cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bipolar circuit elements providing self-completion-indication

An ordinary synchronous system uses clocks to determine data signal validity. To avoid the problems of distributing high-speed clocks and partitioning logic to fit within clock cycles, asynchronous circuit elements must provide their own completion indication using self-timing. Basic bipolar circuit elements which modify differential current-steering gate styles to achieve completion indication without increasing the number of wires between gate stages and with only about a 50% cost in transistor density per stage are proposed. >
Shot clustering techniques for story browsing

Automatic video segmentation is the first and necessary step for organizing a long video file into several smaller units. The smallest basic unit is a shot. Relevant shots are typically grouped into a high-level unit called a scene. Each scene is part of a story. Browsing these scenes unfolds the entire story of a film, enabling users to locate their desired video segments quickly and efficiently. Existing scene definitions are rather broad, making it difficult to compare the performance of existing techniques and to develop a better one. This paper introduces a stricter scene definition for narrative films and presents ShotWeave, a novel technique for clustering relevant shots into a scene using the stricter definition. The crux of ShotWeave is its feature extraction and comparison. Visual features are extracted from selected regions of representative frames of shots. These regions capture essential information needed to maintain viewers' thought in the presence of shot breaks. The new feature comparison is developed based on common continuity-editing techniques used in film making. Experiments were performed on full-length films with a wide range of camera motions and a complex composition of shots. The experimental results show that ShotWeave outperforms two recent techniques utilizing global visual features in terms of segmentation accuracy and time.
Ebola Outbreak Compels Us to Ask: Is the U.S. Prepared to Defend its Maritime Borders Against a Potential Pandemic?

Heightened concern over potentially fatal contagious diseases that may strike at a local “epidemic” level or a global “pandemic” level comes at the same time that Mediterranean nations are grappling with a massive sea-borne migration crisis. The lethal combination these threats could pose to the United States serves as a wakeup call to our maritime security and public health forces prompting them to carefully assess their authority, capability and capacity to take effective measures to prevent the introduction of contagious diseases by persons entering the nation by sea, both legally and illegally. In an extreme case, those prevention measures might include what could be styled as the “nuclear” option: closing the nation’s borders entirely, a far-reaching measure the effect of which would dwarf the aviation suspension that emptied the U.S. skies after the September 11 attacks.
FNCS: a framework for power system and communication networks co-simulation

This paper describes the FNCS framework that uses a federated approach for integrating power grid and communication network simulators. Compared to existing approaches, FNCS allows co-simulation of both transmission and distribution level power grid simulators with the communication network simulator. To reduce the performance overhead of time synchronization, FNCS utilizes optimistic synchronization strategies that make speculative decisions about when the simulators are going to exchange messages. GridLAB-D (a distribution simulator), PowerFlow (a transmission simulator), and ns-3 (a telecommunication simulator) are integrated using the framework to illustrate the enhanced performance provided by speculative execution on a smart grid application. Our speculative execution approach achieved on average 20% improvement over the existing synchronization methods.
Initial Development of a Computer Algorithm to Identify Patients With Breast and Lung Cancer Having Poor Prognosis in a Safety Net Hospital

Background:Physicians often have difficulty with prognostication and identification of patients who are in need of counseling about options for care at the end of life. Consequently, the objective of this study was to describe the initial stages in development of a computerized algorithm that will identify breast and lung cancer patients most in need of counseling about care options, including advance care planning, palliative care, and hospice.Methods:Clinical and non-clinical data were extracted from the electronic medical record of breast and lung cancer patients admitted to a large, urban hospital for the year 2010. These data were used to create an electronic (e-EOL) algorithm designed to identify advanced cancer patients who could benefit from in-depth discussion about end-of-life care options.Results:There were 369 eligible breast (42%) and lung (58%) cancer patients identified by ICD-9 code. The e-EOL algorithm identified 53 (14%) patients that met assigned criteria (presence of metastatic disease...
PROPER ORTHOGONAL DECOMPOSITION MODELING OF A CONTROLLLED GINZBURG-LANDAU CYLINDER WAKE MODEL

A short computational program was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a closed-loop control strategy for the stabilization of an unstable bluff-body flow. In this effort, the nonlinear one-dimensional GinzburgLandau wake model at 20% above the critical Reynolds number was studied. The numerical model, which is a nonlinear partial differential equation with complex coefficients, was solved using the FEMLAB/MATLAB package and validated by comparison with published literature. Based on computationally generated data obtained from solving the unforced wake, a low-dimensional model of the wake was developed and evaluated. The lowdimensional model of the unforced Ginzburg-Landau equation captures more than 99.8% of the kinetic energy using just two modes. Two sensors, placed in the absolutely unstable region of the wake, are used for real-time estimation of the first two modes. The estimator was developed using the linear stochastic estimation scheme. Finally, the loop is closed using an PID controller that provides the command input to the variable boundary conditions of the model. This method is relatively simple and easy to implement in a real-time scenario. The control approach, applied to the 300 node FEMLAB model at 20% above the unforced critical Reynolds number stabilizes the entire wake for a proportional gain of 0.06. While the controller uses only the estimated temporal amplitude of the first mode of Im(A(x,t)), all higher modes are stabilized. This suggests that the higher order modes are caused by a secondary instability that is suppressed once the primary instability is controlled.
Static Electricity Powered Copper Oxide Nanowire Microbicidal Electroporation for Water Disinfection

