cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Occam's Razor Need Not Apply: A Case of Concurrent Cryptococcal Meningitis and Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma in an Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Patient

A 28-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (CD4 cells 4/1%) was diagnosed and treated for cryptococcal meningitis (CM) 3 weeks before admission with a 14-day course of amphotericin and flucytosine and subsequently discharged on oral fluconazole. However, surveillance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures collected before discharge later turned positive for Cryptococcus neoformans and he was called back for evaluation. On admission, the patient reported headache, diplopia, and overall malaise. A head computed tomography showed new enhancing mass lesions in the left and right caudate nuclei with vasogenic edema (Figure 1). Repeat lumbar puncture showed a high opening pressure of 35 mmH2O and C neoformans detected by antigen and CSF culture. He was resumed on amphotericin and flucytosine induction therapy for presumed relapsed CM with possible cryptococcoma. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was obtained and showed 2 different lesions with increased density, restricted diffusion, and low T2 signal relative to normal brain parenchyma, which were most concerning for central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma or toxoplasmosis and less concerning for cryptococcoma by radiographic appearance (Figure 2). Further CSF studies ruled out toxoplasmosis but showed positive Epstein-Barr virus DNA polymerase chain reaction, again concerning for CNS lymphoma. A brain biopsy could not be obtained due to the location of lesions. Therefore, MRI spectroscopy was performed and showed an increase in the size of both masses suggestive of malignancy (Figure 3) and an elevated choline peak with decreased N-acetylaspartate (NAA) peak, consistent with high-grade CNS lymphoma (Figure 4). The patient was started on antiretroviral therapy and steroids with initial improvement in symptoms, but he subsequently developed acute neurologic decompensation requiring emergent whole brain radiation therapy, which was complicated by hemodynamic instability and hypothermia. He eventually stabilized and was discharged on oral fluconazole and to complete radiation as an outpatient followed by high-dose methotrexate therapy (Figure 5).
Chain based RNN for Relation Classification

We present a novel approach for relation classification, using a recursive neural network (RNN), based on the shortest path between two entities in a dependency graph. Previous works on RNN are based on constituencybased parsing because phrasal nodes in a parse tree can capture compositionality in a sentence. Compared with constituency-based parse trees, dependency graphs can represent relations more compactly. This is particularly important in sentences with distant entities, where the parse tree spans words that are not relevant to the relation. In such cases RNN cannot be trained effectively in a timely manner. However, due to the lack of phrasal nodes in dependency graphs, application of RNN is not straightforward. In order to tackle this problem, we utilize dependency constituent units called chains. Our experiments on two relation classification datasets show that Chain based RNN provides a shallower network, which performs considerably faster and achieves better classification results.
Performance characterization and analysis for Hadoop K-means iteration

The rapid growth in the demand for cloud computing data presents a performance challenge for both software and hardware architects. It is important to analyze and characterize the data processing performance for a given cloud cluster and to evaluate the performance bottlenecks in a cloud cluster that contribute to higher or lower computing processing time. In this paper, we implement a detailed performance analysis and characterization for Hadoop K-means iterations by scaling different processor micro-architecture parameters and comparing performance using Intel and AMD processors. This leads to the analysis of the underlying hardware in a cloud cluster servers to enable optimization of software and hardware to achieve maximum performance possible. We also propose a performance estimation model that estimates performance for Hadoop K-means iterations by modeling different processor micro-architecture parameters. The model is verified to predict performance with less than 5 % error margin relative to a measured baseline.
Electronic Data Processing From the Management Viewpoint

Provides information on electronic data processing from the company-wide management viewpoint. Views of executives about electronic data processing; Types of computers; Difference between the compu...
Enzymatic transformation of phosphate decorated magnetic nanoparticles for selectively sorting and inhibiting cancer cells.

As an important and necessary step of sampling biological specimens, the separation of malignant cells from a mixed population of cells usually requires sophisticated instruments and/or expensive reagents. For health care in the developing regions, there is a need for an inexpensive sampling method to capture tumor cells for rapid and accurate diagnosis. Here we show that an underexplored generic difference—overexpression of ectophosphatases—between cancer and normal cells triggers the d-tyrosine phosphate decorated magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4-p(d-Tyr)) to adhere selectively on cancer cells upon catalytic dephosphorylation, which enables magnetic separation of cancer cells from mixed population of cells (e.g., cocultured cancer cell (HeLa-GFP) and stromal cells (HS-5)). Moreover, the Fe3O4-p(d-Tyr) nanoparticles also selectively inhibit cancer cells in the coculture. As a general method to broadly target cancer cells without highly specific ligand–receptor interactions (e.g., antibodies), the use of an ...
Optimal Protection Strategy Against False Data Injection Attacks in Power Systems

