cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asymptotic Analysis of Reduced-Feedback Strategies for MIMO Gaussian Broadcast Channels

Achieving the sum-capacity of a multiple-input-multiple- output (MIMO) Gaussian broadcast channel is known to require full channel state information (CSI) at the base station, which implies the need of a large amount of feedback information from the users. Different asymptotics of the sum-capacity, such as its scaling law with respect to the number of users n or the multiplexing gain, are conventionally used to assess the performance of suboptimal schemes with reduced feedback, or equivalently with partial channel state information at the transmitter. In this correspondence, the optimal scaling law of the sum-rate with respect to n, for fixed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), fixed number of transmit antennas M and any number of receiving antennas N (i.e., M log log nN), is proved to be achievable with a deterministic feedback of only one bit per user. Moreover, the amount of feedback is shown to be further reduced with no asymptotic optimality loss by applying the selective feedback principle, leading to an average feedback rate that scales as log n. Finally, the asymptotic performance with respect to SNR is studied, by assessing how fast the number of users needs to increase with the SNR in order to guarantee a noninterference limited behavior.
The Physiological and Evolutionary Significance of Cardiovascular Shunting Patterns in Reptiles

The morphology of the reptilian heart results in the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood (cardiac shunts). In birds and mammals cardiac shunts are detrimental, but in reptiles this condition is often considered a derived trait, conveying important physiological functions and favored by natural selection. Alternative views are advanced suggesting that, in reptiles, cardiac shunts represent either an ancestral condition or an embryonic trait.
Ego Functions and Ego Development: Defense Mechanisms and Intelligence as Predictors of Ego Level

This study considers the contribution of two ego functions--intelligence and defense mechanisms--to ego developmental level. Two independent assessments of ego level were related to IQ and defense mechanism use in a sample of 89 young adults. Whereas IQ and defense were themselves found to be unrelated, both variables predicted ego level: The relation with IQ was linear, whereas the relation with defense was curvilinear. In addition, the relation between defense and ego level varied as a function of IQ level. At low levels of IQ, stronger use of Denial and Projection was associated with higher ego levels. At high IQ levels, strong use of Denial was associated with lower ego levels, whereas moderate use of Projection was associated with higher ego levels.
Investigations of the impact of altered auditory feedback in-the-ear devices on the speech of people who stutter: One-year follow-up

Purpose. This study examined objective and subjective measures of the effect of a self-contained ear-level device delivering altered auditory feedback (AAF) for those who stutter 12 months following initial fitting with and without the device.Method. Nine individuals with developmental stuttering participated. In Experiment 1, the proportion of stuttering was examined during reading and monologue. A self-report inventory inquiring about behaviour related to struggle, avoidance and expectancy associated with stuttering was examined in Experiment 2. In Experiment 3, naive listeners rated the speech naturalness of speech produced by the participants during reading and monologue.Results. The proportions of stuttering events were significantly ( p < 0.05) reduced at initial fitting and remained so 12 months post follow-up. After using the device for 12 months, self-reported perception of struggle, avoidance and expectancy were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced relative to pre-fitting. Naive listeners rated the ...
Position Statement: How Well Technology Supports Software Evolution

Software evolution is the process by which programs change due to changing requirements or inherit characteristics from previous programs. Managing software evolution should be central to the development process, otherwise systems become more complex, fragile, and unreliable. Project management across the industry have found that that a large cost and effort in large projects goes towards maintenance and evolution of existing software systems instead of development of new systems from scratch. Technology and tools are valuable in supporting software evolution. This paper lists some of the areas where technology can support software evolution.
An Efficient Multi Time Scale Method for Solving Stiff ODEs with Detailed Kinetic Mechanisms and Multi Scale Physical Chemical Processes

In direct numerical simulations of reactive flow and other multi scale physical problems, a broad time scale distribution from seconds to a fraction of nano-seconds makes explicit schemes in-efficient. On the other hand, although implicit methods may improve computational efficiency, they lose the time histories and statistical values of the fast modes, which may be required for modeling of large scale slow modes in a turbulent reactive flow and multi physical process. In the present study, a dynamic multi time scale (MTS) method and a dynamic hybrid multi time scale (HMTS) model are developed to achieve efficient and time accurate integration of stiff ODEs with detailed kinetic mechanisms. The methods are applied to ignition of hydrogen, methane and n-decane/air mixtures and compared, respectively, with standard Euler and implicit ODE solvers by using detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms. The results showed that both methods can accurately reproduce the species time histories and ignition delay times. In addition, compared to the explicit Euler method, MTS is not only computationally efficient but also robust at larger time steps. Compared to the implicit ODE solver, MTS is about one-order more computationally efficient. In addition, unlike the implicit ODE solver, whose computation time is proportional to the square of the species number, the computation time required for MTS is only proportional linearly to the species number. As such, MTS has advantages particularly for large equation systems such as large chemical kinetic mechanisms. To further accommodate the specification of a limiting time scale of the equation system and to improve the computation efficiency and robustness at large time scales, HMTS is developed by integrating MTS with a fully implicit algorithm. Therefore, the present HMTS is a generalized scheme which includes the Euler scheme, MTS, and implicit scheme, and compatible to both incompressible and compressible flow solvers. The results showed HMTS is rigorous and efficient. This scheme can be used for direct numerical simulations and large eddy simulation with detailed chemical mechanisms to improve the computation efficiency, accuracy, and robustness.
Lymphoma-associated papulosis: Lymphomatoid papulosis associated with lymphoma

