cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The hype, myths, and realities of testing 2.5D/3D integrated circuits

Despite the numerous benefits offered by 2.5D/3D integration, testing remains a major obstacle that hinders its widespread adoption. Concerns related to test cost, yield and reliability continue to derail the commercial exploitation of 2.5D/3D ICs. Test techniques and design-for-testability (DfT) solutions are now being explored in the research community, with considerable focus on wafer probing, pre-bond test of passive interposers, test access to modules in stacked dies, cost modeling, and the targeting of new defect types. In this talk, the speaker will examine the hype, myths, and realities of 2.5D/3D ICs. He will reflect on some of the over-hyped claims and expose the many myths that have been exposed in recent years. He will present a reality-check on testing and DfT challenges, and describe some of the recent solutions being advocated for these challenges. The key questions to be addressed are: "What to Test? How to Test? When to Test?" To answer these questions, the presentation will cover pre-bond testing of TSVs and interposers, DfT solutions and optimization for stack testing, and test-flow selection.
Analyzing Network Health and Congestion in Dragonfly-Based Supercomputers

The dragonfly topology is a popular choice for building high-radix, low-diameter, hierarchical networks with high-bandwidth links. On Cray installations of the dragonfly network, job placement policies and routing inefficiencies can lead to significant network congestion for a single job and multi-job workloads. In this paper, we explore the effects of job placement, parallel workloads and network configurations on network health to develop a better understanding of inter-job interference. We have developed a functional network simulator, Damselfly, to model the network behavior of Cray Cascade, and a visual analytics tool, DragonView, to analyze the simulation output. We simulate several parallel workloads based on five representative communication patterns on up to 131,072 cores. Our simulations and visualizations provide unique insight into the buildup of network congestion and present a trade-off between deployment dollar costs and performance of the network.
A parallel electrostatic solver for XOOPIC code

We report on the implementation of a parallel electrostatic field solver in the plasma particle simulation code XOOPIC1. Poisson's equation is solved by finite differences in real space, using iterative methods to solve a large sparse system of linear equations. Domain decomposition is extended to two dimensions, including particle passing and electrostatic field solution. We utilize Trilinos solvers for our implementation. In particular AZTEC, a set of iterative solvers, preconditioners and matrix-vector multiplication routines, and ML, a multigrid preconditioning package, from Sandia National Lab are used2. These libraries are optimized for a range of highly parallel platforms and are expected to be highly efficient and scalable to more than 1000 processors. Accuracy of the solver is compared to analytic results, and performance scaling is measured.
Therapeutic Perspectives of Adenosine Receptor Compounds in Functional Restitution After Spinal Cord Injury

Adenosine is a nucleoside that occurs naturally in mammalian tissues. It is a neuromodulator that is involved in a variety of physiological processes. It is generally accepted that the effects of adenosine are mediated through four G-protein-coupled receptors classified as A1, A2A, A2B, and A3 Rs. There is evidence that following traumatic injury in the brain and/or spinal cord excessive amounts of adenosine are released, and that this neuromodulator is involved in inflammatory processes and subsequent secondary effects of the injury. There is also evidence that excessive release of adenosine contributes to progressive neuronal injury and eventual loss of function. In several experimental animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI) pharmacologic manipulation of adenosine receptors following trauma can be beneficial in restoration of function.
3 Tbit/s (160 Gbit/s × 19 channel) optical TDM and WDM transmission experiment

A 3 Tbit/s (160 Gbit/s × 19 channels) optical signal has been successfully transmitted over 40 km of dispersion-shifted fibre. Low noise supercontinuum signal pulse sources and 70 nm bandwidth tellurite-based optical amplifiers are used for 3 Tbit/s signal generation and amplification.
Intracellular Delivery of Membrane Impermeable Photostable Fluorescent Probes into Living Cells for Super-Resolution Microscopy

Specific labeling of the cellular target with fluorophore is one of the fundamental requirement in all fluorescence imaging techniques including single molecule and super-resolution microscopy techniques. While extracellular targets may be tagged with virtually any kind of probes, intracellular labeling of living cells is limited to the use of fluorescent proteins and limited selection of membrane permeable dyes. Here we show that pore forming proteins can be used to temporarily permeabilize the cells and allow delivery of various fluorescent probes, ranging from organic dyes (<1 kDa) to fluorescent immunoglobulin antibody (∼150 kDa), for specific labeling of intracellular targets for live fluorescence cell imaging. We demonstrate that permeabilized cells can efficiently be recovered to carry on normal cellular processes shown by nuclear translocation of nanobody-labeled p65 proteins in response to chemical stimulation. One of the most photostable but membrane impermeable organic fluorophore, Atto 647N, has been delivered into cells to label actin fibers and kinesin dimers and to perform super-resolution fluorescence microscopy imaging dSTORM and single molecule tracking, respectively. This technique opens up a large number of stable, but otherwise membrane impermeable fluorescence labeling probes that are available for investigating transfected and endogenous intracellular targets.
A new scaling for divertor detachment

