cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A System for Profiling and Monitoring Database Access Patterns by Application Programs for Anomaly Detection

Database Management Systems (DBMSs) provide access control mechanisms that allow database administrators (DBAs) to grant application programs access privileges to databases. Though such mechanisms are powerful, in practice finer-grained access control mechanism tailored to the semantics of the data stored in the DMBS is required as a first class defense mechanism against smart attackers. Hence, custom written applications which access databases implement an additional layer of access control. Therefore, securing a database alone is not enough for such applications, as attackers aiming at stealing data can take advantage of vulnerabilities in the privileged applications and make these applications to issue malicious database queries. An access control mechanism can only prevent application programs from accessing the data to which the programs are not authorized, but it is unable to prevent misuse of the data to which application programs are authorized for access. Hence, we need a mechanism able to detect malicious behavior resulting from previously authorized applications. In this paper, we present the architecture of an anomaly detection mechanism, DetAnom , that aims to solve such problem. Our approach is based the analysis and profiling of the application in order to create a succinct representation of its interaction with the database. Such a profile keeps a signature for every submitted query and also the corresponding constraints that the application program must satisfy to submit the query. Later, in the detection phase, whenever the application issues a query, a module captures the query before it reaches the database and verifies the corresponding signature and constraints against the current context of the application. If there is a mismatch, the query is marked as anomalous. The main advantage of our anomaly detection mechanism is that, in order to build the application profiles, we need neither any previous knowledge of application vulnerabilities nor any example of possible attacks. As a result, our mechanism is able to protect the data from attacks tailored to database applications such as code modification attacks, SQL injections, and also from other data-centric attacks as well. We have implemented our mechanism with a software testing technique called concolic testing and the PostgreSQL DBMS. Experimental results show that our profiling technique is close to accurate, requires acceptable amount of time, and the detection mechanism incurs low runtime overhead.
Chemotherapy first, followed by chemoradiation (CRT) and then surgery, in the management of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

3605 Background: Standard pre-op CRT and post-op chemo for LARC delays the start of optimal systemic therapy by 18-22 weeks. To more promptly address micrometastases that could lead to distant fail...
Investigation of Deaths of Undocumented Border Crossers and Management of Remains

Myriad factors influence the patterns of illegal migration of people from Mexico and Central America into the United States. The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (PCOME) has examined the ...
Capital Budgeting and Management Practices: Smoothing Out Rough Spots in Government Outlays

Public capital budgeting and management literature recommends long-term capital and fiscal planning practices to prevent large fluctuations in outlays caused by fiscal stresses. This study extends the literature by examining the effects of long-term capital planning and management practices such as the use of a capital budget, separate impact analyses, and the use of bond financing and dedicated revenue sources on capital spending volatility. The empirical results confirm that several of these practices smooth out state government capital outlays that vary because of socio-economic and financial factors.
National Patterns of Urine Testing During Inpatient Admission.

Background Overuse of urine testing is a driver of inappropriate antimicrobial use. Limiting wasteful testing is important for patient safety. We examined the national prevalence and patterns of urine testing during adult inpatient admission in the United States. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study using a national dataset of inpatient admissions from 263 hospitals in the United States from 2009 to 2014. We included all adult inpatient admissions, excluding those related to pregnancy, urology procedures, and with lengths of stay >30 days. A facility-level fixed-effects quasi-Poisson regression model was used to examine the incidence of urinalysis and urine culture testing for select diagnoses and patient factors. Results The cohort included 4473655 admissions. Charges for urinalysis were present for 2086697 (47%) admissions, with 584438 (13%) including >1 urinalysis. Charges for urine culture were present for 1197242 (27%) admissions, with 246211 (6%) having >1 culture. Urine culture testing varied by principal diagnosis. Heart failure and acute myocardial infarction had 29% and 35% fewer cultures sent on the first day of admission compared to all other admissions (P < .001). Female sex and receipt of antibiotics during the hospital admission consistently predicted increased culture testing, regardless of principal diagnosis or age. Conclusions Urine testing was common and frequently repeated during inpatient admission, suggesting large-scale overuse. The variation in testing by diagnosis suggests that clinical presentation modifies test use. The sex bias in urine testing is not clinically supported and must be addressed in interventions aimed at reducing excess urine testing.
Multi-string LED driver with accurate current matching and dynamic cancellation of forward voltage mismatch

In this paper, we present a multi-string LED driver which is capable of driving five parallel LED strings with two series LEDs in each string. The current in the LED strings is regulated using a boost converter with a hysteretic control loop. Accurate current matching is achieved using a regulated cascode current mirror architecture. The loser-take-all circuit enables dynamic cancellation of LED forward voltage mismatch and also optimizes efficiency. A PFM dimming block is designed to operate with a 200 kHz clock and has 11 programmable dimming ratios ranging from 2:1 to 2048:1. This LED driver is implemented in 0.5-μm CMOS process and operates with a Li-ion battery with a voltage range 3–4.2 V. Efficiency at steady-state with no dimming and at 4:1 and 8:1 dimming ratios are 89%, 88% and 85.4%, respectively. This LED driver is suitable for backlight LED displays in mobile devices.
Critical illness among adults with cystic fibrosis in Texas, 2004-2013: Patterns of ICU utilization, characteristics, and outcomes

