cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Load and network aware query routing for information integration

Current federated systems deploy cost-based query optimization mechanisms; i.e., the optimizer selects a global query plan with the lowest cost to execute. Thus, cost functions influence what remote sources (i.e. equivalent data sources) to access and how federated queries are processed. In most federated systems, the underlying cost model is based on database statistics and query statements; however, the system load of remote sources and the dynamic nature of the network latency in wide area networks are not considered. As a result, federated query processing solutions can not adapt to runtime environment changes, such as network congestion or heavy workloads at remote sources. We present a novel system architecture that deploys a query cost calibrator to calibrate the cost function based on system load and network latency at the remote sources and consequently indirectly "influences" query routing and load distribution in federated information systems.
The mechanism mediating the activation of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase-α gene transcription by the liver X receptor agonist T0-901317

In birds and mammals, agonists of the liver X receptor (LXR) increase the expression of enzymes that make up the fatty acid synthesis pathway. Here, we investigate the mechanism by which the synthetic LXR agonist, T0-901317, increases the transcription of the acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase-alpha (ACC alpha) gene in chick embryo hepatocyte cultures. Transfection analyses demonstrate that activation of ACC alpha transcription by T0-901317 is mediated by a cis-acting regulatory unit (-101 to -71 bp) that is composed of a liver X receptor response element (LXRE) and a sterol-regulatory element (SRE). The SRE enhances the ability of the LXRE to activate ACC alpha transcription in the presence of T0-901317. Treating hepatocytes with T0-901317 increases the concentration of mature sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) in the nucleus and the acetylation of histone H3 and histone H4 at the ACC alpha LXR response unit. These results indicate that T0-901317 increases hepatic ACC alpha transcription by directly activating LXR*retinoid X receptor (RXR) heterodimers and by increasing the activity of an accessory transcription factor (SREBP-1) that enhances ligand induced-LXR*RXR activity.
Phobias in children.

Although fears are so common in children as to be "normal," phobias associated with prolonged avoidance of ordinary situations are distinctly uncommon, even among children in psychiatric treatment. Three treatment approaches are described, including traditional dynamically oriented psychotherapy and the use of antidepressant medication, with major emphasis given to the new supported-exposure technique widely practiced in contemporary phobia programs.
Condensation of collective charge ordering in chromium

We report on the dynamics of the structural order parameter in a chromium film using synchrotron radiation in response to photoinduced ultrafast excitations. Following transient optical excitations the effective lattice temperature of the film rises close to the N\'eel temperature and the charge-density wave (CDW) amplitude is reduced but does not appear to ever be fully destroyed. The persistence of the CDW diffraction signal demonstrates that the CDW, if destroyed by the laser pulse, must be reestablished within the 100-ps time resolution of the synchrotron x-ray pulses. Furthermore, at all times after photoexcitation, the CDW retains its low-temperature periodicity, rather than regenerating with its high-temperature period shortly after photoexcitation. The long-term evolution shows that the CDW reverts to its ground state on a time scale of $370\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}40\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ps}$. We attribute the apparent persistence of the CDW to the long-lived periodic lattice displacement in chromium. This study highlights the fundamental role of the lattice distortion and its impact on the recondensation dynamics of the charge ordered state in strongly correlated materials.
Success Factors in a Comprehensive International Partnership: Lessons Learned from a Case Study of an Indo-American Collaboration

This article thoroughly examines a specific case of a partnership between educational institutions in India and the United States with the help of in-depth interviews of key stakeholders in the program. The article outlines factors that are necessary ingredients for a collaborative program to succeed. The factors are classified as external, internal, financial, and intangible. The findings of the article can be used by administrators and faculty in the two countries as a road map while starting or growing a partnership. The paper also outlines the constraints and threats for a partnership such as this. Finally, there are suggestions for future research that can enhance the body of literature in this area. This research is of particular importance since both India and the United States are significant higher-education hubs and are the sources of a high level of educational partnership activity.
Constrained Diffeomorphic Shape Evolution

We design optimal control strategies in spaces of diffeomorphisms and shape spaces in which the Eulerian velocities of the evolving deformations are constrained to belong to a suitably chosen finite-dimensional space, which is also following the motion. This results in a setting that provides a great flexibility in the definition of Riemannian metrics, extending previous approaches in which shape spaces are built as homogeneous spaces under the action of the diffeomorphism group equipped with a right-invariant metric. We provide specific instances of this general setting, and describe in detail the resulting numerical algorithms, with experimental illustrations in the case of plane curves.
Pim-1 ligand-bound structures reveal the mechanism of serine/threonine kinase inhibition by LY294002.

