cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU-GG-T-356: Benchmark of Geant4 and MCNPX for Proton Radiation Therapy (E<70 MeV): Total Dose and Secondary Particle Production

Purpose: The validity of the Monte Carlo(MC) for protondose calculation has been proved by the fact that the simulation matches measurement. The secondary particles generated by hadronic interactions, e.g. neutron, alpha, can give high effective dose even if the production rate is low. This will potentially spoil the gain of using protonradiotherapy. Challenged by the measurement, attempts have been made to use MC to predict the secondary particle dose. Different code using different physics models or cross section data may lead to quite different spectrum. The comparison should be made among those MC codes to document the difference. Method and Materials: The ocular‐beamline from the Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory (Cambridge, USA) as well as measured data was used. Two MC codes, Geant4 (4.9.1) and MCNPX, were compared. Since the physics process can be customized in Geant4, different physics module combinations were generated.Proton nozzle, scoring region, material, and lateral spread out of the initial beam were kept same in all the simulations. In the first step, different simulations were tuned differently by changing the energy spread of the initial beam and the thickness of the range shifter to match the measurement. Then, the neutron flux as well as the dose from different particles within the phantom was compared between the simulations. Results: All the simulations match the protonbeamion chamber measurements providing different energy spreads and range shifter thickness. The neutron flux and specific particle dose within the phantom varies between different simulations in the preliminary result, which likely represents differences between physics module. Conclusion: Both Geant4 and MCNPX are good for protondose calculation. However, for the secondary particle dose, the preliminary result shows that quantitative evaluation is suspect. Conflict of Interest: Thomas Mackie has a commercial relationship with protonradiotherapy.
Microrheology and ROCK Signaling of Human Endothelial Cells Embedded in a 3D Matrix

Cell function is profoundly affected by the geometry of the extracellular environment confining the cell. Whether and how cells plated on a two-dimensional matrix or embedded in a three-dimensional (3D) matrix mechanically sense the dimensionality of their environment is mostly unknown, partly because individual cells in an extended matrix are inaccessible to conventional cell-mechanics probes. Here we develop a functional assay based on multiple particle tracking microrheology coupled with ballistic injection of nanoparticles to measure the local intracellular micromechanical properties of individual cells embedded inside a matrix. With our novel assay, we probe the mechanical properties of the cytoplasm of individual human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) embedded in a 3D peptide hydrogel in the presence or absence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We found that VEGF treatment, which enhances endothelial migration, increases the compliance and reduces the elasticity of the cytoplasm of HUVECs in a matrix. This VEGF-induced softening response of the cytoplasm is abrogated by specific Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibition. These results establish combined particle-tracking microrheology and ballistic injection as the first method able to probe the micromechanical properties and mechanical response to agonists and/or drug treatments of individual cells inside a matrix. These results suggest that ROCK plays an essential role in the regulation of the intracellular mechanical response to VEGF of endothelial cells in a 3D matrix.
Nonlinear Failure Criterion and Passive Thrust on Retaining Walls

The effect of nonlinearity of the failure criterion on the passive thrust on smooth and rough vertical retaining walls is studied theoretically. Limit analysis upper bound estimates based on block-type failure mechanisms are constructed. An alternative, a priori linearization, approach is discussed. It is shown that for smooth walls both approaches, as well as the Rankine-type slip line solution, yield similar results. For rough walls, however, the ambiguity in the a priori linearization makes it difficult to compare the results. This deficiency is absent in the limit analysis nonlinear solutions.
The vasculoprotective effects of flavonoid-rich cocoa and chocolate

Abstract The current evidence on the vasculoprotective effects of flavonoid-rich cocoa and chocolate is reviewed. Cocoa flavonoids are derived from the cacao bean, found in the fruit pod of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao . There is growing evidence that dietary supplementation with flavonoid-rich cocoa and chocolate may be cardioprotective because of their interference in many pathophysiological mechanisms associated with atherosclerosis. Possible beneficial effects by cocoa flavonoids include: antioxidant properties, improvement in endothelial function, blood pressure lowering, decreased platelet activation and function, and modulation of immune function and inflammation. Larger, long-term clinical trials investigating the potential beneficial effects of purified flavonoids and food sources rich in flavonoids, including cocoa and chocolate, are certainly warranted.
Description of a Modeling, Simulation, Animation, and Real-Time Control (MoSART) Environment for a Class of 6-DOF Dynamical Systems

