cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clustering white matter fibers using support vector machines: a volumetric conformal mapping approach

White matter tractography is non-invasive method to study white matter microstructure within the brain and its connectivity across the different regions. Various neuro-degenerative diseases affect the white matter connectivity in the brain. In order to study the neurodegeneration and localize the affected fiber bundles, it is important to cluster the white matter fibers in an anatomically consistent manner. Clustering white matter fiber bundles in the brain is a challenging problem. The present approaches include region of interest (ROI) based clustering as well as template based clustering. A novel clustering technique using support vector machine framework is introduced. In this method, a conformal volumetric bijective mapping between the brain and the topologically equivalent sphere is established. The white matter fibers are then parameterized in this domain. Such a parameterization also introduces a spatial normalization without requiring any prior registration. We show that such a mapping is useful to learn statistical models of white matter fiber bundles and use it for clustering in a new subject.
Intricacies of ligand coordination in tricarbonylchromium(0) complexes with ortho- and para-fluorobiphenyls.

The steric and electronic factors that influence which of the two rings of a substituted biphenyl ligand coordinates to chromium are of interest and it has been suggested that haptotropic rearrangements within these molecules may be limited if the arene-arene dihedral angle is too large. Two tricarbonylchromium(0) complexes and their respective free ligands have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the solid state, tricarbonyl[(1',2',3',4',5',6'-η)-2-fluoro-1,1'-biphenyl]chromium(0), [Cr(C12H9F)(CO)3], (I), exists as the more stable isomer with the nonhalogenated arene ring ligated to the metal center. Similarly, tricarbonyl[(1',2',3',4',5',6'-η)-4-fluoro-1,1'-biphenyl]chromium(0) crystallizes as the more stable isomer with the phenyl ring bonded to the Cr0 center. The arene-arene dihedral angles in these complexes are 55.77 (4) and 52.4 (5)°, respectively. Structural features of these complexes are compared to those of the DFT-optimized geometries of ten tricarbonyl[(η6-C6H5)(4-F-C6H4)]chromium model complexes. The solid-state structures of the free ligands 2-fluoro-1,1'-biphenyl and 4-fluoro-1,1'-biphenyl, both C12H9F, exhibit arene-arene dihedral angles of 54.83 (7) and 0.71 (8)°, respectively. The molecules of the free ligands occupy crystallographic twofold axes and exhibit positional disorder. Weak intermolecular C-H...F interactions are observed in all four structures.
MultiDimensional Apollonian Gaskets

Geometric and group-theoretic approach. Hyperbolic (Lobachevsky) plane L, group G of conformal transformations. Action of the discrete group \(\Gamma _{4}\) on an Apollonian gasket.
Biological treatments (antibodies)

This chapter presents an overview of the human immune system and the potential role it plays in the immunologic treatment of SCCHN cancers. More specifically, it examines the significance of both innate antibody formation and introduction of bioengineered monoclonal antibodies, and how they interact. Further, this chapter discusses how these immunologic tools may be improved upon to more successfully address, and potentially clear various forms of SCCHN cancers. Initially, we study immune system mechanisms, immunotherapy, immunogenicity, and the formation of antibodies within the human immune system in reaction to antigens and targeted toxins. Secondly, we describe monoclonal antibody development, production, and biochemical and biomechanical behavior pathways. Third, we present current most commonly used monoclonal antibody therapy, such as; cetuximab and trastuzumab, and possible drug pathways being considered for future development and use in SCCHN. Fourth, we review various antibody and monoclonal antibody molecular combination therapies, developing and in use, such as; antibody drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies. The final portion of our discussion explores the most probable future directions for SCCHN immunotherapeutic development and applications including; nanomaterials, biophysics and mass transport/oncophysics across biological barriers, and cancer stem cell research.
Episodic Memory and the Hippocampus

What did you have for breakfast yesterday? Who went with you to the movies? Who did you see at work today? It is likely that you can answer all questions of this sort. Moreover, if you continue to focus on retrieving information relevant to one or more of these questions, you will recover an amazing amount of contextual detail that surrounded the personal experience. Now answer another question: Did you intend to remember any of these experiences? The likely answer in most cases will be no. Thus, this small exercise reveals that your brain contains a memory system that automatically captures the content of your daily life and stores it in a manner that permits you to intentionally retrieve and replay it. Keywords: hippocampus; declarative memory; pattern completion
Ubiquitination and TNFR1 signaling.