It was revealed that modern power systems are at high risk of cyber-attacks, as an attacker can stealthily execute false data injection attacks against the state estimation without knowing the full topology and parameter information of the entire power network. To mitigate the risk, in this paper, we propose a bilevel mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model to determine the least number of measurements to be protected. A decomposition approach is adopted to obtain the suboptimal solution. To further reduce the computation complexity, we also propose to separate the power grid into several subnetworks using a MILP approach and apply distributed protection strategy to each subnetwork. The simulations on the IEEE 14-bus, IEEE 24-bus, IEEE 30-bus, and IEEE 118-bus systems verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed protection strategy.
Analysis and Countermeasures of Core Brittle Fracture of Imported Composite Insulator on 500 kV Transmission Line

Through the study on the feature of fractured core of composite insulator in a certain accident and the sampling test of the imported composite insulator on the same lot operating on 500 kV transmission line,the reason of the core fracture of composite insulator is analyzed.The fracture reason is ascertained that the mechanical performance of core is degraded by acid erosion on account of poor sealing end and unreasonable interface design.At last,the countermeasures of such composite insulator in operation are given to ensure the safety and reliability of power system.
Analysis of epidemic situation of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Huxian,Xi'an,China from 1971 to 2010

Objective To analyze the epidemiological distribution of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) in Huxian,Xi'an,China,and to provide a scientific basis for effective control and prevention of HFRS.Methods The numbers of HFRS cases and deaths from HFRS in Huxian from 1971 to 2010 were collected.The incidence rate and mortality rate of HFRS,as well as the incidence rates in different areas,months,age groups,and occupations and their proportions,in Huxian from 1971 to 2010 were calculated.Chi-square test was used to determine the significance of difference in incidence between groups.The densities and virus-carrying rates of field mice and house mice and their proportions were calculated.Results The incidence of HFRS in Hu county reached its peak in 1984,with a case number of 1439 and an incidence rate of 298.65/105.Then,it began to decrease since 1990s,but fluctuantly increased in recent years.HFRS cases were reported in every month throughout the year,with the highest and second highest incidence in June to July and November.There was significant difference in incidence between plain and mountainous areas(plain areas:53.07/105 vs.mountainous areas:12.33/105,χ2=228.79,P0.05).The 15-60 age group accounted for the highest percentage of HFRS cases,and most cases were peasants.As for the host animals,Apodemus agrarius was the dominant species in field mice,while Rattus tanezumi and R.norvegicus were the dominant species in house mice.The virus-carrying rate of mice was 2.78%,including 32 field mice(61.54%) carrying type Ⅰvirus,3(5.77%) house mice carrying type Ⅱ virus,and 17 mice(32.69%) carrying unclassified virus.Conclusion The incidence of HFRS decreased in general during the past 40 years in Huxian,Xi'an,China.However,Huxian is still one of the regions with the highest HFRS incidence in China,and the incidence of HFRS showed a rising trend in recent years.In addition to Ap.agrarius,which had been the only rodent species carrying virus causing HFRS in Huxian,more species of rodents carried other types of virus causing HFRS.It is necessary to strengthen the prevention,surveillance,and further study of HFRS in Huxian.
Distinct effects of oxygen on surfactant protein B expression in bronchiolar and alveolar epithelium.

Hyperoxia causes severe lung injury in association with altered expression of surfactant proteins and lipids. To test whether oxygen induces surfactant protein B (SP-B) expression in specific respiratory epithelial cells, adult B6C3F1 and FVB/N mice were exposed to room air or 95% oxygen for 1–5 days. Northern blot analysis demonstrated an 8- to 10-fold increase in SP-B mRNA after 3 days that was maintained thereafter. In situ hybridization localized SP-B mRNA to bronchial, bronchiolar, and alveolar epithelial cells. Hyperoxia was associated with increased SP-B mRNA, noted primarily in the bronchiolar epithelium and decreased SP-B mRNA in the alveolar epithelium. After 5 days, central regions of lung parenchyma were nearly devoid of SP-B mRNA, while SP-B mRNA was maintained in alveolar cell populations close to vascular structures. To determine whether increased bronchiolar expression of SP-B mRNA during hyperoxia was a specific response, the abundance of CC10 mRNA (a Clara cell protein) was assessed. CC1...
Predicting Testability of Concurrent Programs

Concurrent programs are difficult to test due to their inherent non-determinism. To address the nondeterminism problem, testing often requires the exploration of thread schedules of a program, this can be time-consuming for testing real-world programs. We believe that testing resources can be distributed more effectively if testability of concurrent programs can be estimated, so that developers can focus on exploring the low testable code. Voas introduces a notion of testability as the probability that a test case will fail if the program has a fault, in which testability can be measured based on fault-based testing and mutation analysis. Much research has been proposed to analyze testability and predict defects for sequential programs, but to date, no work has considered testability prediction for concurrent programs, with program characteristics distinguished from sequential programs. In this paper, we present an approach to predict testability of concurrent programs at the function level. We propose a set of novel static code metrics based on the unique properties of concurrent programs. To evaluate the performance of our approach, we build a family of testability prediction models combining both static metrics and a test suite metric and apply it to real projects. Our empirical study reveals that our approach is more accurate than existing sequential program metrics.
Consumer Perceptions of a Product - The Micro-Wave Oven - An Analysis by Selected Socio-Economic Variables - Implications for Marketing Strategy

