cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Silica, asbestos, man-made mineral fibers, and cancer.

Approximately three million workers in the United States are estimated to be exposed to silica, man-made mineral fibers, and asbestos. The lung is the primary target organ of concern. Each of these substances is composed predominantly of silicon and oxygen; asbestos and silica are crystalline, and asbestos and man-made mineral fibers are fibers. Man-made mineral fibers and asbestos are used as insulating agents, with the former having generally replaced the latter in recent years. Silica is used in foundries, pottery, and brick making, and is encountered by miners. A meta-analysis of 16 of the largest studies with well-documented silica exposure and low probability of confounding by other occupational exposures, indicates a relative risk (RR) of 1.3 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-1.4). Lung cancer risks are highest and most consistent for silicotics, who have received the highest doses (RR = 2.3, CI = 2.2-2.4, across 19studies). The data for mineral fibers continue to support the International Association for Research on Cancer's 1988 judgment that mineral fibers are a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). Recent epidemiologic studies provide little evidence for lung carcinogenicity for either glass wool or rock/slag wool. Ceramic fibers, a much less common exposure than glass wool and rock/slag wool, are of concern because of positive animal studies, but there are insufficient human data. Regarding asbestos, its carcinogenicity for the lung and mesothelium is well established. With regard to the controversy over chrysotile and mesothelioma, the data suggest chrysotile does cause mesothelioma, although it may be less potent than amphibole asbestos.
Educational Perspectives: Boot Camps for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellows

Fellowship training is a required component of the transformation of a pediatrician into an independent practitioner of neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM). Exposure to neonatal intensive care, experience in the management of neonatal patients, and successful performance of neonatal procedures is lower in trainees entering NPM fellowship today as compared with the past. To address this change in the baseline competency of incoming fellows, many NPM fellowship programs have begun to conduct intensive, simulation-based training sessions at the beginning of fellowship, commonly called “boot camps.” In this article, we explore the concept of boot camps, examine curriculum design elements of boot camps for NPM fellows, provide examples of collaborative and regional NPM boot camps, explore challenges to conducting a boot camp for NPM fellows, and discuss future directions for NPM fellowship boot camps, on a national and international level.
TASTE PERCEPTIONS AND DIETARY INTAKES OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO USERS AND NONTOBACCO USERS

Smokeless tobacco and nontobacco users differed for certain concentrations of perceived intensities of the four solutions – significantly for sweet (P ≤ 0.008) and salty (P = 0.001). Sensitivity to salty (P = 0.02) and bitter (P = 0.11) solutions decreased with increasing hours of exposure to smokeless tobacco. Smokeless tobacco and nontobacco users rated fruits and vegetables for preference and the four taste senses differently, with a decreasing trend for sweet tastes in smokeless tobacco users with increasing hours of exposure to smokeless tobacco. Smokeless tobacco users consumed more total fat (P = 0.06) and fat per 1000 kcal (P = 0.13) than nontobacco users. Higher intakes of total fat (P = 0.005), total fat per 1000 kcal (P = 0.18), total sodium (P = 0.03) and total Vitamin E (P = 0.06) were found with increasing hours of exposure to smokeless tobacco. Although fruit and vegetable intakes did not differ between smokeless tobacco and nontobacco users, both groups should increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Probabilistic Group Recommendation Model for Crowdfunding Domains

Crowdfunding has gained a widespread popularity by fueling the creative minds of entrepreneurs. Not only has it democratized the funding of startups, it has also bridged the gap between the venture capitalists and the entrepreneurs by providing a plethora of opportunities for people seeking to invest in new business ventures. Nonetheless, despite the huge success of the crowdfunding platforms, not every project reaches its funding goal. One of the main reasons for a project's failure is the difficulty in establishing a linkage between it's founders and those investors who are interested in funding such projects. A potential solution to this problem is to develop recommendation systems that suggest suitable projects to crowdfunding investors by capturing their interests. In this paper, we explore Kickstarter, a popular reward-based crowdfunding platform. Being a highly heterogeneous platform, Kickstarter is fuelled by a dynamic community of people who constantly interact with each other before investing in projects. Therefore, the decision to invest in a project depends not only on the preference of individuals, but also on the influence of groups that a person belongs and the on-going status of the projects. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic recommendation model, called CrowdRec, that recommends Kickstarter projects to a group of investors by incorporating the on-going status of projects, the personal preference of individual members, and the collective preference of the group . Using a comprehensive dataset of over 40K crowdfunding groups and 5K projects, we show that our model is effective in recommending projects to groups of Kickstarter users.
Simulation-based stochastic optimization on discrete domains: integrating optimal computing and response surfaces

