cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiological mechanisms of cholecystokinin action on pancreatic secretion

Recent experimental studies in animals and humans provide strong evidence that cholecystokinin (CCK) acts via cholinergic pathways to mediate pancreatic enzyme secretion. These studies indicate that the sites of CCK's action to stimulate pancreatic secretion are dose dependent. Doses of CCK that produce physiological plasma CCK levels act via stimulation of the vagal afferent pathway originating from the gastroduodenal mucosa, whereas doses that produce supraphysiological CCK levels act to stimulate intrapancreatic neurons and pancreatic acini. These CCK-sensitive fibers are also responsive to a wide range of chemical and osmotic stimuli. In this manner, gastrointestinal afferents responding to hormones such as CCK and the ever-changing chemical and physical luminal environment provide sensory information to the central nervous system, which in turn stimulates pancreatic secretion via a vagal cholinergic pathway.
HIV infection in children. A new hope.

Further understanding of the pathophysiology of HIV infection and recent advances in the development of antiretroviral medications have led to dramatic changes in the ways that children and adolescents are affected by the disease and have provided a hope that was non-existent in the early years of the epidemic. These advances have posed new challenges, however, for ensuring that each infected child and adolescent receives the maximum available benefits. While it is likely that there will continue to be pauses in the pace of progress, the future holds real promise. The third decade of the AIDS epidemic should see additional developments that will continue to improve the lives of those infected with the virus.
Applications of Solid-Angle Functions in Acoustical Scattering

It is known that, in the far-field (FF) regime, the pulse-echo (PE) scattering of acoustical waves from a weak, internally uniform inhomogeneity can be simply represented in terms of the planar area function (PArF) of the scatterer. The PArF can be obtained by moving an imaginary cutting-plane, oriented parallel to the incident wavefront, through the scatterer and by recording the areas of the cross-sections as a function of distance. After the PArF is re-expressed as a function of the round-trip time, the impulse response function (IRF) is obtained by taking the second time derivative and multiplying by a known constant. In the case of a strong scatterer a similar procedure is employed, except the shadow zone is regarded as an extension of the object In an earlier paper (Richardson and Wade, 1992), the PArF was discussed at some length, but a generalization, called the solidangle function (SAnF) approach, was discussed only briefly. The purpose of the present paper is to give a full treatment of the latter approach.
THE PARADOX OF EMOTION AND FICTION

Nous eprouvons des emotions pour des caracteres et situations fictionnels. Cela est un paradoxe. L'A. expose certaines de ses solutions
Spinocerebellar Ataxia 5 (SCA5)

Publisher Summary Spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5) is a slowly progressive autosomal dominant ataxia that predominantly affects the cerebellum. Although the mutation has not yet been identified, dramatic intergenerational changes in severity and age of onset suggest the possibility that a microsatellite expansion may be involved. Symptoms, which progress over time, include in coordination of the upper extremities, slurred speech, and gait ataxia. SCA5 predominantly affects the cerebellum while largely sparing the brainstem and spinocerebellar tracts. The predominant cerebellar involvement and mild disease course of SCA5 are similar to SCA6. Raw sequence data, recently available from the Human Genome Project, has helped to develop hundreds of microsatellite markers and to create a more detailed map of the region.
An NN Classification Rule for Multiple Observations

We consider the problem of classifying multiple (m) observations into one of two populations using a nearest neighbor (NN) type rule. We derive the limiting risk R(m) of the proposed NN rule. For m = 2, we obtain an improved upper bound for R(m) and show that R(m) ⩽ R(m-I) for m = 2, 3.AMS (1980) Subject classification: Primary 62H30; Secondary 62F15.
Sleep Disorders in Blind Children

The frequency and type of sleep disorders in 77 blind children, from 3 to 18 years of age, were compared with 79 matched controls, using a 42-item questionnaire in a study at the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Center, Stanford, CA, and the Laboratoire du Sommeil, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de l’Hotel-Dieu a Paris, France.
Incidental brain MRI findings in an autism twin study

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies suggest the prevalence of asymptomatic “incidental” findings (IF) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is similar to that of neurotypically developing (NT) controls. However, given the causes of IF may include both genetic and environmental factors, a twin study would facilitate comparing brain IF between ASD and NT subjects. MRI scans were examined to assess the prevalence of brain IF in twin “case pairs” (at least one twin with diagnosis of ASD) and twin “control pairs” (NT). Fifty case pairs and thirty-two control pairs were analyzed. IF were found in 68% of subjects with ASD, 71% of unaffected ASD siblings, and in 58% of control subjects (P = 0.4). IF requiring clinical follow-up occurred more frequently in subjects with ASD compared to NT controls (17% vs. 5%, respectively; P = 0.02). The concordance rate of IF in twins was 83%. A mixed effects model found younger age, male sex, and “family environment” to be significantly associated with IF. There was no difference in the prevalence rate of IF between ASD subjects and NT controls. More IF required clinical follow-up in ASD subjects compared to NT controls. The prevalence rate of IF observed in this twin study was higher than rates previously reported in singleton studies. Our results suggest the shared environment of twins – perhaps in utero – increases the risk of brain IF. Brain MRI in the initial work-up of ASD may be indicated in twins, especially in males. Autism Res 2016. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Eliciting Contraband through Archaeology: Illicit Trade in Eighteenth-Century St. Augustine

