cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Large-Scale Datasets Referenced in Volume 45 of the International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities

Abstract This chapter characterizes over 20 datasets referenced in this volume and reviews recurring themes across this volume. Six themes addressed by one or more authors are presented: coverage (variables measured and ages of subjects), definition of intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities (ID/DD) (variables used to identify type of ID/DD and individuals affected), missing variables (information not recorded or reported), missing data (values not reported on existing variables), data harmonization (consistent definition and coding of variables across datasets), and sample characteristics (sampling biases and subject selection). In addition, two tables summarize selected characteristics of each dataset: abbreviated dataset name, age range, measurement domains, countries of data collection, representative publications, complete dataset name, and home page Web address.
Smart Buildings in the Smart Grid: Contract-Based Design of an Integrated Energy Management System

In a supply-following “smart” grid scenario, buildings can exploit remotely controllable thermostats and “smart” meters to communicate with energy providers, trade energy in real-time and offer frequency regulation services, by leveraging the flexibility in the energy consumption of their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The realization of such a scenario is, however, strongly dependent on our ability to radically re-think the way both the grid and the building control algorithms are designed. In this work, we regard the grid as an integrated, distributed, cyber-physical system, and propose a compositional framework for the deployment of an optimal supply-following strategy. We use the concept of assume-guarantee contracts to formalize the requirements of the grid and the building subsystem as well as their interface. At the building level, such formalization leads to the development of an optimal control mechanism to determine the HVAC energy flexibility while maximizing the monetary incentive for it. At the grid level, it allows formulating a model predictive control scheme to optimally control the ancillary service power flow from buildings, while integrating constraints such as ramping rates of ancillary service providers, maximum available ancillary power, and load forecast information. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design methodology and the improvements brought by the proposed control strategy with respect to the state of the art.
Round off the bargaining: The effects of offer roundness on willingness to accept

This research shows that making a precise (vs. round) offer in a negotiation may lead to diverging outcomes. On the one hand, past literature has demonstrated a precision advantage wherein offer precision reduces the amount by which offer recipients counter. On the other hand, building on the notion that round numbers symbolize completion and previous findings that individuals tend to set goals at round numbers, we hypothesize a roundness advantage wherein offer roundness increases the bargainer’s willingness to accept an offer. Five studies provide convergent evidence for our proposition and reconcile the present results with previous findings. We found that participants receiving a round offer are more (less) likely to accept (counter) than those who receive comparable precise offers. However, if they counter, participants in the precise condition counter by a smaller amount than those in the round condition. Furthermore, in agreement with our explanation, we find that the roundness advantage is more likely to manifest when participants subscribe to the association between round numbers and the feeling of completion.
Efficacy of a short-term intense piano training program for cognitive aging: A pilot study:

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of a short-term intense piano training program on executive functions in healthy older adults. Thirty-four adult participants with little to no formal music training were recruited and completed a battery of standardized cognitive measures at three time points: pre-training, pre-training two (upon completion of a control time period), and post-training. The piano training program included 30 hours of focused music theory, finger dexterity exercises, bimanual coordination exercises, technical exercises, performance duets, and standard piano repertoire. Results of a Repeated Measures MANOVA show significantly enhanced verbal fluency and processing speed, post-training; however, no difference was found in verbal memory performance. Data suggest that a short-term intense piano training program may benefit cognitive performance in areas of verbal fluency and processing speed. Short-term intense music programs may be an appropriate structure for a cognit...
Exploratory investigation of region level risk factors of Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa.

Background Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a highly infectious disease that has produced over 25,000 cases in the past 50 years. While many past outbreaks resulted in relatively few cases, the 2014 outbreak in West Africa was the most deadly occurrence of EVD to date, producing over 15,000 confirmed cases. Objective In this study, we investigated population level predictors of EVD risk at the regional level in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Methods Spatial and descriptive analyses were conducted to assess distribution of EVD cases. Choropleth maps showing the spatial distribution of EVD risk across the study area were generated in ArcGIS. Poisson and negative binomial models were then used to investigate population and regional predictors of EVD risk. Results Results indicated that the risk of EVD was significantly lower in areas with higher proportions of: (a) the population living in urban areas, (b) households with a low quality or no toilets, and (c) married men working in blue collar jobs. However, risk of EVD was significantly higher in areas with high mean years of education. Conclusions The identified significant predictors of high risk were associated with areas with higher levels of urbanization. This may be due to higher population densities in the more urban centers and hence higher potential of infectious contact. However, there is need to better understand the role of urbanization and individual contact structure in an Ebola outbreak. We discuss shortcomings in available data and emphasize the need to consider spatial scale in future data collection and epidemiological studies.
The Lifespan of Naïve CD4 T cells is a Critical Determinant for the Cellular Aging in Periphery (46.2)

