cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance Studies of a WebSphere Application, Trade, in Scale-out and Scale-up Environments

Scale-out approach, in contrast to scale-up approach (exploring increasing performance by utilizing more powerful shared-memory servers), refers to deployment of applications on a large number of small, inexpensive, but tightly packaged and tightly interconnected servers. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in scale-out approach. The purpose of this study is to discover advantages or disadvantages of scale-out systems with a typical enterprise workload, IBM Trade Performance Benchmark Sample for Websphere application server (a.k.a. Trade6). In this work, through cross system performance comparison, we show that for such workload, scale-out approach has better performance/cost effect. In term of scalability, we show that Websphere application server packages for distributed environment scale well while the possible bottleneck of the application deployment is the database tier. We present preliminary results to show that both database partitioning feature (DPF) and federated database server approaches are not exactly suitable for providing scale-out solution for the database tier of workloads similar to Trade (small tables and short transactions). In addition, we discuss our on-going effort on further performance study: (1) studies of performance/scalability for larger deployments by adopting the IBM AMBIENCE queuing network modeling tool, (2) performance breakdowns utilizing IBM ACTC hardware counter library.
A Specification of the Types of Intimate Partner Violence Experienced by Women in the General Population

This study analyzes data from a national, general population sample of respondents (National Violence Against Women Survey) to estimate the prevalence of the different forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) that women experience in the United States. The study's purpose, to differentiate types of IPV, follows the Johnson and Ferraro tradition that distinguishes occasional and random acts of abuse from chronic and controlling forms of violence. When examining the specific types of IPV that the survey respondents disclosed, the author finds that the distribution closely resembles Gordon's epidemiological findings. This study analyzed the variance in the number of types of IPV as a function of the childhood abuse the women experienced and their partner's controlling and threatening behaviors. It concludes with a discussion of the multiple responses to IPV that are necessary in contemporary U.S. society.
Response and Determinants of Sensitivity to Paclitaxel in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Tumors Heterotransplanted in Nude Mice

The lack of tumor models that can reliably predict for response to anticancer agents remains a major deficiency in the field of experimental cancer therapy. Although heterotransplants of certain human solid tumors can be successfully grown in nude mice, they have never been appropriately explored for prediction of in vivo chemosensitivity to anticancer agents. We determined the tumor response rate and studied the influence of several biological and molecular tumor parameters on the in vivo sensitivity to paclitaxel in a series of heterotransplanted human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors. One hundred consecutive resected NSCLC tumors were heterotransplanted s.c. in nude mice. The in vivo sensitivity to i.v. paclitaxel (60 mg/kg every 3 weeks) was studied in 34 successfully grown heterotransplants. Treatment started when the tumors reached a size of 5 mm in diameter, and strict standard clinical criteria (>50% shrinkage in tumor weight or cross-sectional surface) were used to define tumor response. Baseline multidrug resistance protein (MRP), Her-2/neu, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, and pre- and posttherapy bax and bcl-2 expression were determined by Western blot analysis. p53 status was determined by sequencing. The overall take rate was 46% (95% confidence interval, 36-56%) and was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for squamous carcinoma tumors (75%) than for adenocarcinoma tumors (30%) and bronchoalveolar tumors (23%). The heterotransplants were morphologically very similar to the original tumors. The response rate to paclitaxel was 21% (95% confidence interval, 9-38%). Baseline tumor parameters associated with response were no Her-2/neu expression (none of the responding tumors expressed Her-2/neu versus 48% of the nonresponding tumors, P = 0.05) and baseline bcl-2 expression (all responding tumors expressed bcl-2 versus only 43% of the nonresponding tumors, P = 0.02). There was a trend toward a higher response rate in bax-positive tumors, and MRP- and EGFR-negative tumors, but it was not statistically significant. The response was independent of baseline p53 status and baseline mitotic index. Responding tumors had a higher bax/bcl-2 ratio 24 h after therapy, but the difference was only marginally significant (2.8 for responding tumors versus 1.1 for nonresponding tumors, P = 0.07). The extent of mitotic arrest at 24 h after therapy was not associated with response. Human NSCLC heterotransplants are morphologically identical to the original tumors and have a response rate to paclitaxel that is equivalent to that reported in Phase II studies in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with single-agent paclitaxel. NSCLC heterotransplants deserve to be explored to evaluate new agents for lung cancer and to predict clinical response on an individual basis in selected groups of patients.
In the Beginning Was the Word and Then Four Revolutions in the History of Information