Pim-1 is an oncogene-encoded serine/threonine kinase primarily expressed in hematopoietic and germ cell lines. Pim-1 kinase was originally identified in Maloney murine leukemia virus-induced T-cell lymphomas and is associated with multiple cellular functions such as proliferation, survival, differentiation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis (Wang, Z., Bhattacharya, N., Weaver, M., Petersen, K., Meyer, M., Gapter, L., and Magnuson, N. S. (2001) J. Vet. Sci. 2, 167–179). The crystal structures of Pim-1 complexed with staurosporine and adenosine were determined. Although a typical two-domain serine/threonine protein kinase fold is observed, the inter-domain hinge region is unusual in both sequence and conformation; a two-residue insertion causes the hinge to bulge away from the ATP-binding pocket, and a proline residue in the hinge removes a conserved main chain hydrogen bond donor. Without this hydrogen bond, van der Waals interactions with the hinge serve to position the ligand. The hinge region of Pim-1 resembles that of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase more closely than it does other protein kinases. Although the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 also inhibits Pim-1, the structure of the LY294002·Pim-1 complex reveals a new binding mode that may be general for Ser/Thr kinases.
An Approach to the Design of Meteorological Field Experiments

Abstract An experimental design procedure is proposed for use as a guide in optimal sensor placement and sampling during meteorological data gathering expeditions. State-of-the-art knowledge about the structure of the phenomenon to be observed is transformed into a null-hypothesis in the form of a space-time covariance function. This function forms the main component required to evaluate the benefits (accuracy) to accrue from contending sampling systems. Contenders are eliminated through the use of a non-linear-programming search technique and the optimal configuration selected. Constraints on the sampling arrays are permitted. Several examples are presented.
The Reality of the Real Rate

Prevailing economic theory suggests an important distinction between nominal and real values. This concept of purchasing power helps explain the motivation behind basic economic decisions such as whether to invest, save, or consume. Consumers and businesses that make decisions without consideration of purchasing power are assumed to exhibit “money illusion”, the failure to adjust nominal values for changes in prices. The standard assumption used for macroeconomic theory and modeling is that consumers and investors lack money illusion, that is, their consumption and investment responds to real variables. This study tests this standard assumption, and examines the effects of nominal and real interest rates on home buying attitudes using micro-data from the University of Michigan: Survey of Consumers. More specifically, the purpose of this research is to compare the impact of various mortgage rates on home buying optimism including the traditional 30-year-fixed rate, the personal real rate calculated using respondents’ one and five-year inflation expectations, and the market real rate calculated from the 30-year TIPS breakeven rate. This is the first study that tests person-specific real rates generated from survey data in addition to market-wide real rates to answer this question. Across all models, results reveal that the nominal rate is more highly influential than real rates in determining home buying optimism. These results have implications for further adjustment to standard macroeconomic modeling.
Economic Geography and Policy in the Network Age

The Internet is undoubtedly changing the world in some remarkable ways. Governments that have wielded regulatory and fiscal power within national and sub-national borders are compelled to deal increasingly with global and “spaceless” transactions. The Internet is fast becoming the first and most important medium of information access. This is also true of research in science, technology, social science, and the generation and diffusion of all systematic codified human knowledge.
Mast cells cultured from the peripheral blood of normal donors and patients with mastocytosis originate from a CD34+/Fc epsilon RI- cell population

Mast cells may be cultured from human peripheral blood in the presence of recombinant human stem cell factor (rhSCF). The characteristics of the cells in peripheral blood that give rise to mast cells are unknown. Because mast cell precursors in human marrow are CD34+, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with mastocytosis and normal controls were sorted on the basis of CD34 expression and the positive and negative cell populations were cultured in rhSCF, recombinant human interleukin-3 (rhIL-3), or both for 6 weeks. Cell cultures were examined every 2 weeks for total and mast cell number and cell differential using Wright Giemsa and acid toluidine blue stains and antibodies to mast cell tryptase and chymase, cell-associated histamine, and expression of CD34, c-kit, Fc epsilon RI, and Fc gamma RII using flow cytometric analysis. The ultrastructural anatomy of mast cells was examined by electron microscopy. Peripheral blood CD34+ cells cultured in rhSCF with or without rhIL-3 gave rise to cell cultures consisting of greater than 80% mast cells by 6 weeks. CD34+ cells cultured in rhIL-3 alone did not give rise to mast cells, whereas rhIL- 3 plus rhSCF increased the final mast cell number eightfold when compared with cells cultured in rhSCF alone. Mast cells increased concomitantly with a decrease in large undifferentiated mononuclear cells. CD34- cells did not give rise to mast cells. Histamine content per cell at 6 weeks was approximately 5 pg. Electron microscopy of 4- week cultures showed immature mast cells containing predominantly tryptase-positive granules that were either homogeneous or contained lattice structures, partial scroll patterns, or central dense cores and mixtures of vesicles, fine granular material, and particles. The CD34+ population at day 0 expressed Kit (65%) and Fc gamma RII (95%), but not Fc epsilon RI, by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. At 6 weeks, CD34+-derived mast cells exhibited Fc epsilon RI in addition to Kit and Fc gamma RII, and were negative for CD34 antigen. Patients with mastocytosis showed a higher number of mast cells per CD34+ cell cultured compared with normal controls. Thus, the mast cell precursor in human peripheral blood is CD34+/Fc epsilon RI- and gives rise to mast cells in the presence of rhSCF with or without rhIL-3, and the number of mast cells arising per CD34+ cell in culture is greater when the CD34+ cells are obtained from patients with mastocytosis compared with normal subjects.
Radioactive decay of /sup 1/39Ba

