cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proterozoic Basement-Cover Relationships in the Needle Mountains, SW Colorado, USA: A Cuspate-Lobate Fold Model

Proterozoic rocks in the northwestern Needle Mountains include a basement complex, comprised of ca. 1750 Ma gneisses intruded by ca. 1690 Ma granitoid plutons, which is in tectonic contact with quartzites and pelites of the Uncompahgre Group (cover). Cover rocks occupy a complex, E-W trending cuspate synclinorium and are interpreted to be parautochthonous upon, and folded together with, their basement.
Systemic and Mucosal Antibody Responses to Soluble and Nanoparticle-Conjugated Antigens Administered Intranasally

Nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly being used for drug delivery, as well as antigen carriers and immunostimulants for the purpose of developing vaccines. In this work, we examined how intranasal (i.n.) priming followed by i.n. or subcutaneous (s.c.) boosting immunization affects the humoral immune response to chicken ovalbumin (Ova) and Ova conjugated to 20 nm NPs (NP-Ova). We show that i.n. priming with 20 mg of soluble Ova, a dose known to trigger oral tolerance when administered via gastric gavage, induced substantial systemic IgG1 and IgG2c, as well as mucosal antibodies. These responses were further boosted following a s.c. immunization with Ova and complete Freund’s adjuvant (Ova+CFA). In contrast, 100 µg of Ova delivered via NPs induced an IgG1-dominated systemic response, and primed the intestinal mucosa for secretion of IgA. Following a secondary s.c. or i.n. immunization with Ova+CFA or NP-Ova, systemic IgG1 titers significantly increased, and serum IgG2c and intestinal antibodies were induced in mice primed nasally with NP-Ova. Only Ova- and NP-Ova-primed mice that were s.c.-boosted exhibited substantial systemic and mucosal titers for up to 6 months after priming, whereas the antibodies of i.n.-boosted mice declined over time. Our results indicate that although the amount of Ova delivered by NPs was 1000-fold less than Ova delivered in soluble form, the antigen-specific antibody responses, both systemic and mucosal, are essentially identical by 6 months following the initial priming immunization. Additionally, both i.n.- and s.c.-boosting strategies for NP-Ova-primed mice were capable of inducing a polarized Th1/Th2 immune response, as well as intestinal antibodies; however, it is only by using a heterogeneous prime-boost strategy that long-lasting antibody responses were initiated. These results provide valuable insight for future mucosal vaccine development, as well as furthering our understanding of mucosal antibody responses.
Elucidating Oligomer-Surface and Oligomer-Oligomer Interactions at a Lithiated Silicon Surface

Abstract Solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers are multicomponent films formed at the surface of electrodes in Li-ion batteries due to electrochemical instability of the electrolyte components. The properties of this film significantly affect the lifetime of the battery. Here we study the interaction of some electrolyte reduction products (oligomers) with a bare Li13Si4 (010) surface and a Li13Si4 (010) surface partially covered with lithium fluoride (LiF) using classical Monte Carlo and density functional theory-based methods The adsorption, charge transfer, and association of oligomers on the surface are reported. Overall, the oligomers attach firmly to the surface. Our findings indicate that the surface-oligomer interaction dominates the stabilization of the system up to a coverage of approximately 1 oligomer/nm2 and once this coverage is reached, oligomer-oligomer interactions dominate the stabilization of the porous block. Regarding association, lithium ethylene dicarbonate (Li2EDC) tends to associate with the bare and partially covered surface through O.Li.O bridges. However, the association mechanism varies depending on the existing nucleating products at the surface. In contrast, lithium vinylene dicarbonate (Li2VDC)’s backbone is closer to the surface and exhibits a more flexible structure than the Li2EDC oligomer. This difference may further affect the compactness of the SEI layer. Aligned with our previous studies, we also found oligomer decomposition on the surface. Our calculations offer critical information regarding the structure of electrolyte decomposition products over silicon electrodes.
Improving the durability of advanced fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites using nanoclay

Abstract: In this chapter, we report the findings of experimental investigations conducted on durability of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites with and without the addition of montmorillonite nanoclay. First, neat and nanoclay-added epoxy systems were characterized to evaluate the extent of clay platelet exfoliation and dispersion of nanoclay. GFRP composite panels were then fabricated with neat/modified epoxy resin and exposed to six different conditions, i.e. hot-dry/wet, cold-dry/wet, ultraviolet radiation and alternate ultraviolet radiation–condensation. Room temperature condition samples were also used for baseline consideration. An improved dispersion of nanoclay and exfoliation of clay platelets were observed in 2 wt% of epoxy samples. Weight change, discoloration and significant reduction in properties were observed in all conditioned GFRP samples. However, addition of nanoclay considerably improved the durability of GFRP samples as evident from the mechanical and micrographical results in comparison to neat samples subjected to similar conditions.
A Novel Approach to Unify Robotics, Sensors, and Cloud Computing Through IoT for a Smarter Healthcare Solution for Routine Checks and Fighting Epidemics.

