cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A telepointing tool for distributed meeting systems

In distributed real-time meeting systems that use personal computers, telepointing tools are used for showing a position in a shared space to remote machines. Telepointing tools are discussed from the network management perspective. A telepointing tool called the loosely coupled shared pointer is proposed. In a shared pointer approach, problems are (i) conflict between local operation and telepointing from a remote machine, and (ii) switching between these two modes. These two problems are solved by giving higher priority to local operation to telepointing. The solution is based on a band model and realizes the relaxed shared-space concept WYSIWIS (what you see is what I see). >
Colored Trails: A Multiagent System Testbed for Decision-Making Research (Demo Paper)

With increasing frequency, computer agents participate in collaborative and competitive multiagent domains in which humans reason strategically to make decisions. The deployment of computer agents in such domains requires that the agents understand something about human behavior so that they can interact successfully with people; the computer agents must be sensitive to how people reason in strategic settings as well as to the social utilities people employ to inform their reasoning. To date, these design requirements for computer agents have received relatively little attention. To further research in this area, we are developing the Colored Trails (CT) testbed [5], a configurable and extensible open-source system for use by the research community at large to investigate multiagent decision making.
Simultaneous Twin Kernel Learning Using Polynomial Transformations for Structured Prediction

Many learning problems in computer vision can be posed as structured prediction problems, where the input and output instances are structured objects such as trees, graphs or strings rather than, single labels {+1,-- 1} or scalars. Kernel methods such as Structured Support Vector Machines, Twin Gaussian Processes (TGP), Structured Gaussian Processes, and vector-valued Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces (RKHS), offer powerful ways to perform learning and inference over these domains. Positive definite kernel functions allow us to quantitatively capture similarity between a pair of instances over these arbitrary domains. A poor choice of the kernel function, which decides the RKHS feature space, often results in poor performance. Automatic kernel selection methods have been developed, but have focused only on kernels on the input domain (i.e.'one-way'). In this work, we propose a novel and efficient algorithm for learning kernel functions simultaneously, on both input and output domains. We introduce the idea of learning polynomial kernel transformations, and call this method Simultaneous Twin Kernel Learning (STKL). STKL can learn arbitrary, but continuous kernel functions, including 'one-way' kernel learning as a special case. We formulate this problem for learning covariances kernels of Twin Gaussian Processes. Our experimental evaluation using learned kernels on synthetic and several real-world datasets demonstrate consistent improvement in performance of TGP's.
Curvature and hydrophobic forces drive oligomerization and modulate activity of rhodopsin in membranes

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential components of cellular signaling pathways. They are the targets of many current pharmaceuticals and are postulated to dimerize or oligomerize in cellular membranes in conjunction with their functional mechanisms. We demonstrate using fluorescence resonance energy transfer how association of rhodopsin occurs by long-range lipid-protein interactions due to geometrical forces, yielding greater receptor crowding. Constitutive association of rhodopsin is promoted by a reduction in membrane thickness (hydrophobic mismatch), but also by an increase in protein/lipid molar ratio, showing the importance of interactions extending well beyond a single annulus of boundary lipids. The fluorescence data correlate with the pKa for the MI-to-MII transition of rhodopsin, where deprotonation of the retinylidene Schiff base occurs in conjunction with helical movements leading to activation of the photoreceptor. A more dispersed membrane environment optimizes formation of the MII conformation that results in visual function. A flexible surface model explains both the dispersal and activation of rhodopsin in terms of bilayer curvature deformation (strain) and hydrophobic solvation energy. The bilayer stress is related to the lateral pressure profile in terms of the spontaneous curvature and associated bending rigidity. Transduction of the strain energy (frustration) of the bilayer drives protein oligomerization and conformational changes in a coupled manner. Our findings illuminate the physical principles of membrane protein association due to chemically nonspecific interactions in fluid lipid bilayers. Moreover, they yield a conceptual framework for understanding how the tightly regulated lipid compositions of cellular membranes influence their protein-mediated functions.
Dynamic correlation matrix based multi-Q learning for a multi-robot system

Multi-robot reinforcement learning is a very challenging area due to several issues, such as large state spaces, difficulty in reward assignment, nondeterministic action selections, and difficulty in merging learned experiences from other robots. In this paper, we propose a dynamic correlation matrix based multi-Q learning (DCM-MultiQ) method for a distributed multi-robot system. A novel dynamic correlation matrix is proposed, which not only handles each agentpsilas Q value, but also deals with the correlation among agents. Furthermore, a theoretical proof of the convergence of the proposed DCM-MultiQ algorithm is also provided using a feedback matrix control theory. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed DCM-MultiQ method, several case studies of a multi-robot system in forage tasks have been conducted. The simulation results show the efficiency and convergence of the proposed method.
A prospective, randomized trial for the prevention of mucositis in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

A prospective, randomized trial for the prevention of mucositis in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
In vivo treatment of mice with heat shock protein, gp96, improves survival of skin grafts with minor and major antigenic disparity