Death receptors are a subset of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family of proteins and share a characteristic cytoplasmic motif called the “death domain.” In addition to mediating cell death, these receptors regulate cell proliferation, inflammatory responses, and tumor progression. Receptor occupancy triggers the assembly of several cytoplasmic molecules into distinct complexes, each initiating separate signaling events leading to different biological responses. Post-translational modifications involving ubiquitin, a peptide of 76 amino acids, regulate events at nearly all stages of signaling. All ubiquitin chains function as docking platforms for molecules with specific recognition motifs that either propagate the signal or target the protein for proteasomal degradation. Moreover, enzymes with ubiquitin thioesterase activity (deubiquitinating enzymes, or DUBs) reverse modifications by removing the ubiquitin chains, allowing ubiquitin editing at the molecular level. Ubiquitin protein ligases (E3s), DUBs, and signaling molecules with ubiquitin recognition motifs control TNFR1 mediated cell death and activation of NF-κB and JNK. Here, we discuss the current understanding of how these proteins regulate TNFR1 signaling.
Sequence Diversification by Divergent C-Terminal Elongation of Peptides

Sequence diversification at the C terminus is traditionally limited by significant epimerization of the C-terminal residue during its activation toward nucleophilic attack, thus mandating repetition of the peptide synthesis for each targeted variation. Here, we accomplish divergent C-terminal elongation of a single peptide substrate with concomitant resin cleavage via displacement of an N-acyl urea moiety. Sterically hindered amino acids such as Ile and Pro are well-tolerated in this approach, which proceeds reasonable conversion and no detectable epimerization of the starting peptide’s C-terminal amino acid.
School Counseling Toward an LGBTQ-Inclusive School Climate: Implementing the SCEARE Model

The school environment is often perceived as hostile by sexual minority youth. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) students experience high rates of bullying and suicidal ideation ye...
Association between walnut consumption and diabetes risk in NHANES.

Background Dietary interventions and cohort studies relating tree nut consumption to blood glucose levels suggest a possible effect of walnuts. Objective To examine the associations between walnut consumption and diabetes risk using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data on adults conducting 24-hour dietary recall was pooled across the years 1999 through 2014. Diabetes status or risk was based on self-report, medication use, fasting plasma glucose levels, and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c ) levels. Individuals were characterized based on reported consumption of walnuts, mixed-nuts, or no nuts. Results After adjustment for covariates, walnut consumers showed lower risk for diabetes compared with non-nut consumers based on self-report (odds ratio of 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31-0.72) as well as fasting blood glucose (relative risk ratio 0.32, CI 0.17-0.58) and HbA1c (relative risk ratio 0.51, CI 0.27-0.99). For each standard deviation of increase in walnut intake, prevalence of diabetes dropped 47%. The gender by walnut interaction suggests that the effect may be more potent among women than men (dose response P = .061). Conclusions Both among individuals with known diabetes and those diagnosed based on elevated diabetes blood markers, the prevalence of individuals with diabetes was significantly lower among the walnut consumers. A possible gender-specific effect invites further attention.
Cyclo-Static Realizations, Loop Unrolling and CPM: Optimal Multiprocessor Scheduling

Optimal, deterministic scheduling, for a class of iterative/recursive problems is explored. The connection between the program transformation technique of loop unrolling and the blocking of a related acyclic graph for the determination of CPM schedules is developed. It is shown that loop unrolling and blocking can increase the parallelism of the realization by allowing the overlapped execution of successive iterations. Optimal overlapping is based on simple bounds for a related cyclic graph. Cyclo-static realizations that can achieve the optimal overlapped schedules are then introduced.
COLLECTIVE SPIN WAVES IN MAXWELLIAN ELECTRON PLASMA

The problem of collective spin fluctuations in disordered media is still one of the most interesting and intriguing questions in the physics of magnetic phenomena. Metals, alloys, and semiconductors are, of course, the most typical conducting systems with delocalized electron spins. In these cases electrons form a strongly degenerate Fermiliquid in which the exchange interaction between electrons always plays a very important role and can never be neglected. It is the exchange interaction that determines the basic magnetic properties of such systems and gives the predominant contribution to the dynamics of macroscopic magnetization. In particular, the spectrum of spin fluctuations is determined mainly by the magnitude of electron-electron exchange interaction.
"Not Gonna Hold Me Back”: Coping and Resilience in Students with Disabilities

A constructivist grounded theory study with 59 students with diverse disabilities from four different universities offers insight into coping strategies and long-term resilience for this rapidly gr...
Role of Dietary Lipids in Modulating Inflammation through the Gut Microbiota

Inflammation and its resolution is a tenuous balance that is under constant contest. Though several regulatory mechanisms are employed to maintain homeostasis, disruptions in the regulation of inflammation can lead to detrimental effects for the host. Of note, the gut and microbial dysbiosis are implicated in the pathology of systemic chronic low-grade inflammation which has been linked to several metabolic diseases. What remains to be described is the extent to which dietary fat and concomitant changes in the gut microbiota contribute to, or arise from, the onset of metabolic disorders. The present review will highlight the role of microorganisms in host energy regulation and several mechanisms that contribute to inflammatory pathways. This review will also discuss the immunomodulatory effects of the endocannabinoid system and its link with the gut microbiota. Finally, a brief discussion arguing for improved taxonomic resolution (at the species and strain level) is needed to deepen our current knowledge of the microbiota and host inflammatory state.
Gray matter volume covariance networks associated with dual-task cost during walking-while-talking