This paper attempts to project a novel concept where medical sensors, cloud computing and robotic platform are unified to offer state-of-the-art healthcare solutions to a wide variety of scenarios. The proposed solution is most effective if there is scarcity of healthcare providers or if putting them in the field expose them into a high risk environment such as fighting epidemics. In addition, the proposed system will also benefit routine checks in quarantine wards of hospitals where human reluctance of performing routine task by the healthcare providers can be avoided. Finally, it can also assist a doctor as a decision support system by using machine’s capability of number crunching while it examines through patient’s complete history, goes through every medical test reports and then applies data mining for catching possible ailments from his/her symptoms.
Perspectives on risk: Assessment of risk profiles and outcomes among women planning community birth in the United States.

Background There is little agreement on who is a good candidate for community (home or birth center) birth in the United States. Methods Data on n=47 394 midwife-attended, planned community births come from the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project. Logistic regression quantified the independent contribution of 10 risk factors to maternal and neonatal outcomes. Risk factors included: primiparity, advanced maternal age, obesity, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, postterm pregnancy, twins, breech presentation, history of cesarean and vaginal birth, and history of cesarean without history of vaginal birth. Models controlled additionally for Medicaid, race/ethnicity, and education. Results The independent contributions of maternal age and obesity were quite modest, with adjusted odds ratios (AOR) less than 2.0 for all outcomes: hospital transfer, cesarean, perineal trauma, postpartum hemorrhage, low/very-low Apgar, maternal or neonatal hospitalization, NICU admission, and fetal/neonatal death. Breech was strongly associated with morbidity and fetal/neonatal mortality (AOR 8.2, 95% CI, 3.7-18.4). Women with a history of both cesarean and vaginal birth fared better than primiparas across all outcomes; however, women with a history of cesarean but no prior vaginal births had poor outcomes, most notably fetal/neonatal demise (AOR 10.4, 95% CI, 4.8-22.6). Cesarean births were most common in the breech (44.7%), preeclampsia (30.6%), history of cesarean without vaginal birth (22.1%), and primipara (11.0%) groups. Discussion The outcomes of labor after cesarean in women with previous vaginal deliveries indicates that guidelines uniformly prohibiting labor after cesarean should be reconsidered for this subgroup. Breech presentation has the highest rate of adverse outcomes supporting management of vaginal breech labor in a hospital setting.
Demyelination load as predictor for disease progression in juvenile metachromatic leukodystrophy.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether the extent and topography of cerebral demyelination correlates with and predicts disease progression in patients with juvenile metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). Methods A total of 137 MRIs of 46 patients with juvenile MLD were analyzed. Demyelination load and brain volume were quantified using the previously developed Software “clusterize.” Clinical data were collected within the German Leukodystrophy Network and included full scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) and gross motor function data. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) across the whole brain was performed to investigate the spatial relationship of cerebral demyelination with motor or cognitive function. The prognostic value of the demyelination load at disease onset was assessed to determine the severity of disease progression. Results The demyelination load (corrected by the individual brain volume) correlated significantly with gross motor function (r = +0.55) and FSIQ (r = −0.55). Demyelination load at disease onset was associated with the severity of disease progression later on (P < 0.01). VLSM results associated frontal lobe demyelination with loss in FSIQ and more central region demyelination with decline of motor function. Especially progression of demyelination within the motor area was associated with severe disease progression. Interpretation We were able to show for the first time in a large cohort of patients with juvenile MLD that the demyelination load correlates with motor and cognitive symptoms. Moreover, demyelination load at disease onset, especially the involvement of the central region, predicts severity of disease progression. Thus, demyelination load seems a functionally relevant MRI parameter.
Civil service systems in comparative perspective

Preface 1. Introduction: Conceptualizing Civil Service SystemsNHans A. G. M. Bekke, James L. Perry, and Theo A. J. Toonen Part I: Theory and Data 2. Theory and MethodologyNB. Guy Peters 3. Data Requirements and AvailabilityNEugene B. McGregor, Jr. and Paul Solano Part II: History and Structure 4. The Evolution of Civil Service SystemsNJos C. N. Raadschelders and Mark R. Rutgers 5. Internal Labor MarketsNLois Recascino Wise 6. Civil Servants and RepresentativenessNFrits M. van der Meer and Renk L. J. Roborgh Part III: Context 7. Politicization as a Civil Service DilemmaNWilliam P. Hojnacki 8. Social Control of Civil Service SystemsNMichael Hill and Desi Gillespie 9. Public Opinion Towards the Civil ServiceNHal G. Rainey Part IV: Configurations 10. Configurations of Civil Service SystemsNFarrel Heady 11. Analyzing Fields of Change: Civil Service Systems in developing CountriesNE. Philip Morgan Part V. Change and Transformation 12. External Stress and Internal Strains: The Reform Agenda for National Civil Service SystemsNPatricia W. Ingraham 13. Exploring Variations in 1980s Public Management ReformNChristopher Hood 14. The Diffusion of Civil Service ReformNJohn Halligan 15. Conclusion: Assessment of Progress and a Research AgendaNHans A. G. M. Bekke, James L. Perry, and Theo A. J. Toonen
Explanatory schema and the process of model building

