cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adding concurrent data transfer to transport layer

In recent years, the internet has grown exponentially, and become more complex. This increased complexity potentially introduces more network-level instability. But for any end-to-end internet connection, maintaining the connection's throughput and reliability at a certain level is very important. This is because it can directly affect the connection's normal operation. Therefore, a challenging research task is to improve a network's connection performance by optimizing its throughput and reliability. This dissertation proposed an efficient and reliable transport layer protocol (called concurrent TCP (cTCP)), an extension of the current TCP protocol, to optimize end-to-end connection throughput and enhance end-to-end connection fault tolerance. The proposed cTCP protocol could aggregate multiple paths' bandwidth by supporting concurrent data transfer (CDT) on a single connection. Here concurrent data transfer was defined as the concurrent transfer of data from local hosts to foreign hosts via two or more end-to-end paths. An RTT-Based CDT mechanism, which was based on a path's RTT (Round Trip Time) to optimize CDT performance, was developed for the proposed cTCP protocol. This mechanism primarily included an RTT-Based load distribution and path management scheme, which was used to optimize connections' throughput and reliability. A congestion control and retransmission policy based on RTT was also provided. According to experiment results, under different network conditions, our RTT-Based CDT mechanism could acquire good CDT performance. Finally a CWND-Based CDT mechanism, which was based on a path's CWND (Congestion Window), to optimize CDT performance was introduced. This mechanism primarily included: a CWND-Based load allocation scheme, which assigned corresponding data to paths based on their CWND to achieve aggregate bandwidth; a CWND-Based path management, which was used to optimize connections' fault tolerance; and a congestion control and retransmission management policy, which was similar to regular TCP in its separate path handling. According to corresponding experiment results, this mechanism could acquire near-optimal CDT performance under different network conditions.
Estimation and Validation of Biomarker-Based Exposures for Historical Ammonium Perfluorooctanoate

Ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO) exposures were estimated for use in an occupational mortality study using detailed work histories of cohort members and an exposure reconstruction model developed from occupational information and serum PFO− data collected in 2004 as part of a cross-sectional health survey. Measured serum PFO− levels of the health survey participants were linked with the job title held by the individuals at the time of sampling. The median, range, and distribution of serum levels were calculated to determine the typical exposure intensity for each job title. High variability was observed in the serum levels of workers within the same job titles. In addition, working in many “APFO-use” jobs did not result in higher exposure than working in “no APFO-use” jobs. Each job title was then assigned to one of three relative APFO job exposure categories (low, medium, or high). Participants' length of time in their job was examined in relation to their serum PFO− level and found unlikely to contrib...
FROM READER TO READING TEACHER: ISSUES AND STRATEGIES FOR SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS. Jo Ann Aebersold and Mary Lee Field. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Pp. xii + 263. $18.95 paper.

From reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms is a book targeted at second language teachers in training. The first two chapters provide a brief overview of theory and research in second language reading. Chapter 3 treats course design; 4, prereading activities; 5, activities during reading; 6, postreading activities; 7, vocabulary; 8, the use of literature; 9, assessment; 10, lesson planning; and 11, teacher development. In other words, the book attempts a comprehensive treatment of important issues related to reading instruction in second language contexts.
Internet Education and Economic Growth: Evidence from Cross-Country Regressions

The effects of Internet education on economic growth are examined using a cross-section of 36 high-income countries. Internet usage rates are employed as a proxy for Internet education across countries. Regression results show that the frequent usage of the Internet has a positive and significant effect on economic growth. The estimated growth effect of Internet skills is also found to be greater than the growth effect of math and science skills. The results are, in general, robust across model specifications.
Corresponding states: I. Theoretical development for mixtures

Part I of this work develops a corresponding states theory for fluid mixtures. A greater predictive capability for the thermodynamic properties of mixtures is achieved through three developments: 1. The theretical validity of the pseudocritical method is established. 2. The theory is founded on well-defined assumptions. 3. The composition dependence of the scaling parameters (pseudocritical constants) is developed from rigorus mixing rules. Implementation of the new method is discussed in Part II.
Contact line region heat transfer mechanisms for an evaporating interface

Abstract Many recent studies have emphasized the significance of contact line region heat transfer in applications such as boiling, thin film evaporation and enhanced heat transfer using wicking structures. Literature on heat transfer in the contact line region have focused on the adsorbed layer and transition region of the contact line. However, the region beyond the thin film region of the contact line plays a significant role in heat transfer and associated phase change at the dynamic interface. In this paper, heat transfer in the adsorbed and transition regions as well as in the macro region is reviewed. The need for studying the microconvective effects for polar liquids because of their broad practical application in boiling is also highlighted. Experimental and analytical works on the contact line region are explored and a comprehensive picture of its physical and heat transfer characteristics is presented. Various optical and thermal measurement techniques employed by researchers to understand evaporation in the contact line region are also reviewed. Finally, the contribution of the various modes of heat transfer within the contact line region during nucleate pool boiling is discussed and future research needs are identified.
Glycemic Assessment in a Patient with HB Leiden and Type 2 Diabetes

