cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Confinement on Stiffness and Fracture of Thin Amorphous Polymer Films

The elastic modulus, fracture strength, and onset fracture strain of supported glassy polystyrene films with a thickness ranging from 250 to 9 nm were quantitatively determined by a recently developed wrinkling–cracking method. Films with a thickness below about 40 nm showed a decrease in both elastic modulus and fracture strength with decreasing film thickness, whereas the onset fracture strain was shown to increase. The observed variations in mechanical properties with respect to the bulk counterparts support the notion that a mechanically soft thin layer having a loosely entangled chain network exists in the near-surface region of polymeric materials, whose contribution becomes more pronounced in thinner films.
Improved Novel Global Harmony Search Algorithm

To improve the optimization performance of harmony search algorithm,an improved novel global harmony search( INGHS) algorithm was proposed. The harmony memory diversity was defined by the difference vector norm to implement dynamically position updating,and the mutation operation was employed to update harmony memory. A new harmony generated with dynamically updating strategy made the algorithm having excellent global search performance in the early states and local search capability during the final stages of the optimization process,which avoided the algorithm trapped in local optimal. Finally,the simulation for 7 benchmark functions were carried out using the proposed algorithm and other state-of-the-art HS variants that reported in the recent literature. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm has a higher precision.
An Exploration of Designing a Hybrid Scale-Up/Out Hadoop Architecture Based on Performance Measurements

Scale-up machines perform better for jobs with small and median (KB, MB) data sizes, while scale-out machines perform better for jobs with large (GB, TB) data size. Since a workload usually consists of jobs with different data size levels, we propose building a hybrid Hadoop architecture that includes both scale-up and scale-out machines, which however is not trivial. The first challenge is workload data storage. Thousands of small data size jobs in a workload may overload the limited local disks of scale-up machines. Jobs from scale-up and scale-out machines may both request the same set of data, which leads to data transmission between the machines. The second challenge is to automatically schedule jobs to either scale-up or scale-out cluster to achieve the best performance. We conduct a thorough performance measurement of different applications on scale-up and scale-out clusters, configured with Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and a remote file system (i.e., OFS), respectively. We find that using OFS rather than HDFS can solve the data storage challenge. Also, we identify the factors that determine the performance differences on the scale-up and scale-out clusters and their cross points to make the choice. Accordingly, we design and implement the hybrid scale-up/out Hadoop architecture. Our trace-driven experimental results show that our hybrid architecture outperforms both the traditional Hadoop architecture with HDFS and with OFS in terms of job completion time, throughput and job failure rate.
Spatially Resolved Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy via Wide-Field Microscopy.

We report the first wide-field microscope for measuring two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopic images. We concurrently collect more than 16 000 2D IR spectra, made possible by a new focal plane array detector and mid-IR pulse shaping, to generate hyperspectral images with multiple frequency dimensions and diffraction-limited spatial resolution. Both frequency axes of the spectra are collected in the time domain by scanning two pairs of femtosecond pulses using a dual acousto-optic modulator pulse shaper. The technique is demonstrated by imaging a mixture of metal carbonyl absorbed polystyrene beads. The differences in image formation between FTIR and 2D IR microscopy are also explored by imaging a patterned USAF test target. We find that our 2D IR microscope has diffraction-limited spatial resolution and enhanced contrast compared to FTIR microscopy because of the nonlinear scaling of the 2D IR signal to the absorptivity coefficient for the vibrational modes. Images generated using off-diagonal pe...
Locus- and cell type-specific epigenetic switching during cellular differentiation in mammals.

Epigenomic reconfiguration, including changes in DNA methylation and histone modifications, is crucial for the differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into somatic cells. However, the extent to which the epigenome is reconfigured and the interplay between components of the epigenome during cellular differentiation remain poorly defined. We systematically analyzed and compared DNA methylation, various histone modification, and transcriptome profiles in ESCs with those of two distinct types of somatic cells from human and mouse. We found that global DNA methylation levels are lower in somatic cells compared to ESCs in both species. We also found that 80% of regions with histone modification occupancy differ between human ESCs and the two human somatic cell types. Approximately 70% of the reconfigurations in DNA methylation and histone modifications are locus- and cell typespecific. Intriguingly, the loss of DNA methylation is accompanied by the gain of different histone modifications in a locus- and cell type-specific manner. Further examination of transcriptional changes associated with epigenetic reconfiguration at promoter regions revealed an epigenetic switching for gene regulation—a transition from stable gene silencing mediated by DNA methylation in ESCs to flexible gene repression facilitated by repressive histone modifications in somatic cells. Our findings demonstrate that the epigenome is reconfigured in a locus- and cell type-specific manner and epigenetic switching is common during cellular differentiation in both human and mouse.
ATPS-91GSK-3 INHIBITOR 9-ING-41 ENHANCES GENOTOXIC THERAPY OF GBM LEADING TO CURE FROM INTRACRANIAL BRAIN TUMOR.