Safe water scarcity occurs mostly in developing regions that also suffer from energy shortages and infrastructure deficiencies. Low-cost and energy-efficient water disinfection methods have the pot...
Photonic Band Structure of Nanochannel Glass Materials

We demonstrate that nanochannel glass (NCG) materials are ideal for investigating two-dimensional (2D) photonic band-structure effects. The NCG materials we have studied consist of triangular arrays of glass cylinders embedded in a glass matrix, having center-to-center nearest-neighbor separations from 0.54 to 1.08 µm. The indices of refraction of the two glasses differ by less than 0.02 in the relevant spectral region. Narrow attenuation features occur whenever the dispersion relation for light propagating within such a periodic dielectric structure crosses a Brillouin zone boundary. The attenuations corresponding to the first Brillouin zone appear in the near-infrared (IR), at wavelengths between 1 and 3 µm, in good agreement with calculations.
ATHELIA EPIPHYLLA ASSOCIATED WITH COLONIZATION OF SUBALPINE FIR FOLIAGE UNDER PSYCHROPHILIC CONDITIONS

This paper documents the occurrence, association, and apparent effects of Athelia epiphylla Pers. on postharvest conifer residue under psychrophilic conditions in a northern Rocky Mountain coniferous forest. In the spring following a variety of autumn, 1974, harvesting practices on selected sites in Montana, intense and widespread fungal activity was noted in close proximity to or under "rotten" snow pack. The conditions afforded an immediate opportunity to assess some effects of psychrophilic microorganism activity on small-dimension materials (leaves, twigs, etc.). Heretofore, most investigations on psychrophilic activities have dealt with total microorganism/environmental effects on substrates. There are numerous reports on the degradation or loss of plant litter, but few have attempted to assess the importance of decomposition under psychrophilic conditions. Bleak (1970) attributed the loss of biomass of grasses and forbs while under snow principally to bacterial and fungal activity, but also implicated leaching. Dry weight losses were from 28-49% during the cold season. Lousier and Parkinson (1976) reported a leaf litter dry weight loss of 26% after 12 mo, with maximum losses occurring during colder periods. Stokes and Redmond (1966) indicated that the occurrence of psychrophilic bacteria and fungi is widespread and extremely frequent in the environment. Thus, they attribute considerable significance to these organisms as agents of biomass recycling. Furthermore, 1195
Surgical decision-making in the management of children with intractable functional constipation: What are we doing and are we doing it right?

Abstract Background Children with intractable functional constipation (FC) may eventually require surgery, often guided by motility testing. However, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the surgical management of intractable FC in children. Aim To assess the diagnostic and surgical approach of pediatric surgeons and pediatric gastroenterologists towards children with intractable FC. Methods A survey was administered to physicians attending an international conference held simultaneously in Columbus (Ohio, USA) and Nijmegen (the Netherlands). The survey included 4 questions based on cases with anorectal and colonic manometry results. Results 74 physicians completed the questionnaire. Anorectal manometry was used by 70%; 52% of them would consider anal sphincter botulinum toxin injections for anal achalasia and 21% would use this to treat dyssynergia. Colonic manometry was used by 38%; 57% of them reported to use this to guide surgical decision-making. The surgical approach varied considerably among responders answering the case questions based on motility test results; the most commonly chosen treatments were antegrade continence enemas and anal botulinum injections. Conclusion Surgical decision-making for children with intractable FC differs among physicians. There is a need for clinical guidelines regarding the role of anorectal and colonic manometry in surgical decision-making in children with intractable FC.
Childhood adiposity and fertility difficulties: the Bogalusa Heart Study.

