cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Representing stochastic damage evolution in disordered media as a jump Markov process using the fiber bundle model

The damage evolution in quasi-brittle materials is inherently stochastic due to the presence of strong disorder in the form of heterogeneities, voids, and microcracks. The final macroscopic failure is foreshadowed by accumulation of a significant amount of distributed damage that results in precursory events observed as avalanches in experiments and simulations. Simulations on spring lattice models of disordered media have been widely used to understand the collective nature of the quasi-brittle material failure process. In this study, we use the jump Markov process to model stochastic damage evolution, which is informed by the avalanche size distributions for a given material. The jump Markov process is defined based on the probability distributions of the jump sizes, the wait-time between consecutive jumps, and the failure strength. The fiber bundle model is used as an example to obtain the required inputs and test the viability of the proposed approach. The stochasticity and size-dependence of the dama...
Brain Tumor Genetic Modification Yields Increased Resistance to Paclitaxel in Physical Confinement

Brain tumor cells remain highly resistant to radiation and chemotherapy, particularly malignant and secondary cancers. In this study, we utilized microchannel devices to examine the effect of a confined environment on the viability and drug resistance of the following brain cancer cell lines: primary cancers (glioblastoma multiforme and neuroblastoma), human brain cancer cell lines (D54 and D54-EGFRvIII), and genetically modified mouse astrocytes (wild type, p53−/−, p53−/− PTEN−/−, p53−/− Braf, and p53−/− PTEN−/− Braf). We found that loss of PTEN combined with Braf activation resulted in higher viability in narrow microchannels. In addition, Braf conferred increased resistance to the microtubule-stabilizing drug Taxol in narrow confinement. Similarly, survival of D54-EGFRvIII cells was unaffected following treatment with Taxol, whereas the viability of D54 cells was reduced by 75% under these conditions. Taken together, our data suggests key targets for anticancer drugs based on cellular genotypes and their specific survival phenotypes during confined migration.
Psychometric validation of the 16 Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report Version (QIDS-SR16) in military veterans with PTSD

Abstract Background The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR 16 ) is one example of a screening tool for depression, which has been utilized extensively following validation in a number of clinical populations. Despite the strengths of the QIDS-SR 16 , it has not been validated in military veterans, a particularly unique population considering their exposure to trauma and high rate of psychiatric comorbidities. The current report describes a psychometric validation of the QIDS-SR 16 in a sample of United States military veterans diagnosed with military-related PTSD. Methods Participants ( n =240) were administered the QIDS-SR 16 and one of two gold-standard semi-structured interviews to establish diagnosis of a current Major Depressive Episode (MDE). The ability to discriminate between individuals with and without a current MDE using the QIDS-SR 16 was tested with a stepwise logistic regression. Additionally, an optimal cutoff score for the QIDS-SR 16 was established. Results The QIDS-SR 16 was able to reliabily discriminate between individuals with and without a current MDE. The optimal cutoff score of the QIDS-SR 16 for a current MDE was 13, with a sensitivity of 77.55% and specificity of 56.25%. Limitations Limitations of this study included underrepresentation of some racial/ethnic groups, the inability to disentangle the potential influence of trauma type and gender on results, and the use of two diagnostic interviews to diagnose current MDE. Discussion The QIDS-SR 16 can be effectively utilized in military veterans with comorbid PTSD. However, the calculated cutoff score for this population was higher than the cutoff score for the general population. This could result from the overlap between PTSD and MDE symptoms.
A Comparison of Factor Rotation Methods for Dichotomous Data

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is frequently used in the social sciences and is a common component in many validity studies. A core aspect of EFA is the determination of which observed indicator variables are associated with which latent factors through the use of factor loadings. Loadings are initially extracted using an algorithm, such as maximum likelihood or weighted least squares, and then transformed - or rotated - to make them more interpretable. There are a number of rotational techniques available to the researcher making use of EFA. Prior work has discussed the advantages of a number of these criteria from a theoretical perspective, but few previous studies compare their performance across a broad range of conditions. This simulation study compared eight factor rotation criteria in terms of how well they were able to group dichotomous indicator variables correctly on the same factor, order the indicators by the magnitude of the factor loadings (identifying those indicators that were most strongly associated with the factors) and estimate the inter-factor correlations. Results reveal a mixed pattern of performance among the various rotations with the orthogonal Equamax consistently near the top in terms of correctly grouping and ordering indicator variables, and the orthogonal Facparsim performing well with more observed indicators. Advice regarding possible rotations to use for researchers conducting EFA with dichotomous indicators is provided.
Equity Market Liberalization and Cost of Capital: Evidence from an Implied Cost of Capital Approach