OBJECTIVE Available reports on critically ill adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) suggest improving short-term outcomes. However, there is marked heterogeneity in reported findings, with studies mostly based on single-centered data, limiting generalizability. We sought to examine population-level patterns of demand for critical care resources, and the characteristics, resource utilization, and outcomes of ICU-managed adults with CF. METHODS We used the Texas Inpatient Public Use Data File to identify ICU admissions with CF aged ≥18 years in Texas between 2004-2013. We examined ICU utilization at population level (using CF Foundation annual reports) and, among ICU admissions, socio-demographic characteristics, burden of comorbidities, organ failure, life-support utilization and hospital disposition. Linear regression and multilevel logistic regression were used to examine temporal trends and predictors of short-term mortality (hospital death and discharge to hospice), respectively. RESULTS Of 9,579 hospitalizations of adults with CF, 1,249 (13%) were admitted to ICU. The incidence of ICU admission among adults with CF in Texas increased between 2004-2005 and 2012-2013 from 16.7 to 19.2 per 100 person-years (p = 0.0181), with ICU admissions aged ≥30 years accounting for 80.3% of the change. Among ICU admissions the following changes were noted between 2004-2005 and 2012-2013: any organ failure 30.2% vs. 56.3% (p = 0.0004), mechanical ventilation 11.5% vs. 19.2% (p = 0.0216), and hemodialysis 1.0% vs. 8.1% (p = 0.0007). Short-term mortality for the whole cohort and for those with mechanical ventilation was 11.4% and 41.8%, respectively, with corresponding home discharge among survivors 84% and 62.1%, respectively. Key predictors (adjusted odds ratios [aOR (95% CI)]) of short-term mortality included age ≥45 years (2.051 [1.231-3.415]), female gender (1.907 [1.237-2.941]), and mechanical ventilation (7.982 [5.001-12.739]). CONCLUSIONS Adults with CF had high and rising population-level burden of critical illness. Although ICU admissions were increasingly older and sicker, the majority survived hospitalization, with most discharged home, supporting short-term benefits of critical care in the present cohort.
Simplifying data operations for formal verification

Arithmetic operations on integers are very expensive to represent in formalisms that most automatic formal verification tools use. To deal with this problem, a verification methodology is proposed where systems that include such operations are simplified before they are verified. The simplifications are classified either as abstractions (ensuring that the original system satisfies all the properties satisfied by the simplified system, but not vice versa), reductions (the simplified system preserves exactly all the properties of the original one), and restrictions (the simplified system has the same properties as the original, provided certain constraints on the state variables are satisfied). In the proposed methodology, systems are simplified automatically, as instructed by the designer. The simplifications preserve the structure of the system, and can be performed in time and space that depends only on the size of the simplified system.
Hospital-Acquired Infections in Critically Ill Patients With Cancer

Hospital-acquired infections are a common and costly problem facing critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Critically ill patients with cancer are a particularly vulnerable subpopulation who possesses additional, nonmodifiable risk factors for developing these infections and, in many cases, are at increased risk of death as a result. This review will describe the most common nosocomial infections patients with cancer acquire while in the ICU: ventilator-associated events, central line-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and Clostridium difficile infection.
SoC Security Policies: Summary and Future Directions

Implementation and verification of security policies represent a critical, vexing, and time-consuming component of a modern System-on-Chip design. We have discussed one promising approach to doing so, but a lot remains to be done.
Bacillus subtilis Biofilms: a Matter of Individual Choice

Bacillus subtilis has the capacity to choose between two mutually exclusive lifestyles: biofilm formation and flagellum-mediated swimming motility. Interestingly, this choice is made at the individual cell level, with bacterial cells in a population expressing genes required for biofilm formation or genes required for swimming motility but not both. A bistable switch controls the biofilm-versus-swimming decision, resulting in an evolutionarily favorable strategy known as "bet hedging" that ensures that subpopulations of bacteria continue to grow as conditions change and/or become unfavorable. In a recent issue of mBio, J. Kampf and colleagues (mBio 9:e01464-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01464-18) reported the use of a combination of genetics and microfluidics to reveal that the interplay that occurs between the SinR and YmdB proteins underlies the B. subtilis choice between biofilm formation and swimming motility. Their report suggests that B. subtilis experiences selective pressure to form biofilms while maintaining reserve cell subpopulations with the capacity to swim away.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease classification, phenotypes and risk assessment