SummaryBackground Adult obesity is associated with infertility; however, childhood obesity has received little consideration. Objectives The present study sought to evaluate the impact of childhood adiposity on fertility. Methods Associations between childhood adiposity and self-reported fertility difficulties were estimated among women participating in a long-term study of cardiovascular risks and reproductive health (n = 1061). Results Participants with obesity between ages 9 and 12 were more likely to report fertility difficulties (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 1.82, 95% CI 1.17–2.82) and inability to become pregnant when trying (aRR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.22–3.08) as were those with obesity prior to age 9 (aRR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.04–2.97). Similar associations were seen among those ever overweight or obese in childhood. High subscapular skinfold thickness (age < 12) increased risk of receiving help becoming pregnant (aRR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.15–4.06), inability to become pregnant (aRR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.05–2.04) and any fertility difficulties (aRR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.13–2.14); associations for triceps skinfold were attenuated. Participants with increased adiposity also had fewer pregnancies and live births. Effects persisted, excluding women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Conclusions This study supports an association between childhood adiposity and infertility, not solely driven by polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Human-interactive control of a hydraulically actuated patient transfer assist device with redundant obstacle sensing

A significant need has been identified for an improved device for transferring mobility limited people, for example, from a bed to a wheelchair, a wheelchair to a toilet, a floor to a wheelchair, or a wheelchair into a car. A new prototype concept patient transfer assist device has been developed, using electro-hydraulic pump controlled hydraulic actuation. With such a powerful device working in a relatively delicate and unstructured environment with both the patient and caregiver in its workspace, a form of interaction control to manage any external interaction forces is necessary. This paper presents a form of interaction control using redundant sensing of obstacles, using both proximity sensing from an ultrasonic sensor and external force sensing from a load cell. The control strategy is based on impedance control with force feedback. Experiments on one degree of freedom of the patient transfer device show that the control strategy can significantly reduce external interaction forces, as long as one or both of the sensors detects the obstacle. Further investigations will incorporate the redundant interaction control into multiple degrees of freedom of the patient transfer assist device system, and human operator experiments will be performed.
C1 Esterase Inhibitor (Berinert) for ACE Inhibitor-Induced Angioedema: Two Case Reports.

Objective:To describe 2 cases of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)-induced angioedema treated with C1 esterase inhibitor (human) [Berinert].Summary:Case 1 is a 60-year-old Caucasian ma...
Who votes for public health? U.S. senator characteristics associated with voting in concordance with public health policy recommendations (1998-2013).

Abstract Background The voting behaviors of elected officials shape the public's health. Little is known, however, about the characteristics of elected officials who vote in concordance with public health policy recommendations. This article presents the results of study conducted with the aims of: 1) testing the hypothesis that US Democrat Senators vote in concordance with American Public Health Association (APHA) policy recommendations more frequently than US Republican Senators, 2) identifying US Senator characteristics independently associated with voting in concordance with APHA, and 3) assessing trends in APHA voting concordance by political party. Methods We created a legislative dataset of 1434 votes cast on 111 legislative proposals by 184 US Senators during the years 1998 through 2013. Mixed effects linear regression models were used to estimate the independent contributions of political party, gender, geographic region, and year effects to annual APHA voting concordance. Votes were nested within Senators who were nested within States to account for non-independence and models considered potential for time and spatial patterns in the data. Results Adjusting for covariates and accounting for serial and spatial autocorrelation, Democrats averaged 59.1 percentage points higher in annual APHA voting concordance than Republicans (95% CI: 55.5, 62.7), females averaged 7.1 percentage points higher than males (95% CI: 1.9, 12.3), and Northeastern Senators averaged 16.1 percentage points higher than Southern Senators (95% CI: 9.1, 23.1). Conclusions Elected official's political party affiliation, gender, and geographic region are independently associated with public health voting decisions and should be considered when targeting and tailoring science-based policy dissemination strategies.
Outcomes Following Surgical Management of Cauda Equina Syndrome: Does Race Matter?

Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a surgical emergency requiring urgent spinal decompression. Our objective is to analyze the association between race and in-hospital outcomes (complications, mortality, length of stay, and discharge disposition) in patients with CES. This is a retrospective cohort study of CES patients identified via the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2000 to 2010 in inpatient hospitalizations in the USA. The patient sample includes 46,017 patients ≥18 undergoing spine surgery for CES. Using ICD9-CM codes, patient records with a diagnosis of CES from 2003 to 2010 were selected from the NIS database and sorted by mortality, complications, length of hospital stay, and discharge status. Demographic information (age, gender, race, and insurance status) and hospital characteristics were evaluated. African-American patients were 1.38-fold (p < 0.02; 95% odds ratio [OR] 1.05–1.83) more likely than Caucasian patients to develop complications based on a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for patient age, insurance status, surgical approach, and hospital size. There was no difference in mortality among patients of various races in both univariate and multivariate analysis. A multivariate linear regression model adjusted for insurance status, surgical approach, and hospital size revealed that, compared to Caucasian patients, length of hospitalization in African-American patients was 1.92 days longer (p < 0.01), 1.34 days longer (p < 0.01) in Hispanic patients, and 2.24 days longer (p < 0.01) in Asian-American patients. African-American patients were 0.59-fold (p < 0.01; 95% OR 0.494–0.708) less likely than Caucasian patients to have routine discharge to home. African-American patients hospitalized for surgical management of CES experience significantly more complications, longer length of hospitalizations, and higher discharge to non-home locations, compared to Caucasian patients.
Breeding GM Cultivars