Lymphomatoid papulosis is a condition characterized by the continuing appearance of self-healing inflammatory papulonodules which histologically show atypical cells simulating a malignant process. We describe two patients who had features typical of lymphomatoid papulosis in whom a lymphoreticular malignancy developed. The first patient developed Hodgkin's disease 30 years after the onset of lesions that resembled lymphomatoid papulosis, and the second patient developed a lymphocytic lymphoma 11 months after the appearance of the self-healing papules. While most patients with lymphomatoid papulosis have a benign protracted course, "lymphoma-associated papulosis" represents the malignant end of this spectrum, in which lymphomatoid papulosis is associated with a lymphoma. All patients with lymphomatoid papulosis require close, long-term follow-up.
Role of NADase in Virulence in Experimental Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infection

Group A streptococci (GAS) produce several exoproteins that are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of human infection. Two such proteins, streptolysin O (SLO) and NAD+-glycohydrolase (NADase), have been shown to interact functionally as a compound signaling toxin. When GAS are bound to the surface of epithelial cells in vitro, SLO forms pores in the cell membrane and delivers NADase to the epithelial cell cytoplasm. In vitro, intoxication of keratinocytes with NADase is associated with cytotoxic effects and induction of apoptosis; however, the importance of NADase during infection of an animal host has not been established. We employed isogenic GAS mutants to assess the contribution of NADase activity to GAS virulence in vivo using mouse models of invasive soft-tissue infection and septicemia. In both models, mutant GAS that lacked NADase activity were significantly attenuated for virulence compared with the isogenic wild-type parent, confirming an important role for NADase in the infection of a host animal. A double mutant lacking SLO and NADase activity had an intermediate virulence phenotype, consistent with the hypothesis that SLO evokes a protective innate immune response. We conclude that NADase and SLO together enhance GAS virulence in vivo.
Historical perspective of factor XI

Discovery and contact activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Purification and characterization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442 Primary structure and bappleQ domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Platelet factor XI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Function of bappleQ domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444 Activation by thrombin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Factor XI deficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 Future study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
No credit where credit is due: Attributional rationalization of women's success in male-female teams

In 3 experimental studies, the authors explored how ambiguity about the source of a successful joint performance outcome promotes attributional rationalization, negatively affecting evaluations of women. Participants read descriptions of a mixed-sex dyad's work and were asked to evaluate its male and female members. Results indicated that unless the ambiguity about individual contribution to the dyad's successful joint outcome was constrained by providing feedback about individual team member performance (Study 1) or by the way in which the task was said to have been structured (Study 2) or unless the negative expectations about women's performance were challenged by clear evidence of prior work competence (Study 3), female members were devalued as compared with their male counterparts-they were rated as being less competent, less influential, and less likely to have played a leadership role in work on the task. Implications of these results, both theoretical and practical, are discussed.
The Policy Context of the Welfare Debate

This paper is an examination of whether welfare program use is more responsive to economic conditions of need or to characteristics of program supply. The results of an analysis of growth in a major US welfare program illustrate that these forces do not operate independently of one another. Instead, welfare participation dynamics reflect economic need only in those jurisdictions where the program is effectively supplied. The policy implications concern the spatially decentralized operation of public programs.
STUDY OF TRANSFUSED BLOOD : II. BLOOD DESTRUCTION IN PERNICIOUS ANEMIA.

Evidence is presented to show that there is no hemolytic toxin producing the anemia in pernicious anemia. Partial evidence is presented to show that the periods of active blood destruction which are seen as the exception in pernicious anemia cases during a series of transfusions are due to the activity of the blood-destroying organs of the body rather than to the intrinsic weakness of the pernicious anemia blood corpuscle. It is questionable whether blood destruction is as important a factor in producing the anemia of pernicious anemia as it is at present usually assumed to be.
Lawsuit activity, defensive medicine, and small area variation: the case of cesarean sections revisited

