cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized purchasing power parity, real exchange rates, and structural changes in the Indonesian economy

This research has investigated the validity of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and Generalized-PPP in the presence of structural change for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, the ASEAN group and each of its major trading partners--the US, Japan, and Germany, and the major trading partners and each of the ASEAN countries and also South Korea. Another objective of this research is to study the short-run dynamic of Generalized-PPP and the interrelationships among real exchange rates in a currency area in the sense of Generalized-PPP. Real exchange rate series, in which Indonesia is a base country, have constructed using whole sales price index, whole sales price without oil for Indonesia and consumer price index and nominal exchange between Indonesia and country studies. The series start from January 1974 to October 1992;Based on the study of the policy and the performance of the reforms, the March 1983 was chosen as the breaking point for Indonesia economy. This structural change is accounted for all empirical studies in this research. The unit root test in the presence of structural change (Perron, 1989) has applied to test the validity of PPP. Empirical findings do not support PPP for all country studies. The validity of Generalized-PPP has investigated using Johansen's (1988) multivariate cointegration method. Some of the empirical results support the existence of Generalized-PPP;Error correction models have estimated for the group in which Generalized-PPP is held. Structural change dummy and error correction variables, mostly, were supported by empirical results. Interrelationships among real exchange rates in a currency area are studied applying impulse response functions and forecast error variance decomposition. Monte Carlo simulation was conducted for providing standard error bounding of impulse response. The findings suggest that the US real exchange rate has stronger influence on the ASEAN real exchange rates and South Korean real exchange rate than that of Japanese real exchange rate. Among ASEAN real exchange rates, Singapore real exchange rate shown a stronger influence.
Flea and Small Mammal Species Composition in Mixed-Grass Prairies: Implications for the Maintenance of Yersinia pestis

Abstract Maintenance of sylvatic plague in prairie dogs (Cynomis spp.) was once thought unlikely due to high mortality rates; yet more recent findings indicate that low-level enzootic plague may be...
Unconventional secretion of hepatitis A virus.

In virology lectures, students learn the classifications: viruses have either RNA or DNA genomes; they are released either by killing the infected cell or by budding harmlessly from it; viral particles are either “enveloped” or “nonenveloped.” In cell biology classes, students learn the topology of cell membranes: cytoplasmic proteins are synthesized by cytosolic ribosomes, and proteins destined for secretion contain signal sequences that allow endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated ribosomes to direct them into the lumen within the ER. Then, secretion of these luminal contents proceeds via the Golgi apparatus and exocytic vesicles to the outside of the cell. Of course, such classifications beg to be violated, and in PNAS, McKnight et al. (1) consolidate a mechanism by which hepatitis A virus (HAV) does just that. Nonenveloped or, more colorfully, “naked” viruses such as HAV and other picornaviruses (small RNA viruses) are cytoplasmic particles that contain only the genomic nucleic acid and complexed proteins. This has several consequences: for example, proteinaceous coats are often more stable to environmental insult than viral envelopes. Thus, picornaviruses such as HAV, poliovirus, and norovirus are famously stable in water, from whence they readily infect humans via oral–fecal transmission. Another consequence of this nonenveloped structure is that it should be logical that viral exit should require leakage of cytoplasm through a ruptured plasma membrane, thus killing the cell. It has long been noted, however, that natural isolates of HAV do not appear to lyse infected cells in cultured cells or in infected people (reviewed in refs. 2 and 3). In liver biopsies of some patients, a large proportion of cells contain infectious virus, yet no cell death is evident. During acute human infection, infectious HAV particles appear in feces before any evidence of any immune-mediated hepatocyte damage occurs. Thus, it was hypothesized that the … [↵][1]1Email: karlak{at}stanford.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Genetic variations, reproductive aging, and breast cancer risk in African American and European American women: The Women's Circle of Health Study

Reproductive aging phenotypes, including age at menarche (AM) and age at natural menopause (ANM), are well-established risk factors for breast cancer. In recent years, many genetic variants have been identified in association with AM and ANM in genome-wide association studies among European populations. Using data from the Women's Circle of Health Study (WCHS) of 1,307 European-American (EA) and 1,365 African-American (AA) breast cancer cases and controls, we aimed to replicate 53 earlier GWAS variants for AM and ANM in AA and EA groups and to perform analyses on total and net reproductive lifespan (TRLS; NRLS). Breast cancer risk was also examined in relation to a polygenic risk score (PRS) for each of the reproductive aging phenotypes. We replicated a number of variants in EA women, including rs7759938 in LIN28B for AM and rs16991615 in MCM8 for ANM; whereas in the AA group, only one SNP (rs2947411 in TMEM18) for AM was directionally consistent and nominally significant. In analysis of TRLS and NRLS, several SNPs were significant, including rs466639 in RXRG that was associated with both phenotypes in both AA and EA groups. None of the PRS was associated with breast cancer risk. Given the paucity of data available among AA populations, our study contributes to the literature of genetics of reproductive aging in AA women and highlights the importance of cross population replication of GWAS variants.
Treatment-related sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in children with de novo acute lymphoblastic leukemia during intensification.