This paper describes an interactive modeling, simulation, animation, and real-time control (MoSART) environment that is useful for controls education and research. The described MoSART environment is shown to be useful for analyzing, designing, visualizing, and evaluating control systems for a broad class of six degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) dynamical systems which include: various fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned air vehicles (tilt-wing rotorcraft), missiles, submarines, and satellites. The environment - referred to as Control3D-Lab - is based on Microsoft Windows, Visual C++, Direct-3D, and MATLAB/Simulink. The environment can be used as a stand-alone application or together with MATLAB, Simulink, and toolboxes. In either case, the interface permits users to access the following (via pull-down menus): animation models, mesh properties, texture and lighting models, system-specific visual indicators, graphics to be displayed, animation/data display/storage rates, simulation control buttons, and extensive documentation. When Simulink is present, users can exploit extensive visualization and 3D animation features through provided and/or user-generated Simulink diagrams. This capability makes the developed environment very extensible with respect to mathematical models and control laws. The environment also contains a suite of well documented (easy-to-modify) models and control laws that are implemented within the provided Simulink block diagrams. Provided (special) blocks enable animation, joystick inputs, and (near) real-time simulation and animation (when possible). Associated with each block diagram are system-specific, menu-accessed m-files that permit detailed analysis and design. The developed environment is shown to be a valuable tool for enhancing both controls education in a variety of classes as well as research.
Criminal Procedure in the Church Courts of the Fifteenth Century As Illustrated by the Trial of Gilles de Rais

The inquisitorial procedure in the investigation of crimes, which developed in the Church in the thirteenth century, grew out of the criminal procedure of the later Roman Empire, modified by the special conditions of the times as well as by more primitive Germanic ideas. The older ecclesiastical procedure, the accusatory, likewise based on the Roman law, had left the entire initiative in prosecution to the private accuser, who presented himself in the character of a plaintiff, formulated the accusation, and produced the proofs exactly as he would have done in a civil case, except that he was compelled to accept the lex talionis —that is, in case he was unable to support his charges with a reasonable show of evidence, the accuser agreed to submit to the same punishment as would have been inflicted on the accused if the charges had been proved. The obvious objections to this procedure were that the church authorities had no means of prosecuting crime on their own initiative and that the dangers surrounding an unsuccessful accuser, together with the various conditions that had to be fulfilled before a private person could qualify as an accuser in any case, made adequate private prosecution impossible. The accusatory system, it is true, had been modified by the introduction of denunciation, where a denouncer takes the place of the accuser, with this difference, that he is not compelled to subscribe to the talio nor is he compelled to possess all the qualifications of a legal accuser. This tended to encourage private prosecution of crimes, but the advantage was more than balanced by the privilege enjoyed by the accused of clearing himself of the charges by purgation, either the oath or the ordeal.
Progress on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and ICF target physics

Summary form only given, as follows. More than a decade after the US DOE first approve studying conceptual designs for a National Ignition Facility (NIP) we are, today, on the threshold of doing the first experiments on that facility. This talk reports the progress we have made on NIP and ICF over Wednesday Afternoon, 4 June 2003 over a broad front.
Simulation of Spatiotemporal Evolution of Light Scattering into Hexagonal and Ring Patterns in Photorefractive Materials

We have constructed a spatiotemporal nonlinear system model based on induced reflection gratings to study the energy exchange that results in pattern formation inside a photorefractive crystal. Along with a phenomenological model to illustrate the buildup of the reflection gratings caused by counterpropagating waves inside the photorefractive material, we have used a wave equation to simulate the spatiotemporal evolution of scattered light into hexagonal and ring patterns in a photorefractive material. Conditions conducive to hexagonal and ring formations are found, and the stability of the eigenmodes are investigated.
Regulation of oxygen delivery during induced polycythemia in exercising dogs

Previous studies have concluded that polycythemia decreases oxygen delivery primarily because of a large fall in cardiac output associated with a rise in systemic vascular resistance that has been attributed to increased blood viscosity. However, because other studies have shown that polycythemia may not reduce oxygen delivery, an alternative hypothesis is that cardiac output falls in response to a rising oxygen content, thereby maintaining oxygen delivery constant. To determine whether oxygen content participates in the regulation of cardiac output during polycythemia, we studied eight chronically instrumented dogs trained to exercise on a treadmill. The dogs underwent exchange transfusion with packed red blood cells containing methemoglobin, which caused an increase in hematocrit from 35 +/- 1 to 50 +/- 1% and in viscosity, with little change in oxygen content. The expected fall in exercise cardiac output failed to occur after exchange transfusion with red blood cells containing methemoglobin (7.5 +/- 4 vs. 6.8 +/- 0.5 l/min; P = not significant), and there was no rise in systemic vascular resistance. Methylene blue was then administered intravenously to facilitate conversion of methemoglobin to oxyhemoglobin, which increased oxygen content (12.8 +/- 0.9 vs. 18.4 +/- 0.9 vol%; P < 0.01) with no change in hematocrit or viscosity. Resting cardiac output did not change significantly, but there was a significant decrease in exercise output (6.8 +/- 0.5 vs. 5.8 +/- 0.4 l/min; P < 0.05). Thus we conclude that the fall in cardiac output seen in acute polycythemia results in part from the regulation of oxygen delivery and is not due solely to increased blood viscosity.
The nuts and bolts of a forum spam automator