Simulation can be a very powerful tool to help decision making in many applications but exploring multiple courses of actions can be time consuming. Numerous ranking & selection (R&S) procedures have been developed to enhance the simulation efficiency of finding the best design. This dissertation explores the potential of further enhancing R&S efficiency by incorporating simulation information from across the domain into a regression metamodel. Under some common conditions in most regression-based approaches, our new method provides approximately optimal rules that determine the design locations to conduct simulation runs and the number of samples allocated to each design location for problems with only one partition. In addition to utilizing concepts from the design of experiments (DOE) literature, it introduces the probability of correct selection (PCS) optimality criterion that underpins our new R&S method to the DOE literature. This dissertation then extends the method by incorporating simulation information from across a partitioned domain into a regression based metamodel. Our new method provides approximately optimal rules for between and within partitions that determine the number of samples allocated to each design location. Numerical experiments demonstrate that our new approaches for one partition domains and for multiple partition domains can dramatically enhance efficiency over existing efficient R&S methods.
The Impotence Epidemic: Men's Medicine and Sexual Desire in Contemporary China

In this book, Everett Zhang situates the increasing demand of Chinese men for treatment of impotence in the social changes and production of desire resulting from economic reform in China. Based on...
The Doctor’s New Dilemma

A central primary care dilemma is that engaging with patients as people makes us fall behind in administrative tasks and feel more burned out, but not engaging means avoiding intimacy that would not only help the patient but keep us from feeling burned out.
Understanding Collaboration Among Farmers and Farmers' Market Managers in Southeast Michigan (USA)

The growth in local food systems has resulted in many benefits for communities. In addition to meeting growing consumer demand, local food systems make significant positive contributions to economies, communities, and the natural environment. However, most local food systems are grassroots efforts and rely on stakeholders motivated to collaborate with each other in order to be successful. Most of the parties involved in these collaborations have very limited resources and therefore must choose carefully the collaborative initiatives in which they will invest their time and money. Too frequently collaborative initiatives are doomed to failure because the required players lack the motivation to participate at levels needed for success. Such failures can damage the overall culture of collaboration within a region.This study aims to address the lack of research into local food system collaboration by exploring the suitability of expectancy theory to understand the factors that motivate farmers and farmers' market managers to collaborate in southeast Michigan. A survey instrument was distributed to groups of farmers and farmers' market managers to measure their beliefs about collaboration's ability to generate positive outcomes as well as each group's perceived value of those outcomes. Comparisons were made between the two groups to better understand the types of collaborative initiatives that would serve the needs of both groups, as well as the initiatives that generate differing levels of motivation within each group. Results show that farmers and farmers' market managers are motivated to collaborate differently. Implications are provided for local food system players, policy-makers, and researchers.
Transient Double-Diffusive Convection in a Vertical Cavity With Soret and Dufour Effects by Lattice Boltzmann Method on CUDA Platform

Double diffusive flow in a cavity has attracted lots of attention due to its importance in many engineering fields such as ocean circulation, crystal growth, pollution transportation in air, metal manufacturing process and so on. When heat and mass transfer occur simultaneously in the double diffusive flow, the fluid flow is not only driven by the temperature gradient but also by the concentration gradient as well. In some cases, the Dufour and Soret effects will play a significant role in the double diffusive flow process. The energy flux created by the concentration gradient is called Dufour effect and the temperature gradient can cause the mass flux which is Soret effect. When taking the Soret and Dufour effects into account, the temperature and concentration equations become coupled with each other. However, the coupling diffusivities matrix can be diagonalized. The coupled system can then be transformed to two uncoupled diffusion-advection equations of two independent species. The temperature and concentration can be obtained by the inverse transformation of these two independent species. As a numerical method developed in the past two decades, lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is powerful in simulating complex heat transfer and fluid mechanics problems. In the current study, a lattice Boltzmann model was developed and implemented for the double-diffusive convection with Soret and Dufour effects. Three distribution functions were used to compute the fluid velocity, specie 1, and specie 2, respectively. Specifically, a rectangular enclosure with horizontal temperature and concentration gradients was investigated. On the other hand, the graphics processing units (GPU) computing becomes popular since the advent of the NVIDIA’s CUDA platform, which includes both hardware components and software programming environment. The developed LBM code was adapted on the CUDA platform to accelerate the computation for parametric studies. The GPU is responsible for the parallel tasks while CPU tackles the sequential steps in the computation. To verify the improvement on computation ability by using GPU, the ratio of the computational time between CPU code and CUDA code is presented by simulating the classical natural convection process in a cavity. The computational speed can be accelerated by more than 20 times when large number of nodes is used. The fluid flow, temperature field and concentration field are presented for different Rayleigh numbers, buoyancy ratios, Prandtl numbers, Lewis numbers, aspect ratios, as well as Soret and Dufour coefficients. In addition, the results of Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are shown for different parametric conditions. As a result, lattice Boltzmann method was demonstrated as a good option to study the complex double-diffusive convection with Soret and Dufour effects in a vertical cavity.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Wheat, Sorghum, and Raw Soybeans as Alternative Energy and Protein Sources for Growina-Finishina Pigs