Cell intrinsic functional defect in aged naive CD4 T cells is a key cause of an age-associated increase in susceptibility to infectious diseases. However the causes of the CD4 T cell defects and how they develop are largely unknown. We have suggested that many defects develop during the sojourn of the naive CD4 T cells in the periphery. We report here that aged naive CD4 T cells have a longer lifespan than young cells even when transferred to young intact hosts. In vitro studies suggest that their increased longevity is regulated by an intrinsic property for survival. Consistent with this, aged naive CD4 T cells express reduced level of a pro-apoptotic molecule, Bim, and the reduction of Bim in naive CD4 T cells is sufficient for longer lifespan in vivo. This longer lifespan of aged naive T cells could contribute to the maintenance of T cell homeostasis in aged mice. On the other hand, shutdown of new T cell emigration from the thymus by thymectomy leads to long-term persistence of remaining naive T cells in the periphery and accelerates development both of the functional defects and of increased lifespan in naive CD4 T cells. Neither of these is observed when new naive T cells are derived from aged hematopoietic stem cells. Thus, these results suggest that development of functional defects in aged naive CD4 T cells is associated with long-term persistence of aged naive T cells due to their increased lifespan in periphery. The authors have no financial conflict of interest. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants AG025805, AG021600 and the Trudeau Institute.
Towards secure message systems

Message systems, which transfer information from sender to recipient via communication networks, are indispensable to our modern society. The enormous user base of message systems and their critical role in information delivery make it the top priority to secure message systems. This dissertation focuses on securing the two most representative and dominant messages systems—e-mail and instant messaging (IM)—from two complementary aspects: defending against unwanted messages and ensuring reliable delivery of wanted messages. To curtail unwanted messages and protect e-mail and instant messaging users, this dissertation proposes two mechanisms DBSpam and HoneyIM, which can effectively thwart e-mail spam laundering and foil malicious instant message spreading, respectively. DBSpam exploits the distinct characteristics of connection correlation and packet symmetry embedded in the behavior of spam laundering and utilizes a simple statistical method, Sequential Probability Ratio Test, to detect and break spam laundering activities inside a customer network in a timely manner. The experimental results demonstrate that DBSpam is effective in quickly and accurately capturing and suppressing e-mail spam laundering activities and is capable of coping with high speed network traffic. HoneyIM leverages the inherent characteristic of spreading of IM malware and applies the honey-pot technology to the detection of malicious instant messages. More specifically, HoneyIM uses decoy accounts in normal users' contact lists as honey-pots to capture malicious messages sent by IM malware and suppresses the spread of malicious instant messages by performing network-wide blocking. The efficacy of HoneyIM has been validated through both simulations and real experiments. To improve e-mail reliability, that is, prevent losses of wanted e-mail, this dissertation proposes a collaboration-based autonomous e-mail reputation system called CARE. CARE introduces inter-domain collaboration without central authority or third party and enables each e-mail service provider to independently build its reputation database, including frequently contacted and unacquainted sending domains, based on the local e-mail history and the information exchanged with other collaborating domains. The effectiveness of CARE on improving e-mail reliability has been validated through a number of experiments, including a comparison of two large e-mail log traces from two universities, a real experiment of DNS snooping on more than 36,000 domains, and extensive simulation experiments in a large-scale environment.
Successful treatment of arthritis induced by checkpoint inhibitors with tocilizumab: a case series

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly improved outcomes for patients with numerous cancers. However, these therapies are associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which are inflammatory side effects potentially affecting any organ. Cases of ICI-induced inflammatory arthritis have also been reported. In general, mild irAEs are treated with corticosteroids, while tumour necrosis factor-α (TNFα) inhibitors are reserved for refractory cases. However, prolonged use of TNFα inhibitor (TNFαi) can induce widespread, significant immunosuppression, which can negatively impact the antitumour efficacy of ICI therapy. Therefore, in clinical scenarios where patients develop severe immunotherapy-induced irAEs, an unmet need exists for alternative therapeutic strategies that are effective and without immune dampening effects. Case reports The anti-interleukin (IL)−6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab, is a biological agent Food and Drug Administration approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Here, we report on three patients who developed severe polyarthritis while receiving ICI therapy and were treated with tocilizumab. All three patients demonstrated significant clinical improvement; one patient maintained a durable antitumour response derived from checkpoint inhibition. Conclusions These three cases suggest that anti-IL-6 receptor antibody may be an effective alternative to corticosteroids or TNFαi for the treatment of arthritis irAEs.
Evaporation Rates of a Five-Component Attractant for the Rose Chafer (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

