cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shedding light on the weather

Virtually all methods in image processing and computer vision, for removing weather effects from images, assume single scattering of light by particles in the atmosphere. In reality, multiple scattering effects are significant. A common manifestation of multiple scattering is the appearance of glows around light sources in bad weather. Modeling multiple scattering is critical to understanding the complex effects of weather on images, and hence essential for improving the performance of outdoor vision systems. We develop a new physics-based model for the multiple scattering of light rays as they travel from a source to an observer. This model is valid for various weather conditions including fog, haze, mist and rain. Our model enables us to recover from a single image the shapes and depths of sources in the scene. In addition, the weather condition and the visibility of the atmosphere can be estimated. These quantities can, in turn, be used to remove the glows of sources to obtain a clear picture of the scene. Based on these results, we demonstrate that a camera observing a distant source can serve as a "visual weather meter". The model and techniques described in this paper can also be used to analyze scattering in other media, such as fluids and tissues. Therefore, in addition to vision in bad weather, our work has implications for medical and underwater imaging.
CONSYD: integrated software for computer aided control system design and analysis

Abstract The general specifications and structure of a computer aided control system analysis and design package suitable for chemical process control are outlined and a specific realization, the package CONSYD (CONtrol SYstem Design) is discussed.
Effect of Lignin Chemistry on the Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Woody Biomass

The impact of lignin-derived inhibition on enzymatic hydrolysis is investigated by using lignins isolated from untreated woods and pretreated wood pulps. A new method, biomass reconstruction, for which isolated lignins are precipitated onto bleached pulps to mimic lignocellulosic biomass, is introduced, for the first time, to decouple the lignin distribution issue from lignin chemistry. Isolated lignins are physically mixed and reconstructed with bleached pulps. Lignins obtained from pretreated woods adsorb two to six times more cellulase than lignins obtained from untreated woods. The higher adsorption of enzymes on lignin correlates with decreased carbohydrate conversion in enzymatic hydrolysis. In addition, the reconstructed softwood substrate has a lower carbohydrate conversion than the reconstructed hardwood substrate. The degree of condensation of lignin increases significantly after pretreatment, especially with softwood lignins. In this study, the degree of condensation of lignin (0.02 to 0.64) and total OH groups in lignin (1.7 to 1.1) have a critical impact on cellulase adsorption (9 to 70%) and enzymatic hydrolysis (83.2 to 58.2%); this may provide insights into the more recalcitrant nature of softwood substrates.
Balancing Immunological Benefits and Cardiovascular Risks of Antiretroviral Therapy: When Is Immediate Treatment Optimal?

We developed a mathematical model to identify the timing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation that optimizes patient outcomes as a function of patient CD4 count, age, cardiac mortality risk, sex, and personal preferences. Our goal was to find the conditions that maximize patient quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) in the context of our model. Under the assumption that ART confers disease progression and mortality benefits at any CD4 count, immediate treatment initiation yields the greatest remaining QALE for young patients under most circumstances. The timing of ART initiation depends on the magnitude of benefit from ART at high CD4 counts, the magnitude of increases in cardiac risk, and patients' preferences. If ART reduces HIV progression at high CD4 counts, immediate ART is preferable for most newly infected individuals <35 years even if ART doubles age- and sex-specific cardiac risk.
Properties of slow- and fast-twitch skeletal muscle from mice with an inherited capacity for hypoxic exercise

Muscle fiber type, myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform composition, capillary density (CD) and citrate synthase (CS) activity were investigated in predominantly slow-twitch (soleus or SOL) and fast-twitch (extensor digitorum longus or EDL) skeletal muscle from mice with inherited differences in hypoxic exercise tolerance. Striking differences in hypoxic exercise tolerance previously have been found in two inbred strains of mice, Balb/cByJ (C) and C57BL/6J (B6), and their F1 hybrid following exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Mice from the three strains were exposed for 8 weeks to either normobaric normoxia or hypobaric hypoxia (1/2 atm). Hypoxia exposure led to a slightly higher 2b fiber composition and a lower fiber area of types 1 and 2a in SOL of all mice. In the EDL, muscle fiber and MHC isoform composition remained unaffected by chronic hypoxia. Chronic hypoxia did not significantly affect CD in either muscle from any of the three strains. There were relatively larger differences in CS activity among strains and treatment, and in SOL the highest CS activity was found in the F1 mice that had been acclimated to hypoxia. In general, however, neither differences among strains nor treatment in these properties of muscle vary in a way that clearly relates to inherited hypoxic exercise tolerance.
Local Anesthesia in the Orofacial Region

