cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A survey of mobility models for ad hoc network research

In the performance evaluation of a protocol for an ad hoc network, the protocol should be tested under realistic conditions including, but not limited to, a sensible transmission range, limited buffer space for the storage of messages, representative data traffic models, and realistic movements of the mobile users (i.e., a mobility model). This paper is a survey of mobility models that are used in the simulations of ad hoc networks. We describe several mobility models that represent mobile nodes whose movements are independent of each other (i.e., entity mobility models) and several mobility models that represent mobile nodes whose movements are dependent on each other (i.e., group mobility models). The goal of this paper is to present a number of mobility models in order to offer researchers more informed choices when they are deciding upon a mobility model to use in their performance evaluations. Lastly, we present simulation results that illustrate the importance of choosing a mobility model in the simulation of an ad hoc network protocol. Specifically, we illustrate how the performance results of an ad hoc network protocol drastically change as a result of changing the mobility model simulated.
Particle Filter Based Algorithm for Target Position Estimation Under Sparce Sensor Surveillance

A particle filter based algorithm was developed to track vehicles in a network of roads under the assumption of sporadic and non-persistent sensor data. It is assumed we have a number of sensors that provide position and velocity information only, which are scattered at possibly uneven intervals throughout the road system of interest. Further, the sensor ranges do not overlap, meaning we do not have constant eyes on target. The algorithm was based on the particle filter, but differed from the classical particle filter in two fundamental ways. First, particle weights are not used. Instead, a correspondence function is calculated only when a sensor is tripped, giving weight to the validity of the sensor report. Potentially this results in a computational savings. Second, we do not periodically resample particles. Results demonstrate the approach can effectively track multiple targets in simulations with sparse surveillance.
Social Influences on Clinical Outcomes of Patients With Ovarian Cancer

Purpose Previous research has demonstrated relationships of social support with disease-related biomarkers in patients with ovarian cancer. However, the clinical relevance of these findings to patient outcomes has not been established. This prospective study examined how social support relates to long-term survival among consecutive patients with ovarian cancer. We focused on two types of social support: social attachment, a type of emotional social support reflecting connections with others, and instrumental social support reflecting the availability of tangible assistance. Patients and Methods Patients were prospectively recruited during a presurgical clinic visit and completed surveys before surgery. One hundred sixty-eight patients with histologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer were observed from the date of surgery until death or December 2010. Clinical information was obtained from medical records. Results In a Cox regression model, adjusting for disease stage, grade, histology, residual disease, and age, greater social attachment was associated with a lower likelihood of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.87; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.98; P .018). The median survival time for patients with low social attachment categorized on a median split of 15 was 3.35 years (95% CI, 2.56 to 4.15 years). In contrast, by study completion, 59% of patients with high social attachment were still alive after 4.70 years. No significant association was found between instrumental social support and survival, even after adjustment for covariates. Conclusion Social attachment is associated with a survival advantage for patients with ovarian cancer. Clinical implications include the importance of screening for deficits in the social environment and consideration of support activities during adjuvant treatment. J Clin Oncol 30:2885-2890. © 2012 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
An injection locked push-pull oscillator at Ku-band

A MESFET push-pull oscillator at Ku-band has been designed and tested. This configuration demonstrated larger subharmonic injection locking range and lower FM noise without using a frequency stabilized dielectric resonator. This oscillator demonstrated significant potential for use in subharmonic optically synchronized local oscillators in phase array. >
An Exploratory Investigation of Polar Organic Compounds in Waters from a Lead–Zinc Mine and Mill Complex

Surface water samples were collected in 2006 from a lead mine–mill complex in Missouri to investigate possible organic compounds coming from the milling process. Water samples contained relatively high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC; greater than 20 mg/l) for surface waters but were colorless, implying a lack of naturally occurring aquatic humic or fulvic acids. Samples were extracted by three different types of solid-phase extraction and analyzed by electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry. Because large amounts of xanthate complexation reagents are used in the milling process, techniques were developed to extract and analyze for sodium isopropyl xanthate and sodium ethyl xanthate. Although these xanthate reagents were not found, trace amounts of the degradates, isopropyl xanthyl thiosulfonate and isopropyl xanthyl sulfonate, were found in most locations sampled, including the tailings pond downstream. Dioctyl sulfosuccinate, a surfactant and process filtering aid, was found at concentrations estimated at 350 μg/l at one mill outlet, but not downstream. Release of these organic compounds downstream from lead–zinc mine and milling areas has not previously been reported. A majority of the DOC remains unidentified.
Ethylene Oxide Resistance of Nondesiccated and Desiccated Spores of Bacillus subtilis var. niger Hermetically Sealed in Various Polymeric Films