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), also known as veno-occlusive disease, has been described following treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with the anti-metabolite 6-thioguanine (6-TG). Previous studies incorporating daily 6-TG into maintenance chemotherapy demonstrated a high incidence of SOS, typically presenting after prolonged exposures to 6-TG. 6-TG continues to be used as a single, 14-day burst during intensification; however, SOS associated with brief courses of 6-TG is poorly described. We aim to describe this rare though clinically significant phenomenon. Children with 6-TG-related SOS were retrospectively identified from 680 de novo patients with ALL at Texas Children’s Cancer Center over 8 years. Clinical characteristics and outcomes are described. Ten (1.5%) patients were identified with SOS. No predominant sex, ethnicity, or race was noted. SOS was diagnosed 16.5 (6–42) days from starting 6-TG. Isolated thrombocytopenia (IT) was noted in 9/10 patients and presented a median of 5 days prior to SOS. Refractoriness to platelet transfusions was noted in 8/10 patients, presenting a median of 2 days prior to SOS. Most patients were otherwise clinically stable outpatients upon presenting with IT or transfusion refractoriness. Fever was noted in 7/10 patients at diagnosis and 6/10 had documented or suspected infection within 14 days of SOS. Two patients died, while eight fully recovered. Intermediate thiopurine methyltransferase genotype was noted in 5/8 patients with data available. SOS following short courses of 6-TG in DI is clinically distinct from SOS following prolonged courses of 6-TG in maintenance, particularly in its early presentation and outcomes.
Physics in “Real Life”: Accelerator-based Research with Undergraduates ☆

Abstract All undergraduates in physics and astronomy should have access to significant research experiences. When given the opportunity to tackle challenging open-ended problems outside the classroom, students build their problem-solving skills in ways that better prepare them for the workplace or future research in graduate school. Accelerator-based research on fundamental nuclear and particle physics can provide a myriad of opportunities for undergraduate involvement in hardware and software development as well as “big data” analysis. The collaborative nature of large experiments exposes students to scientists of every culture and helps them begin to build their professional network even before they graduate. This paper presents an overview of my experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly - engaging undergraduates in particle and nuclear physics research at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center.
Spectral coherence and hyperbolic solutions applied to time difference of arrival localisation

Abstract Time difference of arrival (TDOA) source localisation is based on intersecting hyperboloids from spatially diverse sensor pairs. TDOA is commonly applied to avian source localisation with field studies finding that sources located inside array boundaries are localised with higher accuracy than sources outside the array. We examine the constitutive hyperbolic equations to demonstrate that at locations interior to an array, hyperbolas intersect at large angles translating into higher localisation accuracy with insensitivity to noise and timing errors, and then use the equations to assess expected accuracy in response to noise and timing errors. We also introduce the use of cross-spectral coherence as a requisite for computation of time delays by cross-correlation in order to minimize the likelihood of interference from noise and reduce the need for manual preprocessing of spectrograms or correlation functions. A small-aperture array is evaluated with a field test finding results consistent with analytical solutions suggesting that a lack of sensor spatial diversity coupled with signal timing accuracy is the primary source of localisation error, but that bearing discrimination remains accurate even for a small-aperture and sources external to the array.
A formal evaluation of storm type versus storm motion

In the field of atmospheric science, storm motion has been a topic defined by a vast amount of research from numerous agencies. However, defining conclusively storm motion by storm type has been one of the least researched topics in the field. Two of the most widely used nowcasting programs in atmospheric science are the Spectral Prognosis (S-PROG: Seed 2003) and Warning Decision and Support SystemVersion II (WDSS-II: Lakshmanan et al. 2007) intuitively use storm motion to make nowcasts of precipitation and storm intensity. They automatically track storms and extrapolate motion without regard to storm type or environmental situation. These programs can be further enhanced by classifying severe convective storms by type and subsequently forecasting the motion of the storms from this information---along with existing environmental conditions. Other procedures for forecasting storm motion based on storm type exist (e.g. Lindsey and Bunkers 2004 for supercells, Corfidi et al. 1996 for mesoscale convective complexes). These generally use standard-level wind vectors which may not be appropriate in every case (e.g. the 0-6 km wind or the 850-300-mb wind). These wind levels may not always be representative of the surface layer or cloud layer but are convenient for access as long-standing standard atmospheric levels and model products. On the other hand, the rich variety of model output at numerous levels allows the use of more flexible product selection from Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) or Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) output that could be more closely associated to the motion of a particular storm. Being able to determine whether storm type is a determining factor in storm motion has several practical results. Forecasters can warn the public in specific areas about certain severe weather threats, giving those warned more time to prepare for potential hazards. Second, applications to industry/business are also affected by storm motion, as the livelihood of many occupations are determined by the amount, intensity, and location of rain, hail, tornadoes, and other weather phenomena. Third, storm type forecasts of storm motion can be used to provide another critical measure of uncertainty, as existing environmental conditions can
Development of an Algorithm to Distinguish Smoldering Versus Symptomatic Multiple Myeloma in Claims-Based Data Sets.