BACKGROUND: Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK-3), a positive regulator of NF-kappaB-mediated survival of cancer cells, has been identified as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of GBM. We hypothesized that the inhibition of GSK-3 may overcome NF-kappaB-associated chemo- and radioresistance in human GBM. METHODS: We used GBM6 and GBM12 patient-derived xenograft (PDX) orthotopic tumor models, enabled for bioluminescence imaging (BLI) through luciferase modification, for evaluating the novel GSK-3 inhibitor 9-ING-41, when used in combination with genotoxic chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In vivo imaging system (IVIS) was used to study the effect of mono- and combination treatments, along with determination of survival benefit from treatment after intracranial transplantation of GBM tumor. RESULTS: BLI of animal subjects revealed that NF-kappaB is constitutively active in orthotopic GBM tumor expressing an NF-kappa luciferase reporter. Intravenous injection of 9-ING-41 significantly reduced the bioluminescence of orthotopic GBM PDX, indicative of reduced NF-kappaB transcriptional activity. When used in combination with the DNA alkylator CCNU, 9-ING-41 significantly increased CCNU anti-tumor activity against orthotopic GBM12 (no response to CCNU monotherapy) or GBM6 (partial response to CCNU monotherapy) xenografts, as indicated by the absence of tumor bioluminescence signal in mouse brain and by significantly increased animal subject survival. The treatment with CCNU + 9-ING-41 resulted in "apparent cure" for all mice with intracranial GBM6 and GBM12 tumors, as supported by histological evaluation that revealed a complete absence of cancer cells in mouse brain. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that GSK-3 inhibitor 9-ING-41, a novel clinical drug candidate, enhances the efficacy of genotoxic therapy for human GBM, and warrants consideration for clinical evaluation. The combination of 9-ING-41 and radiotherapy, for the treatment of GBM12 orthotopic PDX tumors, is ongoing and will be presented.
Thermal Sensitivity of UBM Adhesion in WLCSP

Recent developments in WLCSP proved Polyimide to be a good alternative to Benzocyclobutene as a passivation material and dielectric interlayer. An interface adhesion failure between PI and Ni-V under bump metallurgy was recently reported after significant exposure to high temperature. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of thermal sensitivity of UBM/Passivation adhesion through determination of activation energy. Four devices with different structures were exposed to different temperature settings and exposure times to simulate thermal degradation of UBM adhesion. Results showed that bump shear strength degrade exponentially with exposure to temperature. The time-to-failure equation was determined to follow the Arrhenius model.
Deletion of the Short Arm of Chromosome 1 (del 1p) Is the Strongest Predictor of Poor Outcome in Myeloma Patients Undergoing an Autotransplant.

Abstract Background: Chromosomal abnormalities detected by conventional cytogenetic analysis are known to adversely impact the outcome in myeloma patients. Abnormalities of chromosome 1, 13, 14 and 17 are commonly described. Deletions of the short arm of chromosome 1 presumably result in a loss of tumor suppressor genes, including p73, a member of the p53 family. We report the outcome of 83 myeloma patients with clonal cytogenetic abnormalities who underwent high-dose therapy and single autologous stem cell transplantation at our institution. Methods: We identified 83 patients (median age: 56 years) with clonal cytogenetic abnormalities detected at diagnosis by conventional chromosomal analysis. Patients underwent high-dose therapy and a single autologous transplant between April 2000 and May 2005. All 83 patients received high-dose melphalan, either alone (73) or as a combination of topotecan, melphalan and cyclophosphamide (TMC =10). Sixty-four patients were transplanted for the consolidation of first remission or for primary refractory disease, while 19 patients were transplanted for relapsed disease. The most common chromosomal abnormalities observed were hyperdiploidy (21%), del 1p (19%), 14q32 abnormalities (14%) and del 13q (10%). Results: Median follow up among surviving patients was 25.5 months. Median interval from diagnosis to autotransplant was 7.7 months (range 2.5–52). Median progression-free survival (PFS) for the entire group was 19 months and the median overall survival (OS) was 52 months. On univariate analysis, both PFS and OS were significantly shorter in patients with del 1p (p= 0.001 and Conclusion: Del 1p is associated with a significantly shorter remission and survival in patients undergoing high-dose therapy and a single autologous transplant. Patients with this abnormality are candidates for novel therapeutic approaches including newer antimyeloma drugs and nonablative allogeneic transplantation.
Development of a Unique siRNA and Intrabody Combinatorial HIV-1 Vector to Knockdown CXCR4 and Protect Cells from HIV-1 Challenge.