The decay of $^{139}\mathrm{Ba}$ to levels of $^{139}\mathrm{La}$ was studied to resolve discrepancies in previous determinations of the decay scheme of this isotope. The existence of 1257, 1601, 1691, 1762, and 1797 keV $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays has been confirmed and some new relative intensities established.
Buy-Side Analystss Participation on Public Earnings Conference Calls

Using a sample of 28,000 quarterly earnings conference call transcripts from 2008 to 2013, we examine the frequency and nature of buy-side analysts’ participation in the Q&A session of corporate earnings conference calls. We find that buy-side analysts appear on approximately 15% of all conference calls, with analysts employed by hedge funds (mutual funds) representing 46% (22%) of buy-side analyst appearances. Buy-side analysts are more likely to appear on conference calls of firms followed by fewer sell-side analysts, with higher bid-ask spreads, and not in the S&P 1500, suggesting that buy-side analysts are more likely to ask questions on conference calls when uncertainty about the firm is high. Management gives buy-side analysts priority by allowing them to ask the first question on a disproportionate number of calls. We also examine the length and tone of analysts’ interactions with management, and find that relative to sell-side analysts, buy-side analysts’ interactions are shorter and their exchanges with management exhibit less favorable tone. Finally, we document that changes in bid-ask spreads following conference calls are positively associated with buy-side participation on the call and that institutional holdings increase (decrease) when buy-side tone is relatively favorable (unfavorable). Our findings add to a growing literature on buy-side analysts by documenting their use of quarterly earnings conference calls.
Effects of Acetyl Salicylic Acid on the General Condition and Blood Cells of Rats

SummaryDaily dosage of white rats with acetylsalicylic acid for periods as long as 29 weeks, at high levels, produces no visible ill effects, and does not change the blood picture, except that a pronounced rise of white cell counts occurs on the second day after withdrawal of the drug from animals accustomed to it. It is obvious that the white rat is not suitable for testing the question of the possibility of ill effects in human beings from prolonged dosage with this drug.
Transition Of NASA's Physical Sciences Program to Exploration Systems-Driven Research

A new Vision for Space Exploration was announced a year ago by President George W. Bush. NASA has evaluated on-going programs for strategic alignment with this vision. The evaluation proceeded at a rapid pace and is resulting in changes to the scope and focus of experimental research that will be conducted in support of the new vision. The existing network of researchers in the physical sciences ‐ a highly capable, independent, and loosely knitted community ‐ typically have shared conclusions derived from their work within appropriate discipline-specific peer reviewed journals and publications. The initial result of introducing this Vision for Space Exploration has been to shift research focus from a broad coverage of numerous, widely varying topics into a research program focused on a nearly-singular set of supporting research objectives to enable advances in space exploration. Three traditional physical science research disciplines, Combustion Science, Fluid Physics and Materials Science, are targeting product driven research from a portfolio dominated by “Fundamental Science Research” to one focused nearly exclusively on supporting the Exploration Vision. Underlying scientific and engineering competencies and infrastructure of these Physical Sciences disciplines do provide essential research capabilities to support the contemporary thrusts of human life support, radiation countermeasures, human health, low gravity research for propulsion and materials and, ultimately, research conducted on the Moon and Mars. A perspective on how these research disciplines responded to the course change will be presented. The relevance to the new NASA direction is provided, while demonstrating through examples how the prior investment in fundamental research is being brought to bear on solving the issues confronting the successful implementation of the exploration goals.
Lower Termite Associations with Microbes: Synergy, Protection, and Interplay.