In this paper, we argue that rather than exclusively focusing on trying to determine if an idealized model fits a particular account of scientific explanation, philosophers of science should also work on directly analyzing various explanatory schemas that reveal the steps and justification involved in scientists’ use of highly idealized models to formulate explanations. We develop our alternative methodology by analyzing historically important cases of idealized statistical modeling that use a three-step explanatory schema involving idealization, mathematical operation, and explanatory interpretation.
Mechanotargeting: Mechanics-Dependent Cellular Uptake of Nanoparticles

Targeted delivery of nanoparticle (NP)-based diagnostic and therapeutic agents to malignant cells and tissues has exclusively relied on chemotargeting, wherein NPs are surface-coated with ligands that specifically bind to overexpressed receptors on malignant cells. Here, it is demonstrated that cellular uptake of NPs can also be biased to malignant cells based on the differential mechanical states of cells, enabling mechanotargeting. Owing to mechanotransduction, cell lines (HeLa and HCT-8) cultured on hydrogels of various stiffness are directed into different stress states, measured by cellular force microscopies. In vitro NP delivery reveals that increases in cell stress suppress cellular uptake, counteracting the enhanced uptake that occurs with increases in exposed surface area of spread cells. Upon prolonged culture on stiff hydrogels, cohesive HCT-8 cell colonies undergo metastatic phenotypic change and disperse into individual malignant cells. The metastatic cells are of extremely low stress state and adopt an unspread, 3D morphology, resulting in several-fold higher uptake than the nonmetastatic counterparts. This study opens a new paradigm of harnessing mechanics for the design of future strategies in nanomedicine.
Haemophilus b oligosaccharide-CRM197 and other Haemophilus b conjugate vaccines: a status report.

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Haemophilus b) is a major cause of life-threatening and debilitating diseases in infants and young children. In the United States, it is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis, and also causes other invasive diseases, such as epiglottitis, septic arthritis, cellulitis, pneumonia and bacteremia. In 1985, United States Public Health officials estimated that, despite the availability of potentially effective antibiotics and medical care, up to 1 in every 200 children in the USA develops an invasive Haemophilus b disease before the age of five years (Cochi et al., 1985). The 1985 report by the U.S. National Academy of Science on establishing vaccine priorities in the United States (NRC, 1985) estimated the annual vaccine preventable costs of Haemophilus b disease to be approximately 425 million dollars, and ranked Haemophilus b vaccine among the highest priorities for needed new vaccines.
CONCURRENT PART AND PROCESS DESIGN FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Concurrent part and process design has been shown to reduce product development time and cost. With modeling support it can also lead to improvements in product quality by providing design engineers with an understanding of manufacturing capability, not in terms of nominal constraints, but in terms of variation. In this paper we outline an approach to concurrent design based on a combination of manufacturing process variation models that we call the Integrated System Model (ISM). The ISM can be used to simultaneousl y choose combinations of design and manufacturing variables that result in minimal variation for the final product. We explore this approach through an example drawn from sheet metal part manufacturing in the aerospace industry.
The Approach of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises to Process Management

This investigation of small and medium sized enterprises is based on receiving and evaluating 185 questionnaires reflecting the situation in 2010. Data from questionnaires were evaluated in three different ways: 1) as average values of the whole group. 2) Later, they were sorted according to the number of employees (1-9; 10-24; 25-49; 50-249) and 3) according to six different specialisations. The planning activity is most developed in enterprises with 50-249 employees, where on average 2.6 different plans are used, however, in the category with 10-24 employees only 1.6 plans are made. The same tendency concerns process maps, which are constructed first of all in enterprises with 50-249 employees (67.2 %),whereas, in the category of 10-24 employees this is only 21.7 %. A part of this investigation was focused on four main processes: Marketing, Human relations, Production and Finance. The best evaluation was in respect of Finance, followed by Production, Human relations and Marketing. Detailed analysis was carried out for the process connected with Production. Besides this, the analysis also concerned outsourcing [most outsourced activities were accountancy (24.9 %), maintenance (23.2 %) and transport (26.5 %). As the most competitive advantage there was mentioned assortment (37.8 %), flexibility (21.6 %) and quality of work (35.7 %). The enterprises are worried the most about client’s insolvency (39.5 %) and policy of the government (20.5 %).
Lower Dimensional Magnetism

