cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modelling of plasma start-up in ITER

A general eigenexpansion/least squares fit algorithm is described which can be used to determine the PF coil voltage waveforms required to break down, initiate, and ramp a plasma current in a tokamak. The technique is applied to ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). The technique includes the effects of passive structure eddy currents. In addition, the eigenexpansion technique does not require a time step size consistent with any numerical stability limits. The constant voltages during each time segment calculated on the basis of the procedure described produce the desired loop voltage and field quality during the three phases of start-up. >
The TranQuyl language for data management in intelligent transportation

Abstract Intelligent Transportation Systems envision a networked environment consisting of vehicles, the infrastructure, and hand-held devices (e.g., smart-phones). The environment will enable numerous safety, mobility, and environmental improvement applications. For example, drivers can be warned of dangers in their local environment or when risking to leave their lane. Furthermore, their visibility range can be expanded by providing highly up-to-date information from areas that are currently invisible. For another example, the road weather—up-to-the-minute visibility, precipitation, and pavement condition information—can be provided at high spatial resolution. Intelligent Transportation efforts are currently being undertaken throughout the world. In addition to the IntelliDrive initiative of the US Department of Transportation, similar efforts exist in Europe, Japan, and China. But these efforts are largely decoupled from, and often incognizant of, the advances in spatio-temporal information management. This paper outlines a spatio-temporal data management language, Transportation Query Language (TranQuyl), which will facilitate the specification of a wide variety of queries of interest to travelers, to transportation agencies, and to industry. Queries in TranQuyl may be processed in either client server mode, or mobile peer-to-peer (P2P) mode, or both. TranQuyl will provide support for the specification of uncertainty either quantitatively or qualitatively as fuzzy queries, for example: “retrieve safety/emergency information around me”. In response, query processing should avoid overloading the traveler with information, and instead present only the most relevant answers to the query.
Parathyroid Hormone Controls Receptor Activator of NF-κB Ligand Gene Expression via a Distant Transcriptional Enhancer

RANKL, a protein essential for osteoclast development and survival, is stimulated by parathyroid hormone (PTH) via a PTH receptor 1/cyclic AMP (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA)/CREB cascade, exclusively in osteoblastic cells. We report that a bacterial artificial chromosome-based transcriptional reporter construct containing 120 kb of RANKL 5'-flanking region was stimulated by dibutyryl-cAMP in stromal/osteoblastic cells, but not other cell types. Full cAMP responsiveness was dependent upon a conserved 715-bp region located 76 kb upstream from the transcription start site, which we identified by sequential deletion analysis and by comparison of human and mouse genomic sequences in silico. This region contained conserved consensus sequences which bound CREB and the osteoblast-specific transcription factor Runx2, and when mutated blunted cAMP responsiveness. Overexpression of Runx2 potentiated cAMP responsiveness of the endogenous RANKL gene in a cell-type-specific manner. Lastly, PTH responsiveness of the endogenous RANKL gene was abrogated in mice from which we deleted this conserved upstream region. Thus, PTH responsiveness of the RANKL gene is determined by a distant regulatory region that responds to cAMP in a cell-type-specific manner and Runx2 may contribute to such cell-type specificity.
Near-threshold field stimulation: intramural versus surface activation.

Objective: The mechanism by which an electric field terminates arrhythmias continues to puzzle investigators. Existing experimental methods provide information about epicardial manifestations of electrical cardioversion, yet little is known about field effects deep inside the myocardium. Here we combine specially designed optical mapping experiments and computer modeling to separate the intra-myocardial and surface field effects. Methods: We used isolated coronary perfused and superfused slabs of pig right ventricular wall (n=6) stained with di-4-ANNEPS. A uniform transmural field was produced via two parallel planar (55 cm) transparent mesh electrodes aligned with the endocardial and epicardial surfaces. Low-intensity shocks (3.3 V/cm) were applied during diastole. The electrical activity under both electrodes was recorded simultaneously using two CCD cameras at 800 frames/s. Shock responses were also simulated using a bidomain Luo–Rudy model. Results: We discovered that during the near-threshold diastolic field stimulation, when surface polarization should be dominant, the early activation occurs not at the cathodal surface, as might be expected, but deep inside the myocardium. Comparison of epi- and endocardial activation delays suggests that the sites of early activation are located closer to the endocardium. Our experimental observations could be reproduced computationally by assuming large resistive heterogeneities inside the myocardial wall. Conclusions: Surface polarization plays a minor role during field stimulation. Intramural virtual electrodes produced even by weak fields are sufficiently strong to initiate intra-myocardial excitation. Significant heterogeneities in tissue resistivity may explain the strength of the virtual electrodes.
The incidence of early radiolucencies about a pegged glenoid component using cement pressurization