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease. Various classification systems and phenotypes have been proposed. This review highlights the current classifications of COPD, describes the major phenotypes and provides a blue print for risk assessment of COPD. It is likely that more phenotypes and endotypes of COPD will be described paving the way to personalized medicine for patients with COPD.
Network Simplification in Half-Duplex: Building on Submodularity

This paper explores the network simplification problem in the context of Gaussian half-duplex diamond networks. Specifically, given an $N$ -relay diamond network, this problem seeks to derive fundamental guarantees on the capacity of the best $k$ -relay subnetwork, as a function of the full network capacity. Simplification guarantees are presented in terms of a particular approximate capacity , termed Independent-Gaussian (IG) approximate capacity, that characterizes the network capacity to within an additive gap, which is independent of the channel coefficients and operating SNR. The main focus of this work is when $k\!=\!N\!-\!1$ relays are selected out of $N$ relays in a diamond network. First, a simple algorithm is proposed which selects all relays except the one with the minimum IG approximate half-duplex capacity. It is shown that the selected $(N\!-\!1)$ -relay subnetwork has an IG approximate half-duplex capacity that is at least $1/2$ of the IG approximate half-duplex capacity of the full network and that for the proposed algorithm, this guarantee is tight. Furthermore, this work proves the following tight fundamental guarantee: there always exists a subnetwork of $k\!=\!N\!-\!1$ relays that have an IG approximate half-duplex capacity that is at least equal to $(N-1)/N$ of the IG approximate half-duplex capacity of the full network. Finally, these results are extended to derive lower bounds on the fraction guarantee when $k \in [1:N]$ relays are selected. The key steps in the proofs lie in the derivation of properties of submodular functions, which provide a combinatorial handle on the network simplification problem for Gaussian half-duplex diamond networks.
Correlation study of increase of pharyngeal airway space after mandibular advancement, taking natural head position into consideration

The increase in the pharyngeal airway space after mandibular advancement has not been well explained, and in this study we aimed to show whether there is a correlation in the increase of pharyngeal airway space as a consequence of the mandibular advancement or of the relative change between the mandibular position and the natural head position (NHP). Fifteen patients who had bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for mandibular advancement with or without genioplasty were studied retrospectively. The primary variables of mandibular position, NHP, and pharyngeal airway space were measured in three dimensions using preoperative and postoperative cone-beam computed tomographic datasets and were compared using the paired t test. The secondary variable of pharyngeal airway space was defined as the square root of the mean cross-sectional area (CSA1/2) of the pharyngeal airway space. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to find out whether there was a correlation between the change in CSA1/2 and the change in mandibular position, or the relative change between the mandibular position and the NHP. Volumes and minimal cross-sectional areas were increased in the pharyngeal airway space, and lengths of airways decreased. Correlation existed only between the increase in CSA1/2 and the relative change between the mandibular position and NHP. The increase in pharyngeal airway space after mandibular advancement correlated with the relative changes between the mandibular position and the NHP.
Imputing Missing Data In Large-Scale Multivariate Biomedical Wearable Recordings Using Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Networks With Temporal Activation Regularization

Miniaturized and wearable sensor-based measurements offer unprecedented opportunities to study and assess human behavior in natural settings with wide ranging applications including in healthcare, wellness tracking and entertainment. However, wearable sensors are vulnerable to data loss due to body movement, sensor displacement, software malfunctions, etc. This generally hinders advanced data analytics including for clustering, data summarization, and pattern recognition requiring robust solutions for handling missing data to obtain accurate and unbiased analysis. Conventional data imputation strategies to address the challenges of missing data, including statistical fill-in, matrix factorization and traditional machine learning approaches, are inadequate in capturing temporal variations in multivariate time series. In this paper, we investigate data imputation using bidirectional recurrent neural networks with temporal activation regularization, which can directly learn and fill in the missing data. We evaluate the method on a large-scale multimodal wearable recording data-set of bio-behavioral signals we recently collected from over 100 hospital staff for a period of 10 weeks. Experimental results on these multimodal time series show the superiority of the proposed RNN-based method in terms of imputation accuracy.
Self-care for head and neck cancer survivors with lymphedema and fibrosis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients are at high risk for developing lymphedema and fibrosis (LEF) following cancer treatment. Once HNC patients develop LEF, they need to conduct life-long self-care to slow LEF progression and reduce associated symptom burden and functional deficits. Data demonstrate that inadequate LEF self-care may be a potentially remediable issue. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an Information-Motivation-Behavioral (IMB) Skills model-driven self-care program (SCP) to improve LEF management and reduce LEF-related symptom burden and functional impairments. This is a three-arm, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial to compare: Group 1 – Usual Care, Group 2 – Usual Care Plus LEF-SCP, and Group 3 – Usual Care Plus LEF-SCP Plus Follow-Up. Participants will be HNC survivors aged > 18 years of age, who meet predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A sample size of 75 participants is targeted. Interventions will be provided by trained staff. The study assessments for all groups will take place at five points: study entry then 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post enrollment. Outcome measures include: (1) feasibility (barriers to implementation, safety, and satisfaction) of the proposed intervention; (2) self-efficacy and adherence to self-care; and (3) preliminary efficacy (LEF progression, symptom burden, and functional status) of the proposed intervention. This will be the first study to evaluate the feasibility of a LEF-SCP in the HNC population and its impact on self-efficacy and adherence. Furthermore, it will evaluate the potential benefit of routine follow-up on adherence and fidelity to the self-care protocol. We expect that the trial will provide evidence supporting the feasibility of a LEF self-care program. In addition, we anticipate that preliminary data will support improved outcomes including increased adherence and fidelity, and decreased LEF-associated symptoms. ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the US National Institute of Health (NCT 03030859). Registered on 22 January 2017.
Fixed Probe Based One-Shot Calibration Technique for Small Digital Phased Array

