cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synchronous rectifier as a test circuit for high-frequency power MOSFET model verification

The power vertical double diffused MOSFET (DMOSFET) structure incorporates many parasitic structures which are difficult to model in physically based circuit simulators. Low voltage ultralow on-resistance vertical power DMOSFETs were used as synchronous rectifiers in a high-density microelectronics power supply. The circuit was first simulated using an advanced mixed device and circuit simulator in which the power DMOSFETs were represented as two-dimensional (2-D) finite element grid structures and semiconductor transport and charge balance equations were solved subject to terminal boundary conditions imposed by the circuit operation. Mixed simulation results are compared with pure circuit simulation results using an advanced behavioral circuit simulator in which a high-frequency lumped equivalent circuit model is used to represent the DMOSFETs. The proposed approach is a powerful tool to validate circuit simulation models of complex power devices.
Single Cell Profiling Identifies Aberrant STAT5 Activation in Myeloid Malignancies with Specific Clinical and Biologic Correlates

Progress in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of human myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) has led to guidelines incorporating genetic assays with histopathology during diagnosis. Advances in flow cytometry have made it possible to simultaneously measure cell type and signaling abnormalities arising as a consequence of genetic pathologies. Using flow cytometry, we observed a specific evoked STAT5 signaling signature in a subset of samples from patients suspected of having juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), an aggressive MPD with a challenging clinical presentation during active disease. This signature was a specific feature involving JAK-STAT signaling, suggesting a critical role of this pathway in the biological mechanism of this disorder and indicating potential targets for future therapies.
Observations on the role of vitamin E in the toxicity of oxidized fats.

Studies are reported on the relative effects of in vivo oxidation produced by diets devoid of vitamin E and the consumption of oxidized fat. Rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain were raised from weaning on a sucrose-casein diet containing minerals and vitamins in the required amounts, supplemented with 10% of safflower oil, menhaden oil, hydrogenated coconut oil or no fat. Animals of ca. 185 g of the group fed the 10% safflower oil were then switched for 4 weeks to safflower or menhaden oil-supplemented diets that were allowed to oxidize by exposing them to room temperature in the dark for 2–8 days. For comparison with effects of in vivo oxidation, animals were raised from weaning on similar fresh diets devoid of vitamin E. Consumption of oxidized fat was accompanied by loss of weight, effects on the size of the organs, changes in triglyceride levels and production of TBA-reacting substances in the tissues. There was no effect on the induced swelling of liver mitochondria or the susceptibility of erythrocytes to hemolysis in these animals. Growth was also suppressed in the animals fed the vitamin E-free diets, and in vivo oxidation in these animals produced marked effects on the membrane properties of erythrocytes and liver mitochondria.
Vancomycin in vitro bactericidal activity and its relationship to efficacy in clearance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

We examined the relationship between the time to clearance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia while patients were receiving vancomycin therapy and the in vitro bactericidal activity of vancomycin. Vancomycin killing assays were performed with 34 MRSA bloodstream isolates (17 accessory gene regulator group II [agr-II] and 17 non-agr-II isolates) from 34 different patients with MRSA bacteremia for whom clinical and microbiological outcomes data were available. Vancomycin doses were prospectively adjusted to achieve peak plasma concentrations of 28 to 32 mug/ml and trough concentrations of 8 to 12 microg/ml. Bactericidal assays were performed over 24 h with approximately 10(7) to 10(8) CFU/ml in broth containing 16 microg/ml vancomycin. The median time to clearance of bacteremia was 6.5 days for patients with MRSA isolates demonstrating > or =2.5 reductions in log(10) CFU/ml at 24 h and >10.5 days for patients with MRSA isolates demonstrating <2.5 log(10) CFU/ml by 24 h (P = 0.025). The median time to clearance was significantly longer with MRSA isolates with vancomycin MICs of 2.0 microg/ml compared to that with MRSA isolates with MICs of < or =1.0 microg/ml (P = 0.019). The bacteremia caused by MRSA isolates with absent or severely reduced delta-hemolysin expression was of a longer duration of bacteremia (10 days and 6.5 days, respectively; P = 0.27) and had a decreased probability of eradication (44% and 78%, respectively; P = 0.086). We conclude that strain-specific microbiological features of MRSA, such as increased vancomycin MICs and decreased killing by vancomycin, appear to be predictive of prolonged MRSA bacteremia while patients are receiving vancomycin therapy. Prolonged bacteremia and decreased delta-hemolysin expression may also be related. Evaluation of these properties may be useful in the consideration of antimicrobial therapies that can be used as alternatives to vancomycin for the treatment of MRSA bacteremia.
Short-distance dispersal behavior and establishment of the parasitoid Gonatocerus ashmeadi (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in Tahiti: Implications for its use as a biological control agent against Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