The attractant developed for the rose chafer, Macrodactylus subspinosus (F.), is composed of pentanoic acid (valeric acid), hexanoic acid, octyl butanoate (octyl butyrate), trans-2-nonen-1-ol and a...
Reconfigurable frequency selective surface for fabry-perot cavity antenna system

This paper presents reconfigurable Fabry-Perot Cavity (FPC) antenna systems to switch one mode to other with respect to near- and far-field performance. The fluidic channel is created and integrated into the FPC system. The channel is filled with air or deionized (DI) water. The fluidic FPC systems are compared to a fixed FPC design without the fluidic housing. Simulation and measurement results are presented and discussed.
Sorting of a multi-subunit ubiquitin ligase complex in the endolysosome system.

Proteins perform many tasks and, to remain healthy, each cell must ensure that its proteins are in good condition and present at the right levels. Plants, animals and fungi all largely deal with damaged, or otherwise unneeded, proteins by tagging them with a small marker called ubiquitin. The tagged proteins are then rapidly destroyed, which prevents them from harming the cells. Enzymes known as E3 ligases attach ubiquitin to proteins. Yet, the number of E3 ligases is dwarfed by the number of proteins modified with ubiquitin. For instance, humans have approximately 20,000 different proteins, about one third of which are found in or on cell membranes. However, there are only around 600 E3 ligases, and only about 50 of them are associated with cell membranes. This is further complicated by the fact that proteins are also present in distinct compartments within the cell. The Dsc complex, for example, is an E3 ligase from yeast that is found within a compartment of the cell known as the Golgi. It was thus expected to only attach ubiquitin to Golgi proteins. Yet some recent studies showed that the Dsc complex could also tag proteins present in two other compartments of yeast cells: the endosome and vacuole. How can the Dsc complex act on proteins in three distinct compartments? The Dsc complex is actually made from multiple proteins, and Yang et al. now report two new protein components. Biochemical and genetic tools showed that these two proteins do not co-exist in the same Dsc complex. Instead, they compete with each other to form two different kinds of Dsc complexes, which Yang et al. refer to as subcomplexes. Further work showed that the two new proteins determine the route taken by the Dsc complex along the cell’s protein transport pathway. One subcomplex is transported to the vacuole and the other cycles between the Golgi and endosomes. Thus, by changing just one component, the Dsc complex can be sent to different locations within the cell. These findings describe a new mechanism that enables E3 ligases to multi-task on a wide range of proteins, even across distinct compartments of the cell. Future work will determine whether plant and animal cells also use a similar strategy. Since defects in protein quality control contribute to many human diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, working out how E3 ligases work is important for the field of biomedicine.
Visualizing period fluctuations in strained-layer superlattices with scanning tunneling microscopy

We show how cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) may be used to accurately map the period fluctuations throughout epitaxial, strained-layer superlattices based on the InAs/InAsSb and InGaAs/InAlAs material systems. The concept, analogous to Bragg's law in high-resolution x-ray diffraction, relies on an analysis of the [001]-convolved reciprocal-space satellite peaks obtained from discrete Fourier transforms of individual STM images. Properly implemented, the technique enables local period measurements that reliably discriminate vertical fluctuations localized to within ∼5 superlattice repeats along the [001] growth direction and orthogonal, lateral fluctuations localized to within ∼40 nm along directions in the growth plane. While not as accurate as x-ray, the inherent, single-image measurement error associated with the method may be made as small as 0.1%, allowing the vertical or lateral period fluctuations contributing to inhomogeneous energy broadening and carrier localization in t...
In-Package Domain-Specific ASICs for Intel® Stratix® 10 FPGAs: A Case Study of Accelerating Deep Learning Using TensorTile ASIC(Abstract Only)

FPGAs or ASICs? There is a long-running debate on this. FPGAs are extremely flexible while ASICs offer top efficiency but inflexible. We believe that FPGAs and ASICs are better together, to offer both flexible and efficient solutions. We propose single-package heterogeneous 2.5D integration of FPGAs and ASICs, using Intel's Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB). Since the ASICs are separate chips from the FPGA, this approach (1) does not change FPGA fabric, allowing re-use of existing ecosystems (FPGA chips/packaging/boards/software/etc), and (2) allows freedom in the ASIC design (area/freq/process/etc unconstrained by FPGA fabric). This approach is more effective than developing traditional stand-alone ASICs. Intel® Stratix® 10 FPGAs already have EMIBs, enabling single-package integration with other chips, or "tiles". We propose leveraging them to mix-and-match any domain-specific ASICs with Stratix10 FPGAs. In particular, this work focuses on deep learning (DL) domain, which demands efficient tensor (matrix/vector) operations. We propose TensorTile, a family of ASICs to complement Stratix10 FPGAs to execute tensor operations with ASIC efficiency, while utilizing FPGA's flexibility for application-specific DL operations (e.g., Winograd). Our evaluation shows: (1) a small TensorTile (10s in mm2, 14nm process) offer much better tensor throughput than a large Stratix10-2800 FPGA; (2) FPGAs and TensorTiles mix-and-match provide scalable solutions (e.g., ~69 peak INT8 TOPs with 1xTensorTile+small Stratix10-400 FPGA, to ~194 FP16 TOPs with 6xTensorTiles+large Stratix10-2800); (3) AlexNet performance and performance/Watt of Intel's DL OpenCL Stratix10 FPGA solution improved by 4x and 3.3x when enhanced with 2xTensorTiles. Overall, this approach is an effective, versatile, and scalable solution.
Multi-Dialectical Languages Effect on Speech Recognition