Abstract We overcome the problem of knocking down highly expressed gene function by combining intracellular single chain antibodies (intrabodies) and short interfering RNA (siRNA) to the same gene product. The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is expressed at high levels on T cells and is the co-receptor for pathogenic HIV-1s (termed X4-tropic). Furthermore, it has been shown that HIV-1 requires low amounts of CXCR4 for X4-tropic viral entry (Konopka and Duzgune AIDS Res Hum Retro, 2002). In contrast to CCR5, due to the high levels of CXCR4, it has been more difficult to provide protection from HIV-1 challenge using conventional siRNA strategies. To address this issue a CXCR4 siRNA and intrabody gene combination HIV-1 vector has been generated. The CXCR4 intrabody is specific for the C-terminal domain of CXCR4 and is coupled to the KDEL endoplasmic retention signal and CXCR4 siRNA targets mRNA nucleotides 331–349 (Martinez, et al. AIDS, 2002). Using the myelomonocytic THP-1 cell line, a line that highly expresses cell surface CXCR4, it was found that CXCR4 intrabody or siRNA vectors mediated a 50% reduction in cells expressing CXCR4 as assessed by flow cytometry. In contrast, the level of CXCR4 cell knockdown increased to 82% using the CXCR4 siRNA and intrabody combinatorial vector. Moreover, the CXCR4 mean fluorescent intensity in cells containing the combination vector resembled the mean fluorescent intensity of cells analyzed with isotype control antibodies, i.e., little detectable CXCR4 expression as judged by flow cytometry. Similar CXCR4 knockdown trends were seen in primary CD4+ T-cells expressing the combinatorial vector as compared to vectors containing the intrabody gene or siRNA alone. HIV-1 X4-tropic challenge studies using a multiplicity of infection of 1 have shown that THP-1 cells expressing the combinatorial vector are resistant to infection (HIV-1 p24 production 15–35 ng/ml). These findings demonstrate that targeting both the message and protein product from the same gene is vastly superior to the targeting of either message or protein. The combinatorial vector is currently being tested in humanized mice for efficacy. Lastly, targeting a highly expressed cellular product at the message and protein level may prove beneficial for efficient gene knockdown outside the HIV-1 research and therapy field, such as for metastatic cancers associated with CXCR4/SDF-1 upregulation.
Recovery of Salmonellae from Broiler Carcasses by Direct Enrichment.

Each of four serotypes of Salmonella ( S. anatum , S. montevideo , S. saint-paul , S. typhimurium ), inoculated at low levels on broiler carcasses (ca. 20 cells/carcass) was detected by direct enrichment of the whole carcass rinse fluid with either Selenite Cystine Broth (SC) or Selenite Brilliant Green Broth (SGB). Neither Selenite Brilliant Green Sulfa Broth (SBGS) nor TT Broth was effective in detecting the serotypes unless the entire broiler carcass with the rinse fluid was incubated with either of these enrichment broths. SBG and SC were effective as direct enrichment broths for recovering pure cultures of the four seroytpes subjected to sublethal heat treatment (53 C for 1 min) approximating that to which broiler carcasses are subjected during the commercial scalding process.
Minimal Heating at the Skin Surface During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