Much of what has gone heretofore could come under the classification of short-range order. Certainly the intracluster magnetic exchange in Chap. 5 falls within this heading, and a significant part of the discussion of Chap. 6 also dealt with this subject. By “short- range order,” we shall mean the accumulation of entropy in a magnetic system above the long-range ordering temperature. Though this occurs with all magnetic systems, the physical meaning implied by the chapter title is that magnetic ions are assumed here to interact only with their nearest neighbors in a particular spatial sense. For operational purposes, the term will be restricted to magnetic interactions in one and two (lattice) dimensions. In that regard, it is interesting to note that the discussion is thereby restricted to the paramagnetic region. Let it be clear right at the beginning that this magnetic behavior follows directly from the structure of the various compounds.
Glycosaminoglycan-Protein Interactions by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most utilized and informative analytical techniques for investigating glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-protein complexes. NMR methods that are commonly applied to GAG-protein systems include chemical shift perturbation, saturation transfer difference, and transferred nuclear Overhauser effect. Although these NMR methods have revealed valuable insight into the protein-GAG complexes, elucidating high-resolution structural and dynamic information of these often transient interactions remains challenging. In addition, preparation of structurally homogeneous and isotopically enriched GAG ligands for structural investigations continues to be laborious. As a result, understanding of the structure-activity relationship of GAGs is still primitive. To overcome these deficiencies, several innovative NMR techniques have been developed lately. Here, we review some of the commonly used techniques along with more novel methods such as waterLOGSY and experiments to examine structure and dynamic of lysine and arginine side chains to identify GAG-binding sites. We will also present the latest technology that is used to produce isotopically enriched as well as paramagnetically tagged GAG ligands. Recent results that were obtained from solid-state NMR of amyloid’s interaction with GAG are also presented together with a brief discussion on computer assisted modeling of GAG-protein complexes using sparse experimental data.
A PVT-Resilient No-Touch DFT Methodology for Prebond TSV Testing

Prebond TSV testing is a powerful technique to identify faulty TSVs prior to 3-D stacking and to boost up the chip yield rate significantly. Existing prebond test methodologies experience fault detection resolution challenges, large implementation overheads, and most importantly, wide performance fluctuations in presence of process corners, supply voltage, temperature (PVT) variations. In this work, we propose a no-touch TSV test methodology that is resilient against PVT variations, or test environment parameters, thus suitable for industry practical uses. The proposed methodology is based on the idea of charging the TSV RC-network and counting the number of voltage pulses required to charge up the TSV. We undertake a detailed performance evaluation of the test methodology by adopting state-of-the-art industry technology parameters. The major advantage of the test methodology is its strong resilience to PVT variations and simplicity of implementation. In addition, a DFT circuitry is proposed to share among a group of TSVs to lower the design overhead.
Cooperative, Compromising, Conflictual, and Uninvolved Coparenting Among Teenaged Parents:

Adolescent parents often maintain a coparenting relationship that is characterized by frequent conflict and unhealthy communication. However, in relationships with less conflict and more cooperatio...
Electroweak Radiative Corrections to W Boson Production at the Tevatron

We discuss the O(alpha) electroweak radiative corrections to W boson production at the Tevatron and their effect on the W boson mass extracted by experiment. The results of a new calculation of the O(alpha) corrections are presented and compared with those of a previous calculation. We also briefly discuss the O(alpha) corrections to Z boson production at the Tevatron and two-photon radiation in W and Z events.
Sacral Kingship and Resistance to Authority in the Middle English Life of Edward the Confessor

In medieval England, the life of St. Edward the Confessor functioned as ideological myth; Henry III used it to show that the Plantagenet dynasty had reconciled two ‘nations’ within England after the Norman Conquest. Edward’s post-Conquest hagiography generally supports a sacralized monarchy and its prerogatives. However, a lesser-known, anonymous version of Edward’s life exists in Middle English verse and resists royalist mythmaking from a more populist perspective. In the South English Legendary and in several Middle English chronicles, a counter-tradition of writing about Edward continues to sacralize the saint-king but simultaneously positions him as a symbol of resistance to Plantagenet rule. In this tradition, the rhetoric of sacral kingship works unexpectedly: rather than sanctifying the authority of the ruling house, it reminds readers of a previous, dead monarch, whose claim to sanctity (the fulfillment of Edward’s famous prophecy of the green tree) should act as a check on the abuse of power by the presently-reigning dynasty. From this point of view, resistance to the Crown can be seen, not as discouraged and limited by the idea of sacral monarchy, but instead as partly motivated by it.
Efficiently searching for a solution to a kirkman packing design problem

The Kirkman Packing Design problem described herein lends itself to a brute force, exhaustive search which would be quite time consuming if attempted naively. To improve the implementation's performance, several ideas from CS2 can be incorporated into the program to significantly reduce the overall size of the state space that will be enumerated while a solution is being searched for.
Socialization of Veterans Using Virtual Reality.