The egg parasitoid Gonatocerus ashmeadi Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), was introduced into French Polynesia as a biological control agent to control the invasive plant feeding pest Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). The short-distance dispersal of G. ashmeadi was monitored as part of the biological control program. G. ashmeadi showed exponential dispersal capacity with 47 m/day being a minimum estimate of its natural rate of spread at high host densities (>150 nymphs per minute of sweep net sampling) in urbanized areas at sea level, which were characterized by a high diversity of exotic ornamental plants. This rate of spread contrasted starkly with almost nonexistent establishment and dispersal where host densities were very low (<2 nymphs per minute of sweep net sampling) at high elevation (800 m) with relatively undisturbed native vegetation. Survey results across different altitudes revealed an effect of vegetative diversity and host density on the measurable mobility and establishment of G. ashmeadi. In contrast, no significant influence of wind direction was found on G. ashmeadi dispersal rate or direction. Survey results for G. ashmeadi from French Polynesia suggest that the best release establishment strategies for classical biological control of H. vitripennis are: (1) many small releases where host density is high, or (2) larger and fewer releases where host densities are low.
GEOPHYSICS bright spots

Seismic velocities are my theme for the “bright spots” in the March–April 2005 edition of Geophysics.
Effectiveness and Tolerability of Carbamazepine vs. Oxcarbazepine as Mood Stabilizers

AbstractBackground. Patients with bipolar illness or maniac-type schizoaffective disorder often present a variety of symptoms and mixed responses to treatment. Several anticonvulsants have been found effective in the treatment of mood disorders. In the early 70's, the clinical efficacy of carbamazepine in the treatment of acute mania was reported. Oxcarbazepine has been available in the United States since 2000. Both drugs display a different spectrum of properties and side effect profiles. Objective. To compare the effectiveness and tolerability of carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine in a naturalistic setting. Methods. A retrospective and concurrent chart review of all patients treated with carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine (n = 33) as mood stabilizers between 01 and 12 2002. The effectiveness was evaluated using the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Tolerability was assessed according to side effects recorded on charts. Patients with charts that were not complete were excluded from this study. Resu...
Activation of K+ channels: an essential pathway in programmed cell death

Cell apoptosis and proliferation are two counterparts in sharing the responsibility for maintaining normal tissue homeostasis. In recent years, the process of the programmed cell death has gained m...
Derivation and Maintenance of Virtual Memory CD8 T Cells

Memory CD8+ T cells are an important component of the adaptive immune response against many infections, and understanding how Ag-specific memory CD8+ T cells are generated and maintained is crucial for the development of vaccines. We recently reported the existence of memory-phenotype, Ag-specific CD8+ T cells in unimmunized mice (virtual memory or VM cells). However, it was not clear when and where these cells are generated during normal development, nor the factors required for their production and maintenance. This issue is especially pertinent given recent data showing that memory-like CD8 T cells can be generated in the thymus, in a bystander response to IL-4. In this study, we show that the size of the VM population is reduced in IL-4R–deficient animals. However, the VM population appears first in the periphery and not the thymus of normal animals, suggesting this role of IL-4 is manifest following thymic egress. We also show that the VM pool is durable, showing basal proliferation and long-term maintenance in normal animals, and also being retained during responses to unrelated infection.
Interspecific Pheromone Plume Interference Among Sympatric Heliothine Moths: A Wind Tunnel Test Using Live, Calling Females

Three species of North American heliothine moths were used to determine the level at which interspecific female interference of male attraction to conspecific females occurs. We used live calling females of Heliothis virescens, H. subflexa, and Helicoverpa zea, as lures for conspecific males in a wind tunnel, and then placed heterospecific females on either side of the original species such that the plumes of the three females overlapped downwind. In nearly all combinations, in the presence of heterospecific females, fewer males flew upwind and contacted or courted the source than when only conspecific females were used in the same spatial arrangement. Males did not initiate upwind flight to solely heterospecific female arrangements. Our results show that the naturally emitted pheromone plumes from heterospecific females of these three species can interfere with the ability of females to attract conspecific males when multiple females are in close proximity. However, the fact that some males still located their calling, conspecific females attests to the ability of these male moths to discriminate point source odors by processing the conflicting information from interleaved strands of attractive and antagonistic odor filaments on a split-second basis.
A method for detecting obfuscated calls in malicious binaries