Objective To assess if transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) produces a temperature change at the skin surface, if any change is stimulation polarity (anode or cathode) specific, and the contribution of passive heating (joule heat) or blood flow on such change. Material and Methods Temperature differences (ΔTs) in an agar phantom study and an in vivo study (forearm stimulation) including 20 volunteers with both experimental measures and finite element method (FEM) multiphysics prediction (current flow and bioheat) models of skin comprising three tissue layers (epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layer with blood perfusion) or of the phantom for active stimulation and control cases were compared. Temperature was measured during pre, post, and stimulation phases for both phantom and subject's forearms using thermocouples. Results In the phantom, ΔT under both anode and cathode, compared to control, was not significantly different and less than 0.1°C. Stimulation of subjects resulted in a gradual increase in temperature under both anode and cathode electrodes, compared to control (at t = 20 min: ΔTanode = 0.9°C, ΔTcathode = 1.1°C, ΔTcontrol = 0.05°C). The FEM phantom model predicted comparable maximum ΔT of 0.27°C and 0.28°C (at t = 20 min) for the control and anode/cathode cases, respectively. The FEM skin model predicted a maximum ΔT at t = 20 min of 0.98°C for control and 1.36°C under anode/cathode electrodes. Conclusions Taken together, our results indicate a moderate and nonhazardous increase in temperature at the skin surface during 2 mA tDCS that is independent of polarity, and results from stimulation induced blood flow rather than joule heat.
Spatial and temporal variability of intratumoral 18F-FDG distribution in patients with cancer.

e21149 Background: We previously reported that in mice models, tumor microenvironment is complex and intratumoral 18F-FDG distribution is heterogeneous. There were apparent spatial and temporal intratumoral 18F-FDG distribution changes occurring even within 24-48 hour interval in human cancer cell xenografts grown in nude mice. We hypothesized that what was documented in mice models may also be applicable to human patients with cancer. The objective of this study was to investigate the intratumoral spatial and temporal distribution of 18F-FDG in cancer patients. Methods: Five patients who had repeat PET/CT scans within 1-28 days and with no interval therapy were identified. All patients had fasted overnight and had blood glucose level of less than 200 mg/dl. They were injected with 8.0-14.0mCi of 18F-FDG intravenously, and whole body PET/CT scans were performed 60-80 minutes later utilizing a Siemens PET/CT scanner. Each patient’s intratumoral FDG activity distributions were mapped and compared to each ot...
Semi-LFT gain-scheduling output regulation of parameter-dependent LFT systems

In this paper, we propose a novel gain-scheduling control approach for almost output regulation of a class of parameter-dependent uncertain systems. The uncertain system under consideration is represented in the general form of linear fractional transformation (LFT) with time-varying parametric uncertainties and unknown external perturbations. A novel semi-LFT gain-scheduling output regulator structure is proposed. The resulting output regulation control synthesis conditions are formulated as a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) plus parameter-dependent linear matrix equations, which can be solved effectively via convex optimization. A numerical example has been used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Machine learning for micro-tomography

Machine learning has revolutionized a number of fields, but many micro-tomography users have never used it for their work. The micro-tomography beamline at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), in collaboration with the Center for Applied Mathematics for Energy Research Applications (CAMERA) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has now deployed a series of tools to automate data processing for ALS users using machine learning. This includes new reconstruction algorithms, feature extraction tools, and image classification and recommen- dation systems for scientific image. Some of these tools are either in automated pipelines that operate on data as it is collected or as stand-alone software. Others are deployed on computing resources at Berkeley Lab–from workstations to supercomputers–and made accessible to users through either scripting or easy-to-use graphical interfaces. This paper presents a progress report on this work.
Liquid Maternity in Italian Migration Cinema

In this chapter, Faleschini Lerner considers the roles of migrant mothers in four Italian fiction films that make women key narrative players: Andrea Segre’s Io sono Li (2011), Federico Bondi’s Mar Nero (2008), Terraferma by Emanuele Crialese (2011), and Io, l’altro by Mohsen Melliti (2006). She argues that the mothers in these films share a liquid experience of maternity insofar as they are associated visually with water as a metaphor for the instability of migrant lives in the postmodern era.
Application of Spectral Techniques in Solving Diffusion Problems

The distributed RC line is of great importance; pretty much in all cases where inductance is not relevant, such as low speeds we end up with a distributed RC line. This line is governed by the diffusion equation which is second order in space and first order in time. The diffusion equation is solved by the method of separation of variables, where one part depends on position while the other on time. It is the spatial solution that inherits spectral techniques and is solved for using a Fourier series. To get the final solution we need both initial conditions and boundary conditions. In the chapter we try some examples with variants of ICs and BCs. For each case we extract the solution and compare favorably with SPICE. As expected the more harmonics we add, the better the solution. But really the most interesting case is where the boundary conditions are time-dependent; there we throw in yet another Fourier series, but this time in time! So we have harmonic expansion both in space and time; and as shown in the examples it all adds up and we get excellent results.
Opioid Prescribing to Adolescents in the United States From 2005 to 2016.