This paper examines whether delivery practice patterns (Cesarean sections or vaginal) are influenced by lawsuits or whether the hypothesized relationship is confounded by small area variation. The analysis uses multilevel analysis to deal with hospital- and Dartmouth Hospital Referral Region-level variation. The model includes patient clinical variables, patient socio-economic status, and hospital characteristics as control variables. The secondary data sources include hospital discharges from the 2002 Texas Health Care Information Council as well as 1988-2001 Texas Department of Insurance Closed Claim File data. After extracting the variation in delivery practice between hospitals and between Dartmouth Hospital Referral Regions in a multilevel model, the effects of lawsuits on defensive medicine are reduced but are still significant.
Nephrotoxicity of the flame retardant, tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate, and its metabolites

Abstract A single ip injection of the carcinogenic flame retardant, tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate (TRIS-BP), when administered to male Sprague-Dawley rats, caused polyuric acute renal failure with tubular necrosis involving the late proximal tubule. Glomerular filtration rate and in vitro transport of the organic acid, para -aminohippurate and the organic base, N -[ 14 C]methylnicotinamide, were depressed. An approximately equimolar dose of the TRIS-BP metabolite, bis(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate (BIS-BP), caused significantly more severe renal failure. In contrast, the metabolite 2,3-dibromopropanol (BP) was nonnephrotoxic. These data suggest that TRIS-BP nephrotoxicity is mediated via its metabolite BIS-BP.
Multiplicative Updating Rule for Blind Separation Derived from the Method of Scoring

For blind source separation, when the Fisher information matrix is used as the Riemannian metric tensor for the parameter space, the steepest descent algorithm to maximize the likelihood function in this Riemannian parameter space becomes the serial updating rule with equivariant property. This algorithm can be further simplified by using the asymptotic form of the Fisher information matrix around the equilibrium.
Oral health problems and needs of nursing home residents

The problem of dental neglect and high levels of unmet dental needs among elderly residents of long term care facilities has been widely documented in literature. A survey was conducted of 1063 residents in 31 nursing homes throughout Washington (representing 11% of all facilities in the state). The greatest single need among dentate elderly was for routine oral hygiene (72%), while for denture wearers adjustment of loose dentures was the primary need (46.4%). Periodontal problems were slightly more prevalent than root caries (43% and 36% respectively) among dentate elderly. Dry mouth was found in 10% of residents. Oral conditions were worse in larger facilities located in rural and moderate size communities, and those under a proprietary corporation. These results suggest that daily oral hygiene and regular check-ups by a dental professional are most needed by frail elderly, especially in large, proprietary homes in rural and moderate size communities. Education of nursing home staff and the elderly themselves in the importance and methods of home care are also critical needs.
High-frequency, scaled graphene transistors on diamond-like carbon

Owing to its high carrier mobility and saturation velocity, graphene has attracted enormous attention in recent years1, 2, 3, 4, 5. In particular, high-performance graphene transistors for radio-frequency (r.f.) applications are of great interest6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Synthesis of large-scale graphene sheets of high quality and at low cost has been demonstrated using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) methods14. However, very few studies have been performed on the scaling behaviour of transistors made from CVD graphene for r.f. applications, which hold great potential for commercialization. Here we report the systematic study of top-gated CVD-graphene r.f. transistors with gate lengths scaled down to 40 nm, the shortest gate length demonstrated on graphene r.f. devices. The CVD graphene was grown on copper film and transferred to a wafer of diamond-like carbon. Cut-off frequencies as high as 155 GHz have been obtained for the 40-nm transistors, and the cut-off frequency was found to scale as 1/(gate length). Furthermore, we studied graphene r.f. transistors at cryogenic temperatures. Unlike conventional semiconductor devices where low-temperature performance is hampered by carrier freeze-out effects, the r.f. performance of our graphene devices exhibits little temperature dependence down to 4.3 K, providing a much larger operation window than is available for conventional devices.
The Therapeutic Test: An Ancient Malady in the 21st Century

The response to treatment was the diagnostic mainstay in ancient times when diseases were poorly understood. Now that the bases of most diseases are known, appropriate diagnostic means are available. However, many physicians still rely on therapeutic tests to establish diagnoses. Since most illnesses are self-limited and because of the placebo effect, many physicians and patients attribute the improvement to the medication and believe that the correct diagnosis was made. However, inappropriate therapeutic tests often lead to diagnostic delays, rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens, increased risks of adverse drug reactions, and unnecessary expenses. To reduce the frequency of unwarranted therapeutic tests, health-care professionals and educators must take steps to rectify the problem.
An Examination Of The Impact Of Team Teaching On Student Learning Outcomes And Student Satisfaction In Undergraduate Business Capstone Courses

This study examines the impact of team teaching on student learning outcomes and student satisfaction in the context of three undergraduate business capstone courses. Students in three undergraduate business capstone course sections were selected for the study. One section of the capstone course was taught using a team delivery model and the other two sections were taught by a single faculty member. The study found that students’ GPA had a significant correlation with their performance in the team taught course. The data suggests that students with a GPA of less than 3.28 in the team taught course, performed higher than would be expected. Moreover their individual performance scores appeared to be higher than the regression line would predict. Students in the team taught course also were satisfied with the team teaching method.
Direct interaction of the resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase type 3 protein with the serotonin receptor type 3A intracellular domain.

