cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Neuromechanical Model of Spinal Control of Locomotion

We have developed a neuromechanical computational model of cat hindlimb locomotion controlled by spinal central pattern generators (CPGs, one per hindlimb) and motion-dependent afferent feedback. Each CPG represents an extension of previously developed two-level model (Rybak et al. J Physiol 577:617–639, 2006a, J Physiol 577:641–658, 2006b) and includes a half-center rhythm generator (RG), generating the locomotor rhythm, and a pattern formation (PF) network operating under control of RG and managing the synergetic activity of different hindlimb motoneuronal pools. The basic two-level CPG model was extended by incorporating additional neural circuits allowing the CPG to generate the complex activity patterns of motoneurons controlling proximal two-joint muscles (Shevtsova et al., Chap. 5, Neuromechanical modeling of posture and locomotion, Springer, New York, 2015). The spinal cord circuitry in the model includes reflex circuits mediating reciprocal inhibition between flexor and extensor motoneurons and disynaptic excitation of extensor motoneurons by load-sensitive afferents. The hindlimbs and trunk were modeled as a 2D system of rigid segments driven by Hill-type muscle actuators with force-length-velocity dependent properties. The musculoskeletal model has been tuned to reproduce the mechanics of locomotion; as a result, the computed motion-dependent activity of muscle group Ia, Ib, and II afferents and the paw-pad cutaneous afferents matched well the cat in vivo afferent recordings reported in the literature (Prilutsky et al., Chap. 10, Neuromechanical modeling of posture and locomotion, Springer, New York, 2015). In the neuromechanical model, the CPG operation is adjusted by afferent feedback from the moving hindlimbs. The model demonstrates stable locomotion with realistic mechanical characteristics and exhibits realistic patterns of muscle activity. The model can be used as a testbed to study spinal control of locomotion in various normal and pathological conditions.
Strain-Induced Stereoselective Formation of Blue-Emitting Cyclostilbenes

We describe the synthesis of two conjugated macrocycles that are formed from the end-to-end linking of stilbenes. We have named these macrocycles cyclostilbenes. The two cyclostilbene isomers created in this study differ in the configuration of the double bond in their subunits. These macrocycles are formed selectively through a stepwise reductive elimination from a tetraplatinum precursor and subsequent photoisomerization. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals the formation of channel architectures in the solid state that can be filled with guest molecules. The cyclostilbene macrocycles emit blue light with fluorescence quantum yields that are high (>50%) and have photoluminescence lifetimes of ∼0.8-1.5 ns. The breadth and large Stokes shift in fluorescence emission, along with broad excited-state absorption, result from strong electronic-vibronic coupling in the strained structures of the cyclostilbenes.
Influence of White and Gray Matter Connections on Endogenous Human Cortical Oscillations.

Brain oscillations reflect changes in electrical potentials summated across neuronal populations. Low- and high-frequency rhythms have different modulation patterns. Slower rhythms are spatially broad, while faster rhythms are more local. From this observation, we hypothesized that low- and high-frequency oscillations reflect white- and gray-matter communications, respectively, and synchronization between low-frequency phase with high-frequency amplitude represents a mechanism enabling distributed brain-networks to coordinate local processing. Testing this common understanding, we selectively disrupted white or grey matter connections to human cortex while recording surface field potentials. We found that cortex consists of independent oscillatory-units (IOUs) that maintain their own complex endogenous rhythm structure. IOUs are differentially modulated by white and grey matter connections. White-matter connections maintain topographical anatomic heterogeneity (i.e. separable processing in cortical space) and grey-matter connections segregate cortical synchronization patterns (i.e. separable temporal processing through phase-power coupling). Modulation of distinct oscillatory modules enables the functional diversity necessary for complex processing in the human brain.
Gold silver alloy nanoparticles (GSAN): an imaging probe for breast cancer screening with dual-energy mammography or computed tomography

Earlier detection of breast cancer reduces mortality from this disease. As a result, the development of better screening techniques is a topic of intense interest. Contrast-enhanced dual-energy mammography (DEM) is a novel technique that has improved sensitivity for cancer detection. However, the development of contrast agents for this technique is in its infancy. We herein report gold–silver alloy nanoparticles (GSAN) that have potent DEM contrast properties and improved biocompatibility. GSAN formulations containing a range of gold : silver ratios and capped with m-PEG were synthesized and characterized using various analytical methods. DEM and computed tomography (CT) phantom imaging showed that GSAN produced robust contrast that was comparable to silver alone. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species generation and DNA damage results revealed that the formulations with 30% or higher gold content are cytocompatible to Hep G2 and J774A.1 cells. In vivo imaging was performed in mice with and without breast tumors. The results showed that GSAN produce strong DEM and CT contrast and accumulated in tumors. Furthermore, both in vivo imaging and ex vivo analysis indicated the excretion of GSAN via both urine and feces. In summary, GSAN produce strong DEM and CT contrast, and has potential for both blood pool imaging and for breast cancer screening.
Laser Processing of Polymeric and Living Biomaterials: How Can We Leverage Nature's Nanotechnology?

