cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can diffusion-weighted imaging serve as a biomarker of fibrosis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma?

Purpose To assess the relationship between diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-derived quantitative parameters (apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC], perfusion fraction [f], Dslow, diffusion coefficient [D], and Dfast, pseudodiffusion coefficient [D*]) and histopathology in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC). Materials and Methods Subjects with suspected surgically resectable PAC were prospectively enrolled in this Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant, Institutional Review Board-approved study. Imaging was performed at 1.5T with a respiratory-triggered echo planar DWI sequence using 10 b values. Two readers drew regions of interest (ROIs) over the tumor and adjacent nontumoral tissue. Monoexponential and biexponential fits were used to derive ADC2b, ADCall, f, D, and D*, which were compared to quantitative histopathology of fibrosis, mean vascular density, and cellularity. Two biexponential IVIM models were investigated and compared: 1) nonlinear least-square fitting based on the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm, and 2) linear fit using a fixed D* (20 mm2/s). Statistical analysis included Student's t-test, Pearson correlation (P < 0.05 was considered significant), intraclass correlation, and coefficients of variance. Results Twenty subjects with PAC were included in the final cohort. Negative correlation between D and fibrosis (Reader 2: r = –0.57 P = 0.01; pooled P = –0.46, P = 0.04) was observed with a trend toward positive correlation between f and fibrosis (r = 0.44, P = 0.05). ADC2b was significantly lower in PAC with dense fibrosis than with loose fibrosis ADC2b (P = 0.03). Inter- and intrareader agreement was excellent for ADC, D, and f. Conclusion In PAC, D negatively correlates with fibrosis, with a trend toward positive correlation with f suggesting both perfusion and diffusion effects contribute to stromal desmoplasia. ADC2b is significantly lower in tumors with dense fibrosis and may serve as a biomarker of fibrosis architecture. Level of Evidence: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2017;46:393–402
Any Willing Provider: An Unacceptable Risk for a Marginal Gain

It is no secret that many Americans are less than happy with their health care coverage â€“ either due to a total lack of coverage or simply a lack of choice and flexibility within their current plan. The latter objection is often a feature of the coverage afforded by Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), also commonly known as Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). These plans usually restrict a patientâ€™s choice of doctors in exchange for lower monthly premiums. In response to frustrated patients and citizens, legislation titled Any Willing Provider has been introduced in several states, which aims to curb the ability of an HMO to control patient access to the healthcare market. While the goals of this type of legislation seem noble and logical on their face â€“ allowing patients to have their choice of doctors and not allowing companies to restrict access to the market â€“ the unintended consequences of these laws could easily outweigh their benefits. By undermining an HMOâ€™s cost-saving techniques, America runs the risk of increasing the number of uninsured citizens. This report will outline the issues and debates surrounding the MCO/HMO industry in America as well as the Any Willing Provider movement. It will then argue that this kind of legislation, while desirable on its surface, demonstrates a potential for negative consequences, which may be too much of a risk to our healthcare system.
“ Negativo por negativo me va dar un… POSITIvo ”: Translanguaging as a Vehicle for Appropriation of Mathematical Meanings

This chapter captures Ofelia Garcia’s (Bilingual education in the 21st century: a global perspective. Wiley-Blackwell Pub, Malden/Oxford, 2009) concept of translanguaging and examines its presence in the teaching and learning processes of a seventh-grade mathematics classroom. Recently, some scholars, who explore language as a tool for learning, have taken the concept of translanguaging as a positive pedagogical tool in bilingual and bicultural classrooms. By looking at discourse as it naturally occurs in the classroom, this paper shows how translanguaging practices are being employed as a vehicle for appropriation of mathematical meanings. Drawing from sociocultural theories of learning and development (Vygotsky LS, Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1978), the community of practice approach (Lave J, Wenger E, Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1991), and Discourse and discourse analysis (Gee JP, Social linguistics and literacies: ideology in discourses. Routledge, New York, 2008, Gee JP, An introduction to discourse analysis: theory and method. Routledge, New York, 2011b), this chapter portrays how a bilingual teacher and his bilingual Latina/o students engage in interactional activities in which they make use of translanguaging Discourses to co-construct mathematical understandings. Findings are grouped into two intertwined main categories: (1) translanguaging as a pedagogical tool that supports appropriation of mathematical meanings, and (2) translanguaging as a linguistic practice that allows fluidity and movement of the teaching and learning process.
The Contribution of Landscaping to the Price of Single Family Houses: A Study of Home Sales in Greenville, South Carolina