Web boards, blogs, wikis, and guestbooks are forums frequented and contributed to by many Web users. Unfortunately, the utility of these forums is being diminished due to spamming, where miscreants post messages and links not intended to contribute to forums, but to advertise their websites. Many such links are malicious. In this paper we investigate and compare automated tools used to spam forums. We analyze the functionality of the most popular forum spam automator, XRumer, in details and find that it can intelligently get around many practices used by forums to distinguish humans from bots, all while keeping the spammer hidden. Insights gained from our study suggest specific measures that can be used to block spamming by this automator.
Generalized Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus in Symptomatic Partial Epilepsy

A 6-year-old male with cortical dysplasia who developed secondarily generalized nonconvulsive status epilepticus is reported. He had partial epilepsy since the age of 10 months. On electroencephalography, almost continuous left frontocentral/anterior temporal spikes were observed at 3 years of age, which lasted until 6 years of age, when he developed nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus lasted for more than 7 days. Electroencephalography during nonconvulsive status epilepticus documented almost continuous generalized polyspike-wave complexes suggestive of generalized nonconvulsive status epilepticus. On magnetic resonance imaging, abnormal gyration was observed in the left frontal lobe. Histopathologic analysis of the resected left frontal lobe revealed cortical dysplasia. The present case demonstrates that continuous focal epileptiform discharges caused by cortical dysplasia in the frontal lobe can develop into secondarily generalized nonconvulsive status epilepticus.
Clustered Arg–Gly–Asp Peptides Enhances Tumor Targeting of Nonviral Vectors

Although recent advances in non-viral gene delivery vectors have greatly improved delivery and expression, effective tumor targeting of these vectors still poses a significant challenge for systemic cancer treatment. Tumor cells have been know to upregulate many cell surface receptors such as growth factor and adhesion molecule (integrin) receptors, which have been of interest for targeting [1]. Thus, the general approach to target tumors systemically is to introduce ligands that bind the upregulated cell surface receptors to the surface of non-viral vectors. These ligands include small molecules (e.g. folate and galactose), proteins (e.g. transferrin and antibodies) [2] as well as Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides [3, 4]. Direct conjugation of the αvs3 ligand, RGD, to DNA/poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) polyplexes has been show to increases the transfection efficiency in vitro and in vivo [3-5]. However, these approaches have not been able to differentiate targeting between tumors that express high levels of αvs3 over tumors that express medium levels of αvs3 (or over cell types that express low amounts of αvs3). The ability to preferentially target non-viral vectors towards tumors that highly express αvs3 integrin receptors would increase the applicability of non-viral vectors in cancer treatment by targeting metastatic tumors and the tumor vasculature.
Maximizing pattern separation in discretizing continuous features for classification purposes

Discretization is a fundamental phase for many classification algorithms: it aims at finding a proper set of cutoffs that subdivide a continuous domain into homogeneous intervals; the points in each interval should have a high probability of belonging to the same class. This paper proposes two different approaches for discretization: the first one consists in retrieving the optimal set of separation points through the solution of a proper linear programming problem. Since the optimal solution may require an excessive computational burden, an alternative technique, based on the iterative addition of separation points, is described. The greedy algorithm is evaluated on some artificial datasets and compared with other well-known discretization techniques such as EntMDL. The results of the simulations show the good performances of the novel algorithm in terms both of accuracy of the solution and of computational effort required for its generation.
BETASCAN: Probable β-amyloids Identified by Pairwise Probabilistic Analysis

Amyloids and prion proteins are clinically and biologically important beta-structures, whose supersecondary structures are difficult to determine by standard experimental or computational means. In addition, significant conformational heterogeneity is known or suspected to exist in many amyloid fibrils. Recent work has indicated the utility of pairwise probabilistic statistics in beta-structure prediction. We develop here a new strategy for beta-structure prediction, emphasizing the determination of beta-strands and pairs of beta-strands as fundamental units of beta-structure. Our program, BETASCAN, calculates likelihood scores for potential beta-strands and strand-pairs based on correlations observed in parallel beta-sheets. The program then determines the strands and pairs with the greatest local likelihood for all of the sequence's potential beta-structures. BETASCAN suggests multiple alternate folding patterns and assigns relative a priori probabilities based solely on amino acid sequence, probability tables, and pre-chosen parameters. The algorithm compares favorably with the results of previous algorithms (BETAPRO, PASTA, SALSA, TANGO, and Zyggregator) in beta-structure prediction and amyloid propensity prediction. Accurate prediction is demonstrated for experimentally determined amyloid beta-structures, for a set of known beta-aggregates, and for the parallel beta-strands of beta-helices, amyloid-like globular proteins. BETASCAN is able both to detect beta-strands with higher sensitivity and to detect the edges of beta-strands in a richly beta-like sequence. For two proteins (Abeta and Het-s), there exist multiple sets of experimental data implying contradictory structures; BETASCAN is able to detect each competing structure as a potential structure variant. The ability to correlate multiple alternate beta-structures to experiment opens the possibility of computational investigation of prion strains and structural heterogeneity of amyloid. BETASCAN is publicly accessible on the Web at http://betascan.csail.mit.edu.
Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Predict Onset of Cardiovascular Events in Women

