cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a Simulation Environment for Autonomous Flight Control Algorithms

A simulation environment is developed at West Virginia University to support the design and testing of algorithms for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) autonomous flight with advanced capabilities for abnormal conditions accommodation. A modular structure within Matlab/Simulink interfaced with FlightGear for visualization is adopted for maximum portability, flexibility, and extension capability through addition of new aircraft models and autonomous flight algorithms. Several representative UAV models are currently implemented, including subsystem failure/damage models and environmental upset conditions. Path and trajectory planning algorithms in major classes are operational as well as both conventional and adaptive trajectory tracking algorithms with significant fault-tolerant potential. The user can setup the mission configuration by defining threat zones, obstacles, and points of interest through an interactive graphical interface. The versatility and utility of the simulation environment is illustrated through example simulation results at nominal and under actuator failure conditions.
Highly efficient catalytic microengines: template electrosynthesis of polyaniline/platinum microtubes

Highly efficient catalytic microtubular engines are synthesized rapidly and inexpensively using an electrochemical growth of bilayer polyaniline/platinum microtubes within the conically shaped pores of a polycarbonate template membrane. These mass-produced microtubular engines are only 8 μm long, are self-propelled at an ultrafast speed (of over 350 body lengths s–1), and can operate in very low levels of the hydrogen peroxide fuel (down to 0.2%). The propulsion characteristics and optimization of these microtubular engines are described, along with their efficient operation in different biological environments which holds great promise for biomedical applications.
Consumer’s PCs: A Study of Hard Drive Forensics, Data Recovery, and Exploitation

AbstractIn this paper, we explore discarded hard disks that were obtained in second-hand markets and attempted to find the types of personal and sensitive files that still remained. With careful observation and scanning, we found that most of the hard disks were not adequately cleaned, and included a rather large of amount of private and sensitive information that could be used in computer crimes. Between 50,000 and 300,000 files containing identifiable information were found on the fifty-five hard drives studied. The results of this study indicate a need for further training concerning proper hard drive erasure.
The Persistence of Tinnitus after Acoustic Neuroma Surgery

ObjectiveExamine possible prognostic factors for the persistence of tinnitus after acoustic neuroma resection.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingTertiary academic medical center.Subjects and MethodsThe records of 166 patients who underwent acoustic neuroma resection from 2009 to 2014 were reviewed. Patients were asked to complete a survey, including the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, 1 to 6 years postoperatively.ResultsOf the 53 patients who completed the survey, 17% reported that their tinnitus resolved; 9% reported improvement; 23% reported no change; 43% reported that their tinnitus worsened; and 8% were unsure. Respondents ≥50 years old and those with nonserviceable hearing preoperatively were more likely to report that their tinnitus resolved or improved (P < .01 and P = .02, respectively). Respondents <50 years old and those with serviceable hearing preoperatively were more likely to report that their tinnitus was the same or worse (P < .001 and P = .036, respectively). Respondents with ...
Stages of epiphyseal union for thoracic and lumbar vertebral centra as a method of age determination for teenage and young adult skeletons

Many current methods of age determination available to forensic anthropologists are limiting in that the age ranges provided are often broad, particularly for individuals in their late teens to early 20's. This study introduces an improved method for aging teenagers and young adults. The pattern and stages of union of the superior and inferior epiphyses of the vertebral centra (or ring epiphyses) were examined in 55 individuals, females and males, black and white, between ages 11 and 32 years. Vertebral ring epiphyseal union was found to be a good predictor of age. The correlation between stages of union and known age was 0.78 (P < .0001). The standard deviation was 2.566 years at the 99.9% confidence level. Sex differences were observed, but were not statistically significant. A larger sample size may perhaps demonstrate statistically significant differences in sex, and may or may not yield differences in race. A preliminary interobserver bias test showed high replicability. Results of this study compare favorably with results of other aging studies. Current age information for the progress of vertebral ring epiphyseal union is supplied for young males--and for the first time--females. This improved aging method provides necessary corroborative information for use with observations from other skeletal age indicators. Data collected from epiphyseal union of the vertebral centra aid in lessening the gap for early adult age determination.
Improved Hemostasis During Simple Retropubic Prostatectomy

AbstractDuring simple retropubic prostatectomy, ligation of the dorsal vein complex and lateral pedicles before enucleation of the adenoma reduces blood loss.
The Hippocampus and Social Cognition

The function of memory is not simply to recall the past but also to form and update models of our experiences that help us navigate the complexities of the social world. In the present chapter, we review behavioral, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological evidence that suggest an important role for memory—and the hippocampus—in social cognition.
Outcomes of a single-center experience with classification and treatment of endothermal heat-induced thrombosis after endovenous ablation.