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the discordance between blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in a patient with hemoglobin (Hb) Leiden and type 2 diabetes. Methods: Case report. Results: Measurement of HbA1c levels by immunoturbidimetric assay and boronate affinity high-performance liquid chromatography revealed values of 4.6 (26.8 mmol/mol) and 4.8% (29.0 mmol/mol), respectively, while his fasting plasma glucose was 170 mg/dL and fructosamine was 345 mmol/L. Hb Leiden accounted for 27% of total hemoglobin, and the patient had splenomegaly and elevated hemolytic indices. Conclusion: The discrepancy between normal HbA1c and high blood sugar levels is attributed to chronic hemolysis. Treatment and monitoring options for this patient's diabetes and diabetes-related comorbid conditions will require careful management.
Super-resolution ultrasonic imaging of stiffness variations on a microscale active metasurface

Surface acoustic waves propagating over an immersed membrane metasurface, such as an array of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers, can be leveraged to achieve subwavelength focusing and imaging. This is demonstrated numerically and experimentally utilizing a time reversal method on a 2D membrane array at MHz frequencies. The focusing region is a dense metasurface of CMUT membranes with 6.5 MHz resonance frequency that supports a wave field that is evanescent normal to the metasurface and capable of super-resolution along the metasurface. Electrostatically actuated membranes, spatially separate from the focusing region, are used to generate the focused wave field. Subwavelength focusing is demonstrated on the metasurface with a resolution of a single membrane resonator or λ/5. Similar techniques allow for super-resolution imaging of a subwavelength defect or change in the medium of the focusing region. A subwavelength sized imaging target, obtained by altering the stiffness of a single membrane by 1.2%, is shown to be properly imaged with subwavelength resolution. These results pave the way for practical implementation of ultrasonic super-resolution imaging systems using metasurfaces.
The Interaction of Broad-Based State Scholarship Programs with Federal Education Credits

The authors note that existing states subsidies for higher education and federal tax incentives tend to interact in a way that cancels part of the benefit to the student. They look at ways the states can alter their programs so students can get the full benefit of both. Louisiana has made such an adaptation, they say.
Elastic RTM: Anisotropic Wave-mode Separation And Converted-wave Polarization Correction

In this study, we investigate the impact of different wavemode separation approaches on TTI anisotropic elastic reverse time migration (RTM). We tested the cheap but less accurate Helmholtz decomposition method as well as the expensive but more accurate pseudo-derivative method on a simple 2D model. Our study shows that the stacking operator associated with the RTM algorithm can naturally remove most of the leaking-mode artifacts generated by the less accurate Helmholtz decomposition method in anisotropic media. Therefore, for the purposes of kinematic imaging, it is practically acceptable to use the Helmholtz decomposition for mode separation in elastic anisotropic RTM. Another issue in elastic RTM is that converted PS wavefields have mixed polarity depending on the P-wave incidence angle. As a result, a given event has opposite signs in different shot images, causing the event to be destroyed after stacking over all shots. We propose a correction approach in which the angle-domain commonimage gathers are computed at every imaging point and the polarity is corrected in the angle domain before stacking. The polarization correction allows the same event to be stacked constructively yielding a more consistent PS image.
On the deterioration of crystalline strophanthin in aqueous solution

For clinical use, crystalline strophanthin is commonly dissolved in normal salt solution or water and marketed in glass ampules. Sterilization is accomplished by autoclaving after the ampules have been filled and sealed. In making biologic assays, by the cat method of Hatcher and Brody, of several lots of a commercial preparation of “ouabain” (g-strophanthin) wide variations in potency were found. On adding a drop of indicator, phenol red, to the contents of those ampules showing low potency, it was observed that they were decidedly alkaline in reaction, whereas freshly prepared, aqueous solutions of the drug are neutral or slightly acid. Experiments were undertaken to ascertain the cause of the deterioration in relation to the altered hydrogen ion concentration and to devise a method for preparing a stable solution for therapeutic purposes.Doubly distilled water, pH 6.0, was autoclaved in various types of glass bottles and flasks, chosen at random from the laboratory supply. Immediately after autoclaving...
Growth Hormone Assay in Acromegaly, Gigantism, Dwarfism and Hypopituitarism

The plasma concentration of growth hormone reaches a peak within one or two hours after the onset of sleep. During most of the day the levels may be almost unmeasurable. The conditions under which plasma is obtained for testing assume great significance in view of the unusual normal secretory pattern. Some applications and limitations of growth hormone assays are considered.
Situation of Declaring Occupational Hazards in The Enterprises of Futian District in Shenzhen City