Background—Psychological stress is a proposed risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the sentinel stress-related mental disorder, occurs twice as frequently in women as men. However, whether PTSD contributes to CVD risk in women is not established. Methods and Results—We examined trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in relation to incident CVD over a 20-year period in 49 978 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for CVD events confirmed by additional information or medical record review (n=548, including myocardial infarction [n=277] and stroke [n=271]). Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms were assessed by using the Brief Trauma Questionnaire and a PTSD screen. In comparison with no trauma exposure, endorsing ≥4 PTSD symptoms was associated with increased CVD risk after adjusting for age, family history, and childhood factors (hazard ratio,1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–2.13). ...
Information Extraction over Structured Data: Question Answering with Freebase

Answering natural language questions using the Freebase knowledge base has recently been explored as a platform for advancing the state of the art in open domain semantic parsing. Those efforts map questions to sophisticated meaning representations that are then attempted to be matched against viable answer candidates in the knowledge base. Here we show that relatively modest information extraction techniques, when paired with a webscale corpus, can outperform these sophisticated approaches by roughly 34% relative gain.
The Association of State Policy Attributes with Teachers' Instructional Alignment.

States vary greatly in their implementation of standards-based accountability under No Child Left Behind, yet little evidence is available to guide policymakers on what attributes of state policy a...
An Occupational Exposure Assessment for Engineered Nanoparticles Used in Semiconductor Fabrication

Engineered nanoparticles of alumina, amorphous silica, and ceria are used in semiconductor device fabrication during wafer polishing steps referred to as 'chemical mechanical planarization' (CMP). Some metal oxide nanoparticles can impact the biological response of cells and organ systems and may cause adverse health effects; additional research is necessary to better understand potential risks from nanomaterial applications and occupational exposure scenarios. This study was conducted to assess potential airborne exposures to nanoparticles and agglomerates using direct-reading instruments and filter-based samples to characterize workplace aerosols by particle number, mass, size, composition, and morphology. Sampling was repeated for tasks in three work areas (fab, subfab, wastewater treatment) at a facility using engineered nanoparticles for CMP. Real-time measurements were collected using a condensation particle counter (CPC), optical particle counter, and scanning mobility particle spectrometer (SMPS). Filter-based samples were analyzed for total mass or the respirable fraction, and for specific metals of interest. Additional air sample filters were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (TEM/EDX) for elemental identification and to provide data on particle size, morphology, and concentration. Peak concentrations measured on the CPC ranged from 1 to 16 particles per cubic centimeter (P cm(-3)) for background and from 4 to 74 P cm(-3) during tasks sampled in the fab; from 1 to 60 P cm(-3) for background and from 3 to 84 P cm(-3) for tasks sampled in the subfab; and from 1160 to 45 894 P cm(-3) for background and from 1710 to 45 519 P cm(-3) during wastewater treatment system filter change tasks. Significant variability was seen among the repeated task measurements and among background comparisons in each area. Several data analysis methods were used to compare each set of task and background measurements. Increased concentrations of respirable particles were identified for some tasks sampled in each work area, although of relatively low magnitude and inconsistently among repeated measurements for specific tasks. Measurements with a portable SMPS indicated that nanoparticle number concentrations (channels 11.5-115.5nm) increased above background levels by 3.2 P cm(-3) during CMP tool set-up in the fab area but were not elevated when changing filters for the CMP wastewater treatment system. All results from mass concentration analysis were below the limits of detection. Characterization by TEM/EDX identified structures containing the elements of interest (Al, Si), primarily as agglomerates or aggregates in the 100-1000nm size range. Although health-based occupational exposure limits have not been established for nanoscale alumina, silica, or ceria, the measured concentrations by number and mass were below currently proposed benchmarks or reference values for poorly soluble low-toxicity nanoparticles.
Left division in the free left distributive algebra on many generators