The study of contraband (illicit trade) should offer a uniquely appropriate focus for the multi-evidentiary strengths of historical archaeology, in that it demands the articulation of largely undocumented economic activity (reflected materially in archaeological remains) with legal mandates and formal regulations about commerce. Problematic issues in realizing this are presented by the recognition of contraband goods and activities in the archaeological record and by the difficulties in articulating archaeologically derived periodicity with text-based periodicity of contraband in a given community. With those concerns in mind, the analysis of excavated data from six 18th-century households of St. Augustine is described here with extensive historical documentation of contraband activity in Spanish Florida and the Spanish Americas in general to explore the notion that historical archaeological integration of data about contraband can reveal useful information not knowable from either source alone. Results suggest that at a community-wide scale of analysis, the archaeological data essentially reify and add detail to the already existing documentary accounts of contraband trade. A household scale of analysis and comparison reveals how people with specific economic, occupational, religious, ethnic, and social identities engaged in contraband as a strategy in ways that were not previously known. This helps define the contours of economic possibility and creates a more nuanced understanding of the structure, opportunity, and dynamics of economic choice and agency within a community.
The Lion, the Pig and the Wolf and other Thoughts about New York

Abstract: Karen Bender, being both a novelist and creative writing professor, explores the idea of travel and relocation as engines for ideas and lives. Moving from Los Angeles to New York, and later to North Carolina, as well as her education as a writer for almost two decades, act as the background and the reason for such reflection in search of new thought processes and ideas. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* O leao, o porco e o lobo e outros pensamentos sobre Nova York Resumo: Karen Bender propoe um ensaio bastante pessoal, no qual, na qualidade de romancista e professora de escrita criativa, reflete em tom de testemunho e com um olhar literario sobre um tema sempre caro para os escritores: o recurso da viagem e das mudancas como motores de ideias e de vidas. Suas mudancas de Los Angeles para Nova York e sua formacao como escritora ao longo de quase duas decadas, bem como as modificacoes sofridas pela cidade ao longo deste tempo e a mudanca de Karen Bender e sua familia para North Caroline, sao o pano de fundo e o motivo para as reflexoes em busca de novos pensamentos, estranhamento e ideias. Palavras-chave: Escrita criativa, Viagem, Testemunho.
Dielectric Characterization of Confined Water in Chiral Cellulose Nanocrystal Films

A known deterrent to the large-scale development and use of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in composite materials is their affinity for moisture, which has a profound effect on dispersion, wetting, interfacial adhesion, matrix crystallization, water uptake, and hydrothermal stability. To quantify and control the hydration and confinement of absorbed water in CNCs, we studied sulfated-CNCs neutralized with sodium cations and CNCs functionalized with less hydrophilic methyl(triphenyl)phosphonium cations. Films were cast from water suspensions at 20 °C under controlled humidity and drying rate, yielding CNC materials with distinguishably different dielectric properties and cholesteric structures. By controlling the evaporation rate, we obtained self-assembled chiral CNC films with extended uniformity, having helical modulation length (nominal pitch) tunable from 1300 to 600 nm. SEM imaging and UV–vis–NIR total reflectance spectra revealed tighter and more uniform CNC packing in films cast at slow evaporation ...
Language Modeling with Recurrent Highway Hypernetworks

We present extensive experimental and theoretical support for the efficacy of recurrent highway networks (RHNs) and recurrent hypernetworks complimentary to the original works. Where the original RHN work primarily provides theoretical treatment of the subject, we demonstrate experimentally that RHNs benefit from far better gradient flow than LSTMs in addition to their improved task accuracy. The original hypernetworks work presents detailed experimental results but leaves several theoretical issues unresolved--we consider these in depth and frame several feasible solutions that we believe will yield further gains in the future. We demonstrate that these approaches are complementary: by combining RHNs and hypernetworks, we make a significant improvement over current state-of-the-art character-level language modeling performance on Penn Treebank while relying on much simpler regularization. Finally, we argue for RHNs as a drop-in replacement for LSTMs (analogous to LSTMs for vanilla RNNs) and for hypernetworks as a de-facto augmentation (analogous to attention) for recurrent architectures.
Aircraft conflict resolution cataloguer