Lower-termites are one of the best studied symbiotic systems in insects. Their ability to feed on a nitrogen-poor, wood-based diet with help from symbiotic microbes has been under investigation for almost a century. A unique microbial consortium living in the guts of lower termites is essential for wood-feeding, host and symbiont cellulolytic enzymes synergize each other in the termite gut to increase digestive efficiency. Because of their critical role in digestion, gut microbiota are driving forces in all aspects termite biology. Social living also comes with risks for termites. The combination of group living and a microbe-rich habitat makes termites potentially vulnerable to pathogenic infections; however, the use of entomopathogens for termite control has been largely unsuccessful. One mechanism for this failure may be symbiotic collaboration; i.e., one of the very reasons termites have thrived in the first place. Symbiont contributions are thought to neutralize fungal spores as they pass through the termite gut. Also, when the symbiont community is disrupted pathogen susceptibility increases. These recent discoveries have shed light on novel interactions for symbiotic microbes both within the termite host and with pathogenic invaders. Lower-termite biology is therefore tightly linked to symbiotic associations and their resulting physiological collaborations.
Development of a scientific torsional system experiment containing controlled single or dual-clearance non-linearities: Examination of step-responses

Abstract The chief goal of this paper is to propose a new laboratory experiment that exhibits the step-response of a torsional system containing one or two controlled clearances. This work is motivated by the disadvantages of prior large-scale experiments which utilize production vehicle drivelines and their components with significant real-life complexities. The conceptual and physical design features, which include sizing, modal properties, excitation, and instrumentation, are discussed with the goal of creating a controlled experiment. Like prior literature, a step-down torque excitation is selected and all analyses are performed on the acceleration signals to observe vibro-impact in the time domain. Typical measurements (for both the single and dual-clearance configurations) exhibit rich non-linear behavior, including the double-sided impact regime and a time-varying oscillatory period. Additionally, new measurements are compared to predictions from simple reduced order non-linear models to verify the feasibility of the proposed experiment. Finally, the utility of this experiment is demonstrated by comparing its measurements to a prior large-scale experiment that accommodates a production vehicle clutch damper with multiple stages. The hardening and softening effects in both experiments are discussed in the context of double and single-sided impacts as well as the oscillatory periods that vary with time.
Radicalization to Extremism and Mobilization to Violence What Have We Learned and What Can We Do about It

This article discusses individual mobilization to extremist violence from the perspective of a researcher and analyst, exploring what we know about the psychological and social factors motivating young people to join extremist groups and how that knowledge relates to the recruitment of individuals into ISIS. The biggest threat to the West, at least for now, is not core ISIS (or any jihadi group operating in the Middle East and North Africa region), but Westerners who self-mobilize for attacks at home or who return, trained to fight, from the “jihad” abroad. Finally, the article suggests specific ways for governments to respond to this threat, noting the limits of what government can do, and arguing that they join forces with the private sector. Mobilization to extremism must be addressed with broad, multi-institutional social strategies.
Trends in health care expenditure among US adults with heart failure: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2002-2011

Background Population-based national data on the trends in expenditures related to heart failure (HF) are scarce. Assessing the time trends in health care expenditures for HF in the United States can help to better define the burden of this condition. Methods Using 10-year data (2002-2011) from the national Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (weighted sample of 188,708,194 US adults aged ≥18 years) and a 2-part model (adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and time); we estimated adjusted mean and incremental medical expenditures by HF status. The costs were direct total health care expenditures (out-of-pocket payments and payments by private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and other sources) from various sources (office-based visits, hospital outpatient, emergency department, inpatient hospital, pharmacy, home health care, and other medical expenditures). Results Compared with expenditures for individuals without HF ($5511 [95% CI 5405-5617]), individuals with HF had a 4-fold higher mean expenditures of ($23,854 [95% CI 21,733-25,975]). Individuals with HF had $3446 (95% CI 2592-4299) higher direct incremental expenditures compared with those without HF, after adjusting for demographics and comorbidities. Among those with HF, costs continuously increased by $5836 (28% relative increase), from $21,316 (95% CI 18,359-24,272) in 2002/2003 to $27,152 (95% CI 20,066-34,237) in 2010/2011, and inpatient costs ($11,318 over the whole period) were the single largest component of total medical expenditure. The estimated unadjusted total direct medical expenditures for US adults with HF were $30 billion/y and the adjusted total incremental expenditure was $5.8 billion/y. Conclusions Heart failure is costly and over a recent 10-year period, and direct expenditure related to HF increased markedly, mainly driven by inpatient costs.
A comprehensive study on variations of discrete IGBT characteristics due to package degradation triggered by thermal stress

Identification of power device failure precursors is essential for condition monitoring, fault severity assessment and lifetime estimation. These tools constitute the fundamental elements to achieve highly reliable power converters with self-diagnosis capability, which can report incipient faults at very early stage. In this paper, several discrete IGBTs are thermally aged on a custom-built modular test-bed. I-V characteristics are monitored periodically using an automated curve tracer throughout the aging, and the fault/aging related patterns are comprehensively analyzed. The variations in saturation voltage, gate threshold voltage, transfer capacitances, and gate charge, which are the potential candidates for aging precursors, are analyzed in detail. The experimental and failure analysis results suggest that on-state voltage drop and gate threshold voltage are the two essential aging precursors for monitoring die-attach solder and gate oxide degradations.
Sustainability through Lifecycle Synthesis of Material Information