ABSTRACT Four hundred fifty-six crossbred pigs were used in two experiments (Exp.) with two trials each. In Exp. 1, 240 pigs were allotted to six treatments with four replications of 5 pigs per replicate in each trial. In Exp. 2, 120 (Trial 1) or 96 (Trial 2) pigs were allotted to six treatments with four replications of 5 (Trial 1) or 4 (Trial 2) pigs per replicate. The six treatment diets used in Exp. 1 were: 1) corn-soybean meal (C-SBM); 2) C-SBM to 59 kg, corn-raw soybeans (C-RSB) from 59 to 105 kg; 3) 1:1 corn:wheat and SBM (CW-SBM); 4) CW-SBM to 59 kg, CW-RSB from 59 to 105 kg; 5) wheat-SBM (W-SBM); 6) W-SBM to 59 kg, WRSB from 59 to 105 kg. In Exp. 2, corn and sorghum were used instead of corn and wheat. A grower diet formulated to provide .82% lysine was fed until 59 kg BW, and a finisher diet formulated to provide .67% lysine was fed until market weight. Wheat decreased (P .10) growth performance during the growing period, or ADG and gain:feed during the finishing or combined growing-finishing periods. However, sorghum increased (P
Calculating the cutting parameters of PDC BIT with Pro/TOOLKIT

The cutting parameters of PDC Bit, such as cutting area and removing rock volume, are fundamental and important data while designing bits. The previous ways of getting these parameters were through programming with mathematical analysis. Using Pro/TOOLKIT, we developed specific module in Pro/ENGINEER. So we can measure the parameters with the function of Pro/TOOLKIT upon the basis of creating correlative entity.
Order of Application Determines the Interaction Between Phorbol Esters and GTP-γ-S in Dorsal Raphe Neurons: Evidence That the Effect of 5-HT Is Modified Upstream of the G Protein Ca Channel Interaction

Chen, Yuan and Nicholas J. Penington. Order of application determines the interaction between phorbol esters and GTP-γ-S in dorsal raphe neurons: evidence that the effect of 5-HT is modified upstream of the G protein Ca channel interaction. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 2697–2703, 1997. Phorbol esters activating protein kinase C (PKC) partially uncouple the inhibitory effect of serotonin (5-HT) from serotonergic neuron Ca 2+ current. Presently the site of action of PKC is not known and may be the receptor, G protein, or ion channel. We recorded Ca 2+ current from acutely isolated neurons with the use of the patch-clamp technique to study the site of action of PKC. Activation of the G protein with internal guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP-γ-S) occluded the response to 5-HT, but unexpectedly this effect was not reversed by the addition of the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) despite the voltage-dependent reversal of the effect of GTP-γ-S by long depolarizing steps to +80 mV. PMA was, however, able to partially reverse 5-HT-induced inhibition of Ca 2+ current. The rate of reinhibition of the Ca 2+ current (related to the concentration of activated G proteins) by GTP-γ-S after the addition of PMA at −50 mV was identical to the rate when only GTP-γ-S was present.By contrast, when cells were exposed first to PMA, and thenGTP-γ-S was perfused into the cell, GTP-γ-S lost about half of its ability to activate the G protein. The rate of reinhibition of the Ca 2+ current by internal GTP-γ-S was also reduced in cells pretreated with PMA. The original result in which PMA did not reverse the action of GTP-γ-S suggested that the channel was not the functional site of action of PMA, nor was the site on the G protein that binds to the channel, but it did not rule out the receptor. When the receptor was bypassed, after prior PKC activation, it was found that direct activation of the G protein by a nonhydrolyzable analogue of GTP was reduced; taken as a whole, this indicates that in dorsal raphe, and perhaps other neurons, the site of the critical phosphorylation may be on the G protein and possibly at the GTP binding site.
Ion microprobe analysis of mouse calvariae in vitro: evidence for a "bone membrane"

It is not clear whether the bone mineral is in passive physicochemical equilibrium with the extracellular fluid (ECF) or is separated from it by a metabolically active partition, a so-called "bone membrane." We used a sensitive high spatial resolution scanning ion microprobe utilizing secondary ion mass spectrometry to compare the relative concentrations of 23Na, 39K, and 40Ca on the surface, subsurface, and cross section of cultured live bone with the concentrations in similar regions of dead bone. Calvariae from neonatal mice were dissected and either incubated for 24 h (live) or subjected to 3 freeze-thaw cycles to kill the bone cells prior to incubation (dead). The live bone has abundant surface Na and K relative to Ca and the Na/K is approximately unity. With dead bone there is a dramatic fall in the K/Ca and an increase in the Na/K. These findings are most consistent with an egress of bone K after cell death. Flux measurements indicate a net influx of Ca into the dead bone. The marked change in relative ion concentrations with cell death indicates that live bone is not in passive physiochemical equilibrium with the surrounding medium. There appears to be a metabolically active partition, a so-called bone membrane, between the mineral and the culture medium that utilizes bone cells to maintain ion gradients.
Double-barreled K+-selective microelectrodes based on dibenzo-18-crown-6.