The resistance to destruction of spores of Bacillus subtilis var. niger hermetically sealed in various polymeric films and exposed to ethylene oxide with and without relative humidity was determined. The effect of desiccation was also determined. The order of increased resistance to sterilization with regard to type of polymeric film was found to be: polyethylene equal to polyvinyl chloride, less than nylon, less than cellophane/polyethylene laminate, less than phenoxy, less than mylar/polyethylene laminate. Desiccated spores sealed in various polymeric films were much more resistant to ethylene oxide sterilization than nondesiccated spores. Relative humidity was an important factor in ethylene oxide sterilization with spores not sealed in polymeric films. However, with spores hermetically sealed in polyethylene, added relative humidity was an insignificant factor in the sterilization process.
Advanced Coupled CFD/RBD Calculations of Free-Flight Projectile Aerodynamics

This paper describes a new multidisciplinary computational study undertaken to model the flight trajectories and the free flight aerodynamics of both finned and spinning projectile configurations. Actual flight trajectories are computed using an advanced coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD)/rigid body dynamics (RBD) technique. An advanced time-accurate Navier-Stokes computational technique has been used in CFD to compute the unsteady aerodynamics associated with the free flight of the finned projectile at supersonic speeds and the spinning projectile at subsonic speeds. Computed positions and orientations of the projectile have been compared with actual data measured from free flight tests and are found to be generally in good agreement. Predicted aerodynamics forces and moments also compare well with the forces and moments used in the six degree freedom fits of the results of the same tests.
The media and the crisis of democracy in the age of Bush‐2

In this study, I demonstrate the consequences of the triumph of neoliberalism and media deregulation for democracy. I argue that the tremendous concentration of power in the hands of corporate groups who control powerful media conglomerates has intensified a crisis of democracy in the United States and elsewhere. Providing case studies of how mainstream media in the United States have become tools of conservative and corporate interests since the 1980s, I discuss how the corporate media helped forge a conservative hegemony, failed to address key social problems, and promoted the candidacy of George W. Bush in the 2000 US presidential election.
Previously Undocumented Two-Year Freshwater Residency of Juvenile Coho Salmon in Prairie Creek, California

Abstract Over 2,000 juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch were tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags during the fall of 1998 and 1999 in Prairie Creek, California, as part of a study on individual winter growth rates and movement of juvenile coho salmon. During this study, age-2 out-migrants were incidentally observed. Previously, it had been generally assumed that all juvenile coho salmon in northern California streams spend only 1 year in freshwater before out-migrating at age 1 and that a 2-year freshwater life history pattern was found only in the more northerly portions of the species' range. Subsequently, scale analysis of PIT-tagged fish recaptured during spring out-migration was used as a basis for estimating the proportion of out-migrants displaying a 1- or 2-year freshwater residency life history. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of out-migrants captured in spring 2000 displayed a 2-year freshwater residency life history, apparently related to low winter growth rates documented in ...
PANCREATIC DIABETES IN THE OWL

SHORTLY after the monumental observation that pancreatectomy in the dog resuits in the development of the syndrome of diabetes mellitus, Minkowski studied the influence of pancreatectomy in other species. In 1892 (1) he reported that pancreatectomyin the duck, chicken or pigeon does not result in glycosuria. Similar observations had been made by Langendorf in 1879 (2) and were confirmed by Weintraud in 1894 (3) and by Kausch in 1896 (4). Since that time it has been fairlywell established that the domestic fowl does not develop either glycosuria or hyper glycemia on pancreatectomy, even though such animals readily develop ketosis (5). In 1892, Minkowski studied the influence of pancreatectomy in a single hawk and did observe a marked glycosuria after the operation (1), an observation previously made by Langendorf (6). Weintraud also studied the influence of pancreatic ablation in one falcon, two buwards and two ravens and noted the appearance of sugar for a few days in the urine of these animals (3).
Cardiac β-adrenergic receptor function in fetal sheep exposed to long-term high-altitude hypoxemia

In this study, we hypothesized that a reduction in β-adrenergic receptor number or a decrease in functional coupling of the receptor to the adenylate cyclase system may be responsible for the blunt...
Photosynthetic Responses to Changing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Concentration

When plants made the transition to land, atmospheric CO2 concentration was up to 16-fold higher than today; since then it has fluctuated, but with an overall decline to very low values during the last glacial maximum. Modern-day plants exhibit photosynthetic adaptations to cope with a low [CO2]/[O2] ratio. These include: high specificity and low Km for CO2 of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco); pathways to recapture photorespiratory C and N; CO2 concentrating mechanisms in some terrestrial and aquatic species based on C4 or HCO 3 − -use systems; improvements in stomatal regulation; and possibly lower ecological compensation points.
Generation of Infotips from Interface Labels

A method is presented for generating informative and natural-sounding infotips for graphical elements of a user interface. A domain-specific corpus is prepared using natural language processing techniques, and a term-frequency/inverse-document-frequency transform is used for vectorization of features. A k-means algorithm is then used to cluster the corpus by semantic similarity and retrieve the most similar infotips for any inputted interface label. We demonstrate the feasibility of this method and conclude by proposing several approaches to improve the selection of infotips by incorporating natural language processing and machine learning techniques.
Robust local and global shape context for tattoo image matching