Local anesthesia techniques in oral and maxillofacial procedures are very common and routinely performed daily. An overwhelming role of local anesthetics is to decrease intra- and postoperative pain following orofacial procedures. In addition, proper administration of orofacial local anesthetics will improve patient cooperation and comfort, provide an environment for diagnostic testing and examination, and eliminate or reduce the amount of conscious sedation and general anesthesia that may be necessary in the office or the operating room. There are hosts of anatomical considerations to be considered when performing administration of local anesthesia in the orofacial region. Anatomical consideration begins with the trigeminal nerve and awareness and understanding of both the sensory and motor division of innervations. Local anesthetic instrumentation, materials, and supplies for performing such techniques and optimal utilization of such instruments remain a necessary competency. Three major types of maxillary anesthesia injections can be performed for pain control and include local infiltration, field block, and nerve blockade. Due to the dense cortical bone of the mandible, local anesthesia infiltration techniques in the adult are not frequently performed. Nerve blocks utilized for mandibular anesthesia include the inferior alveolar, lingual, mental, and buccal nerves. Local anesthetic types used during local anesthesia in the orofacial region include esters and amides, and each class can have specific drugs with duration of action ranging from short to long acting. Evidence-based local anesthesia dosing considerations between adults and children and in those patients with cardiovascular comorbidities have been developed. There remains a host of concern for the concept of complications and side effects with local anesthesia administrations and complications with local anesthesia techniques in oral and maxillofacial procedures.
In situ formation of palisade bodies in calcium, aluminum-rich refractory inclusions

— It has been suggested that palisade bodies—shells of spinel found within some calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) and the phases the shells enclose—are intact mini-CAIs that predate and were captured by their current hosts while the latter were still molten. We present new data and observations that indicate that most palisade bodies formed instead in situ while their host inclusions were crystallizing. The evidence includes observations of spinel-lined cavities and glass-filled, circular structures outlined by spinel in experimental run products crystallized from melts; a partially formed palisade body in an inclusion; a fassaite crystal that is optically continuous across a palisade wall; and similarity of unusual mineral compositions in some palisade bodies and their hosts. Our observations can be used to refute arguments for exotic origin and are most consistent with a model for in situ formation involving: (1) formation of vesicles in a largely molten inclusion; (2) nucleation of spinel upon and/or adherence to vapor-melt interfaces, forming spinel shells around vesicles; (3)leakage of vesicles and filling with melt while spinel shells remain largely intact; and (4) crystallization of melt inside shells. This model is similar to one proposed for formation of segregation vesicles, which are partially- to completely-filled vesicles found in some terrestrial basalts. In addition, we interpret framboids (i.e., dense clusters of spinel with little material between grains, found in most inclusions that contain palisade bodies) as polar or near-polar sections through palisade bodies and therefore do not make a genetic distinction between the two features.
Equal diversity in disparate species assemblages: a comparison of native and exotic woodlands in California

The species richness of ecosystems can remain stable over time, despite changes in species composition and changes in the dominant plant species. While this pattern of stability is known to occur temporally, it has been examined poorly in a spatial context. To examine this spatially, the species richness, diversity and composition of native woodlands (of oak and bay trees) and exotic woodlands (of eucalypt trees) were compared in California. Species richness was nearly identical for understorey plants, leaf-litter invertebrates, amphibians and birds; only rodents had significantly fewer species in eucalypt sites. Species diversity patterns (using the Shannon-Wiener Index) were qualitatively identical to those for species richness, except for leaf-litter invertebrates, which were significantly more diverse in eucalypt sites during the spring. Species composition was different between sites, as evidenced by a principal components analysis, coefficients of similarity, and the relatively few species shared between native and eucalypt sites. Thus, the consistency in richness and diversity observed for most groups, in most seasons, occurred despite significant differences in species composition. These results are consistent with previous demonstrations of temporal stability, suggesting that species richness may often be stable, both temporally and spatially, despite changes in composition and regardless of the dominant vegetation.
The Perception of Voice Onset Time: An fMRI Investigation of Phonetic Category Structure

This study explored the neural systems underlying the perception of phonetic category structure by investigating the perception of a voice onset time (VOT) continuum in a phonetic categorization task. Stimuli consisted of five synthetic speech stimuli which ranged in VOT from 0 msec ([da]) to 40 msec ([ta]). Results from 12 subjects showed that the neural system is sensitive to VOT differences of 10 msec and that details of phonetic category structure are retained throughout the phonetic processing stream. Both the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and cingulate showed graded activation as a function of category membership with increasing activation as stimuli approached the phonetic category boundary. These results are consistent with the view that the left IFG is involved in phonetic decision processes, with the extent of activation influenced by increased resources devoted to resolving phonetic category membership and/or selecting between competing phonetic categories. Activation patterns in the cingulate suggest that it is sensitive to stimulus difficulty and resolving response conflict. In contrast, activation in the posterior left middle temporal gyrus and the left angular gyrus showed modulation of activation only to the "best fit" of the phonetic category, suggesting that these areas are involved in mapping sound structure to its phonetic representation. The superior temporal gyrus (STG) bilaterally showed weaker sensitivity to the differences in phonetic category structure, providing further evidence that the STG is involved in the early analysis of the sensory properties of speech.
Investing in Retail and Office Property