PurposeThe distinction of patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) from those with smoldering MM poses a challenge for researchers who use administrative databases. Historically, researchers either have included all patients or used treatment receipt as the distinguishing factor; both methods have drawbacks. We present an algorithm for distinguishing between symptomatic and smoldering MM using ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification) codes for the classic defining events of symptomatic MM commonly referred to as the CRAB criteria (hypercalcemia, renal impairment, anemia, and bone lesions).Patients and MethodsSEER-Medicare–linked data from 4,187 patients with MM diagnosed between 2007 and 2011 were used for this analysis.ResultsEighty-four percent had ICD-9-CM codes consistent with CRAB criteria, whereas only 57% received treatment. Overall survival of patients with symptomatic MM defined as receipt of treatment was 32.3 months versus 26.6 months for...
The reality of artificial viscosity

Artificial viscosity is used in the computer simulation of high Reynolds number flows and is one of the oldest numerical artifices. In this paper, I will describe the origin and the interpretation of artificial viscosity as a physical phenomenon. The basis of this interpretation is the finite scale theory, which describes the evolution of integral averages of the fluid solution over finite (length) scales. I will outline the derivation of finite scale Navier–Stokes equations and highlight the particular properties of the equations that depend on the finite scales. Those properties include enslavement, inviscid dissipation, and a law concerning the partition of total flux of conserved quantities into advective and diffusive components.
A Declaration of Independence: Implicit Alcohol Associations Have Independent, not Interactive, Relationships with Alcohol Consumption and AUD Risk.

Aims The current study aimed to test for potential interactive effects of three implicit alcohol-related associations (drinking identity, alcohol approach and alcohol excitement) in predicting concurrent and prospective alcohol consumption and risk of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in two samples of the US undergraduate drinkers and non-drinkers. Short summary We investigated the independent and interactive effects of three implicit associations on alcohol consumption and risk of AUD in two US undergraduate student samples. We found that implicit associations had independent but not interactive effects on concurrent and subsequent alcohol consumption and risk of AUD in two independent samples. Methods Implicit drinking identity, alcohol approach and alcohol excitement associations were assessed in two US undergraduate student samples (Sample 1: N = 300, 55% female; Sample 2: N = 506, 57% female). Alcohol consumption and risk of AUD were assessed at baseline (Samples 1 and 2) and 3 months later (Sample 2). We fit zero-inflated negative binomial models to test for independent and interactive effects of the three implicit associations on alcohol consumption and risk of AUD. Results Although we found multiple, unique main effects for alcohol associations, we found minimal evidence of interactions between implicit alcohol-related associations. There was no reliable evidence of interactions in models in predicting alcohol consumption or risk of AUD, concurrently or prospectively, in either sample. Conclusions Contrary to expectations, results from both studies indicated that implicit alcohol-related associations in the US undergraduate samples generally have independent, not interactive, relationships with alcohol consumption and risk of AUD.
Setting-up the Ergodic Problem

Boltzmann’s proposals are discussed in Sect. 7.1, leading to the concept of dynamical systems defined in Sect. 7.2. The idealization provided by the latter allowed the first formal responses to Boltzmann’s conjectures: the ergodic theorems of Birkhoff and von Neumann, reviewed in Sect. 7.2.
Rapid, plant-induced weathering in an aggrading experimental ecosystem

To evaluate whether rates of weathering of primary minerals are underestimated in watershed mass-balance studies that fail to include products of weathering accumulating in plants and in developing soil, changes in the calcium and magnesium content of vegetation and soil fractions were measured in large, monitored lysimeters (sandbox ecosystems) at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. Weathering was evaluated over 4–8 yr in sandboxes planted with red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and kept mostly free of vegetation (nonvegetated). Three mass-balance equations were used that cumulatively include (a) Ca and Mg in precipitation inputs and drainage outputs, (b) accumulation of Ca and Mg in vegetation, and (c) changes in products of weathering in soils. Soil products were evaluated with an extraction process designed to avoid removing ions from primary minerals. Relative to the input-output equation, the estimated rate of weathering increased 2.4 (Ca) and 1.8 (Mg) times when accumulation of Ca and Mg in pine biomass was accounted for, and 8 (Ca) and 23 (Mg) times when changes in soil products were also included. Weathering estimates that included accumulation in vegetation and soil products were 261 (Ca) and 92 (Mg) kg ha-1 yr-1 in the pine sandbox. These rates were 10 (Ca) and 18 (Mg) times higher than the rates in the nonvegetated sandbox, which were not significantly greater than zero. This study raises the possibility that weathering can play a significant role in the release of nutrients available to plants over short periods. Faster rates like this become extremely important where managers are trying to balance nutrients available to plants from precipitation and weathering release with outputs including harvest removals.
Intravenous and Inhaled Milrinone in Adult Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Pairwise and Network Meta-Analysis