Air route traffic control centers (ARTCCs) operated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are responsible for efficiently and safely managing United States en route air traffic at altitudes of 18,000 feet and above. To achieve the FAA's mission, the ARTCC's human air traffic controllers monitor air traffic and ensure aircraft safety within partitioned airspace, called sectors, located in each ARTCC's boundaries. In order to achieve this, air traffic controllers must resolve potential conflicts that are identified through methods including manual inspection through looking at their display, or air traffic automated systems alerts. A standard en route conflict occurs if two aircraft travel within five nautical miles in the horizontal plane, while simultaneously flying within 1000 feet in the vertical plane. The controllers request pilots make changes to their intended trajectories to prevent a risk of violating separation distances. The FAA collects and archives the air traffic automation data corresponding to the predicted conflict events and information about the aircraft during their flight, such as: ground speed, vertical phase, horizontal phase, minimum separation distances and time postings. This paper describes algorithms for cataloging (detect and characterize) aircraft conflict resolutions, utilizing the data that is archived by air traffic automated systems. The automated systems only alert the air traffic controllers of potential conflicts. It is the human air traffic controllers that either perform a conflict resolution or determine if the alert is false. Our algorithms identify the maneuvers cleared by the air traffic controllers that occurred. We verify and validate our algorithms using real air traffic data. Characteristics of the traffic scenarios we used are not factors impacting our algorithms.
Comparative metabolic ecology of tropical herbivorous echinoids on a coral reef.

Background The metabolic rate of consumers is a key driver of ecosystem dynamics. On coral reefs, herbivorous echinoids consume fleshy algae, facilitating the growth of reef-building calcified organisms; however, little is known about differences among species in their metabolic and functional ecology. Here, we used log-linear (log-log) regression models to examine the allometric scaling of mass and routine metabolic rate for five common herbivorous echinoids on a Hawaiian coral reef: Echinothrix calamaris, E. diadema, Echinometra matthaei, Heterocentrotus mammillatus, and Tripneustes gratilla. Scaling relationships were then contrasted with empirical observations of echinoid ecology and general metabolic theory to broaden our understanding of diversity in the metabolic and functional ecology of tropical herbivorous echinoids. Results Test diameter and species explained 98% of the variation in mass, and mass and species explained 92.4% and 87.5% of the variation in individual (I) and mass-specific (B) metabolic rates, respectively. Scaling exponents did not differ for mass or metabolism; however, normalizing constants differed significantly among species. Mass varied as the cube of test diameter (b = 2.9), with HM exhibiting a significantly higher normalizing constant than other species, likely due to its heavily-calcified spines and skeleton. Individual metabolic rate varied approximately as the 2/5 power of mass (γ = 0.44); significantly smaller than the 3/4 universal scaling coefficient, but inclusive of 2/3 scaling. E. calamaris and H. mammillatus exhibited the lowest normalizing constants, corresponding with their slow-moving, cryptic, rock-boring life-history. In contrast, E. calamaris, E. diadema, and T. gratilla, exhibited higher metabolic rates, likely reflecting their higher levels of activity and ability to freely browse for preferred algae due to chemical anti-predator defenses. Thus, differences in metabolic scaling appeared to correspond with differences in phylogeny, behavior, and ecological function. Such comparative metabolic assessments are central to informing theory, ecological models, and the effective management of ecosystems.
P I – 2–3 The problems of contamination of breast milk by organochlorine pesticides in the osh province of the kyrgyz republic

Background/aim The aim is to study the contamination of breast milk (BM) by organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the Osh Province. Methods Determination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs: HCH: α-HCH, γ-HCH, β-HCH, DDT, DDE and DDD, aldrin and dieldrin, heptachlor) in breast milk samples of 95 lactating women were performed by gas chromatography on a chromatograph ‘Tsvet-164’. Results The following OCPs were detected in breast milk samples: HCH: α-HCH, γ-HCH, DDT and DDE, the other OCPs were not identified. Positive results for OCPs were reported in 58 (61.0%) samples. One type of OCPs was detected in 34 (58.6%), 2 types of OCPs in 18 (31.0%), 3 types in 5 (8.6%) and 4 types in 1 (1.7%). α-HCH was found in 23 (39,7%), γ-HCH in 18 (31,0%), DDE in 16 (27.6%) and DDT in 1 (1.7%). The highest number (80%) of OCPs was found in samples of women who lived near the former pesticide storehouses and agro-airstrips. The lowest (20%) – in samples of women who lived in mountain areas. The total maximum concentration of OCPs in breast milk samples was 2.24 µg/L. Conclusion Thus, children of the women with OCPs detected in breast milk are 7 times more likely to have pathologies as compared to children of women whose breast milk samples do not contain any OCPs. The higher the concentration of OCPs in breast milk, the higher the number of pathologies diagnosed in children.
‘Tasks’ appearing in primary school textbooks

The use of tasks has become increasingly popular in primary school English-as-a-foreign-language programmes. However, it remains unclear how appropriate the tasks introduced in textbooks are for young learners given their cognitive and linguistic developmental needs. To explore this issue, we analysed activities appearing in select government-approved textbooks (for grades 3–6) and teacher resource books in China and South Korea where task-based language teaching is being implemented by policy. We found that most activities would be classified as non-tasks according to the conceptualization of tasks in the field, but also that there were challenges in making such judgements due to some vagueness in these conceptualizations. Moreover, the tasks in the textbooks were differentiated across grade levels mainly through the manipulation of linguistic elements, but not of cognitive demands, resulting in fewer opportunities for meaningful target language use needed to stimulate children’s language development. We offer suggestions for task design and curriculum development.
A framework for automatic discovery of chemically termolecular reactions