There are countless applications for thin films and patterns made from novel biocompatible materials. We have developed a novel laser-based technique for the deposition patterns and layers of cultured mammalian cells. of cultured mammalian cells.
Bayesian Regression With Network Prior: Optimal Bayesian Filtering Perspective

The recently introduced intrinsically Bayesian robust filter (IBRF) provides fully optimal filtering relative to a prior distribution over an uncertainty class of joint random process models, whereas formerly the theory was limited to model-constrained Bayesian robust filters, for which optimization was limited to the filters that are optimal for models in the uncertainty class. This paper extends the IBRF theory to the situation where there are both a prior on the uncertainty class and sample data. The result is optimal Bayesian filtering (OBF), where optimality is relative to the posterior distribution derived from the prior and the data. The IBRF theories for effective characteristics and canonical expansions extend to the OBF setting. A salient focus of the present study is to demonstrate the advantages of Bayesian regression within the OBF setting over the classical Bayesian approach in the context of linear Gaussian models.
Load Balancing Scientific Applications

Optimizing high-performance physical simulations to run on evergrowing supercomputing systems is challenging. One of the challenges is that the dynamic behavior of large modern parallel simulation codes can lead to imbalances in computational load among processors. Load imbalance is particularly expensive at scale, because hundreds of thousands of idle processors may wait on a single overloaded processor. Future machines will support even more parallelism and efficiently redistributing and balancing load will be critical for good performance. In this thesis, I address how to evaluate load imbalance and make its correction affordable. I developed a model for comparison of load balance algorithms in the context of a specific application imbalance scenario, enabling the selection of a balancing algorithm that will minimize overall runtime (Section 2). I provide an accurate and fast method to balance the load in simulations with highly nonuniform density, using adaptive sampling to construct an easy to partition hypergraph of a manageable size (Section 3). I devised a framework for decoupling the load balancer from the application, enabling asynchronous balancing and use of balancing algorithms otherwise not scalable to the full scale of the application, i.e., graph partitioners (Section 4).
An instantaneous compensation technique for supply disturbances in direct frequency converters

Voltage sags and swells are a common occurrence in industrial power distribution system. Even though the matrix converter has more vulnerable structure than the conventional rectifier-inverter drives, it has the inherent ability to compensate three-phase voltage sags and swells. In this paper, a simple instantaneous compensation technique for voltage disturbances is presented. Two methods are provided based on both the Venturini's method and the SVM method. The algorithms are based on the modification of controllability such as the voltage transfer ratio in the Venturini's method, and the modulation index of the rectifier stage in the SVM in the event of the supply disturbances. For compensations of supply disturbances, the utility input voltages are sensed and then converted to the value reflecting the instantaneous supply voltage amplitude. Then, the controllability inside the matrix converter is corrected to compensate the supply disturbances if voltage sags and swells do occur. Analysis and simulation are presented for the feasibility of the proposed technique.
A Direct Sequence Spread-Spectrum Modem for Wideband HF Channels

The use of spread-spectrum techniques to reduce jamming vulnerability and probability of intercept is fundamental in many military communication systems. This paper describes the design of an experimental spread-spectrum modem (modulator-demodulator) built to interface with an existing HF test facility that offers an equalized 1 MHz bandwidth over skywave paths. The modem uses differential binary and quadrature phase shift keying data modulation and direct-sequence bi-phase spreading techniques. Programmable charge-coupled-device matched filters, which allow symbol-to-symbol code agility, and coherent pre-detection integration provide up to 30 dB of processing gain at a 500 bits/second data rate. Flexible data rate and range (time-of-arrival) tracking to maintain bit synchronization are incorporated into the system.
Light depolarization by tissue and phantoms

The characteristic lengths of light linear and circular depolarization in turbid media are analyzed from random walk of vector photons. Analytical expressions are derived for polydisperse scatterers. The characteristic lengths of light depolarization computed using this model explained the different light depolarization behaviors observed in tissue and phantoms.
Small is the New Big - Interplay of Mirnas in Cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding regulatory RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. About 1500 miRNAs have been discovered in humans and these can target and regulate up to 60% of coding genes. MicroRNAs play a key role in all cellular functions and are implicated in most diseases, including cancer. Deregulation of microRNA expression can affect various metabolic and signalling pathways and results in cancer development and progression. This review provides a comprehensive view of various cancer types and their associated microRNAs.
3D Printing of Gradient Osteochondral Scaffolds Using Soy-Oil Resin

