cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cancer, Palliative Care and Acute Kidney Injury: The Hard Decisions of Offering or Not Offering Dialysis

Dialysis decision-making in patients with cancer and acute kidney injury (AKI) is challenging as many of these patients are older with multiple comorbidities. Considering the increasing number of cancer survivors and the high risk of AKI in these patients, it is imperative for nephrologists to have a better understanding of the course of illness in those with cancer and renal impairment. In this review, we present a framework for the management of patients with cancer complicated by renal insufficiency, including the latest data in outcomes of AKI and dialysis in hospitalized patients, focusing on cancer patients when the data exist. In addition, we provide a framework for treatment-related decision-making with patients and family when uncertainty exists with an emphasis on early introduction of palliative care services. We further discuss the transition to more active management at the end of life, including symptom management and involvement of hospice services.
What Will Long-Term Care Be Like in 2040?

Many innovative long-term care models can now be found in nursing homes, assisted living, and community home care settings. Key forces that will shape the future include the aging of the baby-boomer generation, personal choice, concerns about quality, new technologies, dementia research, payment issues, financial pressures, and workforce needs.
Cysteine Inhibits Mercury Methylation by Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA Mutant ΔomcBESTZ

Cysteine enhances Hg uptake and methylation by the Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA wild-type (WT) strain in short-term assays. The prevalence of this enhancement in other strains remains poorly understood. We examined the influence of cysteine concentration on time-dependent Hg(II) reduction, sorption, and methylation by PCA WT and its c-type cytochrome-deficient mutant (ΔomcBESTZ) in phosphate-buffered saline. Without cysteine, the mutant methylated twice as much Hg(II) as the PCA WT, whereas addition of cysteine inhibited Hg methylation, regardless of the reaction time. PCA WT, however, exhibited both time-dependent and cysteine concentration-dependent methylation. In a 144 h assay, nearly complete sorption of the Hg(II) by PCA WT occurred in the presence of 1 mM cysteine, resulting in our highest observed level of methylmercury production. The chemical speciation modeling and experimental data suggest that uncharged Hg(II) species are more readily taken up and that this uptake is kinetically limiting, the...
Measurement and analysis of internal loss and injection efficiency for continuous-wave blue semipolar (202¯1¯) III-nitride laser diodes with chemically assisted ion beam etched facets

Continuous-wave blue semipolar (202¯1¯) III-nitride laser diodes were fabricated with highly vertical, smooth, and uniform mirror facets produced by chemically assisted ion beam etching. Uniform mirror facets are a requirement for accurate experimental determination of internal laser parameters, including internal loss and injection efficiency, which were determined to be 9 cm−1 and 73%, respectively, using the cavity length dependent method. The cavity length of the uncoated devices was varied from 900 μm to 1800 μm, with threshold current densities ranging from 3 kA/cm2 to 9 kA/cm2 and threshold voltages ranging from 5.5 V to 7 V. The experimentally determined internal loss was found to be in good agreement with a calculated value of 9.5 cm−1 using a 1D mode solver. The loss in each layer was calculated and in light of the analysis several modifications to the laser design are proposed.
Organizational Climate and Job Satisfaction in the Salesforce

This report concerns the impact of several organizational climate variables on the job satisfaction of a cross-section of industrial salesmen. To gain greater insight into how climate affects salem...
Determination of pH, P C0 2 and P 0 2 on Whole Blood: Steps to Maximize Accuracy

Many potential sources of error exist in blood gas and pH analysis, three of which are an incorrect temperature in the measuring chamber, the use of inappropriate atmospheric pressures, and incomplete humidification of calibrating gases. The accuracy of calibrating materials for pH, PC02 and P2 measurements must never be taken for granted, and new standards should always be compared with other standards from an independent source on a blood gas instrument. Calibration with gases for PC02 and P2 is satisfactory, and a bias exists only at P2 values above 500 mm Hg. In the evaluation of a new instrument, accuracy can be estimated and precision determined by the analysis of tonometered blood and control materials. The new instrument should be evaluated for comparison with existing instrumentation using split patient samples of arterial blood, drift should be determined to establish frequency of calibration, and user conveniences should be checked before the instrument is put into use.
Studies of Degradation in Nichia AlGaN/InGaN/GaN Blue Light Emitting Diodes Under Close to Normal Operating Conditions