This paper examines the effect of expanding an economy’s investor base to include foreign investors on the pricing of information asymmetry. When equity markets are imperfectly competitive, theory predicts that information asymmetry will be priced. But whether the pricing diminishes as the investor base expands to include more investors depends on whether the investors are informed or uninformed; as such it remains an open empirical question. Given the cross-sectional and temporal variation in the level of competitiveness in emerging equity markets, markets of this nature provide an ideal setting to examine whether expanding the investor base to include foreign investors affects the price impact of information asymmetry. Employing equity market liberalization for 27 countries between 1996 and 2006 as shocks to foreign investor participation, we find that the pricing of information asymmetry declines as an economy’s foreign investor base expands.
COMPUTER SIMULATION MODELING FOR NITROGEN IN IRRIGATED CROPLANDS

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the state of the art of nitrogen simulation modeling of the soil-plant-water system in irrigated croplands, and identifies research needs. It focuses on only those models that have been formulated at the systems level for field application and not on the single-process mathematical models. The modeling approaches taken to simulate the physical, biological, and chemical mechanisms are empirical, mechanistic, or combinations of both. The programming languages used are either FORTRAN or CSMP. The system being modeled is an exceedingly complex one which is difficult to simulate let alone verify the simulated results. These models contain parameters and coefficients, some of which are not commonly measured in the field and have to be approximated. But, these modeling efforts are providing an increased insight into the system and better conceptual understanding. It appears that we do not have a single field experiment in the literature by which a nitrogen simulation model can be adequately documented. A concerted joint effort is of high priority to design, monitor, and evaluate data taken under field conditions to determine the credibility of these models.
Comparative Study of Perceived Service Quality between Bank of Ceylon and Commercial Bank in Batticaloa District

Banks are financial institution where accept the deposits from their customers and providing loan facilities to them. Nowadays banks are very important service provider in the world. Providing the quality of service has gained momentum and in particular the banking sector is the main focus of attention for its quality of services. This study is based on SERVQUAL scale model. A sample size of 200 was taken using convenient sampling method covering BOC and Commercial bank in Batticaloa district. This research aimed at applying SERVQUAL model to examine the service quality between BOC and Commercial Bank in Batticaloa district. While the previous researchers had already examined the qualities services on banking, the current research attempted to fill the gap in the literature by applying SERVQUAL model to study the quality of banking services rendered by the banks in Batticaloa district. The researcher has used five dimensions of service quality; namely, tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy, as the independent variables. The result reveals that service quality of Commercial bank is fairly satisfied on reliability, responsiveness, tangible empathy and assurance dimensions than service quality of BOC in Batticaloa district.
RNA modification enzymes: Role in modulation of biological and virulence characteristics of Salmonella

O previous studies have shown that deletion of tRNA modification enzyme glucose-inhibited division gene (gidA) significantly attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STM) virulence. Transcriptome and proteome analyses indicated that expression of several virulence factors was significantly altered. Most importantly, gidA mutant mice immunized with the gidA mutant were protected against a lethal dose of wild-type (WT) STM. Further studies on the mechanistic basis of this protection indicated both humoral and cellular immunity played a role with the humoral immune response potentially being the main mechanism of protection. GidA together with MnmE thought to catalyze modification of tRNA is required for correct translation during gene expression. Examination of relative contribution of GidA and MnmE in modulation of Salmonella virulence indicated various degree of attenuation and that GidA and MnmE bind together and alters Salmonella tRNA modification. The GidB is a methyltransferase enzyme that is involved in the methylation of the 16S rRNA in bacteria. Deletion of gidB gene indicated a compromised overall bacterial fitness, significantly reduced motility and showed a filamentous morphology under the stress of nalidixic acid. Most importantly, deletion of gidB conferred high-level resistance to the aminoglycoside antibiotics streptomycin and neomycin. This study determined the methylation site for the WT STM to be at G527 of the 16S rRNA. A lack of methylation in the mutant confirmed that GidB is required for this methylation. Taken these data indicated that both GidA and GidB enzymes play a significant role in modulation of biological and virulence characteristics and alteration of antibiotic susceptibility in Salmonella under stress conditions. Amin Fadl, J Microb Biochem Technol 2013, 5:4 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/1948-5948.S1.009
A Tale of Two Types of Perspective Taking: Sex Differences in Spatial Ability