Significant challenges exist for replicating osteochondral tissue due to the disparate, gradient nature of natural tissue in this region. The graded transition that exists in this region, moving from subchondral bone to hyaline cartilage at the joint surface, presents unique biological and mechanical challenges for tissue engineering. Past research identified a favorable pore distribution for 3D printed scaffolds. The objective of this research is to use that distribution and further investigate the effects of scaffold material selection and bioactive particle distribution on mechanical, biological, and physiological properties of 3D printed tissue engineered osteochondral scaffolds. Our results indicate that scaffolds constructed with a novel soy-based polymer outperform those constructed with ploy(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate (PEG-DA). This study also indicates that incorporating nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (nHA) into the soy resin scaffold further improves cellular performance. Additionally, the nHA can be integrated in a controlled fashion to affect only the osteogenic portion of the osteochondral construct.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Abstract TP432: Ventriculostomy Placement Improves Outcome in Hunt and Hess Grade 3-5 Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients Irrespective of Hydrocephalus

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid diversion may be necessary in the acute period after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) if patients develop hydrocephalus. Though there is an opinion that certain ‘severe...
Risk factors for positive or equivocal margins after wide local excision of 1345 cutaneous melanomas

Background Positive or equivocal margins after wide local excision (WLE) complicate surgical management of cutaneous melanoma. Objective To identify the frequency of and risk factors for positive or equivocal margins after WLE of cutaneous melanoma. Methods Retrospective, single-center, cross-sectional study of 1345 consecutive melanomas treated with WLE. Results The overall frequency of positive or equivocal margins was 4.2% (56/1345), ranging from 2.2% to 22.6%, depending on the size of the surgical margins, patient characteristics, biopsy history, and the clinicopathology of the melanoma. In descending order, independent risk factors associated with the greatest odds for positive or equivocal margins after multivariate analysis were noncompliance with recommended surgical margins (odds ratio [OR] 5.57, P = .002); anatomic location on the head, neck, hands, feet, genitals, or pretibial leg (OR 5.07, P P = .007); in situ melanoma (OR 2.27, P = .011); multiple biopsies at the tumor site before WLE (OR 1.92 [per biopsy], P = .004); and increasing age (OR 1.049 [per year], P Limitations This was a single-site, retrospective observational study. Conclusions Clinicopathologic factors, especially location in cosmetically or functionally sensitive areas and noncompliance with recommended surgical margins, identified melanomas at increased risk for positive or equivocal margins after WLE.
The Three or Four Approaches to Financial Regulation: A Cautionary Analysis Against Exuberance in Crisis Response

Unprecedented interest in financial regulation reform accompanies the nearly-unprecedented scale of financial calamity facing the world. Dozens of elaborate reform proposals are in circulation, most determined to revolutionize financial regulation. No doubt, the crisis makes reevaluation essential, but we contribute a cautionary analysis amid the exuberant atmosphere. Reforms should not discount the value of traditional financial regulation, overlook the functional regulatory reform that has already occurred, or overstate ultimate differences between contending reform proposals. Despite proliferation of dozens of reform proposals, our analysis leads us to conclude that there are ultimately only three or four principal alternatives: (1) the traditional fragmented model that divides power and presided over the generation of substantial wealth, yet signally failed to prevent the crisis of 2008; (2) the on-the-fly reforms effected by Treasury and Fed’s massive and unorthodox intervention into and extensive renovation of all financial services industries; and (3) seemingly radical proposals, one by Republicans at the onset of crisis (Treasury Secretary Paulson’s Blueprint), the other by Democrats after financial markets imploded (former Fed Chair Volcker’s Group of Thirty reports). These three or four alternative approaches pose tests of our relative commitments to markets, organization, globalization and political control. Although each was developed in different circumstances by architects with different purposes, they cannot co-exist. One of them will provide the approach we take into the next crisis - and perhaps to pull us out of the current one. We provide a framework to consider each alternative and evaluate their respective advantages and disadvantages. Our analysis leads us to conclude that limited reform is best, recognizing the quasi-centralization that has occurred and the need to add protective regulation to particular areas that manifestly contributed to the global economic crisis that began in 2008.
Perceptions of the Legal System and Recidivism: Investigating the Mediating Role of Perceptions of Chances for Success in Juvenile Offenders:

Using a sample of serious juvenile offenders, the current study examined relations between perceptions of the legal system and recidivism, exploring the roles of perceptions of chances for success ...
Breast Cancer in Men.

Breast Cancer in Men Breast cancer in men accounts for about 1% of all breast cancers and is mainly estrogen-receptor–positive. Few prospective studies of treatment in men have been performed, so m...
Are Bicyclists and Pedestrians Victims or Villains When Struck By a Vehicle