In spite of the major recent advances in the phased array radar and communication systems, calibration in general is still a major challenge. In this work, a quasi-near-field fixed probe based calibration framework is proposed, which is capable of ‘One-Shot’ calibration without any system downtime for digital phased array. Both theory and mathematical model has been developed for different error sources. The error evaluation relative to ‘ground-truth’ has been demonstrated for calibration purpose.
Stigmatization of opioid addiction based on prescription, sex and age.

Abstract With opioid abuse becoming a nationwide epidemic, it is important to understand what is contributing to societal views of opioid dependence. Difference in stigmatization of drug users may exist between sexes, ages and type of drugs being used. Social perceptions may impact drug use and recovery. To assess which opioid users are stigmatized most, we administered an experimenter-created vignette that experimentally manipulated the type of opioid (Prescribed Vicodin vs. Non-prescribed Vicodin vs. heroin) as well as the sex of the opioid user (Male vs. Female) and the age of the user (23 years-old vs. 53 years-old) to 4300 people on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (a survey hosting website). Participants were told in a vignette that the target person they were reviewing was “addicted”. Results confirmed that the stigmatization of drug use is dependent on a series of items, including type of opioid, as well as the age and sex of the participant. Specifically, prescribed opioids were least stigmatized, while heroin was most stigmatized. Also, there was a significant difference between heroin, non-prescribed Vicodin and prescribed Vicodin use and whether or not participants stigmatized the opioid user as an “addict”. More specifically, participants were more likely to identify heroin and non-prescribed Vicodin users as having an opioid addiction. Lastly, young male opioid users were stigmatized more than any other group. Results are discussed.
A fast and energy efficient computing-in-memory architecture for few-shot learning applications

Among few-shot learning methods, prototypical networks (PNs) are one of the most popular approaches due to their excellent classification accuracies and network simplicity. Test examples are classified based on their distances from class prototypes. Despite the application-level advantages of PNs, the latency of transferring data from memory to compute units is much higher than the PN computation time. Thus, PNs performance is limited by memory bandwidth. Computing-in-memory addresses this bandwidth-bottleneck problem by bringing a subset of compute units closer to memory. In this work, we propose a CiM-PN framework that enables the computation of distance metrics and prototypes inside the memory. CiM-PN replaces the computationally intensive Euclidean distance metric by the CiM-friendly Manhattan distance metric. Additionally, prototypes are computed using an in-memory mean operation realized by accumulation and division by powers of two, which enables few-shot learning implementations where "shots" are powers of two. The CiM-PN hardware uses CMOS memory cells, as well as CMOS peripherals such as customized sense amplifiers, carry-look-ahead adders, in-place copy buffers and a logarithmic shifter. Compared with a GPU implementation, a CMOS-based CiM-PN achieves speedups of 2808x/111x and energy savings of 2372x/5170x at iso-accuracy for the prototype and nearest-neighbor computation, respectively, and over 2x end-to-end speedup and energy improvements. We also gain 3--14% accuracy improvement when compared to existing non-GPU hardware approaches due to the floating-point CiM operations.
Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, Lung Function, COPD, and AHRR Hypomethylation in Older Adults: A 30-Year Longitudinal Study of US Veterans