The study examines consumers’ perceptions (both owners and non-owners) of the micro-wave oven as a product in an effort to determine why this product has such a low degree (10% of American households in 1980) of market penetration. An investigation is conducted to determine if there are any significant differences between owners and non-owners based on selected socio-economic variables, i.e., age, sex, marital status, family multiple employment status, number of individuals in household, occupation and family income.
Mechanism for the Reaction of CO with Oxorhenium Hydrides: Migratory Insertion of CO into Rhenium Hydride and Formyl Bonds leads to Migration from Rhenium to the Oxo Ligand

Computational studies (M06) have been performed in synergy with experimental studies to show that the thermodynamics for insertion of CO into an oxorhenium–hydride bond to form a formyl ligand is favorable despite conventional wisdom to the contrary. Further, it is shown that insertion of CO into formyl ligands to form α-dicarbonyl ligands is also a viable pathway and results in hydroxy carbonyl or formate complexes, depending on the nature of the ancillary ligand.
Membrane fusion mediated by human immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoprotein.

Overview Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infects cells by engaging the cognate receptor (CD4) and coreceptors (CCR5 and/or CXCR4) at the cells surface and fusing the viral envelope to the cell membrane. Recent structural, biochemical and functional studies elucidated key steps of membrane fusion induced by HIV envelope glycoprotein and revealed the previously unappreciated complexity of this process. New data imply that, contrary to common perception, HIV enters cells through receptor/coreceptor-mediated endocytosis and fusion with endosomes. Moreover, there is evidence that HIV fusion with the plasma membrane does not proceed beyond the lipid mixing stage. This review discusses the molecular mechanism of envelope glycoprotein-mediated membrane merger and new challenges in understanding the HIV entry pathways and regulation of endosomal fusion.
Campylobacter jejuni in Foods: Its Occurrence, Isolation from Foods, and Injury.

The following aspects of Campylobacter jejuni has been reviewed: characteristics of C. jejuni, its occurrence in foods, methods to quantitatively recover the organism from food, and heat injury and freeze-thaw stress of C. jejuni. C. jejuni can be heat injured in 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer at 46°C. Heat injury can be demonstrated as the differential count between brucella agar plus ferrous sulfate, sodium metabisulfite and sodium pyruvate (FBP) and brilliant green 2% bile broth agar plus FBP. Heat-injured C. jejuni will grow on brucella agar containing either of the three antibiotic mixtures typically used to isolate C. jejuni. Heat-injured C. jejuni will repair (regain dye and bile tolerance) in brucella broth plus FBP. C. jejuni can be freeze-thaw stressed. This stress is demonstrated as a sensitivity to the antibiotic polymyxin B or incubation at 42°C. Addition of succinate and cysteine increased recovery of freeze-thaw stressed C. jejuni. Although the presence of injured/stressed C. jejuni in fo...
Integrated Predictive Analytics and Optimization for Opportunistic Maintenance and Operations in Wind Farms

This paper proposes an integrated framework for wind farm maintenance that combines i) predictive analytics methodology that uses real-time sensor data to predict future degradation and remaining lifetime of wind turbines, with ii) a novel optimization model that transforms these predictions into profit-optimal maintenance and operational decisions for wind farms. To date, most applications of predictive analytics focus on single turbine systems. In contrast, this paper provides a seamless integration of the predictive analytics with decision making for a fleet of wind turbines. Operational decisions identify the dispatch profiles. Maintenance decisions consider the tradeoff between sensor-driven optimal maintenance schedule, and the significant cost reductions arising from grouping the wind turbine maintenances together—a concept called opportunistic maintenance. We focus on two types of wind turbines. For the operational wind turbines, we find an optimal fleet-level condition-based maintenance schedule driven by the sensor data. For the failed wind turbines, we identify the optimal time to conduct corrective maintenance to start producing electricity. The economic and stochastic dependence between operations and maintenance decisions are also considered. Experiments conducted on i) a 100-turbine wind farm case, and ii) a 200-turbine multiple wind farms case demonstrate the advantages of our proposal over traditional policies.
Metreleptin therapy lowers plasma angiopoietin-like protein 3 in patients with generalized lipodystrophy.