Abstract Given the large mole fractions of highly reactive species encountered in combustion, there is significant potential for chemically reactive collisions to occur on similar timescales as the energy-transferring collisions responsible for thermalization. Recent work has shown that this can result in “chemically termolecular” reactions of importance to combustion predictions. This type of reaction, where three reactants are involved in bond breaking and forming, has generally been neglected in previous phenomenological kinetic models. Combinatorially, there are hundreds to thousands of such reactions that are possible. Clearly, it is not feasible to perform detailed master equation analysis for all of these potential pathways, and yet, a priori, it is difficult to know which of these thousands of reactions are sufficiently likely to impact combustion predictions to warrant detailed master equation calculations. This paper presents a theoretical and computational framework that identifies and estimates rate constants for potential chemically termolecular reactions, for which information has been previously limited, based on information already available for known reactions in combustion mechanisms. Applications of this approach to flames, presented herein, reveal a few chemically termolecular reactions that impact flame emissions and flame speeds – including H + N2 + O = NH + NO, H + CO + H = H2 + CO, and H + C2H2 + O2/OH/H. These reactions, therefore, are worthwhile candidates for detailed master equation calculations for improved quantitative predictions.
Excitatory Transmission in Parasympathetic Ganglia

The five sections that follow will deal with transmission in parasympathetic ganglia excluding the enteric ganglia (myenteric plexus and Auerbach plexus); these latter ganglia and their transmission are discussed separately (see Chapter 16). The distinction between parasympathetic and enteric transmission stems from the observation made by Langley (1900) that there is no evidence to indicate whether all or some of the neurons in the gastrointestinal plexuses of Auerbach and Meissner constitute postganglionic neurons located in the cranial or sacral pathways. As a result, since the classification by Langley (1900) of the autonomic nervous system, such a distinction has persisted (Gershon, 1981), although it is not accepted by all (Burnstock, 1979).
Duplex Ultrasound in the Evaluation and Management of Post-Catheterization Femoral Pseudoaneurysms

Ultrasound use for obtaining arterial access has increased substantially over the past decade and continues to be the modality of choice for diagnosing access-related complications. Furthermore, ultrasound-based imaging (serial duplex examinations until spontaneous closure) and treatment, i.e., duplex-guided thrombin injection or compression, have become the standard to which all other treatments are compared for femoral pseudoaneurysms. This updated chapter covers a review of the diagnosis and treatment of post-catheterization femoral artery pseudoaneurysms.
Possible Phase Diagrams for Mixtures of ‘Positive’ and ‘Negative’ Nematic Liquid Crystals

Common nematogenic materials consist of rod-like molecules whose longest axes tend to be parallel in the nematic phase. In addition to such ‘positive’ nematics, it is reasonable to expect that there might be ‘negative’ nematics with planar molecules aligned with their shortest axes parallel.1,2 We have studied a theoretical model which indicates that, if indeed such ‘negative’ nematics exist, then mixing them with suitable ‘positive’ nematics would produce some remarkable effects.3,4 We here describe our most significant findings. The details of our calculation may be found in Refs. 3 and 4.
Evaluation of Cancer Specific Mortality with Surgery versus Radiation as Primary Therapy for Localized High Grade Prostate Cancer in Men Younger Than 60 Years.

Purpose:The optimal primary treatment of localized high grade prostate cancer in younger men remains controversial. The objective of this project was to compare the impact of initial radical prostatectomy vs radiation therapy on survival outcomes in young men less than 60 years old with high grade prostate cancer.Materials and Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the records of men younger than 60 years in the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) database who underwent initial surgery or radiation therapy of high grade (Gleason score 8 or greater) localized (N0M0 TNM stage) prostate cancer from 2004 to 2012. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine prostate cancer specific and overall mortality.Results:A total of 2,228 men were identified, of whom 1,459 (65.5%) underwent initial surgery and had a median followup of 43 months and 769 (34.5%) underwent initial external beam radiation therapy with or without brachytherapy and had a median followu...
Effect of nitrogen fertilization on the abundance of nitrogen cycling genes in agricultural soils: A meta-analysis of field studies