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a critical public health burden. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an inflammation biomarker and predictor for COPD morbidity and mortality; however, its associations with lung function decline and COPD development are incompletely understood. Methods: We performed a longitudinal study of US veterans with >30 years of follow-up to investigate the associations of NLR with lung function, COPD, and the hypomethylation of cg05575921, the top DNA methylation marker of lung function changes in response to tobacco smoking. This study included 7466 visits from 1549 white males each examined up to 13 times during 1982-2018. NLR was estimated based on automated whole blood cell counts, and cg05575921 profile was measured in blood DNA using Illumina 450K BeadChip from a subset of 1228 visits. Findings: A one-unit increase in NLR was associated with a 0∙021-liter, 0∙016-liter, 0∙29%, and 3∙7-liters/min lower FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, and MMEF, respectively (p-values <0∙001). NLR changes up to ~10 years were robustly associated with corresponding longitudinal changes in lung function. Further, this increase in NLR was associated with 9% higher odds of COPD (95% CI: 1∙03-1∙15) and 27% higher risk of incident COPD (95% CI: 1∙07-1∙51). NLR was associated with cg05575921 hypomethylation, which may mediate the adverse effect of NLR-related inflammation on lung function. Applying NLR and cg05575921 in combination could classify the extent of lung function impairment and COPD risk. Interpretation: NLR may be a valuable biomarker to promote the primary prevention of lung function decline and COPD in the general population. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (grants P30ES009089, R01ES021733, R01ES025225, and R01ES027747). The VA Normative Aging Study is supported by the Cooperative Studies Program/Epidemiology Research and Information Center of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is a component of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center, Boston, Massachusetts. Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Ethics Approval Statement: The NAS was approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, and each subject provided written informed consent before participation.
Patient-Specific Lymphocyte Loss Kinetics as Biomarker of Spleen Dose in Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Upper Abdominal Malignancies

Abstract Purpose Radiation therapy (RT)–induced lymphopenia (RIL) is linked with inferior survival in esophageal and pancreatic cancers. Previous work has demonstrated a correlation between spleen dose and RIL risk. The present study correlates spleen dose-volume parameters with fractional lymphocyte loss rate (FLL) and total percent change in absolute lymphocyte count (%ΔALC) and suggests spleen dose constraints to reduce RIL risk. Methods and Materials This registry-based study included 140 patients who underwent RT for pancreatic (n = 67), gastroesophageal (n = 61), or biliary tract (n = 12) adenocarcinoma. Patient-specific parameters of lymphocyte loss kinetics, including FLL and %ΔALC, were calculated based on serial ALCs obtained during RT. Spearman’s rho was used to correlate spleen dose-volume parameters with %ΔALC, end-treatment ALC, and FLL. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of ≥grade 3 and grade 4 RIL. Results Spleen dose-volume parameters, including mean spleen dose (MSD), all correlated with %ΔALC, end-treatment ALC, and FLL. Controlling for baseline ALC and planning target volume (PTV), an increase in any spleen dose-volume parameter increased the odds of developing ≥grade 3 lymphopenia. Each 1-Gy increase in MSD increased the odds of ≥grade 3 RIL by 18.6%, and each 100-cm3 increase in PTV increased the odds of ≥grade 3 lymphopenia by 20%. Patients with baseline ALC Conclusions In patients undergoing RT for upper abdominal malignancies, higher spleen dose is associated with higher per-fraction lymphocyte loss rates, higher total %ΔALC, and increased odds of severe lymphopenia. Spleen dose constraints should be individualized based on baseline ALC and PTV size to minimize RIL risk, although our findings require validation in larger, ideally prospective data sets.
Kaizen Events at the University of St. Thomas: Experiential Learning for Students

This paper describes how the Operations and Supply Chain Management Department at the University of St. Thomas uses kaizen events as a vehicle to integrate undergraduate and professional programs w...
An overlooked cause of septic shock: Staphylococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome secondary to an axillary abscess.

Abstract Staphylococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is characterized by rapid onset of fever, rash, hypotension, and multiorgan system involvement. Clinical manifestations of staphylococcal TSS include fever, chills, hypotension, and a diffuse macular erythroderma followed by desquamation one to two weeks later. The disease came to public attention in the 1980s with the occurrence of a series of menstrual-associated cases. However, the relative incidence of staphylococcal TSS not associated with menstruation has increased, and still, it remains an overlooked cause of septic shock. We present the case of a healthy 19-year-old male that presented with fever, chills, malaise, near-syncope, and a non-fluctuant, mobile nodule in the left armpit. The patient developed septic shock requiring critical care. He underwent extensive investigations resulting negative except for PCR for the detection of MRSA, raising the suspicion for STSS. For that reason, antibiotics for staphylococcal coverage were started, after which he started to improve. Ultimately, the mobile nodule evolved to fluctuant access. Incision and drainage was performed, and cultures confirmed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus.
Integrated modeling methodology for ash agglomeration in poly-disperse fluidized beds using particle population framework

Abstract This paper discusses a unique agglomeration modeling methodology developed based on binary collisions to combine the effects of heterogeneity in ash chemistry and granular physics. A simple population balance is defined to find changes in the particle size distribution (PSD) of a fluidized bed. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations and a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, are used to obtain hydrodynamic parameters. A method to calculate and use a distribution of collision frequencies in fluidized beds, corresponding to a poly-disperse particle size distribution, was developed in order to incorporate the particle level heterogeneities. A distribution of collision frequencies obtained for poly-dispersed particles showed a three orders of magnitude higher collision frequency amongst the smaller particles than the coarser ones, at the initiation of agglomeration. Ash agglomeration occurred when the slag amount (binder) was less than 10 wt% at temperatures
The Moodless Theory of Modality: An Introduction and Defence