[Objective]To investigate the situation of declaring occupational hazards and changing tendency of occupational hazards in the enterprises of Futian District,so as to adopt the targeted control measures and to carry out basic occupational health services better. [Methods]Excel was used to establish a database for analysis of data from declaration material of occupational hazards in the enterprises of Futian District from 2006-2010. [Results]The number of enterprises existing occupational risk factors in Futian District,and the constituent ratio of large and medium-sized enterprises that declared occupational hazards were decreasing annually,and the constituent ratio of workshop-based small enterprises was increasing.Among different economic types of enterprises,the constituent ratio of limited liability company was increasing,and others were decreasing.Except electronic industry,automobile maintenance industry and printing industry,the constituent ratio of other enterprises was decreasing.The percentage of enterprises that declared occupational hazards such as trichloroethylene,dichloromethane,plumbum,cadmium,etc was decreasing annually,while the percentage of enterprises existing benzene series,n-hexane,other chemicals,dusts and physical occupational hazards was increasing. [Conclusion]It is necessary to combine efforts from government,occupational health institute and enterprises to promote basic work of occupational service in Futian District.Occupational hygiene control should be implemented specially on the basis of local economic characteristics in Futian District,so as to motivate the activeness of enterprises to declare occupational hazards,and to strengthen the detection of occupational hazards for small enterprises,especially on physical factors and dusts.With regard to other chemicals,their toxicity and classification should be understood so as to take targeted measures to prevent occupational diseases.
Study of Common Rules of Steam Blowing for Tri-pressure HRSGs

In order to best blowing effect,people often use self-product-steam as modern large Tri-pressure HRSGs'ts blowing steam.It has two type of temporary blowing system as multi-switch-valve type and multi-blowing-valve type.Both can save blowing time and energy by using only one suit of target system,one muffle,and blow each pressure part parallely,but its has different technology request.This paper studies problems of this two types temporary blowing system,gives according solving scheme,can be use as reference by other similar unit.
Treating ADHD in Prison: Focus on Alpha-2 Agonists (Clonidine and Guanfacine)

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is prevalent in prison populations, but optimal treatment recommendations in prison are uncertain. Stimulants are problematic because of the potential for abuse. This article is a review of medication options for ADHD, focusing on the α2 agonists clonidine and guanfacine, which, in their extended-release (ER) forms, are U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for the treatment of ADHD, although they are probably less efficacious, overall, than stimulants. Advantages of α2 agonists in prison include: they are not controlled substances and have no known abuse potential; they may be particularly helpful for ADHD with associated aggression and other features of conduct disorder; they may reduce anxiety and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder; and they are somewhat sedating. The pharmacology of these agents and the presumed mechanism of action are discussed, including the fact that guanfacine more specifically affects α2A receptors, which are postsynaptic in the frontal cortex. Other differences between clonidine and guanfacine and between the generic immediate-release (IR) forms and the ER forms are also discussed. The IR forms, while themselves not FDA approved for ADHD, may, with dosage adjustment, be reasonable alternatives (with considerable cost savings). Overall, given the FDA-accepted evidence of efficacy, the lack of abuse potential, and the favorable side effect profile, α agonists may be the treatment of choice for prison inmates with ADHD.
Neuro-Intensive Care of the Pregnant Woman

There is considerable overlap between pregnancy and neurointensive care. This interface includes pre-existent conditions that may be impacted upon by pregnancy such as myasthenia gravis or intracranial aneurysm as well as critical illnesses limited to pregnancy and the puerperium such as pituitary apoplexy. In each situation, every possible effort should be made to extend optimal care to both mother and fetus.
Cognitive, Mental Health, and Adaptive Outcomes Among Survivors of Prematurity

Children born prematurely often experience significant medical issues early in life. Though some of these individuals continue to experience ongoing challenges throughout their lives as a result of prematurity, others are less affected. This article reviews the current data about cognitive, mental health, and adaptive outcomes among survivors of prematurity, to inform and empower clinicians to effectively counsel and support those affected by prematurity.
Chapter A2 Cancellous Bone

Cancellous bone (also referred to as trabecular bone or spongy bone) is a porous cellular solid consisting of platelike and rodlike struts called trabeculae. The size and arrangement of trabeculae vary among species and within regions of the skeleton and change with age. Average trabecular thickness can be as great as 300 μm but, in elderly human tissue, ranges from 100 to 200 μm [1]. The orientation of trabeculae within cancellous bone varies, resulting in considerable specimen-to-specimen heterogeneity. At the continuum level (specimens 3–5 mm in smallest dimension) the density of cancellous bone is measured as the mass of the specimen (wet after removing the marrow) divided by specimen volume and is referred to as the “apparent density.” The apparent density of human cancellous bone typically ranges from 0.05 to 1.1 g/cm3. The apparent density of cancellous bone is not to be confused with the “tissue density” which expresses the density of individual trabeculae. The volume fraction of human cancellous bone (expressed in the bone literature as BV/TV) ranges from 5 % to 60 %. The surface-to-volume ratio of human cancellous bone (BS/TV) is related to bone volume fraction in the following manner [2]: $$ \frac{\mathrm{BS}}{\mathrm{TV}}=8.84{\left(\frac{\mathrm{BV}}{\mathrm{TV}}\right)}^{0.70} $$
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery 2016 ethics forum: Working virtues in surgical practice