Real cognitive power comes from using external aids that enhance our cognitive activities; however, without such assistance, our memories, thoughts and reasonings are all constrained (Ware 2008). Exposure to trauma can cause damage to the area of the brain noted for value-based decision-making and can lead to a greater risk of mental health problems. However, evidence suggests that social support may provide a protective barrier on brain structure. A major factor in high suicide rate among military veterans is due to untreated mental illness. Unfortunately, there is a gap of service for veterans released from active duty and who are waiting to be treated by VA Medical Centers. Recently, there have been several press releases concerning the increase of suicide among veterans, and the inability of the VA to serve veterans in a timely manner. Numerous laws, blue ribbon commissions, Inspector General (IG) reports, Government Accountability reports, and hearings in both the Senate and House of Representatives Veterans’ Affairs Committees are examining ways to fix this inefficiency (Heller et al. 2014; Ducharme 2018). The main objective of this research is to describe how players experience healthy socialization within virtual reality social environments using virtual ethnography and phenomenology. This exploration of healthy socialization using the emerging virtual reality social platforms may enable both positive socialization and positive emotional states (Stephane 2007 and Savage 2014) for both the short-term gap of service, and the long-term building of resilience.
MULTIMODAL OPTIMIZATION OF JOB-SHOP SCHEDULING PROBLEMS USING A CLUSTERING-GENETIC ALGORITHM BASED APPROACH

Though ample work has been done in optimization of job shop scheduling problems (JSSPs), very few techniques can satisfy the requirement of modern day workshop i.e. providing multiple schedules that achieve the desired goal. These techniques also do not provide a good balance between converging to the optimal solution while finding multiple optimal solutions. To overcome this obstacle, a new algorithm is proposed, by combining k-means clustering algorithm and Genetic Algorithm (GA), for the multimodal optimization of JSSPs. In the proposed algorithm, k-means clustering algorithm is first utilized to cluster the individuals of every generation into different clusters, based on some machine sequence related features under the assumption that different global optima will have different features. Next the adapted genetic operators are applied to the individuals belonging within the same cluster with the aim of searching for global optima within each cluster independently. The performance of the proposed algorithm is measured by its application to the multimodal optimization of benchmark JSSPs and comparing its performance against other multimodal optimization algorithms. The results of the case studies show that the algorithm has better average optimal value and is also capable of finding multiple optimal solutions.
Autofocus methods for 3D shape measurement with digital fringe projection techniques

This paper presents two autofocusing methods for 3D shape measurement. We tried two systems: 1) for a single camera and dual projector system, we only used two projectors for 3D reconstruction, and thus camera calibration is not necessary; 2) for a single camera and single projector system. Because the projector depth of field is large for high-quality fringe pattern generation for 3D shape measurement, we attached an electrically tunable lens (ETL) to the camera. For the first system, we determined the focal plane from the rough measurement with an initial input signal to ETL, and 3D reconstruction was realized through the matching points on two projectors. For the second system, we modeled camera parameters as continuous function of the input signal to ETL that is pre-calibrated; and implemented a traditional passive autofocusing algorithm. Experimental results demonstrated the success for both methods to potentially achieve autofocusing capability for 3D shape measurement systems.
A systematic review of decision aids for gender affirming therapy

Background Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) persons considering gender affirming therapy have to make many complex medical decisions, potentially without understanding the associated harms or benefits of hormonal and surgical interventions. Further, clinicians are often unaware of how best to communicate information to persons seeking gender affirming therapy. Patient decision aids have been developed to provide evidence-based information as a way to help people make decisions in collaboration with their clinicians. It is unclear whether such tools exist for persons seeking gender affirming therapy. The objective of our systematic review is to search for and determine the quality of any existing patient decision aids developed for TGD persons considering gender affirming therapy, and the outcomes associated with their use. Methods We adapted a search strategy for databases using two key concepts "decision support intervention/patient decision aid" and "transgender". We also conducted a brief online search of Google and abstracts from relevant conferences to identify any tools not published in the academic literature. Following study selection and data extraction, we used the International Patient Decision Aid Standards instrument (IPDASi) to assess the quality of patient decision aids, and the Standards for UNiversal reporting of patient Decision Aid Evaluations (SUNDAE) checklist to assess the quality of evaluations. Results We identified 762 studies; none were identified from Google or conference content. One tool met our inclusion criteria: an online, pre-encounter patient decision aid for transmasculine genital gender-affirming surgery developed in Amsterdam, translated in English and Dutch. The tool met all the IPDASi qualifying criteria, and scored a 17/28 on the certification criteria, and 57/112 on the quality criteria. The efficacy of the patient decision aid has not been evaluated. Conclusions Despite multiple decisions required for gender affirming therapies, only one patient decision aid has been developed for transmasculine genital reconstruction. Further research is required to develop patient decision aids for the multiple decision points along the gender affirming journey.
Efficient Algorithms for Multi-Component Application Placement in Mobile Edge Computing

In this paper, we address the Multi-Component Application Placement Problem (MCAPP) in Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) systems. We formulate this problem as a Mixed Integer Non-Linear Program (MINLP) with the objective of minimizing the total cost of running the applications. In our formulation, we take into account two important and challenging characteristics of MEC systems, the mobility of users and the network capabilities. We analyze the complexity of MCAPP and prove that it is NP-hard, that is, finding the optimal solution in reasonable amount of time is infeasible. We design two algorithms, one based on matching and local search and one based on a greedy approach, and evaluate their performance by conducting an extensive experimental analysis driven by two types of user mobility models, real-life mobility traces and random-walk. The results show that the proposed algorithms obtain near-optimal solutions and require small execution times for reasonably large problem instances.
Parental Education and Nucleus Accumbens Response to Reward Anticipation: Minorities' Diminished Returns.