This paper proposes a new reductive theory of modality, called the moodless theory of modality. This theory, and not modal realism, is the closest modal analogue of the tenseless theory of time. So...
Efficiency of organic deodorizer in removing foul smell in shoes

Bromodosis or foot odor affects many people around the world. Shoe deodorizers are used to prevent the malodor, but most of the products available may use harmful materials that do not fully eliminate its cause. These products contain substances that degrade the environment (Steinmann, 2016), and pose as a health hazard (Engelund, et al., 2005). The researchers plan to utilize natural materials (activated charcoal and freeze-dried lemon) in creating a shoe deodorizer that can eliminate the cause of foot odor while reducing ecological footprint. Based on previous studies, foot odor was released from Isovaleric acid, which is the result of Staphylococcus epidermidis breaking-down leucine present in sweat (Ara, et al., 2006). When the bacteria in feet eat amino acids such as leucine, it produces a by-product called Isovaleric acid which causes the foul smell. Various studies have also been made regarding the use of lemon and activated charcoal to reduce foul smell (Otang & Afolavan 2016, Tada, et al., 2016). The researchers will focus on the effectiveness of freeze-dried Citrus limon, (Lisbon \quad variety) in removing malodor. A revised version of the Modified Kirby Bauer disc diffusion test method was done by the Industrial Technology Development Institute, Department of Science and Technology (ITDI-DOST. The researchers were able to verify the antibacterial properties of freeze-dried lemons. Results showed that the sample freeze–dried lemons (10mm), produced complete inhibitory activity with a Total Mean of Inhibition of 12.74mm, with mild reactivity against the test organism Staphylococcus aureus, a common specie of the normal microbiota of the skin. It was concluded from the research that freeze-dried lemons have a good potential to inhibit foul smell, and may be an effective ingredient for a shoe deodorizer.
Multiplex Bead Assay for the Detection of Human IgG Antibody Responses to African Trypanosomes

The recent introduction of large-scale, population-based serologic surveys in several nations where human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) remains endemic could provide an opportunity to better map the remaining disease foci and to identify asymptomatic, seropositive individuals who are infected with the more chronic form of the parasite, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (gHAT). We have incorporated a soluble form of variant surface glycoprotein 117 and a recombinant invariant surface glycoprotein 65.1 into a multiplex bead assay (MBA) method that is commonly used for the detection of IgG antibody responses to other neglected tropical diseases. A positive result was defined as reactivity to both antigens. MBA sensitivity and specificity for gHAT infection were 92% and 96%, respectively. Assay specificity for the acute form of disease caused by T.b. rhodesiense (rHAT) was 94%, but the sensitivity was only 63.6%. In the future, additional antigens could be incorporated into the multiplex assay to improve rHAT sensitivity.
Photochemical phase and alignment control of a nematic liquid crystal in core-sheath nanofibers

Electrospinning serves as a versatile means of understanding the effects of strong cylindrical confinement on encapsulated liquid crystals (LCs) and is a promising technique for developing functional fabrics and surfaces. In this work, we use electrospinning to create core-sheath nanofibers composed of a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) sheath doped with a photochromic, azobenzene-based surfactant, and a low-molecular weight nematic liquid crystal core. The incorporation of an azobenzene surfactant into the polymer sheath allows for photochemical control over the nematic to isotropic transition temperature of the LC core resulting in ultra violet (UV) irradiation-induced depression of the phase transition temperature. Owing to the photochromic nature of the surfactant, the photoinduced decrease in the transition temperature is reversed with visible light irradiation with no notable fatigue resistance. At high surfactant loading rates, the temperature of the photoinduced phase transition is reduced to below room temperature allowing for the birefringence of the nanofibers “on” and “off” with irradiation and requires no external heating. Based on these oberservations, we propose photoisomerization of the azobenzene-based surfactant at the PVP/LC interface leads to surface induced disorder of the LC core changing the orientation from planar axial to random with UV irradiation and reversing that change with visible irradiation. This is further substantiated by examinig the LC alignment within nanofibers by imaging the fibers with the addition of a quarter-wave retardation plate. This method adds to the growing set of tools available for the control of the phase behavior of encapsulated liquid crystals and expands the functionality of electrospun materials.
Association of Fluid Overload with Escalation of Respiratory Support and Endotracheal Intubation in Acute Bronchiolitis Patients