Abstract Objective Endothermal heat-induced thrombosis (EHIT) is a known complication of endothermal venous ablation procedures. EHIT can lead to deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, which cause significant disability and, rarely, death. Other studies have evaluated risk factors for EHIT. There is an accepted grading system for EHIT, but there is no consensus on treatment type, duration, or follow-up. We retrospectively evaluated all cases of EHIT after radiofrequency ablation or endovenous laser ablation at our institution during a 7-year period, focusing on classification, treatment, and outcomes of EHIT. Methods The analysis included all patients aged >18 years who underwent radiofrequency ablation or endovenous laser ablation at our institution, Spectrum Health Hospital Vein Solutions (Grand Rapids, Mich), between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2014. Electronic medical records were queried retrospectively to identify patients with EHIT during the study interval by International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision code. Demographic data, including age, gender, comorbidities (eg, history of deep venous thrombosis, hypercoagulable state, family history of blood clots, etc), body mass index, Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology (CEAP) classification, and use of preoperative anticoagulation were collected for each patient in the registry. Each patient had a required postoperative duplex ultrasound (US) examination within 1 to 2 weeks of the procedure. Preoperative and postoperative US imaging data and procedure-specific data were also recorded for each patient. EHIT was graded from 1 to 4 by review of the US studies. Each patient's treatment course was reviewed for type of anticoagulation, duration of treatment, follow-up imaging, and outcome. Results From 2008 to 2014, 4799 ablations were performed at Spectrum Health Hospital Vein Center, and EHIT was identified in 70 patients. At presentation, 87% of patients were asymptomatic, 10% reported pain, and 2.9% reported swelling. Patients with EHIT grades 1 or 2 were treated with daily aspirin, and most of those with grades 3 or 4 were treated with systemic anticoagulation. Repeat US imaging was performed at 1 to 2 weeks to evaluate progression. Progression was not seen in any patients treated with systemic anticoagulation (grades 3-4). Thrombus progression occurred in two patients with grades 1 or 2 EHIT treated with aspirin. A bleeding complication occurred in one patient. Conclusions EHIT after endovenous ablation occurred in ∼1.5% of patients, which is similar to that reported in the literature. Our review shows that systemic anticoagulation is effective in the prevention of progression with a low risk of bleeding complications. Patients with EHIT grades 1 or 2 can be treated with aspirin alone with a low risk of progression (3%).
Relating the proton relative biological effectiveness to tumor control and normal tissue complication probabilities assuming interpatient variability in α/β

Background: Proton therapy uses a constant relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 1.1. The use of variable RBE values has been suggested but is currently not feasible due to uncertainties. The ...
Chimeric RNAs and their implications in cancer

Chimeric RNAs have been believed to be solely produced by gene fusions resulting from chromosomal rearrangement, thus unique features of cancer. Detected chimeric RNAs have also been viewed as surrogates for the presence of gene fusions. However, more and more research has demonstrated that chimeric RNAs in general are not a hallmark of cancer, but rather widely present in non-cancerous cells and tissues. At the same time, they may be produced by other mechanisms other than chromosomal rearrangement. The field of non-canonical chimeric RNAs is still in its infancy, with many challenges ahead, including the lack of a unified terminology. However, we believe that these non-canonical chimeric RNAs will have significant impacts in cancer detection and treatment.
A fuzzy logic inference processor

A mixed analog-digital fuzzy logic inference engine chip fabricated in an 0.8 /spl mu/m CMOS process is described. Interface to the processor behaves like a static RAM, and computation of the fuzzy logic inference is performed between memory locations in parallel by an array of analog charge-domain circuits. Eight inputs and four outputs are provided, and up to 32 rules may be programmed into the chip. The results of the inference over all rules, including a center-of-mass defuzzification, may be computed in 2 /spl mu/s. >
Bot lekarzem duszy

Tekst towarzyszący prezentacji pracy Zacha Blasa i Jemimy Wyman i’m here to learn so :)))))).
Association of Health Care Utilization With Rates of Perforated Appendicitis in Children 18 Years or Younger.