Sex differences in favor of males have been documented in measures of spatial perspective taking. In this research, we examined whether social factors (i.e., stereotype threat and the inclusion of human figures in tasks) account for these differences. In Experiment 1, we evaluated performance when perspective-taking tests were framed as measuring either spatial or social (empathetic) perspective-taking abilities. In the spatial condition, tasks were framed as measures of spatial ability on which males have an advantage. In the social condition, modified tasks contained human figures and were framed as measures of empathy on which females have an advantage. Results showed a sex difference in favor of males in the spatial condition but not the social condition. Experiments 2 and 3 indicated that both stereotype threat and including human figures contributed to these effects. Results suggest that females may underperform on spatial tests in part because of negative performance expectations and the character of the spatial tests rather than because of actual lack of abilities.
Enhanced context-based document relevance assessment and ranking for improved information retrieval to support environmental decision making

There is a need for enhanced context-based document relevance assessment and ranking to facilitate the retrieval of more relevant information for supporting environmental decision making. This paper proposes a new context-based relevance assessment method, which allows for enhanced context representation and context-based document relevance recognition through: (1) a context-aware and deep semantic concept indexing approach, and (2) a deep and semantically-sensitive relevance estimation approach. The proposed relevance assessment method was integrated into two widely-used document ranking models [vector space model (VSM) and statistical language model (SLM)], resulting in two improved ranking methods: (1) a context-enhanced VSM-based method, and (2) a context-enhanced SLM-based method. The two context-enhanced document ranking methods were evaluated in retrieving webpages that are relevant to transportation project environmental review. The two context-enhanced methods were compared with each other and with their provenance methods (i.e., original VSM and SLM) in terms of mean precision (MP) and mean average precision (MAP). The context-enhanced VSM-based method outperformed the context-enhanced SLM-based method on every metric. It achieved 48% MAP, 79% MP at the top 10 retrieved documents, and over 65% MP at the top 50 retrieved documents, on the testing data. It also showed significant improvement over the state-of-the-art keyword-based VSM method.
Prognostic significance of lymphadenectomy and prevalence of lymph node metastasis in clinically-apparent stage I endometrioid and mucinous ovarian carcinoma

Abstract Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of lymph node (LN) metastasis in women with apparent stage I ovarian carcinoma of endometrioid or mucinous histology and to examine the prognostic significance of LN sampling/dissection (LND) on patient survival. Methods The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was accessed and a cohort of surgically-staged women, diagnosed between 1988 and 2013, with apparent stage I ovarian carcinoma of mucinous or endometrioid histology was selected. Information derived from the histopathology report was employed to determine whether LND was performed and the status of harvested LNs. Five-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate was calculated following generation of Kaplan-Meier curves. Comparisons were made using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the effect of LND on survival. Results A total of 3354 and 2855 women with endometrioid and mucinous tumors who met the inclusion criteria were identified. LND was performed in 2307 (68.8%) and 1602 (56.1%) of them ( p Conclusions Lymph node involvement in women with mucinous and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma grossly confined to the ovary is infrequent. LND is associated with a survival advantage for those with endometrioid carcinoma.
The Kenya state's fear of Somalia identity

Introduction Just as Somalia has begun "to lift itself from the ashes and debris of war", perceptions of Somali identity in Kenya have reached a new low. Even from before Kenya's independence, suspicion of the background, political opinions and citizenship of Kenyan-Somalis plagued Kenya's development, and this suspicion has now merged with an arrative of foreign terrorism that pits Kenyan-Somalis against their own nation-state. How has this come about, and what does it mean for Kenya's fight against terrorism? In this article, I argue that the inability of the Kenyan state to distinguish between Somali Islamists and Kenyan-Somalis represents a missed opportunity at national integration. Specifically, the move towards a federal Somalia of autonomous regions should assuage old Kenyan fears of Somali irredentism and desires for secession. Kenyan-Somalis are too readily being associated with coastal Muslim appeals for secession, even though citizens close to the Kenya-Somalia border no longer show interest in political victories at the expense of socio-economic well-being.
Characterizing the Nearby Solar-Type Stars

We present a brief discussion of solar-type stars, what is known about them, why they are ideal targets for precise radial-velocity observations, and some open questions.
Why R.R. V. M.H. Might Be the Best Teaching Tool in the Contracts Casebook

This essay is a response to Professor Charles Calleros’ recently posted paper “Why Pyeatte v. Pyeate Might Be the Best Teaching Tool in the Contracts Casebook” and Professor’s Calleros’ invitation for other faculty to share their favorite cases.
Challenges in Building Usable Knowledge in Education

The scientific rigor of education research has improved dramatically since the year 2000. Much of the credit for this improvement is deserved by Institute of Education Sciences (IES) policies that ...
Shaping Mnemonic Opportunity: Remembering Iraq in American Sniper

This article contributes to scholarship on public memory by developing a rhetorical model of “mnemonic opportunity.” Scholars of collective memory, especially sociologists influenced by the politic...
Weighted Kirchhoff index of a resistance network and generalization of Foster's theorem