Tattoos can provide useful information related to criminal gang activity. Law enforcement can use the information embedded in tattoos to identify and track the criminal history of a suspect. For matching processes, tattoo images are difficult to use due to problems such as deformations and weak edge structures. In this paper we describe a tattoo image retrieval and matching system based on a combination of local and global image matching methods to improve matching accuracy. The proposed local shape context combined with SIFT descriptors are used for local features of a tattoo object and global shape is used for overall shape of a tattoo object. The contributions of this paper include the introduction of a multiple different sized-bin polar histograms based local shape context (MHLC) and a global shape descriptor combining the multiple different sized-bin polar histogram and 2D Fourier Transform for robustness of translation, scale, rotation and shape distortions. We also describe robust similarity for local descriptors and a weighted matching method based on local and global descriptors. Our experimental results show that our proposed method performs better than previously published tattoo image retrieval systems.
How to Make Guest Worker Visas Work

President Obama and a bipartisan group of eight senators have begun to push for immigration reform. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) likewise said he supports an immigration overhaul as a “top priority” for 2013. The Texas Republican Party even called for an expanded and effective guest worker visa program to link American employers with skilled and low-skilled foreign workers. The three components of politically feasible immigration reform are legalization for some unauthorized immigrants, border and workplace enforcement to impede the entry and hiring of unauthorized immigrants, and increased numbers of guest workers and legal immigrants. The costs and benefits of legalization, security, and employee verification have been debated elsewhere in detail but the costs and benefits of guest worker visas and how to create them have not been similarly explored. An expanded and lightly regulated guest worker visa program is an essential part of any immigration reform proposal. A guest worker visa program should efficiently link foreign workers with American employers and function with a minimum of government interference. Market forces as well as security, criminal, and health concerns should be the factors that determine which workers acquire visas. A successful guest worker visa would also divert most unauthorized immigration into the legal system, shrink the informal economy, be easily enforceable, support economic growth in the United States, and narrow the government’s role in immigration. Below are numerous suggestions that would achieve such reform and expand America’s current guest worker visa programs.
Interleukin-1 increases protein kinase A activity by a cAMP-independent mechanism in AtT-20 cells

A recent study from this laboratory has shown that the inflammatory mediator, interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), stimulates protein kinase A (PKA) activity and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion from AtT-20 cells without any detectable increase in intracellular cAMP accumulation. The present studies were conducted to determine if cAMP is involved in IL-1 alpha activation of PKA and if PKA is responsible for IL-1 alpha-induced ACTH release from AtT-20 cells. The data are consistent with a novel mechanism of PKA activation that does not involve cAMP. Inhibition of adenylate cyclase with 2'5'-dideoxyadenosine (2'5'-DDA) did not affect IL-1 alpha-induced increases in PKA activity and ACTH secretion. In contrast, CRF-stimulated PKA activity and ACTH secretion were inhibited by 2'5'-DDA. Additional evidence was obtained using the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX). IBMX did not alter IL-1 alpha-induced PKA activity or ACTH secretion, yet IBMX potentiated CRF-induced cAMP accumulation. Inhibition of PKA with the PKA inhibitor, H-8, blocked activation of PKA and ACTH secretion by both IL-1 alpha and CRF in AtT-20 cells. These observations demonstrate that 1) the mechanism of IL-1 alpha activation of PKA is independent of adenylate cyclase or cAMP and 2) PKA is used by IL-1 alpha to induce ACTH secretion from AtT-20 cells.
Transition-Metal Oxos as the Lewis Basic Component of Frustrated Lewis Pairs.

The reaction of oxorhenium complexes that incorporate diamidopyridine (DAP) ligands with B(C6F5)3 results in the formation of classical Lewis acid–base adducts. The adducts effectively catalyze the hydrogenation of a variety of unactivated olefins at 100 °C. Control reactions with these complexes or B(C6F5)3 alone did not yield any hydrogenated products under these conditions. Mechanistic studies suggest a frustrated Lewis pair is generated between the oxorhenium DAP complexes and B(C6F5)3, which is effective at olefin hydrogenation. Thus, we demonstrate for the first time that the incorporation of a transition-metal oxo in a frustrated Lewis pair can have a synergistic effect and results in enhanced catalytic activity.
Application of Organometallic Chemistry to the Electrical Interconnection of Graphene Nanoplatelets

The formation of bis-hexahapto bonds between graphitic surfaces can electronically interconnect the surfaces of carbon materials containing the polybenzenoid ring system and increase the conductivity without introducing a strong perturbation to the in-plane electronic structure. In this paper, we report the use of organometallic chemistry to interconnect the surfaces of small scale graphene nanoplatelets by using a variety of metals and photochemically activated organometallic reagents.
Chemical structures of low-pressure premixed methylcyclohexane flames as benchmarks for the development of a predictive combustion chemistry model