During the height of the “Yes Era”, retail and office property was constructed based on the growth in new housing starts in various markets across the United States. Speculative home construction may have led to speculative retail and office properties being constructed nearby. While the level of speculative construction was not as prevalent during the “Yes Era” as was the case in prior real estate-led recessions, the “if you build it, they will come” philosophy is an alluring concept during economic expansion.
Complex Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: Impact, Assessment, and Emerging Therapies

Obesity now represents a worldwide public health concern. In the United States, two thirds of adults are overweight and one third are considered obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 ). Visceral obesity, as a central component of the metabolic syndrome, contributes to an elevation in the risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and, in turn, increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs, especially in elderly populations. This manuscript examines the impact and current management of obesity and other aspects of the metabolic syndrome, as well as emerging treatment options, with a focus on the role of abnormalities in the endocannabinoid system. The foundation for this publication was a live symposium event at AMDA's national meeting in Dallas, Texas, March 16–19, 2006. The endocannabinoid receptor CB1 is involved in the regulation of energy balance and it has been identified in tissues related to the pathogenesis of obesity. Moreover, dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system is common in obese individuals. Further, recent clinical studies have shown that the novel, selective CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant yields sustained reduction in weight and waist circumference, as well as improvements, independent of weight loss, in other aspects of the metabolic syndrome. Novel agents, such as rimonabant, that target fundamental pathogenic processes related to nutrient intake and fat storage, in conjunction with appropriate lifestyle changes, may efficiently treat obesity and related cardiometabolic disturbances.
Pathways of glyceride glycerol synthesis

Isolated rat liver parenchymal cells were incubated for various periods with [U-14C,2-3H]glycerol and the radioisotopic yields in the major products were determined, as well as the 3H/14C ratios in glyceride glycerol and intracellular glycerol phosphate. Under the conditions used (0.1mm-glycerol+10mm-l-lactate or 10mm-glycerol as substrates), only small differences were found between these 3H/14C ratios. The results suggest a minor role for a pathway of glyceride glycerol synthesis involving reduction of acylated dihydroxyacetone phosphate, under these experimental conditions.
Higgs physics at CMS

This article reviews recent measurements of the properties of the standard model (SM) Higgs boson using data recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC: its mass, width and couplings to other SM particles. We also summarise highlights from searches for new physical phenomena in the Higgs sector as they are proposed in many extensions of the SM: flavour violating and invisible decay modes, resonances decaying into Higgs bosons and searches for additional Higgs bosons.
Egypt: Language Situation

Arabic diglossia as well as regional varieties of Arabic exist in Egypt. Egyptian Arabic is also the language used in much film and television seen throughout the Arab world. Language minority communities in Egypt include Nubian, Kenuzi-Dongola, Domari, Berber, and Coptic. English and other modern European languages are also spoken.
Ab Initio Study of the Pathways and Barriers of Tricyclo[4.1.0.02, 7]heptene Isomerization

The thermal isomerization of tricyclo[4.1.0.0(2,7)]heptene has been studied using computational chemistry with structures determined at the MCSCF level and energies at the MRMP2 level. Both the allowed conrotatory and forbidden disrotatory pathways have been elucidated resulting in cycloheptatriene isomers. Four reaction channels are available for the conrotatory pathway depending on which bond breaks first in the bicyclobutane moiety leading to enantiomeric pairs of (E,Z,Z)-1,3,5-cycloheptatriene and (Z,E,Z)-1,3,5-cycloheptatriene intermediates. The activation barrier is calculated to be 31.3 kcal·mol⁻¹ for two channels and 37.5 kcal·mol⁻¹ for the other two. The lower activation barrier leading to the (E,Z,Z)-1,3,5-cycloheptatriene enantiomeric pair is proposed to be due to resonance within the transition state. The same behavior was observed for the disrotatory pathway with activation barriers of 42.0 kcal·mol⁻¹ and 55.1 kcal·mol⁻¹ for the two channels, again with one transition state resonance stabilized. The barriers for trans double bond rotation of the intermediate cycloheptatrienes are determined to be 17.1 and 17.4 kcal·mol⁻¹, about 5 kcal·mol⁻¹ more than that for the seven carbon diene (E,Z)-1,3-cycloheptadiene. The electrocyclic ring closure of the trans cycloheptatrienes have been modeled and barriers determined to be 11.1 and 11.9 kcal·mol⁻¹ for the formation of bicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-2,6-diene. This structure was previously reported as the end product for thermolysis of the parent tricyclo[4.1.0.0(2,7)]heptene. The thermodynamically more stable cycloheptatriene can be formed from bicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-2,6-diene through a two step process with a calculated pseudo first-order barrier of 36.4 kcal·mol⁻¹. The trans-cycloheptatrienes reported herein are the first characterization of a small seven-membered ring triene with a trans double bond.
Overuse of Head Computed Tomography in Cirrhosis With Altered Mental Status.