Glenoid component loosening is the most common early mode of failure of total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) We hypothesised that the use of a pegged glenoid component with a modern glenoid reaming system and an instrumented cement pressurization technique would achieve a low prevalence of early radiolucent lines. Of 81 patients having TSA with a cemented, all polyethylene, 3-peg glenoid component for primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis, 69 had high quality radiographs available for analysis. All preoperative and initial postoperative radiographs were reviewed and graded in a blinded manner using previously established criteria. When the radiolucency grade of cement fixation was converted to a numeric scale of 0 (no radiolucency) to 5 (grossly loose), the mean cementing score was 0.14 + 0.06. Of the 69 shoulders, 62 (90%) had no radiolucencies. These techniques to improve glenoid fixation resulted in a low incidence of early radiolucencies about the glenoid component in patients having TSA for primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis.
An efficient solar charging algorithm for different battery chemistries

This paper proposes a new, effective, robust and reliable solar battery charging algorithm for the widely used batteries; NiCd, NiMH, Lead-Acid and Lithium-Ion. The algorithm has the ability to charge the battery in the outdoor conditions, when the power is variable, and terminate charging when the battery is fully charged. The algorithm has two modes of operation; current mode and voltage mode. It can deal with the unexpected outdoor conditions, which may cause drops in the current, without falsely detecting the battery state of charge. A programmable power supply was programmed and the four battery types were charged to test the algorithm.
Field-adapted assays for chloroquine and its metabolites in urine and blood

Many types of field malaria studies require the on-site detection of chloroquine (CQ) in body fluids to determine the history of CQ ingestion, the patient's compliance with chemoprophylaxis or the treatment regime used, as well as to identify patterns of CQ use in the community. The three general approaches to field-adapted CQ assay are colorimetry, thin-layer chromatography and ELISA. In each case, CQ may be estimated by the visual comparison of samples and standards, or more precisely quantified by using the appropriate photometric device. The available methods are discussed and compared and, as Fred Churchill describes, not only represent a wide variety of alternatives for CQ detection and quantification for the malariologist engaged in clinical research but also serve as prototype models for the development of similar methods for other antiparasitic drugs.
The relationship of pregnancy to human immunodeficiency virus disease progression.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine the effect of pregnancy on progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. STUDY DESIGN: We compared the immunologic, clinical, and virologic courses of 953 women who had no additional pregnancy after their index pregnancy, with the courses of 329 women who had a second pregnancy subsequent to their index pregnancy. Baseline variables included use of antiretroviral therapy, and CD4 and HIV RNA values. A linear spline growth curve model was used to describe trajectories of variables. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess selected covariates on the time to development of clinical class C events or death. RESULTS: Women with repeat pregnancies were less likely to be on antiretroviral therapy at baseline and had a higher CD4% count immediately after their first delivery. The average trajectory of CD4 values in the one-pregnancy group was almost identical to the average trajectory in the repeat pregnancy group. RNA levels in the single-pregnancy group started higher but ended lower than in the second-pregnancy group, although slope differences were modest. There were no significant differences in time to class C events, although women in the repeat-pregnancy group tended to survive longer. CONCLUSION: Repeat pregnancies do not have significant effects on the course of HIV disease.
Gamma-Ray Bursts: Theoretical Considerations

The discovery of the afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRB) at X-ray, optical and radio wavelengths heralds a new era in the investigation of these objects. This provides a quantum jump in the type of observational information available, providing much more severe constraints on models, and probably represents the light at the end of the tunnel for this long-standing puzzle of astrophysics.
Refusal of postoperative radiotherapy and its association with survival in head and neck cancer

Abstract Background and purpose Administering postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) is associated with improved survival and slower disease progression in select head and neck cancer patients. Predictive factors for PORT refusal have not been described in this population. Materials and methods Retrospective analysis of 6127 head and neck cancer patients who received or refused PORT in the National Cancer Database (2003–2006) was performed. Statistical analysis included Chi-square, multivariable logistic regression, Kaplan–Meier, and Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results In total, 247 patients (4.0%) refused PORT. Three-year overall survival was 62.8% versus 53.4% for those who received and refused PORT, respectively. PORT refusers were more likely to have negative nodes than those who underwent PORT (37.4% versus 20.1%, p p ⩽.001). PORT refusal was associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio 1.20, p =.044). Conclusions A significant proportion of head and neck cancer patients refused PORT; this was associated with compromised overall survival. Predictive factors for PORT refusal included socioeconomic, demographic, and pathologic variables. Elucidating root causes of refusal may lead to interventions that improve long-term outcomes.
Mixed discrete-continuous heuristic generative planning based on flow tubes