Importance The pediatric perforated appendix rate is a quality metric measured by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that reflects access to care. The association of health care utilization prior to presentation with appendicitis is unknown. Objective To determine whether increased health care utilization prior to presentation with appendicitis is associated with lower perforated appendicitis rates in children. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study of privately insured children drawn from large employer and insurance company administrative data found in the Truven MarketScan national insurance claims database. Cases of appendicitis were identified among 38 348 children 18 years or younger from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2013, with corresponding primary health care encounters from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2012. In all, 19 109 eligible children were identified usingInternational Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision(ICD-9) diagnosis codes for appendicitis after excluding those patients who did not have continuous insurance coverage during the study period. Statistical analysis was performed from September 1, 2016, to October 15, 2017. Exposures Health care utilization was determined by the number of outpatient clinic encounters for each patient in the 1 to 12 months before presentation with appendicitis. Main Outcomes and Measures Perforated appendicitis was defined according to the AHRQ by usingICD-9codes for perforation and hospital length of stay of 3 or more days. Logistic regression models were used for perforated appendicitis after adjustment for age, sex, income, gastrointestinal comorbidities, geographic region, and insurance type. Results We identified 38 348 children 18 years or younger withICD-9diagnosis codes for appendicitis, and 19 109 children remained for analysis after applying exclusion criteria. Of these, 11 422 were boys (59.8%); the mean (SD) age was 12.4 (3.9) years. Of the 19 109 children identified who underwent appendectomy, 5509 (28.8%) presented with perforated appendicitis. Children with perforation had lower outpatient health care utilization in the year before presentation compared with those diagnosed with acute appendicitis (4554 of 5509 children [82.7%] vs 11 937 of 13 600 [87.8%];P Conclusions and Relevance Among insured children 18 years or younger, increased health care utilization was associated with lower rates of perforated appendicitis. Primary health care relationships may facilitate timely presentation or serve as a marker for health-related self-efficacy, thereby contributing to outcomes for acute surgical conditions.
Neonatal Leukocyte Physiology and Disorders

Abstract The developing neonate is exposed to a plethora of antigens and must evolve innate and adaptive immune responses to combat pathogenic microorganisms and at the same time, develop tolerance to self-antigens and commensal microbes. While some components of the immune system are functionally at par with adults, immaturity in others may result in a state of immunodeficiency in the neonate. This chapter highlights the qualitative and quantitative differences in distribution and function of leukocyte populations that together shape the immune responses in the fetus, neonate and the adult. Knowledge of these differences may enable a better understanding of the inherent susceptibility of the neonate to various infections.
The Role of the Fermi Surface in Low Temperature Physics

A short discussion is given of the connection between low temperature physics and Fermi surface phenomena. The obvious importance of the Fermi surface in all considerations of transport phenomena is suggested. Advances in the art of Fermi surface investigations have been closely tied to advances in low temperature techniques. The Fermi surface symposium has been designed to summarize usefully the present state of knowledge, both experimental and theoretical, of the Fermi surface, and to describe briefly two additional interesting new experiments.
Salivary Gland Disease in Sjogren's Syndrome Sialoadenitis to Lymphoma

Although associated genes in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome have been identified, the clinical correlation has yet to be determined. There are multiple theories of what causes salivary gland dysfunction in Sjogren's syndrome, but none of them has been definitively proved. When acinar cells stop producing serous saliva, mucous plugs can form within the salivary glands, causing obstructive sialoadenitis, possibly leading to a salivary gland infection. Patients with Sjogren's syndrome can develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, particularly mucosa- associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. These lymphomas in turn can develop into more aggressive lymphomas. Lymphoma is the leading cause of death of patients with Sjogren's syndrome.
CHAPTER 43 – Neuroendocrine Control of the Ovarian Cycle of the Rat

This chapter discusses the control of the ovarian cycle of the rats by the brain and its interaction with the anterior pituitary gland and ovaries. The ovarian cycle of the rats is characterized by a brief luteal phase, and the events of the cycle are largely under photoperiodic control. That is, the lighting periodicity plays a dominant role in the incidence and duration of the stages of the ovarian cycle. During the estrous cycle of the rat, three or more generations of corpora lutea can be present on the ovary from the immediately preceding ovulatory cycles whereas the preovulatory period of the estrous cycle is characterized by a growth of ovarian follicles and a concomitant enhanced secretion of estrogen. The secretion rate of estradiol into ovarian venous plasma is low on estrus, begins to rise significantly by late on metestrus through the morning of diestrus, and reaches peak concentrations by the afternoon of proestrus.
C++11 tutorial

Being a programming language standardized in the traditional ANSI/ISO tradition, C++ gets updated only every decade or so. The most recent version, C++11, leap-frogs other languages by adding support for many modern computing notions, including type inference, concurrency, functional programming (lambda expressions, a universal callable type, and generalized currying), universal initializers, even smarter pointers, new container classes, variadic templates, and even faster performance via move semantics. This tutorial presents these topics and more, based on three years' experience teaching C++11 at the upper-division level.
Resistance to Radiotherapy and PD-L1 Blockade Is Mediated by TIM-3 Upregulation and Regulatory T-Cell Infiltration