The advent of transgenic plants has brought tremendous benefits to farmers around the world but has also brought serious challenges to breeding programs. In addition to the biosafety protocols introduced in the development of transgenic varieties or hybrids, and the obligatory use of molecular tools to select the transgenic traits, new breeding processes needed to be introduced. In cross-pollinated plants, fewer transgenic lines can produce a large number of hybrids, and therefore transgenic trait introgression programs through backcrosses are the method of choice. This meant that, parallel to breeding inbreed lines and testing hybrids, a step of conversion of inbreed lines needs to be part of the allogamous plant breeding. In autogamous plants, thousands of lines need to be developed annually, and trait introgression is not feasible for new lines. Breeding of autogamous plants should be performed with transgenic traits introduced into breeding populations. Once the start of breeding for a new trait starts with a single or a small number of donors, the genetic basis of breeding populations is narrowed at each start of breeding for a new trait. In addition, in some cases, it is still necessary to eliminate old transgenic traits to replace the new ones. The elimination of plants that do not contain the desirable traits of the breeding populations makes their effective sizes smaller in the first generations of a new transgenic trait. Associated with the reduction of the genetic base due to the small number of donors, the tendency is that the speed of the genetic gain in the initial generations of breeding for a new trait will be reduced. To compensate, breeding methods that develop and recycle varieties in less time need to be used.
A model based inference engine for stress estimation

Stress has become a household term for which ascertaining a meaning has become increasingly difficult these days. Physiologically, stress is observed to act through hypothalamus which modulates the autonomic nervous system mainly via sympathetically mediated effects. Utilizing this theory, a model based inference engine was developed for the estimation of stress. A computational model was used to generate a series of synthetic photo-plethysmogram (PPG) signals by varying the model parameters. Now using these artificial generated PPG signals, the inverse problem of estimating the stress parameter ‘F SN ’ was solved by a neural network, using Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The inference engine was then tested by using real PPG data collected twice (morning and evening) from a set of 13 subjects. As observed in experimental studies, our inference engine was able to replicate the pattern of stress levels i.e., exhibiting high levels of stress in mornings compared to evenings. These results validate the efficiency of the developed inference engine in estimating the stress
Chapter 1 – Data Acquisition and Recording

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews many of the standard instruments and measurement techniques used in physical oceanography. One of the instruments—resistance thermometers—are widely used on continuous profilers designed to replace the earlier hydrographic profiles collected using a series of sampling bottles. The new in situ electronic instruments continuously sample the water temperature, providing much higher resolution information on the ocean's vertical and horizontal temperature structure. In contrast to ship and buoy measurements that sample localized areas on a quasi-synoptic basis, earth-orbiting satellites offer an opportunity to uniformly sample the surface of the globe on a nearly synoptic basis. Infrared sensors flown on satellites retrieve information that can be used to estimate sea surface temperature (SST), with certain limitations such as clouds. Although pressure and acoustic gauges are becoming increasingly more popular around the world, most sea-level measurements are still made using a float gauge, in which the float rises and falls with the water level. Modern recording systems replace the analog pen with a digital recording system that records on punched paper, magnetic tape, or hard-drive. Many of the digital recording systems have been equipped with telemetering systems that send sea-level heights and time via satellite, direct radio link, or meteor-burst communication.
Age and Gender Differences in Online Behavior, Self-Efficacy, and Academic Performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences between different age and gender groups of adult learners when they are compared simultaneously on the number of messages they post, selfefficacy improvement and academic performance in an online learning environment. A two-way MANOVA revealed significant main and interaction effects on the dependent variables. Older students posted significantly more messages, but younger students improved their self-efficacy significantly more. Female students improved their self-efficacy significantly more and scored significantly higher on the final exam than male students. Younger male students’ exam scores and younger female students’ exam scores were significantly different from each other.
Wavelength dependent visible albedo of CO 2 ice in residual south polar cap of Mars using MARCI data

Abstract The visible surface albedo of the martian residual south polar cap is an important parameter with respect to understanding the stability and evolution of the cap, as well as for investigating the interactions between the surface of the cap and the atmosphere. Extraction of the surface albedo from spacecraft images requires the removal of atmospheric effects, caused primarily by dust aerosols. Such an effort requires knowledge of not only the radiative properties of the aerosols but also their spatial distribution. Here, we use MARCI images and interpolated dust optical depth values, determined from CRISM EPF measurements in MY 28–30, in order to extract the intrinsic surface albedos of the polar cap. The CRISM opacities are referenced to a wavelength of 900 nm, whereas MARCI image span five bands ranging from 720 nm to 440 nm. To translate the CRISM values to the MARCI bands, one must prescribe the size distribution of the dust. Use of the nominal aerosol properties (i.e., reff = 1.5 µ) can result in incorrect behavior of the surface albedo at short wavelengths. In MY 28, a year with a major dust storm, the problem can be eliminated by adopting a smaller effective radius, 1.0 µm, for the dust. Additionally, in MY 29 and 30, a layer of water ice clouds capping the dust is necessary. It is therefore possible to relate the incorrect wavelength behavior to aerosol properties as well as a breakdown in the extrapolation of the EPF values to the South Polar Region.
Revolutionary Instruction: Creating Educational Equality in the Revolutionary French Atlantic