Abstract Quantification of functional genes involved in nitrogen (N) transformation improves our understanding of N-cycling microbial population responses to environmental disturbance. Agricultural N fertilization affects N-cycling gene abundances in soil, but the general patterns and variability of N cycling gene abundances in response to N fertilization have yet to be synthesized. We conducted a meta-analysis comprising 47 field studies in agricultural ecosystems. We included five marker genes important to N-cycling: nifH (encoding nitrogenase; key enzyme for N fixation), amoA (encoding ammonia monooxygenase; key enzyme for nitrification), nirK and nirS (encoding nitrite reductase; key enzyme for denitrification), and nosZ (encoding nitrous oxide reductase; key enzyme for denitrification). We found that N fertilization had no effect on the abundance of nifH, but significantly increased archaeal amoA (31%), bacterial amoA (313%), nirK (53%), nirS (40%) and nosZ (75%), respectively. N fertilizer form (inorganic versus organic) strongly affected the response of most selected N-cycling genes to N fertilization; organic fertilizers often had a much stronger effect than inorganic fertilizers. N fertilization duration, crop rotation, and soil pH were also important factors regulating the response of most N-cycling genes to N fertilization. Genes involved in nitrification and denitrification were significantly correlated with each other. Improvement in understanding of the response of N-cycling gene abundance to enhanced N input will help develop quantitative models of N availability and N fluxes and improve strategies for reducing reactive N gas emissions and N management in agricultural ecosystems.
Double Stranded DNA Damage and Genome Editing Trigger Ribosome Remodeling and Translational Shutdown

DNA damage activates a robust transcriptional stress response, but much less is known about how DNA impacts translation. The advent of genome editing via a Cas9-induced DNA double-strand break has intensified interest in understanding cellular responses to DNA damage. Here we find that DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by Cas9 or other damaging agents lead to a reduction of core ribosomal proteins, RPS27A and RPL40, and that the loss of these proteins is post-transcriptional and p53-independent. DSBs furthermore lead to the shutdown of translation through phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha, and altering these signals affects genome editing outcomes. This DSB translational response is widespread and precedes the transcriptional response. Our results demonstrate that even a single double-strand break can lead to ribosome remodeling and reduced translational output, and suggest caution in interpreting cellular phenotypes measured immediately after genome editing.
Assessment of Trends in Utilization of Nasal Endoscopy in the Medicare Population, 2000-2016.

Importance Nasal endoscopy is the most highly reimbursed routine clinical procedure in otolaryngology by Medicare. To our knowledge, the economic and demographic characteristics of nasal endoscopy have not been characterized at a population level. Objective To quantify trends in use of nasal endoscopy among Medicare recipients at a national and state level. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional study of procedure and beneficiary data from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2016, and available health care provider data from 2015 obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for all diagnostic nasal endoscopies categorized as Current Procedural Terminology code 31231. Exposures Diagnostic nasal endoscopy. Main Outcomes and Measures Nasal endoscopies were analyzed by state, medical or surgical specialty, mean reimbursement, health care provider density, and type of health care practitioner performing the procedure. Results The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reimbursed $86.3 million for 559 547 nasal endoscopies in 2016. The total number of nasal endoscopies increased 313%, from 135 494 in 2000 to 559 547 in 2016 (9.3% average annual rate of increase). The mean reimbursement rate per nasal endoscopy varied by state, from $114.25 in Puerto Rico to $189.53 in New York. The percentage of Medicare beneficiaries receiving nasal endoscopy per state ranged from 0.1% in Alaska to 1.7% in New York. Almost all nasal endoscopies were performed by physicians (97.3%), with otolaryngologists (97.2%) being the most common specialty. Reimbursement rates ( r = 0.60) and density of health care providers ( r = –0.56) were correlated with higher utilization in a state's Medicare population. Conclusions and Relevance Utilization of nasal endoscopy by otolaryngologists in the Medicare population appears to have increased substantially over the past 2 decades. Practice patterns and reimbursement appeared to vary across the United States.
Inductive conformal predictor for convolutional neural networks: Applications to active learning for image classification

Abstract Conformal prediction uses the degree of strangeness (nonconformity) of data instances to determine the confidence values of new predictions. We propose an inductive conformal predictor for convolutional neural networks (CNNs), referring to it as ICP-CNN, which uses a novel nonconformity measure that produces reliable confidence values. Furthermore, ICP-CNN is used to improve classification performance through active learning, selecting instances from an unlabeled pool based on the evaluation of three criteria: informativeness, diversity, and information density. Distance metric learning is employed to measure diversity, using a similarity measure that adapts to the database being used. Moreover, information density is considered to filter outliers. Experiments conducted on face and object recognition databases demonstrate that ICP-CNN improves the classification performance of CNNs, outperforming previously proposed active learning techniques, while producing reliable confidence values.
Neonatal seizures. Clinical and electroencephalographic diagnosis

Neonatal seizures are common expression of acute brain injury in the perinatal period and could potentiate the degree of neuronal injury. The majority of events are electroencephalographic and the clinical seizures can be subtle and difficult to identify by medical personnel. Neonatal seizures are usually short and frequent at onset and have a tendency to subside after a short period. Continuous video-EEG monitoring is the gold standard to detect seizures, but amplitude integrated EEG is a useful tool when conventional EEG is not available. EEG monitoring is important not only to monitor frequency and duration of seizures but to provide important prognostic information.
Geosecure-O: A Method for Secure Distance Calculation for Travel Mode Detection using Outsourced GPS Trajectory Data