The reliability of devices fabricated in GaN and related alloys, especially under high current densities as would be found in lasers, has yet to be fully characterized. Our previous work [1] investigated the degradation of GaN-based blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) under high pulsed current stress. This work indicated a possible correlation between the high crystal defect density and failures caused by metal migration along these defect tubes. To assess the impact of this data on devices under more normal conditions, several LEDs from both older and more recent production lots were placed in a controlled temperature and current environment for several thousand hours. The test started with a constant 20 mA current for the first 1000 hours and continued for another 1650 hours at various currents up to 70 mA, all at a temperature of 23 °C. During this test, one of the older generation LED’s output degraded by more than 50%. Subsequent failure analysis showed that this was caused by a crack which isolated part of the active region from the p-contact. The remaining LEDs were returned to life testing where the temperature was subsequently increased by 5 °C after each 500 hours of testing. The output from one of the newer LEDs dreiven at 70 mA degraded to 55% of its original value after 3600 hours and a second newer LED degraded by a similar amount after 4400 hours. The first failure, LED #16, did not exhibit a significant change in its I-V characteristics indicating that a change in the package transparency was a likely cause for the observed degradation. The second failure, LED #17, did show a noticeable change in its I-V characteristics. This device was subsequently returned to life testing where the degradation process will be monitored for further changes.
Biophysical Studies of Matrix Metalloproteinase/Triple-Helix Complexes

Several members of the zinc-dependent matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family catalyze collagen degradation. The structures of MMPs, in solution and solid state and in the presence and absence of triple-helical collagen models, have been assessed by NMR spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and X-ray crystallography. Structures observed in solution exhibit flexibility between the MMP catalytic (CAT) and hemopexin-like (HPX) domains, while solid-state structures are relatively compact. Evaluation of the maximum occurrence (MO) of MMP-1 conformations in solution found that, for all the high MO conformations, the CAT and HPX domains are not in tight contact, and the residues of the HPX domain reported to be responsible for the binding to the collagen triple-helix are solvent exposed. A mechanism for collagenolysis has been developed based on analysis of MMP solution structures. Information obtained from solid-state structures has proven valuable for analyzing specific contacts between MMPs and the collagen triple-helix.
Assessment of the Spiritual Needs of Primary Caregivers of Children with Life-Limiting Illnesses Is Valuable Yet Inconsistently Performed in the Hospital.

Abstract Background: Religion and spirituality influence how many patients and families experience illness, but knowledge of the level of spiritual care provided to caregivers of pediatric patients within the hospital is limited. Objective: We evaluated patient caregivers' perceptions of the extent to which their religious and spiritual (R/S) needs were assessed and addressed in the hospital. Methods: We surveyed primary caregivers of children referred to palliative care <1 year prior at an urban, pediatric academic medical center. Participants completed a structured questionnaire with quantitative and qualitative measures of the provision of spiritual care in the hospital. Nonparametric tests were used to compare various measures of perceived and desired R/S support. Results: The majority (16/24) of caregivers desired inquiry about R/S needs by the medical team. Fewer than half (12/25) had these needs assessed. No subjects were uncomfortable with questions regarding R/S needs. Only 35% (8/23) specificall...
An Alternative in Surgical Treatment of Post-Irradiation Vesicovaginal and Rectovaginal Fistulas: THE Seromuscular Intestinal Graft (Patch)

The excellent results experienced with the use of seromuscular intestinal grafts in certain types of urological plastic operations encouraged us to use it (as a patch) also in the surgical management of vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas. With this method, we treated 4 patients with post-irradiation fistulas who had previously undergone 1 or 2 operations. The seromuscular intestinal graft served as a direct partial wall replacement of the bladder or rectum. At the same time, it also supported the nutrition of the compromised tissues surrounding the fistula. There were no complications with epithelialization of the denuded muscular surface of the seromuscular intestinal graft (patch) facing into the bladder.
ATCT-13BEVACIZUMAB, RADIATION THERAPY (RT) AND TEMOZOLOMIDE FOLLOWED BY BEVACIZUMAB AND TEMOZOLOMIDE WITH CONTINUATION OF BEVACIZUMAB BEYOND PROGRESSION: A PHASE II TRIAL

