speech, the exclusion being directed at what was termed the material mode of speech. An early formulation of this position is found in Carnap’s 1932 article ‘Die physikalische Sprache als Universalsprache der Wissenschaft’: If we formulate the thesis of the unity of science in such a way that there is supposed to be only one kind of objects, only one kind of states of affairs, then we have thereby modified our usual way of speaking, which speaks of ‘objects’ and ‘state of affairs’. The correct formulation speaks of words instead of ‘objects’ and of sentences instead of ‘state of affairs’. For a philosophical, i.e., logical, investigation is an analysis of language. Because the terminology of linguistic analysis is unfamiliar, we shall try to facilitate understanding and to use, over and above the correct way of speaking (we shall call the formal one), which speaks only of the forms of language, also the usual one (we shall call it the material [inhaltlich] one) which speaks of ‘objects’ and ‘states of affairs’, of the ‘sense’ [Sinn] or ‘content’ of a sentence, and of the ‘meaning’ [or ‘reference’, Bedeutung] of a word.1
Use of posterior colpotomy in the diagnosis and treatment of ectopic pregnancy and other lesions of the pelvis.

Abstract An evaluation of 135 cases of posterior colpotomy performed in private practice from June, 1954, to December, 1959, has been presented.
Callous-Unemotional Traits and Subtypes of Conduct Disorder

There has been growing consensus that children with conduct disorder (CD) constitute a very heterogeneous group containing children who vary substantially on the development, course, and causes of the disorder. While many have recognized the importance of this heterogeneity for developing better causal theories and for developing more effective treatments, there has been little consensus as to the best way to subtype children with CD. In this paper, we review a number of approaches to subtyping, each with some evidence for its validity for certain purposes. We focus on two recent approaches that have great potential for integrating past subtyping approaches and for advancing causal theory. The first approach is the division of children with CD into those with a childhood onset to their severe antisocial behavior and those with an adolescent onset to their behavior. The second approach is to designate children within the childhood-onset group who show callous and unemotional traits, which is analogous to adult conceptualizations of psychopathy. Both approaches help designate children who many show different causal processes underlying their severe aggressive and antisocial behavior, and who may warrant different approaches to treatment.
Observation of syntropan on the length of labor

Abstract A total of 48 primigravidas received syntropan under various conditions as to time of administration and amount. In all instances the drug was given at a definite progress point and its effect observed from that point onward. The average duration of the first stage of labor for all primigravidas receiving the drug was six hours and eighteen minutes; the control patients averaged six hours and twenty-four minutes or a total difference of six minutes between the treated and untreated primigravidas. Forty-three multigravidas received syntropan. Their first stage of labor averaged two hours and fifty-four minutes while twenty-three control patients averaged three hours of first stage labor. It must be said that in no case did we note any unpleasant effect from receiving the drug; 30 to 35 per cent of all patients complained of an increase in the severity of their pains. Tabulation of the second and third stages of labor was incorporated simply for the completeness of the record.