Background Reduced triglyceride clearance due to impaired lipoprotein lipase–mediated lipolysis contributes to severe hypertriglyceridemia in lipodystrophy. Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) and 4 (ANGPTL4) impair clearance of triglycerides by inhibiting lipoprotein lipase. Whether circulating ANGPTL3/4 levels are altered in lipodystrophy and the effects of leptin replacement on these ANGPTLs are unknown. Objective To examine if ANGPTL3/4 levels are elevated in patients with generalized lipodystrophy and assess the effects of leptin replacement on these ANGPTLs. Methods Preleptin treatment plasma levels of ANGPTLs in patients with generalized lipodystrophy (n = 22) were compared with healthy controls (n = 39) using a post hoc case-control study design. In a prospective open-label study, we studied the effects of metreleptin therapy (16–32 weeks) on plasma ANGPTL3/4 in patients with generalized lipodystrophy. Results Plasma ANGPTL3 (geometric mean [95% confidence interval]; 223 [182–275] vs 174 ng/mL [160–189], P = .02) but not ANGPTL4 levels (55 [37–81] vs 44 ng/mL [37–52], P = .26) were higher in patients with lipodystrophy compared with healthy controls. There was a significant decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) levels following metreleptin therapy. After metreleptin, ANGPTL3 concentrations decreased significantly (223 [182–275] vs 175 ng/mL [144–214], P = .01) with no change in ANGPTL4 (55 [37–81] vs 48 ng/mL [32–73], P = .11). Conclusions These findings suggest that elevated plasma levels of ANGPTL3 in leptin-deficient states is attenuated with leptin therapy.
How Comprehensive and Efficient Are Patient-Reported Outcomes for Rotator Cuff Tears?

Background:Increasing emphasis is placed on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after common orthopaedic procedures as a measure of quality. When considering PRO utilization in patients with rotator c...
A pilot study on the clinical value of 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT in advanced prostate cancer.

10589 Background: We evaluated the clinical utility of 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT bone scan (18F-NaF) in the detection of bone metastases in patients (pts) with prostate cancer in comparison with T...
Real-Time Transient Stability Prediction - Possibilities for On-Line Automatic Database Generation and Classifier Training

Abstract This paper has two parts. In Section 1, we review aspects of transient stability analysis and control with emphasis on how to exploit computation capability for improved off-line, on-line, and real-time decision making. We also survey advanced transient stability controls. As an example of a complex instability that is challenging to control, we describe the December 14, 1994 breakup of the western North America interconnection. In Section 2, we propose real-time, wide-area, discontinuous transient stability control using decision trees computed on-line as operating conditions change. Input to decisions trees are predictor indices measured during a short window following a severe disturbance. Measurements and computations for these variables, mostly taken or computed at generating plants, can include synchronized voltage angles, relative rotor angle estimates, generator relative speed estimates, electrical positive sequence power as proxy for accelerating power, accelerating energy, etc. Discontinuous control can include generator tripping, fast HVDC power changs series or shunt capacitor insertion, and dynamic braking. The study system is a relatively small (176 bus) equivalent of the western North American synchronous interconneetion.
Perspectives in psychology

The traditional S-R position that in systematic psychology the IV’s are to be identified with environmental conditions is critically discussed. The advantages of this position are mentioned in that it points to a complete and parsimonious system for the prediction and control of behavior. Arguments against the position are then presented. First, behavorial variables cannot be omitted from the complete statement of the independent variables and boundary conditions of a psychological law. Second, behavioral variables can serve usefully as IVs both as adjuncts within an S-R framework and in the investigation of R-R relationships in their own right. Finally, the point is stressed that behavioral criteria enter into the definition of most psychological concepts even when the concept ostensibly refers only to environmental circumstances. It is these criteria that lend systematic importance to the concepts in psychology.
Making the Grade: The Importance of Teachers and Teacher Education as it Relates to Student Achievement Across Countries

At a basic level, it is widely accepted that teachers have an enormous effect on student achievement. From this, the hope is that every child is provided a “good” teacher. How can good or quality be measured? I believe it begins with training. With additional data and resources, it would be interesting and worthwhile to identify which teacher training programs produce the highest quality teachers and why. However, this paper seeks only to identify and explore the links between student achievement and teacher quality, which can be signaled by the completion and duration of teacher training programs. My purpose is to provide a starting point from which inquiries can be made regarding the characteristics of training programs, for the ultimate goal of quality education for the betterment of self and society.
Replenishing Regulatory T Cells to Halt Depigmentation in Vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a cutaneous autoimmune disease, especially devastating to patients with darker skin tones because of the contrast between unaffected and lesional skin. We studied immune cells infiltrating vitiligo skin and found very few regulatory T cells (Tregs). Vitiligo was not associated with a reduced frequency or function of circulating Tregs. To manipulate Treg function, we used mouse models expressing melanocyte-reactive TCRs, following changes in pelage color. We also isolated splenocytes to measure Treg function and evaluated cutaneous Treg abundance. Even small numbers of Tregs transferred into depigmenting mice could effectively interfere with depigmentation. The same holds true for treatment with rapamycin, readily translatable for use in human patients; such treatment may be well tolerated. Because vitiligo skin is relatively devoid of cells that produce the chemokine CCL22, whereas circulating Tregs express normal levels of its receptor CCR4, we overexpressed Ccl22 in the skin of vitiligo-prone mice to assess the resulting levels of depigmentation. Markedly reduced depigmentation was accompanied by Treg infiltration to the skin. With several options available to support a healthy balance between Tregs and effector T cells, the next challenge will be to render such treatment antigen specific and avoid general immunosuppression.
An Overview of How We Prove Theorems