The synthesis of material information across lifecycle stages will lay the foundation for a material information model to support sustainable decision making. This paper explores how material information is represented in select standards that address product and process information at different lifecycle stages. We discuss some of the challenges in synthesizing information between these standards, and explore the use of ontologies as a means to create and manage material information across a lifecycle. We discuss the potential benefits of fully synthesizing material information across the lifecycle, and the potential applications of a material information model that possesses this capability.
The Role of Somatic Sensory Cortex in Tactile Discrimination in Primates

Research on cerebral cortex function during the 50-year period referred to in the above quote was conducted by clinicians before the development of the neuroanatomical and electrophysiological methods that have dominated research on cortical sensory areas over the last 75 years. As these new experimental techniques gained in prominence in research on nonhuman species (and perhaps occupied the “acutest intellects in medicine”), interest in sensory phenomena and skills associated with sensory areas declined. Many of the same theoretical issues raised in the early clinical studies of tactile function following disease, injury, or surgical removal of parietal cortex remain the topic of contemporary research in the somatic sensory system. Review of the earlier experimental studies of tactile deficits following surgical lesions in nonhuman primates points to several important methodological issues, such as the significance of the age and species of experimental subject, of types of tasks used to assess tactile skills, and the basis for specification of the specific cortical area(s) involved in a particular skill, which may account for some of the differences in findings between past and current studies. Recent and ongoing studies from my laboratory on a variety of Old and New World primates are summarized to present both a comparative and a developmental perspective on the role of somatic sensory cortex in tactile discrimination capacity. In these studies, physiological mapping and selective cortical lesions were done, in conjunction with tactile discrimination testing, to determine how normal cortical organization and/or surgical intervention in cortical areas related to tactile capacity. Finally, theories that address the relationship between ontogenetic and phylogenetic changes in brain and behavior will be discussed to bring together the findings on development and evolution of the somatic sensory system and tactile capacities in primates.
Early life manipulations of vasopressin-family peptides alter vocal learning

Vocal learning from social partners is crucial for the successful development of communication in a wide range of species. Social interactions organize attention and enhance motivation to learn species-typical behaviour. However, the neurobiological mechanisms connecting social motivation and vocal learning are unknown. Using zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a ubiquitous model for vocal learning, we show that manipulations of nonapeptide hormones in the vasopressin family (arginine vasotocin, AVT) early in development can promote or disrupt both song and social motivation. Young male zebra finches, like human infants, are socially gregarious and require interactive feedback from adult tutors to learn mature vocal forms. To investigate the role of social motivational mechanisms in song learning, in two studies, we injected hatchling males with AVT or Manning compound (MC, a nonapeptide receptor antagonist) on days 2-8 post-hatching and recorded song at maturity. In both studies, MC males produced a worse match to tutor song than controls. In study 2, which experimentally controlled for tutor and genetic factors, AVT males also learned song significantly better compared with controls. Furthermore, song similarity correlated with several measures of social motivation throughout development. These findings provide the first evidence that nonapeptides are critical to the development of vocal learning.
Changing spatial patterns of stand-replacing fire in California conifer forests

Abstract Stand-replacing fire has profound ecological impacts in conifer forests, yet there is continued uncertainty over how best to describe the scale of stand-replacing effects within individual fires, and how these effects are changing over time. In forests where regeneration following stand-replacing fire depends on seed dispersal from surviving trees, the size and shape of stand-replacing patches are critical metrics that are difficult to describe and often overlooked. We used a novel, recently-developed metric that describes the amount of stand-replacing area within a given distance of a live-tree patch edge, in order to compare fires that may be otherwise similar in fire size or the percentage of stand-replacing effects. Specifically, we analyzed 477 fires in California pine, fir, and mixed-conifer forests between 1984 and 2015 and asked whether this metric, the stand-replacing decay coefficient (SDC), has changed over time, whether it is affected by fire management, and how it responds to extreme weather conditions at the time of the fire. Mean annual SDC became smaller over time (significantly so in the Sierra Nevada region), indicating that stand-replacing patches became larger and more regularly shaped. The decrease in SDC was particularly pronounced in the years since 2011. While SDC is correlated with percent high-severity, it is able to distinguish fires of comparable percent high-severity but different spatial pattern, with fires managed for suppression having smaller SDC than fires managed for resource benefit. Similarly, fires managed by the US Forest Service had smaller SDC than fires managed by the National Park Service. Fire weather also played an important role, with higher maximum temperatures generally associated with smaller SDC values. SDC is useful for comparing fires because it is associated with more conventional metrics such as percent high-severity, but also incorporates a measure of regeneration potential – distance to surviving trees at stand-replacement patch edges – which is a biological legacy that directly affects the resilience of forests to increasingly frequent and severe fire disturbances. We estimate that from 1984 to 2015, over 80,000 ha of forestland burned with stand-replacing effects greater than 120 m in from patch edges, denoting areas vulnerable to extended conifer forest loss due to dispersal limitation. Managing unplanned ignitions under less extreme weather conditions can achieve beneficial “fine-grained” effects of stand-replacing fire where regeneration limitation is less of a concern. Because SDC is a useful single metric to compare fires, we introduce a web application (stevensjt.shinyapps.io/sdc_app) to calculate SDC for any high-severity spatial layer that may be of interest.
Spectrum of the \overline{∂}-Neumann Laplacian on polydiscs