Abstract The market for housing is often analyzed from the hedonic perspective where the characteristics of the house and its location together influence its market price. In this study, the contribution of the quality of landscaping to the house price is estimated. Using data from a sample of 288 recent home sales in Greenville, South Carolina, a linear in the logs regression of house price on house characteristics, location and landscape quality was estimated. A house that obtained an excellent landscaping rating from a local landscaping professional could expect a sales price of about 4 to 5 percentage points higher (depending on the size of the lot) than equivalent houses with good landscaping. Homes with landscaping appeal far below (fair or poor) neighboring homes with excellent landscapes can expect a sales price 8–10% below equivalent homes with good landscaping appeal.
Quantitative Mammalian Cell Genetic Toxicology: Study of the Cytotoxicity and Mutagenicity of Seventy Individual Environmental Agents Related to Energy Technologies and Three Subfractions of a Crude Synthetic Oil in the CHO/HGPRT System

As science and technology advance, an extraordinary-quantity of natural and synthetic chemicals is introduced continuously into our environment. Through conventional animal tests, some of these environmental chemicals have been found to be either highly toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic. Epidemiological studies have shown that among these harmful chemicals, a few also exhibit such detrimental effects in the human population. Because of the high cost and length of time required for the animal experiments, such tests have been confined to only a very small fraction of these environmental agents. Thus, the biological effects of the great majority of these chemicals, including ingredients of our daily foods and drugs, remain either incompletely tested or unknown.
Towards an anatomical modeling pipeline for simulation and accurate navigation for brain and spine surgery

This paper summarizes work underway on neurosurgery simulation and navigation, emphasizing anatomical modeling techniques and clinical requirements for simulation. We describe innovations that center on patient-specific anatomical modeling of the brain, including skull base anatomy, and spine. In general, we advocate a model-based approach to segmentation that leverages digital atlases of the anatomy, as well as a discrete deformable contour or surface model which can be deformed to fit patient image data. Furthermore, we proceed in a manner that represents several tissue boundaries at once, whereby a voxel-based functional atlas is expressed as a deformable 2-Simplex multi-surface model. Our research has also endowed the 2-Simplex multi-surface model with shape statistics and shared faces. We also describe innovations on deformable 1-Simplex 3D contour models that have been applied to identifying the intra-cranial portion of cranial nerves. Innovations on the clinical requirements front relate to the development of neurosurgical ontologies.
ORF-Landesstudio, St. Pölten

Nach einem Vierteljahrhundert haben sich die technischen und betrieblichen Bedurfnisse eines TV- und Radiostudios umfassend geandert; dazu kam der Zwang zum okonomischen Mashalten. Das ORF Landesstudio in St. Polten ist daher kleiner und anders organisiert als die bekannten Bauten in den Bundeslandern, die vom selben Architekten stammend, eine aus Kreissegmenten mit zentraler Halle gebildete Grundrissstruktur aufweisen. Der stadtebauliche Solitar — etwas groser als eine stattliche Villa — steht auf der grunen Wiese in der Sudwestecke des Kulturbezirks, die an den alten Baumbestand des Hammerparks grenzt. Vor das gegliederte und im Obergeschos zuruckgestaffelte Volumen ist als neutralisierende Schicht ein Gitter aus beschattenden Alu-Lamellen gestellt, das zusatzlich zum gepflegten Rasen distanzierend wirkt. Das Innere ist um eine quadratische Halle mit anschliesendem Lichthof organisiert, deren Deckengestaltung die Tragstruktur aus Stahlbeton nachzeichnet. Ein groser zentraler Laternenzylinder aus Glasbausteinen weitet den Raum ins Obergeschos, begehbar uber einen geraden Treppenlauf, der, je nach Standort, das Aufsteigen oder Herunterschweben interpretiert. Ein Lift und eine zweite Treppe stellen den Bezug zum betrieblich wichtigen Untergeschos her, wo sich das Archiv und Parkplatze befinden. Ein bimediales Studio, Aufnahmekammern und nach Bedarf durch die Redakteure genutzte Arbeitsplatze mit Workstations legen sich um die noch halboffentliche Mittelzone.
Drop-weight impact characteristics of additively manufactured sandwich structures with different cellular designs

Abstract In the design of sandwich panels with cellular cores for energy absorption, the geometrical effect of the cellular core design has not been investigated in details previously. In this work three cellular core designs, including re-entrant auxetic, octet-truss, and BCC lattice, were experimentally investigated for their performance under low-energy impact as sandwich structures. Samples with different cellular core designs were fabricated by laser sintering additive manufacturing process using Nylon 12 as material, and evaluated by drop weight testing under multiple strikes and at two levels of elevated temperatures (93 °C and 121 °C). It was found that beside relative densities, the geometrical design of the cellular cores could also significantly influence the impact energy absorption performance of the sandwich structures. It was also found that the impact energy absorption of the cellular structures investigated in this study does not have a significant correlation with either the quasi-static mechanical properties or the temperature. In addition, the auxetic cellular structure exhibits optimal overall energy absorption performance compared to both the octet-truss and the BCC lattice.
Investigation of deturbing methods for sonic boom signatures