Objective:This study assessed trends in days’ supply for opioid prescriptions filled by adolescents with commercial insurance and Medicaid.Methods:IBM MarketScan commercial and Medicaid pharmacy cl...
Measuring Cellular Traction Forces with Micromachined Substrates

The ability to pattern silicon substrates revolutionized electronics by miniaturizing circuit components 40 years ago. The processes defined by this field have been extended within the past 25 years to make three dimensional silicon structures such as levers, diaphragms, valves, and gears which are the basis of a variety of miniature mechanical devices. These devices have a wide range of commercial applications, from accelerometers used for air bag release, to print heads for ink jet printers, pressure sensors for cardiovascular catheters, and even complete miniaturized gas chromatographs. More recently, micromachining has found applications in tissue engineering and fundamental studies on cell motility and guidance. This chapter will describe micromachining, its application in studying cell motility, and a new micro-machined device that we are using to measure sub-cellular traction forces.
Achievement Motivation in Ethnic Minority Youth

This article reviews contemporary research on achievement motivation in ethnic minority youth. The article is organized around two main constructs in motivation research: expectancy for success, or beliefs about ability (Can I do it?) and how much that success is valued or desired (Do I want it?). The topics covered under expectancy for success are racial stereotypes about intelligence, students’ implicit theories about intelligence, and coping with discrimination. The topics covered under achievement values are oppositional identity, the valued characteristics of peers, and self-affirmation. Implications for interventions and school reform initiatives to improve motivation in ethnic minority youth are discussed.
Seroepidemiology of varicella in Hangzhou, China in the vaccine era.

ABSTRACTObjective To delineate seroepidemiology of VZV in children aged 1–14 years in Hangzhou, to evaluate immunological response of VarV via 2 dose regimen immunization of VarV, for improving imm...
Abstract 1194: U.S. childhood and adolescent cancer survival between 1992 and 2013: An analysis of population-based data

Background Monitoring cancer survival over time and across different demographic groups is an important part of cancer control. In the current study, our objective was to examine U.S. cancer survival patterns in childhood and adolescent cancer patients between different time periods and demographic groups. Methods Survival data for primary cancers diagnosed in individuals ≤ 19 years from 1992 to 2014 were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 13 database. Five-year relative survival rates were estimated according to the cohort method using SEER*Stat software. Survival differences were examined for subgroups defined by diagnosis time period (1992-1994, 1995-1999, 2000-2004, 2005-2009), sex (male and female), age at diagnosis ( Results Five-year relative survival increased significantly for cancers overall (75.9% vs. 82.9 for 1992-1994 and 2005-2009 respectively, p Conclusion Our results indicate that childhood and adolescent cancer survival continues to improve for all demographic groups. However, persistent inferior survival rates in infants and in minority race/ethnicity groups reinforces the need for continued research that aims to eliminate childhood and adolescent cancer survival inequities. Citation Format: Xiaoyan Wang, Kimberly J. Johnson. U.S. childhood and adolescent cancer survival between 1992 and 2013: An analysis of population-based data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1194.
Onset of Convection

The results of recent experiments probing the initial stages of pattern formation in Rayleigh-Benard convection are presented. Unless extraordinary measures are taken, horizontal temperature gradients induced by the sidewalls result in flows which reflect the container geometry and penetrate inward from the walls. When such forcing is reduced sufficiently the initial stages are observed to involve random cellular flow emerging throughout the entire cell, and gradually healing to roll-like flow. Results for the convective heat current can be modeled using the amplitude equation with either a constant or a stochastic forcing term.
An iterative penalized least squares approach to sparse canonical correlation analysis