The ITER design, and future reactor designs, depend on divertor 'detachment,' whether partial, pronounced or complete, to limit heat flux to plasma-facing components and to limit surface erosion due to sputtering. It would be valuable to have a measure of the difficulty of achieving detachment as a function of machine parameters, such as input power, magnetic field, major radius, etc. Frequently the parallel heat flux, estimated typically as proportional to P sep/R or P sep B/R, is used as a proxy for this difficulty. Here we argue that impurity cooling is dependent on the upstream density, which itself must be limited by a Greenwald-like scaling. Taking this into account self-consistently, we find the impurity fraction required for detachment scales dominantly as power divided by poloidal magnetic field. The absence of any explicit scaling with machine size is concerning, as P sep surely must increase greatly for an economic fusion system, while increases in the poloidal field strength are limited by coil technology and plasma physics. This result should be challenged by comparison with 2D divertor codes and with measurements on existing experiments. Nonetheless, it suggests that higher magnetic field, stronger shaping, double-null operation, 'advanced' divertor configurations, as well as alternate means to handle heat flux such as metallic liquid and/or vapor targets merit greater attention.
Mis)Trusting Financial Advisers

Using FINRA’s 2009 National Financial Capability Study, this paper finds that a high level of trust in financial professionals affects positively the demand for financial advice and particularly advice about savings / investment. For females, income, high risk tolerance, and financial literacy increase the probability of having a high level of trust in financial professionals. For the young (aged 18-44), high risk tolerance is the main determinant of expressing a high level of trust, while both risk tolerance and income influence having a high level of trust by the financially illiterate.
A multilevel approach to family-centered prevention in schools: process and outcome

The Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP) is a multilevel approach to family-based interventions within a middle-school setting. The intervention strategy is based on an ecological framework for studying social and emotional development in children and adolescents, emphasizing a network of contextual factors within which parenting is both directly and indirectly influential on the development of problem behavior. The ATP model includes a universal, selected, and indicated strategy for serving families with young adolescents. The model is designed to address the needs of families of young adolescents that present with a range of problem behavior and diverse developmental histories. The three interventions levels are described, and outcome data are presented, that support the effectiveness of the ATP model. This approach and the associated data are consistent with a broad literature supporting the effectiveness of family interventions, especially for high-risk youth. The effective implementation of family interventions within a school context suggests that these interventions can make a significant contribution to reducing problem behavior and substance use from a public health perspective.
Learning about the Details in CEO Compensation

I document the richness of CEO compensation packages and show that boards learn about the desirability of the many complex package features through observing how these features are associated with firm performance. I first capture the detailed features of plan-based awards for CEOs of the largest U.S. public firms in a vector with more than 1,300 elements. I then demonstrate the complexity of boards' decisions on adding and dropping the detailed features. I hypothesize that boards learn about the efficacy of complex features by observing their correlation with performance—both at their own firms and at other firms. To test these hypotheses, I measure the similarity between any two compensation packages using a metric that assigns a shorter distance to more similar packages. My results support my learning hypotheses: firms that perform well in the current year award similar packages to their CEOs in the following year, whereas firms that perform poorly significantly change their packages in the following year; moreover, firms adjust their own CEO compensation packages to be more similar to that of well-performing firms, and less similar to that of poorly performing firms. These results hold after controlling for the effects from compensation peer firms, compensation-consultant sharing firms, board interlocking firms, and product market peers. I further show that a focal firm experiences better performance when its CEO compensation package becomes more similar to those used by its well-performing compensation benchmark firms. This paper demonstrates the importance of capturing the multi-dimensional details of CEO plan-based awards and studying changes in compensation packages in a holistic manner.
Structural and Functional Basis for Targeting Campylobacter jejuni Agmatine Deiminase To Overcome Antibiotic Resistance.