Background. Considerable research has documented the effects of race and S ocioeconomic S tatus (SES) on reward-seeking behaviors; however, less is known about the multiplicative effects of race and family SES on brain response to reward anticipation. Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggest that family SES would show weaker effects on brain development of children in non-White families than in White families. Objective. To test race by SES variation in Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) response to reward anticipation (NAcc-RA) among American children. Methods. For this cross-sectional analysis, data came from the Adolescents Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study which included 6,419,9-10 year old children. The independent variable was parental education. The moderator was race. The primary outcome was the right NAcc-RA. Age, sex, ethnicity, household income, and family structure were the covariates. We used mixed-effect regression models that adjusted for the nested nature of the ABCD data. Results. While high parental education was associated with a higher amount of right NAcc-RA, this effect was stronger for White than non-White children. This finding was evident in the observed interactions between race and parental education on the right NAcc-RA. Discussion. For American children, NAcc-RA is not shaped by race or family SES, but by their intersection. As a result of the interaction between race and SES (diminished return of SES for non-Whites), middle-class racial minority children may remain susceptible to high-risk behaviors. Disparities in high-risk behaviors in children should not be reduced to economic disparities. Structural inequalities may reduce the return of SES resources for non-White families.
Utility of transesophageal echocardiography to assess real time left atrial pressure changes and dynamic mitral regurgitation following placement of transseptal multistage venous cannula for systemic venous drainage and indirect left ventricular venting in venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

A patient with heart failure due to nonischemic cardiomyopathy presented as a transfer to our institution following peripheral (femoral) venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) placement. With peripheral VA ECMO cannulation, the patient continued to have unstable ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Echocardiography demonstrated left ventricular (LV) dilation and severe mitral regurgitation (MR) with clinical and chest X-ray evidence of pulmonary edema. To provide venous drainage and simultaneous decompression of the left atrium (LA) and thereby indirect LV venting, a single multistage venous cannula was placed across the inter-atrial septum (IAS) using the previously described left atrial venoarterial (LA-VA) ECMO cannulation technique. Two- and three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) demonstrated utility in guiding cannula placement into the appropriate position and providing real time assessment of ventricular decompression and MR severity. There was subsequent improvement in pulmonary edema. This case is thought to be the first demonstration of real time resolution of pulmonary venous flow reversal in a patient undergoing LA-VA ECMO cannulation. This demonstration offers important mechanistic insight into some of the potential benefits of such an approach.
Effect of Estradiol Cypionate in Postparturient Dairy Cattle at Increased Risk for Metritis

Metritis is a postparturient uterine disease that adversely affects fertility, milk production, and health of dairy cattle. Although few cows in most herds develop life-threatening septic metritis, many may develop anorexia secondary to metritis-related pyrexia. In an attempt to prevent or reduce the effects ofmetritis, many dairymen have adopted some form of a standardized fresh cow program that often includes administration of 4 mg Estradiol Cypionate (ECP) to postparturient cows with retained fetal membranes. Estradiol has been shown to stimulate uterine contractions, increase phagocytosis of bacteria, increase uterine blood flow, and enhance uterine immune function. However, data is not available to support the use of ECP for prevention of metritis. Recent work by Wagner, et al showed no benefit to the routine use of ECP in randomly assigned postparturient dairy cattle. However, this study contained relatively few cows with known risk factors for metritis. A study was conducted to determine whether the administration of 4 mg of ECP to cows at higher risk for metritis is efficacious in preventing or decreasing severity of metritis in the first 10 days postpartum.
Theoretical Limits and Optimal Operating Frequencies of Capacitive Wireless Charging Systems

This paper presents a framework to determine the theoretical limits of maximum power that can be delivered by capacitive wireless power transfer (WPT) systems suitable for electric vehicle (EV) charging and their optimal operating frequencies. The limits on system performance imposed by physical constraints such as air breakdown, application-specific constraints such as allowable fringing field levels and constraints imposed by the semiconductor devices such as device thermal limits are studied. The proposed framework is used to predict and compare the maximum power transfer capability of different capacitive WPT systems designed to charge EVs operating at different frequencies and also find the optimal operating frequency as a tradeoff between power, efficiency, and physical size of magnetics. The analytical framework is validated using a 13.56-MHz 12-cm air-gap prototype capacitive WPT system that transfers 1 kW power with a dc-dc efficiency of 86%.
Competitive coevolution for defense and security: Elo-based similar-strength opponent sampling