Purpose: Radiotherapy (RT) can transform the immune landscape and render poorly immunogenic tumors sensitive to PD-L1 inhibition. Here, we established that the response to combined RT and PD-L1 inhibition is transient and investigated mechanisms of resistance.Experimental Design: Mechanisms of resistance to RT and PD-L1 blockade were investigated in orthotopic murine head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumors using mass cytometry and whole-genome sequencing. Mice were treated with anti-PD-L1 or anti-TIM-3 alone and in combination with and without RT. Tumor growth and survival were assessed. Flow cytometry was used to assess phenotypic and functional changes in intratumoral T-cell populations. Depletion of regulatory T cells (Treg) was performed using anti-CD25 antibody.Results: We show that the immune checkpoint receptor, TIM-3, is upregulated on CD8 T cells and Tregs in tumors treated with RT and PD-L1 blockade. Treatment with anti-TIM-3 concurrently with anti-PD-L1 and RT led to significant tumor growth delay, enhanced T-cell cytotoxicity, decreased Tregs, and improved survival in orthotopic models of HNSCC. Despite this treatment combination, the response was not durable, and analysis of relapsed tumors revealed resurgence of Tregs. Targeted Treg depletion, however, restored antitumor immunity in mice treated with RT and dual immune checkpoint blockade and resulted in tumor rejection and induction of immunologic memory.Conclusions: These data reveal multiple layers of immune regulation that can promote tumorigenesis and the therapeutic potential of sequential targeting to overcome tumor resistance mechanisms. We propose that targeted Treg inhibitors may be critical for achieving durable tumor response with combined radiotherapy and immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 24(21); 5368-80. ©2018 AACR.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe both day and night

Abstract Background It is reported that performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) at night leads to increased rates of complications and conversion to open. We hypothesize that it is safe to perform LC at night in appropriately selected patients. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective review of nonelective LC in adults at our institution performed between April 2007 and February 2015. We dichotomized the cases to either day or night. Results Five thousand two hundred four patients underwent LC, with 4628 during the day and 576 at night. There were no differences in age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, race, insurance type, pregnancy rate, or white blood cell count. There were also no differences in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, or renal failure. However, daytime patients had higher median initial total bilirubin (0.6 [0.4, 1.3] versus 0.5 [0.3, 1.0] mg/dL, P = 0.002) and lipase (33 [24, 56] versus 30 [22, 42] U/L, P Conclusions At our institution, we perform LC safely during day or night. The lack of complications and shorter LOS justify performing LC at any hour.
Author’s Response to Agostino Cilardo’s Review Article

David Powers’ has provided a response to Agostino Cilardo’s review article “TheAdoption of Zayd and the Finality of the Islamic Prophec,” in CIS issue (11.1,2015, pp. 109–120).
160 – Analytic Continuation*

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the application and yield of analytic continuation. It is applicable to initial value ordinary differential equations, a single equation, or a system. It yields a numerical approximation in the form of a Taylor series. It is found that if the Taylor series of a function is known at a single point, then the Taylor series of that function may be found at another point. This process may be repeated until a particular value is reached. Given a system of initial value ordinary differential equations, the method is to replace each dependent variable present by a Taylor series centered at a certain origin. The coefficients in each Taylor series are regarded as unknown quantities. The ordinary differential equations are used to obtain a set of recurrence relations from which the unknown coefficients may be calculated.
Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis in BRCA-mutated pancreatic cancer.

239Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a rapidly fatal cancer with 5-year overall survival <5%. 5-10% of pancreatic cancers occur in patients with family history of disease, and 5-27% of these...
Univalent harmonic mappings II

Let a 0 and f¯(0) = 0. We describe the closure SH(U,)of SH(U,)and determinethe extremepoints of SH(U,). 1. Introduction. LetSH be the class of functionsf which are univalent sense preserving harmonic mappings of the unit disk U = {z : |z| 0. Let F and G be analytic in U with F(0) = G(0) = 0 and Ref(z) = ReF(z) and Imf(z) = ReG(z) for z in U. Then h = (F +iG)/2 and g = (F −iG)/2 are analytic in U and f = h +g. f is locally one-to-one and sense preserving if and only if |g ' (z)| 0, and g(z) = b1z +b2z 2 +... for z in U, it follows that |b1| < a1 and hence a1f −b1f also belongs to SH. Thus, consideration is often restricted to the subclass S 0 of SH consisting of those functions in SH with f¯(0) = 0. Since harmonic mappings are not essentially determined by their im- age domains, various authors have studied subclasses of SH, consisting of functions mapping U onto a specific simply connected domain D. In par- ticular, Hengartner and Schober (5) considered the case of D being a strip, Abu-Muhanna and Schober (1) considered the case of D being a wedge or a half plane. Cima and the author (2) also considered the case of D being a strip. In this paper we will study the case of D being the plane C slit along a ray pointing at the origin. This type of domain is often extremal for certain problems over classes of functions mapping U onto domains that are starlike or convex in one direction. Also, Hengartner and Schober (6) considered the case of D being the plane C slit along the interval (−∞,0). They studied these mappings as they related to minimal surfaces. Our purpose is to study
The Effects of Technology-Enhanced Anchored Instruction and Situated Learning on Preservice Teachers in a Special Education Methods Course: An Exploratory Study