There is a desire to certify aircraft for supersonic flight using microphone measurements of the aircraft’s sonic boom signature on the ground. If the signature propagates through the planetary boundary layer before it reaches the ground, the signature becomes distorted because of atmospheric turbulence, corrupting the measurement. Methods to remove the turbulence effect, or deturbing methods, currently exist but are restricted to typical N-wave shapes or knowledge of the turbulence structure beforehand. This work investigates methods of deturbing sonic boom signatures independent of the N-wave shape and not requiring prior knowledge of turbulence. Improvements are made to the averaging method and subtraction method of deturbing, and a new method is investigated which uses audio fingerprinting, an audio identification algorithm used by music identification apps such as Shazam. The effects of each deturbing method are described using a wide set of physical and subjective metrics. [Work supported by the FAA. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCENT FAA Center of Excellence sponsor organizations.]There is a desire to certify aircraft for supersonic flight using microphone measurements of the aircraft’s sonic boom signature on the ground. If the signature propagates through the planetary boundary layer before it reaches the ground, the signature becomes distorted because of atmospheric turbulence, corrupting the measurement. Methods to remove the turbulence effect, or deturbing methods, currently exist but are restricted to typical N-wave shapes or knowledge of the turbulence structure beforehand. This work investigates methods of deturbing sonic boom signatures independent of the N-wave shape and not requiring prior knowledge of turbulence. Improvements are made to the averaging method and subtraction method of deturbing, and a new method is investigated which uses audio fingerprinting, an audio identification algorithm used by music identification apps such as Shazam. The effects of each deturbing method are described using a wide set of physical and subjective metrics. [Work supported by the FAA...
A software-defined radio tool for interference analysis

A software defined radio based on the GNURadio (GR)[1][11] framework has been developed. The radio can be used for real-time receiving or transmitting of signals, or for simulating different scenarios. The radio combines native GR blocks with custom blocks and runtime-configurable flowgraph generation. The flowgraph can be defined and monitored using a comprehensive user interface (GUI), or from a JSON configuration file. The radio supports a wide range of waveforms from standard PSK to more unusual U/AQPSK and OQPSK. An integrated channel model includes effects of nonlinear power amplifier, phase noise, frequency offset, thermal noise, and Doppler. The GUI allows the user to quickly instantiate multiple instances of the SDR to study interaction between adjacent channels. Further, as waveforms get more complex and rely on powerful error correction, the effect of an adjacent channel interferer on a victim signal becomes more difficult to predict. The paper presents detailed block diagrams of the radio in different configurations.
Late maturation of backward masking in auditory cortex

In children, auditory detection of backward masked signals is immature well into adolescence, and detection deficits correlate with problems in speech processing. Our auditory cortical recordings r...
Characterization of Porosity in Thick Composites Using Ultrasonic Wave Velocity Measurements

Determination of content and distribution of porosity introduced in composites during fabrication, is an important issue in characterizing composite materials, especially thick ones. Dispersed or discrete elongated pores, located at the fiber-matrix or ply interfaces, can act as nuclei of further damage growth during loading of the composite laminate.
Case Study Projects in an Undergraduate Process Control Course

During the last half of a process control course, students work in three-person teams on a multivariable control project selected from a choice of five processes. Each project is advised by a different member of an instructional team and includes many phases associated with a typical control design project. Students experiment with, and control, a process that is "masked" in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. This approach provides a sense of an industrial control problem, including working in a project team environment with a project advisor.
Time-Dependent Treatment of Molecular Processes

Abstract A time-dependent treatment of molecular processes is presented 1 that emphasizes the importance of a dynamical treatment of participating electrons and starts from a choice of molecular Lagrangian. The ingredients of such a theoretical and computational approach include the choice of coordinate system and its effect on the molecular Hamiltonian. Also the choice of molecular wave function is essential, and the particular role of the time-dependent parameters that originate in a coherent state representation is discussed. The simplest form of Electron Nuclear Dynamics is presented, and many of its applications are discussed with reference to the publications where they are originally presented. The challenges of rendering such dynamics are mentioned in the final section.
Racial and ethnic disparities in predictors of glycemia: a moderated mediation analysis of inflammation-related predictors of diabetes in the NHANES 2007-2010.

Racial/ethnic disparities in type 2 diabetes (T2D) outcomes exist, and could be explained by nutrition- and inflammation-related differences. The objective of this study is to identify associations between race/ethnicity and glucose control among participants from NHANES 2007–2010, as influenced by diet quality, body mass, and inflammation and grouped by T2D status. The following is a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of two NHANES data cycles spanning 2007–2010. The association between race/ethnicity and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) as mediated by dietary intake score, body mass index (BMI), and C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed, as was the strength of the difference of that association, or moderation, by T2D status. The sample included n = 7850 non-pregnant adult participants ≥ 20 years of age who had two days of reliable dietary recall data, and no missing data on key variables included in the analysis. The primary outcome examined was HbA1c. The model accurately explained the variation in HbA1c measures in participants without T2D, as mediated by diet quality, BMI, and CRP. However, significant variation in HbA1c remained after accounting for aforementioned mediators when contrasting non-Hispanic White to non-Hispanic Black participants without T2D. The model was not a good fit for explaining racial/ethnic disparities in HbA1c in participants with T2D. A test of the index of moderated mediation for this model was not significant for the differences in the effect of race/ethnicity on HbA1c by T2D status (moderator). This study demonstrated that diet quality, BMI, and CRP mediated the effect of race/ethnicity on HbA1c in persons without T2D, but not in persons with T2D. Further research should include additional inflammatory markers, and other inflammation- and T2D-related health outcomes, and their association with racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes.
The Flammer Solution for the Circular PEC Disk: Computations and Comparisons