Information about calls to the operating system (or kernel libraries) made by a binary executable may be used to determine whether the binary is malicious. Being aware of this approach, malicious programmers hide this information by making such calls without using the call instruction. For instance, the call addr instruction may be replaced by two push instructions and a ret instruction, the first push pushes the address of instruction after the ret instruction, and the second push pushes the address addr. The code may be further obfuscated by spreading the three instructions and by splitting each instruction into multiple instructions. This work presents a method to statically detect obfuscated calls in binary code. The idea is to use abstract interpretation to detect where the normal call-ret convention is violated. These violations can be detected by what is called an abstract stack graph. An abstract stack graph is a concise representation of all potential abstract stacks at every point in a program. An abstract stack is used to associate each element in the stack to the instruction that pushes the element. An algorithm for constructing the abstract stack graph is also presented. Methods for using the abstract stack graph are shown to detect eight different obfuscations. The technique is demonstrated by implementing a prototype tool called DOC (detector for obfuscated calls).
Development of an Assay to Quantify Rumen Ciliate Protozoal Biomass in Cows Using Real-Time PCR

Currently used microbial markers cannot distinguish protozoal nitrogen (N) from bacterial N, thus limiting research on protozoal quantification in vivo by the lack of a repeatable, accurate marker for protozoal N. We report the development of a real-time PCR assay targeting the gene encoding 18S rDNA to quantify the amount of protozoal biomass in ruminal fluid and duodenal digesta. Protozoal cells were harvested from rumen fluid and concentrated for evaluation of recovery of rDNA in samples from the rumen and the duodenum. The DNA from concentrated cells was extracted with virtually 100% efficiency both before and after column purification. After serial spiking of protozoal cells into duodenal fluid over the entire range of quantification, the recovery was highly linear and constant at 81%. After serially spiking increasing quantities of protozoal rDNA into a constant volume of duodenal samples, nonlinear regression verified constant recovery of background rDNA in duodenal samples regardless of the ratio of target:nontarget rDNA. Recommendations for the procedure, including replication per sample, are described herein.
On the design of optimal equiripple FIR digital filters for data transmission applications

An improved linear programming algorithm is required for the design of finite impulse response (FIR) digital filters. This algorithm avoids the numerical ill-conditioning problems which commonly occur due to the necessity to sample the frequency response on a very dense grid of points for high-order filters. This technique is applied to the design of equiripple FIR Nyquist filters and equiripple FIR transmit and receive matched-filters for data transmission applications. The use of linear programming insures that the designs are optimal in the sense that they achieve the maximum possible stopband attenuation for a given filter order and stopband edge frequency. The design algorithm for the matched filters consists of a two-stage process of linear programming to design a Nyquist filter with a nonnegative frequency response followed by standard spectral factorization techniques to extract the nonlinear-phase transmit and receive filters. The design software consists primarily of commonly available FORTRAN subroutine packages for linear programming and polynomial factorization, and is numerically well behaved and very accurate. >
Effects of prenatal cocaine on behavioral adaptation to chronic stress in adult rats

Prenatal exposure to cocaine in rats has previously been shown to alter the behavioral and hormonal responses to acute stressors, although no work has yet examined stress adaptation in these animals in adulthood, a possibility examined in this experiment. Male and female offspring of Sprague-Dawley rat dams given 40 mg/kg/3 ml subcutaneously daily from gestational days 8-20 (C40), saline injected and pair-fed dams (PF), and non-treated dams (NT) were tested in adulthood (90-120 days). Offspring were given a 5-min open field test 24 h following the last of 1 (Acute), 9 (Chronic) or 0 (control) daily 15-min intermittent footshock sessions. Substantially more behavioral adaptation was evident in NT offspring than in C40 and PF animals. The attenuated stress adaptation seen in C40 offspring extends prior work showing altered stress responsiveness in these animals, although the PF data caution against the conclusion that this lack of stress adaptation necessarily reflects gestational exposure to cocaine per se.
O impacto dos gestores narcisistas nas organizações

Destructive narcissism (DN) is both a common and significant problem in organizations. The outward self-confidence, drive for power, and ruthlessness of destructively narcissistic managers (DNManagers) facilitate their rise to positions of power. At the same time, their devaluation of others, singular focus on what is best for themselves, and difficulties in working with others can markedly impair an organization’s morale and performance, and even drive away the most talented employees. Most large organizations have enough DNManagers to present a significant and costly problem. This article begins by discussing the nature and origins of DN. It next discusses how DN can both facilitate a manager’s rise to positions of power and do significant damage to the organizations they work for. Two detailed case studies are provided. The article explores why DNManagers are able to survive and prosper in some organizations despite their destructive behavior, how people can recognize DNManagers more quickly, and how to design organizations to decrease the prevalence of DNManagers. Finally, the article provides recommendations for how other managers, executives and boards of directors can deal with DNManagers and CEOs.
Access to services, quality of care, and family impact for children with autism, other developmental disabilities, and other mental health conditions:

This cross-sectional study examined perceived access to services, quality of care, and family impact reported by caregivers of children aged 3-17 years with autism spectrum disorders, as compared to caregivers of children with other developmental disabilities and other mental health conditions. The 2009-2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs was utilized to examine the association between child's special needs condition and three outcomes (N = 18,136): access to services (difficulty using services, difficulty getting referrals, lack of source of care, and inadequate insurance coverage), quality of care (lack of care coordination, lack of shared decision making, and no routine screening), and family impact (financial, employment, and time-related burden). Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to compare caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders to caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, developmental delay, or intellectual disability), mental health conditions (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, behavioral/conduct problems, or depression), or both developmental disabilities and mental health conditions. Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders were significantly more likely to report difficulty using services, lack of source of care, inadequate insurance coverage, lack of shared decision making and care coordination, and adverse family impact as compared to caregivers of children with developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, or both.
The role of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the evaluation of adolescent hypertension induced by exercise

We performed 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in a group of adolescents with hypertension induced by dynamic exercise. Ten patients with a mean age of 15.1 years (12–18) developed systolic blood pressure greater than 240 mmHg after 15 minutes of graded exercise (initial load 400 KPM; increased every 3 minutes to 1000 KPM, then 1 minute at 1800 KPM) on a stationary bicycle. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed using a Del Mar Avionics PIII recorder with recordings taken every 7½ minutes for 24 hours. Data was expressed as the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure for each hour of recording, for the total 24 hour recording period, for the period from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (daytime), and for the period from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. (night-time). Variability was defined as one standard deviation of the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure obtained in each recording period. There was little inter-individual variation in mean hourly blood pressure and the difference between mean hourly readings was not significant. Mean 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure was 130.2/80.7 mmHg. Mean 24-hour systolic variability was 18.3 mmHg and diastolic variability was 12.9 mmHg. There was no significant change in blood pressure between daytime and night-time recording periods. There was no significant difference in variability between day and night. The normal fall in blood pressure seen during the early morning hours in adults and normotensive adolescents and the lack of reduction in variability seen in the night-time in the same groups suggested abnormal circadian variation. In adolescents with systolic hypertension induced by dynamic exercise, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may be used as a predictive marker of early adult essential hypertension.
IL-10 gene knockout attenuates allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in C57BL/6 mice

Intratracheal administration of interleukin-10 (IL-10) has been reported to inhibit allergic inflammation but augment airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). In the present study, airway and smooth muscle responsiveness to methacholine (MCh) were compared in wild-type (WT) and IL-10-deficient (IL-10-KO) mice to investigate the role of endogenous IL-10 in AHR development. Naive WT and IL-10-KO mice exhibited similar dose-dependent increases in airway resistance (Raw) to intravenous MCh. Sensitization and challenge with ragweed (RW) induced a twofold increase in responsiveness to intravenous MCh in WT mice, but hyperresponsiveness was not observed in similarly treated IL-10-KO mice. Likewise, tracheal rings from RW-sensitized and -challenged WT mice exhibited a fourfold greater responsiveness to MCh than IL-10-KO tracheal preparations. Measurements of airway constriction by whole body plethysmography further supported the Raw and tracheal ring data (i.e., AHR was not observed in the absence of IL-10). Interestingly, factors previously implicated in the development of AHR, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IgA, IgG1, IgE, eosinophilia, and lymphocyte recruitment to the airways, were upregulated in the IL-10-KO mice. Treatment with recombinant murine IL-10 at the time of allergen challenge reduced the magnitude of inflammation but reinstated AHR development in IL-10-KO mice. Adoptive transfer of mononuclear splenocytes to IL-10-sufficient severe combined immunodeficient mice indicated that lymphocytes were an important source of the IL-10 impacting AHR development. These results provide evidence that IL-10 expression promotes the development of allergen-induced smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness.
How does “collaboration” occur at all? Remarks on epistemological issues related to understanding / working with ‘the other’

Collaboration, if to occur successfully at all, needs to be based on careful representation and communication of each stakeholder’s knowledge. In this paper, we investigate, from a foundational logical and epistemological point of view, how such representation and communication can be accomplished. What we tentatively conclude, based on a careful delineation of the logical technicalities necessarily involved in such representation and communication, is that a complete representation is not possible. This inference, if correct, is of course rather discouraging with regard to what we can hope to achieve in the knowledge representations that we bring to our collaborations. We suggest two actions. First, we can strive to make all stakeholders more aware of the incompleteness of their knowledge representations. This awareness should serve to moderate one’s confidence in advocating for the “Truth” of her or his knowledge representations. Second, a moderation in one’s certainty of “Truth” should increase each stakeholder’s humility and respect for ‘the other’, thereby, promoting both the efficacy of collaborations and the ability to live helpfully in an increasing complex and needful world.
An empirical investigation of legged transitional maneuvers leveraging Raibert's Scissor algorithm