Abstract Research has shown that automatic speech recognition (ASR) performance typically decreases when evaluated on a dialectal variation of the same language that was not used for training its models. Similarly, models simultaneously trained on a group of dialects tend to underperform when compared to dialect-specific models. When trying to decide which dialect-specific model (recognizer) to use to decode an utterance (e.g., a voice search query), possible strategies include automatically detecting the spoken dialect or following the user’s language preferences as set in his/her cell phone. In this paper, we observe that user’s voice search queries are usually directed to a dialect-specific recognizer that does not match the user’s current location, and present a study that shows that automatically selecting the recognizer based on the user’s geographical location helps improve the user experience.
Steroid Hormone Regulation of Specific Gene Expression

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the steroid hormone regulation of specific gene expression. A large number of proteins have been reported to increase in concentration or activity after steroid hormone treatment. In the chick, the administration of estrogen induces growth and differentiation and the synthesis of a number of egg white proteins, the major one of which is ovalbumin. The weight of the oviduct increases several hundredfold, and there is a massive proliferation of tubular gland cells. The oviduct proteins regulated by estrogen include conalbumin, ovomucoid, and lysozyme. The synthesis of these proteins, however, is not strictly coordinated, and each is synthesized more or less independently in response to estrogen. The rapidity of the vitellogenin response and the absence of any detectable vitellogenin messenger RNA (mRNA) in the untreated liver in both the xenopus and the rooster suggest a primary effect at the transcriptional level. The anamnestic response, on the other hand, is an observation that could be explained by a persistent change in the conformation of the vitellogenin gene and a permanent change in the estrogen-receptor generation or response.
Computing with Probabilistic Transfer Matrices

We demonstrate the compressed encoding of probabilistic transfer matrices as algebraic decision diagrams (ADDs) and develop equivalent ADD algorithms for PTM operations that can operate directly on the compressed forms and compute circuit error probabilities. We also develop methods to handle non-square matrices, which have not been represented as decision diagrams in the prior literature. We present several heuristic methods for further improving the scalability of PTMs, including sampling, partitioning, evaluation ordering, and hierarchical computations, which allow PTM computations to scale to larger circuits.
Complete repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in infancy.

From 1983 to 1990, 20 infants underwent complete repair of isolated total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. Twelve were male; ages ranged from 1 day to 240 days (mean 32 days). The abnormal anatomic connection was supracardiac in nine, cardiac in four, mixed in five, and infradia-phragmatic in two. In seven patients the pulmonary venous drainage was obstructed. Corrective operations were performed 2.4 days after admission; after medical stabilization, seven patients underwent emergency operations, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in one. All operations were performed with the use of circulatory arrest (mean 33 minutes) and cardiopulmonary bypass (mean 54 minutes). There was one hospital death, which occurred in a premature infant (1.5 kg) who had supracardiac drainage. No preoperative risk factors correlated with a poor surgical outcome. Pulmonary hypertensive episodes were expectantly managed after the operation with 100% oxygen, sedation, and hyperventilation. Postoperative arrhythmias occurred predominantly in patients with intracardiac drainage. All survivors (mean follow-up of 42 months) are in sinus rhythm, receiving no medications, and are growing and developing normally. Surgical correction of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in infancy can be performed at low risk with good results after aggressive preoperative stabilization and postoperative management. (J T horac C ardiovasc S urg 1992;104:443-8)
STUDIES ON BINDING PROTEINS, PERIPLASMIC ENZYMES AND ACTIVE TRANSPORT IN ESCHERICHIA COLI