BACKGROUND: The addition of bevacizumab to RT and temozolomide in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients was evaluated in two multicenter phase III trials, RTOG0825 and AVAglio, and demonstrated a lack of statistically significant increased survival. In both studies, the majority of patients discontinued bevacizumab at the time of disease progression on bevacizumab. Given encouraging results in other diseases, we evaluated the safety and benefit of incorporating bevacizumab from the time of diagnosis and throughout multiple treatment lines. METHODS: Patients with new diagnosis of WHO grade IV malignant glioma were enrolled after surgical intervention. Patients were initiated on RT and temozolomide (75 mg/m2/day), with bevacizumab (10 mg/kg every 14 days beginning at least 28 days post-operatively). Following RT, patients initiated adjuvant 5-day temozolomide for up to 12 cycles. Bevacizumab was maintained during adjuvant temozolomide, at tumor progression and once patients came off chemotherapy (maintenance phase). RESULTS: All planned 68 patients were enrolled on study. Median age was 55 years and 69% were men. Of the 55 patients who have progressed, 37 (67%) received bevacizumab at progression. We observed a median progression-free survival of 9.8 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 8.8, 13.5 months) and median overall survival of 17.6 months (CI, 14-22.5 months). No study related death occurred. Study related grade 4 toxicities include: thrombocytopenia (n = 7); neutropenia (n = 5); leukopenia (n = 4); and one each of lymphopenia, colonic perforation, sepsis, intracranial hemorrhage, and hypertension. Grade 3 toxicities include: lymphopenia (n = 29); thrombocytopenia (n = 12); neutropenia (n = 10); leukopenia (n = 8); fatigue (n = 10); hypertension (n = 9); proteinuria (n = 6); thromboembolic event (n = 4); nausea (n = 3); acute coronary syndrome (n = 2); allergic reaction (n = 2); infection (n = 5); and one each of anemia, elevated ALT, ventricular tachycardia, optic nerve neuropathy, constipation, oral mucositis, pustular rash, wound infection, cognitive difficulties, stroke, and headaches. CONCLUSION: Continuing bevacizumab beyond progression is tolerable. Subgroup analyses of survival will be presented.
Thinking and Deciding: What is thinking?

Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance to be traveled is independent of our will and we cannot know in advance where we shall end. Peter Singer (1982) Thinking is important to all of us in our daily lives. The way we think affects the way we plan our lives, the personal goals we choose, and the decisions we make. Good thinking is therefore not something that is forced upon us in school: It is something that we all want to do, and want others to do, to achieve our goals and theirs. This approach gives a special meaning to the term “rational.” Rational does not mean, here, a kind of thinking that denies emotions and desires: It means, the kind of thinking we would all want to do, if we were aware of our own best interests, in order to achieve our goals . People want to think “rationally,” in this sense. It does not make much sense to say that you do not want to do something that will help you achieve your goals: Your goals are, by definition, what you want to achieve. They are the criteria by which you evaluate everything about your life. The main theme of this book is the comparison of what people do with what they should do, that is, with what it would be rational for them to do.
Study of a Solar Industrial Preheating System with Low Flow Rates

Recently solar heating systems with lower flow rates are usually suggested. Some researches showed that low flow rates systems with highly stratified heat storages would have higher system efficiency than similar traditional ones. In practice considering the higher cost of stratified heat storages, heat storage without stratification would be applied in many large-scale systems. In this study the effects of flow rates on the system performance are numerically and experimentally investigated. Flow rates vary from 0.001 to 0.035 kg/(s·m2).
5.11 – Biogeochemical Budgeting in Estuaries

Biogeochemical budgets have been used for many years to provide insights into the magnitudes of nutrient fluxes, processes, and cycles in coastal waters and other environments, to examine the impacts of human activities on these processes, and to consider environmental impacts of alternative management options. This chapter summarizes the basic ideas of nutrient budgets, and presents some case studies and examples of ongoing management applications.
A pilot randomized controlled trial of cognitive bias modification to reduce fear of breast cancer recurrence.

BACKGROUND The most common, persistent concern among survivors of breast cancer is the fear that their disease will return, yet to the authors' knowledge, few interventions targeting fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) have been developed to date. The current pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a home-delivered cognitive bias modification intervention to reduce FCR. The intervention, called Attention and Interpretation Modification for Fear of Breast Cancer Recurrence (AIM-FBCR), targeted 2 types of cognitive biases (ie, attention and interpretation biases). METHODS A total of 110 survivors of breast cancer were randomized to receive 8 sessions of 1 of 2 versions of AIM-FBCR or a control condition program. Computer-based assessments of cognitive biases and a self-report measure of FCR were administered before the intervention, after the intervention, and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS Improvements in health worries (P = .019) and interpretation biases (rates of threat endorsement [P<.001] and reaction times for threat rejection [P = .007]) were found in those survivors who received AIM-FBCR compared with the control arm. Although only 26% of participants who screened into the study agreed to participate, the trial otherwise appeared feasible and acceptable, with 83% of those who initiated the intervention completing at least 5 of 8 sessions, and 90% reporting satisfaction with the computer-based program used. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current pilot study suggest the promise of AIM-FBCR in reducing FCR in survivors of breast cancer. Future research should attempt to replicate these findings in a larger-scale trial using a more sophisticated, user-friendly program and additional measures of improvement in more diverse samples. Cancer 2017;123:1424–1433. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Response by Methawasin and Granzier to Letter Regarding Article, “Experimentally Increasing the Compliance of Titin Through RNA Binding Motif-20 (RBM20) Inhibition Improves Diastolic Function in a Mouse Model of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction”