We empirically investigate the implications of applying Raibert's Scissor algorithm to the Spring Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) model in combination with other controllers to achieve transitional maneuvers. Specifically, we are interested in how the conjectured neutral stability of Raibert's algorithm allows combined controllers to push the system's operating point around the state space without needing to expend limited control affordance in overcoming its stability or compensating for its instability. We demonstrate 2 cases where this facilitates the construction of interesting transitional controllers on a physical robot. In the first we use the motors in stance to maximize the rate of change of the body energy; in the second we take advantage of the local environmental energy landscape to push the robot's operating point to a higher or lower energy level without expending valuable motor affordance. We present data bearing on the energetic performance of these approaches in executing an accelerate-and-leap maneuver on a monopedal hopping robot affixed to a boom in comparison to the cost of anchoring the robot to the SLIP template.
Dynamic yielding and fracture of grade 4 titanium in plate impact experiments

The dynamic yielding and fracture (spalling) of commercially pure (grade 4) titanium are investigated using symmetric plate impact experiments for a peak stress range of 5.6 GPa–12.5 GPa. Velocity interferometry system for any reflector rear free surface velocity profiles display both a Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) and a velocity pullback, which are indicative of dynamic compressive yielding and tensile fracture (spalling), respectively. The HEL decreases with peak stress from 2.2 GPa for 5.6 GPa peak stress to 2.0 GPa for 12.5 GPa peak stress. The decrease in the HEL corresponded to an increase in twinning observed in recovered samples. The spall strength increases with peak stress from 3.3 GPa to 3.8 GPa over the measured peak stress range and shows a good power law fit with the decompression strain rate. The differences in the dynamic yield and fracture behavior indicate that void nucleation is the dominant mechanism affecting the spall strength of grade 4 titanium.
Emotional Resiliency of Families Dealing with Autism in Social Media

Nowadays online social media is used extensively by families dealing with various health issues, such as autism, diabetes, obesity, etc., to share experiences with other members of the community. The interaction between members of health community can be systematically analyzed to build a knowledge base for others who are dealing with the same health conditions. In this study, we analyze one such health community, i.e., the autism community and evaluate stress dispersed among the community members using social network analysis along with sentiment analysis methodology. We found that the autism blogger community provides nominal stress during the interaction with other community members. Differences across various classified groups like autistic bloggers, mother bloggers with autistic kids, father bloggers with autistic kids, and autism support group blogs in different social media platforms (blogs and Twitter) were analyzed in context of stress. Families dealing with autism have a better quality of life with reduced stress by interacting with fellow autism community members in social media.
Abstract A140: Viral-like nanoparticles for tumor immunotherapy by in situ vaccination mediate potent antitumor immunity

Tumors are recognized by the immune system, but tumors that reach clinically relevant size have established mechanisms to suppress the immune response and protect themselves from immune attack. One approach to enable effective immune response is to change the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment into an immunostimulatory environment by introducing immunostimulatory reagents directly into tumors. This is essentially an antitumor therapeutic “in situ vaccination”, because the tumors provide the antigens and the adjuvants are the immunostimulatory reagents. The overall goal of the approach is to not only stimulate an anti-tumor immune response against the directly treated tumor, but more importantly to stimulate a systemic anti-tumor response to treat unseen metastases. There are many immunostimulatory reagents that can be used and each has different capabilities. Here we report on plant-derived viral-like nanoparticles from Cowpea Mosaic Virus used in mouse cancer models. These particles are only composed of viral capsid proteins, have no nucleic acids and have no recognized immunostimulatory reagents. However, they are strongly immunostimulatory through unknown pathways and cause dramatic changes in the tumor microenvironment that lead to primary tumor reduction and resistance to metastatic tumors. The treatment is immune-mediated since it requires IFN-γ, IL-12, and adaptive immunity and also involves neutrophils. Tumor reduction or elimination occurs in many anatomic locations and with multiple tumor types. Most importantly, treatment of a primary tumor by direct intratumoral injection mediates robust rejection of a rechallenge with the same tumor. The mechanisms and pathways of immunostimulation are under investigation. In addition to the inherent immunostimulatory adjuvant properties of these nanoparticles, they are a versatile platform to which other reagents for immune modulation can be attached. This demonstration of the value of viral-like nanoparticles for treatment of cancer opens a new avenue of cancer immunotherapy. Citation Format: Patrick Lizotte, Amy Wen, NIcole Steinmetz, Steven Fiering. Viral-like nanoparticles for tumor immunotherapy by in situ vaccination mediate potent antitumor immunity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A140.
SDS-Sort: Scalable Dynamic Skew-aware Parallel Sorting