Objective To summarize the evidence on the hemodynamic, echocardiographic, and clinical effects of inhaled and intravenous milrinone (iMil and IvMil) in adult cardiac surgery patients. Design Systematic review, pairwise and network meta-analysis. Setting Multi-institutional. Participants Adult cardiac surgery patients. Interventions Comparison between iMil and IvMil versus other agents or placebo. Measurements and Main Results The primary endpoints were mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) and peripheral vascular resistance (PVR). Secondary endpoints included the following: (1) mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and cardiac index (CI); (2) echocardiographic data; and (3) clinical outcomes. Random model, leave-one-out-analysis, and meta-regression were used. Thirty studies (6 iMil and 24 IvMil) were included for a total of 1,438 patients (194 iMil and 521 IvMil). IvMil was associated with a lower MPAP, lower PVR, and higher CI compared to placebo (standardized mean difference [SMD] = –0.22 [95% CI = –0.48 to 0.05], SMD = –0.49 [95% CI = –0.71 to –0.27], and SMD = 0.94 [95% CI = 0.51 to 1.37]). No difference in any outcome was found between iMil and placebo. At network meta-analysis, significantly lower PVR and shorter hospital length of stay were found for IvMil compared to iMil (SMD = –0.82 [95% CI = –1.53 to –0.10] and SMD = –0.50 [95% CI = –0.95 to –0.05], respectively). Conclusion These results support the clinical use of IvMil in cardiac surgery patients. No evidence at present supports the adoption of iMil.
Sprout: Crowd-Powered Task Design for Crowdsourcing

While crowdsourcing enables data collection at scale, ensuring high-quality data remains a challenge. In particular, effective task design underlies nearly every reported crowdsourcing success, yet remains difficult to accomplish. Task design is hard because it involves a costly iterative process: identifying the kind of work output one wants, conveying this information to workers, observing worker performance, understanding what remains ambiguous, revising the instructions, and repeating the process until the resulting output is satisfactory. To facilitate this process, we propose a novel meta-workflow that helps requesters optimize crowdsourcing task designs and Sprout, our open-source tool, which implements this workflow. Sprout improves task designs by (1) eliciting points of confusion from crowd workers, (2) enabling requesters to quickly understand these misconceptions and the overall space of questions, and (3) guiding requesters to improve the task design in response. We report the results of a user study with two labeling tasks demonstrating that requesters strongly prefer Sprout and produce higher-rated instructions compared to current best practices for creating gated instructions (instructions plus a workflow for training and testing workers). We also offer a set of design recommendations for future tools that support crowdsourcing task design.
High-throughput scaffold-free microtissues through 3D printing

Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures and 3D bioprinting have recently gained attention based on their multiple advantages over two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures, which have less translational potential to recapitulate human physiology. 3D scaffold supports, cell aggregate systems and hydrogels have been shown to accurately mimic native tissues and support more relevant cell-cell interactions for studying effects of drugs and bioactive agents on cells in 3D. The development of cost-effective, high-throughput and scaffold-free microtissue assays remains challenging. In the present study, consumer grade 3D printing was examined as a fabrication method for creation of high-throughput scaffold-free 3D spheroidal microtissues. Consumer grade 3D printing was capable of forming 96-well cell culture inserts to create scaffold-free microtissues in liquid suspensions. The inserts were seeded with human glioblastoma, placental-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and intestinal smooth muscle cells. These inserts allowed for consistent formation of cell density-controllable microtissues that permit screening of bioactive agents. A variety of different cell types, co-cultures, and drugs may be evaluated with this 3D printed microtissue insert. It is suggested that the microtissue inserts may benefit 3D cell culture researchers as an economical assay solution with applications in pharmaceuticals, disease modeling, and tissue-engineering.
Adaptation and constraint in the evolution of the mammalian backbone