The emerging area of network science studies the structural characteristics of networks and dynamic processes on networks such as spread of epidemics and vulnerability of power grids to cascading failures etc. Treating each element of a graph as a resistance, Kirchhoff index defined by the chemistry community is sum of the effective resistances across all pairs of nodes of the graph. This index has been studied using the graph Laplacian matrix which is the same as the indefinite admittance matrix of a resistance network. In this paper we introduce the concept of Weighted Kirchhoff index of a graph and its relationship to Foster's theorems. We present a generalization of Foster's theorems that retains the circuit theoretic flavor and elegance of these theorems. Furthermore we also present a dual form of Foster's first theorem.
Observations and Mechanisms of a Simple Stochastic Dynamical Model Capturing El Niño Diversity

AbstractEl Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has significant impact on global climate and relevance for seasonal forecasts. Recently, a simple modeling framework was developed that captures the ENSO diversity, where state-dependent stochastic wind bursts and nonlinear advection of sea surface temperature are coupled to a simple ocean–atmosphere model that is otherwise deterministic, linear, and stable. In this article, the coupled model is compared with observations using reanalysis data over the last 34 yr, where the observed non-Gaussian statistics and the overall mechanisms of ENSO are both captured by the model. Then the formation mechanisms of both the central Pacific (CP) and the traditional El Nino in the model are systematically studied. First, ocean Rossby waves induced by easterly trade wind anomalies facilitate the heat content buildup. Then the reflected ocean Kelvin waves and the nonlinear advection lead to positive SST anomalies in the CP region and create a CP El Nino. Second, two formation ...
Geographic segment disclosures under IFRS 8: Changes in materiality and fineness by European, Australian and New Zealand blue chip companies

Abstract This study examines how the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 8, Operating Segments, changed the entity-wide geographic segment reporting by European, Australian and New Zealand blue chip companies. The focus is on the revised requirements that companies disclose revenues for the country of domicile and other material countries. Specifically, it investigates the materiality level companies use to determine material countries and whether the revised requirements result in a finer set of geographic information than previously disclosed under International Accounting Standard (IAS) 14R. The study finds a significant decrease in the number of companies reporting only broad geographic regions and a significant increase in the number of companies reporting country specific segments and a mix of countries and regions after the adoption of IFRS 8. The increase in companies reporting country specific and mixed segments indicates that the requirement to disclose material countries under IFRS 8 resulted in a significant number of companies reporting disaggregated revenues at the individual country level. To the extent country specific information is more useful, financial analysts and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) should welcome this result. All three fineness measures increase significantly with the adoption of IFRS 8. These results indicate that the adoption of IFRS 8 did improve the fineness of the geographic disclosures provided by companies and suggests that the geographic data provided under IFRS 8 is less aggregated than the disclosures under IAS 14R.
The Effects of Stable Bradykinin Receptor 2 Agonist B9972 on Pulmonary Vasculature in vitro and vivo

Introduction The nine-amino-acid vasoactive peptide bradykinin (BK) has a twofold action profile by exerting pathophysiological as well as pronounced beneficial physiological effects. Bradykinin plays a powerful role in angiogenesis [1] and cardioprotection [2-5]. Since bradykinin itself has a very short lifetime, we synthesized a novel stable B2-receptor agonist B9972 [6] to study the effects of this compound on human pulmonary microvascular endothelial (HPMVEC) cells in vitro and in our animal model of severe pulmonary hypertension [7] in vivo. Since bradykinin is known to stimulate angiogenesis, we used two inhibitors of angiogenesis: SU5416 that inhibits VEGFR1-3 and a broad spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor SU6668 that inhibits PDGFR, and to a lesser extent VEGFR-2 [8].
Identifying the problematic areas with structural deficiencies of pavements using non-destructive tests (NDT)

The damage that frequently occurs on pavements will affect the safety and comfort of road users. Road surface conditions’ assessment is a way to determine the type of program evaluation that needs ...
Altered Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Wall Metabolism and Physiology Associated With RpoB Mutation H526D.