Detecting the mode of transportation using multimedia sensory data, such as trajectory data, is an important research problem arising out in many application domains that use location-based services (LBS). Due to the large volume, such data is commonly outsourced to third-party cloud service providers (CSP) for storage and usage by the LBS providers. The LBS providers typically deploy mode detection algorithms at the CSPs, which leads to continuous tracking of the user's location and raises severe security and privacy concerns among the users. Although many approaches exist in the literature regarding travel mode detection, security, and privacy concerns are not addressed by them. GPS based mode detection algorithms use distance and derived features such as velocity and acceleration. In this paper, we present a method, called GeoSecure-O, to securely calculate the distance without revealing the users' location to the LBS provider and utilize it to determine the travel mode. We evaluate the proposed method on the Microsoft GeoLife dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed method not only protects users' location but also achieves an accuracy similar to what is achieved using the data with users' location.
Chapter 10 – Influenza Viruses

Influenza viruses are enveloped, −ssRNA viruses with segmented genomes. Influenza A and B viruses are associated with seasonal epidemics, and several pandemics have been caused by influenza A viruses. Virions are transmitted through droplet spread and bind alpha-2,6-linked sialic acids found on the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract. Common symptoms include fever, myalgia, sore throat, rhinorrhea, and a nonproductive cough. Children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are at highest risk of secondary bacterial pneumonias. Following receptor binding, the virus undergoes clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The hemagglutinin (HA) protein fuses the viral envelope and endosomal membrane, allowing the release of the ribonucleoproteins. Despite carrying its own RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, viral gene segments enter the nucleus in order to steal the 5′ caps from host mRNAs and splice the smallest two of its transcripts. The virus undergoes assembly at the plasma membrane and buds from the cell. Neuraminidase (NA) cleaves sialic acids upon exit to prevent virion aggregation onto the cell surface. Subtypes of influenza A viruses are categorized by the HA and NA proteins encoded by the virus. Antigenic shifts have led to major pandemics within the last century.
Loeffler's Endocarditis and the Diagnostic Utility of Multimodality Imaging.

Loeffler's endocarditis is a rare form of restrictive cardiomyopathy associated with eosinophilia and endomyocardial fibrosis. It manifests most commonly as diastolic dysfunction or valvular abnormalities due to eosinophilic infiltration and degranulation. Herein, we chronicle a case of left ventricular involvement with Loeffler's endocarditis. We emphasize the utility of multimodality imaging including two-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in providing diagnostic information, as there is no standardized diagnostic criteria to date.
Tracking Smell Loss to Identify Healthcare Workers with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Background Healthcare workers (HCW) treating COVID-19 patients are at high risk for infection and may also spread infection through their contact with vulnerable patients. Smell loss has been associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, but it is unknown whether monitoring for smell loss can be used to identify asymptomatic infection among high risk individuals, like HCW. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study, tracking 473 HCW across three months to determine if smell loss could predict SARS-CoV-2 infection in this high-risk group. HCW subjects completed a longitudinal, novel behavioral at-home assessment of smell function with household items, as well as detailed symptom surveys that included a parosmia screening questionnaire, and RT-qPCR testing to identify SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results SARS-CoV-2 was identified in 17 (3.6%) of 473 HCW. Among the 17 infected HCW, 53% reported smell loss, and were more likely to report smell loss than COVID-negative HCW on both the at-home assessment and the screening questionnaire (P Conclusions In this prospective study of HCW, self-reported changes in smell using two different measures were predictive of COVID-19 infection. Smell loss frequently preceded a positive test and was associated with neurological symptoms.
Reinforcement Learning-based Parameter Tuning for Virtual Synchronous Machine on Grid Transient Stability Enhancement

A grid-forming inverter can provide a more flexible controller design framework compared with a synchronous generator. The virtual inertia of a grid-forming inverter can affect the dynamic response of the inverter and the grid under faults. In this study, the transient stability of a four-generator system has been evaluated under different virtual inertia tuning methods. The performance of a one-time tuning method and a real-time tuning method has been compared based on the improvement of the system critical clearing time. The real-time tuning method is obtained by reinforcement learning algorithm with off-line training.
Using novel mobile sensors to assess stress and smoking lapse.