Background Crashes between bicyclists/vehicles and pedestrians/vehicles are events that elicit emotions, opinions and values about what ought to be the “best” policy intervention. Several instruments, or policy tools, can be utilized to create healthy, livable transportation environments that support the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians along with motorists. However, in the policy decision-making realm, narratives and the underlying values become intertwined with facts to influence problem definition and produce an emphasis on certain types of tools to address safety. The details, reports, accusations and opinions expressed surrounding crashes are important as they shape the policy narrative that defines the event. Thus, casting bicyclists and pedestrians as “guilty-victims” may suggest a propensity to select one set of policy tools and this may be different than the policy tools selected if the target population is cast as “innocent victims.” This study investigates media coverage rates and the factors contributing to the emergence of a victim versus a villain narrative in fatal bicyclist and pedestrian crashes. Methods The research design uses a mixed-methods design that utilizes quantitative techniques to analyze qualitative, coded data. The study uses media accounts, including traditional print sources, television, and social media, as the primary data source. The analysis uses the content of different media sources to generate the qualitative, coded independent variable, Blame-the-victim. The data is collected for bicycle and pedestrian fatality crashes with media reports from 12 states in four different regions from 2004–2015. The study compares media reporting and villain versus victim characterization as variables of interest when comparing differences between the bicyclist and pedestrian crashes, and regions in the United States. Results While the victim narrative appears more prevalent in crashes, the media accounts portray pedestrians as victims at a significantly higher rate than bicyclists who are more frequently portrayed as villains. Overall, neither bicyclist nor pedestrian crashes regularly appear in media accounts; however, the media reporting of pedestrian crashes occurs significantly more often as a proportion of total fatal crashes than bicyclist crashes. Conclusions The overall coverage in media appears rather low; eight of the sampled states have media accounts for fewer than 2% of bicycle fatalities, and five states have media accounts for fewer than 3% of pedestrian fatalities. This infrequent coverage appears to indicate a lack of public engagement/concern regarding bicycle and pedestrian deaths. Future research will explore the impact of characterizing the victim as guilty/innocent on policies and infrastructure improvements.
Impact of Low-Level Blast Exposure on Brain Function after a One-Day Tactile Training and the Ameliorating Effect of a Jugular Vein Compression Neck Collar Device.

Abstract Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel who conduct breacher exercises are at risk for blast-related head trauma. We aimed to investigate the potential impact of low-level blast expos...
Mandatory Neurointervention: A Lesser Evil Than Incarceration?

Evaluating the merits of using neurointervention in the criminal justice system requires considering a broad range of issues. In their article, Birks and Buyx (2018) focus on mandatory neurointerve...
Clinic to in-home telemedicine reduces barriers to care for patients with MS or other neuroimmunologic conditions

Objective To describe the routine use of telemedicine-enabled neurologic care in an academic outpatient MS and neuroimmunology clinic and quantify its role in reducing patient burden. Methods Between January 2017 and December 2017, we surveyed patients and MS neurologists after 50 consecutive routinely scheduled televideo visits and a convenience sample of 100 in-clinic visits. Summary statistics were calculated and comparisons performed. Results Overall, 98% televideo participants found the technology easy to use, and only 17% believed that an in-person examination would have more effectively addressed their needs for the visit. MS neurologists reported achieving their clinical goals in 47/48 (98%) of televideo visits and an adequate physical examination with 2 exceptions (possible cauda equina syndrome and visual field loss). Three emergency department referrals were avoided due to televideo availability. Telemedicine reduced travel burden, including a mean (±SD) travel distance of 160 (±196) miles and avoiding overnight lodging and air travel. Telemedicine also reduced indirect costs, including time off work (65% of employed patients) and caregiver burden (30% avoided caregiver time off from work/obligations). Across 8 domains of provider interpersonal communication skills, telemedicine and in-clinic participants rated only 1 domain to be different (eye contact), and overall, 96% of in-clinic and 100% of telemedicine participants agreed/strongly agreed that their clinical goals had been met. Conclusions When incorporated as part of the continuum of MS/neuroimmunology care, clinic to in-home telemedicine reduces travel and caregiver burden and enables efficient, convenient, and effective follow-up.
Two Divergent Genetic Lineages within the Horned Passalus Beetle, Odontotaenius disjunctus (Coleoptera: Passalidae): An Emerging Model for Insect Behavior, Physiology, and Microbiome Research

The horned passalus (Odontotaenius disjunctus) is one of the most extensively studied saproxylic beetles in the eastern United States. For several decades this species has been the subject of investigations into the behaviors associated with subsociality as well as physiological responses to stress, and, most recently, the composition of its gut microbiome has been closely examined. However, no published study to date has characterized this beetle’s broad-scale population genetic structure. Here, we conducted intensive geographic sampling throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains and surrounding areas and then assessed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation among individuals. Unexpectedly, we discovered two divergent, yet broadly sympatric, mtDNA clades. Indeed, the magnitude of divergence between- vs. within-clades ranged from 5.9 to 7.5×, depending on the dataset under consideration, and members of the two lineages were often syntopic (i.e., found in the same rotting log). Given the potential implications for past and future studies on behavior, physiology, and the gut microbiome, we developed a simple cost-efficient molecular assay (i.e., polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism; PCR-RFLP) to rapidly determine mtDNA clade membership of O. disjunctus individuals. We suggest that the evolutionary processes that gave rise to the emergence and persistence of divergent sympatric lineages reported here warrant investigation, as this type of spatial-genetic pattern appears to be rare among southern Appalachian forest invertebrates.
Behaviors of Sighted Individuals Perceived by Blind Persons as Hindrances to Self-Reliance in Blind Persons.