In this and the next ten chapters, we describe some techniques for proving theorems in our theory. In fact, we describe how our mechanical theorem-proving program works. The reader familiar with mechanical theorem-proving should be able to reconstruct our theoremprover from these discussions. However, the reader not familiar with mechanical theorem-proving will be able to follow our presentation without difficulty. No knowledge of computer programming is required, but we describe our proof techniques in complete detail and leave no important decisions to the reader's imagination.
Is Access to Outpatient Neurosurgery Affected by Narrow Insurance Networks? Results From Statewide Analysis of Marketplace Plans in Louisiana

Background The main objective of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was to make health insurance affordable to all Americans while addressing the lack of coverage for 48 million people. In the face of rapidly increasing enrollment and rising demand for inexpensive plans, insurance providers are limiting in-network physicians. Provider networks offering plans with limited in-network physicians have become known as "narrow networks." Objective To assesses the adequacy of ACA marketplace plans for outpatient neurosurgery in Louisiana. Methods The Marketplace Public Use Files were searched for all "silver" plans. A total of 7 silver plans were identified in Louisiana. Using the plans' online directories, a search of in-network neurosurgeons in Louisiana parishes with >100 000 population was performed. The primary outcome was lack of in-network neurosurgeon(s) in silver plans within 50 miles of selected zip code for each parish with >100 000 population. Plans without in-network neurosurgeon(s) are labeled as neurosurgeon-deficient plans. Results Several plans in Louisiana are neurosurgeon deficient, ie no in-network neurosurgeon within 50 miles of the designated parish zip code. Company A's plan 3 is deficient in all 5 parishes, while company C and company D silver plans are deficient in 4 out of 14 (29%). Combined results from all counties and plans demonstrate that 43% (3 out of 7) of all silver plans in Louisiana are neurosurgeon deficient in at least 4 parishes with population >100 000. Conclusion In Louisiana, narrow networks have limited access to neurosurgical care for those patients with ACA silver plans.
Factors that Impede and Promote the Persistence of Black Women in Athletic Training Programs

Context: Black women are dramatically underrepresented in the health care profession of athletic training. The research identifies impeding barriers such as racism, sexism, lack of support, and unpreparedness to the successful college completion of ethnically diverse students. However, there are black women who have successfully overcome those impeding barriers to become athletic trainers (ATs). Mentoring is one factor that has been identified as supportive to the retention of ethnically diverse college students. Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify impeding barriers and promoting factors affecting the retention and credentialing of black women ATs. Design: Qualitative. Setting: Education. Patients or Other Participants: Ten certified ATs who self-identify as black women and matriculated through athletic training programs over the last 4 decades. Main Outcome Measure(s): The perceived factors that impede or promote successful college retention and attainment of the Board of Cer...
The Replacement of Carbonatite and Marble by Fluorspar Ores and Its Relationship to Beneficiation Problems at Okorusu, Namibia

The fluorspar deposits at Okorusu in north-central Namibia are spatially and genetically associated with the Okorusu early Cretaceous alkaline igneous-carbonatite complex. Fluorspar production at Okorusu has exceeded 130,000 tons of fluorspar concentrate per year, ranking Okorusu as one of the world’s great fluorspar-producing mines. Production has come from separate deposits at four open pits A–D.Geological study of the fluorspar ore deposits at the Okorusu mines indicate that 83% of the ores have formed by replacement of carbonatite, 16% by the replacement of marble of the intruded Precambrian Damara Series, and 1% by filling and replacement of fenite breccias.Fluorspar concentrates produced from fluorite ores that have replaced carbonatite typically are characterized by elevated amounts of phosphorus derived from replacement remnants of apatite from the replaced carbonatite. Concentrates from marble-replacement fluorite ores tend to contain elevated amounts of silica derived from quartz in the replaced marble.
Algebraic Multigrid Methods Based on Compatible Relaxation and Energy Minimization

This paper presents an adaptive algebraic multigrid method for the solution of positive definite linear systems arising from the discretizations of elliptic partial differential equations. The proposed method uses compatible relaxation to adaptively construct the set of coarse variables. The nonzero supports for the coarse-space basis is determined by approximation of the so-called two-level “ideal” interpolation operator. Then, an energy minimizing coarse basis is formed using an approach aimed to minimize the trace of the coarse-level operator. The presented approach maintains multigrid-like optimality, without the need for parameter tuning, for some problems where current algorithms exhibit degraded performance. Numerical experiments are presented that demonstrate the efficacy of the approach.
Systems Engineering: Design Principles and Models