Nowadays, robots are programmed with a mix of discrete and continuous low level behaviors by experts in a very time consuming and expensive process. Existing automated planning approaches are either based on hybrid model predictive control techniques, which do not scale well due to time discretization, or temporal planners, which sacrifice plan expressivity by only supporting discretized fixed rates of change in continuous effects. We introduce Scotty, a mixed discrete-continuous generative planner that finds the middle ground between these two. Scotty can reason with linear time evolving effects whose behaviors can be modified by bounded control variables, with no discretization involved. Our planner exploits the expressivity of flow tubes, which compactly encapsulate continuous effects, and the performance of heuristic forward search. The generated solution plans are better suited for robust execution, as executives can use the flexibility in both time and continuous control variables to react to disturbances.
Civilian casualty inequity, partisanship, and American public support for Israel

Research into how civilian casualties influence public opinion largely focuses on citizens' support for the use of force by their own countries. This study explores how civilian casualties and partisan cues shape support for the use of force by an ally in a foreign conflict. Specifically, it assesses the effects of civilian casualty inequity – the uneven distribution of civilian casualties across two sides in a conflict – on Americans' support for Israel. Drawing on an original survey experiment conducted during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, the article bridges work on inequity aversion theory, party identification, and social identity theory. It finds that civilian casualty inequity information reduces support for Israel, particularly among Independents. The study also finds that adding explicit partisan criticism cues to civilian casualty inequity information does not appear to induce motivated evaluations of Israel among Republicans or Democrats. An important implication is that under conditions of gr...
Levelized compiled code multi-delay logic simulation

Levelized Compiled Code (LCC) multi-delay simulation is an idea whose time has come. Although it is not a new idea, when it was first proposed the hardware and software technology of the time was not capable of meeting the demands of such a simulation technique[1]. The basic technique is to predict the points in time when each gate can change value, and generate simulation code to compute the output of the gate at those times. For multi-delay simulation in which each gate has an integer delay greater than or equal to one, many circuits require several megabytes of straight-line code. Running such code was technologically infeasible when the technique was first proposed. However, technology has caught up with the algorithm, and it is now possible to determine whether oblivious multi-delay simulation is a viable method of logic simulation. Our experimental data shows that oblivious multi-delay simulation is many times faster than event-driven simulation for typical circuits, and significantly faster even with extremely demanding simulation parameters.
Investigating the influence of age, social capital affinity, and flow on positive outcomes reported by e-commerce site users

This study investigated the role of social capital affinity the sense of community and likeness felt for people online and the experience of flow concentrated engagement in/enjoyment of an activity as antecedents to a variety of positive outcomes associated with the use of e-commerce sites. Also, based on socio-emotional selectivity theory, the current study assessed the influence of age on social capital affinity and flow. As a subset of data from a telephone sample of Internet users in the USA, 282 e-commerce users responded to questions about site satisfaction, perceived focused and incidental knowledge-gains, and affirmation, in addition to flow and social capital affinity. As predicted by socio-emotional selectivity theory, there was a negative relationship between age and social capital affinity and flow. Flow, for its part, mediated the effects of age and social capital affinity on perceived focused and incidental knowledge-gain, satisfaction and affirmation among participants reporting e-commerce use. Finally, the current results indicated that satisfaction and perceived incidental learning predicted participant affirmation for their chosen e-commerce site.
Using Content Acquisition Podcasts to Increase Student Knowledge and to Reduce Perceived Cognitive Load

The use of multimedia-driven instruction in college courses is an emerging practice designed to increase students’ knowledge. However, limited research has validated the effectiveness of using mult...
Qualitative failure of a multiconfiguration method in prolate spheroidal coordinates in calculating dissociative photoionization of H 2

A formulation of a multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree-Fock (MCTDHF) method with nuclear motion is tested by application to a three-body breakup problem, the dissociative photoionization cross section of the ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ ion. The representation of the wave function in terms of a set of Slater determinants used for all nuclear geometries, with a prescribed parametric dependence upon the nuclear geometry such that the cusps follow the nuclei, times a complete basis expansion in the nuclear degrees of freedom shows promise as a method for treating nonadiabatic electronic and nuclear motion in molecules. However, the method used here for diatomics, in which the parametric dependence is prescribed through the choice of prolate spheroidal coordinates, produces qualitatively incorrect steplike behavior in the calculated cross section near onset. Modifications to the prolate spheroidal coordinate system that would improve this nonadiabatic diatomic MCTDHF representation are proposed.
Fluorophotometric determination of trace aluminium in mineral water by alizarm red-o-phnanthroline-hydroxylammonium chloride color reaction