We studied gray matter volume covariance networks associated with normal pace walking (NPW) speed and dual-task costs (DTCs) during walking-while-talking (WWT)-a mobility stress test that involves walking while reciting alternate letters of the alphabet. Using a multivariate covariance-based analytic approach, we identified gray matter networks associated with NPW speed (mean 102.1 cm/s ±22.5 cm/s) and DTC (percent difference in gait speed between NPW and WWT, mean 25.9% ± 18.8%) in 139 older adults without dementia (M = 75.3 ± 6.1 years). The gray matter network associated with NPW was primarily composed of supplementary motor area, precuneus cortex, and the middle frontal gyrus. Greater expression of this NPW network was associated with better processing speed (trail-making test A [r = -0.30, p = 0.005]) and executive function (trail-making test B - A [r = -0.43, p < 0.0001]). The gray matter network associated with DTC was primarily composed of medial prefrontal, cingulate, and thalamic regions. Greater expression of this DTC network was associated with better episodic memory performance on the free and cued selective reminding test (r = 0.30, p = 0.007). These results suggest that NPW speed and DTC are supported by different networks, and are associated with different cognitive domains.
Impact of closed suction drainage after surgical fixation of acetabular fractures

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of closed suction drainage after a Kocher–Langenbeck (K–L) approach for surgical fixation of acetabular fractures and to determine the impact of closed suction drainage on patient outcomes. This retrospective study reports on 171 consecutive patients that presented to a single level I trauma center for surgical fixation of an acetabular fracture. Medical records were reviewed to evaluate the use of closed suction drains. The primary outcomes measures were rate of packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion and length of hospital stay (LOS). Secondary outcome measures were 30-day post-operative wound complication and 1-year deep infection rates. Of the 171 patients included in this study, 140 (82%) patients were treated with drains. There was a significant association between the use of closed suction drainage and post-operative blood transfusion rate (p = 0.002). Thirty-five patients (25%) treated with drains required a post-operative blood transfusion compared to 0% in the no drain cohort. Regarding the total number of drains used, for every additional closed suction drain that was placed beyond a single drain, the odds of receiving a blood transfusion doubled (p = 0.002). Use of closed suction drainage was associated with a significantly longer LOS (p = 0.015), and no difference in wound complication or deep infection rates. The use of closed suction drains for treatment of acetabular fractures using a K–L approach is associated with increased rates of blood transfusion and increased length of hospital stay, with no impact on surgical site infection rates. The results of this study suggest against routine drain usage in acetabular surgery.
Light-triggered thermal conductivity switching in azobenzene polymers.

Materials that can be switched between low and high thermal conductivity states would advance the control and conversion of thermal energy. Employing in situ time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) and in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering, we report a reversible, light-responsive azobenzene polymer that switches between high (0.35 W m−1 K−1) and low thermal conductivity (0.10 W m−1 K−1) states. This threefold change in the thermal conductivity is achieved by modulation of chain alignment resulted from the conformational transition between planar (trans) and nonplanar (cis) azobenzene groups under UV and green light illumination. This conformational transition leads to changes in the π-π stacking geometry and drives the crystal-to-liquid transition, which is fully reversible and occurs on a time scale of tens of seconds at room temperature. This result demonstrates an effective control of the thermophysical properties of polymers by modulating interchain π-π networks by light.
Infant Effects on Experimenter Behavior

Abstract The present study explored experimenters’ looking behavior in a gaze-following task as a function of infant temperament. Two experienced female experimenters ran 62 15-month-olds through a six-trial gaze-following procedure in which infants were not distracted on the first three trials, but were distracted on the latter three trials by an Elmo video playing in the background. Although experimenters were trained to look at target objects for eight seconds per trial and were blind to infant temperamental status, both experimenters looked significantly longer during the non-distracted trials when infants were rated by their caregivers as high on effortful control or surgency. These results suggest that even experienced experimenters are susceptible to infant-driven influences. More importantly, these results highlight the importance of conceptualizing lab-based infant research involving human experimenters as, in Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) terms, representing the totality of a functional social system that does not exclude the experimenters.
Interfacial engineering of gallium indium phosphide photoelectrodes for hydrogen evolution with precious metal and non-precious metal based catalysts