Campylobacter jejuni is the most common bacterial cause of gastroenteritis and a major contributor to infant mortality in the developing world. The increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant C. jejuni only adds to the urgency to develop effective therapies. Because of the essential role that polyamines play, particularly in protection from oxidative stress, enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of these metabolites are emerging as promising antibiotic targets. The recent description of an alternative pathway for polyamine synthesis, distinct from that in human cells, in C. jejuni suggests this pathway could be a target for novel therapies. To that end, we determined X-ray crystal structures of C. jejuni agmatine deiminase (CjADI) and demonstrated that loss of CjADI function contributes to antibiotic sensitivity, likely because of polyamine starvation. The structures provide details of key molecular features of the active site of this protein. Comparison of the unliganded structure (2.1 A resolution) to t...
Mediterranean Diet: Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer diagnosis and the second and third leading cause of cancer mortality in men and women, respectively. However, the majority of CRC cases are the result of sporadic tumorigenesis via the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. This process can take up to 20 y, suggesting an important window of opportunity exists for prevention such as switching toward healthier dietary patterns. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a dietary pattern associated with various health benefits including protection against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and various cancers. In this article, we review publications available in the PubMed database within the last 10 y that report on the impact of a MD eating pattern on prevention of CRC. To assist the reader with interpretation of the results and discussion, we first introduce indexes and scoring systems commonly used to experimentally determine adherence to a MD, followed by a brief introduction of the influence of the MD pattern on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which predisposes to CRC. Finally, we discuss key biological mechanisms through which specific bioactive food components commonly present in the MD are proposed to prevent or delay the development of CRC. We close with a discussion of future research frontiers in CRC prevention with particular reference to the role of epigenetic mechanisms and microbiome related to the MD eating pattern.
Macroevolution in and Around the Hominin Clade

In this review, we discuss the criteria for recognizing species and genera within the fossil record in general, and within the hominin clade in particular. We review the grade concept, suggest how taxa within the hominin clade can be divided into grades, and define the grade categories. We discuss the difficulties with studying macroevolution in the hominin clade but suggest that at least one trait, brain size, may provide insight into the tempo and mode of evolution. We also review evidence suggesting that stasis is the dominant signal in two early hominin taxa that have substantial and well-dated fossil records. We discuss the role of evolutionary forces in forming macroevolutionary patterns and find that while natural selection appears to be the dominant force, some well-known interspecific and intraspecific differences in hominins may have been the result of random genetic drift. Lastly, we suggest that homoplasy makes generating reliable hypotheses about relationships among early hominins more difficult than most researchers are willing to admit.
Phylogenetic Biology of the Bemisia tabaci Sibling Species Group

Whiteflies are classified in the family Aleyrodidae (Sternorrhyncha: Hemiptera [suborder Homoptera]) (Mound 1984; Mound and Halsey 1978). The closest relatives to whiteflies are aphids, mealybugs, psyllids, and scales, which all feed using piercing and sucking mouthparts (Martin 1987, 2003; Martin and Mound 2007).
National Legislations on Inclusive Education and Special Educational Needs of People with Autism in the Perspective of Article 24 of the CRPD

Education is vital not only in itself, but also for participating in all areas of social activity People with autism have often suffered and, in some parts of the world, are still suffering from a pervasive denial of the right to education because of their special needs. The goal of inclusive education is to fulfill the right to education by adapting education to the needs of persons with disabilities, as established by Article 24 of the CRPD. Realizing inclusive education is high on the agenda of EU Member States, though the policy is approached from differing perspectives and many challenges remain reflecting gaps in implementation of the law.
Analysis and Control of Errors in the Numerical Simulation of Turbulence

Turbulent flows are characterised by a continuum of length and time scales, a feature that introduces some unique problems in relation to the analysis and control of errors in numerical simulations of turbulent flows. In direct numerical simulation (DNS) one attempts to fully resolve the flow field. The primary sources of error in DNS are the aliasing error, which arises due to the evaluation of the nonlinear term on a discrete grid in physical space, and, the truncation error, due to the discretization of the derivative operator. In addition there are the time-stepping errors on account of the temporal discretization. In Large Eddy Simulation (LES) only the large scale flow is computed whereas the collective effect of the small scales are modeled. In that case, in addition to the above three types of errors, there are commutation errors arising out of the averaging process used to derive the LES equations and sub-grid modeling errors that arise because in the absence of a systematic method, the subgrid stress is evaluated using an ad hoc closure model. Methods for analyzing and quantifying these errors in turbulence simulations are discussed. In some instances the analysis points to suitable methods of error control.
Brittle fracture to recoverable plasticity: polytypism-dependent nanomechanics in todorokite-like nanobelts

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanomechanics experiments involving polytypic todorokite-like manganese dioxide nanobelts reveal varied nanomechanical performance regimes such as brittle fracture, near-brittle fracture, and plastic recovery within the same material system. These nanobelts are synthesized through a layer-to-tunnel material transformation pathway and contain one-dimensional tunnels, which run along their longitudinal axis and are enveloped by m × 3 MnO6 octahedral units along their walls. Depending on the extent of material transformation towards a tunneled microstructure, the nanobelts exhibit stacking disorders or polytypism where the value for m ranges from 3 to up to ∼20 within different cross-sectional regions of the same nanobelt. The observation of multiple nanomechanical performance regimes within a single material system is attributed to a combination of two factors: (a) the extent of stacking disorder or polytypism within the nanobelts, and (b) the loading (or strain) rate of the AFM nanomechanics experiment. Controllable engineering of recoverable plasticity is a particularly beneficial attribute for advancing the mechanical stability of these ceramic materials, which hold promise for insertion in multiple next-generation technological applications that range from electrical energy storage solutions to catalysis.
Incisions and reconstruction approaches for large sarcomas