Abstract Binding proteins, which are considered to be involved in active transport, are selectively released from E. coli and related bacteria by osmotic shock. Certain degradative enzymes are also set free. A mutant which forms surface membrane vesicles in stationary phase has recently been studied. Several of the enzymes released by osmotic shock were examined and found to be contained in these vesicles. Amino acid transport systems differ with respect to the effect of osmotic shock. In some cases transport is reduced by shock and a binding protein with the same specificity is released into the shock fluid; this is true for the glut amine uptake system. In other cases, amino acid transport is not lost by osmotic shock and no binding protein with the corresponding specificity is set free. The lysine-specific uptake system is an example and it is present in vesicles made by Kaback's procedure. Lysine-specific binding activity has been eluted from vesicles with buffers of low ionic strength. Evidence indicates that, in both whole cells and vesicles, α-glycerophosphate must be transported across the membrane in order to be oxidized and provide energy for transport of amino acids.
A High Speed Multi-Channel Data Recorder

Data acquisition requirements for large pulsed power accelerators have become increasingly difficult to fulfill. There are two contributing factors: one is the requirement of high band width (> 1 GHz) analog data recording, and the other is the need for a large number of recorders.
Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Model for Continuous Quality Improvement of an Established Simulated Patient Program.

Objective: To describe the use of a continuous quality improvement process for strengthening our simulated patient (SP) program and the initial steps that have been implemented. Innovation: A workgroup that included five clinical faculty with significant experience working with SPs and a strong interest in improving the SP program was developed. The Plan-Do-Study-Act model was used as it allowed for incremental quality improvement changes, in order to ensure a high-quality SP program designed to optimize student learning. Data were gathered from students, SPs, and faculty. Opportunities for improvement were prioritized based on anticipated benefits and available resources. Changes related to planning, implementation, and evaluation and feedback have been executed. Critical Analysis: Changes related to planning that were implemented included developing handbooks for SPs, faculty, and graduate student instructors, as well as material for students in order to better describe the program. SPs are now referred to as “simulated” as opposed to “standardized” as part of a broader effort to clarify the purpose of SP interactions to students. Streamlined rubrics have been piloted, including electronic rubrics for first year students. SPs are being trained on fewer cases, in order to improve the training program. When possible, activities now take place in one large classroom instead of many small classrooms to improve oversight. Finally, additional feedback has been obtained from SPs via a retreat. These changes have been well received by students, SPs, and faculty. Next Steps: The collection of this data and initial quality improvement changes provided a basis for hiring a full-time employee who will: dedicate 50% of their time to programmatic assessment of the SP program, support faculty with logistics and training, and be the face of our program to the students and SPs. Further, formal quantitative and qualitative assessment of the SP program has begun. Type: Note
Avoid the Goose! Paramedic Identification of Esophageal Intubation by Ultrasound.

OBJECTIVES Rapid identification of esophageal intubations is critical to avoid patient morbidity and mortality. Continuous waveform capnography remains the gold standard for endotracheal tube (ETT) confirmation, but it has limitations. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may be a useful alternative for confirming ETT placement. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of paramedic-performed POCUS identification of esophageal intubations with and without ETT manipulation. METHODS A prospective, observational study using a cadaver model was conducted. Local paramedics were recruited as subjects and each completed a survey of their demographics, employment history, intubation experience, and prior POCUS training. Subjects participated in a didactic session in which they learned POCUS identification of ETT location. During each study session, investigators randomly placed an ETT in either the trachea or esophagus of four cadavers, confirmed with direct laryngoscopy. Subjects then attempted to determine position using POCUS both without and with manipulation of the ETT. Manipulation of the tube was performed by twisting the tube. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to assess the results and the effects of previous paramedic experience. RESULTS During 12 study sessions, from March 2014 through December 2015, 57 subjects participated, evaluating a total of 228 intubations: 113 tracheal and 115 esophageal. Subjects were 84.0% male, mean age of 39 years (range: 22 - 62 years), with median experience of seven years (range: 0.6 - 39 years). Paramedics correctly identified ETT location in 158 (69.3%) cases without and 194 (85.1%) with ETT manipulation. The sensitivity and specificity of identifying esophageal location without ETT manipulation increased from 52.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 43.0-61.0) and 86.7% (95% CI, 81.0-93.0) to 87.0% (95% CI, 81.0-93.0) and 83.2% (95% CI, 0.76-0.90) after manipulation (P<.0001), without affecting specificity (P=.45). Subjects correctly identified 41 previously incorrectly identified esophageal intubations. Paramedic experience, previous intubations, and POCUS experience did not correlate with ability to identify tube location. CONCLUSION Paramedics can accurately identify esophageal intubations with POCUS, and manipulation improves identification. Further studies of paramedic use of dynamic POCUS to identify inadvertent esophageal intubations are needed. LemaPC, O'BrienM, WilsonJ, St. JamesE, LindstromH, DeAngelisJ, CaldwellJ, MayP, ClemencyB. Avoid the goose! Paramedic identification of esophageal intubation by ultrasound. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(4):406-410.
Gamma Band Phase Delay in Schizophrenia.