The chemical compositions of three low-pressure premixed flames of methylcyclohexane (MCH) are investigated with the emphasis on the chemistry of MCH decomposition and the formation of aromatic species, including benzene and toluene. The flames are stabilized on a flat-flame (McKenna type) burner at equivalence ratios of φ = 1.0, 1.75, and 1.9 and at low pressures between 15 Torr (= 20 mbar) and 30 Torr (= 40 mbar). The complex chemistry of MCH consumption is illustrated in the experimental identification of several C7H12, C7H10, C6H12, and C6H10 isomers sampled from the flames as a function of distance from the burner. Three initiation steps for MCH consumption are discussed: ring-opening to heptenes and methyl-hexenes (isomerization), methyl radical loss yielding the cyclohexyl radical (dissociation), and H abstraction from MCH. Mole fraction profiles as a function of distance from the burner for the C7 species supplemented by theoretical calculations are presented, indicating that flame structures resu...
Analytic Expression for Gain in an Idealised 4-level Doped Fibre Amplifier 1

The last year has seen the emergence of praseodymium doped fluoride fibre amplifiers (PDFFA’s) as a means of providing optical amplification within the important second telecommunications window around 1.3µm [1], These devices have already demonstrated many of the attractive characteristics of the ubiquitous erbium doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) and are currently the subject of intense international research. Unlike EDFA’s, the gain mechanism within the praseodymium doped fluoride fibre amplifier is 4-level in nature and therefore must be modelled in a slightly different way to its erbium counterpart[2,3].
T cell receptor signalling in the control of regulatory T cell differentiation and function

Regulatory T cells (TReg cells), a specialized T cell lineage, have a pivotal function in the control of self tolerance and inflammatory responses. Recent studies have revealed a discrete mode of T cell receptor (TCR) signalling that regulates TReg cell differentiation, maintenance and function and that affects gene expression, metabolism, cell adhesion and migration of these cells. Here, we discuss the emerging understanding of TCR-guided differentiation of TReg cells in the context of their function in health and disease.
The burden of acute respiratory infection due to measles in developing countries and the potential impact of measles vaccine.

Measles is a major cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in developing countries. Hospital and community-based studies of ALRI have found that measles accounts for 6%-21% of the morbidity and 8%-93% of the mortality due to ALRI. Although live attenuated measles vaccine is one of the most effective vaccines in use today, measles has not been controlled in many parts of the world, primarily because the levels of vaccine coverage required to interrupt measles transmission have not been achieved. In addition, in some areas, a large percentage of cases of measles occur in infants who are younger than the age recommended for vaccination
Teaching Bits: “Random Thoughts on Teaching”

Teachers often get caught up in the discussion of how to teach this concept or that concept, or how to explain this connection or that connection, but sometimes we should just stand back and be bol...
Improving Identification of Key Players in Aging via Network De-Noising and Core Inference

Current “ground truth” knowledge about human aging has been obtained by transferring aging-related knowledge from well-studied model species via sequence homology or by studying human gene expression data. Since proteins function by interacting with each other, analyzing protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks in the context of aging is promising. Unlike existing static network research of aging, since cellular functioning is dynamic , we recently integrated the static human PPI network with aging-related gene expression data to form dynamic , age-specific networks. Then, we predicted as key players in aging those proteins whose network topologies significantly changed with age. Since current networks are noisy , here, we use link prediction to de-noise the human network and predict improved key players in aging from the de-noised data. Indeed, de-noising gives more significant overlap between the predicted data and the “ground truth” aging-related data. Yet, we obtain novel predictions, which we validate in the literature. Also, we improve the predictions by an alternative strategy: removing “redundant” edges from the age-specific networks and using the resulting age-specific network “cores” to study aging. We produce new knowledge from dynamic networks encompassing multiple data types, via network de-noising or core inference, complementing the existing knowledge obtained from sequence or expression data.
More Accurate Quantum Efficiency Damage Factor for Proton-Irradiated, III-V-Based Unipolar Barrier Infrared Detectors

Ongoing studies to characterize and improve the radiation tolerance of the quantum efficiency (QE) in III-V-based, unipolar barrier infrared detectors, such as nBn’s, require accurate knowledge of the detector QE damage factor. Here, results of such studies are described which demonstrated that a QE damage factor determined from the slope of the apparent linear relationship between inverse QE and proton fluence was more accurate than the previous method. Comparatively, the new approach did not require truncating the fitting range and it more clearly demonstrated the expected monotonically decreasing relationship between QE damage factor and relative amount of absorber layer grading in nBn detectors. Simulations were then done which supported this finding. Results from a similar study of HgCdTe photodiodes indicated an identical linear behavior which then abruptly saturated at higher proton fluence. Additional simulation suggested photo-collection here also relied on drift, which thereby limited the total effects of displacement damage on QE.
Optical modeling of the Jefferson laboratory IR demo FEL