Left distributive algebras arise in the study of classical structures such as groups, knots, and braids, as well as more exotic objects like large cardinals. A long-standing open question is whether the set of left divisors of every term in the free left distributive algebra on any number of generators is well-ordered. A conjecture of J. Moody describes a halting condition for descending sequences of left divisors in the free left distributive algebra on an arbitrary number of generators. In this paper we present progress toward an affirmative answer to the open question mentioned above, namely we prove that the many generator form of Moody's conjecture holds if each member of the free left distributive algebra has a "division form" representation in an expanded algebra.
Historical Perspectives on Concussion

Knowledge about concussions has evolved over the last several thousand years. Early concepts focused on a concussion being a symptom of a head injury, rather than more modern thinking of concussion as its own independent diagnosis with its own set of symptoms. The areas of basic science, neuropsychology, and prevention of concussion through protective gear are explored in historical terms.
Reasons to believe

Traditional media are perceived as more credible than Twitter, Facebook and blogs.Respondents judged fair and balanced sources as more credible than ones that take positions.Traditional media credibility scores suggest they are not living up to user expectations.Social media users are willing to give up credibility if the sources meet their needs. One question that has troubled credibility researchers is why do people rely on media that they do not deem credible? This question has also arisen with the coming of social media, which is increasingly relied on for news and information despite its low credibility ratings. This study compares perceptions of credibility of political information found on Facebook, blogs, and Twitter to credibility of information found on traditional media and it investigates if credibility ratings influence motives for using social media for political information. This study found that all traditional media except Fox News were rated more credible than social media sites, which suggests that sources that strive to present news that is fair and unbiased are judged more credible. But traditional news sources are only rated as moderately credible, which indicates that they are not measuring up to the standards of journalistic integrity. Credibility of social media consistently influenced motivations for using them, suggesting that gratifications obtained from these sources may be strong enough that users are willing to trade credibility for need satisfaction.
Investors’ Reaction to Sharp Price Changes in GCC Markets

We examine investors’ reactions to sharp price changes in seven equity markets of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to uncover patters of price formation. We compare the price behavior and volatility of these markets within a 15-day window following the arrival of new information. We find that the arrival of unexpected news that results in sharp price changes significantly increases market volatility in all GCC markets and that the subsequent price adjustments mostly exhibit upward corrective patterns. Contrary to the findings from some markets in other developed and developing countries, these results are consistent with the prediction of Uncertain Information Hypothesis. In reaction to both good and bad news, investors initially set equity prices below their fundamental values and subsequent price trends register an upward adjustment. These findings suggest that investors in GCC equity markets react rationally to the arrival of unexpected news and that no contrarian investment strategy can be utilized to generate abnormal return.
Brazilian Chytrids IV. Species of Rozella

Among the numerous saprophytic chytrids found by the author (1944 a, b, c) in water and soil cultures collected from various parts of the Amazon Valley in Brazil, occured six intramatrical species which parasitize the mycelium or sporangia of Pythium, Achlya, Cladochytrium, Endochytrium, Rhizophlyctis, and Rhizophydium. These parasites belong in the genus Rozella of the family Olpidiaceae, and five of them have been recorded previously from the United States. The sixth species, however, has not been found outside of Brazil and appears to be a new species. The discovery of these hyperparasites in South America indicates that the genus Rozella is widely distributed geographically as well as in host range. At the present time species of this genus are segregated in two groups on the basis of whether or not the thallus divides into several segments which subsequently develop into sporangia or resting spores and become delimited by cross walls in the host cell. In the monosporangiate nonseptigenous group, the thallus forms one sporangium or resting spore and stimulates hypertrophy but not multiseptation of the host cell. The second group embraces the septigenous polysporangiate species in which the thallus is reported to cleave into segments which become delimited by the formation of host cell walls between them, mature in basipetal succession, and develop into sporangia or resting spores. So far thirteen monosporangiate and three polysporangiate species have been recorded in mycological literature. Of the species collected in Brazil, five belong in the former and one in the latter group.
Alternativas de la memoria: revisiones del pasado y presente desde la ficción en la narrativa breve de mujeres guatemaltecas contemporáneas

La conexion entre memoria, historia e imaginacion es innegable en el discursohistoriografico de Occidente como por ejemplo lo estudio Paul Ricoeur, entre otros, ydicha disciplina va reconociendo desde los ‘80s el cruce con lo literario (desde los escritosde Hayden White principalmente).2 Sin embargo, en los intentos de dialogo, restauracion,conciliacion de las partes socio-politicas involucradas frente a crimenes de lesa humanidadcomo los cometidos en paises como Guatemala durante casi cuarenta anos (o en el Cono Sur,en El Salvador o en Sudafrica, para mencionar algunos casos) se pretende que la memoriade quienes padecieron hechos por demas traumaticos se desligue de toda subjetividad y porende, de las imagenes personales que parten del proceso memorialista. Asi, generos como eltestimonio, por su contrato de verdad y su asociacion con el discurso legal son susceptibles alas criticas de quienes todavia buscan que disciplinas como la historia o la antropologia seanuna ciencia exacta y la memoria una camara objetiva.
Cysteine proteinase inhibitors block early steps in hemoglobin degradation by cultured malaria parasites