Gallium indium phosphide (GaInP2) is a semiconductor with promising optical and electronic properties to serve as the large bandgap, top junction in a dual absorber tandem solar water splitting device. Poor intrinsic catalytic ability and surface corrosion in aqueous electrolyte remain key obstacles. Significant progress has been made developing thin-film protection layers and active catalysts for photoelectrochemical devices, but combining these into a catalytic protection layer that can provide long-term stability without sacrificing performance has proven difficult due, in large part, to challenges in developing active and stable interfaces. In this work, we demonstrate that a nanoscale molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) film functions both as an effective protection layer and excellent hydrogen evolution catalyst for GaInP2 photocathodes, with only a ∼10% loss in initial light-limited current density after 100 h, and a photocurrent onset potential better than that of the same state-of-the-art device with a platinum–ruthenium catalyst. Using transient photoreflectance spectroscopy, we probed the carrier dynamics of these photocathodes and show that the MoS2 coated device exhibits improved electron transfer at the surface interface compared to the PtRu catalyzed device. These MoS2 protected devices are among the most active and stable single-absorber photocathodes for solar water splitting to date and offer a promising pathway towards generating hydrogen with high efficiency and significant longevity.
Economics of New Molecular Targeted Personalized Radiopharmaceuticals

Nuclear medicine has come a long way since 2007 when Adrian Nunn pointed out the approval of radiopharmaceuticals was at an all-time low with all the major radiopharmaceutical agents in use having been approved over 10 years ago. Challenges being the prohibitively high cost of drug development and the large number of drugs failing in clinical trials. Proceed to today where molecular imaging is fast-tracking the drug discovery process by reducing both the time and cost to screen candidates by quantitating the drugs effect on the target and toxicity to normal tissues. Nuclear medicine is now leading medical practice in personalized medicine using the theragnostic approach. Theragnostics is defined as the use of molecular diagnostic techniques in real time to stratify patients to guide treatment decisions such as the choice of drug, the dose of administration, and the timing of drug delivery for a given patient. Enabling visualization and quantitation of in vivo function of the whole body and thus patient heterogeneity and variability informs the physician on how to treat an individual patient. Recent successes such as the Food and Drug Administration approval of Lutathera and NETSPOT have resulted in an increasing number of pharmaceutical companies pursing theragnostics further heightened by the purchase of Advanced Accelerator Applications for 3.9 billion by Novartis and Endocyte, Inc for 2.1 billion. Theragnostics are further aiding drug development by showing which agents are most viable and reducing the overall cost of bringing a drug to clinical trials and regulatory approval. This is indeed a renaissance for nuclear medicine in which the acceptance of imaging to inform and monitor therapy has been embraced and even required by the Food and Drug Administration for the clinical evaluation of targeted therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals showing there is indeed a viable business model for targeted theragnostic radiopharmaceuticals and personalized medicine.
Adenovirus-mediated Protein Kinase Cε Gene Transfer to Myocardium of Mouse Lead to lmpaired cardiac function

Objective The present study aims to investigate the roles of the adenovirus-mediated PKCe gene transfer to myocardium of adult mouse on cardiac contractile function.Methods Recombinant adenovirus expressing PKCe gene was generated by using standard method.The PKCe recombinant adenovirus was directly injected to myocardium of FVB/N mice and ICR mice.Control mice were directly injected same dose of empty vector adenovirus.Expressive levels of PKCe protein were determined by Western immunoblotting.Left ventricular contractile function was assessed by using in vivo closed-chest microscopic surgery method.Results PKCe gene transfer mice were associated with a 4-fold increase in PKCe transgenic protein compared to control mice.PKCe gene transfer mice exhibited decreased basal dP/d t ,-dP/d t ,left ventricle peak systolic pressure and enhanced left ventricle end diastolic pressure and diastolic pressure ( p 0.01 vs.control).Dose-dependent increasing of dP/d t to isoproterenol in PKCe gene transfer mice was significantly attenuated when compared with control mice ( p 0.01).And heart to body weight ratio in PKCe gene transfer mice was significantly increased ( p 0.01 vs.control).Conclusion Adenovirus-mediated,myocardium-directed PKCe gene transfer impairs cardiac contractile function and leads to cardiac hypertrophy and failure.
Bioaccessibility of Curcumin Encapsulated in Yeast Cells and Yeast Cell Wall Particles

This study evaluates the role of intracellular composition and integrity of cell walls in modulating the release and bioaccessibility of phytochemicals during simulated gastrointestinal digestion of cell-based carriers. Native yeast and yeast cell wall particles (YCWPs) were used as model cell-based carriers with distinct intracellular composition and curcumin was a model encapsulated bioactive. The results highlight the essential role of gastric treatments and the presence of bile salts in the release and bioaccessibility of encapsulated compound from cell-based carriers. YCWPs with significantly reduced intracellular contents have a significantly faster intestinal release after gastric digestion. Multimodal imaging approaches confirm the release of encapsulated curcumin in intestinal compartment without any significant changes in the cellular structure including cell walls. Based on these results, the study proposes a model that illustrate the significance of gastric digestion in influencing the release of curcumin during gastrointestinal digestion.
An assessment of multicomponent flow models and interface capturing schemes for spherical bubble dynamics