Competitive coevolution is an important technique for fields such as defense and security which inherently involve adversarial games. One advantage that the field of computer security has in particular is that games in this space are often naturally able to be simulated at a high fidelity by interacting with the involved software or hardware directly. However, such high-fidelity evaluations are typically slow, so it is especially important in these cases to get as much useful information out of as few evaluations as possible. This paper proposes a new competitive coevolutionary evaluation method of Similar-Strength Opponent Sampling, which selects opponent pairings of similar skill levels so that evaluations can more efficiently distinguish the performances of similar individuals. This is enabled through the use of Elo ratings as a surrogate fitness function that prevents bias against individuals assigned stronger opponents. Care is taken to ensure that this technique is applicable to complex games where there is no explicit winner or loser, allowing ratings to be based on relative fitness. Mixed results are presented, showing that significant benefits are gained from pairing similar-strength opponents, but finding that the use of Elo rating instead of raw fitness harms evolution for intransitive games.
Decoding and recoding informal settlements in a design studio: an overview of the world studio project

The world is experiencing a surge in its urban population accompanied by rapidly advancing urbanization processes. Contemporary cities are witnessing the rise of numerous urban and social problems, leading, in turn, to the emergence of informal settlements. In response, computational and parametric resources are increasingly being adopted to create innovative and effective approaches to urban planning and design. These resources can be used in informal settlements to improve urban quality without losing their essential features. This paper describes the World Studio, a teaching experience that began in 2017 and continues in the present day, in which undergraduate architecture and landscape architecture students learn how to use shape grammars and parametric tools to design for informal settlements in international contexts (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Ahmedabad, India, to date).
A novel suicide plasmid for efficient gene mutation in Listeria monocytogenes

Although several plasmids have been used in Listeria monocytogenes for generating mutants by allelic exchange, construction of L. monocytogenes mutants has been inefficient due to lack of effective selection markers for first and second recombination events. To address this problem, we have developed a new suicide plasmid, pHoss1, by using the pMAD plasmid backbone and anhydrotetracycline selection marker (secY antisense RNA) driven by an inducible Pxyl/tetO promoter. Expression of the secY antisense RNA eliminates merodiploids and selects for the loss of plasmid via a second allelic exchange, which enriches the number of mutants with deleted genes. To assess the effectiveness of pHoss1 for the generation of stable in-frame deletion mutations, we deleted the ispG and ispH genes of L. monocytogenes serotype 4b strain F2365. Results showed that identification of the second allelic exchange mutants was very efficient with 80-100% of the colonies yielding desired deletion mutants. L. monocytogenes' intestinal cell attachment was not altered when ispG and ispH genes were deleted. We expect that this new plasmid will be very useful for construction of marker-free deletion mutants in L. monocytogenes and in other Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus.
Taxonomic Congruence in the Caminalcules

Recent investigations into the relative stability of phenetic and cladistic classifications have emphasized taxonomic congruence of classifications based on different subsuites of characters. Studies claiming higher stability (congruence) for cladistic classifications (Mickevich, 1978, 1980; Schuh and Polhemus, 1980; Schuh and Farris, 1981) have been criticized as faulty in design (Rohlf and Sokal, 1980, 1981; Sokal and Rohlf, 1981a) and in execution (Colless, 1980, 1981; Rohlf, Colless and Hart, 1982; Sokal and Rohlf, 1981a). These authors cannot confirm the results favoring cladistic classifications. This study analyzes a new data set employing recently suggested approaches.
BLOOD VISCOSITY AND PLASMA PROTEINS INFLUENCING IT ARE INCREASED IN TYPE 1 DIABETES IN THE DCCT

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), an NIH-sponsored study at 29 institutions in the U.S. and Canada, was designed to examine the effects of intensive management in type I diabetes. Between 1983 and 1989, 1441 patients with and without mild retinopathy (primary and secondary) were randomized into two major treatment groups, intensively and conventionally treated patients. Retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy were assessed periodically in each patient. In this study, levels of fibrinogen, haptoglobin, albumin and total protein were measured and viscosity of fresh blood was simultaneously evaluated in 45 local DCCT patients. Viscosity was measured at 17 rotation rates arranged logarithmically from .03 to 300 inverse seconds shear rate on blood adjusted to 41 % hematocrit by the addition or removal of its own plasma. Blood's time-based flow properties --- transient resistance and viscoelasticity --- were also assessed. Blood viscosity showed the greatest elevation (10 to 19%) in the 0.08-2.0 inverse second shear rate range. Increased low shear rate blood viscosity was found to be linked to fibrinogen and hemoglobin Alc levels. In addition to steady flow blood viscosity measurement, blood's time-based flow properties were also assessed at 15 inverse seconds shear rate. Transient resistance was increased 30% in diabetes; its elevation was found to be linked to both fibrinogen level and low shear blood viscosity. Diabetic blood's viscoelasticity at this high shear rate was much less strikingly increased than its transient resistance. Viscoelastic strain energy was correlated with fibrinogen, low shear viscosity, haptoglobin, and albumin level. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a potent stimulator of fibrinogen and haptoglobin synthesis in hepatocytes in culture, was found to be elevated in diabetes, indicating that it is the likely mediator of the observed plasma protein changes. The altered blood flow properties observed in this well-characterized group of type 1 diabetes mellitus patients may playa role in development of diabetic complications.
Crystalloid resuscitation improves survival in trauma patients receiving low ratios of fresh frozen plasma to packed red blood cells.