Philanthropists led advances in revolutionary education projects aimed at incorporating former slaves into society and solidifying emancipation and racial equality in Saint-Domingue. While white French officials planned, organized, and reported on these projects, more often it was the philanthropists typically unnamed in the historiography or left unspecified in contemporary sources that actually brought to life and operated the colonial schools. Whites, such as Citizen Binet, opened schools to teach children of all colors about the principles of French republicanism after the emancipation in 1794. Another man dedicated to improving the lives of people of African descent, Jean Alexandre Paulmier left his own plantation to serve as a teacher. Paulmier, a free man of color, demonstrates how philanthropy was not only carried out by whites during the Haitian Revolution. Indeed peoples of all races worked together to establish colonial public instruction. Various other unidentified people sent their children to the mixed-race colonial schools, or educated the new black citizens in improvised schools on plantations. These citizens, by engaging in public instruction projects, helped to advance the revolution in Saint-Domingue by institutionalizing ideas of abolition and racial equality in the colony’s citizens of all colors. They sought to integrate former slaves into the French citizenry, just as much as officials sent from France.
Optimizing ambulatory ECG monitoring of T-wave alternans for arrhythmia risk assessment.

Considerable scientific data support the potential value of T-wave alternans (TWA) as anindex of vulnerability to ventricular fibrillation. This chapter summarizes our state of knowledge regardingthe use of routine ambulatory ECGs to evaluate TWA and discusses recent methodologic approaches designed tooptimize AECG-based TWA analysis for arrhythmia risk stratification. Newer methods, including the nonspectraltechnique of Modified Moving Average analysis, appear promising in detecting TWA during the changingconditions associated with daily activities. The Modified Moving Average approach does not requirespecialized electrodes and is not encumbered by the need to achieve target heart rates, as is the case forconventional spectral-based methods. Guidelines are provided for evaluating latent cardiac electricalinstability using AECG-based TWA testing. These recent developments make possible the TWA analysis ofambulatory ECGs not only in prospective trials but also in vast stores of archival data.
Physically-Based Single and Polycrystal Plasticity Models and their Experimental Verification

Physically-based constitutive relations for single crystals are formulated on the basis of slip-induced plastic deformation, and the accompanying elastic lattice distortion. The slip is produced through the motion of dislocations. Due account is taken of the crystal structure and the barriers which the dislocations must overcome in their motion through the lattice. A slip model that directly accounts for both the temperature- and strain-rate effects, is presented. The short- and long-range barriers that the dislocations must overcome in their motion are identified. The hardening issue, associated with the long-range athermal resistance to the motion of the dislocations, is examined. Illustrative physically-based models of the flow stress associated with slip, are developed. Explicit results for bcc and fcc crystals are produced, taking into account the temperature, strain rate, and the long-range hardening effects. As an illustration, explicit results for a commercially pure tantalum (bcc), and OFHC copper (fcc), are given. Using the results of novel experiments, performed to obtain the isothermal and adiabatic stress-strain relations of a number of polycrystalline metals over broad ranges of the strain-rates and temperatures, the resulting constitutive relations are verified. The references listed at the end of this paper provide the necessary background data for the modeling and the corresponding experimental assessment.
Ceiling fans in commercial buildings: In situ airspeeds & practitioner experience