Abstract Numerical simulation of bubble dynamics and cavitation is challenging; even the seemingly simple problem of a collapsing spherical bubble is difficult to compute accurately with a general, three-dimensional, compressible, multicomponent flow solver. Difficulties arise due to both the physical model and the numerical method chosen for its solution. We consider the 5-equation model of Allaire et al. [1] and Massoni et al. [2] , the 5-equation model of Kapila et al. [3] , and the 6-equation model of Saurel et al. [4] as candidate approaches for spherical bubble dynamics, and both MUSCL and WENO interface-capturing methods are implemented and compared. We demonstrate the inadequacy of the traditional 5-equation model for spherical bubble collapse problems and explain the corresponding advantages of the augmented model of Kapila et al. [3] for representing this phenomenon. Quantitative comparisons between the augmented 5-equation and 6-equation models for three-dimensional bubble collapse problems demonstrate the versatility of the pressure-disequilibrium model. Lastly, the performance of the pressure-disequilibrium model for representing a three-dimensional spherical bubble collapse for different bubble interior/exterior pressure ratios is evaluated for different numerical methods. Pathologies associated with each factor and their origins are identified and discussed.
Nα-Acetylation of the virulence factor EsxA is required for mycobacterial cytosolic translocation and virulence

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence factor EsxA and its chaperone EsxB are secreted as a heterodimer (EsxA:B) and are crucial for mycobacterial escape from phagosomes and cytosolic translocation. Current findings support the idea that for EsxA to interact with host membranes, EsxA must dissociate from EsxB at low pH. However, the molecular mechanism by which the EsxA:B heterodimer separates is not clear. In the present study, using liposome-leakage and cytotoxicity assays, LC-MS/MS–based proteomics, and CCF-4 FRET analysis, we obtained evidence that the Nα-acetylation of the Thr-2 residue on EsxA, a post-translational modification that is present in mycobacteria but absent in Escherichia coli, is required for the EsxA:B separation. Substitutions at Thr-2 that precluded Nα-acetylation inhibited the heterodimer separation and hence prevented EsxA from interacting with the host membrane, resulting in attenuated mycobacterial cytosolic translocation and virulence. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that at low pH, the Nα-acetylated Thr-2 makes direct and frequent "bind-and-release" contacts with EsxB, which generates a force that pulls EsxB away from EsxA. In summary, our findings provide evidence that the Nα-acetylation at Thr-2 of EsxA facilitates dissociation of the EsxA:B heterodimer required for EsxA membrane permeabilization and mycobacterial cytosolic translocation and virulence.
A new era for health service psychology

Abstract The behavioral and related sciences have made tremendous progress in understanding the nature of human psychology. We now have scientific explanations for a large and steadily growing number of psychological processes. Although much still remains to be discovered about the human mind and brain, we know a great deal more about many aspects of human development, personality, psychopathology, and behavior change. As a result, health service psychology can now be practiced on the basis of a unified, scientific understanding of human psychology. This represents a true milestone for the field that will have many positive implications for practice, education, and research. It will also allow the field to integrate much more effectively into health care and public health as well as help address the many challenges associated with sociocultural and technological developments. Participating in these developments presents many exciting opportunities for the field as the future fast approaches.
Participation Bias in a Survey of Community Patients With Heart Failure

Abstract Objective To identify differences between participants and nonparticipants in a survey of physical and psychosocial aspects of health among a population-based sample of patients with heart failure (HF). Patients and Methods Residents from 11 Minnesota counties with a first-ever code for HF (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision 428 and Tenth Revision I50) between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016, were identified. Participants completed a questionnaire by mail or telephone. Characteristics and outcomes were extracted from medical records and compared between participants and nonparticipants. Response rate was calculated using guidelines of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. The association between nonparticipation and outcomes was examined using Cox proportional hazards regression for death and Andersen-Gill modeling for hospitalizations. Results Among 7911 patients, 3438 responded to the survey (American Association for Public Opinion Research response rate calculated using formula 2 = 43%). Clinical and demographic differences between participants and nonparticipants were noted, particularly for education, marital status, and neuropsychiatric conditions. After a mean ± SD of 1.5±1.0 years after survey administration, 1575 deaths and 5857 hospitalizations occurred. Nonparticipation was associated with a 2-fold increased risk for death (hazard ratio, 2.29; 95% CI, 2.05-2.56) and 11% increased risk for hospitalization (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02-1.22) after adjusting for age, sex, time from HF diagnosis to index date, marital status, coronary disease, arrhythmia, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cancer, chronic kidney disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, and anxiety. Conclusion In a large survey of patients with HF, participation was associated with notable differences in clinical and demographic characteristics and outcomes. Examining the impact of participation is critical to draw inference from studies of patient-reported measures.
Building Inclusive Learning Environments With 1:1 Devices:

With emphasis placed on the least restrictive learning environments under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with disabilities are often placed in general education cl...
Creating Socially Conscious Designers Through the Lens of Empathy.