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGIC) are expressed in both excitable and non-excitable cells that are targeted by numerous clinically used drugs. Assembly from five identical or homologous subunits yields homo- or heteromeric pentamers, respectively. The protein known as Resistance to Inhibitors of Cholinesterase (RIC-3) was identified to interfere with assembly and functional maturation of pLGICs. We have shown previously for serotonin type 3A homopentamers (5-HT3A ) that the interaction with RIC-3 requires the intracellular domain (ICD) of this pLGIC. After expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes RIC-3 attenuated serotonin-induced currents in 5-HT3A wild-type channels, but not in functional 5-HT3A glvM3M4 channels that have the 115-amino acid ICD replaced by a heptapeptide. In complementary experiments we have shown that engineering the Gloeobacter violaceus ligand-gated ion channel (GLIC) to contain the 5-HT3A -ICD confers sensitivity to RIC-3 in oocytes to otherwise insensitive GLIC. In this study, we identify endogenous RIC-3 protein expression in X. laevis oocytes. We purified RIC-3 to homogeneity after expression in Echericia coli. By using heterologously over-expressed and purified RIC-3 and the chimera consisting of the 5-HT3A -ICD and the extracellular and transmembrane domains of GLIC in pull-down experiments, we demonstrate a direct and specific interaction between the two proteins. This result further underlines that the domain within 5-HT3 A R that mediates the interaction with RIC-3 is the ICD. Importantly, this is the first experimental evidence that the interaction between 5-HT3 A R-ICD and RIC-3 does not require other proteins. In addition, we demonstrate that the pentameric assembly of the GLIC-5-HT3A -ICD chimera interacts with RIC-3. We hypothesized that pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) associate directly with the chaperone protein RIC-3 (resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase type 3), and that the interaction does not require other protein factors. We found that the two proteins indeed interact directly, that the pLGIC intracellular domain is required for the effect, and that pLGICs in their pentameric form associate with RIC-3. These results provide the basis for future studies aimed at investigating which motifs provide the interaction surfaces, and at delineating the mechanism(s) of RIC-3 modulation of functional pLGIC surface expression.
Consistency Conditions for Fivebrane in M Theory on R^5/Z_2 Orbifold

We derive some consistency conditions for fivebrane in M theory on R^5/Z_2 orbifold from the quantization law for the antisymmetric tensor field. We construct consistent fivebrane configurations in R^5/Z_2 type orbifold that exhibit the correct low energy dynamics of N=2 SQCD in four dimensions with symplectic and orthogonal gauge groups. This leads us to propose the M theory realization of orientifold four-planes of various types, and we study their properties by applying the consistency conditions.
How Does the Health of Transportation Infrastructure Affect State Credit Ratings? An Empirical Analysis

A well-developed and carefully maintained public infrastructure system is of critical importance to ensure that the economy can function effectively. To investigate the consequence of deficient pub...
The vitronectin RGD motif regulates TGF-β-induced alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a critical driver of acute lung injury and fibrosis. Injury leads to activation of TGF-β, which regulates changes in the cellular and matrix makeup of the lu...
Improving Peptide identification using empirical scoring systems.

Peptides and proteins are routinely identified from peptide fragmentation spectra acquired in a mass spectrometer, analyzed by database search engines. The types of fragments that can be formed are known, and it is also well appreciated that certain fragment types are more common or more informative than others. However, most search engines do not use detailed knowledge of peptide fragmentation, but rather consider a limited range of fragments, giving each an equivalent weighting in their scoring system that decides which results are likely to be correct. This chapter will discuss efforts to make use of information about the frequency of observation of different fragment ion types in order to produce more sophisticated and sensitive scoring systems and will demonstrate how these new scoring systems are particularly powerful for analysis of electron capture or electron transfer dissociation data.
Clinical significance of detection of subclinical thyroid dysfunction in early pregnancy pregnant women