We thank Lewis and Miller for discussing important questions regarding the possible benefits of Rbm20 inhibition in patients with diastolic dysfunction and, importantly, how to identify those patients who will benefit from titin modification versus antifibrotic therapies. As shown in 2 recent studies1,2 targeting the titin splicing factor Rbm20 can lessen diastolic dysfunction. For example, Methawasin et al1 showed that inhibiting the expression of Rbm20 in a mouse model with a heart failure with a preserved …
Biodefense in the 21st century

Although bioweapons have not been used in modern warfare, and bioterror events are rare, it9s an open question as to whether the norms that prohibit the use of biological weapons have an expiration date. Biological techniques and equipment that could be used to create new bioweapons are available and inexpen­sive, pathogens are plentiful, and some can even be made de novo. In his new book, Biosecurity Dilemmas , Christian Enemark describes the challenges that nations face in providing biosecurity today.
Practitioners’ experience of the integration of mental health into primary health care in the West Rand District, South Africa

AbstractBackground: Despite the alarming prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders in South Africa, mental health care remains under-resourced. The Mental Health Framework Policy of South Africa outlined the objective to integrate mental health into primary health care. The aim is to make mental health care more accessible, affordable and acceptable. Practitioners, however, find the application of the policy challenging. The identification of challenges can guide efforts to create conditions favourable to the implementation of the policy.Aim: To explore and describe primary health practitioners’ experience of the integration of mental health into primary health care.Methods: A mixed-method exploratory descriptive design was used to collect quantitative data by means of a structured questionnaire from a purposive sample consisting of 95 primary health care practitioners and qualitative data from a sub-sample of 12 participants by means of semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using mixed-method ana...
The Place of a University to a Community: Academic Institutions Where Everyone of the Follower Leads

This chapter reveals the impact of building a university in an African rural community based on servant leadership. A careful examination of Greenleaf’s theory of an institution as a servant leader could increase understanding about educational institutional challenges to champion the cause of the least privileged followers. Topics include academic and economic benefits regarding development of stable organizational infrastructures to provide access to information technology, and increased motivation of followers in rural university communities. The chapter reveals the factors hindering followers’ success by applying Greenleaf’s servant leadership Best Test. The focus is to note if there is an increase in followers feeling healthier, freer, wiser, more autonomous, and empowered as a student in a rural community in Africa.
Well-Ordering in the Russell–Newman Controversy

There is a curious letter of 24 April 1928, reproduced in Russell’s Autobiography. It is from Russell to Max Newman. It is my thesis that there is a crucial “not” missing from the text and interpretations of the letter. This small point, if it is correct, has a very large impact for clarifying how Russell saw Newman’s challenge to his structural realism according to which all of our empirical knowledge in physics concerns structure alone.
Principles of Endoscopic Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Abstract Stricture, fistula, and acute and chronic anastomotic leaks are common complications of Crohn's disease (CD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) surgery-related complications. Endoscopic balloon dilation and endoscopic stricturotomy have become a valid treatment option for CD- and IBD surgery-associated strictures. Endoscopic therapy, including endoscopic fistulotomy, abscess drainage, and endoscopic seton placement is increasingly used in CD-associated fistula. Endoscopic stent placement, vacuum sponge, and endoscopic sinusotomy have been used to treat acute and chronic anastomotic leaks. Endoscopic polypectomy, endoscopic mucosal resection, and endoscopic submucosal dissection are used in treating colitis-associated neoplasia. It is important to understand the principles along with techniques of endoscopic therapy in IBD. In addition to general principles of GI endoscopy, the interventional endoscopy in IBD requires proper training and mastering of specific features of the patient, disease, and lesion, along with techniques and equipment. The sequence of importance of successful treatment with both short- and long-term outcome with minimized adverse events should be: the principles, techniques, and equipment, supplies and device. When planning and executing endoscopic therapy (plan A), the endoscopic should always have exit plans (plan B and plan C) in mind and ready.
Hierarchical carbon composite nanofibrous electrode material for high-performance aqueous supercapacitors

In this research, a hierarchical carbon composite nanomaterial ECNFs/PtNPs, which is composed of electrospun carbon nanofibers (ECNFs) with both individual and agglomerate of Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) homogeneously dispersed all over the ECNF surface, was prepared by successive electrospinning, carbonization, and controlled growth of the PtNPs. Morphology and structure of ECNFs and ECNFs/PtNPs with a variety of amount of PtNPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction and BET surface area analysis. The ECNFs/PtNPs was evaluated as electrode material for supercapacitor with aqueous electrolyte. The results indicated that Pt nanoparticles on surface of ECNFs drastically increased specific capacitance as well as potential energy density of the electrode material by 50 times to 226?F?g-1 and 20?W?h?kg-1, respectively, at 0.14?g/cm2 Pt loading with 6M KOH aqueous electrolyte. This is ascribed to the highly catalytic activity of PtNPs in the hierarchical nanostructure for oxygen reduction reaction in alkali aqueous electrolyte, which leads to significant pseudocapacitance. This research discloses a novel nanofibrous electrode material from electrospinning with great potential for designing high-performance supercapacitors using aqueous electrolyte. [The original abstract for this article contains (characters/images) that cannot be displayed here. Please click on the link below to read the full abstract and article.]
On Guaranteed Capture in Multi-Player Reach-Avoid Games via Coverage Control