Large intraabdominal, retroperitoneal, and abdominal wall sarcomas provide unique challenges in treatment due to their variable histology, potential considerable size at the time of diagnosis, and the ability to invade into critical structures. Historically, some of these tumors were considered inoperable if surgical access was limited or the consequential defect was unable to be closed primarily as reconstructive options were limited. Over time, there has been a greater understanding of the abdominal wall anatomy and mechanics, which has resulted in the development of new techniques to allow for sound oncologic resections and viable, durable options for abdominal wall reconstruction. Currently, intra-operative positioning and employment of a variety of abdominal and posterior trunk incisions have made more intraabdominal and retroperitoneal tumors accessible. Primary involvement or direct invasion of tumor into the abdominal wall is no longer prohibitive as utilization of advanced hernia repair techniques along with the application of vascularized tissue transfer have been shown to have the ability to repair large area defects involving multiple quadrants of the abdominal wall. Both local and distant free tissue transfer may be incorporated, depending on the size and location of the area needing reconstruction and what residual structures are remaining surrounding the resection bed. There is an emphasis on selecting the techniques that will be associated with the least amount of morbidity yet will restore and provide the appropriate structure and function necessary for the trunk. This review article summarizes both initial surgical incisional planning for the oncologic resection and a variety of repair options for the abdominal wall spanning the reconstructive ladder.
Investigation of the 3-D vibration transmissibility on the human hand-arm system using a 3-D scanning laser vibrometer

The vibration transmissibility on the human hand-arm system subjected to vibrations in three orthogonal directions was investigated. Seven healthy male subjects participated in the study and the experiment was carried out on a novel 3-D vibration test system. The vibration controller was programmed to generate broadband random vibration in the frequency range of 16-500 Hz along each direction. The measured tri-axial transmissibility functions are found to vary among the subjects and their basic distributions of the transmitted vibration on the hand-arm system are similar. The magnitudes of the tri-axial transmissibility measured at six important locations on the hand-arm system of the subject show that transmissibility is a function of frequency. which varied greatly with measurement location and vibration direction. The resonances observed at the wrist, elbow, and shoulder are consistent with the first resonance observed in the driving-point biodynamic response in each corresponding direction.
Obtaining and Modeling Variability in Travel Times From Off-Site Satellite Clinics to Hospitals and Surgery Centers for Surgeons and Proceduralists Seeing Office Patients in the Morning and Performing a To-Follow List of Cases in the Afternoon.

BACKGROUND Hospitals achieve growth in surgical caseload primarily from the additive contribution of many surgeons with low caseloads. Such surgeons often see clinic patients in the morning then travel to a facility to do 1 or 2 scheduled afternoon cases. Uncertainty in travel time is a factor that might need to be considered when scheduling the cases of to-follow surgeons. However, this has not been studied. We evaluated variability in travel times within a city with high traffic density. METHODS We used the Google Distance Matrix application programming interface to prospectively determine driving times incorporating current traffic conditions at 5-minute intervals between 9:00 AM and 4:55 PM during the first 4 months of 2018 between 4 pairs of clinics and hospitals in the University of Miami health system. Travel time distributions were modeled using lognormal and Burr distributions and compared using the absolute and signed differences for the median and the 0.9 quantile. Differences were evaluated using 2-sided, 1-group t tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. We considered 5-minute signed differences between the distributions as managerially relevant. RESULTS For the 80 studied combinations of origin-to-destination pairs (N = 4), day of week (N = 5), and the hour of departure between 10:00 AM and 1:55 PM (N = 4), the maximum difference between the median and 0.9 quantile travel time was 8.1 minutes. This contrasts with the previously published corresponding difference between the median and the 0.9 quantile of 74 minutes for case duration. Travel times were well fit by Burr and lognormal distributions (all 160 differences of medians and of 0.9 quantiles <5 minutes; P < .001). For each of the 4 origin-destination pairs, travel times at 12:00 PM were a reasonable approximation to travel times between the hours of 10:00 AM and 1:55 PM during all weekdays. CONCLUSIONS During mid-day, when surgeons likely would travel between a clinic and an operating room facility, travel time variability is small compared to case duration prediction variability. Thus, afternoon operating room scheduling should not be restricted because of concern related to unpredictable travel times by surgeons. Providing operating room managers and surgeons with estimated travel times sufficient to allow for a timely arrival on 90% of days may facilitate the scheduling of additional afternoon cases especially at ambulatory facilities with substantial underutilized time.
White tears: emotion regulation and white fragility