For the past several decades, systems engineering has grown rapidly in its scope and application and shown significant benefits for the design of large, complex systems. However, current systems engineering textbooks are either too technical or at a high conceptual level. Written by an expert with more than ten years of teaching experience, Systems Engineering: Design Principles and Models not only gives students exposure to the concepts of systems and systems engineering, but also provides enough technical expertise for them to immediately use and apply what they learn. The book covers systems and systems engineering, systems methods, models, and analytical techniques as well as systems management and control methods. It discusses systems concepts, emphasizing system life cycle, and includes coverage of systems design processes and the major activities involved. It offers hands-on exercises after each chapter, giving students a solid understanding of system requirements, and uses a software package (CORE) to introduce the requirement management process. Designed for readers with a wide range of backgrounds, the book enables students to learn about systems and systems engineering, and, more specifically, to be able to use and apply the models and methods in the systems engineering field. The author has integrated feedback from students with materials used in teaching for many years, making the book especially approachable to non-engineering students with no prior exposure to this subject. Engineering students, on the other hand, will also benefit from the clear, concise coverage this book provides as well as the relevant analysis models and techniques.
Checkpoint inhibitor induced glomerulonephritis.

e15083Background: Immune checkpoint (ICP) inhibitors, anti-CTLA-4 (Ipilimumab) and anti-PD-1 (Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab) have revolutionized treatment options for many types of cancers. Adverse e...
Measuring Desiccation Using Qualitative Changes: A Step Toward Determining Regional Decomposition Sequences

The creation of a regional decomposition scoring system for western Colorado provides a model for the creation of regionalsystems. The development of a scoring system requires: (1) human remains, not proxies, (2) longitudinal observations, and (3) large sample size. First, an enhanced system (total body desiccation score; TBDS) was developed through observations of 40 human remains. This effort produced a categorical scoring model augmented by qualitative categories of gross tissue change. The new model was tested with retrospective photographic packets. A sample of eight donors with data collected over 3 years was selected. Monthly data points over a maximum of a 3- year period yielded 112 data points. Correlations between TBDS and accumulated degree-days (ADD), and total body score (TBS) and ADD were approximately equal for a TBS below~20, but the TBDS correlated better with ADD at higher TBS scores>20. The TBDS may be used to refine postmortem interval (PMI) models in areas where remains desiccate.
Atlantoaxial Joint Pain

The atlantoaxial joint (AAJ) is crucial for axial rotation of the head. It is susceptible to pathology from both inflammation and trauma, and is commonly implicated in cervicogenic headache. This chapter reviews anatomy of the AAJ as well as evaluation and treatment of AAJ pathology.
What’s Inside the Outside?

In the tradition of the well-known legend about the six blind men examining an elephant, the performance of both living systems and man-made systems can also be described from many points of view. Figure 1 shows some representative levels of description. Descriptive levels are a convenient construct which aid in organizing knowledge and understanding both complex living and nonliving systems. They are observer-generated: that is, the perception of what a unit is at a level depends on the ability of the observer to discriminate differences at that level and between that level and other descriptive levels. The discovery of these levels is intimately connected with our measurement process and with extensions of our senses, e.g., the microscope, which aid that process. When these discovered levels are ordered in a hierarchal fashion, e.g., by size, the discriminable units at each level become somewhat analogous to structural building blocks. For instance, molecules are a structure of atoms, cells are a structure of molecules, tissues are a structure of cells, and so forth. This “structural peeling of the onion” is interesting in itself; however, what one is generally interested in is not the structural breakdown of the “onion,” per se, but rather the manner in which structure and function are integrated at and between the various descriptive levels.
Timing of Invasion by Africanized Bees Coincides with Local Extinction of a Specialized Pollinator of a Rare Poppy in Utah, USA

The introduction of exotic species can have profound impacts on mutualisms between native species in invaded areas. However, determining whether a new invader has impacted native species depends on accurately reconstructing the invasion timing. The arrival of Africanized honey bees (AHB) in southern Utah at some point between 1994 and 2011 has recently been implicated in the local extinction of Perdita meconis, a native specialist pollinator of an endangered poppy, Arctomecon humilis. Although AHBs were purportedly first detected in southern Utah in 2008, their presence in nearby Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico by 1998–2001 suggests that they may have been present in Utah much earlier. We refined the arrival date of AHBs in southern Utah by using a molecular marker to determine maternal ancestry of museum specimens collected between 2000 and 2008. We found that AHBs were present in southern Utah from 2000 onwards, advancing the arrival date of this invader by at least 8 years. This lends credence to the hypothesis that AHBs played a critical role in the local extinction of P. meconis in Utah. This work also highlights the importance of vouchering even common species such as honey bees in museum collections to serve future research needs.
Smartphone light sheet fluorescence microscopy for molecular diagnostics

A new design and implementation of smartphone light sheet microscopy based on inkjet-printed DotLens is presented. Its ultimate simplicity, yet high quality imaging and sensing capabilities would find applications in point-of-care diagnostics and low-resources scenarios.
The Non-Aggression Principle: a Short History