Flammer’s exact solution for electromagnetic scattering from a circular, perfectly conducting disk is reviewed and implemented to produce the current density at various points on the disk. This information is used to assess the accuracy of method-of-moments numerical solutions of the electric field integral equation. The error in both the scattering cross section and current density is computed for several examples. In addition, the performance of singular basis functions used to incorporate edge singularities in numerical solutions is evaluated.
The impact of psychological distress on long-term recovery perceptions in survivors of cardiac arrest.

Abstract Purpose To determine the association of depressive and PTSD symptoms with cardiac arrest survivors' long-term recovery perceptions, after accounting for cognitive status, functional independence, and medical comorbidities. Methods Perceived recovery of 78 cardiac arrest survivors at 6-months post-hospital discharge was assessed through the question, “Do you feel that you have made a complete recovery from your arrest?” Psychological symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D) and the PTSD Checklist-Specific (PCL S). Logistic regression was utilized to assess the association between psychological symptoms with positive and negative recovery perceptions, adjusting for demographics, cognitive impairment, functional dependence, and medical comorbidities. Results At 6 months, 53% of patients (n = 41) had negative recovery perceptions. 32.1% (n = 25) of patients screened for depression and 28.2% (n = 22) for PTSD. Patients with higher CES-D scores were significantly more likely to have negative recovery perceptions in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses (OR: 1.10, 95% CI [1.03, 1.16], p Conclusions In contrast with cognitive and functional measures, depressive symptoms were strongly associated with cardiac arrest survivors' negative recovery perceptions at 6-months post-discharge.
Re: How Evolving United States Payment Models Influence Primary Care and its Impact on the Quadruple Aim: The Need for Health Equity.

To the Editor: Park et al[1][1] make an important contribution in their review of what is known about the impact of different payment models on the core functions of primary care and their corresponding impact across the Quadruple Aim. Our comments focus on health equity in terms of the aims of
Chapter 12 – Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles, also known as “self-driving vehicles,” represent an extreme application of electronics to vehicles. Such vehicles are controlled during motion by a computer along with various electronic subsystems and components rather than by a human driver. At the time of this writing, they are in a research and development stage. There are multiple levels of autonomy as classified by government agencies (e.g., USDOT) and by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The primary inputs to a vehicle by a human driver include steering, braking, throttle, and transmission mode select. However, to drive a vehicle, the driver must continuously monitor the environment visually and react to the conditions. This means maintaining the vehicle in an appropriate lane on a road for a given trip and reacting correctly to all road signs and signals along a given trip. It is vitally important that he/she react to changes in the pathway that require decision-making such as traffic, pedestrians, and any objects in the path. Typically, the driver must decide whether it is necessary to stop or possibly steer around other objects in the pathway. In addition, the driver should also attempt to make a prediction about an object or a pedestrian that is moving such that in the short time ahead, it is probable that the object/pedestrian will require action by the driver. For an autonomous vehicle to operate safely, it must have the same type of decision-making capability described above (and other decisions not discussed).
(355) Brain Mechanisms of Pressure Pain in Healthy Adolescents: A Preliminary fMRI Study

Human brain mechanisms of pain have been well studied in adults. However, similar research in adolescents is lacking. Directly extrapolating adult findings to adolescents can be problematic, given that the prefrontal circuitry, which plays an important role in modulating pain responses, remains immature until adulthood. In this ongoing study, we characterized brain responses to pressure pain in eighteen healthy adolescents between ages 13 and 17 using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Twelve ten-second noxious pressure stimuli (2.5-4kg/cm2) were applied to the participants’ left thumbnail using a pneumatic device, which reliably evoked pain experience in all subjects (on a 0-100 computerized visual analogue scale, pain intensity: mean(std)=28.00(15.78), t=7.53, p
Sure independence screening in the presence of missing data