Objective: A Color reaction system of Al-Alizarm red-o-phnanthroline-Hydroxylammonium chloride was used for the fluorophotometric determmation of micro-amounts of aluminium in mineral water.Methods:In a HAc-NaAc buffer solution of pH6.0,Al reacts with Alizarm red-o-ophnanthroline-Hydroxylammonium chloride to form a ternary complex.Results:The detection limit and linear value of the method was 0.01 μg/ml and 0.00~0.15 μg/ml respectively.The regressive equation was y=9.072x+2.522,with acorrelation coefficient r=0.9995.Conclusion:The method is simple and of high sensitivity and good selectivity.It can be applied to the determimnation of aluminium in mineral water.
Importance sampling in signal processing applications

Importance sampling is a technique originating in Monte Carlo simulation whereby one samples from a different, weighted distribution, in order to reduce variance of the resulting estimator. More recently, variations of importance sampling have emerged as a means for reducing computational and sample complexity in different problems of modern signal processing. Here we review importance sampling as it is manifested in three such problems: stochastic optimization, compressive sensing, and low-rank matrix approximation. In keeping with a general trend in convex optimization towards the analysis of phase transitions for exact recovery, importance sampling in compressive sensing and low-rank matrix recovery can be used to effectively push the phase transition for exact recovery towards fewer measurements.
Uncertainty quantification in modelling equiaxed alloy solidification

AbstractNumerical simulations can provide insight into physical phenomena during alloy solidification processes that cannot be observed experimentally. These model predictions depend on the material, process and numerical parameters which contain inherit uncertainties due to their origin in experimental measurements or model assumptions. As a step towards understanding the effect of uncertain inputs on solidification process modelling, uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis are performed on a transient model of transport phenomena during the solidification of grain refined Al-4.5 wt.% Cu in a rectangular cavity. The effect of microstructural model parameters, thermal boundary conditions and material property input uncertainties are examined for their effect on macrosegregation levels and solidification time. Predictions of the macrosegregation level are most sensitive to the dendrite arm spacing of the rigid mushy zone.
Helping students help themselves

The current study investigated whether prompting students to engage in generative learning strategies improves students' subsequent judgments of learning and self-regulation. Seventy-eight middle school students in a pre-algebra class completed worksheets in between problem-solving sessions in a computer-based cognitive tutor. Some students were prompted to engage in a generative learning strategy (i.e., writing a summary or writing an explanation for a peer) followed by a judgment of learning (generative group), whereas other students were only asked to make a judgment of learning (control group). Results indicated non-significant levels of judgment accuracy in both groups; however, students in the generative group showed better-calibrated help-seeking behaviors when solving subsequent problems in the tutor. These results suggest that self-regulation can improve in the absence of accurate learning judgments, and that generative learning strategies can facilitate such an improvement. This may be especially true for younger students, who generally demonstrate lower metacognitive awareness. Middle school students completed worksheets during pre-algebra cognitive tutor.One group completed generative activity; other group did not.Generative group showed better calibrated help-seeking behaviors.Points to value of measuring self-regulation as metacognitive assessment.
The Effect of Hyponatremia and Sodium Variability on Outcomes in Adults with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background Hyponatremia is common in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, but its effect on outcomes remains contentious. Fluctuation in sodium has been reported to negatively affect perioperative outcomes in general surgical patients, but not specifically in patients with a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The primary aim was to describe the relationship between 1) hyponatremia and 2) sodium fluctuations during intensive care and neurologic outcome at hospital discharge. Methods Adults with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage between January 2012 and September 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Data were collected for admission to day 14 of intensive care or death. Severity of illness was assessed by Hunt and Hess grade and simplified acute physiology score. Hyponatremia was defined as any measurement 12 mEq/L during intensive care. Neurologic outcomes at discharge were assessed by modified Rankin Scale. The relationship between sodium and outcome was assessed by ordinal logistic regression. Results A total of 198 patients were included. After adjustment for Hunt and Hess grade, severity of systemic illness, patient age, surgical intervention, and whether or not the hyponatremia was treated with additional sodium, hyponatremia was not associated with worse neurologic outcomes. More patients with sodium variability of 6–12 and >12 mEq/L had cerebral infarction than those with variability P = 0.001). Conclusions Sodium fluctuation, not hyponatremia, is associated with worse neurologic outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. This is in contradistinction to current teaching and warrants further examination.
Peptidomimetic Agents Targeting Bacteria