Abstract Immunization with high doses of heat shock protein, gp96 given in vivo, has been shown to mediate the activation of CD4+ T cell, which in turn suppresses an ongoing CD8+ immune response. Here we demonstrate that high doses of gp96 (HDgp96) (100 μg given subcutaneously on days 0 and 7 following skin graft transplantation) improve survival of skin grafts with both minor and major histocompatibility. First, skin from male C57BL/6 donors was grafted onto female C57BL/6 recipients that were subsequently treated with either HDgp96 or buffer and graft survival was monitored. At 64 days post-transplantation, graft recipients treated with HDgp96 showed 56% graft survival compared to 10% in those treated with buffer. Further, HDgp96 downregulates a secondary immune response as well. Skin graft obtained from a male C57BL/6 donor was transplanted to a female C57BL/6 recipient that had previously rejected a male skin graft. Recipients that were treated with HDgp96 showed a 75% graft survival of the secondary graft at 64 days post-transplantation, whereas recipients treated with buffer rejected their secondary grafts within 37 days. Finally, the effect of HDgp96 treatment on survival of graft with major histoincompatibility was tested. Skin grafts from female BALB/c donors were transplanted to female C57BL/6 recipients previously treated with either HDgp96 or buffer. Although all the grafts were ultimately rejected, mice treated with HDgp96 showed a delay in the rejection as compared with buffer controls. Our findings indicate that HDgp96 improves survival of grafts with both minor and major antigenic disparity and could lead to developing novel therapies in transplant medicine.
Unique Features of Nuclear mRNA Poly(A) Signals and Alternative Polyadenylation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

To understand nuclear mRNA polyadenylation mechanisms in the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we generated a data set of 16,952 in silico-verified poly(A) sites from EST sequencing traces based on Chlamydomonas Genome Assembly v.3.1. Analysis of this data set revealed a unique and complex polyadenylation signal profile that is setting Chlamydomonas apart from other organisms. In contrast to the high-AU content in the 3′-UTRs of other organisms, Chlamydomonas shows a high-guanylate content that transits to high-cytidylate around the poly(A) site. The average length of the 3′-UTR is 595 nucleotides (nt), significantly longer than that of Arabidopsis and rice. The dominant poly(A) signal, UGUAA, was found in 52% of the near-upstream elements, and its occurrence may be positively correlated with higher gene expression levels. The UGUAA signal also exists in Arabidopsis and in some mammalian genes but mainly in the far-upstream elements, suggesting a shift in function. The C-rich region after poly(A) sites with unique signal elements is a characteristic downstream element that is lacking in higher plants. We also found a high level of alternative polyadenylation in the Chlamydomonas genome, with a range of up to 33% of the 4057 genes analyzed having at least two unique poly(A) sites and ∼1% of these genes having poly(A) sites residing in predicted coding sequences, introns, and 5′-UTRs. These potentially contribute to transcriptome diversity and gene expression regulation.
Metabolic Fate of the Sympathoneural Imaging Agent 6-[18F]Fluorodopamine in Humans

We examined the metabolism of 6-[18F]fluorodopamine, by assaying arterial plasma concentrations of radioactivity, 6-[18F]fluorodopamine, and 6-[18F]fluorodopamine metabolites in untreated subjects or subjects given desipramine to block neuronal uptake of catecholamines or tyramine to displace vesicular amines. After the 3-min 6-[18F]fluorodopamine infusion, plasma 6-[18F]fluorodopamine levels declined precipitously, total radioactivity declining slowly. After 30 min, the main identified metabolite was 6-[18F]fluorodopamine-sulfate. Desipramine attenuated the rapid increase in plasma 6-[18F]fluorodihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels, and tyramine briefly increased 6-[18F]fluorodopamine levels. Neither drug affected 6-[18F]fluorodopamine-sulfate levels. The results indicate that soon after 6-[18F]fluorodopamine infusion, plasma radioactivity corresponds mainly to 6-[18F]fluorodopamine metabolites; that sympathetic nerves rapidly remove 6-[18F]fluorodopamine, which then undergoes oxidative deamination in the neuronal cytoplasm and sequestration in sympathetic vesicles; and that sulfoconjugation of [18F]fluorodopamine occurs extraneuronally.
SIMbrush: an open source tool for GSM and UMTS forensics analysis

The aim of this paper is to describe a new open source tool, usable on Windows and Linux platform, for digital evidence extraction from SIMs and USIMs card. Nowadays, closed-source or confidential tools are used for this purpose and this is contrary to Daubert's test, because, it is not possible to gain the high degree of acceptability from scientific community required by the test itself. This tool is being proposed, therefore, as a platform for the exchange of ideas, to constitute, free from the logic of copyright, a wide agreement. Security features of SIMs hamper in many ways the possibility to dump a bit for bit internal memory image. As a consequence, this tool interfaces itself to SIM cards in the standard way. Data is acquired in raw format (binary data) and represents digital evidence; interpretation of these raw data at a higher level of abstraction could be the purpose of an extension of this tool aimed at examination of the digital evidence.
From Capsule Endoscopy to Balloon-Assisted Deep Enteroscopy: Exploring Small-Bowel Endoscopic Imaging.