This article describes several situations in which sighted people behave inappropriately toward blind individuals: assuming they necessarily have other disabilities, dealing with sighted companions...
Zinc: Deficiency Disorders and Prevention Programs

Zinc is essential for human health. The most vulnerable population groups are young children, and pregnant and lactating women due to their increased physiological requirements. Zinc deficiency is prevalent in lower-income countries where poorer population groups rely mostly on plant-based diets. Possible intervention strategies to prevent zinc deficiency include preventive zinc supplementation, fortification of foods with zinc, dietary diversification, and modification to increase consumption of zinc-rich foods and/or reduce phytate intake and in the future possibly biofortification. Zinc supplementation is recommended along with oral rehydration salt solutions in the treatment of diarrhea.
The Norm of Moral Assertion: A Reply to Simion

Mona Simion has recently argued for a function-first norm of moral assertion. According to function-first accounts, the norm of any kind of assertion is determined by the function of that kind of assertion. She argues that, on the assumption that moral understanding is the goal of moral inquiry, the function of moral assertion is reliably generating moral understanding in others and that the norm of moral assertion should fall out of that function. In particular, she thinks the norm should be such that satisfying it is the most reliable way for one’s moral assertions to generate moral understanding in others—at least when all else goes well. With this in mind, she proposes The Explanation Proffering Account of Moral Assertion (EPNMA). First, I argue that satisfying EPNMA is not the only or most reliable way for one’s moral assertion to generate moral understanding in one’s audience. I propose an alternative norm on which one must accompany one’s moral assertions with a maieutic speech act, i.e., an utterance in the form of a question or assertion that aims to elicit knowledge or other epistemic states from an audience. Second, I present counterexamples to EPNMA wherein speakers make moral assertions that violate EPNMA and yet they are not intuitively epistemically criticizable for their assertion. I conclude by briefly sketching an alternative account that avoids the pitfalls of EPNMA.
Bacterial Communities of Mojave Desert Biological Soil Crusts Are Shaped by Dominant Photoautotrophs and the Presence of Hypolithic Niches

Biocrust communities are often heterogeneous and affected by small-scale physical and environmental factors. The presence of moss in biocrusts, for example, is likely to create a set of physical conditions distinct from those found in biocrusts that lack mosses. Similarly, hypolithic organisms living under and on the belowground surface of translucent and opaque stones (typically quartz) experience a distinct environment relative to surrounding soil surface organisms. To understand the impact of these factors on biocrust bacterial community composition, we performed 16S rRNA sequencing from surface and hypolithic biocrusts with and without the common biocrust moss, Syntrichia caninervis. While alpha diversity indices did not differ significantly between any of the biocrust habitats sampled, we did observe differences in overall community composition. Cyanobacterial abundance and diversity decreased in the presence of moss and in surface samples compared to hypolithic biocrusts, while Proteobacteria showed the opposite pattern. Acidobacteria were significantly more abundant in hypolithic niches, and Patescibacteria were found to be restricted to moss-dominated surface biocrusts. Notably, bacterial community composition was found to shift significantly between surface and hypolithic biocrusts lacking moss (Adonis, R2 = 0.122, p = 0.002) and between surface moss and non-moss biocrusts (R2 = 0.107, p = 0.002). These findings support the idea that even at small spatial scales (e.g., within < 10 cm), desert biocrust bacterial community composition varies based on the habitat structure and cohabitants.
Chapter 6 – Bioluminescence

Publisher Summary Firefly bioluminescence is the archetype of the various enzymatic processes that produce light and occur in organisms ranging from marine bacteria and phytoplankton to the large luminous beetles from South America. Photosensitized reduction and phosphorylation must be the primary energy sources necessary to synthesize the molecules metabolized by the first living organisms (presumably nitrogen-fixing blue–green algae in shallow pools). The advent of the manganese enzyme complex for the photosensitized oxidation of water provided an inexhaustible supply of replenishment of electrons from water to balance the electrons lost by the photoreduction of nicoteneamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. The bioenergetically wasteful bioluminescence may represent a vestigial survival mechanism for primitive anaerobes to eliminate oxygen evolved from photosynthesis, until the selection of the aerobic electron transport systems. However, there were very low levels of dissolved oxygen in primitive earth waters, and the plant-released oxygen would have created an impossible metabolic burden on the bacteria for oxidizable substrates. An alternative hypothesis links the origin of bioluminescence with mixed-function oxygenases, light emission being as in present-day hydroxylase systems, an adventitious event. Much later, subsequent to the advent of vision, these might be a selective advantage for bioluminescence in terms of biological efficiency.
A Comparison of Surgical Quality and Patient Satisfaction Indicators Between VA Hospitals and Hospitals Near VA Hospitals.