The main objective of this letter is to provide a control solution for guaranteed capture in multi-player reach-avoid (RA) games in the presence of different vehicle kinematic constraints. To that end, this letter seeks to convert the RA problem from the traditional game theoretic framework to a coverage control problem, which makes it more suitable to find solutions in the multi-agent context. Within this framework, a distributed coverage control law is provided, as well as formal capture guarantees that are verified via simulation..
Quality Assurance Studies for Ground Improvement Projects

In situ QA/QC studies play a crucial role in the civil engineering projects, especially in ground improvement projects related to geotechnical engineering. These studies are of paramount importance in geotechnical engineering projects as they not only enhance the overall quality of the project but also ensure that the project is being constructed as per standards. In this research paper, QA/QC studies that were performed on two different ground improvement techniques including chemical stabilization using native high plasticity clays, and deep soil mixing (DSM) technique are discussed. These solutions on all the projects discussed provided a new approach on analysing the geotechnical engineering data.
SYNERGETIC GAMES: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ABOLITION OF WAR

ABSTRACT To prevent a nuclear holocaust, war must be abolished. To abolish war, a synergic cultural evolution is required. The “genes” of human culture, values, may be modified and new ones created. A new kind of game-a synergetic game-is described, which may contribute to this evolution. Systems scientists are uniquely situated to contribute to a synergic cultural evolution.
Advances in concrete technology

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a survey of recent advances in concrete technology, with a focus on research performed at the Center for Advanced Cement Based Materials (ACBM Center) at Northwestern University. It also discusses an ultra-high-strength concrete (UHSC), with compressive strength of 200MPa. Fiber reinforcement is used to overcome the inherent brittleness and increase the tensile strength of concrete, especially high- and ultra-high-strength concrete. Fiber-reinforced cementitious composites can be designed for specific applications with the use of special processing techniques, such as extrusion, and hybrid fiber reinforcement. Significant reductions in drying shrinkage are achieved with a newly developed shrinkage reducing admixture. Construction costs can be reduced with the use of self-compacting concrete (SCC), which does not require vibration at placement. The design of SCC is facilitated with a newly developed rheological model. A nondestructive evaluation technique is developed to monitor the hardening process of fresh concrete. It uses stress waves to determine mechanical properties, the presence, location, and extent of damage, or the degree of hydration of concrete structures. Stress pulses are applied to the structure, and the transmission or reflection of the resulting waves or the vibration response of the structure is measured.
Parents and Childhood Functional Abdominal Pain: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders (FAPD) tend to run in families and recent research has suggested that parents play an important role in managing child's pain. The aim of this narrative review is to examine the role of parents in child FAPD. Most research has applied social learning theory, where the child learns how to deal with pain from their parents through either modeling or reinforcement. Parental reinforcement of inappropriate illness behaviors, such as excusing a child from activities, increases pain severity as well as pain disability. A parent may reinforce illness behaviors in order to protect their child as the pain is perceived as a high threat. These parents also tend to catastrophize about their child's pain. Interventions focused on altering parental modeling, protective behaviors, pain threat and catastrophizing have been shown to help improve child pain outcomes. These findings emphasize the importance of intervening on a family level for childhood FAPD disorders.
Improving Analog Functional Safety Using Data-Driven Anomaly Detection

Safety is a critical objective for automotive developments. Functional Safety of automotive analog and mixed-signal circuits faces several challenges; on the other hand, analog behavior provides an opportunity for early anomaly alert, thus improving functional safety. In this paper we propose a machine learning based methodology using data-driven anomaly detection for analog automotive circuits. The contribution of this work is to provide a framework of mining the dynamic in-field time series data in the context of system operation to detect anomalous events from analog functional safety perspective, with minimal hardware overhead. We present a realistic example to illustrate and analyze the proposed method. It presents an approach for improving functional safety of analog circuits in automotive applications.
Aqueous‐Phase Nitrile Hydration Catalyzed by an In Situ Generated Air‐Stable Ruthenium Catalyst