Overdependence on regular antibiotics has led to the development of resistance in various strains of microorganisms (including bacteria, fungi, enveloped viruses, and parasites). Antimicrobial peptides, known as host defense peptides (HDPs), are among the promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. However, HDPs have some drawbacks such as high vulnerability to proteolytic degradation, toxicity, and high production cost. HDP-mimicking peptidomimetics thus have been developed to mimic the structure and mode of action of HDPs, while circumventing the aforementioned limitations and displaying potent activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria. In this article, we highlight the common and most recent approaches to antimicrobial peptidomimetic design and illustrate their importance to future antibiotic research.
Pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine addiction: current status and future directions.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Methamphetamine (MA) abuse remains a global health challenge despite intense research interest in the development of pharmacological treatments. This review provides a summary of clinical trials and human studies on the pharmacotherapy of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD).Areas covered: We summarize published clinical trials that tested candidate medications for MUD and also conducted PubMed and Google Scholar searches to identify recently completed clinical trials using the keywords ‘methamphetamine’ ‘addiction’ ‘pharmacotherapy’ and ‘clinical trial.’ To determine the status of ongoing clinical trials targeting MUD, we also searched the ClinicalTrials.gov online database. We conclude this review with a discussion of current research gaps and future directions.Expert commentary: Clinical trials examining the potential for pharmacotherapies of MUD have largely been negative. Future studies need to address several limitations to reduce the possibility of Type II errors: small sample s...
SASP Regulation by Noncoding RNA

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including micro (mi)RNAs, long noncoding (lnc)RNAs, and circular (circ)RNAs, control specific gene expression programs by regulating transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational processes. Through their broad influence on protein expression and function, ncRNAs have been implicated in virtually all cellular processes such as proliferation, senescence, quiescence, differentiation, apoptosis, and the stress and immune responses. Senescence is a cellular phenotype associated with the physiologic decline of aging and with age-related pathologies. Besides their characteristic terminal growth arrest and differential gene expression programs, senescent cells are known to secrete potent pro-inflammatory, angiogenic, and tissue-remodeling factors. This important trait, known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), influences many biological processes such as tissue repair and regeneration, tumorigenesis, and the aging-associated pro-inflammatory state. Here, we review the microRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs that influence the production of SASP factors and discuss the rising interest in SASP-regulatory ncRNAs as diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
Tissue compartmentalization of T cell responses during early life

The immune system in early life is tasked with transitioning from a relatively protected environment to one in which it encounters a wide variety of innocuous antigens and dangerous pathogens. The immaturity of the developing immune system, and particularly the distinct functionality of T lymphocytes in early life, has been implicated in increased susceptibility to infection. Previous work has demonstrated that immune responses in early life are skewed toward limited inflammation and atopy; however, there is mounting evidence that such responses are context- and tissue-dependent. The regulation, differentiation, and maintenance of infant T cell responses, particularly as it relates to tissue compartmentalization, remains poorly understood. How the tissue environment impacts early-life immune responses and whether the development of localized protective immune memory cell subsets are established is an emerging area of research. As infectious diseases affecting the respiratory and digestive tracts are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide in infants and young children, a deeper understanding of site-specific immunity is essential to addressing these challenges. Here, we review the current paradigms of T cell responses during infancy as they relate to tissue localization and discuss implications for the development of vaccines and therapeutics.
A Text Message Intervention with Adaptive Goal Support to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Among Non-Treatment-Seeking Young Adults: Non-Randomized Clinical Trial with Voluntary Length of Enrollment.

Background: Stand-alone text message–based interventions can reduce binge drinking episodes (≥4 drinks for women and ≥5 drinks for men) among nontreatment-seeking young adults, but may not be optimized. Adaptive text message support could enhance effectiveness by assisting context-specific goal setting and striving, but it remains unknown how to best integrate it into text message interventions. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate young adults’ engagement with a text message intervention, Texting to Reduce Alcohol Consumption 2 (TRAC2), which focuses on reducing weekend alcohol consumption. TRAC2 incorporated preweekend drinking-limit goal-commitment ecological momentary assessments (EMA) tailored to past 2-week alcohol consumption, intraweekend goal reminders, self-efficacy EMA with support tailored to goal confidence, and maximum weekend alcohol consumption EMA with drinking limit goal feedback. Methods: We enrolled 38 nontreatment-seeking young adults (aged 18 to 25 years) who screened positive for hazardous drinking in an urban emergency department. Following a 2-week text message assessment-only run-in, subjects were given the opportunity to enroll in 4-week intervention blocks. We examined patterns of EMA responses and voluntary re-enrollment. We then examined how goal commitment and goal self-efficacy related to event-level alcohol consumption. Finally, we examined the association of length of TRAC2 exposure with alcohol-related outcomes from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Results: Among a diverse sample of young adults (56% [28/50] female, 54% [27/50] black, 32% [12/50] college enrolled), response rates to EMA queries were, on average, 82% for the first 4-week intervention block, 75% for the second 4-week block, and 73% for the third 4-week block. In the first 4 weeks of the intervention, drinking limit goal commitment was made 68/71 times it was prompted (96%). The percentage of subjects being prompted to commit to a drinking limit goal above the binge threshold was 52% (15/29) in week 1 and decreased to 0% (0/15) by week 4. Subjects met their goal 130/146 of the times a goal was committed to (89.0%). There were lower rates of goal success when subjects reported lower confidence (score <4) in meeting the goal (76% [32/42 weekends]) compared with that when subjects reported high confidence (98% [56/57 weekends]; P=.001). There were reductions in alcohol consumption from baseline to 3 months, but reductions were not different by length of intervention exposure. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that nontreatment-seeking young adults will engage with a text message intervention incorporating self-regulation support features, resulting in high rates of weekend drinking limit goal commitment and goal success.
Validating the Syndemic Threat Surrounding Sexual Minority Men's Health in a Population-Based Study With National Registry Linkage and a Heterosexual Comparison.