Variable selection in ultra-high dimensional data sets is an increasingly prevalent issue with the readily available data arising from, for example, genome-wide associations studies or gene expression data. When the dimension of the feature space is exponentially larger than the sample size, it is desirable to screen out unimportant predictors in order to bring the dimension down to a moderate scale. In this paper we consider the case when observations of the predictors are missing at random. We propose performing screening using the marginal linear correlation coefficient between each predictor and the response variable accounting for the missing data using maximum likelihood estimation. This method is shown to have the sure screening property. Moreover, a novel method of screening that uses additional predictors when estimating the correlation coefficient is proposed. Simulations show that simply performing screening using pairwise complete observations is out-performed by both the proposed methods and is not recommended. Finally, the proposed methods are applied to a gene expression study on prostate cancer.
Effects of surfactant transport on electrodeformation of a viscous drop

In this work we quantify the effects of surfactant transport on the deformation of a viscous drop under a DC electric field. We study how convective and diffusive transport of surfactants at drop surfaces influence the equilibrium and dynamic deformation of a leaky dielectric drop and a conducting drop. Focusing on the prolate drop shape (elongates along the electric field), we show the differences in equilibrium deformation and flow circulation between a leaky dielectric drop and a conducting drop. We quantify the drop electrodeformation via its dependence on the interior flow circulation and the dominant surfactant transport regime (characterized by the surface Peclet number Pe_{s}). For a leaky dielectric drop with dominant surfactant diffusion (Pe_{s}≪1), equator-to-pole (pole-to-equator) circulation yields smaller (larger) equilibrium deformation with increasing surfactant coverage, compared to a clean drop. However, when convection dominates (Pe_{s}≫1), the equilibrium drop deformation increases (decreases) with larger surfactant coverage for equator-to-pole (pole-to-equator) circulation. Larger equilibrium drop deformation is found for a leaky dielectric drop than a conducting drop when the interior flow is from equator to pole. For an interior flow from pole to equator, we identify cases where larger deformation is found for a conducting interior fluid. Finally, we study the effect of the surfactant transport on the dynamic evolution of drop shape. We found the drop undergoes an overshoot in the early deformation phase, before settling to its equilibrium shape-similar to the overshoot observed for unsteady Stokes flow.
Genome-wide identification of binding sites and gene targets of Alx1, a pivotal regulator of echinoderm skeletogenesis.

ABSTRACT Alx1 is a conserved regulator of skeletogenesis in echinoderms and evolutionary changes in Alx1 sequence and expression have played a pivotal role in modifying programs of skeletogenesis within the phylum. Alx1 regulates a large suite of effector genes that control the morphogenetic behaviors and biomineral-forming activities of skeletogenic cells. To better understand the gene regulatory control of skeletogenesis by Alx1, we used genome-wide ChIP-seq to identify Alx1-binding sites and direct gene targets. Our analysis revealed that many terminal differentiation genes receive direct transcriptional inputs from Alx1. In addition, we found that intermediate transcription factors previously shown to be downstream of Alx1 all receive direct inputs from Alx1. Thus, Alx1 appears to regulate effector genes by indirect, as well as direct, mechanisms. We tested 23 high-confidence ChIP-seq peaks using GFP reporters and identified 18 active cis-regulatory modules (CRMs); this represents a high success rate for CRM discovery. Detailed analysis of a representative CRM confirmed that a conserved, palindromic Alx1-binding site was essential for expression. Our work significantly advances our understanding of the gene regulatory circuitry that controls skeletogenesis in sea urchins and provides a framework for evolutionary studies.
Genetic determinants of host immunity against human rhinovirus infections

Human rhinoviruses (RV) are a frequent cause of respiratory tract infections with substantial morbidity and mortality in some patients. Nevertheless, the genetic basis of susceptibility to RV in humans has been relatively understudied. Experimental infections of mice and in vitro infections of human cells have indicated that various pathogen recognition receptors (TLRs, RIG-I, and MDA5) regulate innate immune responses to RV. However, deficiency of MDA5 is the only one among these so far uncovered that confers RV susceptibility in humans. Other work has shown increased RV susceptibility in patients with a polymorphism in CDHR3 that encodes the cellular receptor for RV-C entry. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the genetic determinants of human RV susceptibility in the context of what is known about RV biology.
Effect of structural promoters on calcium based sorbents from waste derived sources

Abstract Calcium looping process is an important technology for high temperature CO2 scrubbing. Calcium based sorbent decays rapidly after cyclic reactions, hence enhanced cyclic stability of the sorbent should be developed. We studied three different refractories including Al, Mg and La based supports which were synthesized using the dry mixing, wet-mixing method and Sol Gel Combustion Synthesis (SGCS) methods, through which the dopants are completely mixed into CaO/CaCO3 particles. The sorbents were characterized by SEM/EDS and XRD. The carbonation conversion and cyclic stability of sorbents were tested by Thermo-Gravimetric Analyser (TGA) under similar conditions. TGA results demonstrated that marble-dust doped sorbents are able to achieve higher conversion than eggshell sorbents. Hence, further analysis was focused on marble-dust sorbents. SGCS exhibit much superior cyclic performance as compared to wet and dry method, however, wet method is effective due to the low cost less time consumption and scale up issues. This analysis demonstrated that marble-dust sorbents doped with Al i.e CaO:Al (90:10) maintained the best conversion (91 %) and stability over 20 reaction cycles in comparison with dopant ratio CaO: Al (80:20) i.e., 73 %. Similarly, Mg and La dopants showed best conversion and cyclic strength at the doping ratio of 90:10. Hence, conversion rate and cyclic stability is maximum for all the dopants Al, Mg and La with dopant ratio of 90:10 in comparison with ratios 80:20 and 70:30. Furthermore, among all the dopants, Al dopant gives highest conversion rate and cyclic stability.
Improving Clinical Trial Enrollment - In the Covid-19 Era and Beyond.