Abstract Background Head computed tomography (CT) scans are ordered in patients with cirrhosis along with altered mental status (AMS) during admission, often, despite lack of evidence of any structural abnormality. Thus, we aimed to examine the use of head CT scans in patients with cirrhosis along with AMS and to correlate scan abnormalities with causes of AMS and physical findings. Materials and Methods We defined AMS as having impaired cognition, diminished attention, reduced awareness or altered level of consciousness or all of these, and categorized AMS into the following groups: hepatic encephalopathy (HE), sepsis or infectious, metabolic, exogenous drugs or toxins, structural lesions or psychiatric abnormalities. The primary outcome was presence of any structural brain lesion on head CT scan in patients with cirrhosis along with AMS with correlation of focal neurologic deficits, specifically in patients with HE. Results In total, 349 of 1,218 patients with cirrhosis who were admitted to the hospital had AMS; HE was the most common cause of AMS (164 of 349, 47%). A total of 64% (223 of 349) of patients with cirrhosis along with AMS underwent head CT scanning on admission, including 99 of 164 (60%) patients with HE. No patient with HE had focal neurologic findings, or a focal abnormality on head CT scan. Of the patients with focal abnormalities on CT scans, 100% had focal neurologic findings. Patients with cirrhosis along with AMS undergoing head CT scan had similar mortality (76 of 223, 34%) as those with AMS not undergoing head CT scans (47 of 126, 37%; P = nonsignificant). Conclusions Nearly two-thirds of patients with cirrhosis along with AMS had head CT scans performed on admission; all patients with a structural lesion on head CT scan had abnormal neurologic examinations. The data suggest that routine brain imaging in patients with cirrhosis that do not have focal neurologic findings is likely not indicated.
Numerical simulation for natural gas produced from hydrate and analysis of influence factors

To simulate the natural gas hydrates,all depressurization zones are divided into three parts: full-decomposed part,decomposing part and be-decomposing part.Beside multi-phase(gas,water and hydrate) flow mass balance and energy balance in all parts,the intrinsic dissociation reaction of hydrate is considered in decomposing part.Based on these models,one two-dimensional program was made for analyzing the factors affecting the production performance.With higher outer pressure,the cumulative gas produced becomes less.As temperature at boundary increases,the decomposition velocity enhances.Absolute permeability makes a minor effect on cumulative gas produced and gas produced rate.The work provides technical support for next experimental simulation and engineering application research.
Optimization of pre and post recipe sensitivity for unpattemed wafer defectivity inspection

As dimensions shrink with each successive semiconductor technology node, the critical size of defects that can impact yield also shrinks. Monitoring the health of process equipment rigorously and regularly for key sources of contamination must be performed. Comparison of the critical feature size per technology node with the typical defectivity size used for process control shows a widening disparity over time. The need to close this gap is more important than ever in order to improve chip yields as the industry drives toward the 10nm and 7nm nodes. The latest generation defectivity inspection equipment can measure defect sizes close to technology critical feature size. Getting accurate data of real added defects is complicated for processes that involve film deposition due to decoration effects caused by the film conforming over the pre-existing defects. In this study, we bring out a clear methodology in optimizing the pre/post monitoring sizes of defects in order to minimize the effect of false adders. The relationship between pre and post sizing is well understood for mechanical checks. However, the impact on the sizing of defects because of film interaction is of critical interest. In this work, a series of different films and deposition methods are studied. Decoration effects of defects (as shown in Figure 1) are analyzed in depth and an extensive methodology of optimization of post-scan thresholds is elaborated. This methodology has proven to be extremely effective and has successfully been implemented at Global Foundries Fab 8 and 10.
Autonomous Demand and the Harrodian Criticisms of the Kaleckian Model

Lavoie ([Lavoie, M., 2016]) introduces autonomous demand in a defense of the (post‐) Kaleckian analysis against classical and Harrodian criticisms. This note corrects some errors in Lavoie's analysis, questions the stabilizing potential of autonomous demand, and points out some differences between the two variants of Lavoie's ‘neo‐Kaleckian’ model.
X-ray free-electron laser oscillator with nuclear-resonant cavity stabilization and quantum-optical applications

X-ray free-electron-laser oscillators with nuclear-resonant cavity stabilization hold the promise for providing X-rays with unprecedented coherence properties that will enable interesting quantum-optical and metrologial applications. Among these are atom optics with X-ray-based optical elements providing high momentum transfer, or a frequency standard far surpassing the best state-of-the-art atomic clocks.
Optimal leader selection for controllability and robustness in multi-agent networks