BACKGROUND Research on the syndemic health threats facing sexual minority men suggests that the elevated risk of HIV among this population co-occurs with other psychosocial health disparities. This study aimed to conduct a population-based examination of clinically assessed syndemic predictors of HIV infection among gay and bisexual, compared with heterosexual, men. SETTING AND METHODS The sample comprised adult men in the Stockholm Public Health Cohort. A total of 29,328 (91.9%) self-identified as heterosexual, 535 (1.7%) as gay, and 396 (1.2%) as bisexual. We linked survey responses to national health registry data. RESULTS Gay men had vastly elevated risk of HIV infection (>150 times) compared with heterosexuals. Gay men also had an elevated risk of depression, suicidality, and violent assaults compared with heterosexuals. Bisexual men had 16 times higher risk of being HIV-positive than heterosexual men. The number of psychosocial syndemic conditions was significantly associated with HIV infection among gay men (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.67; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.18 to 2.36), but not among bisexual and heterosexual men (AOR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.07 to 3.59; AOR = 1.92; 95% CI: 0.96 to 3.84). Among gay men, the association between co-occurring syndemic conditions and odds of HIV infection was synergistic (ie, more than additive). CONCLUSIONS This study confirms emerging evidence of the syndemic health threats affecting sexual minority men, finds stronger evidence for syndemics among gay compared with bisexual men, and suggests the need for HIV-prevention interventions that comprehensively address the co-occurring, and synergistically perpetuating, disparities affecting this population.
Systems with a constant heat flux with applications to radiative heat transport across nanoscale gaps and layers

We extend the statistical analysis of equilibrium systems to systems with a constant heat flux. This extension leads to natural generalizations of Maxwell–Boltzmann’s and Planck’s equilibrium energy distributions to energy distributions of systems with a net heat flux. This development provides a long needed foundation for addressing problems of nanoscale heat transport by a systematic method based on a few fundamental principles. As an example, we consider the computation of the radiative heat flux between narrowly spaced half-spaces maintained at different temperatures.
Cytomegalovirus: Shape-Shifting the Immune System.

Systems-based based approaches have begun to shed light on extrinsic factors that contribute to immune system variation. Among these, CMV (HHV-5, a β-herpesvirus) imposes a surprisingly profound impact. Most of the world's population is CMV+, and the virus goes through three distinct infection phases en route to establishing lifelong detente with its host. Immune control of CMV in each phase recruits unique arms of host defense, and in turn the virus employs multiple immune-modulatory strategies that help facilitate the establishment of lifelong persistence. In this review, we explain how CMV shapes immunity and discuss the impact it may have on overall health.
Enzymatic synthesis of cytidine diphosphate 3,6-dideoxyhexoses in Salmonella.

Abstract Extracts obtained from Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis were found to catalyze the following reactions. [see PDF for equation] The products of each reaction were isolated and identified by absorption spectra, phosphate analysis, and identification of the sugar moiety by various methods. The final product was cytidine 5'-diphosphate abequose when extracts of S. typhimurium were used and a mixture of CDP-paratose and CDP-tyvelose when extracts of S. enteritidis were used. The identification of 3,6-dideoxyhexoses is based on thin layer chromatography, cocrystallization of reduced derivatives of the sugars with authentic compounds, and oxidation with mold d - glucose oxidase. CDP - d - glucose oxidoreductase, catalyzing Reaction b above, was found to require triphosphopyridine nucleotide or diphosphopyridine nucleotide for activity. For the conversion of CDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-d-glucose into CDP-3,6-dideoxyhexoses (Reaction c), the addition of TPNH was required; ATP and flavin adenine dinucleotide (or flavin mononucleotide) strongly stimulated the reaction. Evidence for the feedback inhibition of CDP-d-glucose pyrophosphorylase by CDP-3,6-di-deoxyhexoses was also presented.
Reliability and Fatigue Testing of MEMS