In the past 15 years, the use of endoscopic evaluations in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding has become more common. Indications for further endoscopic interventions include iron deficiency anemia, suspicion of Crohn’s disease or small-bowel tumors, assessment of celiac disease or of ulcers induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and screening for familial adenomatous polyposis. Often, capsule endoscopy is performed in concert with other endoscopic studies and can guide decisions regarding whether enteroscopy should be carried out in an anterograde or a retrograde approach. Retrograde endoscopy is beneficial in dealing with disease of the more distal small bowel. Multiple studies have examined the diagnostic yield of balloon-assisted deep enteroscopy and have estimated a diagnostic yield of 40% to 80%. Some of the studies have found that diagnostic yields are higher when capsule endoscopy is performed before balloon-assisted deep enteroscopy in a search for small-bowel bleeds. Each of these procedures has a role when performed alone; however, research suggests that they are especially effective as complementary techniques and together can provide better-directed therapy. Both procedures are relatively safe, with high diagnostic and therapeutic yields that allow evaluation of the small bowel. Because both interventions are relatively new to the world of gastroenterology, much research remains to be done regarding their overall efficacy, cost, and safety, as well as further indications for their use in the detection and treatment of diseases of the small bowel.
Mitigating the Effect of Parametric Failures in MBC Frameworks

Since MBC uses large, high-density memories for computation, reliable operation of the framework under increasing process variations becomes a major concern. Variation may potentially cause memory access failures or flipping of stored data during read-out (Mukhopadhyay et al., IEEE Trans Comput Aided Des Integrated Circ Syst 24(12), 2005), which leads to incorrect execution of the mapped application. Moreover, in order to reduce the power requirement, memory core is conventionally operated at lower supply voltages. Although this minimizes the active and leakage power consumption, read and access failure probabilities increase significantly at low operating voltages (Mukhopadhyay et al., IEEE Trans Comput Aided Des Integrated Circ Syst 24(12), 2005). In order to address variation induced memory failures in the MBC framework, it’s read dominant behavior can be exploited since write to the MBC framework only occurs occasionally during reconfiguration. Exploiting the read-dominant memory access pattern in MBC, a preferential memory cell sizing approach is proposed to make the memory more robust to read and access failures. The resultant decrease in write stability is addressed by low-overhead circuit techniques during reconfiguration.
The Coffee Consumer's Exploitation of a Foreign Farmer

A U.S. coffee consumer might reasonably wonder why she should pay more for fair trade coffee, when she has the alternatives of saving the price difference for herself or donating the price difference to charity. I provide an interpretative typology of the diverse ethical claims made by fair trade labeled products, and offer a partial justification for fair trade to the coffee consumer. The consumer has a good moral reason to purchase fair trade coffee, when that purchase allows her to avoid exploiting foreign coffee farmers. While it is morally good to give to charity when the alternative is one’s own consumption or savings, the consumer’s ethical priority should be to avoid doing wrong to others. I offer a conception of exploitation that explains what precisely is morally wrong about the consumer’s purchase of conventional coffee, and trace out the complex causal process by which an individual consumer in a relatively wealthy, liberal society exploits a foreign farmer. However, there are many circumstances in which the consumer’s purchase of fair trade coffee will be unsuccessful at avoiding exploitation. In these circumstances, different actions are needed on her part and from others in order to provide redress to exploited farmers. The paper explains what an individual consumer could do to avoid wrongdoing and to provide redress for her wrongdoing after the fact, both in her role as a market actor and in her role as a citizen.
The Dread Pirate Who? Challenges in Interpreting Treaty and Customary International Law in the United States

Since 2009 the prohibition of piracy, one of the most ancient norms of customary international law, has been giving rise to decidedly modern problems of legal interpretation in United States courts. This Article explores the contours of these problems and prescribes some potential solutions. Part I offers a brief introduction to the ways that piracy has come to U.S. shores in recent years and notes how federal law defines the offense. Part II offers an analysis of definitional issues under customary international law, shedding light on material that has, until now, not been fully addressed in the scholarly literature. In particular, it traces twentieth-century efforts to codify a comprehensive and precise definition of piracy jure gentium, and offers insight into the precise meaning of the offense as defined in Article 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Part III examines three recent U.S. piracy cases in depth, demonstrating how Article 101 of UNCLOS has served as the juridical touchstone for federal courts’ interpretation of piracy jure gentium. It argues that while it is peculiar that the text of a treaty (rather than state practice and opinio juris sive necessitas) should serve as the principal point of reference for the definition of piracy jure gentium, it is not at all inapposite in this instance. Part IV recommends a two-step approach to interpreting the customary international prohibition of piracy in the United States. Central to this approach is the proposition that Article 101 of the UNCLOS is evidence of an existing customary international norm rather than an independent source of law.
Gift solicitation and acceptance in journalism practice: An assessment of Kuwaiti journalists’ perspective