Abstract Background In 1999, Kwon et al. reported several electroencephalographic gamma band auditory steady-state response (ASSR) abnormalities in schizophrenia, spawning approximately 100 subsequent studies. While many studies replicated the finding of reduced 40-Hz ASSR power in schizophrenia and extended this by showing that 40-Hz phase synchrony (phase-locking factor [PLF]) was also reduced, none attempted to replicate the original phase delay finding of Kwon et al. Accordingly, we measured the 40-Hz ASSR phase-locking angle (PLA) to assess phase delay and examined its differential sensitivity to schizophrenia, relative to power and PLF measures. Methods To obtain ASSRs, electroencephalography data were recorded from 28 patients with schizophrenia and 25 healthy control subjects listening to repeated 40-Hz 500-ms click trains. Evoked power, total power, PLF, and PLA were calculated after Morlet wavelet time-frequency decomposition of single trial data from electrode Fz. Results In patients with schizophrenia, 40-Hz PLA was significantly reduced (i.e., phase delayed) (p Conclusions Consistent with the original Kwon et al. study, 40-Hz click train–driven gamma oscillations were phase delayed in schizophrenia. Importantly, this phase delay abnormality was substantially larger than the gamma power and phase synchrony abnormalities that have been the focus of prior 40-Hz ASSR studies in schizophrenia. PLA provides a unique neurobiological measure of gamma band abnormalities in schizophrenia, likely reflecting a distinct pathophysiological mechanism from those underlying PLF and power abnormalities.
Tuning hydrogen adsorption on pure and doped ZnO (000 1 ¯) surfaces by a simple electron counting model

Hydrogen (H) adsorption strengths on oxygen-terminated (000 1 ¯) surfaces of pure and doped wurtzite ZnO are investigated under varying H surface coverage conditions. Consistent with the prediction of the classical electron counting rules, a 1 2 monolayer (ML) of adsorbed H changes the electronic structure of pure ZnO (000 1 ¯) surface from metallic to semiconductor state by saturating unpaired electrons of surface oxygen atoms. This closed-shell electron configuration of the ZnO (000 1 ¯) surface significantly reduces the adsorption strengths of subsequent H atoms, making the dissociative adsorption of a H 2 molecule endothermic. We apply a simple electron counting model to predict and tune the coverage-dependent H adsorption strengths on general polar semiconductor surfaces. This model is confirmed by our investigations of H adsorption on (000 1 ¯) surfaces of ZnO with a series of dopant elements (Na, Mg, Al, Ti, Fe, Sn, etc.). It can also be applied to H adsorption on other similar polar semiconductors, such as ZnO (000 1 ¯) containing O vacancies, wurtzite GaN (000 1 ¯), and zincblende ZnS ( 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 1 ¯) surfaces.Hydrogen (H) adsorption strengths on oxygen-terminated (000 1 ¯) surfaces of pure and doped wurtzite ZnO are investigated under varying H surface coverage conditions. Consistent with the prediction of the classical electron counting rules, a 1 2 monolayer (ML) of adsorbed H changes the electronic structure of pure ZnO (000 1 ¯) surface from metallic to semiconductor state by saturating unpaired electrons of surface oxygen atoms. This closed-shell electron configuration of the ZnO (000 1 ¯) surface significantly reduces the adsorption strengths of subsequent H atoms, making the dissociative adsorption of a H 2 molecule endothermic. We apply a simple electron counting model to predict and tune the coverage-dependent H adsorption strengths on general polar semiconductor surfaces. This model is confirmed by our investigations of H adsorption on (000 1 ¯) surfaces of ZnO with a series of dopant elements (Na, Mg, Al, Ti, Fe, Sn, etc.). It can also be applied to H adsorption on other similar polar...
Relationships between 4-H Volunteer Leader Competencies and Skills Youth Learn in 4-H Programs.