Moral virtues are the complement to ethical principles. They constitute the elements of character that drive habits and daily routines. Certain virtues are especially important in surgery, shaping surgical practice even when no big decisions are at hand. Eight virtues are described and the work they do is explored: trustworthiness, equanimity, empathy, advocacy, compassion, courage, humility, and hope.
The Shifting Landscape of Sports Media with Dave Zirin

Sport sociologist Ben Carrington talks with the “edge of sports” reporter about nearly a decade of changing coverage.
Basal Insulin Persistence, Associated Factors, and Outcomes After Treatment Initiation: A Retrospective Database Study Among People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Japan.

Introduction The objective of this study was to assess basal insulin persistence, associated factors, and economic outcomes for insulin-naive people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Japan.
Fault-tolerant iterative solvers with adaptive reliability

Soft errors are increasing in modern computers. These faults can corrupt the results of scientific simulations. This work studies error propagation by a bit flip in conjugate gradient (CG) methods. We will also introduce adaptivity to selective reliable fault-tolerant (SRFT) solvers. Our study reduces the compute-intensive reliability steps in SRFT solvers.
Teachers’ Expectations of Girls’ Classroom Performance and Behavior: Effects of Girls’ Race and Pubertal Timing:

Experiencing an early pubertal transition has been shown to increase the risk for internalizing and externalizing outcomes among girls. It is less clear how the expectations of other individuals ca...
Combining STEM and business entrepreneurship for sustaining STEM-readiness

Sustaining interest in STEM subjects throughout the academic career is often the key to a successful STEM career. Maintaining a “STEM-interested” student body can potentially have significant long-term implications for the success of the future STEM workforce. In many cases, students who initially like STEM subjects begin to lose interest in STEM subjects during middle school years. This work-in-progress paper explores the findings of the second year of STEM-Inc, an afterschool program in junior high schools that combines team-based, real-world engineering and computer science projects with business entrepreneurship concepts. One of the important goals of the program is to sustain student interest in STEM subjects and make them aware of STEM careers. Participants are supervised by college student mentors in partnership with school teachers. Traditionally underrepresented students form a significant component of STEM-Inc. While interest in STEM activities, teamwork and entrepreneurial confidence for students were positively influenced in year 2, no significant improvements were observed in STEM skills and interest in STEM fields. STEM-Inc also had considerable positive influences on college student mentors and school teachers. Two mentors reported that they are considering a career in STEM education after their involvement in STEM-Inc. School teachers reported being confident in the inclusion of engineering examples and the design process in their math and science courses.
What can intracoronary pressure measurements tell us about CFR? Now comes pb-CFR.

Key Points Pressure-bound (pb) coronary flow reserve (CFR) is a novel estimation of CFR, calculated from easily obtained baseline and hyperemic pressure assessment Validation of pb-CFR in previously reported lesions showed accuracy of 84% to CFR with sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 60% FFR >0.75 and low pb-CFR in DEFER was associated with increased angina and complications compared to high pb-CFR and this risk was not modified by elective revascularization.
Genetic sequences are two-dimensional

In attempting to align divergent homologs of a conserved developmental enhancer, a flaw in the homology concept embedded in gapped alignment (GA) was discovered. To correct this flaw, we developed a methodological approach called maximal homology alignment (MHA). The goal of MHA is to rescue internal microparalogy of biological sequences rather than to insert a pattern of gaps (null characters), which transform homologous sequences into strings of uniform size (1-dimensional lengths). The core operation in MHA is the "cinch", whereby inferred tandem microparalogy is represented in multiple rows across the same span of alignment columns. Thus, MHAs have a second (vertical) paralogy dimension, which re-categorizes most indel mutations as replication slippage and attenuates the indel problem. Furthermore, internally-cinched, inferred microparalogy in a self-MHA can later be relaxed to restore uniformity to 2-dimensional widths in a multiple sequence alignment. This de-cinching operation is used as a first resort before artificial null characters are used. We implement MHA in a program called maximal, which is composed of a series of modules for cinching and cyclelizing divergent tandem repeats. In conclusion, we find that the MHA approach is of higher utility than GA in non-protein-coding regulatory sequences, which are unconstrained by codon-based reading frames and are enriched in dense microparalogical content.
Metastatic lung adenocarcinoma presenting as diminutive colonic polyp.