Fluid overload has been associated with increased oxygen requirement, prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation, and longer length of hospital stay in children hospitalized with pulmonary diseases. Critically ill infants with bronchiolitis admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) also tend to develop fluid overload and there is limited information of its role on noninvasive respiratory support. Thus, our primary objective was to study the association of fluid overload in patients with bronchiolitis admitted to the PICU with respiratory support escalation (RSE) and need for endotracheal intubation (ETI). Infants ≤24 months of age with bronchiolitis and admitted to the PICU between 9/2009 and 6/2015 were retrospectively studied. Demographic variables, clinical characteristics including type of respiratory support and need for ETI were evaluated. Fluid overload as assessed by net fluid intake and output (net fluid balance), cumulative fluid balance (CFB) (mL/kg), and percentage fluid overload (FO%), was compared between patients requiring and not requiring RSE and among patients requiring ETI and not requiring ETI at 0 (PICU admission), 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours. One-hundred sixty four of 283 patients with bronchiolitis admitted to the PICU qualified for our study. Thirty-four of 164 (21%) patients required escalation of respiratory support within 5 days of PICU admission and of these 34 patients, 11 patients required ETI. Univariate analysis by Kruskal-Wallis test of fluid overload as assessed by net fluid balance, CFB, and FO% between 34 patients requiring and 130 patients not requiring RSE and among 11 patients requiring ETI and 153 patients not requiring ETI, at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours did not reveal any significant difference (p >0.05) at any time interval. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed higher PRISM score (odds ratio [OR]: 4.95, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.79–13.66; p = 0.002), longer hours on high flow nasal cannula (OR: 4.86, 95% CI: 1.68–14.03; p = 0.003) and longer hours on noninvasive ventilation (OR: 11.16, 95% CI: 3.36–36.98; p
Because We Know: Toward a Pedagogical Insistence on Black Mattering

Black mattering is contested terrain. As we write this, more than 25 states and municipalities have proposed or passed legislation banning critical race theory (CRT) and the incorporation of material(s) that upset the normative curricular and pedagogical conditions of whiteness. Against this backdrop, what is mattering for Black people? This essay interrogates the formations and utilizations of educational pedagogies and curriculum. It raises questions about the implicit intent of these mechanisms on and for the lives of Black people, with specific attention to the notion of mattering. Plainly, pedagogies and curriculum that have failed to center or theorize the ways anti-Blackness facilitates projects of unmattering have engendered a set of conditions that reproduce anti-Black racism in and beyond the educational context. To address these conditions, we conceptually trouble the notion of mattering by meditating on a set of priorities urgently embodied by Black passage into and through anti-Black spaces and places.
The Medical Birth Registry of Norway – An international perspective

Some of the most practical questions of perinatal medicine are regarding couples who have had pregnancy problems in the past, and their risk of having such problems in future pregnancies. For example, if a couple has a child with a birth defect, what are their chances that their next child will have a defect? The key to answering such questions is the availability of linked data such as those provided by the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Such linked data provide a unique resource for addressing a broad range of questions in perinatal epidemiology. The Medical Birth Registry of Norway has been a pioneer in answering such questions
Extra-Lymphatic Solid Tumor Growth Is Not Immunologically Ignored and Results in Early Induction of Antigen-Specific T-Cell Anergy Dominant Role of Cross-Tolerance to Tumor Antigens

A better understanding of how solid malignancies arise in an immunocompetent host, avoid immune recognition, and ultimately progress to widely disseminated cancer is essential to effectively harness the immune system against solid tumors. Because of their extra-lymphatic localization, it has been proposed that solid malignancies are just ignored by the immune system, thereby allowing their uncontrolled growth and dissemination. Alternatively, as most of the solid tumors are unable to express costimulatory molecules, the “signal one without signal two” model of tolerance induction has been frequently evoked to account for the failure of the immune system to reject antigenic tumors in vivo. In this study, we showed, however, that the extra-lymphatic growth of solid tumors is not immunologically ignored by the lymphoid compartment, resulting instead in the early induction of antigen-specific CD4+ T-cell tolerance. Furthermore, analysis of parent-into-F1 bone marrow (BM) chimeras demonstrates that presentation of tumor antigens by BM-derived antigen-presenting cells represents the dominant mechanism in solid tumor-induced CD4+ T-cell tolerance. Our findings of early development of antigen-specific T-cell unresponsiveness mediated by BM-derived antigen-presenting cells, not only provides a plausible explanation for the failure of the immune system to reject antigenic solid tumors in vivo, but more importantly, they have identified a barrier that, if appropriately manipulated, may lead to approaches to effectively harness the immune system against solid malignancies.
Claspin but not Brca1 is required to mediate the gemcitabine-induced S phase checkpoint