Abstract Ceiling fans are a traditional approach for increasing occupant comfort and are well-established in residential application in many parts of the world. However, they are infrequently included in commercial spaces even though they have the potential to bring benefits including increased occupant comfort and decreased energy use either through raised setpoints in cooling or destratification in heating. This study provides practical insights into the case of ceiling fans in commercial spaces. We conducted 13 interviews with architects, engineers, and facilities managers from California and around the country to compile common themes of experience. These professionals provided lessons learned from 20 operational projects that include ceiling fans serving a wide set of functions in commercial spaces. Understanding the challenges they faced and the lessons they learned from these projects will facilitate prioritization of research and communication efforts. We also took in situ airspeed measurements at five of the projects to provide insight into real-world conditions in commercial buildings with ceiling fans. For these, the ceiling fans' operation results in generally relatively low airspeeds, often under 0.2 m/s. We also found just 25% of the 20 projects discussed by interviewees had any type of automation in the ceiling fan controls. This study serves as a resource for designers and for the wider industry, to frame a path forward for the inclusion of ceiling fans in commercial buildings.
NEUROMUSCULAR ADAPTIONS FOLLOWING A DAILY STRENGTHENING EXERCISE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ROTATOR CUFF RELATED SHOULDER PAIN: A PILOT CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Background The goal of therapeutic exercise is to facilitate a neuromuscular response by increasing or decreasing muscular activity in order to reduce pain and improve function. It is not clear what dosage of exercise will create a neuromuscular response. Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the effects following a three-week home program of a daily single exercise, the prone horizontal abduction exercise (PHA), on neuromuscular impairments of motor control as measured by scapular muscle EMG amplitudes, strength, and secondarily outcomes of self-reported pain and function between individuals with and without subacromial pain syndrome. Study Design Prospective Case-Control, Pilot Study. Methods Twenty-five individuals participated; eleven with shoulder pain during active and resistive motions (Penn Shoulder Score: 77 ± 11) and 14 matched healthy controls (Penn Shoulder Score: 99 ± 27) (p < 0.001). Participants underwent baseline and follow up testing at three weeks including surface electromyography (EMG) of the serratus anterior, upper, and lower trapezius of the involved (painful group) or matched shoulder (control group) during an elevation task and maximal isometric shoulder strength testing. All participants were instructed in a PHA exercise to be performed daily (3 sets; 10 reps). Subjects logged daily exercise adherence. Neuromuscular adaptations were defined by changes in EMG amplitudes (normalized to MVIC) of serratus anterior, upper trapezius, and lower trapezius and strength. Secondary outcomes of self-reported pain and function were also compared between groups following the three-week intervention. Results After three weeks of a daily PHA exercise, the painful group demonstrated a greater decrease in baseline-elevated EMG amplitudes in the lower trapezius by 7% (95%CI 2.6-11%) during the concentric phase of the overhead lifting task (p 0.006). EMG amplitudes of the healthy control group did not change at three-week follow-up. Additionally, the change in serratus anterior mean EMG amplitude in the painful group -1.6% (IQR -22.9 to 0.8%) was significantly greater (p 0.033) than the healthy group change score, 2.5% (IQR -2.3 to 5.7%) during the eccentric phase (p 0.034). While the painful group was weaker in abduction and flexion at baseline and at follow up, both groups had a significant increase in all strength measures (p≤0.014). Concurrent with increased strength and normalizing EMG amplitudes, the painful group significantly improved on the Penn Shoulder Score with a mean change 9.8 points (95%CI 7.0, 12.6) (p < 0.001). Conclusion In this pilot case-control study, a single home exercise performed daily for three weeks demonstrated neuromuscular adaptations with improvements in muscle activity and strength. These were concurrent with modest, yet significant improvements pain and function in individuals with mild rotator cuff related shoulder pain. Level of Evidence 3.
Investigating the Effects of Stove Emissions on Ocular and Cancer Cells.

More than a third of the world’s population relies on solid fuels for cooking and heating, with major health consequences. Although solid fuel combustion emissions are known to increase the prevalence of illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, however, their effect on the eyes is underexplored. This study assesses the acute toxicity of solid fuel combustion emissions on healthy ocular cells and a cancer cell line. Three healthy ocular cell lines (corneal, lens, and retinal epithelial cells) and a cancer cell line (Chinese hamster ovary cells) were exposed to liquid and gas phase emissions from applewood and coal combustion. Following the exposure, real-time cell attachment behavior was monitored for at least 120 hours with electrical cell impedance spectroscopy. The viability of the cells, amount of apoptotic cells, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were quantified with MTT, ApoTox-Glo, and ROS-Glo H2O2 assays, respectively. The results showed that coal emissions compromised the viability of ocular cells more than applewood emissions. Interestingly, the cancer cells, although their viability was not compromised, generated 1.7 to 2.7 times more ROS than healthy cells. This acute exposure study provides compelling proof that biomass combustion emissions compromise the viability of ocular cells and increase ROS generation. The increased ROS generation was fatal for ocular cells, but it promoted the growth of cancer cells.
Design and evaluation of a distally actuated powered finger prosthesis with self-contained transmission for individuals with partial hand loss:

Partial hand loss accounts for the overwhelming majority of upper limb deficiencies. Despite this, individuals with partial hand loss have a limited number of prosthetic options at their disposal. ...
Chronic circadian misalignment results in reduced longevity and large-scale changes in gene expression in Drosophila