Two optimal leader selection problems are examined for multi-agent networks. The optimal leader set is the set of m > 0 leaders that maximizes performance of a linear dynamic network. In the problem for controllability, each leader is identified with a control input, and performance is measured by average controllability and reachable subspace volume. In the problem for robustness, each leader responds to an external signal, the linear dynamics are noisy, and the performance is measured by the steady-state system error. Previously, we showed that the optimal leader set for robustness maximizes a joint centrality in the network graph. In this paper, we show how the optimal leader set for controllability depends also on measures of the graph, including information centrality of leaders and eigenvectors of the graph Laplacian. We explore a fundamental trade-off between optimal leader selection for controllability and for robustness, and we outline a distributed algorithm for the selection of a pair of leaders in trees.
Social Determinants of Remitting Practices among Bangladeshi Migrants in Japan

Why do migrants send remittances? Through ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews among Bangladeshi migrants in Tokyo, this article explores the social determinants of migrants’ remitting practices. It offers a realist analytical approach following Durkheim’s perspective on how society determines an individual’s action. It recognizes social relations between the migrants and their families and relatives as the essential foundation for remitting to occur, while migrants’ adherence to social norms, as well as legal and social exclusion in the destination, causes them to participate in various qualitatively distinct remitting practices. Therefore, it argues that migrants’ social relations to the family and community cause them to remit, and changes in these relations result in subsequent changes in their remitting. It complements the New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM) approach by incorporating the social (both relational and spatial) context of remitting. By bringing in migrants’ agency, it also ...
Abstract B60: Inflammatory-based diagnostic markers of lung cancer in African Americans

Background: African Americans have a higher risk of developing lung cancer compared with all other ethnic groups in the USA. Previous studies based on a small panel of markers suggested that certain circulating cytokines were associated with lung cancer. Given the complexity of the immune response in lung cancer and the multitude of cell types involved, we reasoned that examining a broad panel of inflammatory markers — including cytokines, chemokines, angiogenic and other pro-inflammatory factors — might identify a diagnostic signature of lung cancer for African American patients. Methods: Differences in 30 inflammatory marker serum levels, were measured in 308 African-American cases and 501 African American controls from the National Cancer Institute-Maryland (NCI-MD) case-control study using a Mesoscale multiplex platform (MSD). The panel of 30 serum inflammatory markers, included chemokines, cytokines and other inflammatory related proteins (Mesoscale VPLEX assay). Associations of the serum cytokine levels with lung cancer were analyzed using Stata statistical software (StataCorp, TX) Results: Fifteen inflammatory markers (CRP, IFN-gamma, IL-10, IL-15, IL-17A, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IP-10, MCP-4, MIP-1alpha, TARC, TNF-alpha and VEGF) were significantly different among African American cases compared with African American controls. In agreement with our previous observations, levels of IL-10, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha were associated with lung cancer risk. In addition, we found that CRP, IFN-gamma, IL-15, IL-7, IP-10, MCP-4, MIP-1alpha, TARC, and VEGF were associated with lung cancer in African Americans. The associations between CRP, IFN-gamma, IL-10, IL-15, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IP-10 and MCP-4 levels and lung cancer among African Americans were significant after adjustment for additional potential confounding factors. Conclusions: Serum cytokine levels vary by race and might contribute to lung cancer differently between African Americans and European Americans. The findings presented here build upon recent work that identified associations between elevated levels of IL-10, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and lung cancer among African Americans. Furthermore, by analyzing a broader spectrum of inflammation, we have identified additional markers of lung cancer for African American patients. Citation Format: Claire L. Meaney, Khadijah A. Mitchell, Adriana Zingone, Derek Brown, Wei Tang, Yunkai Yu, Liang Cao, Brid M. Ryan. Inflammatory-based diagnostic markers of lung cancer in African Americans. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B60.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 2009: Transformation at the Site Level

Appropriate for general management courses emphasizing lean operations strategy implementation and large-scale change management across a network of global manufacturing facilities. In this case, site-level leadership, including senior, midlevel, and supervisory positions, must respond to a critical corporate directive to achieve a 25% cost reduction. Under the direction of an advisory firm, the development and implementation of an operational Transformation strategy is the responsibility of the new VP of operations. Three key elements of the Operational Excellence Transformation Program are described in detail and year-one progress in three first-wave sites is presented through interviews. Students must critique the progress and offer suggestions for the VP, who must evaluate the results at the three sites and plan for a continuation of the rollout across other sites. A teaching note (OM-1400TN) is available. Excerpt UVA-OM-1402 Rev. June 8, 2010 WYETH PHARMACEUTICALS IN 2009: TRANSFORMATION AT THE SITE LEVEL (A) June 2009 Wendy Kouba deplaned at JFK and retrieved her luggage. Then she headed for ground transportation and rented a car to use during her time at the Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (Wyeth) production facility in Pearl River, New York (Figure 1). Kouba had been appointed vice president of operations management in the technical operations and product supply (TO&PS) division of Wyeth in January 2009. She had been chosen for this position because, in her former role as vice president of corporate communications, her management style had inspired trust, and she had built lasting relationships with site leadership over the years. Her expertise and passion was in developing sustainable change in an organization through employee engagement. In her current role, she considered herself qualified to take on the challenge of leading change in a large organization, but she still wondered about her self-perceived lack of knowledge in the area of technical operations. . . .
Diverging Life Expectancies and Voting Patterns in the 2016 US Presidential Election.