This paper traces the historical origins of the non-aggression princi- ple. The central thesis of this paper is that a large and diverse group of history’s most eminent thinkers have expressed ideas very similar to the non-aggression principle. The rudiments of the principle were known to the ancient Egyptians around 2000 BC, the ancient Hindus around 1500 BC, and the ancient Hebrews around 1000 BC. Around 500 BC, the ancient Chinese and Greek philosophers expressed the underlying logic of the principle. Cicero came close to articulating the principle in its modern form. Thomas Aquinas reasserted something strikingly similar to non-aggression after the Dark Ages, and the scholastic philosophers carried the idea into the early modern period. During the seventeenth century, the non-aggression principle rose to the pinnacle of Western philosophy. JEL Classification: B11, B12, K00, P14 Keywords: Non-aggression principle, ethics, libertarianism Resumen: Este articulo traza los origenes historicos del principio de no agresion. La tesis central es que un amplio y diverso grupo compuesto por algunos de los pensadores mas importantes de la historia ha expresado ideas muy similares al principio de no agresion. Los rudimentos de dicho principio eran conocidos por los antiguos egipcios hacia el 2000 a. C., por los hindues hacia el 1500 a. C., y por los antiguos hebreos hacia el 1000 a. C. Hacia el 500 a. C., los antiguos chinos y los filosofos griegos expresaron la logica subyacente del principio. Ciceron se acerco a la articulacion del principio en su forma mod- erna. Tomas de Aquino reafirmo algo sorprendentemente similar a la no agresion despues de la Edad Oscura, y los teologos catolicos llevaron la idea hasta el periodo moderno. Durante el siglo XVII, el principio de no agresion se elevo al pinaculo de la filosofia occidental. Clasificacion JEL: B11, B12, K00, P14 Palabras clave: Principio de no agresion, etica, libertarianismo “No one may threaten or commit violence (“aggress”) against another man’s person or property. Violence may be employed only against the man who commits such violence; that is, only defen- sively against the aggressive violence of another. In short, no vio- lence may be employed against a nonaggressor.” — Murray N. Rothbard 1974, 116 “The use of coercion can be justified only where this is neces- sary to secure the private domain of the individual against inter- ference by others … coercion should not be used to interfere in that private sphere where this is not necessary to protect others.” — Friedrich Hayek 1976, 221
Other Disorders with Autoimmune Manifestations

Abnormalities of the skin vary considerably among the several rheumatic illnesses and even within single diagnostic categories. As a result, systematic studies of the immunodermatopathology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), dermatomyositis (DM), relapsing polychondritis (RP), and other illnesses are not generally available. What follows is a review of the relationship of the cutaneous to the noncutaneous clinical manifestations of several illnesses, the clinical cutaneous manifestations, the known dermatopathology and immunodermatopathology, including cutaneous cellular hypersensitivity, and the current avenues of research in these illnesses. The approach is oriented to specified diagnoses, but we understand that overlap among diagnoses is frequent.
Predictors of elbow torque among professional baseball pitchers

Background Overuse injuries of the shoulder and elbow continue to be prevalent in elite baseball pitchers. Pitch velocity has been shown to impact medial elbow torque in adolescent baseball pitchers. However, the determinants of medial elbow torque in professional baseball pitchers are not known. Purpose To determine the influence of pitch type, velocity, and player characteristics on medial elbow torque in professional baseball pitchers. Methods Professional baseball pitchers were recruited for participation. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and throwing arm measurements were obtained for all study participants. While wearing a gyroscopic sensor equipped with an accelerometer, participants were instructed to throw a standard, randomized sequence of fastballs, changeups, and curveballs. Elbow torque, arm slot, arm speed, shoulder rotation, and ball velocity were recorded for each pitch. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate the association of pitch type with each pitch parameter, adjusting for pitchers' demographics. Results A total of 12 professional baseball pitchers were included in this study. Among the pitch types, medial elbow torque was significantly higher in fastballs than in curveballs (P = .001). An increased BMI value was independently associated with decreased elbow torque in pitchers (P = .035). Conclusion Fastballs place significantly higher torque on the medial elbow than do curveballs, which is consistent with previous studies done on high school and collegiate populations. Pitchers with a higher BMI experience significantly less torque across the medial elbow.
Pregnancy specific protein B concentration for the prediction of lambing rate in sheep

Abstract An accurate diagnosis of pregnancy and prediction of lambing rates is a critical tool for improving efficiency in sheep flocks. The ability to manage ewe nutrition based on number of fetuses could improve animal welfare and productivity. Pregnancy Specific Protein B (PSPB) assays are commercially available and have proven a valuable tool for pregnancy diagnosis but less work has been done on accuracy of predicting fetal counts. The objective of this study was to determine if PSPB could be used to accurately predict lambing rates in sheep. Samples were collected from 54 Dorset, Katahdin, or crossbred ewes at 28 days post ram removal which was approximately 46 days post breeding. Samples were processed using the quantitative BioPRYN® assay. Ewes carrying twins had greater (P
Intermolecular interactions drive protein adaptive and co-adaptive evolution at both species and population levels