We present a rare case of adenocarcinoma of lung metastatic to the colon. A 67-year-old woman was referred for colonoscopy for new onset iron deficiency anemia and occult blood in the stool.
What's Physical Activity Got to Do With It? Social Trends in Less Active Students at Recess.

BACKGROUND Public health concerns regarding childhood obesity and sedentary behavior make investigations of children's physical activity (PA) promotion crucial. School recess, a highly discretional time, plays a central role in shaping children's activity preferences. METHODS Participants included 40 children (30 girls, 10 boys) from fourth and fifth grades, categorized as low active during recess (<26% moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA]). PA was measured via accelerometer (Actigraph wGT3X+) and activity choice gauged through a self-report measure over a 3-day period. To assess attitudes and perceptions of recess, individual interviews were conducted. Accelerometer data were analyzed into minutes and percentage of MVPA; interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed utilizing open and axial coding. RESULTS Participants were active for 18% of recess, choosing activities that were primarily individual-based. Interview data showed low active children attribute recess enjoyment to social interaction and time away from schoolwork as well as an intention to avoid other children who were unkind and/or caused social conflict. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the importance of gaining a child's perspective of their own behavior, particularly those children classified as less active. Findings add a unique contribution to school health research through an innovative, child-centered approach to explore perceptions of PA.
Patina enrichment with SnO2 and its effect on soluble Cu cation release and passivity of high-purity Cu-Sn bronze in artificial perspiration

Abstract The antimicrobial function of Cu surfaces can be linked to soluble Cu release from corrosion. However, direct replacement of high-touch surfaces with Cu-based alloys is limited by knowledge gaps regarding how alloying directly relates to corrosion. A systematic approach to determine the role of Sn as a solute element and the minimum alloy content for passivation has been lacking. High-purity arc-melted binary alloys of Cu-Sn with specific additions of 0.1, 1, 5, and 10 wt% Sn were compared to pure Cu and Sn. The role and amount of Sn in corrosion products (patina) formed on the alloy surface as a function of alloying was interrogated in artificial perspiration. The fate and identity of the solute (Sn) and solvent (Cu) elements following corrosion, as soluble ions or insoluble corrosion products, was investigated. Alloy patinas became increasingly enriched in Sn corrosion products identified as SnO2 with increasing Sn content in the alloy. The critical alloy content for complete SnO2 layer coverage were theoretically quantified through a model based on interfacial surface energy. The predicted minimum solute content for a complete conformal inner layer of SnO2 was 1 wt% Sn whereas experimentally complete coverage was achieved only at 10 wt% Sn. Differences between theory and experiment are discussed.
Priapism of the Proximal Penis

Abstract A young man presented with a perineal mass that was found to be secondary to partial priapism of the proximal corpora cavernosa. This is a rare condition with only 2 previously recorded cases in the urologic literature. Definitive treatment required a corpus cavernosum-spongiosum shunt. The patient has had a good recovery and was able to resume sexual activity.
Genomics techniques: An overview of methods for the study of gene expression

A variety of methods to identify differ- ences in gene expression exist, including subtractive hybridization, differential display, serial analysis of gene expression, and microarray hybridization. Some of these techniques have been used to investigate changes in gene expression in livestock, and important
Theoretical notions of intelligence and mental retardation.

A theory of the cause of mental retardation that views human intelligence as a set of independent abilities organized in a complex system was presented. Mental retardation is conceived as a deficit in a few of the independent abilities having high centrality (i.e., processes most important in system functioning). Abilities affected and severity of impairment vary across individuals. Besides making specific predictions that allow rejection, the theory can be used to account for differences between Ellis's deficit theory and Zigler's developmental theory of mental retardation.
English: World Englishes

This conceptualization of world Englishes is a socially realistic approach to the observed global spread and functions of English within the Three Circles model (Kachru, 1985: 12–13). This model provides a dynamic schema for contextualization of the speech communities of Englishes in their sociolinguistic contexts of contact and convergence. These communities comprise (a) canonically privileged users, the INNER CIRCLE; (b) users who have contextually institutionalized their Englishes, the OUTER CIRCLE; and (c) users dependent on external norms, the Expanding Circle (Kachru, 1985 and 2005: 211–220). Other issues include English's conceptual mythology, descriptive frameworks, identity construction, nativization, acculturation, creativity, and the ongoing theoretical, applied and ethical debates concerning world Englishes.
Glossal abscess as a complication of tongue-base suspension surgery.