The axial skeleton consists of repeating units (vertebrae) that are integrated through their development and evolution. Unlike most tetrapods, vertebrae in the mammalian trunk are subdivided into distinct thoracic and lumbar modules, resulting in a system that is constrained in terms of count but highly variable in morphology. This study asks how thoracolumbar regionalization has impacted adaptation and evolvability across mammals. Using geometric morphometrics, we examine evolutionary patterns in five vertebral positions from diverse mammal species encompassing a broad range of locomotor ecologies. We quantitatively compare the effects of phylogenetic and allometric constraints, and ecological adaptation between regions, and examine their impact on evolvability (disparity and evolutionary rate) of serially-homologous vertebrae. Although phylogenetic signal and allometry are evident throughout the trunk, the effect of locomotor ecology is partitioned between vertebral positions. Lumbar vertebral shape correlates most strongly with ecology, differentiating taxa based on their use of asymmetric gaits. Similarly, disparity and evolutionary rates are also elevated posteriorly, indicating a link between the lumbar region, locomotor adaptation, and evolvability. Vertebral regionalization in mammals has facilitated rapid evolution of the posterior trunk in response to selection for locomotion and static body support.
Sustained Attention to Science: A Tribute to the Life and Scholarship of Joel Warm.

Objective:To provide an evaluative synthesis of the life and scientific contributions of the late Joel Warm.Background:As the doyen of vigilance research, Joel Warm expanded our understanding and h...
'This is our liver patient…': use of narratives during resident and nurse handoff conversations.

Objective Handoffs are often framed as the co-construction of a shared understanding relying on narrative storytelling. We investigated how narratives are constructed and used during resident and nurse handoff conversations. Method We audio-recorded resident (n=149) and nurse (n=126) handoffs in an inpatient medicine unit. Qualitative analysis using grounded theory was conducted to identify and characterise the structure of resident and nursing handoff narratives. Results Handoff conversations among both residents and nurses used three types of narratives: narratives on creating clinical imagery, narratives on coordinating care continuity and narratives on integrating contextual aspects of care. Clinical imagery narratives were common during patient introductions: residents used a top-down approach relying on overarching patient clinical situations (eg, ‘a liver patient’), whereas nurses used a bottom-up approach using patient-specific identifying information. Narratives on the coordination of care continuity for residents focused on managing internal and external coordination activities, whereas nurse narratives focused on internal coordination, emphasising their role as an interface between patients and their physicians. Both resident and nurse narratives on the contextual aspects of care had considerable focus on highlighting ‘heads up’ anticipatory information and personal patient information; such information was often not present in patient charts, but was important for ensuring effective care management. Discussion The presence of narrative structures highlights the need for new perspectives for the design of handoff tools that allow for both informational and cognitive support and shared awareness among conversational partners during handoff conversations. We discuss the implications of the use of narratives for patient safety and describe specific design considerations for supporting narrative interactions during handoffs.
Acquaintance Type 3: Fillers

The filler type is quite common; sadly, people often interpret this type as being more than it is. Fillers make certain activities possible. This type has three major subtypes: playmates, partners for physical activities such as sports (e.g., running, tennis), dinner or Karaoke; interlocutors, partners for verbal activities including gossiping; and reminiscers, those who evoke nostalgia by recalling old memories and feelings of innocence (e.g., childhood friends, former classmates).
Genetics and Genomics of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract Although estimates of coronary heart disease (CHD) heritability range from 30% to 60%, we have barely tapped the surface of the complex genetic puzzle that explains this degree of heritability. Significant advances have been made in our understanding with the emergence of findings from genetic association studies, identifying at least 95 genomic loci harboring common alleles for CHD. These have only modest overlap with prior candidate loci for CHD or association with established CHD risk factors—suggesting that several novel etiologic mechanisms are at play. In this chapter we discuss in detail the implications of association study findings, application of Mendelian randomization in studies of CHD causation, and future directions including how to use this information for personalized medicine.
Initial Feasibility and Efficacy of the Summer Treatment Program (STP-PreK) for Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Comorbid Externalizing Behavior Problems:

The current study examined the feasibility and initial efficacy of the Summer Treatment Program for Pre-kindergarteners (STP-PreK) with 37 preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and exter...
Effects of glucocorticoid on blood children's osteoblasts and interference of vitamin D

Objective To study the effects of glucocorticoids on children with acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and acute lymphoblastic leukemia osteoblast function, and the changes of each indicator after application of vitamin D. Methods Divided children with acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura or acute lymphoblastic leukemia into two groups. Both with glucocorticoid (prednisone daily 2 mg/kg for 3 weeks), the control group with calcium lactate 0.5 g/d(n =20),the treatment group with calcium lactate 0.5 g/d, and every day given oral vitamin D 800 IU(n=20). Then, determination of each groups' data of bone metabolism and serum procollagen type I C-terminal peptide before (PICP), bone serum protein (BGP), total alkaline phosphatase (AKP) calcium (Ca) and phosphorus ( P) levelbefore and after treatment.Results Three weeks after treatment, patients in the control group PICP, BGP, AKP, Ca than before treatment decreased (P 0.05).Conclusions The osteoblast synthesis of blood children with glucocorticoid significantly inhibited; but combination of vitamin D may improve the effects of glucocorticoids on osteoblasts inhibition. Key words: Glucocorticoid; Osteoblasts; Vitamin D
Continuous Label-Free Electronic Discrimination of T Cells by Activation State.