Media ethics generally recommends that journalists should avoid accepting any form of gratification in order to maintain their objectivity and professional integrity. This study investigated the application of this ethical injunction in Kuwait. It surveyed and interviewed Kuwaiti journalists on their attitude toward gratification. Results indicate a breach of this ethical recommendation. Reasons for this include lack of media ethics education and training among journalists and the absence of ethical guidance by media owners. In addition, for a number of Kuwaiti reporters, journalism is a part-time job.
Ab-Initio Modeling of the Resistance Switching Mechanism in RRAM Devices: Case Study of Hafnium Oxide (HfO2)

The structures and energies of stoichiometric and oxygen-deficient monoclinic HfO2 were calculated using density functional theory. The electronic interactions in HfO2 were calculated using the LDA+U and GGA+U formalisms, where on-site Coulomb corrections were applied to the 5d electrons of hafnium (U d ) and the 2p electrons of oxygen (U p ). Properties calculated using these techniques are compared to results obtained from LDA, GGA, hybrid functionals, and experiment. Ultimately, we show that LDA+U d +U p and GGA+U d +U p calculations of HfO2’s electronic and structural properties achieve a level of accuracy on par with much more computationally demanding hybrid functional techniques, such as PBE0 and HSE06.
Improved approach to target tracking of non-cooperative unmanned aircraft vehicle

An improved algorithm utilizing quadrature Kalman filter(QKF) is proposed to locate a movable obstacle in real time for a "see and avoid"(SA) system with multi-sensor detection in a non-cooperative unmanned aircraft vehicle(UAV) with enhanced accuracy and effectiveness. The SA system primarily include two subsystems: SINS/GPS navigation unit and detection unit encompassing radar and EO sensors. The QKF algorithm fusing heterogeneous sensing data is exemplified by testing two dynamic nonlinear motion models of the obstacle, i.e. the turning model and the Singer model. In comparison with the results obtained from unscented Kalman filter(UKF), the QKF demonstrats that the obstacle can be detected and tracked more rapidly and accurately.
Complexes of n and π Donors with Halogens and Related σ Acceptors

In this chapter we consider the interaction of n and bπ donors with a class of aσ acceptors, namely, halogens and related compounds. Such interaction, notably with iodine, has an extended history dating to the turn of the century. Kleinberg and Davidsonl have reviewed the observations of iodine to 1948. Major impetus for the rapid development of the field of electron donor—acceptor interactions arose from the ultraviolet spectrophotometric study on iodine complexes by Benesi and Hildebrand in 19492, and the theoretical interpretation of the spectra by Mulliken in 19523. Since then, in addition to continued study of electronic spectra, a wide range of techniques has been applied to the study of halogen complexes. There have been extensive vibrational studies (section 3.4) while X-ray crystallography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (section 3.5) and dielectric absorption studies (chapter 7) have all made significant contributions. As a result the literature on halogen complexes is vast, and several recent reviews4a,5,6 are of considerable importance.
Rapid Access to an Oxido-Alkylidene Complex of Mo(VI)

The first well-defined Mo oxido-alkylidene complex, [(tBu3P═N)2Mo(O)(═CHSiMe3)] (4), and its borane adduct, [(tBu3P═N)2Mo(O–B(C6F5)3)(═CHSiMe3)] (5), have been prepared through alkylation of the bis(phosphinimide) Mo oxido-dichlorido complex [(tBu3P═N)2MoOCl2] (3). The reaction between 2 equiv of tBu3P═N–SiMe3 (2) and [(DME)MoO2Cl2] (1) generates 3 through selective elimination of (Me3Si)2O. All complexes have been studied in solution by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. Preliminary ROMP catalysis results are also presented.
vanA-positive multi-drug-resistant Enterococcus spp. isolated from surfaces of a US hospital laundry facility

Background Enterococcus spp. are a normal part of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. They are also important pathogens, being responsible for 14% of US nosocomial infections from 2007 to 2010. Aim To examine a laundry facility that processes clinical linens for the presence and seasonality of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp. Methods Surface samples were collected four times in 2015 from the dirty and clean areas of the laundry facility. Isolates were confirmed using biochemical assays, and antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed. Further investigations included molecular characterization by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), detection of acquired vanA and vanB and/or intrinsic vanC1 genes by polymerase chain reaction, and eBURST analysis. Findings Seventy-four vanA-positive multi-drug-resistant Enterococcus spp. were identified: 64/120 (53%) in the dirty area and 10/120 (8%) in the clean area. There were 14 ST types among the E. faecium isolates identified (ST16, 17, 18, 117, 186, 280, 324, 412, 584, 664, 665, 736, 750 and 1038). Both E. faecalis isolates were ST109. Conclusion Isolation of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolates was significantly higher (53% vs 8%) in the dirty area of the facility compared with the clean area. Significance and impact of the study This is the first study to examine an industrial laundry facility for the presence of VRE, and may be an unrecognized reservoir.
Antiangiogenic effects of a novel HIV-1 nef cytotoxic peptide on the growth of primary and metastatic colorectal cancer