We contribute to the growing literature on white fragility by examining how the distinctively emotional manifestations of white fragility (which we dub ‘emotional white fragility’) make it more dif...
The Effect of Ti on the Early Stages of Oxidation of an Alumina-Forming NiCrAl Alloy

Model γ-NiCrAl alloys with and without titanium were oxidized for short times up to 32 h at 1000 °C and subsequently characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography in order to clarify the role of Ti on the oxidation behavior of alumina-forming nickel alloys. At the longer oxidation times, Ti was found to have no significant effect on the major protective oxide phases formed and overall scale and individual oxide layer thicknesses. Ti was observed to segregate to interfaces within the scale and form a Ti-rich oxide at the scale surface over time. At the shortest oxidation times before a continuous Al2O3 layer formed, the Ti-containing alloys exhibited thicker Cr2O3 layers, suggesting that Ti accelerates Cr2O3 growth kinetics. Additionally, oxide nodules resulting from fast oxidation of TiN particles were observed on the Ti-containing alloys. These may be linked to increased spalling propensity of Ti-containing alloys.
Assessment of an Effective Range of Detecting Intruder Aerial Drone Using Onboard EO-Sensor

This paper discusses the results of experiments on using an electro-optical (EO) sensor to detect an aerial intruder based on a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) and assess its intentions. When matured, this technology can be used for enabling vision-based situational awareness and mid-air collision avoidance when operating in a cluttered environment, as well as for counter-UAS operations. The paper starts with a discussion of a theoretical capability of vision-based sUAS detection using an EO sensor onboard a drone, followed the outline of a simple drone detection algorithm. It then proceeds with reviewing a series of field experiments conducted to assess the algorithm's operational effectiveness. The tests results demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach, thus suggesting further exploration.
Soil-Forming Processes in the Great Lakes Coastal Zone

Specific soil processes are determined by the soil-forming factors and are expressed in diagnostic horizons, properties, and materials, which are then used to classify soils: soil-forming factors → soil-forming processes → diagnostic horizons, properties, materials → soil taxonomic system
Anti-Leukemia Potential of Interleukin-2 Activated Natural Killer Cells After Bone Marrow Transplantation for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

The anti-leukemia potential of natural killer (NK) cells has been evaluated in 40 patients transplanted for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) to determine whether differences in NK cell function were correlated with subsequent leukemic relapse. Cells from patients and their donors were tested in 51Cr release assays against fully allogeneic CML targets and against cultured K562 targets; cells from 26 patients were tested against host-derived CML targets that were cryopreserved before transplantation. Cultured CML targets (K562) were highly susceptible to lysis by freshly isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and to a greater degree by PBL cultured in medium containing interleukin-2 (IL-2) in all assays performed. In contrast, noncultured CML targets were lysed only by IL-2-activated cells from a subset of patients. When present, lytic activity to CML targets was detectable as early as 3 weeks after bone marrow transplantation, and remained positive throughout the posttransplant period. Optimal lytic activity developed within the first week of culture and required greater than or equal to 250 U/mL of IL-2 in the culture medium. Lytic activity to fully allogeneic and host-derived CML targets appeared to be mediated by CD16+ and CD56+ cells but not by CD3+ cells. Lysis of allogeneic CML targets was variable, but patients could be divided into two groups: those with and those without lytic activity to the majority of targets tested. The basis for the differences in lytic activity could not be ascribed to target susceptibility to lysis, the proportion of NK cells in the cultures, or to the phenotype of the NK cell subsets in the cultures. When tested in parallel, the lytic activity of donor and recipient cultures against host-derived CML targets was highly correlated, suggesting that there may be inherent differences in the ability of NK cells to recognize CML targets. The risk of relapse for patients who failed to generate lytic activity against host-derived CML targets was significantly increased over that for patients with lytic activity against host leukemia. These data indicate that posttransplant immunotherapy with IL-2 designed to activate NK cells will likely augment the graft-versus-leukemia potential of the graft.
Comparison of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement between Self-Expanding versus Balloon-Expandable Valves in Patients with Small Aortic Annulus