Objective To anlysis the incidence about the subclinical thyroid dysfunction in first trimester pregnant women. Methods TSH,FT3 and FT4 were tested in 1647 first trimester pregnanct women and 105 nonpregnant women in reproductive age. Anlysis the incidence about the subclinical thyroid dysfunction according to the standards for the pregnant and nonpregnant women. Results The incidence of the subclinical thyroid dysfunction was 19. 06% and the incidence of the subclinical hypothyroidism was 17. 18% in the first trimester pregnanct women which were significantly higher than the control group( P 0. 05). Conclusion Evaluate the thyroid function of the pregnant women according to the standards for the pregnant women which provides the significance for prepotency.
Borderline operability in hepatectomy patients is associated with higher rates of failure to rescue after severe complications.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE To understand the influence of age and comorbidities, this study analyzed the incidence and risk factors for post-hepatectomy morbidity/mortality in patients with "borderline" (BL) operability, defined by the preoperative factors: age ≥75 years, dependent function, lung disease, ascites/varices, myocardial infarction, stroke, steroids, weight loss >10%, and/or sepsis. METHODS All elective hepatectomies were identified in the 2005-2013 ACS-NSQIP database. Predictors of 30-day morbidity/mortality in BL patients were analyzed. RESULTS A 3,574/15,920 (22.4%) patients met BL criteria. Despite non-BL and BL patients undergoing similar magnitude hepatectomies (P > 0.4), BL patients had higher severe complication (SC, 23.3% vs. 15.3%) and mortality rates (3.7% vs. 1.2%, P 3 (odds ratio, OR - 1.29), smoking (OR - 1.41), albumin 1 (OR - 2.21), operative time >240 min (OR - 1.58), additional colorectal procedure (OR - 1.78), and concurrent procedure (OR - 1.73, all P < 0.05). Independent predictors of mortality included disseminated cancer (OR - 0.44), albumin <3.5 g/dl (OR - 1.94), thrombocytopenia (OR - 1.95), and extended/right hepatectomy (OR - 2.81, all P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Hepatectomy patients meeting BL criteria have an overall post-hepatectomy mortality rate that is triple that of non-BL patients. With less clinical reserve, BL patients who suffer SC are at greater risk of post-hepatectomy death. J. Surg. Oncol. 2017;115:337-343. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A distributed range-based algorithm for localization in mobile networks

In this paper, we provide a distributed algorithm to locate an arbitrary number of agents moving in a bounded region. Assuming that each agent can estimate a noisy version of its motion and the distances to the nodes in its communication radius, we provide a simple linear update to find the locations of an arbitrary number of mobile agents when they follow some convexity in their deployment and motion, given at least one anchor, agent with known location, is present in Rm. At each iteration, agents update their location estimates as a convex combination of the states of the neighbors, if they lie inside their convex hull, and do not update otherwise. We abstract the corresponding localization algorithm as a Linear Time-Varying (LTV) system, and using slice notation we show that it asymptotically converges to the true locations of the agents. We study the effects of noise on our localization algorithm, and provide simulations to verify our analytical results.
The impact of military service and traumatic brain injury on the substance use norms of Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers and their spouses

Abstract Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and substance use are highly prevalent conditions among military populations. There is a significant body of evidence that suggests greater approval of substance use (i.e., norms) is related to increased substance use. The objective of this work is to understand the impact of TBI and military service on substance use norms of soldiers and their partners. Data are from the baseline assessment of Operation: SAFETY, an ongoing, longitudinal study of US Army Reserve/National Guard (USAR/NG) soldiers and their partners. Methods Multiple regression models examined associations between alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug use, and non-medical use of prescription drug (NMUPD) norms within and across partners based on current military status (CMS) and TBI. Results Male USAR/NG soldiers disapproved of NMUPD, illicit drug use and tobacco use. There was no relation between military status and alcohol use. Among females, there was no relation between CMS and norms. The NMUPD norms of wives were more likely to be approving if their husbands reported TBI symptoms and had separated from the military. Husbands of soldiers who separated from the military with TBI had greater approval of the use of tobacco, NMUPD, and illicit drugs. Conclusion Overall, there is evidence to suggest that, while generally disapproving of substance use, soldiers and partners become more accepting of use if they also experience TBI and separate from the military. Future research should examine the longitudinal influence of TBI on substance use norms and subsequent changes in substance use over time.
Systematic Review of Torrefied Wood Economics

This literature review aims to provide a systematic analysis of studies on the financial aspects of producing torrefied biomass and torrefied pellets. There are substantial differences in the specific technologies, operating conditions, scale of the demonstration, and properties of biomass feedstock. There is a lack of reports that consider the entire supply chain, which is required for an understanding of the high-cost steps. To obtain a robust view of the torrefaction processes’ financial prospects the authors have used both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed papers that allowed the researchers to include thirty-one papers in this analysis. All these studies establish that the prices of the biomass and the final torrefied product are critical. The product yield and caloric content, which are related to pricing, were also key financial drivers. The lower freight costs due to high-energy density of the torrefied pellets was recognized and calculated, but some other benefits were not quantified. There is a need for a detailed and flexible torrefaction financial model that includes variations in financial assumptions and biomass properties. Given the uncertainty around many specific steps, there is value in including stochastic tools in these financial analyses.
Ganglioside function in calcium homeostasis and signaling