Objectives. To assess whether voting patterns in the 2016 US presidential election were correlated with long-run trends in county life expectancy.Methods. I examined county-level voting data from t...
Semi-infinite Multiobjective Optimization

This chapter presents a significant theorem of the alternative [2] for a semi-infinite system of nonlinear equalities and inequalities along with a set of Karush–Kuhn–Tucker-type necessary efficiency conditions for a multiobjective optimization problem involving Hadamard directionally differentiable functions with infinitely many equality and inequality constraints defined on a normed linear space.
Swit_4259, an acetoacetate decarboxylase-like enzyme from Sphingomonas wittichii RW1.

The Gram-negative bacterium Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 is notable for its ability to metabolize a variety of aromatic hydrocarbons. Not surprisingly, the S. wittichii genome contains a number of putative aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading gene clusters. One of these includes an enzyme of unknown function, Swit_4259, which belongs to the acetoacetate decarboxylase-like superfamily (ADCSF). Here, it is reported that Swit_4259 is a small (28.8 kDa) tetrameric ADCSF enzyme that, unlike the prototypical members of the superfamily, does not have acetoacetate decarboxylase activity. Structural characterization shows that the tertiary structure of Swit_4259 is nearly identical to that of the true decarboxylases, but there are important differences in the fine structure of the Swit_4259 active site that lead to a divergence in function. In addition, it is shown that while it is a poor substrate, Swit_4259 can catalyze the hydration of 2-oxo-hex-3-enedioate to yield 2-oxo-4-hydroxyhexanedioate. It is also demonstrated that Swit_4259 has pyruvate aldolase-dehydratase activity, a feature that is common to all of the family V ADCSF enzymes studied to date. The enzymatic activity, together with the genomic context, suggests that Swit_4259 may be a hydratase with a role in the metabolism of an as-yet-unknown hydrocarbon. These data have implications for engineering bioremediation pathways to degrade specific pollutants, as well as structure–function relationships within the ADCSF in general.
An APOO Pseudogene on Chromosome 5q Is Associated With Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels.

Background —Elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are a major risk factor for CVD via its contribution to the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. While the genetic basis of LDL-C has been studied extensively, currently known genetic variants account for only ~20% of the variation in LDL-C levels. Methods —Through an array-based association analysis in 1,102 Amish subjects, we identified a variant strongly associated with LDL-C levels. Using a combination of genetic analyses, zebrafish models, and in in vitro experiments, we sought to identify the causal gene driving this association. Results —We identified a founder haplotype associated with a 15 mg/dL increase in LDL-C on chromosome 5. After recombination mapping, the associated region contained 8 candidate genes. Using a zebrafish model to evaluate the relevance of these genes to cholesterol metabolism, we found that expression of the transcribed pseudogene, APOOP1 , increased LDL-C and vascular plaque formation. Conclusions —Based on these data, we propose that APOOP1 regulates levels of LDL-C in humans, thus identifying a novel mechanism of lipid homeostasis.
Effectiveness Requires Listening: How to Assess and Improve Listening Skills

This article first explores the strong empirical evidence that listening is an important skill to be effective and successful in the study and practice of law, but legal education gives little attention to helping students develop listening skills. There is a great need for the required curriculum to include educational engagements to help students develop this critical skill, but no scholarship on what engagements might be effective. The article outlines some criteria to assess which listening exercises might be most effective. It then proposes six exercises that meet the criteria. This article builds on my series of articles on the virtues, capacities and skills of lawyers who demonstrate high professionalism. The virtue of empathy and the closely related skill of listening are important elements of professionalism and contribute strongly to both client and senior lawyer perceptions of effectiveness in the practice of law.
Experience and Role of the Organization of American States in Transboundary River Basin Management in Latin America

The governments of the American states recognized the importance of the integrated management of water resources when they approved the Action Plan for Sustainable Development of the Americas at the Summit of the Americas for Sustainable Development (Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, December 2001), thus giving a new official thrust to this issue. The heads of state and presidents of the American countries delegated to the Organization of American States (OAS) General Secretariat the responsibility for supervising this action plan. In order to do so, the General Secretariat has made use of its comparative advantage in dealing with groups of countries in the Americas by working on the management of transboundary river basins. The Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment (USDE)1 of the OAS supports specific agreements that bring together different countries with similar objectives to work together in the management of the key transboundary basins, sharing experiences and supporting the development of national and regional policies. In this chapter, I describe some of the activities of the OAS in support of transboundary water resources management in the Americas.
Using Integrated Data to Design and Support Pay For Success Interventions