Abstract Background The Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act established a community care program allowing veterans to receive care outside Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). We sought to compare patient safety and satisfaction indicators from VAMCs and surrounding non-VAMCs (non-VAs). Methods We identified VAMCs with at least one non-VA acute care hospital within 25 miles in three geographic regions (West/Southwest, New England, and Deep South). Children's, specialty, and critical access hospitals were excluded. Using publicly available Hospital Compare data, we analyzed VAMC and surrounding non-VA performance in postsurgical patient safety indicator (PSI) events and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems patient satisfaction scores and hospital star ratings. Results The 34 VAMCs performed better than 319 surrounding non-VAs in rates of wound dehiscence, accidental lacerations, and perioperative hemorrhage/hematoma as well as composite PSI rating (P Conclusions Across disparate regions, VAMCs match or outperform neighboring non-VAs in surgical quality metrics and patient satisfaction ratings. Veterans receiving surgical care at VAMCs may receive equivalent or better care than at non-VAs.
A batch-effect adjusted Simon's two-stage design for cancer vaccine clinical studies.

In the development of cancer treatment vaccines, phase II clinical studies are conducted to examine the efficacy of a vaccine in order to screen out vaccines with minimal activity. Immune responses are commonly used as the primary endpoint for assessing vaccine efficacy. With respect to study design, Simon's two-stage design is a popular format for phase II cancer clinical studies because of its simplicity and ethical considerations. Nonetheless, it is not straightforward to apply Simon's two-stage design to cancer vaccine studies when performing immune assays in batches, as outcomes from multiple patients may be correlated with each other in the presence of batch effects. This violates the independence assumption of Simon's two-stage design. In this paper, we numerically explore the impact of batch effects on Simon's two-stage design, propose a batch-effect adjusted Simon's two-stage design, demonstrate the proposed design by both a simulation study and a therapeutic human papillomavirus vaccine trial, and briefly introduce a software that implements the proposed design.
Characterization of Vulnerability of Road Networks to Random and Nonrandom Disruptions Using Network Percolation Approach

AbstractThis paper examines the vulnerability of road networks to two types of disruptions by modeling the percolation dynamics in road networks under different disruption scenarios. The objective ...
Mode choice behavior for access and egress connection to transit services

Abstract In the aims to investigate the potential market of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) to serve as first/last mile connection for transit services, this study investigated the influential factors that affect transit users’ choices of access and egress modes, including TNC or taxi, drive alone (park and ride), carpool (kiss and ride, carpool or shuttle), Micromobility modes (bike-sharing, scooters), walking, and wheelchair. The data for this study comes from a transit on-board survey conducted in Spring 2017 for the Orlando metropolitan area. Moreover, the Smart Location Database was also integrated to investigate how land use characteristics may contribute to users' choice for access and egress modes. Separate multinomial logit models were developed to investigate the mode choice for access and egress links, respectively. Various personal, trip, and land use characteristics showed significant impacts. Particularly, trips going to airports or universities/colleges had much higher probabilities of using TNC for access and egress purposes, while sports events and medical visits were less likely to be connected through TNC services. Visitors were also less likely to start their trips with TNCs. A longer distance between the origin and the transit service showed positive impacts on the use of TNC services. Higher household income also showed a positive influence on TNC usage. In view of land use characteristics, higher employment and household entropy, and high diversity at the origin reduced the probability of using motorized modes, including TNCs, for access purposes. On the destination side, high regional diversity seemed to encourage the use of TNCs and drive alone modes for egress purposes.
The Accuracy of the Violent Offender Identification Directive (VOID) Tool to Predict Future Gun Violence

We evaluate the Violent Offender Identification Directive (VOID) tool, a risk assessment instrument implemented within a police department to prospectively identify offenders likely to be involved with future gun violence. The tool uses a variety of static measures of prior criminal history that are readily available in police records management systems. The VOID tool is assessed for predictive accuracy by taking a historical sample and calculating scores for over 200,000 individuals known to the police at the end of 2012, and predicting 103 individuals involved with gun violence (either as a shooter or a victim) during 2013. Despite weights for the instrument being determined in an ad-hoc manner by crime analysts, the VOID tool does very well in predicting involvement with gun violence compared to an optimized logistic regression and generalized boosted models. We discuss theoretical reasons why such ad-hoc instruments are likely to perform well in identifying chronic offenders for all police departments.
Image Homogeneity and Urban Demographics: An Integrated Approach to Applied Geo-techniques