Ganglioside function in eukaryotic cells encompasses a variety of modulatory interactions related to both development and mature cellular behavior. In relation to the nervous system this includes induction of neurite outgrowth and trophic/neuroprotective phenomena; more generally this applies to ganglioside effects on receptor function, adhesion reactions, and signal transduction mechanisms in neural and extraneural systems. Underlying many of these trophic effects are ganglioside-induced changes in cellular calcium, accomplished through modulation of Ca2+ influx channels, Ca2+ exchange proteins, and various Ca2+-dependent enzymes that are altered through association with gangliosides. A clear distinction needs to be drawn between intrinsic functions of gangliosides as naturally expressed by the cell and activities created by application of exogenous ganglioside(s) that may or may not reflect natural function. This review attempts to summarize findings in this area and point to possible future directions of research.
Increase in serum potassium resulting from the administration of hypertonic mannitol and other solutions.

Abstract Administration of hypertonic mannitol or hypertonic saline to normal persons produces a significant rise in serum potassium regardless of preceding potassium intake. This rise can be associated with electrocardiographic changes suggestive of hyperkalemia. The change in serum potassium occurs in hydropenic and hydrated normal men and is independent of changes in serum sodium concentration produced by infusions. The rise in serum potassium is also produced by a similar degree of expansion of the extracellular fluid by isotonic mannitol but not by isotonic or hypertonic bicarbonate solution or by isotonic saline. These findings suggest that the rise in serum potassium produced by hypertonic solutions may be due in part to the dilutional acidosis produced by expansion of the extracellular fluid volume and perhaps in some manner to the movement of water out of cells. The present studies do not allow a distinction between these two or other possible mechanisms. These findings suggest that in addition to other complications of hypertonic mannitol administration, the possiblity of worsening hyperkalemia in patients with renal failure or other diseases associated with increased serum potassium must be considered.
Model utilization in evaluation of a Dial-a-Dietitian system.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of selected factors of performance of a telephone delivery system, Dial-A-Dietitian, which was established to provide nutrition information to the public. A model, developed for this use, entailed a systems approach with five phases, which included enabling factors (inputs), the interaction process, effort factors (outputs), performance (outcome), and feedback (reporting). The data analysis indicated that the Dial-A-Dietitian program was effective as measured by this model.
Unjustified: Youth of Color Navigating Police Presence Across Sociospatial Environments:

Hyper-surveillance in marginalized communities places Brown and Black boys at a high risk of involuntary police contact. Prior research, however, has primarily focused on the experiences of youth a...
Identifying Cast Iron Microstructure Variation Using Acoustic Resonance Techniques

Cast iron foundries have historically utilized ultrasonic methods to determine nodularity levels in ductile iron parts. The foundries have begun to search for an alternative that would provide a test of the whole part, while eliminating part preparation, consumables, rust and plating issues and safety hazards. Progress has been made in the application and performance evaluation of resonant acoustic method as an alternative tool for detecting unacceptable levels of nodularity in ductile iron. This paper covers other aspects of cast iron microstructure, namely graphite shape, graphite size and matrix microstructure. To identify cast iron microstructure variation within a thick section, samples from different locations of a thick section (2″) were studied. Finally, a preliminary study of effect of having casting skin on resonant frequency was also conducted. Step block castings were produced with above-mentioned variables. Rectangular samples for resonant inspection were machined. The cast iron samples were excited by a calibrated hammer, and the resonant frequencies (RF) were recorded with an accelerometer. The RF measurements were normalized to eliminate weight change affect. Finite element analysis (FEA) was done to show the minimum level of shift in RF due to dimensional variability. The design of experiment analysis showed that the variations in graphite shape and matrix microstructure are identifiable. The graphite size variation due to section sizes is detectable to a certain extent, i.e., variation between 5/8″ and 1″. However, the result obtained in this study does not support the use of resonant frequency shift to identify samples from section sizes 1″, 2″ and 4″. The RF response showed that the samples with surface condition (presence of skin) variation can be identified for a known graphite shape.
Generalized Natural Deduction

This chapter demonstrates how the general theory of partitioned representations can be applied to some specific knowledge representation problems. It will be seen how the theory generalizes some existing AI knowledge representation systems, as well as some systems of logic. In particular, we will look at natural deduction, representing time and action, and frames.
A Theoretical Rationale for using the Individualized Meaning-centered Approach to Braille Literacy Education with Students who have Mild to Moderate Cognitive Disabilities:

This article describes the components of the Individualized Meaning-centered Approach to Braille Literacy Education for teaching braille reading and writing to students who are blind and have addit...
Comparing Sample and Remote-Sensing Data—Understanding Surface Composition