In the beginning was the word, or grunt, or groan, or signal of some sort. This, however, hardly qualifies as an information revolution, at least in any standard technological sense. Nature is replete with meaningful signs, and we must imagine that our early ancestors noticed natural patterns that helped to determine when to sow and when to reap, which animal tracks to follow, what to eat, and so forth. Spoken words at first must have been meaningful in some similar sense. But in time the word became flesh (corpus) and dwelt among us, as “inscription” (literally, to put into writing) inaugurated the dawn of human history. This did not happen instantly. One place to enter the story is with clay tokens to represent trade transactions that in time became accounting tablets and, then, the world’s first literature (Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, The Epic of Gilgamesh, etc.) and codes of law (The Codes of Ur-Nammu, Lipit-Ishtar, Hammurabi, and so forth.) This event happened around the north shore of the Persian Gulf sometime in the 4th millennium BCE and was enshrouded in mystery as the role of the scribe trained in the art of inscribing and deciphering signs belonged to the priest (Deibert 1997). With the sanction of religion, writing gave birth to “civility” (literally, life in the city) and defined the line between “history” and “pre-history,” the latter being a term designating everything that happened before. There is little doubt that the invention of writing was significant and that it deserves recognition as the first revolution in the history of information. Life as we live it today would have been impossible otherwise.
Fault Detection in Distributed Systems by Representative Subspace Mapping

The high dimensionality of system observation, together with the frequent changes of system normal behavior resulting from workload variations, makes fault detection very difficult in distributed computing systems. This paper addresses these issues by proposing a novel statistical technique, the principal canonical correlation analysis (PCCA), and applying it to monitor the system in a supervised manner. Given a set of input variables u and system measurements x, PCCA extracts a subspace xtilde from x that is not only highly correlated with the input u, but also a significant representative of the whole distribution of x. Such property of PCCA, which combines the strengths of both PCA and CCA, is beneficial to the fault detection task. Experimental results from a real e-commerce system based on the multi-tiered J2EE architecture demonstrate the effectiveness of PCCA
A Separation and Purification Procedure for [14C] Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate in Fish

A procedure utilizing the reverse isotope dilution analysis is presented for the determination of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and total metabolites in tissues of fish and water samples. This procedure offers several advantages: it eliminates laborious and expensive use of column chromatography and identification by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis; it does not require quantitative separation; it selectively removes fish lipids by partitioning across a hexane/acetonitrile system; it uses an internal standard, di-pentylphthalate, for the gas-liquid chromatographic analysis; and it overcomes interference from background DEHP.
The potential of adeno-associated viral vectors for gene delivery to muscle tissue

Introduction: Muscle-directed gene therapy is rapidly gaining attention primarily because muscle is an easily accessible target tissue and is also associated with various severe genetic disorders. Localized and systemic delivery of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors of several serotypes results in very efficient transduction of skeletal and cardiac muscles, which has been achieved in both small and large animals, as well as in humans. Muscle is the target tissue in gene therapy for many muscular dystrophy diseases, and may also be exploited as a biofactory to produce secretory factors for systemic disorders. Current limitations of using rAAVs for muscle gene transfer include vector size restriction, potential safety concerns such as off-target toxicity and the immunological barrier composing of pre-existing neutralizing antibodies and CD8+ T-cell response against AAV capsid in humans. Areas covered: In this article, we will discuss basic AAV vector biology and its application in muscle-dire...
ASSESSMENT OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S USE OF OPEN-FORUM HEARING FORMAT

Citizens have higher expectations for meaningful involvement in decision making than ever before. The Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT's) use of the open-forum hearing format was assessed in response to pending legislation requiring the use of the traditional format for all highway location hearings. VDOT staff were concerned that substantial public input might be lost if this occurred. A comprehensive review of the literature on hearing formats, a survey completed by 235 citizens, and a survey on hearing formats completed by 84 transportation professionals representing 43 states are included. Citizens' preferences for the ways in which hearings are conducted—one-on-one interaction, flexible scheduling, and the opportunity to comment in private—supported VDOT's continued use of the open forum. The open-forum format does not, however, typically provide two features that some citizens want: the formal presentation about the project and the opportunity to hear the comments that others ("neighbor...
Children’s Appraisal and Coping with Pain: Relation to Maternal Ratings of Worry and Restriction in Family Activities

Objective To examine the relation of children’s pain severity, perceived pain threat, and passive coping to maternal worry and family activities. Methods We assessed pain severity, perceived threat (conceptualized as beliefs about pain seriousness and coping ability), and coping strategies in 130 patients with chronic abdominal pain. Mothers rated the impact of the child’s health on maternal worry and family activities. Results Controlling for pain severity, higher pain threat was associated with maternal reports of greater worry and limitations in family activities due to the child’s health. Children’s use of passive-coping strategies was not related to maternal worry or family activity limitations. Conclusions Health care providers should assess patients’ pain beliefs, correct misperceptions about pain seriousness, and help increase patients’ perceived efficacy in coping with pain.
Negative Symptoms: Future Developments of the Concept

The concept of negative symptoms has become increasingly important since it was reintroduced into psychiatric thinking several years ago. As the possible significance of negative symptoms has become clarified, the complexity of this concept has also become apparent. In dealing with this complexity, major progress has been made in describing negative symptoms more reliably and in taking steps toward identifying possible biological correlates. But two other particularly important directions also need to be pursued. First, psychosocial factors need to be explored further both in terms of their etiological contributions to negative symptoms and in the way these symptoms influence psychosocial aspects of the evolution of disorder and recovery. Secondly, more attention must be focused on the potential that negative symptoms have for providing an understanding of the interface between biological, psychological, and social processes in psychiatric disorder. In these ways the study of negative symptoms may contribute major clues to the nature of psychopathology, its etiologies, and its course.
The liberty structural specification language: a high-level modeling language for component reuse