Parallel sorting is an essential algorithm in large-scale data analytics using distributed memory systems. As the number of processes increases, existing parallel sorting algorithms could become inefficient because of the unbalanced workload. A common cause of load imbalance is the skewness of data, which is common in application data sets from physics, biology, earth and planetary sciences. In this work, we introduce a new scalable dynamic skew-aware parallel sorting algorithm, named SDS-Sort. It uses a skew-aware partition method to guarantee a tighter upper bound on the workload of each process. To improve load balance among parallel processes, existing algorithms usually add extra variables to the sorting key, which increase the time needed to complete the sorting operation. SDS-Sort allows a user to select any sorting key without sacrificing performance. SDS-Sort also provides optimizations, including adaptive local merging, overlapping of data exchange and data processing, and dynamic selection of data processing algorithms for different hardware configurations and for partially ordered data. SDS-Sort uses local-sampling based partitioning to further reduce its overhead. We tested SDS-Sort extensively on Edison, a Cray XC30 supercomputer. Timing measurements show that SDS-Sort can scale to 130K CPU cores and deliver a sorting throughput of 117TB/min. In tests with real application data from large science projects, SDS-Sort outperforms HykSort, a state-of-art parallel sorting algorithm, by 3.4X.
The Relationship Between the Surgeon and the Orthodontist in Orthognathic Surgery

The value of an effective working relationship between the surgeon and orthodontist in orthognathic surgery cannot be overemphasized. The surgeon’s concern may center on generalized facial esthetics and overlying soft tissue deformities, while the orthodontist may directly focus on obtaining optimal occlusal function, periodontal health, dentofacial esthetics, and function of the temporomandibular joint. With this complementary association, the patient will benefit greatly.
Chemomechanical Interactions Enhance IgE-FcεRI Signaling in Mast Cells

Cells respond to their physical environment and to chemical stimuli in terms of collective molecular interactions that are regulated in time and space. Small molecules may engage specific receptors to initiate a transmembrane signal, and the system amplifies this nanoscale interaction to microscale assemblies within the cell and often to longer length scales involving surrounding tissue and ultimately the whole organism. A striking example of signal integration over multiple length scales is the allergic immune response. IgE receptors (FceRI) on mast cells are the gatekeepers of this response, and this system has proven to be a valuable model for investigating receptor-mediated cellular activation. Spanning the range of cellular responses we use super resolution fluorescence localization microscopy to investigate the earliest signaling events and ligands patterned in micron size features together with confocal microscopy to investigate early and later events. We are characterizing distinctive regulatory roles played by the actin cytoskeleton at different stages. We are further investigating spatial redistributions of the cellular integrins that relate to the enhancement of signaling observed for cells spreading on surfaces.
Muscle- and Mode-Specific Responses of the Forearm Flexors to Fatiguing, Concentric Muscle Actions

Background: Electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) studies of fatigue have generally utilized maximal isometric or dynamic muscle actions, but sport- and work-related activities involve predominately submaximal movements. Therefore, the purpose of the present investigation was to examine the torque, EMG, and MMG responses as a result of submaximal, concentric, isokinetic, forearm flexion muscle actions. Methods: Twelve men performed concentric peak torque (PT) and isometric PT trials before (pretest) and after (posttest) performing 50 submaximal (65% of concentric PT), concentric, isokinetic (60°·s−1), forearm flexion muscle actions. Surface EMG and MMG signals were simultaneously recorded from the biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscles. Results: The results of the present study indicated similar decreases during both the concentric PT and isometric PT measurements for torque, EMG mean power frequency (MPF), and MMG MPF following the fatiguing workbout, but no changes in EMG amplitude (AMP) or MMG AMP. Conclusions: These findings suggest that decreases in torque as a result of fatiguing, dynamic muscle actions may have been due to the effects of metabolic byproducts on excitation–contraction coupling as indicated by the decreases in EMG MPF and MMG MPF, but lack of changes in EMG AMP and MMG AMP from both the biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscles.
Dismantling Purity: Toward a Feminist Curdling of Hawaiian Identity

This paper explores Hawaiian racial identity formation using Maria Lugones’s metaphor of curdling as a guiding theme. I aim to show that the accepted definition of “native Hawaiian” is based on a purity model of race that serves to undermine the unity of the Hawaiian Nation. I begin by outlining the pre-contact understanding of Hawaiian identity. This conception of identity was subsequently altered through various political agendas to fit within a Western/European notion of “pure” racial identity. I argue that continuing to use the imposed definition of “native Hawaiian” makes the fragmentation of Hawaiian identity and society difficult to overcome. Additionally, I offer a discussion of the gendered rhetoric of some Hawaiian activists that complicates the effort to regain a precolonial cultural identity that was largely egalitarian. Finally, I suggest that a rejection of racial purity and a rearticulation of Hawaiian identity that recaptures pre-contact, strategic notions of belonging by way of Lugones’s “impure resistance” can set the stage for a more inclusive Hawaiian Nation.
Grandparenting in the United States