Approximately 60 cases of tongue abscess have been reported in the English-language literature over the past 30 years. We report what we believe is the first case of a glossal abscess that arose as...
Self-organizing infrastructure for machine (deep) learning at scale

Building machine (deep) learning1 systems is hard. Computation requirements grow non-linearly with the complexity of the task at hand creating acute challenges relating to data dimensionality, complex model development, slow experiments, and scalability of production deployments. The bulk of the ML/DL effort is consumed in infrastructure and data management. Automating such workflows has become the focus of recent research activity, so as to make ML/DL systems universally accessible. We extend these paradigms by infusing domain knowledge for infrastructure self-management. Key elements include understanding application design intent, fingerprinting the neural network for its computational, data and convergence properties, optimizing the implementation to achieving workload intent, and accelerating the neural network implementation in real-time hardware implementation. Keys to success require offline behavioural modelling coupled with online dynamic adaptation, made possible by the use of cognitive algorithms that accumulate knowledge in a dynamic and continuously evolving knowledgebase. In this way, we use machine learning to automate AI infrastructure management to minimize human engineering, and significantly accelerating application performance.
Impact of a Social Network Messaging App on Team Cohesiveness and Quality of Completed Team Projects in an Undergraduate Team Project.

This research sought to determine what impact a social network messaging app could have on student’s team project performance. The app allowed students to self-select teams based on user profiles w...
Search-and-capture model of cytoneme-mediated morphogen gradient formation

Morphogen protein gradients play an essential role in the spatial regulation of patterning during embryonic development. The most commonly accepted mechanism of protein gradient formation involves the diffusion and degradation of morphogens from a localized source. Recently, an alternative mechanism has been proposed, which is based on cell-to-cell transport via thin actin-rich cellular extensions known as cytonemes. Very little is currently known about the precise nature of the contacts between cytonemes and their target cells. Important unresolved issues include how cytoneme tips find their targets, how they are stabilized at their contact sites, and how vesicles are transferred to a receiving cell and subsequently internalized. It has been hypothesized that cytonemes find their targets via a random search process based on alternating periods of retraction and growth, perhaps mediated by some chemoattractant. This is an actin-based analog of the search-and-capture model of microtubules of the mitotic spindle searching for cytochrome binding sites (kinetochores) prior to separation of cytochrome pairs. In this paper we develop a search-and-capture model of cytoneme-based morphogenesis, in which nucleating cytonemes from a source cell dynamically grow and shrink along the surface of a one-dimensional array of target cells until making contact with one of the target cells. We analyze the first-passage-time problem for making contact and then use this to explore the formation of morphogen gradients under the mechanism proposed for Wnt in vertebrates. That is, we assume that morphogen is localized at the tip of a growing cytoneme, which is delivered as a "morphogen burst" to a target cell when the cytoneme makes temporary contact with a target cell before subsequently retracting. We show how multiple rounds of search-and-capture, morphogen delivery, cytoneme retraction, and nucleation events lead to the formation of a morphogen gradient. We proceed by formulating the morphogen bursting model as a queuing process, analogous to the study of translational bursting in gene networks. In order to analyze the expected times for cytoneme contact, we introduce an efficient method for solving first-passage-time problems in the presence of sticky boundaries, which exploits some classical concepts from probability theory, namely, stopping times and the strong Markov property. We end the paper by demonstrating how this method simplifies previous analyses of a well-studied problem in cell biology, namely, the search-and-capture model of microtubule-kinetochore attachment. Although the latter is completely unrelated to cytoneme-based morphogenesis from a biological perspective, it shares many of the same mathematical elements.
Integrative East-West Medicine for Reflux Disease

This chapter summarizes an integrative East-West medicine approach for the treatment of reflux disease. The conceptual framework of integrative East-West medicine, therapeutic effects of acupuncture based upon mechanistic and clinical studies, nutritional recommendations from a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) perspective, and implications upon the brain-gut-microbiota axis are all described. The potential for a brain-naso-sinus-pharynx-larynx-microbiota axis is also discussed using TCM pattern diagnosis as a point of reference for translational investigative research.
Delivery of Preventive Services for Low-Income Persons Over Age 50: A Comparison of Community Health Clinics to Private Doctors' Offices

This study focused on the use of 14 evidence-based preventive services for the low-income population over age 50: colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening, cholesterol screening, counseling around diet, exercise, tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs, and immunizations for influenza, tetanus and pneumonia. Population characteristics and rates of delivery of these preventive services are compared for low-income users of community health clinics vs private doctors' offices/HMOs. Three nationally representative data-files from the National Health Interview Survey—the Person-Level File, Sample Adult File, and Sample Adult Prevention File—were linked to obtain the necessary data on preventive services use in the 12,024 persons over age 50. Among the population of persons over age 50 living below 200% of the poverty threshold, those using community clinics were more likely to be younger, a racial or ethnic minority, less formally educated, in poorer health, uninsured, and more likely to face time, transportation or cost barriers to obtaining health care (p < .01 for all comparisons), than their counterparts using private doctors' offices/HMOs. Community health clinics performed as well as private doctors/HMOs in the delivery of cancer screening, cholesterol screening and immunizations to lower income persons over 50 years. Rates of counseling about diet and exercise were higher among users of private doctor's offices than among users of community health clinics users (40% vs. 31% respectively, p = .02). Despite the severe resource constraints under which they operate, and the greater vulnerability of the population they serve, community clinics deliver preventive services at rates comparable to private doctors' offices and HMOs.
GRAIL: efficient time-series representation learning