Rapid exploration of the design space with simulation models is essential for quality hardware systems research and development. Despite striking commonalities across hardware systems, designers routinely fail to achieve high levels of reuse across models constructed in existing general-purpose and domain-specific languages. This lack of reuse adversely impacts hardware system design by slowing the rate at which ideas are evaluated. This paper presents an examination of existing languages to reveal their fundamental limitations regarding reuse in hardware modeling. With this understanding, a solution is described in the context of the design and implementation of the Liberty Structural Specification Language (LSS), the input language for a publicly available high-level digital-hardware modeling tool called the Liberty Simulation Environment. LSS is the first language to enable low-overhead reuse by simultaneously supporting static inference based on hardware structure and flexibility via parameterizable structure. Through LSS, this paper also introduces a new type inference algorithm and a new programming language technique, called use-based specialization, which, in a manner analogous to type inference, customizes reusable components by statically inferring structural properties that otherwise would have had to have been specified manually.
Temporal Variation and Association of Aflatoxin B1 Albumin-Adduct Levels with Socio-Economic and Food Consumption Factors in HIV Positive Adults

The association between aflatoxin exposure and alteration in immune responses observed in humans suggest that aflatoxin could suppress the immune system and work synergistically with HIV to increase disease severity and progression to AIDS. No longitudinal study has been conducted to assess exposure to aflatoxin (AF) among HIV positive individuals. We examined temporal variation in AFB1 albumin adducts (AF-ALB) in HIV positive Ghanaians, and assessed the association with socioeconomic and food consumption factors. We collected socioeconomic and food consumption data for 307 HIV positive antiretroviral naive adults and examined AF-ALB levels at recruitment (baseline) and at six (follow-up 1) and 12 (follow-up 2) months post-recruitment, by age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES) and food consumption patterns. Generalized linear models were used to examine the influence of socioeconomic and food consumption factors on changes in AF-ALB levels over the study period, adjusting for other covariates. AF-ALB levels (pg/mg albumin) were lower at baseline (mean AF-ALB: 14.9, SD: 15.9), higher at six months (mean AF-ALB: 23.3, SD: 26.6), and lower at 12 months (mean AF-ALB: 15.3, SD: 15.4). Participants with the lowest SES had the highest AF-ALB levels at baseline and follow up-2 compared with those with higher SES. Participants who bought less than 20% of their food and who stored maize for less than two months had lower AF-ALB levels. In the adjusted models, there was a statistically significant association between follow up time and season (dry or rainy season) on AF-ALB levels over time (p = 0.04). Asymptomatic HIV-positive Ghanaians had high plasma AF-ALB levels that varied according to season, socioeconomic status, and food consumption patterns. Steps need to be taken to ensure the safety and security of the food supply for the population, but in particular for the most vulnerable groups such as HIV positive people.
P,P′-Diphenyl­ethyl­enediphosphinic acid dihydrate

The title compound, C14H16O4P2·2H2O, possesses a crystallographic inversion center where two –P(=O)(OH)(C6H5) groups are joined together via two –CH2 groups. In the crystal, the acid molecules are linked by the water molecules via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, leading to the formation of a two-dimensional network lying parallel to (101).
Antibodies to Influenza A Viruses in Wintering Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) in Texas.

SUMMARY. Wild waterfowl in the order Anseriformes are recognized reservoirs for influenza A viruses (IAVs); however, prevalence of infection can vary greatly by species. Few isolates of IAVs have been reported from snow geese (Chen caerulescens), and generally they have not been regarded as an important component of this reservoir. In February 2013, 151 combined cloacal and oropharangeal swabs and 147 serum samples were collected from snow geese wintering on the Gulf coast of Texas. None of the swab samples tested positive by virus isolation, but antibodies to IAVs were detected in 87 (59%) birds tested by competitive blocking ELISA (bELISA). To further characterize these detected antibodies, positive samples were tested by virus microneutralization (MN) for antibodies to viruses representing 14 hemagglutinin subtypes (HA1–HA12, H14, and H15). By MN, antibodies to H1 (n = 41; 47%), H5 (n = 32; 37%), H6 (n = 49; 56%), H9 (n = 50; 57%), and H12 (n = 24; 28%) were detected. Snow goose populations have increa...
Directed Growth of Polymer Nanorods Using Surface-Initiated Ring-Opening Polymerization of N-Allyl N-Carboxyanhydride.