Abstract Mobile sensors can now provide unobtrusive measurement of both stress and cigarette smoking behavior. We describe, here, the first field tests of two such methods, cStress and puffMarker, that were used to examine relationships between stress and smoking behavior and lapse from a sample of 76 smokers motivated to quit smoking. Participants wore a mobile sensors suite, called AutoSense, which collected continuous physiological data for 4 days (24-hours pre-quit and 72-hours post-quit) in the field. Algorithms were applied to the physiological data to create indices of stress (cStress) and first lapse smoking episodes (puffMarker). We used mixed effects interrupted autoregressive time series models to assess changes in heart rate (HR), cStress, and nicotine craving across the 4-day period. Self-report assessments using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of mood, withdrawal symptoms, and smoking behavior were also used. Results indicated that HR and cStress, respectively, predicted smoking lapse. These results suggest that measures of traditional psychophysiology, such as HR, are not redundant with cStress; both provide important information. Results are consistent with existing literature and provide clear support for cStress and puffMarker in ambulatory clinical research. This research lays groundwork for sensor-based markers in developing and delivering sensor-triggered, just-in-time interventions that are sensitive to stress-related lapser risk factors.
Systematic Review of Outcome Measures Used After Proximal Hamstring Repair.

Background:Patient-reported outcome measures are important to determine outcomes after orthopaedic procedures. There is currently no standard for outcome measures in the evaluation of patient outco...
The Role of Copper and Zinc in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been associated with copper-zinc imbalance and a zinc deficient diet. This study used Mendelian randomization to evaluate if genetically determined copper and zinc levels play a causal role in the development of IBS. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1175550, rs2769264, and rs2769270) associated with erythrocyte copper levels, and 3 SNPs associated with erythrocyte zinc levels (rs11638477, rs1532423, and rs2120019) in the Australian Twin Study (1993-1996 and 2001-2005) were used as instrumental variables for levels of these metals. The association of these SNPs with IBS was tested using summary statistics computed on 340,331 individuals from the UK Biobank, 5,548 of whom had IBS (2006-2010). Genetically predicted high serum copper levels were found to be associated with a lower risk of IBS (odds ratio: 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.8, 0.98). Genetically predicted high serum zinc levels were non-significantly associated with a higher risk of IBS (odds ratio: 1.1, 95% confidence interval: 0.95, 1.2). Sensitivity analysis did not suggest the presence of pleiotropy. These results suggest that high erythrocyte copper levels may be protective against IBS development. Targeting higher levels may therefore provide an avenue to reduce the likelihood of IBS development in high-risk individuals.
Processing of Thermoplastic Matrix Composites

In recent years considerable attention has been focused on the use of tough, high-temperature, sol vent-resistant thermoplastic polymers as matrix materials for fiber-reinforced composites. Thermoplastic resin systems have shown potential for reducing manufacturing costs and improving the damage tolerance of composite structures. In order to produce high-quality composite laminates from continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepregs the processing temperature and pressure must be selected so that intimate contact (coalescence) at the ply interfaces is achieved resulting in the formation of strong interfacial bonds (consolidation).
A Softball Knowledge Test

Abstract In this study an instrument was constructed and evaluated for determining the extent of knowledge and the marking of college students. Statistical analysis of the test consisted of an odd-even reliability coefficient; and the item analysis of difficulty rating and the index of discrimination. A norm table and T-Scores are presented. The test, consisting of 60 true-false items, 25 completion, 5 fair or foul ball, and 10 the ball is in play or dead, is appended.
Enhancing the Explanatory Power of Intelligent User Interfaces with Diagrams

I describe techniques that can be used to enhance the explanatory power of intelligent user interfaces. I focus on advice-giving systems that provide recommendations to end-users on how to solve problems, or help end-users make the right decisions. By explanatory power I am referring to the ability of a system to “explain” its own actions. One approach to endowing a system with explanatory power is to develop some kind of diagram—a graphical model that shows how something works or makes something easier to understand. I explore, in particular, “dynamic” diagrams in which the end user can explore the diagrammatic structures in a variety of ways to aid in understanding and problem-solving.
The Dangerous Search for an Elusive Consensus: What the Supreme Court Should Learn from the European Court of Human Rights

Both the European Court of Human Rights (to a great extent) and the United States Supreme Court (to a lesser, yet important extent) are resolving important rights claims by looking to societal consensus. This article explores the implications of using a consensus standard on rights and the rule of law.
The Relationship between Self-Determination, the Social Context of Choice, and Authenticity

The 1959 film Imitation of Life tells the story of Sarah Jane, a young, lightskinned African American woman, and her struggle to find her place in a society that would likely oppress her if her racial heritage were common knowledge. However, this same society would celebrate her talents if she kept her race a secret, allowing others to believe she was a white person. Unfortunately, her choice to pass for white causes her much internal suffering because in order to pass, she must reject her African American mother, and, in so doing, deny a crucial part of her self.
CONCURRENT STABILIZATION OF SOME INTERIOR DUNE FIELDS IN MICHIGAN