The analysis of time series is becoming increasingly prevalent across scientific disciplines and industrial applications. The effectiveness and the scalability of time-series mining techniques critically depend on design choices for three components responsible for (i) representing; (ii) comparing; and (iii) indexing time series. Unfortunately, these components have to date been investigated and developed independently, often resulting in mutually incompatible methods. The lack of a unified approach has hindered progress towards fast and accurate analytics over massive time-series collections. To address this major drawback, we present GRAIL, a generic framework to learn compact time-series representations that preserve the properties of a user-specified comparison function. Given the comparison function, GRAIL (i) extracts landmark time series using clustering; (ii) optimizes necessary parameters; and (iii) exploits approximations for kernel methods to construct representations in linear time and space by expressing each time series as a combination of the landmark time series. We extensively evaluate GRAIL for querying, classification, clustering, sampling, and visualization of time series. For these tasks, methods leveraging GRAIL's representations are significantly faster and at least as accurate as state-of-the-art methods operating over the raw time series. GRAIL shows promise as a new primitive for highly accurate, yet scalable, time-series analysis.
Trends in food service: Food Service Facilities Require Careful Planning

(1963). Trends in food service: Food Service Facilities Require Careful Planning. Hospital Topics: Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 49-50.
Atomistic Simulation of Short Crack Growth in Correlation with Fatigue Indicator Parameter

AbstractUnder time-varying extreme dynamic environmental conditions, fatigue damage could gradually accumulate with increased stress cycles at critical details of steel or other metallic structures...
The effectiveness of hope-fostering interventions in palliative care: A systematic review and meta-analysis:

Background:The concept of hope is an important theme in chronic illness and palliative care and has been associated with increased psycho-spiritual well-being and quality of life. Psycho-spiritual ...
Risk-Taking and Dynamic Prudential Regulation

This paper adopts a dynamic contracting framework to study the design of prudential regulation of a bank engaging in excessive risk-taking. The bank's manager can enhance short term profits by either exerting effort or taking on excessive risk, which increases the bank's exposure to tail risk. Without capital requirements, shareholders induce the manager to undertake excessive risk when the bank is undercapitalised and the regulator grants forbearance ex-post. The socially optimal regulation curbs excessive risks through a capital requirement, forcing shareholders to recapitalise the bank before entering financial distress.The capital requirement possesses bank's specific attributes, being stricter for institutions with higher exposure to systemic risk and stronger agency problems. Alternatively, temporarily dismissing the manager allows the bank to recover from financial distress avoiding excessive risk-taking.
Standardized Headache Therapy in the Pediatric Emergency Department Using Improvement Methodology.

Introduction Primary headache is a common cause of pediatric emergency department (PED) visits. Without published guidelines to direct treatment options, various strategies lacking evidence are often employed. This study aims to standardize primary headache treatment in the PED by promoting evidence-based therapies, reducing nonstandard abortive therapies, and introducing dihydroergotamine (DHE) into practice. Methods A multidisciplinary team developed key drivers, created a clinical care algorithm, and updated electronic medical record order sets. Outcome measures included the percentage of patients receiving evidence-based therapies, nonstandard abortive therapies, DHE given after failed first-line therapies, and overall PED length of stay. Process measures included the percent of eligible patients with the order set usage and medications received within 90 minutes. Balancing measures included hospital admissions and returns to the PED within 72 hours. Annotated control charts depicted results over time. Results We collected data from July 2017 to December 2019. The percent of patients receiving evidence-based therapies increased from 69% to 73%. The percent of patients receiving nonstandard abortive therapies decreased from 2.5% to 0.6%. The percent of patients receiving DHE after failed first-line therapies increased from 0% to 37.2%. No untoward effects on process or balancing measures occurred, with sustained improvement for 14 months. Conclusion Standardization efforts for patients with primary headaches led to improved use of evidence-based therapies and reduced nonstandard abortive therapies. This methodology also led to improved DHE use for migraine headache resistant to first-line therapies. We accomplished these results without increasing length of stay, admission, or return visits.
Buy Now and Match Later: Impact of Posterior Price Matching on Profit with Strategic Consumers