Erythrocytic malaria parasites degrade hemoglobin as a source of amino acids for parasite protein synthesis. Cysteine proteinase inhibitors have been shown to block the hydrolysis of globin by cultured parasites, indicating that a malarial cysteine proteinase is required for this process. In the present study, we have evaluated the role of parasite proteinases in earlier steps of hemoglobin degradation, namely the disassociation of the hemoglobin tetramer and the separation of heme from globin. Hemoglobin did not spontaneously denature or release heme under the pH and reducing conditions of the malarial food vacuole, suggesting that parasite enzymatic activity is necessary for early steps in hemoglobin degradation. The incubation of cultured parasites with cysteine proteinase inhibitors inhibited the denaturation of hemoglobin and the release of heme from globin. These results suggest that, in addition to its role in globin hydrolysis, a malarial cysteine proteinase participates in the dissociation of the hemoglobin tetramer and the release of heme from globin. Thus, the malarial cysteine proteinase is a promising target for antimalarial chemotherapy.
The impact of stress on fluctuations in relational humility as couples transition to parenthood

Abstract The transition to parenthood involves a variety of stressors that can influence how partners perceive each other's character. When partners view each other as humble, this tends to increase commitment and relationship quality. In the present study, we expected that greater stress over the transition to parenthood would reduce relational humility. Participants consisted of heterosexual married couples (N = 69 couples; N = 138 individuals) followed from three months prior to childbirth until 21 months after childbirth. A latent growth curve model demonstrated that higher initial levels of stress in couples were associated with a greater decrease in relational humility. The results suggest that individuals who are more stressed perceive their partners as increasingly less humble across the transition into parenthood.
Spatio-temporal EEG models for brain interfaces

Multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used in non-invasive brain computer interfaces (BCIs) for user intent inference. EEG can be assumed to be a Gaussian process with unknown mean and autocovariance, and the estimation of parameters is required for BCI inference. However, the relatively high dimensionality of the EEG feature vectors with respect to the number of labeled observations lead to rank deficient covariance matrix estimates. In this paper, to overcome ill-conditioned covariance estimation, we propose a structure for the covariance matrices of the multichannel EEG signals. Specifically, we assume that these covariances can be modeled as a Kronecker product of temporal and spatial covariances. Our results over the experimental data collected from the users of a letter-by-letter typing BCI show that with less number of parameter estimations, the system can achieve higher classification accuracies compared to a method that uses full unstructured covariance estimation. Moreover, in order to illustrate that the proposed Kronecker product structure could enable shortening the BCI calibration data collection sessions, using Cramer-Rao bound analysis on simulated data, we demonstrate that a model with structured covariance matrices will achieve the same estimation error as a model with no covariance structure using fewer labeled EEG observations. HighlightsEnables spatiotemporal modeling of EEG.Proposes spatiotemporal model for EEG nonstationarities utilized in adaptive BCI.Removes the major bottleneck of practical BCI by reducing calibration time duration.
TCP Ordo: The cost of ordered processing in TCP servers

To achieve scalable, high-throughput, low-latency packet processing, TCP implementations are parallelized across cores in multicore platforms. This, however, significantly affects the order in which packets from different flows are delivered to application processing. Our measurements record up to 75% of the packets are delivered to applications in a way that does not match the order in which they are received on the network interface. For many important classes of applications, such as financial services, bidding and trading engines, game engines, this cross-flow packet reordering affects their ability to provide fairness guarantees. To address this gap, we propose TCP-Ordo — a TCP stack which provides strict ordering of packets across multiple flows, as well as flexibility to control the degree to which ordering is enforced. TCP-Ordo outperforms existing TCP implementations in both latency and throughput. The current prototype is implemented as a user-level TCP stack for Mellanox Connectx3 NICs with 40Gbps Ethernet interfaces. Without ordering guarantees TCP-Ordo delivers one way latency of 4.75usec (a 5x improvement over the Linux kernel) for 150B packets and throughput of 22Gbps (a 2x improvement over mTCP) for 1500B packets. Furthermore, with TCP-Ordo applications are provided with strict packet order delivery, with performance that continues to be superior to the state-of-the-art, even when enforcing packet order across 800,000 connections on a 12-core platform. Finally, TCP-Ordo supports the notion of ‘ordered domains’ that offer flexibility in the degree of ordering that an application will experience, and pay for.
Reducing inconsistent cellulolytic screenings during the Gram’s Iodine Assay