Liquid ion-exchanger microelectrodes based on Corning code 477317 K+ exchanger are known to be much more sensitive to quaternary ammonium ions than to K+. In the presence of such cations, the capab...
Money Matters: Dissecting the Relationship Between Gender Equality and Female Homicide Victimization Rates in the European Union:

This study utilized a fairly new measure of gender equality from the European Union to dissect the relationship between gender-specific homicide victimization rates and different forms of gender eq...
Understanding the Intention of Using Mobile Social Networking Apps

Understanding the user acceptance of mobile social networking apps can provide powerful insights for managers and marketers of social networking apps to design effective strategies to attract users. Following the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study develops a research model of privacy concern, privacy risk, and perceived enjoyment as attitudinal beliefs, subjective norm as normative belief, and self-efficacy as control belief to predict users’ intention to use mobile social networking apps. The research model was validated by survey data collected from 151 participants in U.S. The results show that perceived enjoyment and subjective norm are the most important drivers behind users’ intention to use mobile social networking apps. Implications of the findings upon theory and practice are discussed.
The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA)

The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA http://reionization.org) is a staged experiment that uses the unique properties of the 21-cm line from neutral hydrogen to probe the Epoch of Reionization (EOR). During this epoch, roughly 0.3–1 billion years after the Big Bang, the first galaxies and black holes heated and reionized the early Universe. Direct observation of the large scale structure of reionization and its evolution with time will have a profound impact on our understanding of the birth of the first galaxies and black holes, their influence on the intergalactic medium (IGM), and cosmology. This paper will provide an overview of the project and describe the design of the HERA receiving element.
Isolation of Plesiomonas shigelloides from Oysters Using Tetrathionate Broth Enrichment

In a study to compare five enrichment broths for enhancing the recovery of Plesiomonas shigelloides from water samples, tetrathionate broth without the addition of iodine exhibited better (P<0.05) recovery of this microorganism than did alkaline peptone water, gram negative broth, plesiomonas enrichment broth (PLE), a modified PLE, or direct plating. The established enrichment parameters were applied to test raw packaged and freshly shucked oyster meats, as well as bacterial mixtures. The enrichment process enhanced the detection of P. shigelloides in a Plesiomonas-Klebsiella mixture but not in a Plesiomonas-Pseudomonas mixture. Recovery of P. shigelloides in oyster samples was found to be affected by both the number and type of competing bacteria present as well as incubation temperature used for enrichment.
Male Transfer in Captive Ruffed Lemurs, Varecia Variegata Variegata

Black and white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata variegata) groups have been studied under both semi-free-ranging conditions, at the Duke University Primate Center (DUPC), since 1985 and in the wild, within Ranomafana National Park in southeastern Madagascar, since 1988. In 1990, fences separating two established enclosure groups of V. variegata at the DUPC were removed. The lowest ranking males from each group first visited and then transferred from their natal group into the neighboring group. One male transferred into a single-male, single female group and rapidly attained dominance over the older resident male. The male transferring into the larger group (6–8 individuals) rose gradually in rank and mated with both resident adult females (mother and daughter). In V. variegata, female mating with multiple males may be an adaptation to reduce the risk of infanticide, but single male matings appear to be necessary for paternal care (guarding). In the wild, males have also been observed visiting between study groups.
Increased thrombospondin-4 after nerve injury mediates disruption of intracellular calcium signaling in primary sensory neurons

Painful nerve injury disrupts Ca2+ signaling in primary sensory neurons by elevating plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) function and depressing sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) function, which decreases endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ stores and stimulates store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). The extracellular matrix glycoprotein thrombospondin-4 (TSP4), which is increased after painful nerve injury, decreases Ca2+ current (ICa) through high-voltage-activated Ca2+ channels and increases ICa through low-voltage-activated Ca2+ channels in dorsal root ganglion neurons, which are events similar to the effect of nerve injury. We therefore examined whether TSP4 plays a critical role in injury-induced disruption of intracellular Ca2+ signaling. We found that TSP4 increases PMCA activity, inhibits SERCA, depletes ER Ca2+ stores, and enhances store-operated Ca2+ influx. Injury-induced changes of SERCA and PMCA function are attenuated in TSP4 knock-out mice. Effects of TSP4 on intracellular Ca2+ signaling are attenuated in voltage-gated Ca2+ channel α2δ1 subunit (Cavα2δ1) conditional knock-out mice and are also Protein Kinase C (PKC) signaling dependent. These findings suggest that TSP4 elevation may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic pain following nerve injury by disrupting intracellular Ca2+ signaling via interacting with the Cavα2δ1 and the subsequent PKC signaling pathway. Controlling TSP4 mediated intracellular Ca2+ signaling in peripheral sensory neurons may be a target for analgesic drug development for neuropathic pain.
Academic Freedom as an Indicator of a Liberal Democracy