Abstract The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is in the process of a building a 1 kW free-electron laser operating 3 μ m. The details of the accelerator driver are given in other papers in these proceedings. The optical cavity consists of a near-concentric resonator with transmissive outcoupling. Though several free-electron lasers have used similar designs, they have not had to confront the high average-power loading present in this laser. It is useful to know the limits of this type of optical cavity design. The optical system of the laser has been modeled using the commercial code GLAD® by using a Beer’s-law region to mimic the FEL interaction. The effects of mirror heating have been calculated and compared with analytical treatments. The magnitude of the distortion for several materials and wave lengths has been estimated. The model developed here allows one to quickly determine whether the mirror substrates and coatings are adequate for operation at a given optical power level once the absorption of the coatings, substrate, and transmission are known. Results of calculations of the maximum power level expected using several different sets of mirrors will be presented. Measurements of the distortion in calcium fluoride from absorption of carbon dioxide laser light are planned to benchmark the simulations. Multimode simulations using the code ELIXER have been carried out to characterize the saturated optical mode quality. The results will be presented.
Osteoarthritis: A Review of Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Imaging Options

Slowing of radiographic joint space narrowing represents the only recommended imaging-based outcome measure to assess structural disease progression in osteoarthritis (OA) clinical trials. There are no effective disease-modifying OA drugs. The ability of magnetic resonance (MR) to image structures within the knee and to visualize cartilage morphology and composition gives MR imaging a critical role in understanding the natural history of the disease and in the search for therapies. In this article, the roles and limitations of conventional radiography and MR imaging, focusing on knee OA, and the use of other modalities in clinical practice and OA research are described.
An Analysis of Resilience Techniques for Exascale Computing Platforms

With the increase in the complexity and number of nodes in large-scale high performance computing (HPC) systems, the probability of applications experiencing failures has increased significantly. As the computational demands of applications that execute on HPC systems increase, projections indicate that applications executing on exascale-sized systems are likely to operate with a mean time between failures (MTBF) of as little as a few minutes. A number of strategies for enabling fault resilience in systems of extreme sizes have been proposed in recent years. However, few studies provide performance comparisons for these resilience techniques. This work provides a comparison of four state-of-the-art HPC resilience techniques that are being considered for use in exascale systems. We explore the behavior of each resilience technique under simulated execution of a diverse set of applications varying in communication behavior and memory use. We examine how each resilience technique behaves as application size scales from what is considered large today through to exascale-sized applications. We further study the performance degradation that a large-scale system experiences from the overhead associated with each resilience technique as well as the application computation needed to continue execution when a failure occurs. Using the results from these analyses, we examine how application performance on exascale systems can be improved by allowing the system to select the optimal resilience technique for use in an application-specific manner, depending upon each application's execution characteristics.
The unintended impact of tax and expenditure limitations on the use of special districts: the politics of circumvention

The increasing trend of special districts deserves more attention as it raises concerns on the efficiency and accountability of the fragmented local governance system in America. This paper examines whether the rapid growth of special districts can be partially explained by the expansion of state-imposed tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) during the last several decades. Using panel data from 1972 to 2007, this paper finds that TELs produce unintended circumvention effects among local governments. Specifically, the results reveal TELs motivate local general-purpose governments to create new special districts as an institutional strategy to evade the fiscal constraints imposed by the state.
Kv3 Channels: Enablers of Rapid Firing, Neurotransmitter Release, and Neuronal Endurance

The intrinsic electrical characteristics of different types of neurons are shaped by the K+ channels they express. From among the more than 70 different K+ channel genes expressed in neurons, Kv3 f...
Dual independent control for inductive wireless power transfer

The power transfer and efficiency of a magnetically coupled wireless power transfer system depends mainly on the frequency of operation, the distance between the primary and secondary coils, and the load condition (i.e. battery state-of-charge). Different techniques have been proposed to optimize the efficiency of these WPT systems. Most of the techniques require additional hardware to communicate data between the transmitting and the receiving coils. In this paper, the primary (transmitter) of the proposed system was controlled by tuning a variable capacitor. The tuning was performed for the dynamic changes in the coupling coefficient, which maintains a minimum phase angle between the primary voltage and current. For the receiver (secondary), load regulation was achieved by implementing a dc-dc converter with PWM control. Since both the control strategies are implemented independently, separate communication hardware is not required. The simulation of the proposed scheme was performed using MATLAB/Simulink. The simulated results of the proposed dual control system yielded a power transfer efficiency of ∼ 85% in spite of variations in the load and the coupling coefficient.
Association of Temporal Changes in Gestational Age With Perinatal Mortality in the United States, 2007-2015.