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 2269 The nucleoside analog, gemcitabine, arrests cell lines derived from solid tumors in S phase. Investigations in several cell models demonstrated that checkpoint activation requires the Chk1 DNA damage kinase, that is phosphorylated in an ATR-dependent manner. Also, S-phase arrest is associated with an increase in Y15 phosphorylation of the cyclin-dependent kinase, Cdk2. Finally, although the S-phase checkpoint mediators, Claspin and Brca1, are phosphorylated during the gemcitabine-induced arrest, their precise contribution to the checkpoint elicited by gemcitabine remains unclear. The present study was aimed at comparing the relative contribution of Claspin and Brca1 in a single model. We used a small interfering (siRNA) knockdown approach to test the effect of Claspin and Brca1 on gemcitabine-induced S phase arrest in U2OS cells. Transfection with siRNA to Claspin decreased its protein level by 90%, whereas there was no significant effect of control siRNA. After a subsequent 24-h exposure to 10 nM gemcitabine, the proportion of cells in S-phase transfected by control siRNA increased from 26% to 77%. In contrast, following transfection with siRNA against Claspin, the S phase population increased to only 43%. Brca1 siRNA significantly reduced Brca1 protein levels, but this had little effect on gemcitabine-induced S phase accumulation (25% to 65% in S phase). Upon transfection with a siRNA mixture against Brca1 and Claspin, cells in S phase increased from 26% to 47% upon gemcitabine exposure, suggesting that Claspin, but not Brca1, is required for S phase checkpoint activation. Consistent with these results, Claspin silencing attenuated the increase of the inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdk2 on Y15 in gemcitabine-treated cells as detected by immunoblotting, whereas knockdown of Brca1 had no effect. Again, the combination siRNA transfection did not further decrease the gemcitabine-induced Cdk2 phosphorylation. These results suggested that Claspin contributed to the regulation of the activity of Cdk2, which governs S phase progression. Finally, we examined the impact of silencing Brca1, Claspin, or both on Chk1 activation. In cells transfected with control siRNA, phosphorylation of Chk1 at Ser-317 and Ser-345 underwent an approximate 20-fold increase upon gemcitabine treatment. Knocking down Brca1 did not significantly diminish Chk1 phosphorylation. However, Chk1 phosphorylation induced by gemcitabine was diminished to 10% of control siRNA cells in Claspin knockdown cells, and also in combination knockdown cells. These results argue that Claspin is more important for Chk1 activation by gemcitabine than Brca1. In conclusion, Claspin appears to be an important mediator for S phase checkpoint activation during gemcitabine treatment.
Associations among fluid intake, cognitive function, and length of stay in psychogeriatric inpatients

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine differences, interactions, and associations among cognition, fluid intake, and demographic variables that may affect length of stay (LOS) for psychogeriatric inpatients aged 65 years or older. Design and Methods Descriptive, comparative, correlational secondary analysis of data from a primary study of 202 inpatients. Findings Older adults with and without cognitive impairment had different fluid intake over time (F = 3.50; p = .03), but had no difference in LOS in relation to cognitive functioning (p = .23); additional factors may predict LOS. Practice Implications Care providers must monitor the fluid intake of elderly patients with and without cognitive impairment throughout their hospitalization.
Assessment of DSM–5 Personality Disorder

The purpose of this article is to present an approach to defining, identifying, and assessing personality disorders, including the links between these definitions and personality assessment, with a particular reference to the proposed revisions to the personality disorders section of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed. [DSM-5]; American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). The article discusses measures of maladaptive variants of the Five-factor model (FFM) that are coordinated with both the traditional personality disorder syndromes as well as the DSM-5 dimensional trait model. Discussed as well is the assessment of the more psychodynamically oriented deficits in sense of self and interpersonal relatedness that are also included within the hybrid model proposed for DSM-5.
Mass dependence of the activation enthalpy and entropy of unentangled linear alkane chains

The mass scaling of the self-diffusion coefficient D of polymers in the liquid state, D ∼ M(β), is one of the most basic characteristics of these complex fluids. Although traditional theories such as the Rouse and reptation models of unentangled and entangled polymer melts, respectively, predict that β is constant, this exponent for alkanes has been estimated experimentally to vary from -1.8 to -2.7 upon cooling. Significantly, β changes with temperature T under conditions where the chains are not entangled and at temperatures far above the glass transition temperature Tg where dynamic heterogeneity does not complicate the description of the liquid dynamics. Based on atomistic molecular dynamics simulations on unentangled linear alkanes in the melt, we find that the variation of β with T can be directly attributed to the dependence of the enthalpy ΔHa and entropy ΔSa of activation on the number of alkane backbone carbon atoms, n. In addition, we find a sharp change in the melt dynamics near a "critical" chain length, n ≈ 17. A close examination of this phenomenon indicates that a "buckling transition" from rod-like to coiled chain configurations occurs at this characteristic chain length and distinct entropy-enthalpy compensation relations, ΔSa ∝ ΔHa, hold on either side of this polymer conformational transition. We conclude that the activation free energy parameters exert a significant influence on the dynamics of polymer melts that is not anticipated by either the Rouse and reptation models. In addition to changes of ΔHa and ΔSa with M, we expect changes in these free energy parameters to be crucial for understanding the dynamics of polymer blends, nanocomposites, and confined polymers because of changes of the fluid free energy by interfacial interactions and geometrical confinement.