Academic freedom and free inquiry are at the very core of the value systems of our great universities. These values enable other values, such as meritocracy or the open communication of ideas, to t...
Quasi Newton Methods in Optimal Control

We study the application of quasi Newton methods to optimal control problems. When applied to the original problem we prove that under a condition on the initial approxirnation of the Hessian the sequence of iterates of controls converges at a q- superlinear rate to the optimal control. This theorem is used for the convergence analysis of the iterates of the finite dimensional approximations which are actually implemented. We show that the number of iterates to achieve a certair tolerance criterion is related to the number of iterates needed for the same task in the original problem.
A Coupled Natural and Human Systems Approach Toward Biodiversity: Reflections from Social Scientists

This concluding chapter discusses and critiques the key themes and findings presented in the preceding chapters written by a diverse array of social and natural scientists. We position the themes and findings within the context of biodiversity as a grand challenge in environmental sciences as identified by the US National Research Council. We reveal varying degrees of engagement with the themes: (1) advances in understanding biogeography, speciation, and extinction; (2) progress in understanding the interaction of biodiversity and ecosystem functions; (3) new and improved tools; (4) progress in conservation science; and (5) integration of ecology with the social sciences. Evident in the volume’s chapters is an emerging integrative paradigm among social and ecological scientists that investigates biodiversity and conservation science using geospatial and other techniques. We argue that these efforts can benefit by an even stronger coupling between social and ecological scientists.
Cellulose Nanofibers-Graphene Nanoplatelets Hybrids Nanofillers as High-Performance Multifunctional Reinforcements in Epoxy Composites:

The objective of this study was to fabricate epoxy polymer composites modified with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) binary filler materials. Individual (0.2 wt.% GNPs ...
Standardizing Bad Cryptographic Practice: A Teardown of the IEEE Standard for Protecting Electronic-design Intellectual Property

We provide an analysis of IEEE standard P1735, which describes methods for encrypting electronic-design intellectual property (IP), as well as the management of access rights for such IP. We find a surprising number of cryptographic mistakes in the standard. In the most egregious cases, these mistakes enable attack vectors that allow us to recover the entire underlying plaintext IP. Some of these attack vectors are well-known, e.g. padding-oracle attacks. Others are new, and are made possible by the need to support the typical uses of the underlying IP; in particular, the need for commercial system-on-chip (SoC) tools to synthesize multiple pieces of IP into a fully specified chip design and to provide syntax errors. We exploit these mistakes in a variety of ways, leveraging a commercial SoC tool as a black-box oracle. In addition to being able to recover entire plaintext IP, we show how to produce standard-compliant ciphertexts of IP that have been modified to include targeted hardware Trojans. For example, IP that correctly implements the AES block cipher on all but one (arbitrary) plaintext that induces the block cipher to return the secret key. We outline a number of other attacks that the standard allows, including on the cryptographic mechanism for IP licensing. Unfortunately, we show that obvious "quick fixes" to the standard (and the tools that support it) do not stop all of our attacks. This suggests that the standard requires a significant overhaul, and that IP-authors using P1735 encryption should consider themselves at risk.
A 1.5-Year Follow-Up of Parent Training and Atomoxetine for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Noncompliant/Disruptive Behavior in Autism.

Abstract Objective: To examine status of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 10 months after a 34-week clinical trial of atomoxetine (ATX) and parent training (PT). Methods: In a 2 × 2 des...
Meteorology Directs Where Blast Will Strike

Seismological exploration companies and Defense Department proving grounds occasionally experience liability suits for damage wrought by explosions. Good forecasts of troposphere temperature and wind structure can be used to predict where shocks will strike, and with fair accuracy whether or not the shock will crack windows. Formulas are derived by which these predictions may be made. (auth)
Stress analysis of thick-walled tube with step change in thermal expansion: Authors compare the finite-element method of solution for the problem with the results obtained by photoelastic experiment

The finite-element method of stress analysis is used to evaluate highly localized stress distributions in a thick-walled tube with a step change in temperature. Effect of gird size on stress calculated in the neighborhood of the temperature discontinuity is examined. A photoelastic analysis of the differential-thermal-expansion problem is also described. Comparison of the experimental and the calculated stress distributions shows good agreement. An approximate analysis which provides insight into the manner in which the thermal stresses develop is also included.
Asynchronous Active Objects in Java

Object Oriented languages have increased in popularity over the last two decades. The OO paradigm claims to model the way objects interact in the real world. All objects in the OO model are passive and all methods are executed synchronously in the thread of the caller. Active objects execute their methods in their own threads. The active object queues method invocations and executes them one at a time. Method invocations do not overlap, thus the object cannot be put into or seen to be in an incon- sistent state. We propose an active object system implemented by extending the Java language with four new keywords: active, async, on and waitfor. We have modified Sun's open-source compiler to accept the new keywords and to translate them to regu- lar Java code during desugaring phase. We achieve this through the use of RMI, which as a side effect, allows us to utilise a cluster of work stations to perform distributed computing.
ECP Software Technology Capability Assessment Report