This study measured the effects of a technology innovation termed anchored instruction or integrated media on the quality of examples used by students to support their answers on essay tests. Potential affects of anchored instruction on the ability of the students to remember examples of teaching strategies and student satisfaction were also measured. Results suggest the anchored instruction improves the quality of work for those students who received “B's” and “C's” in the course, but had little effect for those receiving “A's.” Student satisfaction relating to the anchored instruction was high. A focused interview of four of the 13 students who participated was conducted after student teaching. The information from these students suggests that the anchored instruction helped them to maintain the visual images over time and to better understand the instructional strategies learned during the course.
Dysregulation of Intestinal Epithelial Cell RIPK Pathways Promotes Chronic Inflammation in the IBD Gut

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are common intestinal bowel diseases (IBD) characterized by intestinal epithelial injury including extensive epithelial cell death, mucosal erosion, ulceration, and crypt abscess formation. Several factors including activated signaling pathways, microbial dysbiosis, and immune deregulation contribute to disease progression. Although most research efforts to date have focused on immune cells, it is becoming increasingly clear that intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) are important players in IBD pathogenesis. Aberrant or exacerbated responses to how IEC sense IBD-associated microbes, respond to TNF stimulation, and regenerate and heal the injured mucosa are critical to the integrity of the intestinal barrier. The role of several genes and pathways in which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) showed strong association with IBD has recently been studied in the context of IEC. In patients with IBD, it has been shown that the expression of specific dysregulated genes in IECs plays an important role in TNF-induced cell death and microbial sensing. Among them, the NF-κB pathway and its target gene TNFAIP3 promote TNF-induced and receptor interacting protein kinase (RIPK1)-dependent intestinal epithelial cell death. On the other hand, RIPK2 functions as a key signaling protein in host defense responses induced by activation of the cytosolic microbial sensors nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing proteins 1 and 2 (NOD1 and NOD2). The RIPK2-mediated signaling pathway leads to the activation of NF-κB and MAP kinases that induce autophagy following infection. This article will review these dysregulated RIPK pathways in IEC and their role in promoting chronic inflammation. It will also highlight future research directions and therapeutic approaches involving RIPKs in IBD.
Cyber state capacity: A model of authoritarian durability, ICTs, and emerging media

Abstract In this article, I developed the theoretical concept of cyber state capacity (CSC). Advancing Gobel's (2013) theoretical model of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and authoritarian consolidation, I introduced the theoretical propositions of CSC, which help explain how governments use information and communication technological systems to maintain stability, development, and stay in power. Well established, durable regimes have implemented ICT infrastructures that rival advanced democracies, yet the wave of liberalization that was expected to occur has not. After lying out the theoretical concepts, I conducted a qualitative case illustration to analyze the state enhancing or weakening ICT environments in Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the years leading up to, and at the time of, the Arab Spring. Developed ICT systems can bolster government power through sophisticated surveillance and propaganda operations, as well as providing economic and entertainment benefits that may contribute to placating individuals' motivations for increased political concessions.
Customer Concentration and Public Disclosure: Evidence from Management Earnings and Sales Forecasts

This study examines the association between customer base concentration and corporate public disclosure policy. When the customer base is more concentrated, large customers face lower costs of accessing the supplier firm's private information, reducing customers' overall demand for the supplier's public information, suggesting a negative association between customer concentration and the amount of public disclosure. Alternatively, large customers have greater bargaining power and may demand that the supplier firm provide more public disclosures. Consistent with customer concentration facilitating private information flow from the supplier to customers, we find that the frequencies of management earnings and sales forecasts are negatively associated with customer concentration among firms with major corporate customers. These associations are stronger when the supplier and customers are engaged in more relationship‐specific investments, when customers' private information acquisition costs are lower, and when it is less costly for customers to find another supplier. Concentration de la clientele et publication d’information : donnees tirees des previsions de resultats et de ventes de la direction Les auteurs etudient le lien entre la concentration de la clientele et la politique de l’entreprise en matiere de publication d’information. Lorsque la clientele est plus concentree, les clients importants sont en mesure d’acceder a l’information privilegiee du fournisseur a moindre cout, ce qui reduit la demande globale des clients quant a la publication d’information par le fournisseur. Ainsi peut‐on supposer l’existence d’un lien negatif entre la concentration de la clientele et le volume d’information publiee. En revanche, les clients importants jouissent d’un plus grand pouvoir de negociation et peuvent exiger du fournisseur qu’il publie davantage d’information. Conformement a l’hypothese selon laquelle la concentration de la clientele facilite le flux d’information privilegiee du fournisseur vers les clients, les auteurs constatent l’existence d’un lien negatif entre la frequence des previsions de resultats et de ventes de la direction et la concentration de clientele chez les societes ayant une clientele de grandes entreprises. Ce lien est plus fort lorsque le fournisseur et les clients sont engages dans des investissements plus etroitement lies a la relation qu’ils entretiennent, lorsque les couts d’acquisition d’information privilegiee pour les clients sont plus faibles, et lorsqu’il est moins onereux pour les clients de trouver un autre fournisseur.
An extension of Alexandrovʼs theorem on second derivatives of convex functions