Circadian clocks are found in nearly all organisms, from bacteria to mammals, and ensure that behavioral and physiological processes occur at optimal times of day and in the correct temporal order. It is becoming increasingly clear that chronic circadian misalignment (CCM), such as occurs in shift workers or as a result of aberrant sleeping and eating schedules common to modern society, has profound metabolic and cognitive consequences, but the proximate mechanisms connecting CCM with reduced organismal health are unknown. Furthermore, it has been difficult to disentangle whether the health effects are directly induced by misalignment or are secondary to the alterations in sleep and activity levels that commonly occur with CCM. Here, we investigated the consequences of CCM in the powerful model system of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. We subjected flies to daily 4-h phase delays in the light-dark schedule and used the Drosophila Activity Monitoring (DAM) system to continuously track locomotor activity and sleep while simultaneously monitoring fly lifespan. Consistent with previous results, we find that exposing flies to CCM leads to a ~ 15% reduction in median lifespan in both male and female flies. Importantly, we demonstrate that the reduced longevity occurs independent of changes in overall sleep or activity. To uncover potential molecular mechanisms of CCM-induced reduction in lifespan, we conducted whole body RNA-sequencing to assess differences in gene transcription between control and misaligned flies. CCM caused progressive, large-scale changes in gene expression characterized by upregulation of genes involved in response to toxic substances, aging and oxidative stress, and downregulation of genes involved in regulation of development and differentiation, gene expression and biosynthesis. Many of these gene expression changes mimic those that occur during natural aging, consistent with the idea that CCM results in premature organismal decline, however, we found that genes involved in lipid metabolism are overrepresented among those that are differentially regulated by CCM and aging. This category of genes is also among the earliest to exhibit CCM-induced changes in expression, thus highlighting altered lipid metabolism as a potentially important mediator of the negative health consequences of CCM.
Fast and safe charging method suppressing side reaction and lithium deposition reaction in lithium ion battery

Abstract Previously published work on fast charging method has demonstrated that the side reaction can be minimized by a properly designed charging protocol, but does not consider effect of lithium plating and stripping. Therefore, a model for side reaction, lithium plating, and stripping is developed and incorporated into a reduced order electrochemical model (ROM) with extended Kalman filter. In addition, effects of negative pulse charging are analyzed and show that negative pulse charging can recover ions from metallic lithium, so the capacity loss is minimized compared with CC charging with the same charging speed. Finally, a new fast charging method is designed by combining negative pulse and different limitations that include anode potential, side reaction rate and cutoff voltage that are estimated from ROM, which is called a fast charging method with negative pulse (FCNP). The proposed method, 2C and 3C CC/CV charging methods are tested in Battery-In-The-Loop using a large format pouch type lithium ion battery. The charging time by FCNP up to 80% SOC is comparable to that by 3C CC/CV at the beginning of life and faster after the middle of life. At the same time, the capacity loss by FCNP is comparable to that by 2C CC/CV.
T cell receptor (alpha, beta, gamma) gene rearrangements and expression in normal and leukemic large granular lymphocytes/natural killer cells

The large granular lymphocyte (LGL) population, which effects a natural killer (NK) function, consists of cells whose lineage derivation has not been clearly established on the basis of phenotypic and functional properties. To clarify the relationship of LGL/NK cells to T cells we studied patterns of rearrangement and expression of the T cell receptor (Ti) genes alpha, beta, and gamma in normal human LGLs; in CD8+, CD8-, Mol+, and Mol- LGL subsets; and in 17 cases of leukemic LGL proliferations (T gamma LPD). T alpha, T beta, and T gamma genes were not expressed, nor were T beta and T gamma genes rearranged in normal LGLs or LGL subsets. The T gamma LPD were divided into two groups. One group (15/17 cases) was characterized as CD3+ and displayed Ti gene rearrangements. Seven of these cases were reactive with monoclonal antibody WT31, which suggested expression of an alpha/beta heterodimer on the cell surface. The other group (2/17 cases) was CD3- with unrearranged Ti genes. These results indicate that the normal LGL/NK population is homogeneous and distinct from the normal T cell population because it does not express, and as a result, cannot effect its immune function through the T cell receptor molecules. Conversely, T gamma LPDs represent a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative diseases within which the CD3-, Ti- cases most likely represent the neoplastic counterpart of normal LGL cells. The more frequent CD3+ cases may be related to recently described NK-like T cells. The observations that normal LGLs maintain germline T gamma genes and that many CD3+ T gamma LPD display an alpha/beta heterodimer suggest that a T gamma-containing receptor may not be necessary for NK or NK-like cytotoxicity.
Challenges to community transitions through Money Follows the Person.