Author(s): Heroux, Michael A; Carter, Jonathan; Thakur, Rajeev; Vetter, Jeffrey; McInnes, Lois Curfman; Ahrens, James; Neely, J Robert | Abstract: The Exascale Computing Project (ECP) Software Technology (ST) Focus Area is responsible for developing critical software capabilities that will enable successful execution of ECP applications, and for providing key components of a productive and sustainable Exascale computing ecosystem that will position the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the broader high performance (HPC) community with a rm foundation for future extreme-scale computing capabilities. This ECP ST Capability Assessment Report (CAR) provides an overview and assessment of current ECP ST capabilities and activities, giving stakeholders and the broader HPC community information that can be used to assess ECP ST progress and plan their own efforts accordingly. ECP ST leaders commit to updating this document on regular basis (targeting approximately every six months). Highlights from the report are presented here.
Mechanisms of Transitional Justice

This chapter reviews extant transitional justice literature, explains the various transitional justice mechanisms adopted since the Nuremburg and Tokyo Trials were carried out following WWII, and discusses how these institutions have evolved in the recent past. The tension between idealistic expectations and political realities in transitioning states is highlighted. Important mechanisms of transitional justice are discussed throughout this chapter.
Sentiment Prediction in Social Networks

Sentiment analysis research has focused on using text for predicting sentiments without considering the unavoidable peer influence on user emotions and opinions. The lack of large-scale ground-truth data on sentiments of users in social networks has limited research on how predictable sentiments are from social ties. In this paper, using a large-scale dataset on human sentiments, we study sentiment prediction within social networks. We demonstrate that sentiments are predictable using structural properties of social networks alone. With social science and psychology literature, we provide evidence on sentiments being connected to social relationships at four different network levels, starting from the ego-network level and moving up to the whole-network level. We discuss emotional signals that can be captured at each level of social relationships and investigate the importance of structural features on each network levels. We demonstrate that sentiment prediction that solely relies on social network structure can be as (or more) accurate than text-based techniques. For the situations where complete posts and friendship information are difficult to get, we analyze the trade-off between the sentiment prediction performance and the available information. When computational resources are limited, we show that using only four network properties, one can predict sentiments with competitive accuracy. Our findings can be used to (1) validate the peer influence on user sentiments, (2) improve classical text-based sentiment prediction methods, (3) enhance friend recommendation by utilizing sentiments, and (4) help identify personality traits.
Polarization and the Politics of Education: What Moves Partisan Opinion?:

This study explores the conditions under which polarization and depolarization occur with respect to public opinion on education issues. I analyze experimental and nonexperimental survey data to ga...
The Smithsonian-Mason Semester: How Partners Can Provide High Quality Mentoring, Hands-on Activities, and Access to Professional Networks for Students

The Smithsonian-Mason Semester is a 16-credit, integrated learning environment for undergraduates. Students are resident at an internationally recognized research facility that houses cutting edge research and some of the worldA¢â¬â¢s most endangered species. While the program is divided into 5 courses for administrative purposes, each topic is taught in a discrete module, facilitating the integration of concepts. Subject matter experts from both Smithsonian and Mason contribute course material and lead activities. The curriculum is interdisciplinary and makes use of lab work, field work, and field trips. Assignments stress group work, the development of powers of abstraction, critical thinking skills, as well as oral and written presentation skills. The students spend one day per week in a practicum, mentored by a Smithsonian scientist or practitioner. This often leads to internship opportunities. Additionally students form close bonds with their peers, forming the foundation for future professional relationships. A common complaint is that students are sorry to see the semester end! This program may serve as a model for other partnerships that may serve to enrich the studentsA¢â¬â¢ learning experience.
Design and synthesis of multivalent α-1,2-trimannose-linked bioerodible microparticles for applications in immune response studies of Leishmania major infection

Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, currently infects approximately 12 million people worldwide with 1 to 2 million new cases each year in predominately underdeveloped countries. The treatment of the disease is severely underdeveloped due to the ability of the Leishmania pathogen to evade and abate immune responses. In an effort to develop anti-leishmaniasis vaccines and adjuvants, novel carbohydrate-based probes were made to study the mechanisms of immune modulation. In this study, a new bioerodible polyanhydride microparticle was designed and conjugated with a glycodendrimer molecular probe. This molecular probe incorporates a pathogen-like multivalent display of α-1,2-trimannose, for which a more efficient synthesis was designed, with a tethered fluorophore. Further attachment of the glycodendrimer to a biocompatible, surface eroding microparticle allows for targeted uptake and internalization of the pathogen-associated oligosaccharide by phagocytic immune cells. The α-1,2-trimannose-linked bioerodible microparticles were found to be safe after administration into the footpad of mice and demonstrated a similar response to α-1,2-trimannose-coated latex beads during L. major footpad infection. Furthermore, the bioerodible microparticles allowed for investigation of the role of pathogen-associated oligosaccharides for recognition by pathogen-recognition receptors during L. major-induced leishmaniasis.
Abstract 152: Risk of Arterial Thromboembolic Events After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Introduction: Ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) have been reported as frequent complications after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), but the magnitude and duration of this risk is unclea...
Conservation of glucagon like peptide-1 level with liraglutide and linagilptin protects the kidney against angiotensin II-induced tissue fibrosis in rats

Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that the enhancement of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) level through either exogenous supply of GLP-1 agonist, liraglutide or prevention of endogenous GLP-1 degradation with dipeptidyl peptidease-4 inhibitor, lingaliptin ameliorates angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced renal fibrosis. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: 0.9% saline or Ang II (500 ng/kg/min) was infused with osmotic minipumps for 4 weeks, defined as sham and Ang II groups. In drug treated groups, liraglutide (0.3 mg/kg) was injected subcutaneously twice daily or linagliptin (8 mg/kg) was administered daily via oral gavage during Ang II infusion. Compared with Ang II stimulation, liraglutide or linagliptin comparatively down-regulated the protein level of the AT1 receptor, and up-regulated the AT2 receptor, as identified by a reduced AT1/AT2 ratio (all p
MathSeer: A Math-Aware Search Interface with Intuitive Formula Editing, Reuse, and Lookup.

There has been growing interest in math-aware search engines that support retrieval using both formulas and keywords. An important unresolved issue is the design of search interfaces: for wide adoption, they must be engaging and easy-to-use, particularly for non-experts. The MathSeer interface addresses this with straightforward formula creation, editing, and lookup. Formulas are stored in ‘chips’ created using handwriting, Open image in new window, and images. MathSeer sessions are also stored at automatically generated URLs that save all chips and their editing history. To avoid re-entering formulas, chips can be reused, edited, or used in creating other formulas. As users enter formulas, our novel autocompletion facility returns entity cards searchable by formula or entity name, making formulas easy to (re)locate, and descriptions of symbols and notation available before queries are issued.
Assessing reproducibility and veracity across machine learning techniques in biomedicine: A case study using TCGA data.

Abstract Background Many studies that aim to identify gene biomarkers using statistical methods and translate them into FDA-approved drugs have faced challenges due to lack of clinical validity and methodological reproducibility. Since genomic data analysis relies heavily on these statistical learning tools more than before, it is vital to address the limitations of these computational techniques. Methods Our study demonstrates these methodological gaps among most common statistical learning techniques used in gene expression analysis. To assess the classification ability and reproducibility of statistical learning tools for gene biomarker detection, six state-of-the-art machine learning models were trained on four different cancer data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Standard performance metrics including specificity, sensitivity, precision, and F1 score were evaluated to investigate the classification ability. For analysis of reproducibility, the identifiability of gene classifiers was examined by quantifying the consistency of the chosen classifier genes. Results Among the six state-of-the-art machine learning methods, the random forest had the best classification ability overall. Very few genes were selected by multiple methods, which suggests poor identifiability and reproducibility of statistical learning methods for gene expression data. Our results demonstrated the challenges of reproducing discoveries from gene expression analysis due to the inherent differences that exist in statistical machine learning methods. Conclusion Since statistical machine learning models can have large variations in high-dimensional settings such as analysis of gene expression data, transparent analysis procedures including data preprocessing, model parameterization, and evaluation and choice of interpretable models are required for clinical validity and utility.
Body Composition Changes in Response to Moderate- or High-Intensity Exercise Among Older Adults With or Without HIV Infection.

BACKGROUND People with HIV (PWH) are at an increased risk for adiposity and sarcopenia, despite effective antiretroviral therapy. Our objective was to compare the effects of prescribed exercise on body composition in older PWH and uninfected controls. SETTING Academic medical center. METHODS Sedentary PWH (n = 27) and uninfected controls (n = 28) aged 50-75 years completed 24 weeks of cardiovascular and resistance exercise. Participants completed 12 weeks of moderate-intensity exercise and then were randomized to moderate- or high-intensity exercise for 12 additional weeks. Total lean (LEAN) and fat mass (FAT), and visceral adipose tissue area (VAT) were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and 24 weeks; baseline and intervention differences were compared by HIV serostatus using multivariable regression analyses adjusted for baseline values, age, and exercise adherence. RESULTS At baseline, PWH had significantly lower FAT (P = 0.003), but no significant differences in LEAN or VAT compared with controls (P > 0.20). Changes over 24 weeks were not significantly different by HIV serostatus, although controls tended to gain more LEAN (0.8 kg; range, 0-1.6 kg; P = 0.04] than PWH (0.6 kg; range, -0.2 to 1.4 kg; P = 0.12) and lose less FAT and VAT (controls: (-0.9 kg; range, -1.8 to 0.0 kg and -10.3 cm; range, -19.6, 1.0) cm; both P = 0.03 vs PWH: -2.0 kg; range, -2.9 to -1.1 kg and -17.7 cm; range, -27.1 to -8.2 cm; both P < 0.001). Exercise intensity differences were not apparent for LEAN, FAT, or VAT. CONCLUSIONS Exercise reduced total and visceral fat in older PWH and controls. Minimal gains in lean mass suggest that greater emphasis on resistance exercise may be needed to more effectively increase muscle in PWH.
Clinicopathologic features, outcomes, and prognostic factors of testicular sarcoma: a population-based study