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) rpoB mutations are associated with global metabolic remodeling. However, the net effects of rpoB mutations on Mtb physiology, metabolism and function are not completely understood. Based on previous work, we hypothesized that changes in the expression of cell wall molecules in Mtb mutant RpoB 526D lead to changes in cell wall permeability and to altered resistance to environmental stresses and drugs. Methods: The phenotypes of a fully drug-susceptible clinical strain of Mtb and its paired rifampin-monoresistant, RpoB H526D mutant progeny strain were compared. Results: The rpoB mutant showed altered colony morphology, bacillary length and cell wall thickness, which was associated with increased cell wall permeability and susceptibility to the cell wall detergent SDS after exposure to nutrient starvation. Relative to the isogenic rifampin-susceptible strain, the RpoB H526D mutant showed altered bacterial cellular metabolic activity and an 8-fold increase in susceptibility to the cell-wall acting drug vancomycin. Conclusions: Our data suggest that RpoB mutation H526D is associated with altered cell wall physiology and resistance to cell wall-related stress. These findings are expected to contribute to an improved understanding of the pathogenesis of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis infections.
Fetal brain development: The role of maternal nutrition, exposures and behaviors

Perinatal events and postnatal environmental factors are often the focus when identifying neurodevelopmental risk factors. However, the in utero environment may be an equally important factor for fetal brain development. The objective of this article is to describe in utero environmental factors that may impact fetal brain development and subsequent neurodevelopmental outcome. This is a literature review to examine maternal nutrition, exposures, and behaviors that impact the in utero environment and, consequently, fetal brain development. A medline search of relevant articles published over the last 25 years was performed utilizing various keywords such as fetal brain development, individual vitamin/minerals, and specific exposures chosen by the authors that have been shown to impact in utero neurodevelopment. This article reviews important maternal nutritional deficiencies and toxin exposures that may negatively impact fetal brain development. Positive exposures to maternal voice, music, and exercise are also reviewed. Fetal brain development is a complex and intricate process. Neurodevelopmental delays detected postnatally are often multifactorial. In utero insults, postnatal illness, socioeconomic factors, and developmental environment may all attribute to poor outcomes. It is often difficult or impossible to determine which factor or factors contribute the most to morbidity. While reports on developmental delays often focus on clinical risk factors such as preterm birth or maternal/neonatal infection, perinatal events such as birth asphyxia, or known postnatal environmental factors such as low socioeconomic status or parental neglect, it is important to remember that in utero insults may be equally responsible. This article reviews early neurological development and a selection of various maternal exposures and behaviors that may impact the fetal brain during this critical developmental period.
Automation and Harassment Detection

Replacing complex and brittle hand-written rules with models trained using machine-learning lead to the first truly effective spam filters, improving the lives of email users and reducing the need for human intervention in detection efforts.
Microfluidics for mechanobiology of model organisms

Mechanical stimuli play a critical role in organ development, tissue homeostasis, and disease. Understanding how mechanical signals are processed in multicellular model systems is critical for connecting cellular processes to tissue- and organism-level responses. However, progress in the field that studies these phenomena, mechanobiology, has been limited by lack of appropriate experimental techniques for applying repeatable mechanical stimuli to intact organs and model organisms. Microfluidic platforms, a subgroup of microsystems that use liquid flow for manipulation of objects, are a promising tool for studying mechanobiology of small model organisms due to their size scale and ease of customization. In this work, we describe design considerations involved in developing a microfluidic device for studying mechanobiology. Then, focusing on worms, fruit flies, and zebrafish, we review current microfluidic platforms for mechanobiology of multicellular model organisms and their tissues and highlight research opportunities in this developing field.
Reliability of using a handheld tablet to analyze lower extremity landing mechanics during drop vertical jumps

Analyzing lower extremity (LE) landing mechanics is a main component of the screening process for athletes predisposed to injury. However, easily accessible and reliable tools for this process in a...
E-Learning and Transformative Learning in Adult Training

Transformative learning refers to the process of transforming frameworks through which adults interpret the experiences, values, feelings, and shape their actions and living conditions, combined with the cultural context in which they are socialized. In this process the adult re-evaluates the experiences he has gained since his childhood, resulting in a new knowledge through critical thinking. Transformative learning is applied to adult education where the aim is to acquire new professional skills based on the needs of learners. The ability to apply distance learning asynchronously releases it from spatial or temporal constraints, making it suitable for the implementation of transformative learning. The trainer can take advantage of the technological applications (video, presentations, etc. asynchronous communication, and e mail) and authoritative scientific sources of the internet. This activates the trainee in a heuristic course towards the knowledge that will move his interest and will change his / her perceptual systems by leading him / herself into self-realization. Therefore, the use of distance learning in adult education is fully in line with the principles of transforming learning.
Ethology and Neuropharmacology: Rodent Ultrasounds

One of the most fascinating and instructive illustrations of how neural networks mediate complex communication comes from the neuroethological studies with zebra finches and canaries that sing to court mates and defend their territories (e.g., Nottebohm, 1985, 1981). The results from oscine songbirds inform importantly on the plasticity of the neural network, its seasonal androgen-dependent expression, and the behavioural significance in reproductive and agonistic contexts. However, less is known about the neurochemical characteristics of these communication-specific networks and how potential neural receptors in these networks may be targeted by substances with known effects of affective expression in mammals. Nonetheless these investigations point to multisynaptic networks involving aminergic and steroid-sensitive cells that mediate the initiation and production of important communicative signals.
Effect of conjugated bilirubin on clinical outcomes in infective endocarditis.