The sensitivity and speed with which the immune system reacts to host disruption is unrivaled by any detection method for pathogenic biomarkers or infectious signatures. Engagement of cellular immunity in response to infections or cancer is contingent upon activation and subsequent cytotoxic activity by T cells. Thus, monitoring T cell activation can reliably serve as a metric for disease diagnosis as well as therapeutic prognosis. Rapid and direct quantification of T cell activation states, however, has been hindered by challenges associated with antigen target identification, labeling requirements, and assay duration. Here we present an electronic, label-free method for simultaneous separation and evaluation of T cell activation states. Our device utilizes a microfluidic design integrated with nanolayered electrode structures for dielectrophoresis (DEP)-driven discrimination of activated vs naive T cells at single-cell resolution and demonstrates rapid (<2 min) separation of T cells at high single-pass efficiency as quantified by an on-chip Coulter counter module. Our device represents a microfluidic tool for electronic assessment of immune activation states and, hence, a portable diagnostic for quantitative evaluation of immunity and disease state. Further, its ability to achieve label-free enrichment of activated immune cells promises clinical utility in cell-based immunotherapies.
Two teams, one mission: A study using EMS units in hospital triage during active-shooter and other mass-casualty events.

Background: Recent mass-casualty events have exposed errors with common assumptions about response processes, notably triage and transport of patients. Response planners generally assume that the majority of patients from a mass-casualty event will have received some level of field triage and transport from the scene to the hospital will have been coordinated through on-scene incident command. When this is not the case, emergency response at the hospital is hampered as staff must be pulled to handle the influx of untriaged patients. Objective: Determine whether the use of emergency medical service (EMS) field resources in hospital triage could enhance the overall response to active-shooter and other mass-casualty events. Design: A proof of concept study was planned in conjunction with a regularly scheduled mass-casualty hospital exercise conducted by an urban level II trauma center in Utah. This was a cross-over study with triage initially performed by hospital staff, and at the midpoint of the exercise, triage was transferred to EMS field units. General performance was judged by exercise planners with limited additional data collection. Results: EMS crews at the hospital significantly enhanced the efficiency and efficacy of the triage operation in both qualitative and quantitative assessment. Conclusions: Hospital planners deemed the proof of concept exercise a success and are now experimenting with implementation of this alternate approach to triage. However, much additional work remains to fully implement this change in processes.
Practical Uses of Decision Analysis

For the majority of choices in life, decisions can be made without much introspection. A decision may not be important enough to warrant analysis or its outcomes are so easy to rank, the choice is obvious. Occasionally, however, situations arise where the consequences of each choice are not obvious. At these times we need systematic methods to estimate future events, consequences of actions, likelihoods of occurrences, and the end results of the many scenarios facing us.
Towards accessibility in educational games: a framework for the design team

Information design is relevant to game design: especially the design of educational games which must include best practices of game development and the delivery of information to the player. Games and players interact in important ways: the game communicates with the player on how to start and play the game, the player decides what to do in the game, and the player must communicate effectively with the game through different actions. Without attention to accessibility, the game may cause some players informational and interactional barriers. This study discusses accessibility in educational games, including communication channels, users' cognitive processes, and informational inputs. A framework offers a way for developers to think through design which reflects different needs related to accessibility. With this framework, designers can create games that address four key areas of need (vision, hearing, motor control, and cognitive); recognize how game interactions are impacted by those needs; and acknowledge that all players fall somewhere on a spectrum of need within each of those areas.
Adaptive light field sampling and sensor fusion for smart lighting control

For the development of flexible and adaptive control in smart lighting, it is important to have a systematic methodology for monitoring the generated light field and for fusion of the sensor information. This paper introduces a systematic approach to light field sampling using a distributed sensor network. This approach is based on the multiscale representation of the light field and adaptive selection of sample locations to maximize the information obtained from the field. Experimental results have shown that a systematic selection of sensor locations can significantly reduce the error in representation of the light field with corresponding improvement in the lighting control.
Unification, reduction, and non-ideal explanations

Kitcher's unification theory of explanation seems to suggest that only the most reductive accounts can legitimately be termed explanatory. This is not what we find in actual scientific practice. In this paper, I attempt to reconcile these ideas. I claim that Kitcher's theory picks out ideal explanations, but that our term “explanation” is used to cover other accounts that have a certain relationship with the ideal accounts. At times, “versions” and portions of ideal explanations can also be considered explanatory.
Ultra-low-jitter multiwavelength synchronized optical pulse source for C, L, and U bands