This article examined the relationships between 4-H volunteer leader competencies and skills youth learn in 4-H. Using a descriptive-correlational research, the study reported found significant relationships between leadership competencies and skills youth learn in 4-H. Regression analysis revealed that two variables—skills and belonging—explained 28.1% of the variance in youth life skills, suggesting that when volunteer leaders make kids feel welcome and important to the 4-H program and demonstrate importance of life skills, then youth learn life skills relative to communications, decision making, goal setting, and relationship building.
Concurrency Control in Real-Time Database Systems

The design and implementation of real-time database systems presents many new and challenging problems. Compared with traditional databases, real-time database systems have a distinct feature: they must satisfy timing constraints associated with transactions. Transactions in real-time database systems should be scheduled considering both data consistency and timing constraints. In addition, a real-time database system must adapt to changes in the operating environment and guarantee the completion of critical transactions. In this paper, we address some of the issues associated with scheduling and concurrency control for real-time database systems, and present an optimistic algorithm for priority-based locking.
Joint and Individual Representation of Domains of Physical Activity, Sleep, and Circadian Rhythmicity

Developments in wearable technology have enabled researchers to continuously and objectively monitor various aspects and physiological domains of real-life including levels of physical activity, quality of sleep, and strength of circadian rhythm in many epidemiological and clinical studies. Current analytical practice is to summarize each of these three domains individually via a standard inventory of interpretable features, and explore individual associations between the features and clinical variables. However, the features often exhibit significant interaction and correlation both within and between domains. Integration of features across multiple domains remains methodologically challenging. To address this problem, we propose to use joint and individual variation explained (JIVE), a dimension reduction technique that efficiently deals with multivariate data representing multiple domains. In this paper, we review the most frequently used features to characterize the domains of physical activity, sleep, and circadian rhythniicity and illustrate the approach using wrist-worn actigraphy data from 198 participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
Aprahamian Named Director of National Science Laboratory in Yerevan, Armenia

Ani Aprahamian (on right of figure), the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Physics at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, was named the new director of the A. Alikhanyan National Labora...
Early Palliative Care Services and End-of-Life Care in Medicare Beneficiaries with Hematologic Malignancies: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) often receive aggressive care at the end of life (EOL). Early palliative care (PC) has been shown to improve EOL care outcomes, but its benef...
How We Talk about Language: Exploring Citizen Sociolinguistics

The most important challenges humans face - identity, life, death, war, peace, the fate of our planet - are manifested and debated through language. This book provides the intellectual and practical tools we need to analyse how people talk about language, how we can participate in those conversations, and what we can learn from them about both language and our society. Along the way, we learn that knowledge about language and its connection to social life is not primarily produced and spread by linguists or sociolinguists, or even language teachers, but through everyday conversations, on-line arguments, creative insults, music, art, memes, twitter-storms - any place language grabs people's attention and foments more talk. An essential new aid to the study of the relationship between language, culture and society, this book provides a vision for language inquiry by turning our gaze to everyday forms of language expertise.
The impact of obesity on immune function in pediatric asthma

Purpose of review Pediatric obese asthma is a complex disease that remains poorly understood. The increasing worldwide incidence of both asthma and obesity over the last few decades, their current high prevalence and the challenges in treating obese asthmatic patients all highlight the importance of a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms in obese asthma. While it is well established that patients with obesity are at an increased risk of developing asthma, the mechanisms by which obesity drives the onset of asthma, and modifies existing asthma, remain unclear. Here, we will focus on mechanisms by which obesity alters immune function in asthma. Recent findings Lung parenchyma has an altered structure in some pediatric obese asthmatics, known as dysanapsis. Central adiposity is linked to reduced pulmonary function and a better predictor of asthma risk in children than BMI. Obesity in young children is associated with an increased risk of developing asthma, as well as early puberty, and hormonal alterations are implicated in obese asthma. Obesity and asthma each yield immunometabolic dysregulation separately and we are learning more about alterations in these pathways in pediatric obese asthma and the potential impact of bariatric surgery on those processes. Summary The recent progress in clarifying the connections between childhood obesity and asthma and their combined impacts on immune function moves us closer to the goals of improved understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning obese asthma and improved therapeutic target selection. However, this common inflammatory disease remains understudied, especially in children, and much remains to be learned.
Biodegradation of environmental pollutants

Abstract Microbial degradation processes play a central role in affecting the fate of environmental pollutants. This chapter reviews key types of enzymes and pathways that microbes utilize in biodegradation of some important type of pollutants. This chapter also covers aspects of the environment that regulate microbial metabolism of pollutants.
Glioblastoma as an age-related neurological disorder in adults.

Background Advanced age is a major risk factor for the development of many diseases including those affecting the central nervous system. Wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase glioblastoma (IDHwt GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain cancer and accounts for ≥90% of all adult GBM diagnoses. Patients with IDHwt GBM have a median age of diagnosis at 68-70 years of age, and increasing age is associated with an increasingly worse prognosis for patients with this type of GBM. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results, The Cancer Genome Atlas, and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas databases were analyzed for mortality indices. Meta-analysis of 80 clinical trials was evaluated for log hazard ratio for aging to tumor survivorship. Results Despite significant advances in the understanding of intratumoral genetic alterations, molecular characteristics of tumor microenvironments, and relationships between tumor molecular characteristics and the use of targeted therapeutics, life expectancy for older adults with GBM has yet to improve. Conclusions Based upon the results of our analysis, we propose that age-dependent factors that are yet to be fully elucidated, contribute to IDHwt GBM patient outcomes.
Management of Segmental Tibial Bone Defects With a Motorized Intramedullary Bone Transport Nail: A Case Review With Follow-Up.