Grandparenting varies enormously in the United States and here we discuss that growing diversity. Relying on exchange and reciprocity, feminist, and political economic theoretical perspectives, we begin by exploring the increasing need for grandchild care and assistance in the United States and the dearth of federal and employer supports for working families. Assessing the impact of sociodemographic trends, notably the rise in single parenting and the increase in employment among grandparents, we assess the intensification of grandparenting. Then we turn to issues related to proximity, examining the pleasures and challenges of coresidential, custodial, long distance, and transnational grandparenting. Finally, we turn to the impact of grandparenting on the emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing of grandparents.
Development of Fabric and Structures in Shear Zones

Deformation in much of the crust is accommodated by discrete movement on faults or by ductile deformation concentrated in shear zones. Faults dominate deformation in the upper part of the crust and are readily recognized where exposed by offset of rock units, slickensided fracture surfaces, and effects of brecciation or cataclasis. Ductile shear zones occur deeper in the crust, often as downward extensions of normal, reverse or strike-slip faults. There is every gradation from zones in which deformation is entirely brittle to zones in which deformation is entirely ductile. Individual shear zones are often quite planar when viewed in outcrop or on a map, and they commonly form subparallel arrays (with a single sense of shear) or conjugate arrays (with opposing sense of shear on shear zones of different orientation) (Choukroune and Gapais 1983), reflecting different patterns of bulk strain. Islands or lozenges of undeformed or weakly deformed rock are commonly found within shear zones or help define shear zone boundaries. There is often an anastomosing character to shear zones in a region (e.g. Ramsay and Allison 1979).
Root damage affects nitrogen uptake and growth of young Fuji/M.26 apple trees

Effects of root damage during the transplant process on growth and nitrogen (N) uptake were studied with one-year-old bench-grafted Malus domestica Borkh ‘Fuji’ on M.26 rootstock apple nursery plan...
Bio-Inspired Computing, Information Swarms, and the Problem of Data Fusion

The problem of information overload becomes a huge challenge, particularly when attempting to understanding how to introduce more and more disparate data streams into a data system. Little has been done on how to make those data streams understandable and usable by an analyst. A new paradigm is constructed here, unconstrained by the limits of the current desktop computer, to develop new ways of processing and analyzing data based on the behavior of cellular scale organisms. The additional issue of analytic “groupthink” or “information swarms” is also addressed, with potential solutions to the problem of “paralysis by analysis.”
Integrated Silicon Photodetector in Thin Film Lithium Niobate Platform for Visible Wavelength Band

We demonstrate design, fabrication and characterization of amorphous silicon photodetector on lithium niobate photonic platform at visible wavelengths. The device shows the best responsivity of 10mA/W and dark current of less than 0.5nA © 2019 The Author(s)
Life history and developmental correlates of female vocational preferences: a multivariate study