Abstract If f is a function of n variables that is locally L 1 approximable by a sequence of smooth functions satisfying local L 1 bounds on the determinants of the minors of the Hessian, then f admits a second order Taylor expansion almost everywhere. This extends a classical theorem of A.D. Alexandrov, covering the special case in which f is locally convex.
Development of braided rope seals for hypersonic engine applications. Part 2: Flow modeling

Two models based on the Kozeny-Carmen equation were developed to analyze the fluid flow through a new class of braided rope seals under development for advanced hypersonic engines. A hybrid seal geometry consisting of a braided sleeve and a substantial amount of longitudinal fibers with high packing density was selected for development based on its low leakage rates. The models developed allow prediction of the gas leakage rate as a function of fiber diameter, fiber packing density, gas properties, and pressure drop across the seal.
Unsupervised Techniques in Genomics

Machine learning is an important field which assists the human in handling large amount of complex data. It is the systematic study and development of algorithms which improve with experience. Bioinformatics is a science which is interdisciplinary, and it generally uses biological data which has got a computational approach. Machine learning uses the technique of automatically learning from the dataset. For example, in genomics, machine learning is used to recognize the locations of transcription start sites (TSS) in a genome sequence. We are going to outline few applications of unsupervised techniques of machine learning and identify the challenges associated with handling genomic data.
Building Linked Spatio-Temporal Data from Vectorized Historical Maps

Historical maps provide a rich source of information for researchers in the social and natural sciences. These maps contain detailed documentation of a wide variety of natural and human-made features and their changes over time, such as the changes in the transportation networks and the decline of wetlands. It can be labor-intensive for a scientist to analyze changes across space and time in such maps, even after they have been digitized and converted to a vector format. In this paper, we present an unsupervised approach that converts vector data of geographic features extracted from multiple historical maps into linked spatio-temporal data. The resulting graphs can be easily queried and visualized to understand the changes in specific regions over time. We evaluate our technique on railroad network data extracted from USGS historical topographic maps for several regions over multiple map sheets and demonstrate how the automatically constructed linked geospatial data enables effective querying of the changes over different time periods.
A Retrospective on 50+ Years of Behavior Therapy

This paper traces the significant metamorphosis occurring within the behavioral tradition over the last 50 plus years. It reviews the growth of available therapeutic tools for behavior therapists a...
Dynamic volumetric hyperpolarized 13 C imaging with multi-echo EPI.

PURPOSE To generate dynamic, volumetric maps of hyperpolarized [1-13 C]pyruvate and its metabolic products in vivo. METHODS Maps of chemical species were generated with iterative least squares (IDEAL) reconstruction from multiecho echo-planar imaging (EPI) of phantoms of thermally polarized 13 C-labeled chemicals and mice injected with hyperpolarized [1-13 C]pyruvate on a preclinical 3T scanner. The quality of the IDEAL decomposition of single-shot and multishot phantom images was evaluated using quantitative results from a simple pulse-and-acquire sequence as the gold standard. Time course and area-under-the-curve plots were created to analyze the distribution of metabolites in vivo. RESULTS Improved separation of chemical species by IDEAL, evaluated by the amount of residual signal measured for chemicals not present in the phantoms, was observed as the number of EPI shots was increased from one to four. Dynamic three-dimensional metabolite maps of [1-13 C]pyruvate,[1-13 C]pyruvatehydrate, [1-13 C]lactate, [1-13 C]bicarbonate, and [1-13 C]alanine generated by IDEAL from interleaved multishot multiecho EPI of live mice were used to construct time course and area-under-the-curve graphs for the heart, kidneys, and liver, which showed good agreement with previously published results. CONCLUSIONS IDEAL decomposition of multishot multiecho 13C EPI images is a simple, yet robust method for generating high-quality dynamic volumetric maps of hyperpolarized [1-13 C]pyruvate and its products in vivo and has potential applications for the assessment of multiorgan metabolic phenomena.
A revised checklist of the mosquitoes of Guatemala including a new country record, Psorophora cyanescens

A newly erected genus, Isostomyia, a recently described subgenus, Phenacomyia, of Culex. and 15 species have been added to the mosquito fauna ofGuatemala since the last checklist was published by dark-Gil and Darsie (1983); therefore revised list is included. One ofthe additions is Psorophora cyanescens, anew country record for Guatemala. Its presence in Mexico and Central America is reviewed.
An Ecocritical Conceptual Framework Toward Ecotistical Pedagogies