Background and objectives Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been reported as a good alternative for surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with small aortic annulus. Head-to-head comparisons of different transcatheter aortic valves in these patients are insufficient. We compared the outcomes after TAVR between two different types of recent transcatheter aortic valves (self-expanding vs. balloon-expandable) in patients with small aortic annulus. Methods A total of 70 patients with severe aortic stenosis and small annulus (mean diameter ≤23 mm or minimal diameter ≤21 mm on computed tomography) underwent TAVR with either a self-expanding valve with supra-annular location (n=45) or a balloon-expandable valve with intra-annular location (n=25). The echocardiographic hemodynamic parameters after TAVR and 1-year follow-up were compared. Results Between the self-expanding and balloon-expandable valve-treated patients, the clinical outcomes including permanent pacemaker implantation (11.1% vs. 8.0%), acute kidney injury stage 2 or 3 (4.4% vs. 4.0%), and major vascular complication (4.4% vs. 0.0%) were similar without all-cause mortality, stroke, and life-threatening bleeding during 30-day follow-up. Compared with the balloon-expandable valve-treated patients, the self-expanding valve-treated patients presented larger effective orifice area (EOA) (1.46±0.28 vs. 1.75±0.42 cm², p=0.002) and indexed EOA (0.95±0.21 vs. 1.18±0.28 cm²/m², p=0.001), whereas mean aortic valve gradient (11.7±2.9 vs. 8.9±5.2 mmHg, P=0.005) and incidence of ≥moderate prosthesis-patient mismatch (36.0% vs. 8.9%, p=0.009) were lower. These hemodynamic differences were maintained at 1-year follow-up. Conclusions TAVR with self-expanding valves was associated with superior hemodynamic outcomes compared with balloon-expandable valves in patients with small aortic annulus.
Novel substituted triazolo benzodiazepine scaffolds to explore chemical space

Abstract Efficient and concise routes to sets of novel triazolo-1,4-benzodiazepine scaffolds that are suitably functionalized for diversification at three positions to explore three-dimensional space with different substituents are described. One approach to these scaffolds features a simplified multicomponent assembly process to give an intermediate azido alkyne that undergoes a facile Huisgen dipolar cycloaddition. The triazolo-1,4-benzodiazepines thus produced may be endowed with aryl halide, secondary amino, alcohol, aldehyde or carboxylic acid groups as functional handles for orthogonal derivatization reactions. Modification of this approach enabled the facile synthesis of the related triazolo-1,4-benzodiazepin-6-ones, also bearing three functional handles. These convenient protocols were used to prepare multi-gram quantities of benzodiazepine analogs as precursors for generating compound libraries for screening campaigns.
The hopping mechanism of the hydrated excess proton and its contribution to proton diffusion in water.

In this work, a series of analyses are performed on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of a hydrated excess proton in water to quantify the relative occurrence of concerted hopping events and “rattling” events and thus to further elucidate the hopping mechanism of proton transport in water. Contrary to results reported in certain earlier papers, the new analysis finds that concerted hopping events do occur in all simulations but that the majority of events are the product of proton rattling, where the excess proton will rattle between two or more waters. The results are consistent with the proposed “special-pair dance” model of the hydrated excess proton wherein the acceptor water molecule for the proton transfer will quickly change (resonate between three equivalent special pairs) until a decisive proton hop occurs. To remove the misleading effect of simple rattling, a filter was applied to the trajectory such that hopping events that were followed by back hops to the original water are not counted. A steep reduction in the number of multiple hopping events is found when the filter is applied, suggesting that many multiple hopping events that occur in the unfiltered trajectory are largely the product of rattling, contrary to prior suggestions. Comparing the continuous correlation function of the filtered and unfiltered trajectories, we find agreement with experimental values for the proton hopping time and Eigen–Zundel interconversion time, respectively.
Understanding the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth Psychopathology: Genotype-Environment Interplay.

Abstract Background Adversity has consistently been found to predict poor mental health outcomes in youth. Perhaps the most omnipresent form of adversity in the past several decades has been the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, a global health crisis linked to elevated rates of numerous forms of youth psychopathology. The ongoing nature of the pandemic renders it critical to identify the mechanisms underlying its effects on mental health. Methods The current study examines pandemic-related disruption across multiple domains (e.g., home life, finances) as an etiologic moderator of several common forms of youth psychopathology. Participants were 637 adolescent twin pairs from the Twin Study of Behavioral and Emotional Development in Children (TBED-C). Mothers reported on disruption experienced by the family, using the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory. Results A series of biometric genotype-by-environment interaction models revealed that disruption augmented the nonshared environmental contributions to emotional distress and conduct problems but had little effect on the etiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity problems. Conclusions Our results indicate that identical and fraternal twin similarity in both emotional symptoms and conduct problems decreased with greater disruption, such that children in the same family became less alike, and did so regardless of their degree of genetic resemblance. Put differently, each twin sibling appeared to have their own idiosyncratic experience of pandemic-related disruptions, with downstream consequences for their mental health.
Characterization of point-spread function specification error on Geometric Transfer Matrix partial volume correction in [11C]PiB amyloid imaging.