The spectrum of the ∂-Neumann Laplacian on a polydisc in C" is explicitly computed. The calculation exhibits that the spectrum consists of eigenvalues, some of which, in particular the smallest ones, are of infinite multiplicity.
Heterogeneity in Severe Asthma

Although severe asthma, as defined in American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society guideline, represents only a small group of asthmatics, clearly it contributes to a significant portion of health cost and patient morbidity. This subcategory separation is considered the cornerstone of delivering precision care to individual severe asthma patient.
Carbonation activated binders from pure calcium silicates: Reaction kinetics and performance controlling factors

Abstract This paper presents a study on the carbonation activated binders prepared from pure calcium silicate phases, which included tricalcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2, [C3S]), β-dicalcium silicate (β-2CaO.SiO2, [β-C2S]), γ-dicalcium silicate (γ-2CaO.SiO2, [γ-C2S]), tricalcium disilicate (rankinite, 3CaO.2SiO2, [C3S2]), and monocalcium silicate (wollastonite, CaO.SiO2, [CS]). The overall study consisted of three experimental parts, with individual focus on the following issues: (i) reaction kinetics, (ii) mechanical performance at the microscale, and (iii) mechanical performance at the macroscale. Carbonation of calcium silicate phases was found to occur in two distinct stages, namely: phase boundary controlled stage and product layer diffusion controlled stage. Theoretical solid-state reaction approach, including contracting volume model and Jander's equations were used to determine the carbonation rate constants for the calcium silicate phases. Phase boundary controlled stage was found to be dominantly dependent on the type of the starting calcium silicate phases. On the other hand, during the diffusion controlled stage the reaction rate constants were found to depend on the type of carbonation products (in this case Ca-modified silica gel and calcium carbonate). The mechanical properties of the individual microscopic phases were evaluated using nanoindentation test whereas the overall strength of the carbonated paste was evaluated using macroscale three-point bending test. Correlations between the mechanical performances and microstructural characteristics revealed the performance controlling factors of the carbonation activated binders. The higher bound water contents of the carbonated matrix tend to increase the short-term (up to 3 h) creep deformation of the matrix when subjected to constant stress. The presence of a higher proportion of poorly-crystalline forms of calcium carbonates (i.e., vaterite and amorphous calcium carbonate) were observed to increase the flexural strength but decrease the elastic modulus of the carbonated matrix.
Walking trends among U.S. adults: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1987-2000.

Abstract Objective To examine trends in walking among adults in 31 states. Methods Trends by sociodemographic strata were analyzed from respondents who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Results The prevalence of walking among men increased 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.4–5.2), from 26.2% (95% CI=25.1–25.3) in 1987 to 30.1% (95% CI=29.4–30.8) in 2000. In women, walking increased 6.6% (95% CI=5.4–7.8), from 40.4% (95% CI=–39.4–41.1) to 46.9% (95% CI=46.2–47.6) during the same time period. However, the prevalence of walking three times a week for 30 minutes duration remained constant across all years. The largest increases occurred in minority subpopulations: 8.7% (95% CI=3.2–14.2) in Hispanic women, 8.5% (95% CI=4.4–12.6) non–Hispanic black women, and 7.0% (95% CI=2.3–11.7) in non–Hispanic black men. Walking was the most frequently reported activity among adults who met the national recommendations for regular physical activity (defined as five or more times a week for ≥30 minutes per session). Conclusions Given the acceptability of walking across all sociodemographic subgroups, efforts to increase the frequency of walking could markedly increase the percentage of U.S. adults who engage in regular physical activity, a national priority identified in the Healthy People 2010 objectives for the nation.
Identification of coordinately dysregulated subnetworks in complex phenotypes.