Liver dysfunction is associated with adverse events in infective endocarditis (IE). However, few studies have explored the predictive value of conjugated bilirubin (CB) in IE. We aimed to investigate the nature of the link between CB and adverse prognosis in patients with IE. Consecutive patients with IE between January 2009 and July 2015 were enrolled. Multivariate analysis was performed to confirm whether CB was an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes. In all, 1010 patients were included and divided into two groups according to admission CB level (μmol/L): normal (≤ 7.0, n = 820) and elevated (> 7.0, n = 190) CB groups. In-hospital mortality (5.0% vs. 22.1%, p < 0.001) and major adverse cardiac events (16.8% vs. 36.3%, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in patients with increased CB. A possible J-shaped relationship was found between CB and in-hospital events. Further, CB had more predictive power than total bilirubin in predicting in-hospital death (AUC 0.715 vs. 0.674, p = 0.010). Elevated CB was an independent predictor of in-hospital death (adjusted OR = 2.62, 95%CI 1.40–4.91, p = 0.003). Moreover, CB (increment 1 μmol/L) was independently associated with higher long-term mortality. Kaplan–Meier curves indicated that patients with elevated CB were associated with higher cumulative rate of long-term death (log-rank = 21.47, p < 0.001). CB, a biomarker of liver function, was a relatively powerful predictor of in-hospital and long-term adverse prognosis of IE and could likely comprise a novel risk evaluation strategy.
An Efficient approach Network Selection and Fast Delivery Handover Route 5G LTE Network

To move from 4G to 5G technology spectrum deficiency is an important criteria which can be overcome by an efficient technology called Cognitive Radio (CR). This can be achieved by continuous sensing the spectrum band, and detecting the unused frequency bands which would be not used by licensed band and without any unwanted interference to the primary user or licensed user (PU). We Proposed NN-PSO method for network selection and Fast Delivery handover route mechanism in order to increase system efficiency by consider more number of SUs in network and providing to their preferences, and respect the criteria of primary network operators, at the same time. The goal is to provide SUs good network and fast delivery handover route with a high QoS based on the criteria of SU, subject to the interference boundation of each existing network with other channels. The proposed technique Neural Network and Particle swarm optimization would be use to solve the Network selection and optimization problem. Finally, experimental results and numerical parameters represent the effectiveness of the proposed NN-PSO methods to finding a near-optimal solution for network selection.
Anthracycline Treatment of the Monocytic Leukemia Cell Line THP-1 Increases Phosphatidylserine Exposure and Tissue Factor Activity.

Abstract Abstract 1136 Introduction: Cancer associated thrombosis is a well-recognized phenomenon that results in considerable patient morbidity and mortality. While malignancy alone conveys an increased risk for thrombosis, treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapeutics further elevates this risk. However, the pathogenic mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly defined. We hypothesized that treatment of tumor cells with cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs leads to phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure on the cell surface, as well as increased cellular tissue factor (TF) activity and release of TF positive microparticles (MPs). Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of anthracyclines on TF activity and MP release from the human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1. Materials and Methods: THP-1 cells were treated with different concentrations of doxorubicin (0-10μg/ml) or daunorubicin (0-1μg/ml) for 0–24 hours. These concentrations are similar to those found in plasma of cancer patients. The intact cells were analyzed for TF activity using a two stage chromogenic assay. TF antigen was evaluated by ELISA and TF mRNA by realtime PCR. In addition, TF activity of MPs released into the culture supernatant was measured using a two stage chromogenic assay. PS exposure on cells and MPs were analyzed by flow cytometry and PS exposure on MP was also evaluated in an annexin V capture assay. Cell viability was assayed by a dye exclusion assay as well as by flow cytometry. Results: We found that doxorubicin and daunorubicin increased PS exposure on the cell surface. Treatment with anthracyclines increased both cellular TF and MP TF activity in a concentration-dependent manner that also resulted in concentration dependent increase in apoptosis. Furthermore, this increased TF dependent activity was abolished with the addition of annexin V or lactadherin supporting a role of PS exposure in this elevated activity. Conclusion: These results support our hypothesis that treatment of THP-1 cells with chemotherapeutic agents induces apoptosis and increases cellular TF activity. This increased activity appears primarily mediated by an increase in cell surface expression of PS. Additionally, the anthracyclines increase the release of TF positive MPs from the THP-1 cells. We propose that this increase in cellular TF activity in tumor cells and increased numbers of TF positive MPs may contribute to thrombosis in cancer patients treated with chemotherapeutic drugs. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Autonomic Clustering in Temporal Network Graphs