Here, we report on the use of an advanced version of the electroabsorption modulator - optoelectronic oscillator (EAM-OEO) to convert multiple independent CW distributed feedback (DFB) lasers into synchronized 10 GHz-rate optical pulse streams for use in the C, L, and U-bands of the fiber-optic communication spectrum. The generated optical pulse streams have ultra-low jitter.
Clytemnestra's Contest: Women and the Violence of the Agon

Contemporary political theorists often see the agon as a desirable way of conceptualizing the role of contestation in democratic politics. However, a close reading of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon and attention to the historical reality of the agon in 5th century Athens reveals the inequalities, violence, and tragic character of the agon. By returning to a tragic understanding of the agon my reading of the Agamemnon stresses the violent aspects of contestation, and serves as a critique of contemporary agonistic theory. Athenian women in the 5th century were deliberately excluded from participating in most public expressions of the agon. Because participating in agonistic contestation requires that one also be able to participate in the speech at the heart of the polis, women as non-citizens were by definition excluded. Complicating this lived reality of real Athenian women, is the role of women in Greek tragedy. Through a close reading of the carpet scene, I argue that Aeschylus presents a series of highly gendered and unequal contests of subjection and domination. As an agonistic actor Clytemnestra calls into doubt the claims of agonistic theory that the agon fosters mutual recognition and accommodation. The carpet scene instead highlights the aggressive tendencies of the agon and questions if the violence of the agon can be controlled and channeled without relying on the maintenance of inequality and limiting access to the political. As Clytemnestra’s agonistic action demonstrates, the tragic agon intimately links persuasion and violence in struggles to gain political inclusion and power. In contests where women seek to enjoy the benefits of masculine inclusion such as citizenship, rights, political speech, honor, and glory, the agon demonstrates a much greater propensity to spiral into violence. A revisionist reading of tragic heroines like Clytemnestra sees their challenges as indicative of a tension and failing in which the masculine public agon of political speech is constructed and maintained by an exclusion of the feminine.
Testing for the effect of current-account ‘news’ on exchange rates

Abstract Dornbusch (1980) has observed a correlation between unexpected exchange-rate changes and unexpected current account balances, which he interprets as evidence in favor of the ‘news’ hypothesis of exchange-rate determination. It is shown here that his test is flawed by simultaneity problem.
A Goal-Based Approach to Intelligent Information Retrieval

Abstract Intelligent information retrieval (IIR) requires inference. The number of inferences that can be drawn by even a simple reasoner is very large, and the inferential resources available to any practical computer system are limited. This problem is one long faced by AI researchers. In this paper, we present a method used by two recent machine learning programs for control of inference that is relevant to the design of IIR systems. The key feature of the approach is the use of explicit representations of desired knowledge, which we call knowledge goals. Our theory addresses the representation of knowledge goals, methods for generating and transforming these goals, and heuristics for selecting among potential inferences in order to feasibly satisfy such goals. In this view, IIR becomes a kind of planning: decisions about what to infer, how to infer and when to infer are based on representations of desired knowledge, as well as internal representations of the system's inferential abilities and current state. The theory is illustrated using two case studies, a natural language understanding program that learns by reading novel newspaper stories, and a differential diagnosis program that improves its accuracy with experience. We conclude by making several suggestions on how this machine learning framework can be integrated with existing information retrieval methods.
Pressure and Heat Release Analysis

The fundamental aspects of engine heat release analysis are reviewed in a consistent thermodynamic framework. Multi- and single-zone approaches based on the First Law of Thermodynamics are developed, and the latter is compared to approximate calculation methods based on the observed polytropic behavior. The cumulative heat release from the approximate methods agrees reasonably with that from the single-zone method, but it is not an absolute measure of energy release and should be used with caution. The definition of thermodynamic properties that describe the aggregate of the cylinder contents is critical to the single-zone approach, and the results are sensitive to the assignment of these properties. A two-part model for the specific heat ratio is developed and shown to provide good results. Achieving good accuracy at the late stages of heat release is difficult for all approaches, giving rise to relatively high levels of uncertainty in the crank angle of 90% of the cumulative energy release. The sensitivity of the models to the fidelity of the pressure data is explored, and guidelines for the required accuracy of the pegging pressure, encoder phasing, trapped mass estimation, and clearance volume measurement are provided. Keywords: cylinder pressure analysis; thermodynamics; heat release; combustion duration; predictive modeling
Fourier Analysis of the 2D Screened Poisson Equation for Gradient Domain Problems