Importance Whether the changing gestational age distribution in the United States since 2005 has affected perinatal mortality remains unknown. Objective To examine changes in gestational age distribution and gestational age–specific perinatal mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study examined trends in US perinatal mortality by linking live birth and infant death data among more than 35 million singleton births from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2015. Exposures Year of birth and changes in gestational age distribution. Main Outcomes and Measures Changes in the proportion of births at gestational ages 20 to 27, 28 to 31, 32 to 33, 34 to 36, 37 to 38, 39 to 40, 41, and 42 to 44 weeks; changes in perinatal mortality (stillbirth at ≥20 weeks, and neonatal deaths at Results Among the 34 236 577 singleton live births during the study period, the proportion of births at all gestational ages declined, except at 39 to 40 weeks, which increased (54.5% in 2007 to 60.2% in 2015). Overall perinatal mortality declined from 9.0 to 8.6 per 1000 births ( P P P Conclusions and Relevance Although the proportion of births at gestational age 39 to 40 weeks increased, perinatal mortality at this gestational age declined. This finding may be owing to pregnancies delivered at 39 to 40 weeks that previously would have been unnecessarily delivered earlier, leaving fetuses at higher risk for mortality at other gestational ages.
Using Identity Discrepancy Theory to Predict Psychological Distress

An important goal of stress research is to clarify the processes by which external conditions result in psychological distress (e.g., Burke, 1991b 1996; Holmes and Rahe, 1967; Mirowsky and Ross, 1989; Thoits, 1991). In addition to specifying the relationship between stress and distress, mental health scholars have become increasingly interested in predicting specific forms of distress (Aneshensel, 1992; Mirowsky and Ross, 1989). Sociological social psychologists in general, and identity theorists in particular, have focused on the relationship between selfand social structure to explain how external conditions impact emotional states. Although some theorists have linked identities with psychological distress (Burke, 1991b; 1996; Simon, 1992; Thoits, 1986; 1991), the impact of identity meanings on stress processes, as well as the ability to predict specific distress outcomes, deserves further attention.
Abstract IA18: Progress and future directions in the management of low-grade serous cancer of the ovary

Low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum is a rare histologic subtype that may originate de novo or following a diagnosis of a serous borderline tumor. It accounts for approximately 10% of all serous carcinomas. It is distinguished from high-grade serous carcinoma based on the degree of nuclear atypia (mild to moderate versus marked) and mitotic index ( 12 mitoses/10 HPF). Rarely, low-grade and high-grade serous carcinoma may coexist in the same tumor. Compared to high-grade serous carcinoma, it is characterized by younger age at diagnosis, prolonged survival, and relative chemoresistance. In unsupervised clustering analysis of expression profiles, it tends to cluster with serous borderline tumor. The MAP kinase pathway appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of low-grade serous carcinoma; BRAF mutations occur in approximately 5% of cases, and KRAS mutations occur in 20-40% of cases. NRAS and HRAS mutations also occur less frequently. Preliminary findings suggest that tumors with a mutation in the MAP kinase pathway are associated with improved survival compared to tumors without mutations. Multiple studies have demonstrated relative resistance to conventional chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and salvage settings. Thus, a search for more effective therapies has dominated the clinical research of this subtype over the past decade. Bevacizumab has demonstrated objective responses in approximately 40-50% of patients in the salvage setting. The initial trial of a single-agent MEK inhibitor for recurrent low-grade serous carcinoma found a response rate of 15%, but there was no correlation of clinical response with mutational status. Three second-generation randomized MEK inhibitor trials have been conducted: one (in combination with a PI3K inhibitor) closed prematurely for toxicity, one closed prematurely for futility, and a third (GOG 0281) is completing accrual in the next few months. Detailed results of all three trials are not yet available. There have also been reports of objective responses to BRAF inhibitors in patients whose tumor harbors a BRAF mutation. In addition, hormonal therapies are of interest in this subtype given the fact that there are several similarities between low-grade serous carcinoma and ER+ breast cancer: 1) at least 80% of these tumors are ER+, 2) women Citation Format: David M. Gershenson. Progress and future directions in the management of low-grade serous cancer of the ovary. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Conference: Addressing Critical Questions in Ovarian Cancer Research and Treatment; Oct 1-4, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(15_Suppl):Abstract nr IA18.
Older patients and risk of developing and dying from bleomycin-induced lung toxicity.