A stepwise chemistry route was used to prepare arrays of polymer nanostructures of poly(N-allyl glycine) on Si(111) using particle lithography. The nanostructures were used for studying surface reactions with advanced measurements of atomic force microscopy (AFM). In the first step to fabricate the surface platform, isolated nanopores were prepared within a thin film of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS). The OTS served as a surface resist, and the areas of nanopores provided multiple, regularly shaped sites for further reaction. An initiator, (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), was grown selectively inside the nanopores to define sites for polymerization. The initiator attached selectively to the sites of nanopores indicating OTS prevented nonspecific adsorption. Surface-initiated ring-opening polymerization of N-allyl N-carboxyanhydride with APTES produced polymer nanorods on the nanodots of APTES presenting amine functional groups. The surface changes for each step were monitored using high resolution ...
Preoperative Stress Conditioning in Humans: Is Oxygen the Drug of Choice?

Complications following invasive medical and surgical procedures are common and costly. No clinical protocols exist to actively condition patients prior to these high risk interventions. Effective preconditioning algorithms have been repeatedly demonstrated in animal models for more than a quarter century, where brief exposures to hyperthermia (heat shock), ischemia (ischemic preconditioning) or hypoxia have been employed. Heat shock pretreatment confers protection against experimental acute ischemia-reperfusion, endotoxin challenge and other stressors. The resulting state of protection is short lived (hours) and is associated with new gene expression, typical of a cell stress response (CSR). We aim to use the CSR to actively precondition patients before surgery, a process termed stress conditioning (SC). SC is a procedure in which tissues are briefly exposed to a conditioning stressor and recovered to permit the development of a transient state of resistance to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Successful SC of humans prior to surgery may reduce postoperative complications related to periods of hypotension, hypoxia, or ischemia. Stressors such as heat shock, acute ischemia, endotoxin, heavy metals or hypoxia can induce this protected state but are themselves harmful and of limited clinical utility. The identification of a stressor that could induce the CSR in a non-harmful manner seemed unlikely, until high dose oxygen was considered. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) exposed to high dose oxygen at 2.4 ATA × 60–90 min developed increased resistance to an oxidant challenge in vitro (peroxide). The molecular changes described here, together with our understanding of the CSR and SC phenomena, suggest high dose oxygen may be the drug of choice for clinical preconditioning protocols and should be systematically tested in clinical trials. Oxygen dosing includes the following ranges: room air exposure is 0.21 ATA, clinical oxygen therapy 0.3–1.0 ATA (normobaric hyperoxia) and hyperbaric oxygen is 1.5–3.0 ATA (ATA—atmosphere absolute).
Function of UreB in Klebsiella aerogenes urease.

Urease from Klebsiella aerogenes is composed of three subunits (UreA–UreB–UreC) that assemble into a (UreABC)3 quaternary structure. UreC harbors the dinuclear nickel active site, whereas the functions of UreA and UreB remain unknown. UreD and UreF accessory proteins previously were suggested to reposition UreB and increase the level of exposure of the nascent urease active site, thus facilitating metallocenter assembly. In this study, cells were engineered to separately produce (UreAC)3 or UreB, and the purified proteins were characterized. Monomeric UreB spontaneously binds to the trimeric heterodimer of UreA and UreC to form (UreABC*)3 apoprotein, as shown by gel filtration chromatography, integration of electrophoretic gel band intensities, and mass spectrometry. Similar to the authentic urease apoprotein, the active enzyme is produced by incubation of (UreABC*)3 with Ni2+ and bicarbonate. Conversely, UreBΔ1–19, lacking the 19-residue potential hinge and tether to UreC, does not form a complex with (U...
High-Yield Synthesis of Gold Nanorods with Longitudinal SPR Peak Greater than 1200 nm Using Hydroquinone as a Reducing Agent

While gold nanorods have been extensively studied and used in many biological, plasmonics, and sensing applications, their conventional seed-mediated synthesis still presents a number of limitation...
Developing Method of Embedded Real-time System's Board Support Package

This article introduces, the developing method of embedded real time system's BSP (board support package), including introduction of concept , develop method, test method. It especially introduces the difference between BSP and normal software package .
Antimalarial activity of selected aromatic chelators. II. Substituted quinolines and quinoline-N-oxides.

The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has been shown in vitro to be sensitive to lipophilic chelators with high metal-binding constants. Growth inhibition of the parasite correlates directly with the ability of the compound to chelate, and favorable activity has been demonstrated among the alkyl thiocarbamates, pyridine-N-oxides and quinolines. The 5-substituted 8-hydroxyquinolines and 2-mercaptoquinoline-N-oxide, which have had some use in medicine and cosmetics, possess these characteristics. They also exhibit active antimalarial effects in vitro at concentrations as low as 5 x 10-8 M, making them more potent than quinine sulfate in the same system. Antimalarial effects are not antagonized by cobalt or potentiated by iron, but toxicity of the 5-substituted oxines to the parasite is increased by increasing oxygen levels in vitro.
The Evolution of Allorecognition Specificity

Intraspecific aggression between clonal cnidarians is not random with respect to genotype; instead, agonistic behavior is modified according to the relatedness of contestants such that clonemates and close relatives behave passively, whereas more distant relatives behave aggressively. Aggression is often costly, with contestants suffering injury and losing space for attachment and growth. Similarly, intraspecific somatic fusion in many sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, and ascidians is limited to interactions between close relatives and is thought to carry substantial fitness costs.
Peritoneal Dialysis in Class 2-3 Obesity—A Single-Center Experience