It is a graphic design educator’s responsibility that undergraduate students understand the needs and wants of society. Beyond printed matter and digital interfaces, designers have the ability to assist people in remaining active, independent individuals in society. Using several user-experience testing methods including attitudinal and behavioral testing and qualitative research, students completed a social impact project through the lens of empathy. Looking at different perspectives from a wide range of people who might be touched (or not) by their topic, and considering their thoughts as potential insights was essential to a successful project. Through in-depth meetings and design research methods, student teams developed a problem statement related to their chosen topic, which was used for the development of the brand and all of the other design decisions through the project completion.
PtP 2 : An example of exploring the hidden Cairo tessellation in the pyrite structure for discovering novel two-dimensional materials

The Cairo tessellation refers to a pattern of type 2 pentagons that can tile an infinite plane without creating a gap or overlap. We reveal the hidden, layered Cairo tessellations in the pyrite structure with a general chemical formula $A{B}_{2}$ and space group $pa\overline{3}$. We use this hidden tessellation along with density functional theory calculations to examine the possibility of obtaining a two-dimensional (2D) material with the Cairo tessellation from the bulk, using ${\mathrm{PtP}}_{2}$ as an example. Unlike previously reported single-layer materials such as ${\mathrm{PdSe}}_{2}$ with a buckled, pentagonal structure---strictly speaking, not belonging to the Cairo tessellation, we find that single-layer ${\mathrm{PtP}}_{2}$ is completely planar exhibiting dynamically stable phonon modes. We also observe a reduction in the band gaps of ${\mathrm{PtP}}_{2}$ from bulk to single layer using the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) hybrid density functional, and the band gap type switches from indirect to direct. By contrast, using the standard Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof functional leads to the conclusion of single-layer ${\mathrm{PtP}}_{2}$ being metallic. We further study the bonding characteristics of this novel single-layer material by computing the Bader charge transfer, the electron localization function, and the crystal orbit overlap population, which show mixed P-P covalent bonding and Pt-P ionic bonding, with the former being stronger. Finally, we study the surface states of single-layer ${\mathrm{PtP}}_{2}$ and consider the spin-orbit coupling. We observe no spin-helical Dirac cone states, therefore ruling out single-layer ${\mathrm{PtP}}_{2}$ as a topological insulator. We expect the example demonstrated in this work will stimulate interest in computationally identifying novel 2D materials from a variety of bulk materials with the pyrite structure.
Hydra vulgaris shows stable responses to thermal stimulation despite large changes in the number of neurons

Many animals that lose neural tissue to injury or disease can maintain behavioral repertoires by regenerating new neurons or reorganizing existing neural circuits. However, most neuroscience small model organisms lack this high degree of neural plasticity. We show that Hydra vulgaris can maintain stable sensory-motor behaviors despite 2-fold changes in neuron count, due to naturally occurring size variation or surgical resection. Specifically, we find that both behavioral and neural responses to rapid temperature changes are maintained following these perturbations. We further describe possible mechanisms for the observed neural activity and argue that Hydra's radial symmetry may allow it to maintain stable behaviors when changes in the numbers of neurons do not selectively eliminate any specific neuronal cell type. These results suggest that Hydra provides a powerful model for studying how animals maintain stable sensory-motor responses within dynamic neural circuits and may lead to the development of general principles for injury-tolerant neural architectures.
Limited Log-Distance Path Loss Model Path Loss Exponent Estimation using Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient *

Low-cost wireless devices often rely on the log-distance path loss model for determining the distance between two devices based on radio signal strength. The log-distance path loss model relies on a properly determined path-loss exponent to produce accurate results; however, this variable can be difficult to obtain or estimate accurately, especially indoors. While many statistical models and methods can be utilized to estimate the path-loss exponent, it is often determined experimentally, which is both impractical and error-prone. This work explores the feasibility of a novel application of Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient to learn the path-loss exponent of a small limited indoor space based on the RSSI information transmitting between three wireless beacons. This will be accomplished with no prior knowledge of the structural complexities of the indoor building.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament Can Become Hypertrophied in Response to Mechanical Loading: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study in Elite Athletes.

Background:Evidence, mainly from animal models, suggests that exercise during periods of pubertal growth can produce a hypertrophied anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and improve its mechanical prop...
Medical 3D Printing: Patient-Specific Anatomic Models

3D printing has applications in medicine that reach from anatomical and biological education to clinical regenerative medicine. Artists, illustrators, designers, engineers, physicians, and scientists have acknowledged and leveraged the use of additive machines for decades, and rely heavily on the technology to move from concept to prototype to final part in today’s healthcare ecosystem. Advanced image processing allows experts to depend on radiological data to accurately represent and recreate the internal components of the body. As a senior biomedical engineer in the Mayo Clinic Anatomic Modeling Laboratory, I have the opportunity to build anatomic models from radiological data to improve understanding and surgical planning. This chapter discusses the variety of applications 3D printing has at the point of care and anatomic modeling from my perspective.
A User Interface Informing Medical Staff on Continuous Indoor Environmental Quality to Support Patient Care and Airborne Disease Mitigation