8584 Background: Bleomycin-induced pneumonitis (BIP) has been well described in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) patients treated with bleomycin-containing chemotherapy regimens. The incidence of a...
Hyperthin Membranes for Gas Separations via Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly

Thin film formation via the Layer-by-Layer method is now a well-established and broadly used method in materials science. We have been keenly interested in exploiting this technique in the area of gas separations. Specifically, we have sought to create hyperthin (<100 nm) polyelectrolyte-based membranes that have practical potential for the separation of CO2 from N2 (flue gas) and H2 from CO2 (syngas). In this personal account, we summarize recent studies that have been aimed at measuring the influence of a variety of factors that can affect the permeability and permeation selectivity of hyperthin polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs).
Electronic energy-band structure of the KMg F 3 crystal

Electronic energy-band calculations have been performed for the KMg${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$ crystal by using the method of linear combinations of atomic orbitals with a self-consistent-field procedure. The basis set consists of 124 Bloch sums formed by atomic wave functions and single Gaussians. The wave functions of the valence-band states are composed mainly of F $2p$ orbitals. The bottom of the conduction band is an $s$-like (${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{1}$) state. Slightly above this state are the K $3d$ bands which have sharp density of states. Transitions from the valence bands to these K $3d$ bands are responsible for the prominent features of the joint density of states below 20 eV and account for some of the structures in the measured optical dielectric function. Using $\ensuremath{\alpha}=1$ for the exchange parameter, we obtain a band gap of 9.6 eV, which is about 3 eV lower than the experimental value, but the calculated joint density of states involving the K $3d$ states show good agreement with optical measurements. By either raising $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ to 1.33 or using the $X\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\beta}$ method we obtain a band gap of 12.4 eV, but the agreement between the joint density of states and optical data is worsened. Also the valence band becomes slightly narrower but its general features are unaltered. The band gap reduces to about 7 eV when we set $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ to $\frac{2}{3}$ or use the interpolation formula in the exchange approximation. The x-ray structure factors are calculated using five versions of the exchange approximation and the results all differ significantly from the experimental values.
Advances in research on Escherichia coli and pediatric infectious diseases

Escherichia coli is a common intestinal colonization bacterium in human body.It causes infectious diarrhea if it turns into a pathogenic bacterium under certain conditions.In a few cases, it can cause extraintestinal infections, such as bacterial meningitis, lower respiratory tract infection, biliary tract infection, and urinary tract infection, etc.With the increasing of antibiotic abuse, the pathogenesis of Escherichia coli in different infectious diseases has its own characteristics.The hazards, pathogenesis and treatment progress of different infectious diseases were reviewed in this paper. Key words: Escherichia coli; Infectious diarrhea; Bacterial meningitis; Urinary tract infection; Lower respiratory tract infection; Biliary tract infection
Transcriptomic analysis of hidradenitis suppurativa skin suggests roles for multiple inflammatory pathways in disease pathogenesis

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with limited treatment options; therefore, the current study investigated the downstream signaling pathways that are differentially expressed in HS subjects and may drive disease pathogenesis. The expression of 144 genes was evaluated in the skin of 16 healthy subjects and 34 subjects with mild to severe HS using QuantiGene Plex assay. One hundred and twenty-nine genes were significantly elevated in lesional HS skin as compared to the skin of healthy controls including pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-6, TNF-α), IL-17-associated cytokines (IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-23A), the IL-10 family of cytokines (IL-10, IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, IL-24), and IFN family members (IFNA1, IFNB1, IFNG, IL-12B). This corresponded with increased expression of tyrosine kinases (JAK1, JAK3, BTK, SYK) and their downstream signaling partners (STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, STAT5A, STAT5B, STAT6). These data illustrate the diverse immune activation in lesional HS skin and suggest that deeper interrogation of the disease heterogeneity may reveal unique opportunities for targeted therapies in designated subpopulations.
A Shift Toward a Plant-Centered Diet From Young to Middle Adulthood and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Weight Gain: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.

OBJECTIVE To examine the associations between change in plant-centered diet quality and type 2 diabetes risk and change in body size. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A prospective study conducted in the U.S. enrolled adults ages 18–30 years in 1985–1986 (examination year [Y0]) and followed them through 2015–2016. We analyzed the associations between change in plant-centered diet quality over 20 years (Y0–Y20) and diabetes (Y20–30; n = 2,534) and change (Y0–Y20 and Y20–30) in BMI, waist circumference (WC), and weight (n > 2,434). Plant-centered diet quality was measured using the A Priori Diet Quality Score (APDQS); a higher score favors nutritionally rich plant foods. Cox regression models were used to assess diabetes risk, and linear regression models were used to examine change in body size. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 9.3 (± 1.7) years, 206 case subjects with incident diabetes were observed. In multivariable analysis, participants with the largest increase in APDQS over 20 years had a 48% (95% CI 0.31–0.85; P-trend CONCLUSIONS Young adults who increased plant-centered diet quality had a lower diabetes risk and gained less weight by middle adulthood.
A New Subclass of Exoribonuclease-Resistant RNA Found in Multiple Genera of Flaviviridae.