Abstract Extreme obesity may hamper successful peritoneal dialysis (PD) delivery. Among our PD patients, we have identified 15 markedly obese (class 2-3 obesity: body mass index [BMI] ≥35 kg/m 2 ) and 20 lean (BMI: 20-25 kg/m 2 ) dialysis patients and reviewed multiple clinical, laboratory and dialysis-related parameters. Extreme outliers of obesity (BMI > 40; 6 subjects) received detailed review. Although weight ( P P Kt / V (obese versus lean: 2.05 ± 0.51 versus 2 ± 0.36), creatinine clearance (86.8 ± 44.8 versus 70 ± 30.4 L/1.73 m 2 ) or residual renal functions were not statistically different. Total daily PD exchange volumes were similar (11.2 ± 2.5 L versus 10.4 ± 2.5 L, P = 0.378). Serum albumin, calcium, phosphorus, hemoglobin and parathyroid hormone levels did not differ, either. Analogous results have been obtained for extremely obese subjects (BMI 44.3 ± 4.2 kg/m 2 ; range: 40.2-51.6). Our study shows only limited effect of class ≥2 obesity for successful PD in this predominantly African American cohort.
Comparative study of planar antennas as radiating element for phased array antennas

Selection of a suitable antenna type for a particular application has significance importance in meeting the desired system objectives. This paper investigates various antennas of different types for their suitability as a basic radiating element for a Phased Array application. This comparative study takes into account the radiation characteristics, gain, feeding mechanism, polarization, bandwidth and size of the radiating structures that makes them a good candidate for the phased array radar applications. In order to devise a valid method for selecting antenna element, nine popular antenna elements were identified which exhibit similar gain in planar configuration. A reference criterion is formulated to best describe the characteristics of the desired antenna element for ground based phased array radar. Finally, after an extensive literature review, a comparative performance matrix is generated based on their performance as reported by the researchers in well reputed publications. This matrix can serve as a quick reference guide in selection of appropriate antenna element in developing a high gain antenna array for the given application.
Passively-powered wireless micromachined quartz magnetoflexoelastic magnetometer

Highly sensitive, wirelessly powered, and maintenance-free sensors are of great interest to the biomedical, geological, hazardous environment, and traffic control communities. This work demonstrates the passively-powered wireless operation of a magnetoflexoelastic magnetometer. The wireless coupling is achieved using a coupled near-field resonant loop antennas, which excite the high Q-factor (∼6000) micromachined quartz resonator. Magnetostrictive curves are acquired both wired and wirelessly at distances up to 45 mm to confirm the phenomenon is magnetoflexoelastic in nature. A 49.1 Hz/Oe sensitivity was achieved in wireless operation and the ultimate detectable limit was 7 μΤ at 0.5 Hz.
Congenital Tracheoesophageal Fistula in the Adult

Abstract Congenital tracheoesophageal fistula can persist and remain undetected until adulthood. We have recently encountered such a case and reviewed the others reported in the English literature. Commonly, symptoms are present during infancy, but an occasional patient develops symptoms only later in life. Diagnostic confirmation may be quite difficult, and the esophagogram appears to be the most reliable test. Chronic pulmonary suppuration is unusual, and most tracheoesophageal fistulas may be satisfactorily repaired by way of a cervical approach.
Toroidal drop under electric field: arbitrary drop-to-ambient fluid viscosity ratio

In the absence of external forces, a liquid toroidal drop freely suspended in another fluid shrinks towards its centre. It is shown that if the two phases are slightly conducting viscous incompressible fluids with the drop-to-ambient fluid ratios of electric conductivities, dielectric constants and viscosities to be 1/ R , Q and λ , respectively, then the toroidal drop with volume 4 π /3 and having major radius ρ can become almost stationary when subjected to a uniform electric field aligned with the drop’s axis of symmetry. In this case, Q and electric capillary number Ca E that defines the ratio of electric stress to surface tension, are functions of R , ρ and λ and are found analytically. Those functions are relatively insensitive to λ , and for ρ ≥3, they admit simple approximations, which coincide with those obtained recently for λ =1. Streamlines inside and outside the toroidal drop for the same R and ρ but different λ are qualitatively similar.
Direct Navier-Stokes simulations of unsteady vortex breakdown in a swirling jet

Three-dimensional, fully unsteady Navier-Stokes simulations are carried out in order to study the mechanisms governing vortex breakdown in swirling jets. For sufficiently large swirl numbers, the initial breakdown is followed by the formation of an axisymmetric, quasisteady velocity field. In the wake region of the primary breakdown bubble, a finite region of absolute instability is observed to exist that gives rise to the formation of a temporally periodic, helical instability, thereby resulting in the familiar’ spiral vortex breakdown structure.’ This finding hence suggests that the transition from axisymmetric to helical breakdown is a manifestation of a global mode instability.
SOLUTIONS OF ALGEBRAIC MATRIX EQUATIONS RELATED TO OPTIMAL CONTROL THEORY