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 45, 2004 52 Introduction: The chemokine receptor, CXCR-4 and its ligand, SDF-1 α, have been shown to be involved in angiogenesis and metastasis, and have been suggested to be a potential target for cancer therapeutics. HIV-1 Nef peptides have been shown to have a significant inhibitory effect on vascular endothelium. The SCID mouse serves as an excellent vessel to propagate human colorectal cancer and evaluate the effects of this cytotoxic viral protein, Nef, on its in vivo growth. Methods: Fresh surgical specimens of colorectal cancer were implanted in the subcutaneous tissue or gonad fat pad of SCID mice. The mice were injected intraperitoneally with the standard Nef at doses of 2 mcg biweekly. Injections were started at the time of tumor implantation or one week after implantation. Volumetric measurements and weights were taken weekly. Controls were injected with buffer, Nef (with a scrambled amino acid sequence), or no treatment at all. All experimental groups consisted of 5 mice. Xenografts were taken from each group of mice, treated with CD 31 monoclonal antibody, and stained with dapi to identify vascular endothelium. Similar specimens were also stained with hematoxylin and eosin for light microscopic assessment of vascularity. Results: All mice were sacrificed one month after tumor implantation. Tumor growth was significantly inhibited, by 50-65%, in those mice receiving standard Nef peptide. Vessel density as demonstrated by anti-CD 31 monoclonal antibodies was found to be significantly decreased in the Nef-treated group as compared to the controls. The differences in staining intensity was quantitated and found to be greater in all 3 control groups when compared to the Nef-treated groups. Conclusions: HIV-1 Nef cytotoxic peptide inhibits neovascularization as one of it’s mechanism in the cytotoxicity of human colorectal cancer xenografts in SCID mice. Nef demonstrated an ability to inhibit colorectal cancer angiogenesis even when the tumors were allowed implant and invade for a week prior to treatment.
Differences in How Mothers and Fathers Monitor Sugar-Sweetened Beverages for Their Young Children (7-12 Years).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences between how mothers and fathers monitor their children’s sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs; 7-12 years) using constructs from the integrated beha...
Journals for academic veterinary medical libraries: price increases, 1977, 1987 and 1988

This is the third annual price study based on the Basic List of Veterinary Serials, 2d edition, as adopted in June 1981 by the Veterinary Medical Libraries Section, Medical Library Association. This study combines the list of core veterinary medical serials and the list of adjunct core serials in the biomedical and life sciences. Prices for 1983 through 1988 were prepared by the Faxon Company, a subscription agency. Prices for the base year, 1977, were compiled in the Carlson Health Sciences Library, University of California, Davis. The standard guide used for the study is the American national standard for library and information sciences and related publishing prac&es - library materials - criteria for price indexes (ANSI Z39.20-1983). From the base year, 1977, through 1988 the price index of these journals has risen 228.89 points, an average of 20.81 points a year. The average annual increase for these journals for 1983 through 1988 has been $14.55 or 11.58%. The price index for the four primary refere...
Mutation of Asn-475 in the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus nsP2 Cysteine Protease Leads to a Self-Inhibited State.

The alphaviral nsP2 cysteine protease of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a validated antiviral drug target. Clan CN proteases contain a cysteine protease domain that is intimately packed with an S-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent RNA methyltransferase (SAM MTase) domain. Within a cleft formed at the interface of these two domains, the peptide substrate is thought to bind. The nucleophilic cysteine can be found within a conserved motif, 475NVCWAK480, which differs from that of papain (22CGSCWAFS29). Mutation of the motif residue, N475, to alanine unexpectedly produced a self-inhibited state in which the N-terminal residues flipped into the substrate-binding cleft. Notably, the N-terminal segment was not hydrolyzed—consistent with a catalytically incompetent state. The N475A mutation resulted in a 70-fold decrease in kcat/Km. A side chain–substrate interaction was predicted by the structure; the S701A mutation led to a 17-fold increase in Km. An Asn at the n-2 position relative to the Cys ...
The Cellular Network

The Cellular Network makes up the heart to how mobile devices communicate with one another, share and stream data, and actually perform specific core functions. Two main types of communications are at work within the cellular network: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM). Mobile devices must constantly perform network authentications and communicate back where they are located. A few short years ago only GSM devices were found to have subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. Today, many smartphone CDMA devices require SIM. This chapter provides insight into how all the components work together, terms that are used to describe the components, and how a call is routed to either a landline or another mobile device.
CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS: THE GREAT MASQUERADER