BACKGROUND Current trauma resuscitation guidelines recommend giving an initial crystalloid bolus as first line for resuscitation. Recent studies have shown a survival benefit for trauma patients resuscitated with high ratios of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) to packed red blood cells (PRBC). Our aim was to determine whether the volume of crystalloid given during resuscitation correlated with differences in morbidity or mortality based on the ratio of FFP:PRBC given. METHODS This was a retrospective review of 2,473 transfused trauma patients at 23 Level I trauma centers from July 2005 to October 2007. Patients were separated based on the ratios of FFP:PRBC they received ( 1:1) and then analyzed for morbidity and mortality based on whether or not they received at least 1 L crystalloid for each unit of PRBC. Outcomes analyzed were 6-hour, 24-hour, and 30-day survival as well as intensive care unit (ICU)-free days, ventilator-free days, and hospital-free days. RESULTS Massive transfusion patients who received 1:1 FFP:PRBC groups. CONCLUSIONS If high ratios of FFP:PRBC are unable to be given to trauma patients, resuscitation with at least 1 L of crystalloid per unit of PRBC is associated with improved overall mortality.
How Inconsistent is a Paretian Liberal

We revisit Sen's (1970) Paradox in its formulation for collective choice rules. It is well-known that under unrestricted domain, binary liberalism (BL) and the global (resp. binary) Weak Pareto principle (GWP/BWP) are incompatible with binary rejection consistency (resp. binariness). We first observe that even minimal contraction consistency is incompatible with BL and BWP, and show that this can be understood as the root of existing impossibility results. We then prove that the strongest expansion consistency condition is compatible with BL and BWP, and demonstrate that even requiring GWP still allows for various expansion consistency.
Viscosity of Suspensions of Hard and Soft Spheres

From a reanalysis of the published literature, the low-shear viscosity of suspensions of hard spheres is shown to have a dynamic crossover in its concentration dependence, from a stretched exponential at lower concentrations to a power law at elevated concentrations. The crossover is sharp, with no transition region in which neither form applies, and occurs at a volume fraction (ca. 0.41) and relative viscosity (ca. 11) well below the sphere volume fraction and relative viscosity (0.494, 49, respectively) of the lower phase boundary of the hard sphere melting transition. For soft spheres -- taking many-arm star polymers as a model -- with increasing sphere hardness $\eta(\phi)$ shows a crossover from random-coil polymer behavior toward the behavior shown by true hard spheres.
A Novel Subspace Clustering Method for Dictionary Design

In this work, we propose a novel subspace clustering method for learning dictionaries from data. In our method, we seek to identify the subspaces where our data lives and find an orthogonal set of vectors that spans each of those subspaces. We use an Orthogonal Subspace Pursuit (OSP) decomposition method to identify the subspaces where the observation data lives, followed by a clustering operation to identify all observations that lives in the same subspace. This work is motivated by the need for faster dictionary training methods in blind source separation (BSS) of audio sources. We show that our dictionary design method offer considerable computational savings when compared to the K-SVD[1] for similar performance. Furthermore, the training method also offers better generalizability when evaluated on data beyond the training set, and consequently is well suited for continuously changing audio scenes.
Making sense of nonsense: experiences of mild cognitive impairment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a stigmatised condition popularly assumed to be a death sentence for diagnosed individuals. Consequently, people with AD are often deemed incapable (and perhaps unworthy) of contributing to the social discourse surrounding their illness experience. Data from qualitative interviews with 18 people diagnosed with the potential precursor of AD known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are examined. Using grounded theory methods, analysis revealed overarching themes of uncertainty concerning definitions of memory loss, MCI, and AD as well as distinctions between normal ageing and dementia. While this confusion over the terminology and prognosis mirrors the lack of scientific consensus about nosology and appropriate treatment regimens, such ambiguity creates social and psychological tensions for diagnosed individuals. Arguably, participants' unequivocal fear of and subsequent desire to differentiate their experiences from Alzheimer's, however, stems from the exclusively negative social constructions of AD. Drawing from Goffman, these findings demonstrate the psychosocial impact of 'framing contests' and how 'courtesy stigma' can apply not only to associated persons but also associated conditions, such as MCI to AD. Given the underlying nosological creep - or medicalisation - of the recent diagnostic guidelines proposing two new pre- dementia stages, understanding the illness narratives of MCI is critical.