Pay for Success (PFS) interventions are increasingly being implemented in the U.S. and worldwide to assess social programs under a risk-sharing financial agreement between the public and private sectors. They seek to mitigate risk for the public sector and promote wider experimentation of programs to improve social outcomes. PFS contracts encourage coordination and alignment of goals, outcomes, and metrics across all agents involved - government, service providers, service recipients, funders and investors. Accordingly, these interventions rely heavily on access to high quality data and analysis, making integrated data systems (IDS) valuable assets to support the design, implementation, and evaluation phases of these projects. The ChildHood Integrated Longitudinal Data (CHILD) System, one of the most comprehensive county-level IDS in the nation, has been used to support and inform two Pay for Success projects in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland). Partnering for Family Success is a county-level intervention in the areas of child welfare and housing instability, now into its fourth year of operation. While the intervention was implemented under a randomized controlled trial, analysis with CHILD proved instrumental to inform the project design and address challenges in program implementation. CHILD has also been used to study the feasibility of PFS as a model to expand high quality preschool, under a grant awarded to eight communities nationally. A case study of both initiatives will be presented, highlighting the role of integrated data in supporting and facilitating PFS design and analysis of outcomes, challenges encountered and lessons learned.
Gibbs Phenomena

In this note we show that when a discontinuous initial value problem for a scalar hyperbolic equation in one space variable is approximated by a difference scheme that is more than first order accurate; it leads to overshoots analogous to the Gibbs phenomenon when discontinuous functions are approximated by sections of Fourier series. A hybrid scheme due to Harten and Zwass removes the overshoots. Similar phenomena occur when solving schemes of hyperbolic equations.
Reproducibility of positive results for rare pathogens on the FilmArray GI Panel

Abstract Though the FilmArray GI Panel has a reported aggregate specificity and reproducibility of >97% and > 99%, respectively, the reproducibility is less understood in clinical practice. We measured the reproducibility of positive results for low-prevalence pathogens. Samples with positive results for selected targets were repeated using a different FilmArray module. Overall, 331 of 373 (89%) results were reproducible. Giardia lamblia (57/57, 100%), Cryptosporidium spp. (61/63, 97%), Cyclospora cayetanensis (34/35, 97%), Plesiomonas shigelloides (17/18, 94%), and Rotavirus A (76/77, 99%) were highly reproducible, while Adenovirus F40/41 (38/54, 70%), Vibrio spp. (8/10, 80%), V. cholerae (3/8, 37.5%), and Yersinia enterocolitica (36/50, 72%) were poorly reproducible. Review of 38 patients with nonreproducible results showed that 19 (50%) had evidence of gastroenteritis and only 6 (16%) had possible infection with the organism that showed a nonreproducible result. Higher false-positive rates with certain targets on FAGP emphasize the need for diagnostic stewardship.
Missing from the Map: Chinese Exceptionalism, Sovereignty Regimes and the Belt Road Initiative

Historical and conventional international relations (IR) frameworks describe the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) as representing a newly ambitious Chinese drive into global politics that positions China...
What Do We Know About Hepatitis Viruses in Horses

Theiler disease (serum hepatitis or idiopathic acute hepatic necrosis) has long been suspected to have a viral etiology. Four viruses have been described in association with hepatitis in horses. Further investigation suggests equine pegivirus and Theiler disease-associated virus (a second pegivirus) are neither hepatotropic nor pathogenic. Nonprimate hepacivirus (NPHV) causes subclinical disease in experimental models and has been associated with hepatitis in some clinical cases. Equine parvovirus-hepatitis (EqPV-H) experimentally causes subclinical-to-clinical liver disease and is found in the vast majority of Theiler disease cases. EqPV-H is likely of clinical significance, whereas the significance of NPHV is unknown.
Reviews of Science for Science Librarians: Alpha-Gal: The Curious Case of Ticks Whose Bite Induces Red Meat Allergies in Humans

A growing number of tick species have now been demonstrated to induce red meat allergies through biting humans. During the course of the bite, Galactose alpha-1,3-Galactose, commonly abbreviated as...
Robotic Tumor Debulking off External Iliac Vessels for the Management of Recurrent Ovarian Cancer.