We analyze the problem of reconstructing a 2D function that approximates a set of desired gradients and a data term. The combined data and gradient terms enable operations like modifying the gradients of an image while staying close to the original image. Starting with a variational formulation, we arrive at the "screened Poisson equation" known in physics. Analysis of this equation in the Fourier domain leads to a direct, exact, and efficient solution to the problem. Further analysis reveals the structure of the spatial filters that solve the 2D screened Poisson equation and shows gradient scaling to be a well-defined sharpen filter that generalizes Laplacian sharpening, which itself can be mapped to gradient domain filtering. Results using a DCT-based screened Poisson solver are demonstrated on several applications including image blending for panoramas, image sharpening, and de-blocking of compressed images.
Silicon models of early audition

This dissertation describes silicon integrated circuits that model known and proposed physiological structures in the early auditory system. Specifically, it describes silicon models of auditory-nerve response, of auditory localization in the barn owl, and of pitch perception. The integrated circuits model the structure as well as the function of the physiology; all subcircuits in the chips have anatomical correlates. The chips, two of which contain over 100,000 transistors, compute all outputs in real time, using analog, continuous-time processing. In most respects, chip responses approximate physiological or psychophysical response of the modeled biological systems. The dissertation also describes a novel nonlinear-inhibition circuit, which is a key component of two of the silicon models.
Abundance and specificity of influenza reactive circulating memory follicular helper and non‐follicular helper CD4 T cells in healthy adults

CD4 T-cell responses are functionally complex and regulate many aspects of innate and adaptive immunity. Follicular helper (Tfh) cells are CD4 T cells specialized to support B-cell production of isotype-switched, high-affinity antibody. So far, studies of Tfh cells in humans have focused on their differentiation requirements, with little research devoted to their antigen specificity. Here, after separating circulating human memory CD4 T cells based on expression of CXCR5, a signature marker of Tfh, we have quantified and assayed the influenza protein antigen specificity of blood Tfh cells and CD4 T cells lacking this marker. Through the use of peptide pools derived from nucleoprotein (NP) or haemagglutinin (HA) and a panel of human donors, we have discovered that circulating Tfh cells preferentially recognize peptide epitopes from HA while cells lacking CXCR5 are enriched for specificity toward NP. These studies suggest that reactive CD4 T cells specific for distinct viral antigens may have generalized differences in their functional potential due to their previous stimulation history.
Analytical and numerical modeling of passive and active coated nanoparticles

A variety of open and closed nanoparticle structures have been considered analytically and numerically. These include multi-layered structures based on dielectrics and metals excited by plane waves and electric Hertzian dipoles at optical frequencies. Both passive and active (gain impregnated dielectric) materials have been considered. Enhanced and mitigated scattering effects have been modeled. Nano-antenna and nano-amplifier configurations for optical applications have been emphasized. A review of these modeling efforts will be presented.
Popliteal artery entrapment masquerading as asthma.

IN BRIEF: Patients don't always report symptoms that seem unimportant to them. Symptoms that don't respond to routine medical management, or that can't be fully explained by the signs observed, warrant a closer look and further questioning. Although the condition is uncommon, young athletes can develop functional popliteal artery entrapment. Diagnostic studies include examination of dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial pulses, Doppler ultrasonography, and arteriography. Treatment of functional popliteal artery entrapment usually includes surgical exploration, release of the popliteal artery, and a myomectomy of the medial gastrocnemius head.
Investigating a Link between Coagulation and Inflammation: A Study of Complement Component C3 and the Lectin-Like Domain of Thrombomodulin

Many important biological cascades are tightly regulated via protein-protein interactions. Interactions of TM, known to be a regulator of blood clotting, with the complement system, an important part of innate immunity, could play an important role in a link between the coagulation cascade and the inflammatory response. A pull-down assay using an immobilized lectin-like domain of TM showed that there is an interaction between this domain and complement component C3. Studies are currently underway to better characterize this interaction to elucidate the role that TM may play in the complement system. The lectin-like domain of TM has been expressed in and purified from the yeast, Pichia pastoris. Complement component C3 has been isolated from plasma, purified and activated to C3b. Analysis by SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry verified that both of the desired proteins were isolated. Both proteins were then subjected to digestion with pepsin at low pH to determine their suitability for study by hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange and mass spectrometry (MS). Peptide coverage maps of each protein are being prepared. The H/D exchange of the individual proteins will be analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The interactions between TM and C3/C3b will then also be investigated by H/D exchange and MS among other methods.
Nonsurgical Management of Ulnar Fractures in the Horse: A Retrospective Study of 43 Cases

Forty-three cases of nonsurgically managed ulnar fractures in the horse were reviewed. Twenty-three per cent of the horses were euthanized, 44% survived but were unsound, and 33% of the horses were sound when surveyed 6 months to 11 years following fracture. Best results were obtained when treating distal semilunar notch fractures (70% sound). Prognosis was poorest for horses with fractures of the olecranon affecting the semilunar notch (0% sound).