Gram’s Iodine Assay is currently used to detect endoglucanase, a cellulase enzyme which cleaves β-1,4-glycosidic bonds in carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). When a zone of degradation was observed around non-cellulolytic Escherichia coli JM109 with the use of Gram’s Iodine, the assay was further examined. Additional cellulolytic bacteria were chosen to display these inconsistencies. Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Kurstaki (Btk) and Cellulomonas persica, known to possess endoglucanase, were incubated at 30 °C for 48 h on several different media; 1.5 % agar only, Davis minimal media, CMC agar, non-CMC agar, and Phytagel CMC. After the incubation period all plates were flooded with Gram’s Iodine for 3–5 min. A clear ring of degradation was identified around colonies in plates containing no cellulose and plates containing agar only. When agar was removed as the solidifying agent and substituted with Phytagel, zones of clearing around cellulolytic organisms were altered. These findings indicate that agar alone can cause additional artifacts and should be replaced by other solidifying agents as well as supplementation of the Congo Red Assay. Taking these precautions can overcome inconsistency problems for future cellulolytic screenings.
Determination of cortisol in lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) eggs by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Quantifying cortisol concentrations in fish eggs is important to understand the effects of environmental conditions on maternal physiological condition and on egg provisioning and quality. Data are particularly relevant to studies of the ecology of threatened species such as lake sturgeon (Aciperser fulvescens) as well as assessments of larval physical and behavioral phenotypes, fish health and caviar quality in sturgeon aquaculture. This study focuses on development of bioanalytical methods for high sensitivity and robust determination of cortisol in sturgeon eggs. Sample preparation was optimized after investigating protein precipitation and liquid-liquid extraction techniques. Ethyl acetate was found to be the most efficient solvent (recovery parameter) and also provided the best sample clean up (matrix effect parameter). The method was determined to be linear for cortisol concentrations between 0.025 and 100ng/mL. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.025 and 0.1ng/mL respectively. Intra- and inter-day performances of the method were validated at three concentrations (0.25; 10 and 100ng/mL). The method was applied to field-collected samples for the determination of endogenous cortisol in lake sturgeon eggs. Cortisol was detected in all egg samples and statistical analysis showed significant differences between fertilized and non-fertilized eggs.
Higher prevalence of detectable troponin I among cocaine-users without known cardiovascular disease.

Abstract Background While cocaine use is an established risk factor for acute cardiovascular complications, associations between cocaine use and markers of cardiac injury outside of acute hospital presentation remain poorly characterized. We leveraged advances in cardiac troponin (cTnI) testing to assess low but clinically meaningful levels of cardiac injury among cocaine users and non-users. Methods We conducted a case control study comparing cTnI levels by the presence of cocaine among patients presenting for non-cardiac care in an urban safety net hospital. Samples were chosen sequentially among those for which urine drug screens were ordered by providers hospital-wide. Results During 2015, 14% of all hospital drug screens ordered were cocaine-positive. Among unique persons providing cocaine-positive (N = 100) and cocaine-negative (N = 100) samples, 37% were female, 45% were African-American and the median age was 51. Detectable cTnI (> 0.02 ng/mL) was observed in 21 samples (11%). It was more common in subjects using cocaine (Adjusted OR = 2.81; 95% CI = 1.03–7.65), but not other drugs. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between concentrations of cTnI and the cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine (Spearman Correlation = 0.34, p Conclusions Among urban safety net hospital patients, 11% had detectable cTnI, and cTnI concentration was significantly correlated with benzoylecgonine concentration. While these preliminary results require additional confirmation, they suggest the potential utility of considering cocaine use as more than just an episodic exposure leading to acute cardiac events. The consideration of cocaine use as an ongoing chronic exposure leading to subclinical cardiac injury may improve risk-stratification and patient outcomes in populations where cocaine use is high.
Multi-scale modeling of thermal conductivity of SiC-reinforced aluminum metal matrix composite:

High thermal conductivity is one important factor in the selection or development of ceramics or composite materials. Predicting the thermal conductivity would be useful to the design and applicati...
Is a Plea Really a Bargain? An Analysis of Plea and Trial Dispositions in New York City:

The study challenges the common notion that plea bargaining is necessarily beneficial to defendants. It examines the factors influencing the likelihood of taking a misdemeanor case to trial, and the probability of acquittal upon reaching trial. Defendants charged with more serious crimes, persons crimes, crimes with victims, and represented by private attorneys were more likely to go to trial than to be pleaded out. By contrast, very few factors influenced trial outcomes, and the effect of race was fairly weak. Perhaps most important is the finding that two in five cases going to trial resulted in acquittal, showing that guilt is not a foregone conclusion which may provide leverage to defendants in the plea-bargaining process.
Synthesis of selenium nanoparticles and their nonlinear optical properties

Selenium nanoparticles were fabricated using a physical deposition method based on heterogeneous condensation. The Selenium nanoparticles were deposited on a quartz substrate and the ultrafast nonl...
Rhodiola rosea L.: an herb with anti-stress, anti-aging, and immunostimulating properties for cancer chemoprevention.