Satellite images are a convenient and effective tool to measure landscape patterns because they provide a digital mosaic of the spatial arrangement of land covers (Chuvieco, 1999). However, satellite remote sensing data have not been applied to the urban landscape to the same degree that they have to other landscapes because the ability to discern urban features from satellite data is often very difficult since urban landscapes are composed of a very diverse assemblage of anthropogenic and natural materials (Mesev and Longley, 1999; Jensen, 2000). For example, a typical urban setting may have concrete, asphalt, plastic, metal, water, grass, shrubbery, trees, and soil. In fact, even when high spatial resolution data is used, conventional classification techniques have proven ineffective in urban areas (Gong and Howarth, 1992; Anys et al., 1998). Part of the problem with traditional urban classifications may be the single-pixel basis on which conventional classifications rely (Karathanassi et al., 2000). Indeed, the classification of remote sensing data relies on the assumption that the area being classified is composed of unique, internally homogeneous classes (Zhang and Foody, 1998). Therefore, significant progress in urban remote sensing will require novel methods to measure, model, and understand the dynamic nature of urban areas (Longley, 2002). One of these new methods may involve the use of image texture.
Experimental Study of Soliton Propagation through 40 km of Dispersion-Decreasing Fiber

A tapered optical fiber has been fabricated whose group-velocity dispersion decreases exponentially along its length at a rate closely matched to the fiber loss. We experimentally compare the propagation of picosecond solitons through this dispersion-decreasing fiber with that through a constant-dispersion fiber of the same path-averaged dispersion. For a wide range of input powers, the output pulsewidths of the dispersion-decreasing fiber are found to be as short as the input pulsewidths, whereas the output pulsewidths of the constant-dispersion fiber are significantly larger. The autocorrelation traces of fundamental solitons that have traversed the two fibers are shown in Fig. 1. There is strong evidence that a local balance between the effects of self-phase modulation and group-velocity dispersion is maintained throughout the entire length of the dispersion-decreasing fiber. At higher power levels, the evolution is dominated by intrapulse Raman scattering and cubic dispersion. Numerical simulations of the experiment are performed and are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Chapter 6 – Attitude control

Publisher Summary The need for close control of the attitude of a spacecraft arises from requirements such as the need to point antennas and sensors toward the earth or other astronomical objects. The required accuracy depends on the particular application. The required accuracy can be relatively low for broadcasting satellites. In some scientific applications, the required accuracy of the attitude control may be 1 arc minute or less. Attitude control is also needed in the case of launch vehicles or upper-stage vehicles, particularly because their orientation influences the direction of thrust, hence the flight path. A useful distinction can be drawn between external and internal disturbances that trigger the attitude control. Such external torques can also be produced by gas leaking from a spacecraft, by aerodynamic torques in the upper atmosphere, and by the torque produced by the gravity gradient. In the case of a spacecraft that is not fully degaussed, the vehicle's permanent magnetic dipole, by interacting with a planetary magnetic field, in general, produces a small torque. The development of the software needed for attitude control is a major task. It is usually based on the description of the spacecraft rotations by Euler angles and their transformations. Because quaternions are mathematically the most natural way to describe rotations, it has also become customary to use them in software developments.
Stochastic Models of Video Structure for Program Genre Detection

In this paper we introduce stochastic models that characterize the structure of typical television program genres. We show how video sequences can be represented using discrete-symbol sequences derived from shot features. We then use these sequences to build HMM and hybrid HMM-SCFG models which are used to automatically classify the sequences into genres. In contrast to previous methods for using SCGFs for video processing, we use unsupervised training without an a priori grammar.
Use of remote sensing to model land use effects on carbon flux in forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA.

Reducing the uncertainty in the global carbon (C) budget will require better information on regional C budgets. We discuss the use of a simple “metamodel,” in conjunction with satellite data, to quantify C flux from a 12,000-km2 forestland study area in Oregon. The model tracks C storage in living, detrital and forest products pools. Between 1972 and 1991, total C flux from this study area to the atmosphere was estimated to average 1.13 Mg ha−1 yr−1, with values ranging from −4.7 to +15.8 Mg ha−1 yr−1. This spatial variability was related to site quality, land use and historical factors. These results are used to illustrate the natural and anthropogenic sources of heterogeneity that can influence C budgets at the regional scale and to demonstrate how remotely sensed data can be used to help quantify this heterogeneity.
Transforming Linear Sets into Nullsets

Let F be a nowhere dense closed subset of I = [0,1]. It is an almost trivial observation that there exists a homeomorphism h of I onto itself such that h(F) is a nullset. In fact, letting G = I − F it suffices to take $$h(x) = m([0,x] \cap G)/m(G).$$ This is a strictly increasing continuous map of I onto itself. The intervals that compose G are mapped onto a sequence of intervals of total length 1. Hence h(F) is a nullset.
Aykroyd, Wallace Ruddell

1899–1979 British physician who studied nutrition problems in Newfoundland and India, and was a pioneer organizer of international collaboration in this field. Keywords: international nutrition; beriberi; famine
Conductivity and paraconductivity in (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Can-1CunOx whiskers.