With a posterior price matching (PM) policy, a seller guarantees to reimburse the price difference to a consumer who buys a product before the seller marks it down. Such a policy has been widely adopted by retailers. We examine the impact of a posterior PM policy on consumers' purchasing behavior, a seller's pricing and inventory decisions, and their expected payoffs, assuming that the seller cannot credibly commit to a price path, but can implement a posterior PM policy. We find that the PM policy eliminates strategic consumers' waiting incentive and thus allows the seller to increase price in the regular selling season. When the fraction of strategic consumers is not too small and their valuation decline over time is neither too low nor too high, the PM policy can substantially improve the seller's profit, as well as the inventory investment. In such situations, the strategic consumers' waiting incentive and the loss if they wait are both high. However, to adopt this policy, the seller also bears the refund cost. The seller must either pay the refund that consumers will claim or forgo the salvage value of any leftover inventory. The PM policy can be detrimental when there are only a few strategic consumers or the strategic consumers' valuation decline is very low or very high. We find that the performance of this policy is insensitive to the proportion of consumers who claim the refund. From the consumers' perspective, the PM policy generally reduces consumer surplus; however, there are cases where consumer surplus can be increased, typically when the variance of the potential high-end market volume is high. As a result, a Pareto improvement on both the seller's and the consumers' payoffs is possible. Finally, we find that the ability to credibly commit to a fixed price path is not very valuable when the seller can implement price matching.
The Development of Preschoolers’ Living Kinds Concept: A Longitudinal Study

Given limitations in the integrative scope of past research, basic questions about the organization and development of preschoolers’ living kinds concept remain open to debate. This study was designed to address past limitations through use of a longitudinal design, extensive stimulus set, and alternate indices of understanding. Thirty-five English-speaking 3-year-olds from middle-class families in Albuquerque, NM participated in four testing sessions over 1 year. Indices of understanding included statements that preschoolers generated about various living and nonliving objects, biological properties they attributed to the objects, and their characterization of objects as “alive” or not. Results reveal a multifaceted picture of developmental change in preschoolers’ living kinds concept involving both the construction and elaboration of a core biological understanding.
Curves and line integrals

Consider a vector-valued function g, from a 1-dimensional interval J into E n with derivative g’(t) ≠ 0. One can think of the point x = g(t) as traversing a curve while t traverses J from left to right. We do not call g itself a curve. Instead, any vector-valued function f obtained from g by a suitable parameter change is regarded as representing the same curve γ as g. In Section 6.3 we define the concept of differential form ω of degree 1. Then the line integral of a differential form ω along a curve γ is defined in Section 6.4. The differential df of a function f is called an exact differential form of degree 1. It is shown that the line integral of ω depends just on the endpoints of γ if and only if ω is exact (Theorem 6.1).
Nozick’s Reply to the Anarchist : What He Said and What He Should Have Said about Procedural Rights ()

Central to Nozick’s Anarchy, State and Utopia is a defense of the legitimacy of the minimal state’s use of coercion against anarchist objections. Individuals acting within their natural rights can establish the state without committing wrongdoing against those who disagree. Nozick attempts to show that even with a natural executive right, individuals need not actually consent to incur political obligations. Nozick’s argument relies on an account of compensation to remedy the infringement of the non-consenters’ procedural rights. Compensation, however, cannot remedy the infringement, for either it is superfluous to Nozick’s account of procedural rights, or it is made to play a role inconsistent with Nozick’s liberal voluntarist commitments. Nevertheless, Nozick’s account of procedural rights contains clues for how to solve the problem. Since procedural rights are incompatible with a natural executive right, Nozickeans can argue that only the state can enforce individuals’ rights without wronging anyone, thus refuting the anarchist.
Pediatric cochlear implantation-I : Candidacy.

The cochlear implant is a successful means of intervention to facilitate the perception of sound and oral communication for children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. Often, the cochlear implantation process is viewed as being limited to a surgical procedure, rather than an entire process of medical, audiological, psychosocial, educational and therapeutic, management. In India, cochlear implantation is available in only a few large cities. Here, the otolaryngologist will direct the cochlear implant programme. Besides determination of medical candidacy, device implantation and medical management, the otolaryngologist is responsible to ensure that other aspects of cochlear implant management are implemented. This paper, the first of two that describe the multidisciplinary, team approach of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), in Pennsylvania, USA, discusses the non-medical aspects of cochlear implant candidacy. A second article will follow that covers post-implantation follow- up. The various speech tests used at CHOP for assessment are based on the English language. They may be translated into the regional Indian languages where the assessment and training can be carried out accordingly.
All-Pay Contests with Productive Effort

I consider competitions in which, conditional on winning or losing, the eﬀort exerted by a competitor does not necessarily decrease his payoﬀ. This happens, for example, in competitions for promotions in which workers are intrinsically motivated, and in research and development races in which better performance implies a higher payoﬀ from winning. I characterize players’ equilibrium payoﬀs in closed form, thereby generalizing Siegel’s (2009) payoﬀ result to contests in which players’ utilities are non-monotonic.