PURPOSE Partial-volume correction (PVC) using the Geometric Transfer Matrix (GTM) method is used in positron emission tomography (PET) to compensate for the effects of spatial resolution on quantitation. We evaluate the effect of misspecification of scanner point-spread function (PSF) on GTM results in amyloid imaging, including the effect on amyloid status classification (positive or negative). METHODS Twenty-nine subjects with Pittsburgh Compound B ([11C]PiB) PET and structural T1 MR imaging were analyzed. FreeSurfer 5.3 (FS) was used to parcellate MR images into regions-of-interest (ROIs) that were used to extract radioactivity concentration values from the PET images. GTM PVC was performed using our "standard" PSF parameterization [3D Gaussian, full-width at half-maximum (w) of approximately 5 mm]. Additional GTM PVC was performed with "incorrect" parameterizations, taken around the correct value. The result is a set of regional activity values for each of the GTM applications. For each case, activity values from various ROIs were combined and normalized to produce standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) for nine standard [11C]PiB quantitation ROIs and a global region. GTM operating-point characteristics were determined from the slope of apparent SUVR versus w curves. RESULTS Errors in specification of w on the order of 1 mm (3D) mainly produce only modest errors of up to a few percent. An exception was the anterior ventral striatum in which fractional errors of up to 0.29 per millimeter (3D) of error in w were observed. CONCLUSION While this study does not address all the issues regarding the quantitative strengths and weakness of GTM PVC, we find that with reasonable caution, the unavoidable inaccuracies associated with PSF specification do not preclude its use in amyloid quantitation.
Congenital spine deformities: timing of insult during development of the spine in utero.

The development of the spine and spinal cord occurs at the earliest weeks of gestation. Their development not only affects each other but also are most likely associated with anomalies in other systems. It is essential to recognize the stages of spine development to understand the cause of congenital spinal deformities and their influences on the postnatal growing spine. A vast majority of congenital spinal problems are not evident clinically. For instance, the presence of neural axis abnormalities, such as spinal dysraphism or syringomyelia, may be so subtle that patients never seek medical care. Certain vertebral formation disorders such as hemivertebrae may remain asymptomatic throughout life if they are balanced while those with congenital bars may develop severe deformity. Major defects in the spine are often associated with abnormalities of the other organs such as cardiovascular and genital urinary system that warrants close attention by multidisciplinary specialists. A thorough understanding of the basics of embryology, which serves as a window into the development of the spine, is necessary to enable the practitioner to appreciate why, when, and where the numerous spine deformities develop in utero. Besides, certain developmental defects manifest in adulthood including spondylolysis, degenerative disc disease, congenital spinal stenosis, and even tumors like cordoma. Thus, understanding embryology can assist to establish the proper diagnosis and ensure optimal treatment.
On Perturbation Techniqes in a Model Case from Planetary Waves Theory

We consider a multi-dimensional Cauchy problem for a nonhomogeneous quasi-linear equation which is a “distant relative” of the initial value problem arising in the planetary waves theory. The nonlinearity of the problem is often fought by perturbing the governing equation with a “stabilizing” extra term in the form of a Laplacian taken to some power and multiplied by a small parameter e. The hope is that the perturbed problem will be numerically stable, while preserving convergence of thus obtained family of solutions to the solution of the original problem. There are frequent complaints though that the trick does not always work in numerical schemes and seems to be too sensitive to the choice of e.
George Whitefield Chadwick, Two Overtures: Rip Van Winkle (1879) and Adonais (1899), edited by Bill Faucett

The estimable Recent Researches in American Music series from A-R Editions fills one of its most glaring gaps with the publication of Bill Faucett's edition of two overtures by George Whitefield Ch...
Microlensing Searches for Planets: Results and Future Prospects

Microlensing is potentially sensitive to multiple-planet systems containing analogs of all the solar system planets except Mercury, as well as to free floating planets. I review the landscape of microlensing planet searches, beginning with an outline of the method itself, and continuing with an overview of the results that have been obtained to date. Four planets have been detected with microlensing. I discuss what these detections have taught us about the frequency of terrestrial and giant planets with separations beyond the ``snow line.'' I then discuss the near and long-term prospects for microlensing planet searches, and in particular speculate on the expected returns of next-generation microlensing experiments both from the ground and from space. When combined with the results from other complementary surveys, next generation microlensing surveys can yield an accurate and complete census of the frequency and properties of essentially all planets with masses greater than that of Mars.
Communication efficient construction of decision trees over heterogeneously distributed data