The past decades of environmental education (EE) scholarship have been marked by strong critiques of how neoliberal policies and reform efforts have contributed to an erosion of valuing the gravity of our human dependencies on the health of diverse species and ecosystems on the planet. In this chapter, the author argues that environmental educators maintain the importance of valuing and acting in defense of diversity as a core foundation of democratic life and acknowledges that EE researchers and environmental educators are committed to the possibilities of addressing the cultural roots of social justice and sustainability in a myriad of scholar-activist ways. Considering the stark conditions for life on the planet due to climate change, poverty, famine, and increased violent conflict, this chapter argues that scholar-activist environmental educators are more than ever presented with the challenge of rethinking EE and doing so with close attention to what can be done differently. In this book chapter, Lupinacci introduces an ecocritical framework for EE with a focus on working with PreK-12 and higher education teachers. Recognizing the need for ecocritical pedagogies that challenge status quo relationships between EE, teacher preparation, and higher education, the chapter critically addresses and rethinks current dominant conceptual frameworks constituting classrooms, schools, and communities. Furthermore, the author shares how anthropocentrism in connection with assumptions of human supremacy become a distinguishable focal point for ecocritical pedagogies. Concluding, Lupinacci shares some actions toward a shift from egotism to ecotism in enacting ecotistical pedagogies with(in) EE and teacher education.
A data-driven matched field processing approach for primary/secondary source localization in plates: proof of concept

Matched Field Processing (MFP) is a generalized beamforming method which matches the received data to a dictionary of replica vectors to localize wave scattering sources (e.g., acoustic sources) in the complex media. The approach has also been used for passive structural monitoring and defect detection. The MFP requires an accurate model of medium, and this is a challenge in some applications. To tackle this issue, data-driven MFP has been recently introduced. Data-driven approaches are considered as model-free methods, which perform with no prior knowledge of the propagation environment to localize a source. This paper introduces a data-driven MFP approach for localizing the primary (i.e., impact) and secondary (i.e., defect) sources in plates. The replica vectors are made using the Fast Fourier Transform of the time history responses of the pristine plate under a controlled external excitation. Then, the MFP is implemented to localize the source. For defect localization, a subtraction approach under Born approximation is employed to remove or weaken the signature of the primary source and extract a set of data which purely contains the acoustic signature of the defect. The performance of the method for primary and secondary source localization is evaluated by studying a small aluminum plate, excited by a controlled broadband noise imposed by an impact hammer. A comparative study is carried out to evaluate the performance of the conventional Bartlett and adaptive White Noise Constraint processors in forming the ambiguity surfaces.
TGF-β2 Promotes Oxidative Stress in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells by Selectively Enhancing NADPH Oxidase 4 Expression.

Purpose The multifunctional profibrotic cytokine TGF-β2 is implicated in the pathophysiology of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). While the underlying cause of POAG remains unclear, TGF-β2 dependent remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) within the trabecular meshwork (TM) microenvironment is considered an early pathologic consequence associated with impaired aqueous humor (AH) outflow and elevated IOP. Mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants have been recently shown by our group to markedly attenuate TGF-β2 profibrotic responses, strongly implicating oxidative stress as a key facilitator of TGF-β2 signaling in human TM cells. In this study, we determined the mechanism by which oxidative stress facilitates TGF-β2 profibrotic responses in cultured primary human TM cells. Methods Semiconfluent cultures of primary or transformed human TM cells were conditioned overnight in serum-free media and subsequently challenged without or with TGF-β2 (5 ng/mL). Relative changes in the mRNA content of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (Nox) isoforms, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), collagen 1α1 and 4α1 isoforms or relative changes in the protein content of Nox4, phospho- and total-Smad2 and -Smad3, collagens I and IV were determined in the absence or presence of GKT137831, a Nox1-Nox4 dual enzyme inhibitor, and quantified by real-time qPCR or by immunoblot, respectively. Relative in situ changes in collagens I and IV and in alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA) were semiquantified by immunocytochemistry, whereas relative changes in filamentous actin stress fiber formation was semiquantified by phalloidin staining. Results Quiescent primary human TM cells cultured in the presence of TGF-β2 exhibited a marked selective increase in endogenous Nox4 mRNA and Nox4 protein expression. Actinomycin D prevented TGF-β2 mediated increases in Nox4 mRNA expression. TM cells reverse transfected with siRNA against Smad3 prevented TGF-β2 mediated increases in Nox4 mRNA expression. Pre-incubating TM cells with GKT137831 attenuated TGF-β2 mediated increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), in COL1A1, COL4A1, and CTGF mRNA expression, in Smad3 protein phosphorylation, in collagens I, collagens IV, and αSMA protein expression, and in filamentous actin stress fiber formation. Conclusions TGF-β2 promotes oxidative stress in primary human TM cells by selectively increasing expression of NADPH oxidase 4. Dysregulation of redox equilibrium by induction of NADPH oxidase 4 expression appears to be a key early event involved in the pathologic profibrotic responses elicited by TGF-β2 canonical signaling, including ECM remodeling, filamentous actin stress fiber formation, and αSMA expression. Selective inhibition of Nox4 expression/activation, in combination with mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants, represents a novel strategy by which to slow the progression of TGF-β2 elicited profibrotic responses within the TM.
Academic dismissal from a baccalaureate nursing program: The student's perspective