Rhodiola rosea extracts have been used as a dietary supplement in healthy populations, including athletes, to nonspecifically enhance the natural resistance of the body to both physical and behavior stresses for fighting fatigue and depression. We summarize the information with respect to the new pharmacological activities of Rhodiola rosea extracts and its underlying molecular mechanisms in this review article. In addition to its multiplex stress-protective activity, Rhodiola rosea extracts have recently demonstrated its anti-aging, anti-inflammation, immunostimulating, DNA repair, and anti-cancer effects in different model systems. Molecular mechanisms of Rhodiola rosea extracts’ action have been studied mainly along with one of its bioactive compounds, salidroside. Both Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside have contrast molecular mechanisms on cancer and normal physiological functions. For cancer, Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside inhibit the mTOR pathway and reduce angiogenesis through downregulation of the expression of HIF-1α/HIF-2α. For normal physiological functions, Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside activate the mTOR pathway, stimulate paracrine function, and promote neovascularization by inhibiting PHD3 and stabilizing HIF-1α proteins in skeletal muscles. In contrast to many natural compounds, salidroside is water-soluble and highly bioavailable via oral administration and concentrated in urine by kidney excretion. Rhodiola rosea extracts and salidroside can impose cellular and systemic benefits similar to the effect of positive lifestyle interventions to normal physiological functions and for anti-cancer. The unique pharmacological properties of Rhodiola rosea extracts or salidroside deserve further investigation for cancer chemoprevention, in particular for human urinary bladder cancer.
Improving prompt temperature feedback by stimulating Doppler broadening in heterogeneous composite nuclear fuel forms

Abstract Nuclear fuels with similar aggregate material composition, but with different millimeter and micrometer spatial configurations of the component materials can have very different safety and performance characteristics. This research focuses on modeling and attempting to engineer heterogeneous combinations of nuclear fuels to improve negative prompt temperature feedback in response to reactivity insertion accidents. Improvements in negative prompt temperature feedback are proposed by developing a tailored thermal resistance in the nuclear fuel. In the event of a large reactivity insertion, the thermal resistance allows for a faster negative Doppler feedback by temporarily trapping heat in material zones with strong absorption resonances. A multi-physics simulation framework was created that could model large reactivity insertions. The framework was then used to model a comparison of a heterogeneous fuel with a tailored thermal resistance and a homogeneous fuel without the tailored thermal resistance. The results from the analysis confirmed the fundamental premise of prompt temperature feedback and provide insights into the neutron spectrum dynamics throughout the transient process.
Management of Renal Cell Carcinoma with Inferior Vena Caval Tumor Thrombus

Direct intraluminal extension of tumor into the renal vein and inferior vena cava may be seen in up to 10% of patients with renal cell carcinoma. Accurate preoperative assessment of the cephalad extent of the tumor thrombus allows for a planned controlled operative intervention. Adjunctive techniques drawn from vascular, hepatobiliary, and cardiac surgery may be necessary. Long-term survival is possible with an aggressive surgical approach.
Effect of Zn(II) coprecipitation on Mn(II)-induced reductive transformation of birnessite

Abstract Mn oxides (MnOx) are ubiquitous metal oxide minerals in nearly all environmental settings. They play important roles in the transport and fate of many environmental components such as metals, organics, and nutrients. In the presence of dissolved Mn(II), MnOx phases can undergo ripening and transformation, resulting in the formation of phases with higher structural order, thus strongly affect the reactivity of MnOx over extended time scale. In natural environments, metal cations can strongly interact with MnOx through mechanisms such as sorption, incorporation, and/or coprecipitation, yet much still remain unknown about the effect of metal coprecipitation on the transformation of MnOx. This study investigates the effects of Zn coprecipitation on Mn(II)-induced reductive transformation of birnessite, a common MnOx mineral phase. Pure and Zn-coprecipitated acid birnessite phases were synthesized and their transformation kinetics and pathways in the presence of Mn(II) was investigated under oxic or anoxic conditions. During the transformation process, Zn-coprecipitated birnessite showed higher capability toward Mn(II) uptake, likely due to smaller particle size and the fast consumption of Mn(II) and precipitation of a new phase hetaerolite. The formation of an intermediate phase, feitknechtite, was faster for Zn-coprecipitated birnessite than pure birnessite, which is the opposite of Zn-sorbed birnessite system. Transformation from the intermediate phase feitknechtite to the final stable phase manganite was slower for Zn-coprecipitated birnessite, due to the lower Mn(II) concentration which catalyzed the transformation. This study revealed the importance of understanding the influence of metal cation impurities on the structural stability and long term reactivity of Mn oxide minerals.