Abstract Almost everything done in planetary science and astronomy could be considered “remote sensing.” For almost all of our investigations, photons are emitted or reflected from a surface, however close or far, and then it comes to us carrying information about that surface. How we collect and analyze that light is the key to understanding the surface. However, there is a substantial difference in understanding surfaces that we cannot physically touch or interact with, and those we can. Objects that are far away, and that are viewed only with telescopes or spacecraft are targets for “remote sensing.” Objects that we have in hand, and that we can study on Earth with laboratory equipment are subject to “sample analysis.” Of course, these general definitions are not black and white. With the advent of remote laboratories, such as a string of sample handling and analyzing landers and rovers on Mars, what is considered “remote” and what is considered “in hand” can become blurred.The bringing together of sample and remote-sensing data has reaped great rewards in planetary science. We use the samples we have, whether returned by spacecraft or brought to us by nature, to do in-depth laboratory studies. These studies can be tied to remote-sensing techniques, which let us extend what we have learned to areas or objects for which we have no samples. As laboratory and remote-sensing data become more detailed, what we learn from each technique helps us better interpret data from other techniques.
Dynamics of Renyi entanglement entropy in local quantum circuits with charge conservation

In local quantum circuits with charge conservation, we initialize the system in random product states and study the dynamics of the Renyi entanglement entropy $R_\alpha$. We rigorously prove that $R_\alpha$ with Renyi index $\alpha>1$ at time $t$ is $\le O(\sqrt{t\ln t})$ if the transport of charges is diffusive. Very recent numerical results of Rakovszky et al. show that this upper bound is saturated (up to the sub-logarithmic correction) in random local quantum circuits with charge conservation.
Primary Retroperitoneal Sarcomas

Retroperitoneal sarcomas are rare tumors that account for 10%–20% of all soft tissue sarcomas (Binder et al. 1978; Coran et al. 1970). Retroperitoneal sarcomas are responsible for only 0.1%–0.2% of all malignant lesions in the United States (Armstrong and Cohn 1965; Benmark et al. 1980; Binder et al. 1978; Bose 1979; Pack and Tabah 1954). Eighty-five percent of retroperitoneal tumors are malignant, and 35% are found to be sarcomas (Donnelly 1946; Melcow 1953; Pack and Tabah 1954). They can occur in patients of all ages, with a peak incidence in the sixth decade of life. The first description of a retroperitoneal tumor was reported by Morgagni in 1761 (Morgagni 1969). The overall prognosis of patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas is poor; these tumors can become quite extensive, and invade adjacent organs prior to diagnosis. They are relatively resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgical intervention currently offers the best hope for cure, with the highest reported overall and disease-free survival and the lowest recurrence rates.
Computational study of instability and fill tube mitigation strategies for double shell implosions

Double shell capsules are an attractive alternative scheme for achieving robust alpha-heating at the National Ignition Facility due to their low convergence ratio and low predicted temperature for achieving volume ignition. Nevertheless, simulations suggest that double shell targets are more susceptible to the fill tube, used to fill the inner shell with liquid DT, than typical single-shell ignition capsule designs, due to the higher density gradient between the shell and the fill tube hole, a lower outer shell velocity, which prevents the implosion from catching up to the initial fill tube jet, and the absence of a rebounding shock through the foam to slow this jet. Double shells are also highly susceptible to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability at both interfaces with the high density inner shell. Combined, these effects are predicted by radiation-hydrodynamics simulations to reduce fuel confinement and temperature, resulting in reduced performance by a factor of ≈20–45, depending on design details, compared to idealized one-dimensional (1D) simulations. We discuss a mitigation strategy for both the interfacial instabilities and the fill tube that is predicted by simulations to decrease the yield degradation to a factor of ≈4. The mitigation strategy involves a modification of the capsule geometry as well as the use of a multishock pulse shape. The multishock pulse is required for the fill tube mitigation strategy and has the added benefit of stabilizing perturbations at the foam/pusher interface without decreasing 1D yield. In order to experimentally verify these predictions, we discuss the potential use of a hydrogrowth radiography platform that could be applied to test the proposed mitigation strategies.
Neuroactive steroids alphaxalone and CDNC24 are effective hypnotics and potentiators of GABAA currents, but are not neurotoxic to the developing rat brain.