Microelectromechanical structures (MEMS) utilize brittle materials such as polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) under potentially severe mechanical and environmental loading conditions. These structures may be subjected to high frequency, cyclic loading conditions, accumulating large numbers of cycles in relatively short periods of time. Failure Analysis Associates has developed a technique for characterization of fatigue crack initiation and growth in MEMS materials. Preliminary results show that fatigue cracks can initiate and grow in polysilicon MEMS devices, and that water vapor is important in sub-critical crack advance. This research provides a basis for characterizing long-term durability and stability of micron-scale structures.
Geological Map of the Future: Digital, Interactive, and Three-Dimensional

Geological survey agencies are developing methods for government geological mapping in the post-paper map era. Surficial and bedrock maps are being digitized and reconciled, while multiple generations of legends are being made accessible in a categorized format. Regional three-dimensional (3-D) geological models that integrate soils and geology, surficial and bedrock geology, as well as onshore and offshore, are increasingly in demand as the information, technology, and protocols to build them progress. Applications such as regional groundwater modeling require digitizing, reconciliation and assembly of a digital elevation model, bathymetry, offshore geology, soils, surficial geology, public domain drillhole and geophysical data, bedrock maps and existing stratigraphic models typically expressed as structure contours. New stratigraphic modeling, particularly required for surficial unconsolidated deposits in many regions, requires information from cored holes logged by geologists, as well as geophysical surveys. These high-quality results are extrapolated laterally using drillhole data, commonly large quantities of water-well data of varying resolution and reliability. Much effort is required to adequately georeference the drillhole data, and to parse large numbers of unique lithological descriptions. Stratigraphic modeling methods ideally use all data and an approach that permits judgement in the acceptance or rejection of data, while interpolation and extrapolation are guided by genetic insights. Models are best captured as a grid of predicted stratigraphy profiles that convey expert opinion on interpolation and extrapolation from the data points. Reconciliation of mapping with that of neighbouring jurisdictions is a key step, as is balancing subjective definition of strata with more objective geostatistical approaches to characterizing the heterogeneous physical properties of the strata. Progress is readily achievable in undeformed strata, while deformed strata present far greater challenges. Increasingly, databases of observations and measurements are being retained alongside the interpreted model, and models are being assigned varying confidence levels, such that the result is seen not as an end but as a means for prioritizing new mapping. Current activity is broadening our reliance not only from paper maps to digital models, but also from plan view maps to drillhole databases, to 3-D models, to dynamic models such as groundwater flow models. Pressing user requirements demand that geological survey work advances rapidly along this progression.
Network meta-reasoning for information assurance in mobile agent systems

This paper develops a practical means of measuring information assurance for mobile agent systems operating on wireless, ad hoc networks based on meta-reasoning [Dix et al., 2000; Xuan et al., 2001] to improve the security of communication. Figure 1 shows an agent system and its two distinct layers of communication: host-to-host and agent-toagent. Given the plethora of new techniques for identifying network intruders, we study the compromised host problem: determining the appropriate response to an identified intruder. In the context of a mobile, multi-agent system operating on an ad hoc network [Forman & Zahorjan, 1994], it is not merely a simple matter of removing the compromised hosts and its agents. While keeping the compromised host can result in information disclosure, removal of the host can degrade or even sever the network. We develop a state description for an agent system and introduce a measure of information assurance for the system in terms of the integrity of the messages delivered to the agents in a given network state. Agents have three responses to a compromised host: ignore the compromised host; reroute around the compromised host using network route redundancies; or remove the compromised host, by having the agents instruct their hosts to eliminate it from the network. These responses are shown in Figure 2.
Non-Conforming Finite Element Methods for Nonmatching Grids in Three Dimensions

In the last decade, non-conforming domain decomposition methods such as the mortar finite element method have been shown to be reliable techniques for several engineering applications that often employ complex finite element design. With this technique, one can conveniently assemble local subcomponents into a global domain without matching the finite element nodes of each subcomponent at the common interface. In this work, we present computational results for the convergence of a mortar finite element technique in three dimensions for a model problem. We employ the mortar finite element formulation in conjunction with higher-order elements, where both mesh refinement and degree enhancement are combined to increase accuracy. Our numerical results demonstrate optimality for the resulting non-conforming method for various discretizations.
Wearable Technologies and Invention

In this essay, we extend prior discussions of user interactions with wearable devices, framing these interactions in the context of identification and rhetorical invention. We identify the limitati...
Adjustive Trading: An Analysis of Institutional Investors’ Information Advantages

Investors with future-return-related information use it to adjust past decisions that no longer fit. Using this rationale, we decompose institutional trading into adjustive (adjusting past portfolio decisions) and implied (implied by past portfolio weights) trades. Adjustive trades positively predict future stock returns and earnings surprises, whereas implied trades negatively predict returns. The return-predictability of adjustive trades is strong across all stock, institution, portfolio turnover, and flow types. It declines over time but persists among institutions with moderate investment horizons. An institutional investor’s tendency to trade adjustively and the performance of adjustive trades for the top 20% of institutions are highly persistent. The results illustrate the distribution and evolvement of institutional investors’ informational advantages.
Elevated pCO2 and hypoxia alter the acid-base regulation of developing sheepshead minnows Cyprinodon variegatus