Abstract Background The dismissal of a nursing student is distressing for the student and may be viewed as a failure of the admissions process or a lack of support by the school to ensure student success. While student dismissal is often associated with student characteristics such as academic performance prior to enrollment or during the nursing program, there was a dearth of studies that examined student dismissal from an in-depth analysis of the student's perspective. Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe and explore factors contributing to academic dismissal, particularly from the student's perspective. Method Using the lens of Critical Pedagogy, the investigator interviewed nine students dismissed from a baccalaureate nursing program. Students were asked to describe their experiences from the time they decided to pursue nursing school, during school, and after dismissal. Results Findings of this study suggest that intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contribute to a student's choice of pursuing nursing warrant consideration, including a student's social and cultural factors prior to admission. Conclusion Results from this study may inform those faculty and the admissions team reviewing potential students for admission into a baccalaureate nursing program of essential factors to consider prior to offering admission. A holistic evaluation of the student with consideration of social and cultural factors and readiness for entrance into a pre-licensure nursing program is the goal of the admissions process.
Cancer molecular subtype classification by graph convolutional networks on multi-omics data

Cancer has been a second leading cause of death in the United States for decades and an accurate classifier of cancers' molecular profiles is a key predictor for patients' survival. Recently The Cancer Genome Atlas research networks have identified a new cancer taxonomy based on molecular tumor subtypes over 33 types of cancer. Several studies have reported classification models for traditional tissue-of-origin cancer type classification or classification of subtypes of a cancer type. In this study, we propose a novel end-to-end deep learning model that incorporates prior biological knowledge into the model and integrates multi-omics data to classify pan-cancer molecular subtypes. Our proposed model consists of three sections: i) a graph convolutional network that takes a genet interaction network, representing prior knowledge, as its input graph where genes are nodes and multi-omics data are the node features, to extract localized features; ii) a fully connected neural network to extract global features from the data; and iii) a classification layer that takes the combination of localized features and global features as input. We examined building the input graph using gene-gene interaction networks, protein-protein interaction networks, and gene co-expression networks. We also investigated the effect of input graph size (number of genes/nodes) on the performance of the model. We evaluated the performance of the proposed model in terms of prediction accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score; and compared the performance of our model with those of three state-of-the-art deep learning models and two conventional machine learning models. The results show that the proposed model outperforms the baseline models at each level of the number of genes. Our model achieves not only a better prediction accuracy but also a lower false-negative rate, which is important for cancer patients treatments. Our model also shows the benefit of employing multi-omics data compared with employing only single-omic data.
Hardware Security of Emerging Non-Volatile Memory Devices under Imaging Attacks

The emerging non-volatile memory (NVM) devices are currently changing the landscape of computing hardware. However, their hardware security remains relatively unexplored in the field. This is a critical research problem because given that they are non-volatile, sensitive information may be vulnerable to various physical attacks unless properly encrypted. In this work, we investigated security vulnerability of two emerging non-volatile memory devices (STT-MRAM and RRAM) against the most commonly available, non-destructive physical attack - Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) imaging. The central premise is that if any difference of memory cells in high resistance and low resistance (bit ‘1” and ‘0”) states can be detected in SEM, stored data could possibly leak or be stolen by adversaries. It is concluded that unless advanced elemental analysis techniques such as energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) are used, it is very unlikely that the bit information stored in these memory cells leak out by imaging attacks.
Random Matrix Theory: Invariant Ensembles and Universality

This book features a unified derivation of the mathematical theory of the three classical types of invariant random matrix ensembles - orthogonal, unitary, and symplectic. The authors follow the approach of Tracy and Widom, but the exposition here contains a substantial amount of additional material, in particular, facts from functional analysis and the theory of Pfaffians. The main result in the book is a proof of universality for orthogonal and symplectic ensembles corresponding to generalized Gaussian type weights following the authors' prior work. New, quantitative error estimates are derived. The book is based in part on a graduate course given by the first author at the Courant Institute in fall 2005. Subsequently, the second author gave a modified version of this course at the University of Rochester in spring 2007. Anyone with some background in complex analysis, probability theory, and linear algebra and an interest in the mathematical foundations of random matrix theory will benefit from studying this valuable reference.