ABSTRACT Viruses have developed innovative strategies to exploit the cellular machinery and overcome the antiviral defenses of the host, often using specifically structured RNA elements. Examples are found in the Flavivirus genus (in the family Flaviviridae), where during flaviviral infection, pathogenic subgenomic flaviviral RNAs (sfRNAs) accumulate in the cell. These sfRNAs are formed when a host cell 5′ to 3′ exoribonuclease degrades the viral genomic RNA but is blocked by an exoribonuclease-resistant RNA structure (xrRNA) located in the viral genome’s 3′ untranslated region (UTR). Although known to exist in several Flaviviridae genera, the full distribution and diversity of xrRNAs in this family were unknown. Using the recently solved high-resolution structure of an xrRNA from the divergent flavivirus Tamana bat virus (TABV) as a reference, we used bioinformatic searches to identify xrRNAs in the remaining three genera of Flaviviridae: Pegivirus, Pestivirus, and Hepacivirus. We biochemically and structurally characterized several examples, determining that they are genuine xrRNAs with a conserved fold. These new xrRNAs look superficially similar to the previously described xrRNAs but possess structural differences making them distinct from previous classes of xrRNAs. Overall, we have identified the presence of xrRNA in all four genera of Flaviviridae, but not in all species. Our findings thus require adjustments of previous xrRNA classification schemes and expand the previously known distribution of xrRNA in Flaviviridae. IMPORTANCE The members of the Flaviviridae comprise one of the largest families of positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) and are divided into the Flavivirus, Pestivirus, Pegivirus, and Hepacivirus genera. The genus Flavivirus contains many medically relevant viruses such as Zika virus, dengue virus, and Powassan virus. In these, a part of the RNA of the virus twists up into a distinct three-dimensional shape called an exoribonuclease-resistant RNA (xrRNA) that blocks the ability of the cell to “chew up” the viral RNA. Hence, part of the RNA of the virus remains intact, and this protected part is important for viral infection. These xrRNAs were known to occur in flaviviruses, but whether they existed in the other members of the family was not known. In this study, we identified a new subclass of xrRNA found not only in flaviviruses but also in the remaining three genera. The fact that these structured viral RNAs exist throughout the Flaviviridae family suggests they are important parts of the infection strategy of diverse pathogens, which could lead to new avenues of research.
Optimal Control of a Two-Wheeled Self-Balancing Robot by Reinforcement Q-learning

This paper concerns optimal control of the linear motion, tilt motion, and yaw motion of a two-wheeled self-balancing robot (TWSBR). Traditional optimal control methods for the TWSBR usually require a precise model of the system, and other control methods exist that achieve stabilization in the face of parameter uncertainties. In practical applications, it is often desirable to realize optimal control in the absence of the precise knowledge of the system parameters. This paper proposes to use a new feedback-based reinforcement Q-learning method to solve the linear quadratic regulation (LQR) control problem for the TWSBR. The proposed control scheme is completely online and does not require any knowledge of the system parameters. Both state feedback optimal control and output feedback optimal control are presented. Numerical simulation shows that the proposed optimal control scheme is capable of stabilizing the system and converging to the LQR solution obtained through solving the algebraic Riccati equation.
Trends and Social Inequalities in Maternal Mortality in the United States, 1969-2018

Background: Despite the previous long-term decline and a recent increase in maternal mortality, detailed social inequalities in maternal mortality in the United States (US) have not been analyzed. This study examines trends and inequalities in US maternal mortality by maternal race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, nativity/immigrant status, marital status, area deprivation, urbanization level, and cause of death. Methods: National vital statistics data from 1969 to 2018 were used to compute maternal mortality rates by sociodemographic factors. Mortality trends by deprivation level were analyzed by using censusbased deprivation indices. Rate ratios and log-linear regression were used to model mortality trends and differentials. Results: Maternal mortality declined by 68% between 1969 and 1998. However, there was a recent upturn in maternal mortality, with the rate increasing from 9.9 deaths/100,000 live births in 1999 to 17.4 in 2018. The large racial disparity persisted over time; Black women in 2018 had a 2.4 times higher risk of maternal mortality than White women. During 2013-2017, the rate varied from 7.0 for Chinese women to 42.0 for non-Hispanic Black women. Unmarried status, US-born status, lower education, and rural residence were associated with 50-114% higher maternal mortality risks. Mothers in the most-deprived areas had a 120% higher risk of mortality than those in the most-affluent areas; both absolute and relative disparities in mortality by deprivation level widened between 2002 and 2018. Hemorrhage, pregnancy-related hypertension, embolism, infection, and chronic conditions were the leading causes of maternal death, with 31% of the deaths attributable to indirect obstetric causes. Conclusions and Global Health Implications: Despite the steep long-term decline in US maternal mortality, substantial racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and rural-urban disparities remain. Monitoring disparities according to underlying social determinants is key to reducing maternal mortality as they give rise to inequalities in social conditions and health-risk factors that lead to maternal morbidity and mortality. Copyright © 2021 Singh. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.