The purpose of this paper is to obtain necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions of algebraic matrix equations which occur in optimal control theory and elswhere. Such equations include the Lyapunov equation and the Riccati nonlinear matrix equation. Results include a representation of their solutions.
Methodology of Fuzzy Control: An Introduction

Control is necessary. In today’s world, many systems can be controlled. ■ Some things, such as cars, planes, ships, are actually designed to be controlled. In this case, the problem is how to control them so as to achieve certain goals. ■ Some systems are not designed by us, but we have learned how to control them: we can, to some extent, control weather, we can control pollution, etc. In these cases, we also need to find out the best ways to control.
Marketbuzz: Sonification of real-time financial dataa

A system for the sonification of real-time financial data, currently in use by financial traders in five pilot projects, i s described. Anecdotal feedback from the pilot projects suggests that the auditory display is more effective and consistent for monitoring the movement of volatile market indices. The same system has also been tested in two experiments carried out at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College. In the first experiment, subjects performed “change of direction” monitoring tasks of varying difficulty with and without auditory display. The results indicated a significant increase in accuracy when the auditory display was used. In the second experiment, subjects performed the same monitoring task with and without auditory display but were given a second, “number-matching” task which forced them to direct their visual attention away from the “change of direction” task from time to time. The auditory display increased accuracy more dramatically than in the first experiment, since the subjects were able to rely on the sonification to perform the “change of direction” monitoring task when they were distracted with the “number-matching” task.
Normative sex behavior and the person with a disability: assessing the effectiveness of the rehabilitation agencies.

This paper has several purposes: to discuss several major habilitative implications of the normalization principle, with particular reference to the socio-sexual development of persons with disabling and other deviancy-producing conditions; to present some preliminary findings on the success with which human service, including rehabilitation, agencies are currently fostering normative socio-sexual behavior in their clients; and to suggest a number of ways in which agency services may be optimized in this regard.
Influence of a Driver's Mindset on Understanding Driver-Assist Systems

Recently, manufacturers and researchers have been intensively developing autonomous cars and driver-assist systems. If drivers understand exactly what such systems can do, these intelligent vehicles will reduce accident rates as expected. Ordinary drivers, however, have difficulty fully understanding the behavior of these complex systems. Those who are overconfident in the abilities of their vehicles may have accidents because they leave the control to the vehicle even in dangerous situations that the system cannot handle. In contrast, those who distrust the system may have accidents because the system distracts them from their manual driving. In this study we investigated the influence of first impressions of a lane-keeping system, as an example of a driver-assist system, on the driver's understanding of it. We also demonstrated that first impressions changed the subjects' decision even for the same images and that the subjects' feelings towards the system differ, based on their first experiences, even though they do learn the system with time.
What Characteristics Influence Whether Rural Beneficiaries Receiving Care From Urban Hospitals Return Home for Skilled Nursing Care

PURPOSE: Skilled nursing care (SNC) provides Medicare beneficiaries short‐term rehabilitation from an acute event. The purpose of this study is to assess beneficiary, market, and hospital factors associated with beneficiaries receiving care near home. METHODS: The population includes Medicare beneficiaries who live in a rural area and received acute care from an urban facility in 2013. “Near home” was defined 3 different ways based on distances from the beneficiary's home to the nearest source of SNC. Results include unadjusted means and odds ratios from logistic regression. FINDINGS: About 69% of rural beneficiaries receiving acute care in an urban location returned near home for SNC. Beneficiaries returning home were white (odds ratio [OR] black: 0.69; other race: 0.79); male (OR: 1.07); older (OR age 85+ [vs 65‐69]: 1.14); farther from SNC (OR: 1.01 per mile); closer to acute care (OR: 0.28, logged miles); and received acute care from hospitals that did not own a skilled nursing facility (owned OR: 0.77) and hospitals with: no swing bed (swing bed OR: 0.47), high case mix (OR: 3.04), and nonprofit status (for‐profit OR: 0.85). Results varied somewhat across definitions of “near home.” CONCLUSIONS: Rural Medicare beneficiaries who received acute care far from home were more likely to receive SNC far from home. Because Medicare beneficiaries have the choice of where to receive SNC, policy makers may consider ensuring that new payment models do not incentivize provision of SNC away from home.
Personal Moral Philosophies and the Moral Judgments of Salespeople

During the last decade, Donelson R. Forsyth has developed a taxonomy of personal moral philosophies of relevance to sales managers and sales researchers concerned about the ethicality of salespeople's decisions. Forsyth's Ethical Position Questionnaire (EPQ), which measures a respondent's tendency to consider injury to others (idealism) and/or to disregard universal moral rules (relativism) when making moral judgments, can be used to classify salespeople into one of four personal moral philosophies: situationists, subjectivists, absolutists, and exceptionists. After a brief overview of Forsyth's work and its place within sales research on ethics, the results of an empirical study of life insurance agents show that agents with different moral philosophies a la Forsyth's taxonomy differ in their moral judgments about some ethically- questionable actions by life insurance agents.
T cells and the skin: from protective immunity to inflammatory skin disorders