In this paper, we examine the use of autonomic clustering algorithms on temporal graph topologies representing mobile communication networks. We introduce basic group-based mobility scenarios including periods of overlapping group clusters and present both emulation and simulation models of these scenarios. From extracted temporal graph models, we demonstrate how periods of clustering overlap introduce specific challenges in the autonomic clustering of temporal graph models. We perform several group mobility experiments on classes of autonomic clustering approaches and we focus in on some high quality clustering algorithm performers including: Spectral clustering, multilevel clustering, and information theoretic clustering. We present quality metrics and examine basic measures of accuracy and stability and further demonstrate challenges associated with both measuring quality and effectively partitioning evolving graphs. We then demonstrate improvements in detecting the temporal “ground truth” clustering by the use of a time-windowed, weighted graph representation. We conclude with a discussion of future areas of work and summarize initial experiments.
SolarNet: A sky image-based deep convolutional neural network for intra-hour solar forecasting

Abstract The exponential growth of solar energy poses challenges to power systems, mostly due to its uncertain and variable characteristics. Hence, solar forecasting, such as very short-term solar forecasting (VSTSF), has been widely adopted to assist power system operations. The VSTSF takes inputs from various sources, among which sky image-based VSTSF is not yet well-studied compared to its counterparts. In this paper, a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model, called the SolarNet, is developed to forecast the operational 1-h-ahead global horizontal irradiance (GHI) by only using sky images without numerical measurements and extra feature engineering. The SolarNet has a set of models that generate fixed-step GHI in parallel. Each model is composed of 20 convolutional, max-pooling, and fully-connected layers, which learns latent patterns between sky images and GHI in an end-to-end manner. Numerical results based on six years data show that the developed SolarNet outperforms the benchmarking persistence of cloudiness model and machine learning models with an 8.85% normalized root mean square error and a 25.14% forecasting skill score. The SolarNet shows superiority under various weather conditions.
Journeying into Academia via Immersion into Qualitative Research: Professor Shaffir as a Master Guide

The choice of a work career is one of the most important events in a person’s life course and typically involves secondary socialization and identification with role models. This paper is concerned with the crucial role of my PhD dissertation supervisor at McMaster University, Dr. Billy Shaffir, in my choice of an academic career. I highlight and celebrate how, through the guidance of Dr. Shaffir, I experienced “immersive socialization” into field research and happily converted from an intended business career to an academic career.
Seven cases of infant lichen scrofulosorum related to bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination

Objective To investigate the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and outcomes of lichen scrofulosorum (LS) . Methods Clinical data collected from 7 infants with LS, who visited Department of Dermatology, Tianjin Children′s Hospital between 2010 and 2018, were analyzed retrospectively, and the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, development and outcomes of LS were investigated. Results All the 7 infants developed LS after bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination, and the clinical manifestations of LS were reddish or hazel papules mainly distributed on the trunk with small scales attached to the surface. No abnormal laboratory examination results were observed. Histopathological examination showed granuloma in the dermis. Without any treatment, all rashes of the 7 patients disappeared within 6 months, and no scar or hyperpigmentation remained. Conclusions Infant LS usually appears 2-3 months after BCG vaccination, clinically presents as papules mostly on the trunk, pathologically characterized as granuloma in the dermis, and can heal spontaneously. Key words: Tuberculosis, cutaneous; Infant; Skin manifestations; Pathologic processes; Lichen scrofulosorum
Impact of COVID-19 on Outcomes and Productivity in a Gynecologic Oncology and Minimally Invasive Surgery Practice

Study Objective To determine the impact of COVID-19 on patients undergoing surgery. Design Retrospective review. Setting Community hospital and ambulatory practice in New York near the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients or Participants Surgical volumes were reviewed for years 2019-2020. Interventions Seventy-three charts were assessed for COVID-19 related outcomes during a 14-week period, beginning February 17th, 2020. Measurements and Main Results During the study period, gynecologic oncology and minimally invasive surgery activity decreased by 50%. This resulted in economic and clinical disruption. Other surgical divisions showed similar case decreases (34 – 64%) except for otolaryngology which increased by 48%. Seventy-one surgeries were completed in our practice during the study period. Elective cases were restricted on March 7th. Afterward, indications for surgery were malignancy (43.2%), rule out malignancy (27.0%), heavy bleeding (21.6%), and pain (8.1%). All patients were asymptomatic for COVID-19 associated symptoms during preoperative evaluations. Mandatory day-of-surgery COVID-19 PCR testing commenced on April 6th. Prior to this, 49 surgeries were completed. Afterward, 4 of the remaining 21 cases (18%) were cancelled due to positive testing. Of these, 3 tested positive on day of surgery, 1 self-tested positive due to community exposure. All 4 patients remained asymptomatic. Of the 71 patients, 83% were discharged on the same day or on postoperative day one (POD). Postoperatively, 6 patients reported mild COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath). Of these, 1 patient tested negative and 5 were not tested. Additionally, 1 patient tested positive remote from surgery (POD #30). Surgeons tested negative for COVID-19 antibodies, and all office staff were asymptomatic. Conclusion Asymptomatic COVID-19 patients were encountered in the preoperative setting. No symptomatic cases of nosocomial COVID-19 infection were identified. Clinical care and surgery appear safe provided there is appropriate utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE). Gynecologic surgical services may be safely performed during a pandemic with appropriate PPE and safety measures.
Will they, or Won't they? Examining patients' vaccine intention for flu and COVID-19 using the Health Belief Model.