It is increasingly interesting to model the relationship between two sets of high-dimensional measurements with potentially high correlations. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is a classical tool that explores the dependency of two multivariate random variables and extracts canonical pairs of highly correlated linear combinations. Driven by applications in genomics, text mining, and imaging research, among others, many recent studies generalize CCA to high-dimensional settings. However, most of them either rely on strong assumptions on covariance matrices, or do not produce nested solutions. We propose a new sparse CCA (SCCA) method that recasts high-dimensional CCA as an iterative penalized least squares problem. Thanks to the new iterative penalized least squares formulation, our method directly estimates the sparse CCA directions with efficient algorithms. Therefore, in contrast to some existing methods, the new SCCA does not impose any sparsity assumptions on the covariance matrices. The proposed SCCA is also very flexible in the sense that it can be easily combined with properly chosen penalty functions to perform structured variable selection and incorporate prior information. Moreover, our proposal of SCCA produces nested solutions and thus provides great convenient in practice. Theoretical results show that SCCA can consistently estimate the true canonical pairs with an overwhelming probability in ultra-high dimensions. Numerical results also demonstrate the competitive performance of SCCA.
Joint forcing of climate warming and ENSO on a dual-cropping system

Abstract Challenges for achieving food security with an increasing world population are stimulating many stakeholders to consider the impact of climate change on global-regional crop production. One major concern is how the covariations of climate warming and extremes (e.g., ENSO) affect agricultural systems and production. Here, a dual-cropping system in the Huaihe Plain was used as a testbed to address this issue. We found that climate warming during 1982–2013 has produced remarkable influences on the dual-cropping agricultural system. For the spring season crop (i.e., winter wheat), a significant negative effect was found with a production loss of ˜6.9 × 106 tons due to an elevated Tmean (˜2.21 °C) (r=-0.508, p
Identifying a low-flow phenotype in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a secondary analysis of the RELAX trial.

Author(s): Patel, Kershaw V; Mauricio, Rina; Grodin, Justin L; Ayers, Colby; Fonarow, Gregg C; Berry, Jarett D; Pandey, Ambarish | Abstract: AimsThe relationship between resting stroke volume (SV) and prognostic markers in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is not well established. We evaluated the association of SV index (SVI) at rest with exercise capacity and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in stable patients with HFpEF.Methods and resultsParticipants enrolled in the Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibition to Improve Clinical Status and Exercise Capacity in Diastolic Heart Failure (RELAX) trial with available data on SVI by the Doppler method were included in this analysis (n = 185). A low-flow state defined by resting SVI l 35 mL/m2 was present in 37% of study participants. Multivariable adjusted linear regression analysis suggested that higher resting heart rate, higher body weight, prevalent atrial fibrillation, and smaller left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension were each independently associated with lower SVI. Patients with low-flow HFpEF had lower systolic blood pressure and smaller LV end-diastolic dimension. In multivariable adjusted linear regression models, lower SVI was significantly associated with lower peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2 ) and higher NT-proBNP levels at baseline, and greater decline in peak VO2 at 6 month follow-up independent of other confounders. Resting LV ejection fraction was not associated with peak VO2 and NT-proBNP levels.ConclusionsThere is heterogeneity in the resting SVI distribution among patients with stable HFpEF, with more than one-third of patients identified with the low-flow HFpEF phenotype (SVI l 35 mL/m2 ). Lower SVI was independently associated with lower peak VO2 , higher NT-proBNP levels, and greater decline in peak VO2 . These findings highlight the potential prognostic utility of SVI assessment in the management of patients with HFpEF.
Unintentional affective priming during labeling may bias labels

Online platforms displaying long streams of examples are often employed to gather labels from both experts and crowd workers. While previous work in crowdsourcing focused on objective tasks and estimating error parameters of annotators, collecting labels in a subjective setting (e.g. emotion recognition) is more complicated due to different interpretations of examples. These interpretations could be influenced by many factors such as annotator mood and previously seen examples. In this work, we examine two hypotheses of order-dependent biases in sequential labeling tasks: negatively auto-correlated sequential decision making and positively auto-correlated affective priming. Using controlled generation of facial expressions, we find that i) annotators achieve higher agreement when presented examples in the same sequential order, ii) the valence label of the current image positively correlates with the previous labels given. While we also observe a positive correlation between labels and the number of preceding positive and negative images seen, this correlation is highly dependent on example ordering. Our findings demonstrate that randomized examples given to annotators may produce systematic bias in labels. Future data collection should present examples in orderings which mitigate such bias.
Heat-Map Based Emotion and Face Recognition from Thermal Images