RuCl2 (PTA)4 (PTA=1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) is an active, recyclable, air-stable, aqueous-phase nitrile hydration catalyst. The development of an in situ generated aqueous-phase nitrile hydration catalyst (RuCl3 ⋅3 H2 O+6 equivalents PTA) is reported. The activity of the in situ catalyst is comparable to RuCl2 (PTA)4 . The effects of [PTA] on the activity of the reaction were investigated: the catalytic activity, in general, increases as the pH goes up, which shows a positive correlation with [PTA]. The pH effects were further explored for both the in situ and RuCl2 (PTA)4 catalyzed reaction in phosphate buffer solutions with particular attention given to pH 6.8 buffer. Increased catalytic activity was observed at pH 6.8 versus water for both systems with turnover frequency (TOF) up to 135 h-1 observed for RuCl2 (PTA)4 and 64 h-1 for the in situ catalyst. Catalyst loading down to 0.001 mol % was examined with turnover numbers as high as 22 000 reported. Similar to the preformed catalyst, RuCl2 (PTA)4 , the in situ catalyst could be recycled more than five times without significant loss of activity from either water or pH 6.8 buffer.
Distributed and Communication-Efficient Spatial Auto-Correlation Subsurface Imaging in Sensor Networks

A wireless seismic network can be effectively used as a tool for subsurface monitoring and imaging. By recording and analyzing ambient noise, a seismic network can image underground infrastructures and provide velocity variation information of the subsurface that can help to detect anomalies. By studying the variation in the noise cross-correlation function of the noise, it is possible to determine the subsurface seismic velocity and image underground infrastructures. Ambient noise imaging can be done in a decentralized fashion using Distributed Spatial Auto-Correlation (dSPAC). In dSPAC over sensor networks, the cross-correlation is the most intensive communication process since nodes need to communicate their data with neighbor nodes. In this paper, a new communication-reduced method for cross-correlation is presented to meet bandwidth and cost of communication constraints in networks while ambient noise imaging is performed using dSPAC method. By applying the proposed communication-reduced method, we show that energy and computational cost of the nodes is also preserved.
Impact of past and on-going changes on climate and weather on vector-borne diseases transmission: a look at the evidence.

The climate variables that directly influence vector-borne diseases’ ecosystems are mainly temperature and rainfall. This is not only because the vectors bionomics are strongly dependent upon these variables, but also because most of the elements of the systems are impacted, such as the host behavior and development and the pathogen amplification. The impact of the climate changes on the transmission patterns of these diseases is not easily understood, since many confounding factors are acting together. Consequently, knowledge of these impacts is often based on hypothesis derived from mathematical models. Nevertheless, some direct evidences can be found for several vector-borne diseases. Evidences of the impact of climate change are available for malaria, arbovirus diseases such as dengue, and many other parasitic and viral diseases such as Rift Valley Fever, Japanese encephalitis, human African trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis. The effect of temperature and rainfall change as well as extreme events, were found to be the main cause for outbreaks and are alarming the global community. Among the main driving factors, climate strongly influences the geographical distribution of insect vectors, which is rapidly changing due to climate change. Further, in both models and direct evidences, climate change is seen to be affecting vector-borne diseases more strikingly in fringe of different climatic areas often in the border of transmission zones, which were once free of these diseases with human populations less immune and more receptive. The impact of climate change is also more devastating because of the unpreparedness of Public Health systems to provide adequate response to the events, even when climatic warning is available. Although evidences are strong at the regional and local levels, the studies on impact of climate change on vector-borne diseases and health are producing contradictory results at the global level. In this paper we discuss the current state of the results and draw on evidences from malaria, dengue and other vector-borne diseases to illustrate the state of current thinking and outline the need for further research to inform our predictions and response.
A Framework for Accurate Time Series Classification Based on Partial Observation

Time series classification problems are solved using a variety of algorithms. The success of each technique is earmarked by measures of efficiency and accuracy. In order to achieve efficiency and accuracy, existing methods detect the relevant data in segments within a time series. Within this trend, we propose a framework for Detecting Optimal Partial Observation (DOPO) in time series classification. The framework developed is applicable to any time series database. It isolates the most relevant data for classification and eliminates excess data. This framework measures accuracy of partial observations by utilizing a $10 \times 5$ fold cross validation. In this paper, the DOPO framework is tested on all 85 data sets from the UCR Time Series Classification Archive. The time series classification method Dynamic Time Warping with 1-nearest neighbor is used with the framework. Our results indicate that the framework improved or maintained accuracy in a majority of tested data sets, while sensing only half the data.
Geographic disparities in cancer screening and fatalism among a nationally representative sample of US adults