Abstract Background The twindemic of influenza and COVID-19 places pharmacists in a position of high-impact to inform and manage vaccination uptake. Given prior vaccine hesitancy in the US and the current high impact of COVID-19 on the population, it is imperative to understand and address factors that drive perceptions and intention to get vaccinated. Objectives The objectives of the study were to 1) determine impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on influenza vaccine uptake, on patient perceptions of vaccinations, vaccine intention, and health behaviors and 2) determine vaccine intention through the Health Belief Model. Methods An IRB-approved prospective Qualtrics-based survey was administered online to eligible respondents: non-pregnant panel respondents 18 years or older within the United States who could independently complete the entire questionnaire in English. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, psychometric analyses of the 5C and CoBQ tools, one-way ANOVA to compare demographic groups and vaccine intention items with survey scores, and mapping and path analysis of the HBM with one added domain (Decision Making Determinant, DMD). Results 525 respondents completed the survey from October 23–29, 2020. Respondents aged 18–49, making less than $20,000 or an undisclosed income, and not having anyone close to them directly affected by COVID-19 showed a significant, negative impact of COVID-19 on health behavior and a significantly lower vaccine acceptance. The 5C and CoBQ showed moderately strong reliability. Mapping for the HBM revealed significant correlations between all modifying factors with Individual Perceptions except for Race/Ethnicity. Of the Individual Perceptions, Perceived Benefits (-.114) and Perceived Barriers (.307) significantly predicted DMD and directly impacted Vaccine Intention. DMD was not a significant mediator of Vaccination Intention. Conclusions Vaccination messaging should focus on a simple yet balanced view of benefits and risks, targeting those under age 50 and living in low-income households, to motivate uptake of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines.
Examination of Current and Future Permafrost Dynamics across the North American Taiga-Tundra Ecotone

In the Arctic, the spatial distribution of boreal forest cover and soil profile transition characterizing the taiga-tundra ecological transition zone (TTE) is experiencing an alarming transformatio...
Revisioning Americanization through Administrative History

This article calls for an expansion of the inquiry methods used to explore rhetorical education during the Americanization movement of the early twentieth century. It offers the methodology of admi...
Teleseismic attenuation, temperature, and melt of the upper mantle in the Alaska subduction zone

Seismic deployments in the Alaska subduction zone provide dense sampling of the seismic wavefield that constrains thermal structure and subduction geometry. We measure P and <...
Increase in searches for erectile dysfunction during winter: seasonal variation evidence from Google Trends in the United States.

Several diseases associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD), are known to have seasonal variation, with increased incidence during winter months. However, no literature exists on whether this chronological-seasonal evolution is also present within ED symptomatology. We hypothesized ED would follow the seasonal pattern of its lifestyle-influenced comorbid conditions and exhibit increased incidence during winter months. In order to investigate the seasonal variation of ED in the United States between 2009 and 2019, Internet search query data were obtained using Google Trends. Normalized search volume was determined during the winter and summer seasons for ED, other diseases known to be significantly associated with ED (T2DM and CAD), kidney stones (positive control), and prostate cancer (negative control). There were significantly more internet search queries for ED during the winter than during the summer (p = 0.001). CAD and T2DM also had significantly increased search volume during winter months compared to summer months (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). By contrast, searches for kidney stones were significantly increased in the summer than in the winter (p < 0.001). There was no significant seasonal variation in the relative search frequency for prostate cancer (p = 0.75). In conclusion, Google Trends internet search data across a ten-year period in the United States suggested a seasonal variation in ED, which implies an increase in ED during winter. This novel finding in ED epidemiology may help increase awareness of ED's associated lifestyle risk factors, which may facilitate early medical evaluation and treatment for those at risk of both ED and cardiovascular disease.