Objective To examine the effects of transition challenges on the success and timeliness of transitions from institutions to community living for long-stay participants in the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration and determine whether outcomes vary by age and disability. Data source Secondary data on transition challenges for individuals enrolled in Connecticut's MFP program between December 2008 and December 2017. Study design Challenges were analyzed for older adults, people with mental health disability, and people with physical disability. Bivariate and multivariate analyses investigated which transition challenges and selected demographic variables predict transition versus closure and length of transition period for each group. Data extraction methods The sample includes 3506 persons who attempted transition from institutions to community living and whose case concluded with transition or closure from 2015 to 2017. Principal findings The association between most transition challenges and the ability of long-stay institutional residents to return to the community, and to do so in a timely manner, varies significantly among older adults and younger persons with physical or mental health disabilities. For all groups, however, consumer engagement challenges predicted closure without transition (OR: 1.3-3.9) and housing challenges predicted longer transition periods (84-132 days). Length of institutional stay was associated with both outcomes for older adults and persons with physical disability. Other challenges, such as issues with services and supports, differed among the three groups on both outcomes. Conclusions Knowledge of the effects of transition challenges on success and timeliness of transition for each group allows program managers and health and service providers to focus resources on addressing the most serious challenges. Particular emphasis should be placed on consumer engagement and housing challenges, and on targeting persons for transition early in their institutional stay. Federal and state transition programs can benefit by individualizing supports for residents to yield successful outcomes.
The Enigma of Domingo De Soto

The aim of this study is to cast light on what Alexandre Koyre has referred to as “the enigma of Domingo de Soto.”1 As noted in previous essays, Soto was a Spanish Dominican who, in the early sixteenth century, studied at the University of Paris, returned to Spain, and at the University of Salamanca composed a commentary and questions on the Physics of Aristotle (c. 1545) along with an imposing series of works on political philosophy and theology.2 In a much-quoted passage in his questions on the Physics Soto associates the concept of motion which is uniformiter difformis — an expression deriving from the English Calculatores — with falling bodies, and he indicates that the distance of fall can be calculated from the elapsed time by means of the so-called Mertonian mean-speed theorem.3 The casual way in which Soto introduces this association has led some to speculate that this was generally known in his day and that he merely recorded what had become common teaching in the early sixteenth century. “But if this is the case,” writes Koyre, “why was de Soto alone in putting [these views] down on paper? And why did no one else before Galileo … adopt them?”4 These questions, neither of which is easily answered, pose the enigma of Domingo de Soto.
Asylum seekers at the US Southern Border: The neuropsychiatric reality

Every year, thousands of people flee their homelands for the US southern border, often suddenly and without time to prepare, in search of safety and peace. In 2018 alone, 22,405 people were granted asylum in the United States,1 but these represent a small fraction of the total of asylum seekers.2,3 People from the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have sought asylum in increasing numbers, and those who were granted asylum grew exponentially from 1,007 in 2012 to 8,480 in 2017.1,4 The worsening of violence and crime ignited by drug wars and gangs, as well as political persecution and basic human rights violations, have contributed to this staggering increase in Central American refugees seeking asylum.5 From October 2018 to September 2019, a total of 15,322 asylum seekers, including those from the Northern Triangle and other countries, arrived in Florida alone.4 The experience of seeking asylum itself has been associated with severe physical and psychological adverse effects.5
Finding Distributed Needles in Neural Haystacks.

The human cortex encodes information in complex networks that can be anatomically dispersed and variable in their microstructure across individuals. Using simulations with neural network models, we show that contemporary statistical methods for functional brain imaging-including univariate contrast, searchlight multivariate pattern classification, and whole-brain decoding with L1 or L2 regularization-each have critical and complementary blind spots under these conditions. We then introduce the sparse-overlapping-sets (SOS) LASSO-a whole-brain multivariate approach that exploits structured sparsity to find network-distributed information-and show in simulation that it captures the advantages of other approaches while avoiding their limitations. When applied to fMRI data to find neural responses that discriminate visually presented faces from other visual stimuli, each method yields a different result, but existing approaches all support the canonical view that face perception engages localized areas in posterior occipital and temporal regions. In contrast, SOS LASSO uncovers a network spanning all four lobes of the brain. The result cannot reflect spurious selection of out-of-system areas because decoding accuracy remains exceedingly high even when canonical face and place systems are removed from the dataset. When used to discriminate visual scenes from other stimuli, the same approach reveals a localized signal consistent with other methods-illustrating that SOS LASSO can detect both widely distributed and localized representational structure. Thus, structured sparsity can provide an unbiased method for testing claims of functional localization. For faces and possibly other domains, such decoding may reveal representations more widely distributed than previously suspected.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Brain systems represent information as patterns of activation over neural populations connected in networks that can be widely distributed anatomically, variable across individuals, and intermingled with other networks. We show that four widespread statistical approaches to functional brain imaging have critical blind spots in this scenario and use simulations with neural network models to illustrate why. We then introduce a new approach designed specifically to find radically distributed representations in neural networks. In simulation and in fMRI data collected in the well studied domain of face perception, the new approach discovers extensive signal missed by the other methods-suggesting that prior functional imaging work may have significantly underestimated the degree to which neurocognitive representations are distributed and variable across individuals.