Improving Clinical Trial Enrollment Despite formidable barriers to designing, implementing, and completing clinical trials in the midst of a pandemic, there are ways to ensure that the selected tri...
Surrounded by Spirits: Hauntings of Identity in Waimea Summer by John Dominis Holt

In 1976, John Dominis Holt published what would be considered the first novel by a Kanaka Maoli [Native Hawaiian] author in English, Waimea Summer. This coming-of-age narrative set in 1930’s Hawai‘i follows fourteen-year-old Mark Hull, a half White, half Kanaka Maoli boy who experiences a series of hauntings on his uncle’s farm, all the while grappling with a burgeoning queer identity and conflicted cultural loyalties. In the post American-occupied Hawai‘i, the teachings of Christian missionaries and anti-sodomy laws have all but eradicated the aikāne [homosexual] relationships practiced by the ali‘i [royals] of Marks’ genealogy, and yet the boy’s queer desires refuse to die. In this paper, the novel is interpreted through Laura Westengard’s theory of the queer Gothic, in which concepts of the American nuclear heterosexual family are challenged by the burgeoning past, thus returning the narrative and agency to the queer Indigenous subject.
Regulation of neural gene expression by estrogen receptor alpha

The transcription factor estrogen receptor α (ERα) is a principal regulator of sex differences in the vertebrate brain and can modulate mood, behavior, and energy balance in females and males. However, the genes regulated by ERα in the brain remain largely unknown. Here we reveal the genomic binding of ERα within a sexually dimorphic neural circuit that regulates social behaviors. We profiled gene expression and chromatin accessibility and show ERα induces a neurodevelopmental gene program in adulthood. We further demonstrate that ERα binds with Nuclear factor I X-type (Nfix) to regulate a male-biased gene expression program that initiates in early life. Our results reveal a neural strategy for ERα-mediated gene regulation and provide molecular targets that underlie estrogen9s effects on brain development, behavior, and disease.
How massive online experiments (MOEs) can illuminate critical and sensitive periods in development

The fact that children are far more likely to successfully acquire a variety of new skills and knowledge than are adults is so clearly evidenced in everyday life that it hardly needs scientific confirmation. However, despite four decades of intensive research, the reason why remains controversial. In fact, the terms of the debate about critical periods in language have hardly changed since the 1960s. I argue that this is because the standard in-lab research paradigms that have otherwise served psychology well are fundamentally ill-suited to the study of critical and sensitive periods. In particular, this research requires samples that are far more diverse and orders of magnitude larger than can be achieved in the lab. I show that massive online experiments provide an exciting and productive alternative.
When edges become centered: The ceramic social geography of early pottery communities of the American Southeast

Abstract Along the geographic edges of regional populations lies latent potential for innovation and change accruing from interactions with those beyond the edges. This arguably was the case among some of the first pottery-making communities of the American Southeast. Centuries of interactions between these mobile communities and those beyond the geographic distribution of early pottery in the Savannah River valley culminated in places of permanent residence and ritual gathering at the overlapping edges of settlement ranges. Coupled with geochemical data on clay provenance, petrographic thin sections of Stallings fiber-tempered pottery register changes in social affiliation attending the emergence of gathering places. Despite continuity in the use of fiber for temper, innovations in the decoration and form of Stallings pottery coincide with changes in clay provenance and mineral composition to suggest a reorientation away from ancestral ties downriver and towards novel connections upriver. New relationships at the overlapping edges of ancestral lands were brokered at places of settlement and mortuary activity, notably at Stallings Island, which was abandoned for as much as three centuries after pottery appeared in the region. Revealed by petrographic data on the choices potters made in either maintaining or reinventing tradition is perspective on the ceramic social geography of Classic Stallings Culture that has implications for studies of social networks worldwide.
Optimization of Electrical Stimulation for Safe and Effective Guidance of Human Cells.