We have measured the resistivity of (Bi,Pb${)}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Ca}}_{\mathit{n}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{\mathit{n}}$${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathit{x}}$ single-crystal whiskers in the a and c directions. Our results indicate that the whiskers may be either 2:2:1:2 (n=1) or 2:2:2:3 (n=2) or have both phases present. Well above ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$, the resistivity in the a direction decreases linearly with temperature. We also studied the paraconductivity due to thermal fluctuations above ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$. The paraconductivity in the a direction shows quasi-one-dimensional behavior for temperatures close to ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$. This quasi-one-dimensional behavior may be due to a percolative conduction path. For the c direction, the resistivity is best fit by ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{\mathit{c}}$=${\mathit{Ae}}_{\mathit{g}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{E}}$/kT, where T is the temperature. However, as T approaches ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ from above, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{\mathit{c}}$ increases much faster than a thermally activated law, perhaps because of the fluctuations.
Knowledge-aided GMTI in a Bayesian framework

Limited or heterogeneous training data restrict the ability to estimate clutter covariance for radar detection of moving targets. In addition, traditional range-cell by range-cell processing neglects the effects of target sidelobe leakage across range, increasing false alarms and limiting the dynamic range of detectable targets. We propose a knowledge-aided Bayesian formulation for moving target detection that admits fast computation. The approach jointly images clutter and targets, learns clutter from a single range, and deconvolves target sidelobes across range. The proposed processing is illustrated on KASSPER I data.
Two forms of DNA polymerase delta from mouse cells. Purification and properties.

A procedure is described for the purification from cultured mouse cells of two DNA polymerase "delta-like" enzymes, as defined by intrinsic 3'-exonuclease activity, inhibition by aphidicolin, and relative insensitivity to N2-(p-n-butylphenyl)-dGTP. One of the two enzymes has been purified to near homogeneity and, similar to the DNA polymerase delta from calf thymus described by Lee et al. (Lee, M. Y. W. T., Tan, C. K., Downey, K. M., and So, A. G. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 1906-1913), it has a total molecular mass of 178 kDa (from sedimentation velocity of 8.0 S and Stokes radius of 54 A) and is composed of one each of 125- and 50-kDa polypeptides. It also resembles the DNA polymerase delta of Lee et al. in being stimulated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). It is the first clear structural and functional counterpart of the calf thymus enzyme. The major difference between the mouse DNA polymerase delta and the calf thymus enzyme of Lee et al. is that, under specific conditions, the mouse enzyme is active with poly(dA).oligo(dT) in the absence of PCNA, whereas the activity of the calf thymus enzyme with this template is reported to be completely dependent on PCNA. The reason for this difference is not known at this time. The second mouse cell enzyme has a molecular mass of 112 kDa (from sedimentation velocity of 6.3 S and Stokes radius of 43.0 A) and consists of a single polypeptide of 123-125 kDa in denaturing gels (p125). On the basis of its apparent formation by dissociation of DNA polymerase delta, and multiple similarities with DNA polymerase delta in enzymatic properties, the p125 is provisionally identified as the 125-kDa polypeptide of DNA polymerase delta. The p125 does not respond to PCNA, suggesting that the 50-kDa polypeptide is required for the stimulation of DNA polymerase delta by PCNA. The presence of the p125 in cell extracts would explain reports that DNA polymerase delta consists of a single polypeptide of approximately 125 kDa and/or thast it has a smaller molecular mass than DNA polymerase delta of Lee et al. and is not affected by PCNA (this does not apply to PCNA-independent DNA polymerase delta-like enzymes with higher molecular mass than the polymerase delta of Lee et al., which have recently been named DNA polymerases epsilon).
An Interaction between Zinc and Vitamin A in Pregnant and Fetal Rats

A possible interaction between zinc and vitamin A metabolism was studied in pregnant rats. Rats were depleted of vitamin A by feeding retinoic acid during growth. At mating, they were fed diets containing 100, 9, or 0.5 microgram/g zinc and were given orally 400, 8, or 0 microgram/kg body weight/day of retinyl palmitate. Low intake of zinc, but not of vitamin A, caused maternal body weight gain, placental weight, and fetal weight all to be low. The number of implantation sites affected and the proportion of fetuses malformed were dependent on intake of both zinc and vitamin A, and there was a significant interaction between these nutrients in regard to both of these parameters. In maternal as well as in fetal animals, plasma and liver zinc concentrations were low in groups fed low levels of zinc, but not in those given low vitamin A. Liver vitamin A values were affected by vitamin A intake but not by dietary zinc concentration. However, plasma vitamin A concentration in both maternal and fetal animals was significantly reduced by low intake of either zinc or vitamin A. There was a significant interaction between these two nutrients in regard to plasma vitamin A. These data indicate an interaction between zinc and vitamin A metabolism possibly at the level of vitamin A mobilization from the liver.
Real Time Infrared Spectroscopic Probe of the Reactions of Fe(CO)3 and Fe(CO)4 with N2 in the Gas Phase

Time-resolved infrared absorption spectroscopy has been used to study the gas-phase reactions of Fe(CO)3, Fe(CO)3N2, and Fe(CO)4 with N2, where Fe(CO)3 is generated by 308 nm laser photolysis of Fe...