This project seeks to investigate the under addressed issue of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the impacts these factors can have on human health. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has once again brought to the forefront the importance of maintaining a healthy indoor environment. Specifically, the improvement of indoor air flow has shown to reduce the risk of airborne virus exposure. This is extremely important in the context of hospitals, which contain high concentrations of atrisk individuals. Thus, the need to create a healthy indoor space is critical to improve public health and COVID-19 mitigation efforts. To create knowledge and provide insight on environmental qualities in the hospital setting, the authors have designed and built an interface to deploy in the University of Virginia Hospital Emergency Department (ED). The interface will display room-specific light, noise, temperature, CO 2 , humidity, VOC, and PM 2.5 levels measured by the low-cost Awair Omni sensor. These insights will assist ED clinicians in mitigating disease-spread and improving patient health and satisfaction while reducing caregiver burden. The team addressed the problem through agile development involving localized sensor deployment and analysis, discovery interviews with hospital clinicians and data scientists throughout, and the implementation of a human-design centered Django interface application. Furthermore, a literature survey was conducted to ascertain appropriate thresholds for the different environmental factors. Together, this work demonstrates opportunities to assist and improve patient care with environmental data.
Sorption isosteres and isotherms of silver on NBG-17 graphite

Abstract Adsorption data and isotherms of various fission products on graphite are needed for high-temperature gas-cooled reactor mechanistic source term estimations. Measurements of such data for NBG-17 graphite powders, preloaded with Ag, are described. The samples were desorbed in a Knudsen-effusion mass-spectrometer. Data was sorted into adsorption isosteres for surface loadings from 23.2 to 90.4 mmolAg (kgC)−1. Straight-line fits to the Clausius-Clapeyron representation of isosteres gave the heats of adsorption as function of surface loading. Adsorption isosteres were further refined to determine adsorption isotherms from 1050 to 1175 K. Langmuir, IAEA-Freundlich, and IAEA isotherm models were fitted to the isotherm data. The IAEA and Langmuir isotherms provided a better fit than the IAEA Freundlich isotherm.
Near real‐time monitoring of volcanic surface deformation from GPS measurements at Long Valley Caldera, California

[1] Long Valley Caldera in eastern California is an active volcanic area and has shown continued unrest in the last three decades. We have monitored surface deformation from Global Positioning System (GPS) data by using a projection method that we call Targeted Projection Operator (TPO). TPO projects residual time series with secular rates and periodic terms removed onto a predefined spatial pattern. We used the 2009–2010 slow deflation as a target spatial pattern. The resulting TPO time series shows a detailed deformation history including the 2007–2009 inflation, the 2009–2010 deflation, and a recent inflation that started in late-2011 and is continuing at the present time (November 2012). The recent inflation event is about four times faster than the previous 2007–2009 event. A Mogi source of the recent event is located beneath the resurgent dome at about 6.6 km depth at a rate of 0.009 km3/yr volume change. TPO is simple and fast and can provide a near real-time continuous monitoring tool without directly looking at all the data from many GPS sites in this potentially eruptive volcanic system.
Object-oriented modeling and design of coupled knowledge-base/database systems

The objective is to develop a structured object-oriented modeling and design methodology for coupled knowledge-base/database (KB/DB) systems by exploring the useful principles and features of object-oriented modeling and software development techniques. The methodology uses a synthesize object-oriented entity-relationship model for representing the knowledge and the embedded data semantics involved in coupled KB/DB systems. An associated design procedure is presented. This methodology improves on existing coupled KB/DB design methods because of its well-defined constructs that deal with various forms of knowledge involved in data processing, knowledge-based problem solving and object-oriented reasoning. >
Doppler radar for sleep medicine

A design for a physiological radar monitoring system (PRMS) is presented that can be integrated with clinical sleep monitoring systems. The PRMS uses two radar systems at 2.45 GHz and 24 GHz to achieve both high sensitivity and high resolution. The system can acquire data, perform digital processing and output appropriate conventional analog outputs, which can be read and interpreted in a standard sleep monitoring system. The PRMS system was tested on ten patients and the results compared favorably with a gold standard monitoring system. The results show the possibility of integrating a PRMS with a standard monitoring system to achieve more informative results.
Reordering diagonal blocks in real Schur form

The problem of reordering eigenvalues of a matrix in real Schur form arises in the computation of the invariant subspaces corresponding to a group of eigenvalues of the matrix. A basic step in such reordering is to swapp two neighboring 1 × 1 or 2 × 2 diagonal blocks by an orthogonal transformation. Swapping two 1×1 blocks or swapping 1×1 and 2×2 blocks are well understood [3]. Swapping two 2×2 blocks poses some numerical difficulties. Recently, Bai and Demmel [1] have proposed an algorithm for swapping two 2×2 blocks which is for all practical purposes backward stable. In this note we describe an alternative approach for swapping two 2×2 blocks which is based on an eigenvector calculation. It appears that the method guarantees small rounding errors in the (2,1) block of the transformed 4×4 matrix even if the two 2×2 blocks have almost the same eigenvalues.
Additive-Multiplicative Approximation of Genotype-Environment Interaction