We present an algorithm designed to efficiently construct a decision tree over heterogeneously distributed data without centralizing. We compare our algorithm against a standard centralized decision tree implementation in terms of accuracy as well as the communication complexity. Our experimental results show that by using only 20% of the communication cost necessary to centralize the data we can achieve trees with accuracy at least 80% of the trees produced by the centralized version.
Interactions among non-native plants and birds

Humans have introduced many non-native plants into urbanizing landscapes. In numerous cases, the dispersal and establishment of non-native plants are facilitated by birds. We have reviewed documented relationships between birds and non-native plants with specific attention to the urbanizing environment. Birds consume fruits and disperse seeds of non-native plants. They may also increase seed production or plant/seed survival by pollinating non-native plant species or consuming insect predators, respectively. Some avian frugivores facilitate the spread of, and benefit from, non-native plant species. In contrast, some avian nectarivores and insectivores have evolved mutualisms with specific plants and have been negatively influenced by the spread of competing, non-native plants. We enumerate the characteristics of successful, avian-dispersed fruit displays, and then highlight conditions in the urbanizing landscape that influence avian community structure and the spread of non-native plants. Finally, we discuss how these characteristics should influence management decisions and future research directions.
Time-oriented question answering from clinical narratives sing semantic-web techniques

The ability to answer temporal-oriented questions based on clinical narratives is essential to clinical research. The temporal dimension in medical data analysis enables clinical researches on many areas, such as, disease progress, individualized treatment, and decision support. The Semantic Web provides a suitable environment to represent the temporal dimension of the clinical data and reason about them. In this paper, we introduce a Semantic-Web based framework, which provides an API for querying temporal information from clinical narratives. The framework is centered by an OWL ontology called CNTRO (Clinical Narrative Temporal Relation Ontology), and contains three major components: time normalizer, SWRL based reasoner, and OWL-DL based reasoner. We also discuss how we adopted these three components in the clinical domain, their limitations, as well as extensions that we found necessary or desirable to archive the purposes of querying time-oriented data from real-world clinical narratives.
The distribution of wet bulb temperature depression

Climatological series of humidity data are defined. It is shown how such series are required for valid climatological analysis. Theoretical normal frequency distributions are proposed for dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures. From these, by theoretical considerations, the distribution of wet bulb depression is found to be a truncated normal distribution. Statistical estimates for the theoretical parameters are given and the fits of the theoretical wet bulb distributions verified on climatological series for three widely different climatic conditions. The effects of variation in the parameters of the wet and dry bulb distributions on the wet bulb depression distribution are discussed.
Technique for Repair of Fractures and Separations Involving the Cartilaginous Portions of the Anterior Chest Wall

Internal fixation of the ribs has been shown in numerous studies to decrease complications following traumatic rib fractures. Anterior injuries to the chest wall causing cartilaginous fractures, although rare, can cause significant disability and can lead to a variety of complications and, therefore, pose a unique clinical problem. Here, we report the surgical technique used for four patients with internal fixation of injuries to the cartilaginous portions of the chest wall treated at our center. All patients had excellent clinical outcomes and reported improvement in symptoms, with no associated complications. Patients who have injuries to the anterior portions of the chest wall should be considered for internal fixation of the chest wall when the injuries are severe and can lead to clinical disability.
Fault zone structure at depth from differential dispersion of seismic guided waves: evidence for a deep waveguide on the San Andreas Fault

SUMMARY Seismic guided wave dispersion can be used to image fault-zone structure at seismogenic depth. A two-station differential group velocity technique previously used for surface waves was adapted to solve for local fault-zone structure between two stations. This method was extended to solve for fault-zone structure between two earthquakes using differential group arrival times at a single station. The method was tested with finite-difference synthetic data for an inhomogeneous fault, as well as with a pair of shallow earthquakes recorded in the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) borehole station. Results from a pair of deep earthquakes recorded in the SAFOD borehole station indicate that the low-velocity waveguide of the San Andreas Fault extends to >10 km depth. The waveguide at 10–12 km depth is 120–190 m wide and the velocity contrast is >20 per cent, similar to the values in the shallow subsurface. Multiple earthquakes and receivers could be used to map fault zone structure at seismogenic depth as a function of depth and strike.
POLYSAT: an R package for polyploid microsatellite analysis.

We present an R package to help remedy the lack of software for manipulating and analysing autopolyploid and allopolyploid microsatellite data. polysat can handle genotype data of any ploidy, including populations of mixed ploidy, and assumes that allele copy number is always ambiguous in partial heterozygotes. It can import and export genotype data in eight different formats, calculate pairwise distances between individuals using a stepwise mutation and infinite alleles model, estimate ploidy based on allele counts and estimate allele frequencies and pairwise FST values. This software is freely available through the Comprehensive R Archive Network (http://cran.r-project.org/) and includes a thorough tutorial.