SUMMARY Large segment bone defects of the tibia are challenging problems. Although caused by a wide range of conditions, tibial critical bone loss defects often require complex reconstructive plans with prolonged inability to weight-bear on the effected extremity. Reconstruction options frequently require harvesting of autograft leading to further morbidity. Distraction osteogenesis allows reconstruction of large segmental defects of the tibia while avoiding donor site morbidity. Historically, distraction osteogenesis of tibia was most reliably performed with circler ring external fixation. This process allowed early weight-bearing but unfortunately has considerable drawbacks. Negative effects include pin tract irritation and inability to wear normal clothes. The advent of the bone transport nail now allows management of tibial critical bone loss defects through distraction osteogenesis negating the need for external fixation. This new technique allows treatment of large segmental tibial defects by means of distraction osteogenesis with an all-internal device avoiding the negative effects of external fixation while simultaneously allowing early weight-bearing.
Natural gas transmission system optimization

This paper develops a general model and advances a solution methodology for the optimum design of natural gas transmission networks. The complete static design problem addressed is that of determining the optimum number, locations, sizes, and operating characteristics of the components of the system by minimizing, over a finite time horizon, T, the present worth of costs such that no pressure or technological specifications are violated. Most published investigations of this problem have resulted in suboptimal solutions because they fixed a subset of the decision variables while optimizing the others. This work differs from that of previous attempts at the complete problem in that it includes the option of expanding an existing network; it considers more general cost functions and the solution times have been so reduced that larger problems and extensive sensitivity analyses can be investigated.
Quality of life while dying: a qualitative study of terminally ill older men.

Objectives: To characterize the experience of quality of life while dying from the perspective of terminally ill men. Design: Descriptive study involving semistructured interviews. Setting: Patients attending clinics at two university-affiliated medical centers were interviewed in a private conference room or in their homes. Participants: Twenty-six men identified by their physicians as having terminal heart disease or cancer. Eligible participants acknowledged that they had serious illness. Measurements: The interview contained open-ended questions such as: “What are the most important things in your life right now?” The interview also contained closed-ended questions about symptom intensity, presence of depressed mood, and other items related to overall quality of life. The open-ended questions were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using grounded theory methods. The closed-ended questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Participants believed that death was near. Participants saw engaging in hobbies and other enjoyable activities as an alternative to moving into the final stage of illness, in which they saw themselves as actively dying. They admitted to occasionally ignoring prescribed diets; these actions improved their overall quality of life but worsened symptoms. New symptoms brought concerns about progression to active dying. They anticipated what their dying would be like and how it would affect others. Participants believed that their actions in the present could improve the quality of their dying and lessen the burden of their deaths on others. Many participants therefore were preparing for death by engaging in such tasks as putting their finances in order and planning their funerals, to relieve anticipated burden on loved ones. Conclusion: To help terminally ill patients plan for the end of life, clinicians are encouraged to become familiar with their patients' experiences of living with terminal illness, to identify each patient's unique priorities, and to incorporate that information into care plans aimed at maximizing quality of life at the end of life.
Preposterior and Sequential Analysis

Until now, we have dealt only with the making of decisions or inferences. Another very important aspect of statistics is that of the choice of experiment, commonly called experimental design. Being as this choice must (usually) be made before the data (and hence the posterior distribution) can be obtained, the subject is frequently called preposterior analysis by Bayesians.
Sialic acid-like molecules in motility, biofilm formation, and systemic pathogenesis by the seafood-borne pathogen Vibrio vulnificus (LB144)

Sialic acids are found on all vertebrate cell surfaces. Dozens of pathogens have evolved a variety of ways to mask themselves with sialic acids, which can promote bloodstream survival of pathogens ...
Energy and Water Sustainability: What do They Mean and Can We Know When We Achieved Them?

The word "sustainability" has been applied to resources such as energy and water, in addition to products, processes, urban infrastructure such as a city, or a quasi-natural infrastructure such as an eco-system. While there have been reasonable attempts made to evaluate the sustainability status of product and process systems from economic, environmental and societal impacts perspectives, no such systematic or rigorous analysis has been attempted for water and energy as resources, or water and energy supply systems. This discussion covers the essential sustainability concerns of water and energy systems and provides some thoughts on how one evaluates sustainability status and pathways for improvements.