X INTRODUCTION 1 Holland's Vocational Typology 2 Primary assumptions 2 Secondary assumptions 8 Principles underlying Holland's vocational typology 10 Validity of the theory 13 Women's Issues 19 Changing trends in labor force participation 19 Antecedents of occupational choice 21 Congruence of vocational interests and values 28 Life History Experiences 30 A review of the determinants of vocational preference 34 Life history experiences and women 38 Sex-Roles 44 Theoretical underpinnings 44 Research trends 48 Shifting attitudes toward women's sex-roles 50 Sex-role research and women 53 Sex-role socialization 58 Self-Esteem 63 Self-esteem defined 63 Self-esteem's relationship to vocational behavior 66 Self-esteem and life history 69 Sex-roles and self-esteem 72 Models of self-esteem 79 The Present Study 82 METHOD 85 Subjects 85 Instruments 85 Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) 85 Biographical Questionnaire (BQ) 89
Epigenetic Determinants of Pathogenesis and Resistance to Proteosome Inhibition in Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive tumor accounting for 5% of non Hodgkin’s lymphomas(NHL). Given the poor clinical outcomes in this disease with current therapy, it is of great importance to better understand disease pathogenesis. Since aberrant epigenetic gene regulation is a hallmark of cancer, we hypothesized that an unbiased genome-wide DNA methylation study would identify genes involved in MCL pathogenesis. Moreover, we hypothesized that aberrantly silenced/hypermethylated genes responsible for drug sensitivity in MCL could be pharmacologically manipulated for maximizing clinical benefit. To address these questions, we examined the abundance of DNA methylation in 25,000 promoter fragments using the HELP (HPA II Enzyme Ligation mediated PCR amplification) assay in MCL cell lines. This study revealed s substantial heterogeneity in genomic methylation between cell lines, possibly reflective of underlying biologic diversity in this disease. However, MCL cell lines did display consistent aberrant methylation when compared to naive B cells extracted from normal human tonsils. Remarkably, among the 102 genes with a methylation fold change in >3 and p 2 Standard Deviation) across all MCL cell lines. An unsupervised core analysis from the IPA knowledge base using our gene set revealed gene networks revolving around tumor suppressor TP53 and the NPM1 transcription factor in MCL cell lines. Locus specific confirmation by MassArray confirmed methylation of the distal portion of the TP53 promotor in the MCL cell lines. Recently, the proteosome inhibitor Bortezomib(BZM) has been shown to have specific activity in MCL, with single agent response rates ~40% in heavily pretreated patients. We wondered whether aberrant epigenetic programming might contribute to resistance to this agent and whether reversal of DNA methylation could overcome cellular mechanisms of resistance to Bortezomib. Therefore, to determine whether pharmacologic re-expression of genes could overcome bortezomib resistance, we treated MINO (a Bortezomib-refractory MCL cell line) with two low doses of Decitabine (0.1 uM and 1 uM) for 48 hours and sequentially with 15 nM of Bortezomib (IC50) for an additional 48 hours. Pretreatment of BZM-resistant MINO cells with Decitabine significantly (p<0.001) reduced cell viability as compared to control, suggesting that Decitabine can overcome BZM resistance in this refractory cell line. We are currently determining which genes contribute to this effect and validating these results in patient samples from a prospective trial of BZM+EPOCH. We predict that this will provide the basis for future trials individualizing BZM based therapy based on methylation and gene expression signatures in MCL.
Relationship of bleeding to pathologic ulceration in a primary melanoma lesion.

9102 Background: Lesion bleeding (BL) is a catalyst symptom leading to melanoma (MEL) diagnosis and is associated with adverse outcomes. The pathophysiologic significance of BL has not been elucida...
The Association of Low Income and High Stress with Acute Care Use in COPD Patients.

Introduction Low-income chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) individuals are known to have higher rates of COPD-related hospitalizations and readmissions. Levels of psychological stress are also higher in low-income populations and may be associated with acute care use. We sought to: (1) determine the association between stress and acute care use in COPD, (2) evaluate the social determinants of health (SDH) in low and high stress individuals, and (3) determine the association between low income and high stress with acute care use. Materials and Methods Using results from a survey-based study of individuals with COPD at the University of Alabama (UAB), we used multivariable regression modeling to evaluate the association of high stress with acute care use (COPD-related emergency department [ED] visits or hospitalizations). We then compared SDH between low and high stress groups and evaluated the association of low income + high stress with acute care use in a secondary model. Results We included 126 individuals in our study. The high stress group was more likely to be < 65 years old and female. No differences in race, smoking, years of smoking, body mass index, dyspnea, or lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]%) by stress group were observed. The high stress group had a 2.5-fold increased adjusted odds of acute care use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]95% confidence interval [CI], 2.51, 1.06-5.98) compared to the low stress group, while the low-income + high stress group had a 4-fold increased adjusted odds of acute care use (AOR, 95% CI, 4.38, 1.25-15-45) compared to high-income + low-stress group. Conclusions Acute care use and stress are associated in COPD. These associations are more pronounced in the low-income + high stress population who disproportionately contribute to health care utilization and frequently lack the resources needed to cope with stress.
Fluorescence Detection of Fluorescein and SYBR Green-Stained DNA by Reflective Cavity-Coupled Fluorometer – A Quantitative Study

Abstract With a miniaturized, reflective cavity-coupled fluorometer, a new fluorescence detection technique is presented with a quantitative analysis of its limits and sensitivity in detection. This paper is on a comparative study of fluorescence detection, on the same modularized fluorometer platform, to various combinations of light sources, optical filter lenses, reflectivity of the cavity wall, and fluorophore models. The quantitative comparison results allows for scrutinizing the mechanisms of noises in each measurement, including Raman scattering, and determining the limit of detection (LOD). This fluorometer enables detection of fluorescein at 0.4 nM and of SYBR Green (SG)-stained DNA at 0.05 ng μl-1 when equipped with a 450 nm laser diode, 550 nm cut-on longpass optical filter, and a polished reflective cavity. The detection of DNA can be further improved to a lower LOD by addressing the uncertainty in preparing the SG/DNA solutions with a consistent dye-base ratio throughout all the sample solutions.