In the study of complex phenotypes, single gene markers can only provide limited insights into the manifestation of phenotype. To this end, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks prove useful in the identication of multiple interacting markers. Recent studies show that, when considered together, many proteins that are connected via physical and functional interactions exhibit signicant dierential expression with respect to various complex phenotypes, including cancers. As compared to single gene markers, these \coordinately dysregulated subnetworks" improve diagnosis and prognosis of cancer signicantly and oer novel insights into the network dynamics of phenotype. However, the problem of identifying coordinately dysregulated subnetworks presents signicant algorithmic challenges. Existing approaches utilize heuristics that aim to greedily maximize information-theoretic class separability measures, however, by denition of \coordinate" dysregulation, such greedy algorithms do not suit well to this problem. In this paper, we formulate coordinate dysregulation in the context of the well-known set-cover problem, with a view to capturing the coordination between multiple genes at a sample-specic resolution. Based on this formulation, we adapt state-of-the-art approximation algorithms for set-cover to the identication of coordinately dysregulated subnetworks. Comprehensive experimental results on human colorectal cancer (CRC) show that, when compared to existing algorithms, the proposed algorithm, NetCover, improves diagnosis of cancer and prediction of metastasis signicantly. Our results also demonstrate that subnetworks in the neighborhood of known CRC driver genes exhibit signicant coordinate dysregulation, indicating that the notion of coordinate dysregulation may indeed be useful in understanding the network dynamics of complex phenotypes.
Neutron and gamma-ray streaming calculations for the engineering test facility neutral beam injectors

Two-dimensional radiation transport methods have been used to estimate the effects of neutron and gamma-ray streaming on the performance of the Engineering Test Facility neutral beam injectors. The calculations take into account the spatial, angular, and spectral distributions of the radiation entering the injector duct. The instantaneous nuclear heating rate averaged over the length of the cryopumping panel in the injector is 7.5 X 10/sup -3/ MW/m/sup 3/, which implies a total heat load of 2.2 X 10/sup -4/ MW. The instantaneous dose rate to the ion gun insulators was estimated to be 3200 rad/s. The radial dependence of the instantaneous dose equivalent rate in the neutral beam injector duct shield was also calculated.
Philosophical Practice Following Foucault

This paper develops a heuristic of different modes of philosophical engagement with Michel Foucault’s work with the aim to aid self-reflection about contemporary uses of Foucault. Drawing on debates in the history of philosophy, I describe contextualism, appropriationism, and methodologism as three strands of Foucault scholarship. I then examine queer and feminist philosophical engagements with Foucault to explicate and illustrate the aims and strengths of each strand. I conclude by spelling out the larger implications for different uses of Foucault for philosophical practice and make the case for a methodological pluralism that draws on all available modes of inquiry.
The Role of Price/Quality Tiers on the Cluster Effect in Brand Choice

With the increasing availability of store private label brands along with established national brands, academic researchers and marketing managers are interested in studying the nature of competition between brands belonging to different price/quality tiers. This paper tries to extend our knowledge of price/quality tier competition by studying the moderating role of price/quality tiers on the cluster effect. Cluster effect postulates that the number of people choosing a brand from a cluster increases with the size of the cluster.
Mycobacterium scrofulaceum disease: experience from a tertiary medical centre and review of the literature

Introduction: Mycobacterium scrofulaceum infection has been identified in cases of paediatric cervical lymphadenitis but is less well defined in adults. To further characterize manifestations of M....
Serum bone markers and risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures in women who received endocrine therapy for breast cancer: a prospective study.

Osteoporosis and fragility fracture are major bone toxicities of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) for postmenopausal hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Except for a few small studies on bone turnover markers and reduced bone mineral density after AI treatment, data on the associations of bone markers and risk of osteoporosis or fracture from prospective studies are lacking. In a prospective study of 1709 women on AIs, two bone turnover markers, BALP and TRACP, and two bone regulatory markers, RANKL and OPG, were measured and examined in relation to risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures during a median follow-up time of 6.1 years. Higher levels of BALP and TRACP were both associated with increased risk of osteoporosis and higher BALP/TRACP ratios were associated with lower risk of osteoporosis, but no associations were observed for fracture risk. Higher levels of OPG were associated with increased risk of fracture, whereas higher levels of RANKL were associated with lower risk. As a result, OPG/RANKL ratios were positively associated with fracture risk [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34–4.61]. After controlling for age and fracture history, the associations became non-significant but a suggestive trend remained (HR = 1.80, 95% CI 0.96–3.37). Our study provides suggestive evidence for the potential utility of OPG/RANKL ratios in predicting risk of fracture in women treated with AIs for breast cancer. Further validation may be warranted.
Benchmarking Utility-Scale PV Operational Expenses and Project Lifetimes: Results from a Survey of U.S. Solar Industry Professionals