Abstract Proteins are the building blocks for almost all the functions in cells. Understanding the molecular evolution of proteins and the forces that shape protein evolution is an essential step in understanding the basis of function and evolution. Previous studies have shown that adaptation occurs frequently at the protein surface, such as in genes involved in host-pathogen interactions. However, it remains unclear whether adaptive sites are distributed randomly or at regions that are associated with particular structural or functional characteristics across the genome, since many of the proteins lack structural or functional annotations. Here, we seek to tackle this question by combining large-scale bioinformatic prediction, structural analysis, phylogenetic inference, and population genomic analysis of Drosophila protein-coding genes. Although adaptation is more relevant to function-related rather than structure-related properties, we observed that physical interactions may play a role in the co-adaptation of fast-adaptive proteins. Importantly, protein-protein and protein-DNA interaction sites are hotspots for protein adaptive evolution, regardless of the levels of intrinsic structural disorder or relative solvent accessibility. We found that strongly differentiated amino acids across geographic regions in protein coding genes are mostly adaptive, which may contribute to the long-term adaptive evolution. This strongly indicates that a number of adaptive sites are repeatedly mutated and selected in evolution, in the past, present, and maybe future. Our results suggest important roles of intermolecular interactions and co-adaptation in the adaptive evolution of proteins both at the species and population levels.
Chapter 5 Hydrogen Sensors for Automotive Fuel Cell Applications

Alternative propulsion technologies are becoming increasingly important with the rise of stricter regulations for vehicle efficiency, emission regulations, and concerns over the sustainability of crude oil supplies. The fuel cell is a critical component of alternative propulsion systems, and as such has many aspects to consider in its design. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) powered by proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEFC) and fueled by hydrogen, offer the promise of zero emissions with excellent driving range of 300-400 miles, and fast refueling times; two major advantages over battery electric vehicles (BEVs). FCEVs face several remaining major challenges in order to achieve widespread and rapid commercialization. Many of the challenges, especially those from an FCEV system and subsystem cost and performance perspective are addressed in this book. Chapter topics include: • impact of FCEV commercialization • ways to address barriers to the market introduction of alternative vehicles • new hydrogen infrastructure cost comparisons • onboard chemical hydride storage • optimization of a fuel cell hybrid vehicle powertrain design
Dietary Behaviors and Incident COVID-19 in the UK Biobank.

Background: Nutritional status influences immunity but its specific association with susceptibility to COVID-19 remains unclear. We examined the association of specific dietary data and incident COVID-19 in the UK Biobank (UKB). Methods: We considered UKB participants in England with self-reported baseline (2006–2010) data and linked them to Public Health England COVID-19 test results—performed on samples from combined nose/throat swabs, using real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)—between March and November 2020. Baseline diet factors included breastfed as baby and specific consumption of coffee, tea, oily fish, processed meat, red meat, fruit, and vegetables. Individual COVID-19 exposure was estimated using the UK’s average monthly positive case rate per specific geo-populations. Logistic regression estimated the odds of COVID-19 positivity by diet status adjusting for baseline socio-demographic factors, medical history, and other lifestyle factors. Another model was further adjusted for COVID-19 exposure. Results: Eligible UKB participants (n = 37,988) were 40 to 70 years of age at baseline; 17% tested positive for COVID-19 by SAR-CoV-2 PCR. After multivariable adjustment, the odds (95% CI) of COVID-19 positivity was 0.90 (0.83, 0.96) when consuming 2–3 cups of coffee/day (vs. <1 cup/day), 0.88 (0.80, 0.98) when consuming vegetables in the third quartile of servings/day (vs. lowest quartile), 1.14 (1.01, 1.29) when consuming fourth quartile servings of processed meats (vs. lowest quartile), and 0.91 (0.85, 0.98) when having been breastfed (vs. not breastfed). Associations were attenuated when further adjusted for COVID-19 exposure, but patterns of associations remained. Conclusions: In the UK Biobank, consumption of coffee, vegetables, and being breastfed as a baby were favorably associated with incident COVID-19; intake of processed meat was adversely associated. Although these findings warrant independent confirmation, adherence to certain dietary behaviors may be an additional tool to existing COVID-19 protection guidelines to limit the spread of this virus.
A personalized approach to non-invasive ventilation masks in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using facial scanning and 3D-printing

Abstract We fabricated personalized non-invasive ventilation (NIV) mask interfaces for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) participants. A NIV cushion design was fit to a contact profile from the participant's topographic facial model obtained from a 3D scanner then converted to a mold that was 3D-printed and subsequently cast with medical grade silicone and affixed to a mask frame. 3D scanner resolution plays an important role in mask interface fabrication, particularly around the nose, and iterative design changes may be needed. This may be an important new strategy to increase use of NIV for persons with ALS; further study is encouraged.