A model of genotype-environment interaction in quantitative traits is considered. The model represents an expansion of the traditional additive (first degree polynomial) approximation of genotypic and environmental effects to a second degree polynomial incorporating a multiplicative term besides the additive terms. An experimental evaluation of the model is suggested and applied to a trait in Drosophila melanogaster. The environmental variance of a genotype in the model is shown to be a function of the genotypic value: it is a convex parabola. The broad sense heritability in a population depends not only on the genotypic and environmental variances, but also on the position of the genotypic mean in the population relative to the minimum of the parabola. It is demonstrated, using the model, that G x E interaction may cause a substantial non-linearity in offspring-parent regression and a reversed response to directional selection. It is also shown that directional selection may be accompanied by an increase in the heritability.
A Convergent Synthesis of 6-O-Branched β-Glucan Oligosaccharides

β-Glucans are important carbohydrate antigens on the surface of fungal cells useful for antifungal vaccine development. This paper has described a highly convergent and efficient strategy for the synthesis of structurally defined branched β-glucan oligosaccharides that can be used for detailed studies of β-glucans and for the design of β-glucan-based vaccines. The strategy was highlighted by assembling the title compounds via preactivation-based glycosylation with thioglycosides as glycosyl donors. It was used to successfully prepare β-glucan oligosaccharides that had a β-1,3-linked nonaglucan backbone with β-1,6-glucotetraose, β-1,3-glucodiose and β-1,3-glucotetraose branches at the 6-O-position of the nonaglucan central sugar unit. The structure and size of the glycosyl donors and acceptors used in the syntheses did not significantly affect the glycosylation efficiency, suggesting that the strategy can be generally useful for the synthesis of more complex structures.
Epigenetic Changes in Prostate Cancer

During the pathogenesis of prostate cancer, prostate cells acquire both genetic and epigenetic alterations [1]. Genetic defects have long been considered hallmarks of cancer, but because such changes tend to accumulate during cancer pathogenesis, i.e., they are essentially irreversible, only a fraction are likely to act as drivers of the malignant phenotype at any given time [2]. In contrast, epigenetic changes, which affect gene function rather than gene sequence, are potentially reversible and thus tend to be maintained only when contributing to cancer growth and progression. During prostatic carcinogenesis, epigenetic alterations can be detected in the earliest of cancer precursor lesions, in localized cancer lesions, and at lethal disease progression [3]. Furthermore, new technologies for genome-wide characterization of chromatin structure and function in normal and neoplastic prostate cells have revealed broad corruption of the regulation of gene function [4, 5]. How the myriad somatic epigenetic alterations collaborate with genetic accidents to create prostate cancer has not yet been fully elucidated. Nonetheless, improved understanding of the nature, extent, and functional consequences of epigenetic defects in prostate cancer appears poised not only to provide new insights into the causes of the disease, but also to yield new diagnostic tests for disease detection and risk stratification and new treatment approaches for disease control.
Fuel Requirements for HCCI Engine Operation

Researchers at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have been working for the past several years on the fundamental and practical aspects of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) operation of reciprocating engines. Much of the work has focused on the use of diesel fuel. The work at SwRI has, however, demonstrated that there are fundamental limitations on the use of current diesel fuels in HCCI engines. The results of engine and constant volume combustion bomb experiments are presented and discussed. The engine experiments were used to identify important fuel properties that must be included in a fuel specification for HCCI fuels. The primary properties relate -to the distillation characteristics and the ignition characteristics. The engine test provided preliminary guidance on the distillation requirements and an indication of the important ignition requirements. The constant volume combustion bomb experiments were performed in an effort to define a new fuel property that will serve to characterize the ignition property of a fuel in an HCCI engine.
Electrochromically switched, gas-reservoir metal hydride devices with application to energy-efficient windows

Proof-of-principle gas-reservoir MnNiMg electrochromic mirror devices have been investigated. In contrast to conventional electrochromic approaches, hydrogen is stored (at low concentration) in the gas volume between glass panes of the insulated glass units (IGUs). The elimination of a solid state ion storage layer simplifies the layer stack, enhances overall transmission, and reduces cost. The cyclic switching properties were demonstrated and system durability improved with the incorporation a thin Zr barrier layer between the MnNiMg layer and the Pd catalyst. Addition of 9 percent silver to the palladium catalyst further improved system durability. About 100 full cycles have been demonstrated before devices slow considerably. Degradation of device performance appears to be related to Pd catalyst mobility, rather than delamination or metal layer oxidation issues originally presumed likely to present significant challenges.