Abstract Background The most currently used general anaesthetics are potent potentiators of γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptors and are invariably neurotoxic during the early stages of brain development in preclinical animal models. As causality between GABAA potentiation and anaesthetic-induced developmental neurotoxicity has not been established, the question remains whether GABAergic activity is crucial for promoting/enhancing neurotoxicity. Using the neurosteroid analogue, (3α,5α)-3-hydroxy-13,24-cyclo-18,21-dinorchol-22-en-24-ol (CDNC24), which potentiates recombinant GABAA receptors, we examined whether this potentiation is the driving force in inducing neurotoxicity during development. Methods The neurotoxic potential of CDNC24 was examined vis-a-vis propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) and alphaxalone (5α-pregnan-3α-ol-11,20-dione) at the peak of rat synaptogenesis. In addition to the morphological neurotoxicity studies of the subiculum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), we assessed the extra-, pre-, and postsynaptic effects of these agents on GABAergic neurotransmission in acute subicular slices from rat pups. Results CDNC24, like alphaxalone and propofol, caused dose-dependent hypnosis in vivo, with a higher therapeutic index. CDNC24 and alphaxalone, unlike propofol, did not cause developmental neuroapoptosis in the subiculum and mPFC. Propofol potentiated post- and extrasynaptic GABAA currents as evidenced by increased spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic current (sIPSC) decay time and prominent tonic currents, respectively. CDNC24 and alphaxalone had a similar postsynaptic effect, but also displayed a strong presynaptic effect as evidenced by decreased frequency of sIPSCs and induced moderate tonic currents. Conclusions The lack of neurotoxicity of CDNC24 and alphaxalone may be at least partly related to suppression of presynaptic GABA release in the developing brain.
Duality in balance optimization subset selection

In this paper, we investigate a specific optimization problem that arises in the context of Balance Optimization Subset Selection (BOSS), which is an optimization framework for causal inference. Most BOSS problems can be formulated as mixed integer linear programs. By relaxing the integrality constraints so that fractional contributions of control units are permitted, a linear program (LP) is obtained. Properties of this LP and its dual are investigated and a sensitivity analysis is conducted to characterize how the objective value changes as the covariate values are perturbed.
Terahertz quantum-cascade patch-antenna VECSEL with low power dissipation

We report a terahertz quantum-cascade vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (QC-VECSEL) based upon a metasurface consisting of an array of gain-loaded resonant patch antennas. Compared with the typical ridge-based metasurfaces previously used for QC-VECSELs, the patch antenna surface can be designed with a much sparser fill factor of gain material, which allows for reduced heat dissipation and improved thermal performance. It also exhibits larger amplification thanks to enhanced interaction between the incident radiation and the QC-gain material. We demonstrate devices that produce several milliwatts of continuous-wave power in a single mode at ∼4.6 THz and dissipate less than 1 W of pump power. Use of different output couplers demonstrates the ability to optimize device performance for either high power or high operating temperature. Maximum demonstrated power is 6.7 mW at 4 K (0.67% wall-plug efficiency, WPE) and 0.8 mW at 77 K (0.06% WPE). Directive output beams are measured throughout with divergence angles of ∼5°.
Enculturation and Acculturation's Relationship to Suicidal Ideation in Hispanic/Latinx Individuals with Psychotic Spectrum Disorders

Abstract Suicide is a leading cause of premature death in people with schizophrenia (Inoue et al., 2020). Hispanic/Latinx (H/L) individuals, the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S., face potential hurdles (e.g., discrimination, language barriers) when trying to receive care for psychotic spectrum disorders, which may increase their risk for suicidal ideation. Drawing from prior literature, we tested the hypotheses that greater acculturation and lower enculturation would be associated with increased suicidal ideation in a sample of 45 H/L individuals with psychotic spectrum disorders using a linear regression analysis controlling for gender and education. As hypothesized, greater acculturation and lower enculturation were associated with greater suicidal ideation. In line with prior research, results of this study suggest that maintaining beliefs and traditions from one's home culture may be beneficial to H/Ls with psychotic spectrum disorders and may reduce suicidal ideation whereas there may be detrimental aspects of mainstream United States culture on one's desire to live. Thus, encouraging H/L patients with psychotic spectrum disorders to maintain a sense of ethnic pride and stay engaged with practices and values from their culture of origin may help reduce suicidal ideation in this vulnerable population.
Contrasting Effects of Two Lipid Cofactors of Prion Replication on the Conformation of the Prion Protein.

Recent studies introduced two experimental protocols for converting full-length recombinant prion protein (rPrP) purified from E.coli into the infectious prion state (PrPSc) with high infectivity titers. Both protocols employed protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) for generating PrPSc de novo, but used two different lipids, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleolyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho(1’-rac-glycerol) (POPG) or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), as conversion cofactors. The current study compares the effect of POPG and PE on the physical properties of native, α-helical full-length mouse rPrP under the solvent conditions used for converting rPrP into PrPSc. Surprisingly, the effects of POPG and PE on rPrP physical properties, including its conformation, thermodynamic stability, aggregation state and interaction with a lipid, were found to be remarkably different. PE was shown to have minimal, if any, effects on rPrP thermodynamic stability, cooperativity of unfolding, immediate solvent environment or aggregation state. In fact, little evidence indicates that PE interacts with rPrP directly. In contrast, POPG was found to bind to and induce dramatic changes in rPrP structure, including a loss of α-helical conformation and formation of large lipid-protein aggregates that were resistant to partially denaturing conditions. These results suggest that the mechanisms by which lipids assist conversion of rPrP into PrPSc might be fundamentally different for POPG and PE.