Direct current (DC) electrical stimulation has been shown to have remarkable effects on regulating cell behaviors. Translation of this technology to clinical uses, however, has to overcome several obstacles, including Joule heat production, changes in pH and ion concentration, and electrode products that are detrimental to cells. Application of DC voltages in thick tissues where their thickness is >0.8 mm caused significant changes in temperature, pH, and ion concentrations. In this study, we developed a multifield and -chamber electrotaxis chip, and various stimulation schemes to determine effective and safe stimulation strategies to guide the migration of human vascular endothelial cells. The electrotaxis chip with a chamber thickness of 1 mm allows 10 voltages applied in one experiment. DC electric fields caused detrimental effects on cells in a 1 mm chamber that mimicking 3D tissue with a decrease in cell migration speed and an increase in necrosis and apoptosis. Using the chip, we were able to select optimal stimulation schemes that were effective in guiding cells with minimal detrimental effects. This experimental system can be used to determine optimal electrical stimulation schemes for cell migration, survival with minimal detrimental effects on cells, which will facilitate to bring electrical stimulation for in vivo use.
Laplaceanism defended

This work is a critical consideration of several arguments recently given by Elliott Sober that are aimed at undermining the Laplacean stance on probability in evolutionary theory (and, by extension, the special sciences more broadly). The Laplacean contends that the only objective probability an event has is the one assigned to it by a complete description of the relevant microparticles. Sober alleges a formal demonstration that the Laplacean stance on probability in evolutionary theory is inconsistent. But Sober’s argument contains a crucial lacuna, one that likely cannot be repaired to yield the conclusion that Sober draws. He also argues that the Laplacean is committed to inferring semantic facts about probabilities from pragmatic facts about agents’ reasons for using probabilities. But Sober’s arguments against inferring semantic facts from pragmatic constraints would only undermine one basis for Laplaceanism. The Laplacean who formulates her position carefully need not leave herself vulnerable to Sober’s objection to inferring semantics from pragmatics.
A Novel Mouse Model for the Study of Anti-Tumor T Cell Responses in Kras Driven Lung Adenocarcinoma

Kras-driven lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most common forms of lung cancer. A significant fraction of patients with Kras-driven LUAD respond to immunotherapy, but mechanistic studies of immune responses against LUAD have been limited because of a lack of immunotherapy-responsive models. The Kras-Lox-STOP-Lox-G12D p53 flox/flox (KP) model faithfully recapitulates human LUAD but does not elicit tumor-specific T cell responses because developing tumors lack neoantigens. In vivo lentiviral transduction has been used to express neoantigens in KP LUADs but this strategy has limitations. We report here the development of the immunogenic KP x NINJA (iNversion INducible Joined NeoAntigen) (KP-NINJA) LUAD model. This model allows for temporal uncoupling of antigen and tumor induction, which allows one to wait until after adeno/lentiviral infection-induced inflammation has subsided to induce neoantigen expression by tumors. Neoantigen expression is restricted to EPCAM+ epithelial cells, with no neoantigen expression in CD45+ immune cells in the lung. Analysis of neoantigen expression by FACS and immunofluorescence revealed that expression was more consistent between neoantigen+ tumors (~2x variance) than lentiviral-programmed neoantigen+ tumors (>80x variance). Moreover, tumors were infiltrated by tumor-specific CD8 T cells. Finally, LUAD cell lines derived from KP-NINJA mice were immunogenic and responded to immune checkpoint therapy with anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA4, providing means for future studies into the immunobiology of therapeutic responses in LUAD.
Peculiar Prototypes: β Per and β Lyr

The two longest-known eclipsing pairs naturally served as standards of comparison for numerous systems discovered subsequently. In this capacity they created a bit of confusion in past decades.
Determinants of Dividend Payout

This study develops an investor utility approach to the concept that dividend payout is based upon firm conditions and management objectives. The empirical version reports significant elasticity propositions consistent with the life-cycle theory or the residual income model. A comparison of the period before and after the 2008 financial crisis indicates factor stability with minimal impact.
Networks in action: The Khrushchev Era, the Cold War and the Transformation of Soviet Science

Based on more than a quarter century of evolving work, this “thought piece” is a re-evaluation of Soviet science during the Khrushchev era (1954–1964). It focuses on a series of remarkable events during the so-called “Thaw” (1955–1958) that give evidence of a fundamental transformation then occurring in Soviet science under the influence of the Cold War. These developments suggest the critical role played by personal networks in the evolution of Russian science. The piece concludes with some methodological implications for studying Soviet science, the Cold War, and the history of science writ large.
Efficient program power behavior characterization

Fine-grained program power behavior is useful in both evaluating power optimizations and observing power optimization opportunities. Detailed power simulation is time consuming and often inaccurate. Physical power measurement is faster and objective. However, fine-grained measurement generates enormous amounts of data in which locating important features is difficult, while coarse-grained measurement sacrifices important detail. We present a program power behavior characterization infrastructure that identifies program phases, selects a representative interval of execution for each phase, and instruments the program to enable precise power measurement of these intervals to get their time-dependent power behavior. We show that the representative intervals accurately model the fine-grained time-dependent behavior of the program. They also accurately estimate the total energy of a program. Our compiler infrastructure allows for easy mapping between a measurement result and its corresponding source code. We improve the accuracy of our technique over previous work by using edge vectors, i.e., counts of traversals of control-flow edges, instead of basic block vectors, as well as incorporating event counters into our phase classification. We validate our infrastructure through the physical power measurement of 10 SPEC CPU 2000 integer benchmarks on an Intel Pentium 4 system. We show that using edge vectors reduces the error of estimating total program energy by 35% over using basic block vectors, and using edge vectors plus event counters reduces the error of estimating the fine-grained time-dependent power profile by 22% over using basic block vectors.
Aristotle for Teachers as Moral Educators