Background Cancer screening in the USA is suboptimal, particularly for individuals living in vulnerable communities. This study aimed to understand how rurality and racial segregation are independently and interactively associated with cancer screening and cancer fatalism. Methods We used data from a nationally representative sample of adults (n=17 736) from National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey, 2011–2017, including cancer screening (colorectal, breast, cervical, prostate) among eligible participants and cancer fatalism. These data were linked to county-level metropolitan status/rurality (US Department of Agriculture) and racial segregation (US Census). We conducted multivariable analyses of associations of geographic variables with screening and fatalism. Results Breast cancer screening was lower in rural (92%, SE=1.5%) than urban counties (96%, SE=0.5%) (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.52, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.87). Colorectal cancer screening was higher in highly segregated (70%, SE=1.0%) than less segregated counties (65%, SE=1.7%) (aOR=1.28, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.58). Remaining outcomes did not vary by rurality or segregation, and these variables did not interact in their associations with screening or fatalism. Conclusion Similar to previous studies, breast cancer screening was less common in rural areas. Contrary to expectations, colorectal cancer screening was higher in highly segregated counties. More research is needed on the influence of geography on cancer screening and beliefs, and how access to facilities or information may mediate these relationships.
FrogAncestryCalc: A standalone batch likelihood computation tool for ancestry inference panels catalogued in FROG-kb.

Abstract The web-based application, FROG-kb (the Forensic Resource/Reference on Genetics-knowledge base, https://frog.med.yale.edu ) supports the use of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) for individual identification and ancestry inference in a forensic setting. The primary functionality provided by FROG-kb on the web is computation of relative likelihoods of populations being the origin of an individual, utilizing the underlying reference population allele frequency data curated and organized in ALFRED, the ALlele FREquency Database ( https://alfred.med.yale.edu/ ). Here we present a downloadable stand-alone tool, FrogAncestryCalc that can simultaneously compute population likelihoods for multiple individuals for a selected panel of SNPs. The program calculates for a given Ancestry Inference (AI) panel the probability of each individual’s genotype profile arising in each of the reference populations. Five of the AI panels catalogued in FROG-kb are implemented in this version of FrogAncestryCalc.
Aberrant astrocyte protein secretion contributes to altered neuronal development in diverse disorders

Astrocytes negatively impact neuronal development in many neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), however how they do this, and if mechanisms are shared across disorders, is not known. We developed an in vitro system to ask how astrocyte protein secretion and gene expression change in three genetic NDs. We identified disorder specific changes, and changes common to all disorders. ND astrocytes increase release of Igfbp2, a secreted inhibitor of IGF. IGF rescues neuronal deficits in many NDs, and we found blocking Igfbp2 partially rescues inhibitory effects of Rett Syndrome astrocytes, suggesting increased astrocyte Igfbp2 contributes to decreased IGF signaling in NDs. We identified increased BMP signaling in ND astrocytes is upstream of protein secretion changes, including Igfbp2, and blocking BMP signaling in Fragile X Syndrome astrocytes reverses inhibitory effects on neurite outgrowth. We provide a resource of astrocyte secreted proteins in health and NDs, and identify novel targets for intervention in diverse NDs.
4 – SOFTWARE FOR ROUNDOFF ANALYSIS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the method of utilization of the software for roundoff analysis. It discusses measuring rounding errors in terms of the extent to which the computational problem must be perturbed to achieve the same effect, the weak composition model of rounding error, reverse condition numbers, the direct comparison of two algorithms; it also provides a user's guide to the software. In backward error analysis, the rounding error is reflected back into the data (hence the name backward error analysis) and bounds are given for the difference between the original data and a set of data for which the computed values are the exact solution. The output values computed under the weak composition model will form a subset of the standard set of possible computed values. Thereafter, the reverse notion measures the degree of data perturbation needed to account for rounding of the true solution. Reverse condition numbers also give information on the stability of a composite program without reference to the weak composition model. The software package consists of a number of programs in a portable subset of Fortran (PFORT). Subsequently, the minicompiler operates on programs in a simple programming language designed for coding matrix algorithms; the minicompiler translates the program into a sequence of assignment statements. Finally, the action of the software forces certain restrictions on the size of the compiled program.
Statistical driver genes as a means to uncover missing heritability for age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive retinal disease contributing to blindness worldwide. Multiple estimates for AMD heritability (h2) exist; however, a substantial proportion of h2 is not attributable to known genomic loci. The International AMD Genomics Consortium (IAMDGC) gathered the largest dataset of advanced AMD (ADV) cases and controls available and identified 34 loci containing 52 independent risk variants defining known AMD h2. To better define AMD heterogeneity, we used Pathway Analysis by Randomization Incorporating Structure (PARIS) on the IAMDGC data and identified 8 statistical driver genes (SDGs), including 2 novel SDGs not discovered by the IAMDGC. We chose to further investigate these pathway-based risk genes and determine their contribution to ADV h2, as well as the differential ADV subtype h2. We performed genomic-relatedness-based restricted maximum-likelihood (GREML) analyses on ADV, geographic atrophy (GA), and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) subtypes to investigate the h2 of genotyped variants on the full DNA array chip, 34 risk loci (n = 2758 common variants), 52 variants from the IAMDGC 2016 GWAS, and the 8 SDGs, specifically the novel 2 SDGs, PPARA and PLCG2. Via GREML, full chip h2 was 44.05% for ADV, 46.37% for GA, and 62.03% for CNV. The lead 52 variants’ h2 (ADV: 14.52%, GA: 8.02%, CNV: 13.62%) and 34 loci h2 (ADV: 13.73%, GA: 8.81%, CNV: 12.89%) indicate that known variants contribute ~ 14% to ADV h2. SDG variants account for a small percentage of ADV, GA, and CNV heritability, but estimates based on the combination of SDGs and the 34 known loci are similar to those calculated for known loci alone. We identified modest epistatic interactions among variants in the 2 SDGs and the 52 IAMDGC variants, including modest interactions between variants in PPARA and PLCG2. Pathway analyses, which leverage biological relationships among genes in a pathway, may be useful in identifying additional loci that contribute to the heritability of complex disorders in a non-additive manner. Heritability analyses of these loci, especially amongst disease subtypes, may provide clues to the importance of specific genes to the genetic architecture of AMD.
Rhinology: Sinus surgery in the older patient