Skin is our primary interface with the environment, and T cells are crucial for orchestrating host immune responses against pathogenic microorganisms at this site. Effective skin immune responses require the generation of antigen-specific effector T cells, which home to cutaneous sites of injury or infection. Long-lasting immunity against future immune challenges is mediated by memory T cells. Among the memory T cells found in skin are both recirculating cells that transit between skin and blood and tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, which remain in skin for long periods of time and mediate durable protective immunity. These TRM cells also appear to drive many inflammatory diseases of skin. Here, we consider how a better understanding of cutaneous T cell responses can aid in the development of effective new therapies for immune-mediated cutaneous diseases. Here, Ho and Kupper detail how T cell responses are generated and maintained in skin. They discuss how the various subsets of skin-resident T cells — including memory and innate-like populations — contribute to inflammatory skin disorders.
Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and ribociclib, an oral inhibitor of cyclin dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK 4/6), for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

1028Background: Current therapeutic efforts in the management of HER2+ MBC focus on targeting the HER receptor family, however co-inhibition of targets downstream of the HER2 pathway, such as cycli...
Epidemiology of Large Bowel Carcinoid Tumors in the USA: A Population-Based National Study.

Prior studies have shown that about 90% of all carcinoid tumors occur in the GI tract. However, epidemiological studies of these tumors have been limited by small sample size. Our aim was to obtain a more robust epidemiologic survey of large bowel carcinoids (LBC), using population-based data in order to more accurately identify risk factors for these tumors. We used a commercial database (Explorys Inc, Cleveland, OH) which includes electronic health record data from 26 major integrated US healthcare systems. We identified all patients aged 18 and older who were diagnosed with LBC, excluding appendiceal carcinoids, between 1999 and 2018 based on Systematized Nomenclature Of Medicine—Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) and evaluated the prevalence of LBC. We also performed univariate analysis to describe age-, race-, and gender-based distributions and to identify potential risk factors. Of the 62,817,650 individuals in the database, 4530 were identified to have LBC with an overall prevalence of 7.21/100,000. Individuals with LBC were more likely to be elderly (age > 65) [OR 2.17, CI 2.05–2.31, p < 0.0001], smokers [OR 3.25; 95% CI 3.00–3.53, p < 0.0001], have a history of alcohol use [OR 3.75; 95% CI 3.52–3.99, p < 0.0001], diabetes mellitus (DM) [OR 4.42; 95% CI 4.14–4.72, p < 0.0001], obesity [OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.43–1.74, p < 0.0001], family history of cancer [OR 8.06; 95% CI 7.47–8.71, p < 0.0001], and personal history of ulcerative colitis [OR 6.93; 95% CI 5.55–8.64, p < 0.0001] or Crohn’s disease [OR 6.45; 95% CI 5.24–7.95, p < 0.0001]. The prevalence of LBC was less among Caucasians compared to African–Americans [OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.53–0.61, p < 0.0001]. There was no statistically significant gender-based difference; men versus women [OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.96–1.08, p = 0.47]. The most common presenting symptoms included flushing, diarrhea, nausea, weight loss, and abdominal pain, while the most common GI associations included perforation, obstruction, hemorrhage, intussusception, and volvulus. This is the largest epidemiological study evaluating the prevalence of LBC. We estimated the prevalence rate of LBC to be 7.21/100,000. The presence of significant risk factors with the clinical picture suspicious for a LBC should warrant thorough evaluation as these tumors can lead to life-threatening complications. Further studies are needed to better understand the mechanism of association between these risk factors and LBC.
Sensitivities of direct numerical simulations to chemical kinetic uncertainties: spherical flame kernel evolution of a real jet fuel

Abstract A systematic computational study is conducted to understand the propagation of uncertain chemical kinetic parameters into turbulent premixed flame simulations. Two snapshots of the cross-section of a spherical flame kernel in homogeneous isotropic turbulence is extracted from a three dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) and serve as the initial conditions for a series of subsequent two-dimensional DNS that sample and quantify the impact of chemical kinetic uncertainties on the integrated heat release rates and certain species concentrations. The target configuration features real jet fuel chemistry modeled by a 31-species reduced reaction model. The importance of each reaction is first ranked, by comparing the normalized reaction flux based on a snapshot from the DNS. A two-step process is then taken where initial Monte Carlo screening is performed by perturbing 99 reaction rate constants simultaneously. Following this, a subset of 19 reactions is studied using a larger collection of 2D DNS simulations. As the major quantity of interest, the integrated heat release rate is consistently the most sensitive to reactions R8 ( H + O 2 = O + OH ) and R32 ( CO + OH = CO 2 + H ). When combined with a consideration of the reaction rate uncertainty, R71 ( CH 3 + OH = CH 2 * + H 2 O ) consistently impacts the quality of flame prediction most prominently. For the case starting with a strong burning flame, the rate limiting reactions are found to be not significantly different between the turbulent and laminar conditions, although the magnitudes of sensitivity coefficients are amplified for certain reactions under turbulent conditions due to an enlarged thermochemical space. For the case initialized with a near-extinction flame, more upstream and/or competing reactions with R8 and R32 are observed. Another manifestation of the enlarged thermochemical space in turbulent flames is the wider range of influential reactions for integrated mass of CO, in comparison with the laminar condition where the sensitivity is dominated by R32. For H and C2H2, reactions R71, R42 ( HCO + O 2 = CO + HO 2 ) and R40 ( HCO + M = CO + H + M ) are identified to impact the model predictions for such species as acetylene in the most significant manner.
Fuzzy Control of Energy Storage Systems in DC Microgrids