ABSTRACT Objective To show a surgical video in which an isolated mass was resected off the external iliac vessels for the management of recurrent ovarian cancer. Design Case report. Setting Tertiary referral center in New Haven, Connecticut. Interventions This is a step-by-step demonstration of a robotic tumor debulking in a patient with isolated recurrence of epithelial ovarian cancer 1 , 2 , 3 . The patient is a 70-year-old woman with Lynch syndrome who received a diagnosis for stage IIC high-grade serous ovarian adenocarcinoma and underwent complete debulking in 1996. She had most recently been on pembrolizumab for microsatellite instability-high tumor until February 2019, when she received a diagnosis for isolated hypermetabolic mass in close proximity to the external iliac vessels and right iliac fossa. The patient was placed in dorsal low lithotomy Trendelenburg position, and 15° leftward tilt of the table was obtained to expose the right pelvic sidewall and iliac fossa. To optimally target the surgical field of interest, all robotic trocars were placed in a straight line starting from 5 cm above symphysis pubis on the left side to left subcostal line between the midline vertical and the left midclavicular lines, as per the manufacturer's port placement guidelines ( Fig. 1 ). Conclusion Robotic resection of the tumor nodule off the external iliac vessels was successfully performed with adequate range of motion provided by the arms and without any complications. Trocar placement should be tailored to the site of surgical interest. Robotic-assisted laparoscopy should be considered as a valid alternative to the traditional open approach, when managing solitary masses in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.
Battle of Compilers: An Experimental Evaluation Using SPEC CPU2017

In order to meet growing application demands, modern processors are constantly evolving. Today they integrate multiple processor cores, an on-chip interconnect, large shared caches, specialized hardware accelerators, and memory controllers on a single die. Compilers play a key role in bridging the gap between abstract high-level source code used by software developers and the advanced hardware structures. This paper reports the results of a measurement-based study that evaluates three most prevalent compilers used in industry and academia. We compare the effectiveness of the Intel Parallel Studio XE-19 (IPS), the LLVM Compiler Infrastructure project, and the GNU Compiler Collection using the SPEC CPU2017 benchmark suite that is widely used to evaluate performance of modern computer systems. We quantitively evaluate the compilers with respect to metrics such as benchmark build times, executable code sizes, and execution times. The benchmarks are compiled using comparable optimization levels and they are run on an Intel 8th generation Core i7–8700K. The results show that LLVM creates the smallest executables, GNU has the lowest build times, and IPS has the best performance.
Monte Carlo for the Cyberknife

The Cyberknife™ is an image guided robot arm mounted linear accelerator capable of frameless stereotactic treatment of both intracranial as well as extracranial sites1–3. The Cyberknife utilizes a lightweight 6 MV X-band linear accelerator. The Cyberknife is used clinically for treatment of intracranial, head and neck, and spinal lesions. It is presently being proposed for use in treatment protocol to extracranial sites including the pancreas, lung, and prostate. The goal of this work is to characterize the Cyberknife linac for the development of a Monte Carlo treatment plan verification tool.
Parent centered planning: A new model for working with parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Abstract This article discusses the need for more models and interventions that focus on the broader support systems of parents with disabilities. Parent centered planning is introduced as a potential model for helping parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities to begin to build the formal and informal parental supports needed for parenting their children. This model builds on the person centered planning model, but focuses on planning in regards to an individual’s parenting role, including an individual’s parenting desires and goals, along with the needs of the parent’s child. The article discusses the potential uses of this model, including as a standalone planning process, as a part of the ongoing provision of supports, or as a referral from child protection services.
Examining the Financial Impact of Altered Fractionation in Breast Cancer: An Analysis Using Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing

Abstract Purpose Value-based care is increasingly informing treatment decisions in radiation oncology. Although reimbursement differences have been examined for accelerated whole breast irradiation (AWBI) and conventional whole breast irradiation (CWBI), the cost of care delivery is poorly understood. This article describes our experience evaluating costs for altered fractionation in early-stage breast cancer using a time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) model. Methods and Materials Process maps were developed for 2 treatment regimens, AWBI (42.5 Gy in 16 fractions + 10 Gy in 4 fractions boost) and CWBI (50 Gy in 25 fractions + 10 Gy in 5 fractions boost). Cost was determined based on aggregate cost of personnel, materials, equipment, space, and utilities per unit time and based on the relative proportion of capacity used. The total reimbursement for each regimen was calculated as the aggregate of all billable events during a course of radiation therapy, based on the 2019 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services physician fee schedule database. Results The total cost of delivering courses of AWBI and CWBI was $6965 and $9267, respectively, a difference of $2302 (25%). Eighty-six percent of this difference was related to a lower cost of delivering daily treatments. The total reimbursement for AWBI or CWBI was $9665 or $12,908, respectively, a difference of $3243 (25%). Overall, 55% to 60% of total costs were related to personnel, with the remainder related to materials, utilities, space, and equipment. Conclusions This analysis shows how TDABC can be used to evaluate resource requirements for different radiation therapy fractionation schedules. We found a substantially lower cost for AWBI compared with CWBI, primarily resulting from fewer daily treatments. As the emphasis in health care shifts toward value-based care, TDABC can help identify opportunities to reduce costs and increase clinical efficiency.