To describe clinical characteristics and identify prognostic factors among men with testicular sarcoma, and to compare survival with other testicular cancers. The surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database (1975–2016) was queried to identify adults with testicular sarcoma. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards, Fine and Gray competing-risks regression, propensity score matching, and Kaplan–Meier analyses were used. 230 men were included in this study. Median age at diagnosis was 58 years (range 18–94), and median OS was 10.3 years. Patients with tumors larger than 8 cm in size had worse OS (HR 1.88, p = 0.016) compared to patients with tumors < 8 cm. Disease with distant metastasis was associated with worse OS (HR 4.70, p < 0.0001) and worse CSS (HR 11.41, p < 0.0001) as compared to disease localized to the testis. Men with rhabdomyosarcoma had worse CSS (HR 3.25, p = 0.03) as compared to men with liposarcoma. Testicular sarcoma patients had worse OS than matched patients with either seminomatous germ cell tumors (GCTs, p < 0.0001) or nonseminomatous GCTs (p = 0.0019), and similar survival to matched patients with sex cord stromal tumors, testicular lymphoma, or sarcomas of the lower limb—the most common anatomic site of origin of soft tissue sarcomas. In the largest cohort of men with testicular sarcoma to date, we identified tumor size, disease extent, and rhabdomyosarcoma histology as independent predictors of worse survival. Stage-adjusted survival was worse as compared to men with GCTs, and similar to men with sex cord stromal tumors, testicular lymphoma, and sarcomas of other primary sites.
Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in Pediatric Sepsis: Outcomes in a Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is associated with difficulty in ventilator weaning and increased mortality in septic adults. We evaluated the association of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction with outcomes in a cohort of children with severe sepsis and septic shock. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Single-center noncardiac PICU. Patients Age greater than 1 month to less than 18 years old with severe sepsis or septic shock from January 2011 to June 2017 with echocardiogram within 48 hours of sepsis onset. Interventions None. Measurements and main results Echocardiograms were retrospectively assessed for mitral inflow E (early) and A (atrial) velocity and e' (early mitral annular motion) septal and lateral velocity. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was defined as E/e' greater than 10, E/A less than 0.8, or E/A greater than 1.5. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was present in 109 of 204 patients (53%). The data did not demonstrate an association between the presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and the proportion of children requiring invasive mechanical ventilation at the time of echocardiogram (difference in proportion, +5% [72% vs 67%; 95% CI, -8% to 17%]; p = 0.52). The duration of mechanical ventilation was median 192.9 hours (interquartile range, 65.0-378.4 hr) in the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction group versus 151.0 hours (interquartile range, 45.7-244.3 hr) in the group without left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. The presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was not significantly associated with ICU length of stay or mortality. Exploratory analyses revealed that an alternative definition of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, solely defined by E/e' greater than 10, was found to have an association with mechanical ventilation requirement at the time of echocardiogram (difference in proportion, +15%; 95% CI, 3-28%; p = 0.02) and duration of mechanical ventilation (median, 207.3 vs 146.9 hr). Conclusions The data failed to show an association between the presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction defined by both E/e' and E/A and the primary and secondary outcomes. When an alternative definition of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction with E/e' alone was used, there was a significant association with respiratory outcomes.
A Reinforcement Learning Framework for Video Frame-Based Autonomous Car-Following

Car-following theory has received considerable attention as a core component of Intelligent Transportation Systems. However, its application to the emerging autonomous vehicles (AVs) remains an unexplored research area. AVs are designed to provide convenient and safe driving by avoiding accidents caused by human errors. They require advanced levels of recognition of other drivers’ driving-style. With car-following models, AVs can use their built-in technology to understand the environment surrounding them and make real-time decisions to follow other vehicles. In this paper, we design an end-to-end car-following framework for AVs using automated object detection and navigation decision modules. The objective is to allow an AV to follow another vehicle based on Red Green Blue Depth (RGB-D) frames. We propose to employ a joint solution involving the You Look Once version 3 (YOLOv3) object detector to identify the leader vehicle and other obstacles and a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to navigate the self-driving vehicle. Two RL algorithms, namely Q-learning and Deep Q-learning have been investigated. Simulation results show the convergence of the developed models and investigate their efficiency in following the leader. It is shown that, with video frames only, promising results are achieved and that AVs can adopt a reasonable car-following behavior.