Low dissolved oxygen and increased acidification are two environmental variables that concomitantly change in an estuarine environment, both of which are exacerbated by nutrient pollution and subsequent eutrophication. To better understand how estuarine residents compensate for daily fluctuations in these environmental variables, the interactive effects of acidification and hypoxia were assessed in developing sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) using a 2 by 2 factorial design over a 42-day exposure. Embryos were exposed to either acidic (partial pressure of CO2, pCO2, ~2000 μatm), hypoxic (reduced dissolved oxygen, ~2 mg l-1), or combined acidic and hypoxic conditions and monitored for development, hatch rate, and survival. Changes in oxygen consumption, anaerobic metabolism, oxidative stress, and acid-base balance were evaluated at three life stages (embryo, larval, and juvenile fish) to discern if and how fish compensate for these stressors during development. The combination of acidification and hypoxia delayed hatching in embryos and significantly decreased oxygen consumption (p<0.001) in all three life-stages. Neither acidification, hypoxia, nor the combination of the stressors impacted the anaerobic metabolism or oxidative stress of juvenile fish, but acid-base equilibrium was disrupted by all three treatments in larval fish. Elevated carbonic anhydrase activity was observed in the multi-stress treatment in embryos and larval fish, but not in juvenile fish. These results show that developing sheepshead minnows can re-establish cellular homeostasis in compensating to acidified and hypoxic waters.
S 2 Measurements Showing Suppression of Higher Order Modes in Confined Rare Earth Doped Large Core Fibers

We present a detailed investigation on higher order mode suppression due to differential gain in large mode area step index fiber amplifiers with confined Yb doping using spatially and spectrally resolved imaging (S2). A novel active fiber with Yb doping confined to the central 30% of the core area is fabricated and its performance is directly compared to a fiber with a conventional homogeneously doped core with almost identical parameters. At high pump rates, S2 and beam pointing stability measurements clearly demonstrate fundamental mode operation of the confined doping few mode fiber, even under imperfect launching conditions and environmental perturbations. In addition, we discuss the mode content as a function of gain in co-pumped fiber amplifiers with and without confined rare earth core doping using a power propagation model for fibers with similar parameters to those used in our experiments. Our simulation results as well as amplification experiments indicate the great potential of the confined doping concept for single mode high power operation.
Some Remarks on the Nelson–Siegel Model

We discuss some results in functional data analysis where the mean and the covariance are expended in some theoretically justified basis.
Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Responses to Darwinism

The purpose of this essay is to complicate the common Buddhist modernist claim that because Buddhism is, allegedly, atheistic and process-oriented in metaphysics and fundamentally empirical and critical in method, it is the most “evolution-friendly” of the major religions. Comparing Darwin’s theory with the metaphysics of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, I investigate Darwinian and Buddhist views on the drama of sentient life, survival of the fittest, randomness, and the problem of human uniqueness. I find in each instance that while superficial similarities may be detected, at a deeper level the differences are profound, primarily because Darwinism posits a non-teleological, materially driven process in which randomness is a major factor, humanity differs from other species in degree but not kind, and mind matters hardly at all; while Buddhism posits a mentally-driven teleological process in which a human birth is rare and precious and causal predictability is a key to the attainment of the Buddhist telos, enlightenment. I conclude with a consideration of several Buddhist modernist attempts to reconcile Buddhism and evolutionary theory, finding little to indicate that these attempts can succeed without severely compromising the traditional perspectives and methods of one or the other system.
Attitudes Toward Spay/Neuter in the US Population: Urban/Rural, Cat/Dog, and Demographic Differences

An online survey of 991 US adults examines differences in attitudes among the general US population toward spaying and neutering cats and dogs, with a focus on differences between urban and rural r...
Room temperature 60 mJ Fe:ZnSe MOPA laser system tunable over 3.6-5.2 µm spectral range

We report on mid-IR Fe:ZnSe master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) laser system operating at room temperature (RT) pumped by a radiation of mechanically Q-switched Er:YAG laser operating at 2.94 m, at 3Hz repetition rate. The maximum output energy was as high as 250mJ in ~250 ns pulses. The RT gain-switched Fe:ZnSe master oscillator demonstrated tunability over 3.60-5.15 µm spectral range with a maximum output energy of ~3 mJ. The output energies of 12 (8), 34 (25) and 60 (48) mJ were demonstrated at 4.4 (4.1) µm in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd stages of amplifier, respectively, with a total pump energy of 200 mJ.