Author(s): Wiser, Ryan H; Bolinger, Mark; Seel, Joachim | Abstract: This paper draws on a survey of solar industry professionals and other sources to clarify trends in the expected useful life and operational expenditure (OpEx) of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants in the United States. Solar project developers, sponsors, long-term owners, and consultants have increased project-life assumptions over time, from an average of ~21.5 years in 2007 to ~32.5 years in 2019. Current assumptions range from 25 years to more than 35 years depending on the organization; 17 out of 19 organizations surveyed or reviewed use 30 years or more. Levelized, lifetime OpEx estimates have declined from an average of ~$35/kWDC-yr for projects built in 2007 to an average of ~$17/kWDC-yr in 2019. Across 13 sources, the range in average lifetime OpEx for projects built in 2019 is broad, from $13 to $25/kWDC-yr. Operations and maintenance (OaM) costs—one component of OpEx—have declined precipitously in recent years, to $5-8/kWDC-yr in many cases. Property taxes and land lease costs are highly variable across sites, but on average are—together—of similar magnitude. Other OpEx line items include security, insurance, and asset management. Given 2007-2009 values for not only project life and OpEx but also other drivers of the levelized cost of energy (LCOE, excluding the investment tax credit), the LCOE for utility-scale PV projects built from 2007 through 2009 averaged $305/MWh. Using 2019 values for all parameters yields an average LCOE of $51/MWh. The decline in LCOE from $305/MWh to $51/MWh was predominantly caused by reductions in up-front expenditures (and, to a much lesser extent, by changes in capacity factors, financing costs, and tax rates), but 9% ($22/MWh) of the overall decline is due to improvements in project life and OpEx. Project life extensions and OpEx reductions have had similarly sized impacts on LCOE over this period, at $11/MWh each. Had project life and OpEx not improved over the last decade, LCOE in 2019 would have instead been $73/MWh—43% higher. Given the limited quantity and comparability of previously available data on these cost drivers, the data and trends presented here may inform assumptions used by electric system planners, modelers, and analysts. The results may also provide useful benchmarks to the solar industry, helping developers and assets owners compare their expectations for project life and OpEx with those of their peers.
Brain structural changes in sync with the cycle

Neuroimaging and hormone assays over a full menstrual cycle reveal the effects of ovarian hormones on gray matter volumes in a patient.
Increased serum selenium levels are associated with reduced risk of advanced liver fibrosis and all-cause mortality in NAFLD patients: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III.

Abstract Introduction and objectives Selenium supplementation has been shown to have therapeutic value in chronic liver disease. We aimed to investigate the association between serum selenium, severity of liver fibrosis, and mortality in patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Patients or material and methods A total of 33,944 patients were identified from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. NAFLD was diagnosed by hepatic ultrasound after the exclusion of other forms of liver diseases. The severity of liver fibrosis was determined by NAFLD Fibrosis Score >0.676. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between serum selenium level and liver fibrosis. Association between serum selenium and all-cause mortality in NAFLD patients was also evaluated. Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated odds ratio of advanced liver fibrosis (NFS > 0.676) was significantly reduced with increasing serum selenium levels; OR 0.55, [95% CI 0.32−0.94] in the highest selenium quartile. On stratification analysis, the following populations had a significantly reduced risk of advanced liver fibrosis: non-Hispanic white = OR 0.41 [0.24,0.68]; female = OR 0.32 [0.15−0.66] and age >47 = OR 0.47 [0.28−0.79]. The relationship was significant regardless of BMI as noted by BMI ≤ 30 Kg/m2= OR 0.42 [0.19−0.91] and BMI > 30 Kg/m2=OR 0.52 [0.28−0.97]. Hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was HR 0.72 [0.56−0.95]. Conclusions The risk of advanced liver fibrosis is inversely associated with serum selenium levels, particularly in older patients, Caucasians, and females. All-cause mortality decreased with increased selenium levels. Selenium may play a role in the prevention of liver fibrosis in NAFLD.
Language in motion in Marilynne Robinson’s "Housekeeping" and the Book of "Ruth"

The terminology used to describe people living in socially or legally ambiguous housing conditions is contradictory and contested in often unpredictable ways. Homeless people, as well as the laws and government discourses designed to limit their behavior, frequently choose language that is at odds with what their bodies are actually doing in the spaces they occupy. In this essay I will discuss the oxymoronic verbal formulations for how transients, especially transient women, move through and live in social space by looking at two texts that focus on homeless women and their social power, Marilynne Robinson’s novel Housekeeping , and the biblical Book of Ruth (on which it is partially based). By placing these works in the context of the legal discourses of homelessness and squatting, and gender analyses of mobility, I hope to identify a mode of gendered embodiment based in the language of motion.