Constrictive pericarditis may often involve multiple organ systems mimicking various disease processes. 39 year old woman from Sierra Leone with history of peripartum cardiomyopathy with chronic diarrhea and lower extremity edema for past 7 years presented with dyspnea on exertion. Patient had
The Win for Financial Services

Laila’s fee-only firm was struggling before she was hired. Unlike many other fee-only firms, this one had only accumulated $40 million dollars in assets under management (AUM), in sixteen years. Laila, a CFP® and MBA, knew the firm had had difficulties and conflicts with business partners and false starts in the past. She also knew they lacked several crucial skills.
Global Water Resources & Publications

This article provides links and annotations to some of the best international global water resources available online. Before we as a society can begin crafting innovative legal solutions to help combat the global water crisis, researchers and experts in the field first need access to sound sources of scientific information. Despite the seeming simplicity of that goal, locating research about water, sanitation, and agricultural conditions, especially in developing countries, can be immensely challenging as it is complicated by issues of language, currency, scope, and accuracy. The purpose if this note is to provide practitioners with a list of free, high quality resources that should help make their research in this area a bit more accessible.
Technology for working dogs

Working dogs can perform many tasks that improve the lives of humans. An explosion of new technologies in Animal-Computer Interaction enable dogs to assist in a variety of scenarios. Dogs can summon emergency services, report finding a lost child, determine what explosive they just detected, alert to a tornado siren, and much more. Giving working dogs the ability to clearly communicate could be life-saving. Related technologies can measure aspects of a dog's behavior to assess temperament, predict training success, and even monitor health. The Georgia Tech Animal-Computer Interaction lab has been researching dog-centered interfaces since 2012. Our studies have included instrumented vests, touchscreens, and devices that provide new ways for dogs to communicate what they perceive to people around them. We have also researched instrumented dog toys for temperament analysis and health monitoring. For the ACI2018 demonstrations, we showcase the technologies we have developed for dogs and the new interactions these technologies enable.
The Seasons of Trouble: Life Amid the Ruins of Sri Lanka’s Civil War

Scholars often conduct research on unspeakable human cruelty resulting from civil wars, terrorism, and genocide, as it were, flying 35,000 feet above the earth where the lives of the ordinary peopl...
CSPOT: portable, multi-scale functions-as-a-service for IoT

In this paper, we present CSPOT, a distributed runtime system implementing a functions-as-service (FaaS) programming model for the "Internet of Things" (IoT). With FaaS, developers express arbitrary computations as simple functions that are automatically invoked and managed by a cloud platform in response to events. We extend this FaaS model so that it is suitable for use in all tiers of scale for IoT - sensors, edge devices, and cloud - to facilitate robust, portable, and low-latency IoT application development and deployment. To enable this, we combine the use of Linux containers and namespaces for isolation and portability, an append-only object store for robust persistence, and a causal event log for triggering functions and tracking event dependencies. We present the design and implementation of CSPOT, detail its abstractions and APIs, and overview examples of its use. We empirically evaluate the performance of CSPOT using different devices and applications and find that it implements function invocation with significantly lower latency than other FaaS offerings, while providing portability across tiers and similar data durability characteristics.
High-efficiency solar thermophotovoltaic system using a nanostructure-based selective emitter

Abstract In this work, we present the design, fabrication, optimization, and experimental results of a high-efficiency planar solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) system utilizing a micro-textured absorber and a nanostructure multilayer metal-dielectric coated selective emitter fabricated on a tungsten (W) substrate. Light absorptance of more than 90% was achieved at visible and near-infrared wavelengths using the microtextured absorbing surface. The nanostructure selective emitter consists of two thin-film optical coatings of silicon nitride (Si3N4) and a layer of W in between to increase the surface emissivity in spectral regimes matching the quantum efficiency of the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells. Gallium antimonide (GaSb)-based TPV cells are used in our STPV design. The experiment was conducted at different operating temperatures using a high-power continuous wave laser diode stack as a simulated source of concentrated incident radiation. Our experimental setup measured a maximum electrical output power density of 1.71 W/cm2 at 1676 K STPV temperature, and the overall power conversion efficiency of 8.4% after normalizing the output power density to the emitter area. This is the highest STPV system efficiency reported so far for any experimental STPV device. The incident optical laser power on the absorber side was 131 W. This is equivalent to a solar concentration factor of ~2100, which is within the practical limit and readily achievable with Fresnel lens setup.
Improving peak capacities over 100 in less than 60 seconds: operating above normal peak capacity limits with signal processing