Inland dunes occur over a large part of east-central lower Michigan, where they mantle glaciolacustrine and outwash surfaces that were exposed around 12,000 yrs. B.P. The dunes are parabolic, with northwest-oriented limbs, and occur in swampy landscapes, suggesting that paleoclimatic conditions at the time of their formation were much drier and possibly windier. In order to determine whether the dunes stabilized concurrently or randomly in time and space, surface soils were studied on 30 dunes in the area and quantitatively analyzed for relative differences. Soils data from the dunes indicate concurrent stabilization, following a period of regional mobilization of aeolian sand. Surface soils have formed by podzolization, in uniform parent materials, and are morphologically similar throughout the area. All the soils are weakly developed, with subtle variations on a A-E-Bs-BC-C horizonation sequence. Munsell colors of Bs horizons are remarkably uniform, with 27 of 30 sites exhibiting values of 4 and chromas...
Tapering Long-term Opioid Therapy in Chronic Noncancer Pain: Evidence and Recommendations for Everyday Practice

Increasing concern about the risks and limited evidence supporting the therapeutic benefit of long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain are leading prescribers to consider discontinuing the use of opioids. In addition to overt addiction or diversion, the presence of adverse effects, diminishing analgesia, reduced function and quality of life, or the absence of progress toward functional goals can justify an attempt at weaning patients from long-term opioid therapy. However, discontinuing opioid therapy is often hindered by patients' psychiatric comorbidities and poor coping skills, as well as the lack of formal guidelines for the prescribers. The aim of this article is to review the existing literature and formulate recommendations for practitioners aiming to discontinue long-term opioid therapy. Specifically, this review aims to answer the following questions: What is an optimal opioid tapering regimen? How can the risks involved in a taper be managed? What are the alternatives to an opioid taper? A PubMed literature search was conducted using the keywords chronic pain combined with opioid withdrawal, taper, wean and detoxification. Six hundred ninety-five documents were identified and screened; 117 were deemed directly relevant and are included. On the base of this literature review, this article proposes evidence-based recommendations and expert-based suggestions for clinical practice. Furthermore, areas of lack of evidence are identified, providing opportunities for further research.
We've Heard this Before: The Legacy of Interracial Marriage Bans and the Implications for Today's Marriage Equality Debates

This article draws parallels between arguments made today against marriage equality for lesbian and gay couples an arguments made earlier in our country’s history against interracial marriage. It notes the similarities between the two, including arguments based on religion, procreation, morality, and judicial restraint. The author concludes the now-discredited arguments against interracial marriage prove that our understanding of equal protection and the fundamental right to marry evolve over time. He argues that contemporary arguments against same-sex marriage, which track arguments against interracial marriage so closely, will also be discredited as lesbian and gay couples attain marriage equality throughout the country.
A three-stage preconditioner for geometries with multiple holes and handles in integral equation-based electromagnetic simulation of integrated packages

A novel three-stage approach for preconditioner including loop-tree, basis function rearrangement and incomplete LU is presented. In particular a new technique for construction of loop-tree basis functions for arbitrary-shaped geometries consisting of any number of holes and handles is described. This preconditioner enables fast iterative solution of integral modeling of electromagnetic components in integrated packages.
RADIATE: radio over fiber as an antenna extender for high-speed train communications

With the explosive growth of Internet-based applications and services, people are relying on the Internet in their daily life. This drives a significant demand for provisioning broadband Internet services in high-speed trains. In this article, we propose a novel solution named RADIATE for high-speed train communications. RADIATE utilizes cellular networks as backhauls to avoid the expensive capital expenditure in provisioning broadband Internet services in high-speed trains. RADIATE, by applying radio over fiber, deploys on-roof antennas and optimally operates these antennas to address the drawbacks of utilizing cellar networks as backhauls. Thus, RADIATE provides a cost-effective and high-quality communications solution for provisioning broadband Internet services in high-speed trains.
Effect of terbutaline, a β2-adrenoreceptor agonist, on gastric acid secretion and serum gastrin concentrations in humans

Abstract Because β-adrenoreceptor agonists inhibit gastrinstimulated gastric acid secretion in animals, we postulated that the β 2 -adrenoreceptor agonist, terbutaline, would inhibit pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion in humans. Moreover, we hypothesized that terbutaline might inhibit food-stimulated acid secretion, as gastrin is a major mediator of food-stimulated acid secretion. Subcutaneous terbutaline (0.25 mg) reduced acid secretion during intravenous infusion of a submaximal dose of pentagastrin by 30%–40% (p β 2 -adrenoreceptor agonists enhance gastrin release while at the same time inhibiting gastrin-stimulated acid secretion in humans.
The Cost of Illness, Disability, and Premature Mortality to Russia's Economy

An American specialist on Russia's health and demographic situation calculates the economic burden of morbidity, disability, and premature death on the country's economy in 2003, applying a cost-of-illness model commonly used in Western settings. The paper disaggregates direct costs (spending specifically on health care) and indirect costs (productivity lost due to illness and death, measured in terms of lost wages), and distinguishes between current-year versus out-year losses and the costs incurred due to different categories of illness. The paper first analyzes the situation for Russia as a whole before briefly exploring regional variations in elements of cost of illness. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: I12, I18, J28, O15. 10 figures, 6 tables, 46 references.
More on Fresnel integrals

(1988). More on Fresnel Integrals. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 95, No. 5, pp. 431-433.