DC microgrids can have many destabilizing and ill-behaving elements. In this paper a fuzzy-logic control algorithm is implemented to stabilize a DC microgrid while demonstrating improved management of an energy storage system when compared against a tradition proportional-integral control algorithm. Simulation and hardware results of a DC microgrid comprised of a variable power source, stochastic impedance load, a fixed ballast and a stabilizer unit (lead acid battery and ultra-capacitor bank) will be demonstrated.
Western Esoteric Healing II: A Taxonomy of Sources of Therapeutic Knowledge

This article, the second in a two-part series, continues an exploration of Western esoteric healing, with special reference to its sources of therapeutic knowledge. First, the taxonomy introduced in the first paper is applied to a selection of representative esoteric healing systems, traditions, or organizations. These include respective groups whose therapeutic knowledge originates in and is transmitted via channeling, initiation, or empirical observation or validation, as well as groups whose knowledge comes through a combination of sources. Discussion is provided of Western esoteric traditions with substantial therapeutic and/or diagnostic teachings exemplifying these sources of knowledge. This entails a detailed unpacking of a wide range of medical and health-related information originating in historical and primary-source material on more than a dozen healing traditions. Recommendations are offered for follow-up investigation, including historical and social-historical, ethnographic, and medical and health-related research.
Detection of Circular-Crested Lamb Waves Using Surface-Bonded Fiber-Optic Ultrasound Sensors: A Theoretical Perspective

A theoretical framework is established to study the interaction between circular-crested Lamb waves (CCLWs) and a fiber-optic ultrasound sensor (FOUS) bonded onto the surface of a plate structure. CCLW is a universal expression of guided Lamb waves, regardless of the source-sensor distance. In the theory developed here, strain transfer and transformation, birefringence of the fiber sensor, and modulation of refractive index by elasto-optic effects are incorporated. Explicit expression for calculating the ultrasound-induced wavelength shift of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) is derived. To showcase application of the established theory in a more general situation, a chirped FBG Fabry-Perot interferometer based FOUS is simulated, in combination with transfer matrix method. Results uncover quantitatively the interplay of the following factors governing the sensor response: 1) co-existence of both axial and lateral normal strains in the fiber, especially in the near field; 2) elasto-optic properties of the fiber material; 3) initial polarization state of the fiber sensor; 4) incident angle of the CCLWs; and 5) ratio between the equivalent ultrasonic wavelength and the effective sensor length. The calculated results uncover the underlying mechanisms responsible for several experimental observations reported but inadequately explained in the literature. The theoretical framework is also applicable to other non-FBG-based FOUSs that rely on phase modulation by ultrasounds.
ADAS-RL: Adaptive Vector Scaling Reinforcement Learning For Human-in-the-Loop Lane Departure Warning

Multiple sensory modalities are fast becoming a key instrument in the future of the automotive industry. Collision avoidance, lane departure warning, and self-parking are examples of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that are becoming possible with the adoption of more sensors. Moreover, thanks to the recent advances in mobile computing and wearable devices, the driver is now equipped with advanced sensory systems. This rich sensory environment paves the way to integrate the human factor into the loop of computation of ADAS to provide a personalized experience. In this paper, we introduce ADAS-RL, a Reinforcement Learning based algorithm that integrates the behavior and reactions of the driver with the vehicle context to continuously adapt and tune the warning interventions of Lane Departure Warning System (LDW). We validated ADAS-RL against human drivers using CARLA simulator. Our evaluation shows a significant enhancement in the driver experience compared to the standard LDW systems. ADAS-RL shows the ability to track the changes in driving behavior and adapt the frequency of warnings allowing drivers to stay within a reasonable distance (around 1.75m) from lane markings with a significant decrease in the false warnings.
The History of Human Factors in Healthcare: From Its Emergence 50 Years Ago to COVID-19:

Advances in medical technologies and training have been met by universal challenges in safety, efficiency, and effectiveness. The drastic growth and variegation of Healthcare as a field demands gre...
Single sub-10 nm biomolecule manipulation enabled by opto-thermo-electrohydrodynamic tweezers

Our opto-thermo-electrohydrodynamic tweezers (OTET) enables the trapping and dynamic manipulation of sub-10 nm size biomolecules several microns away from the high intensity laser focus thereby mitigating detrimental photo-induced heating effect.