A primary focus in liquid chromatography analysis of complex samples is high peak capacity separations. Using advanced instrumentation and optimal small, high-efficiency columns, complex multicomponent mixtures can now be analyzed in relatively short times. Despite these advances, chromatographic peak overlap is still observed. Recently, attention has shifted from improvements in chromatographic efficiency and selectivity to enhancing data processing after collection. Curve fitting methods can be used to trace underlying peaks, but do not directly enhance chromatographic resolution. Methods based on the properties of derivatives and power transform were recently shown to enhance chromatographic peak resolution while maintaining critical peak information (peak areas and retention times). These protocols have been extensively investigated for their fundamental properties, advantages, and limitations, but they have not been evaluated with complex chromatograms. Herein, we evaluate the use of deconvolution via Fourier transform (FT), even-derivative peak sharpening, and power law with the fast separation (< 60 s) of a 101-component mixture using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography. High noise and peak overlap are present in this gradient separation, which is representative of fast chromatography. Chromatographic resolution enhancement is demonstrated and described. Further, accurate quantitation is maintained and shown with representative examples. Enhancements in peak capacity and peak-to-peak resolutions are discussed. Finally, the statistical theory of overlap is used for 101 peaks and predictions are made for the number of singlet, doublet, and multiplets analyte peaks. The effect of increasing peak capacity by FT even derivative sharpening and power laws leads to a decrease in the number of peak overlaps and an increase in total peak number.
“Los que comen coca son hicheseros”: demonología y la coca en la obra de Guaman Poma de Ayala

In this essay I argue that Guaman Poma de Ayala strategically used demonology-related discourses to negatively represent the consumption of coca in the Andean world. Said this, the native chronicler also claimed that the use of this plant did not hinder the orderly development of the viceroyalty. I propose that Guaman Poma’s strategy intends to confrm that coca did not prevent the Incas to govern the viceroyalty of Peru along with the Spaniards. By means of demonology-related discourses, the author most likely gained the sympathy of his Christian readers. At the same time, however, he started a way to look at Inca society andits use and consumption of coca in a positive light when talking about economic and civil matters. This strategy allowed him to defend the idea that the incas were able to use political power along with the Spaniards without any conﬂict with European theological principles.
Rigid Double-Stranded DNA Linkers for Single Molecule Enzyme-Drug Interaction Measurements Using Molecular Recognition Force Spectroscopy.

Single-molecule studies can reveal the distribution of states and interactions between ligand–enzyme complexes not accessible for most studies that measure a large ensemble average response of many...
Epigenetics and Mitochondrial Stability in the Metabolic Memory Phenomenon Associated with Continued Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy

Retinopathy continues to progress even when diabetic patients try to control their blood sugar, but the molecular mechanism of this ‘metabolic memory’ phenomenon remains elusive. Retinal mitochondria remain damaged and vicious cycle of free radicals continues to self-propagate. DNA methylation suppresses gene expression, and diabetes activates DNA methylation machinery. Our aim was to investigate the role of DNA methylation in continued compromised mitochondrial dynamics and genomic stability in diabetic retinopathy. Using retinal endothelial cells, incubated in 20 mM glucose for four days, followed by 5 mM glucose for four days, and retinal microvessels from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in poor glycemia for four months, followed by normal glycemia for four additional months, DNA methylation of mitochondrial fusion and mismatch repair proteins, Mfn2 and Mlh1 respectively, was determined. Retinopathy was detected in trypsin-digested microvasculature. Re-institution of good glycemia had no beneficial effect on hypermethylation of Mfn2 and Mlh1 and retinal function (electroretinogram), and the retinopathy continued to progress. However, intervention of good glycemia directly with DNA methylation inhibitors (Azacytidine or Dnmt1-siRNA), prevented Mfn2 and Mlh1 hypermethylation, and ameliorated retinal dysfunction and diabetic retinopathy. Thus, direct regulation of DNA methylation can prevent/reverse diabetic retinopathy by maintaining mitochondrial dynamics and DNA stability, and prevent retinal functional damage.
The relativistic jet dichotomy and the end of the blazar sequence

Our understanding of the unification of jetted AGN has evolved greatly as jet samples have increased in size (e.g. 132 sources for the blazar sequence of Fossati et al., (1998), 257 for the blazar envelope of Meyer et al., (2011)). Here, based on the largest-ever sample of over 2000 well-sampled jet spectral energy distributions, we examine the synchrotron peak frequency -- peak luminosity plane, and find that the anti-correlation known as the blazar sequence does not exist. Instead, we find strong evidence for a dichotomy in jets, between those associated with efficient or `quasar-mode' accretion (strong jets) and those associated with inefficient accretion (weak jets). The strong jets include those hosted by high-excitation radio galaxies, flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ), and most low-frequency-peaked BL Lac objects. The weak jets include those hosted by low-excitation radio galaxies and blazars with synchrotron peak frequency above 10^15 Hz (nearly all BL Lac objects). We have derived estimates of the total jet power for over 1000 of our sources from low-frequency radio observations, and find that the strong/weak jet dichotomy does not correspond to a division in jet power. Rather, strong jets are produced at all observed jet powers, down to the lowest levels in our sample, while weak jets range from low to moderately high jet powers, with a clear upper bound at 10^43 erg/s. The range of jet power in each class matches exactly what is expected for efficient (i.e., a few to 100% Eddington) or inefficient (<0.5% Eddington) accretion onto black holes ranging in mass from 10^7 - 10^9.5 solar masses.
Access to Multimedia Presentations for Students with Visual Impairments

This survey of the use of technology and multimedia presentations by 410 teachers of students with visual impairments found that the teachers were more at ease with general technology than with tec...
A combined molecular/continuum-modeling approach to predict the small-angle neutron scattering of curved membranes.