When William Bennett was the conservative voice of education reform, everyone understood what was meant by “character development.” What was implicit in A Nation At Risk, Bennett made explicit in American Education: Making It Work: “This same blending of character and ethics with knowledge and skills still has a place in American education today — or ought to.” Bennett’s support for the transmission of and indoctrination into “consensus ideals,” combined with his refusal to “muddy those questions with unnecessary complexity,” prevails as the conventional, and largely behaviorist, ideology for the K-12 teacher’s role as moral educator. What Barbara Duncan explained, in a recent issue of Educational Theory, as the “direct approach” to character education has emerged as the orthodox one. As Duncan remarked about advocates of this direct approach: “Their philosophy is that educators need not be afraid to encourage certain character traits in their students because there are certain qualities such as honesty, courage, and so forth, which are desirable for everyone no matter what their cultural background.”
A design strategy for 8 kV/contact 15 kV/air gap IEC 61000-4-2 robustness without on board suppressors

We present an IC design strategy capable of achieving 8 kV contact/15 kV air gap ESD robustness in-system according to the IEC 61000-4-2 standard without the need of additional suppressors on board. This result has been achieved with a LVTSCR, developed via wafer level TLP/HBM/HMM testing and verified insystem using gun testing.
Toward a New Welfare Foundation for Sustainability

The debate over various definitions of sustainability has for the most part been conducted within the framework of traditional welfare economics. Discussion has centered on technical issues imbedded within the functional forms of various optimization models, especially the coefficient of the elasticity of substitution and the social discount rate. A more basic problem is that intractable theoretical difficulties within welfare economics call into question the results of traditional models of sustainability regarding intergenerational welfare. Another difficulty is that equating per capita consumption with welfare contradicts empirical evidence that suggests that the link between happiness and wealth/income is relatively weak. Alternative approaches to measuring well-being are being developed and these have great potential to move the sustainability debate forward.
People of Our Word

We bind ourselves to one another by making and accepting promises. We obligate others by issuing orders, commands, even by making requests. We cancel standing obligations others have to us by conse...
The effects of dual-task interference and response strategy on stop or go decisions to yellow light changes

Distractions can interfere with driving by causing central processing bottlenecks. In addition to performance decrements, central processing delays may also impair decision-making during critical driving maneuvers such as stop or go decisions at intersections. It was hypothesized that distractions would delay the stop or go decision leading to more go responses. Participants drove 4 simulated drives and made stop or go decisions at intersections with and without a distracting task. Distractions did not result in more go responses at intersections. Additionally, dual-task interference in braking responses was found to be dependent upon participants’ response strategies. Theoretical implications of response strategy on processing bottlenecks were discussed. Keywords: Driver distraction;
Dissecting the role of hyperthermia in natural killer cell mediated anti-tumor responses.

The effects of hyperthermia on natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity against tumor cell targets are not yet fully understood. A more complete understanding of these effects could be important for maximizing the clinical benefits obtained by using hyperthermia for cancer therapy. Here, we summarize results in the literature regarding the effects of elevated temperatures on NK cells and our own recent data on the effects of fever-range temperatures. At treatment temperatures above 40°C, (which is above the physiological body temperatures normally achieved during fever or exercise), both enhancing and inhibitory effects on cytotoxic activity of NK cells against tumor cells have been reported. Our own results have shown that fever-range thermal stress (using a temperature of 39.5°C) enhances human NK cell cytotoxicity against tumor target cells. This effect requires function of the NKG2D receptor of NK cells, and is maximal when both NK and tumor cell targets are heated. Reported heat sensitive cellular targe...
Flattened dispersion in silicon slot waveguides

We propose a silicon strip/slot hybrid waveguide that produces flattened dispersion of 0 ± 16 ps/(nm∙km), over a 553-nm wavelength range, which is 20 times flatter than previous results. Different from previously reported slot waveguides, the strip/slot hybrid waveguide employs the mode transition from a strip mode to a slot mode to introduce unique waveguide dispersion. The flat dispersion profile is featured by three zero-dispersion wavelengths, which is obtained for the first time in on-chip silicon waveguides, to the best of our knowledge. The waveguide exhibits flattened dispersion from 1562-nm to 2115-nm wavelength, which is potentially useful for both telecom and mid-infrared applications.