In 2050, the elderly population will reach a projected 83.7 million and will represent 20% of the population in the United States. Chronic rhinosinusitis remains the sixth most common chronic disease in the geriatric population. It is often disregarded as a secondary problem in patients perceived as frail, with multiple other medical comorbidities and polypharmacy. The pathophysiologic changes that happen in the elderly make for a unique disease that requires special attention. Symptoms can be nonspecific but elderly with chronic sinus disease have a decreased quality of life metrics that can be significantly improved with medical or surgical interventions. Procedures in the form of in-office under local anesthesia or in the operating room under general anesthesia can be offered and safely performed but not without a slightly elevated risk of complications. Thus, particular considerations concerning anticoagulation, anesthesia techniques and proper choice of surgical options are necessary.
Deep-Learning Emulators of Transient Compartment Fire Simulations for Inverse Problems and Room-Scale Calorimetry

This work describes a deep learning methodology for “emulating” temperature outputs produced by the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), a CFD software. An array of artificial neural networks (ANNs) is trained to predict transient temperatures at specified locations for a transient heat release rate (HRR) input. These locations correspond to the locations of thermocouples used in an experimental burn structure. In order to build the training set, A Gaussian process (GP) framework is used to develop a generative model that produces random viable HRR ramps. Although this procedure may require thousands of FDS runs to build a sufficient training set, the application of transfer learning can reduce the required number of runs by nearly an order of magnitude. This refers to the process of initially training an ANN to predict the output of the Consolidated Model of Fire and Smoke Transport (CFAST) and then transferring its knowledge to an ANN that learns to predict FDS outputs. CFAST is a much faster model than FDS, so a large training set can be generated quickly. The final state of the ANN trained to emulate CFAST is used as the initial state of an ANN that learns to emulate FDS. The result is a model that produces FDS temperature predictions with a mean absolute error (MAE) of less than 2°C and runs over five orders of magnitude faster than FDS. The emulators are also capable of learning inverse mappings; i.e. for a given temperature output, they can predict the HRR ramp that would cause FDS to produce the temperature response. This ability to invert for the HRR profile is exercised on data collected from eight fire experiments with peak HRRs up to 200 kW, including four propane burner fires, two methanol pool fires, and two n-Hexane pool fires. The model inverts for the experimental HRR with a MAE of 5.8 kW-15.4 kW (11.3%–16.7%) for the burner tests and 5.0 kW–25.5 kW (12.1%–28.6%) for the pool fire tests, with a tendency to underestimate the HRR of the pool fires. Finally, the computational speed of the emulators allows for the incorporation of CFD physics in Bayesian parameter inversion. As an example, this is demonstrated to infer the radiative fraction from experimental and synthetic data in conjunction with reported uncertainties from the FDS Validation Guide.
Lines in Space, Part 7: The Algebra of Tinkertoys

Looks at the following problem: given four lines, K L, M and N, find a fifth line V that intersects all four. This problem was originally solved, and solved well, by Seth Teller and Michael Hohmeyer in their 1999 article that appeared in Journal of Graphics Tools. Teller and Hohmeyer solved the problem purely numerically using singular value decomposition. SVD is one of the more reliable numerical techniques, so their solution is probably the best one to find actual numerical answers. The author's series of articles has been working toward a more symbolic solution, both in the hopes of generating greater geometric intuition on the different typs of solutions possible, and as a springboard for various digressions on the general topic of relating algebra and geometry. In exploring this relations one can either work from geometry to algebra (picking geometric relationships and trying to find algebra to geometry (picking algebraic relationships and trying to find the geometry they represent). The author does the latter.