Abstract This paper develops a framework to compute the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) from highly curved, dynamically fluctuating, and potentially inhomogeneous membranes. This method is needed to compute the scattering from nanometer-scale membrane domains that couple to curvature, as predicted by molecular modeling. The detailed neutron scattering length density of a small planar bilayer patch is readily available via molecular dynamics simulation. A mathematical, mechanical transformation of the planar scattering length density is developed to predict the scattering from curved bilayers. By simulating a fluctuating, curved, surface-continuum model, long time- and length-scales can be reached while, with the aid of the planar-to-curved transformation, the molecular features of the scattering length density can be retained. A test case for the method is developed by constructing a coarse-grained lipid vesicle following a protocol designed to relieve both the osmotic stress inside the vesicle and the lipid-number stress between the leaflets. A question was whether the hybrid model would be able to replicate the scattering from the highly deformed inner and outer leaflets of the small vesicle. Matching the scattering of the full (molecular vesicle) and hybrid (continuum vesicle) models indicated that the inner and outer leaflets of the full vesicle were expanded laterally, consistent with previous simulations of the Martini forcefield that showed thinning in small vesicles. The vesicle structure is inconsistent with a zero-tension leaflet deformed by a single set of elastic parameters, and the results show that this is evident in the scattering. The method can be applied to translate observations of any molecular model's neutron scattering length densities from small patches to large length and timescales.
The Challenges of Using Ranks to Estimate Sales

Researchers have frequently used publicly available data on product ranks to estimate nonpublic sales quantities under the assumption that the distribution of sales follows a power law. Using population sales data for a product frequently thought to follow a power law—books—we find the (double logged) rank-sales relationship, contrary to assumption, is not linear but is instead concave. We demonstrate that this concavity is sufficiently strong to require a reevaluation of hundreds of results from analyses that had assumed linearity and we go on to demonstrate that the nonlinearity can cause poor predictions of sales for either poor selling or high selling titles, and sometimes both. We illustrate some of the problems of applying a linear technique to a nonlinear relationship by examining the claim that the greater product variety made available to shoppers on the Internet has a large positive impact on social welfare and also claims about sales levels in top 20 and top 50 “charts.” In spite of these difficulties, the concavity appears to be sufficiently similar across time and book categories to allow the use of simple nonlinear specifications that provide reasonable predictions of sales from ranks using samples with only a modest number of observations.
Physical properties of porphyrin-based crystalline metal‒organic frameworks

Metal‒organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely studied molecular assemblies that have demonstrated promise for a range of potential applications. Given the unique and well-established photophysical and electrochemical properties of porphyrins, porphyrin-based MOFs are emerging as promising candidates for energy harvesting and conversion applications. Here we discuss the physical properties of porphyrin-based MOFs, highlighting the evolution of various optical and electronic features as a function of their modular framework structures and compositional variations. Porphyrins have been incorporated into metal–organic frameworks in a periodic fashion in order to exploit their unique photophysical and electrochemical properties. This article reviews progress in the field, focusing on the fundamental physical properties that arise in porphyrin-based MOFs.
Cultivating Success in the South: Farm Households in the Postbellum Era

Introduction: contesting the myth of the backward Southern farmer 1. Different crops, different cultures: the evolution of three Georgia counties 2. Land, households, and race in the Georgia Piedmont: the big picture 3. Production in the Piedmont: more than just cotton 4. The material world of Piedmont farmers 5. Investing for success in the Piedmont Conclusion.
Mathematics Problem Solving: Some Issues Related to Teacher Education, School Curriculum, and Instruction

The massive number of teacher education efforts underway throughout the United States related to problem solving is one source of evidence of the significant role that problem solving is playing in school mathematics. Unfortunately, the leaders of these teacher education activities have little to guide their work beyond their own intuitions and experience. The first part of this paper is a description of a course on mathematics problem solving designed for elementary and middle school teachers of mathematics. The major components of this course are described together with some of the theoretical underpinnings from which the experiences contained in it evolved. The second part of the paper identifies issues and questions relative to school curriculum, instruction, and teacher education vis-a-vis problem solving.
Transformation Of The Introductory Biology Experience For All Students: Progress Of The Northwest Biosciences Consortium

The Northwest Biosciences Consortium is a group of two-year and four-year college faculty at public and private institutions in Oregon. Funded by an NSF RCN-UBE grant, this group is working towards...