Nowadays emotion recognition becomes feasible in the Computer Vision domain with the help of Convolutional Neural Networks. However, the credibility of emotion recognition from daily images or videos is evidently insufficient. As people can easily mimic emotions one after another by fooling the computational models, different defensive approaches should be taken into consideration. Particularly, thermal images taken by thermal cameras visualize the facial and body’s heat status, revealing where humans actually feel emotions; therefore, models trained with thermal heat-maps are less subject to fake expressions. Accordingly, heat-maps provide suitable resources for developing more credible emotion recognition models. In this paper, a fast detection algorithm, YOLO, is adapted and trained to detect emotions in thermal images. The detection performance, in terms of average precision and intersection over union, from three detection algorithms, YOLO, ResNet, and DenseNet, is compared and their respective characteristics are discussed.
Detection and measurement of land subsidence and uplift using interferometric synthetic aperture radar, San Diego, California, USA, 2016–2018

Abstract. Land subsidence associated with groundwater-level declines is stipulated as an “undesirable effect” in California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and has been identified as a potential issue in San Diego, California, USA. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Sweetwater Authority, and the City of San Diego, undertook a cooperative study to better understand the hydromechanical response of the coastal aquifer system using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques. Three periods of interest were analyzed for this study that correspond to the periods before and after two substantial changes were made to the location and volume of pumpage: (1) April–August 2016 when groundwater levels and land surface elevation were relatively stable during normal pumping, (2) September 2016–May 2017 when groundwater levels recovered and the land surface uplifted during a period of substantially reduced pumping, (3) June 2017–October 2018 when groundwater levels declined and land subsidence occurred when pumpage resumed and expanded to new wells. Spatial and temporal characterization of the hydromechanical response to changes in pumpage is important for managing land subsidence. Further study using InSAR techniques, especially when combined with ground-based geodetic and monitoring-well networks, will provide water managers information to help effectively manage groundwater resources as stipulated in the SGMA.
Chapter 35 – Addictions

The addictions are chronic relapsing brain diseases, with behavioral manifestations and considerable morbidity. Addictions are complex disorders with genetic, epigenetic, neurobiological, and drug exposure factors, as well as environmental factors. Addictions to specific drugs such as alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, cocaine/psychostimulants (e.g. methamphetamine) and μ-opioid receptor agonists (e.g. heroin and abused prescription opioids) have some common direct or downstream effects, including modulation of dopaminergic systems which underlie aspects of mood and reward. Specific addictions also have unique trajectory, morbidity, and pharmacotherapeutic approaches, based on direct and delayed neurobiological adaptations for each drug. Several neurobiological systems have been implicated in addictions, notably opioid receptor and opioid neuropeptide gene systems; stress-responsive systems including corticotropin-releasing hormone, vasopressin, and orexin; and glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid systems. The public health costs of the addictions are massive; there remains a great need for translational neurobiological understanding of these diseases, potentially leading to better treatments, including advances in personalized medicine.
Managing bladder cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic using a team-based approach

The recent novel coronavirus, named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has developed into an international pandemic affecting millions of individuals with hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. The highly infectious nature and widespread prevalence of this disease create a new set of obstacles for the bladder cancer community in both delivering and receiving care. In this manuscript, we address the unique issues regarding treatment prioritization for the patient with bladder cancer and how we at City of Hope have adjusted our clinical practices using a team-based approach that utilizes shared decision making with all stakeholders (physicians, patients, caregivers) to optimize outcomes during this difficult time. In addition to taking standard precautions for minimizing COVID-19 risk of exposure for those entering a healthcare facility (screening all personnel upon entry and donning facemasks at all times), we suggest the following three measures: (1) delay post-treatment surveillance visits until there is a decrease in local COVID-19 cases, (2) continue curative intent treatments for localized bladder cancer with COVID-19 precautions (i.e., choosing gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) over dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, cisplatin (ddMVAC) neoadjuvant chemotherapy), and (3) increase the off-treatment period between cycles of palliative systemic therapy in metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients.
(Pro)renin receptor decoy peptide PRO20 protects against adriamycin-induced nephropathy by targeting the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system

Adriamycin (ADR) administration in susceptible rodents such as the BALB/c mouse strain produces injury to the glomerulus mimicking human chronic kidney disease due to primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The goal of the present study was to use this model to investigate antiproteinuric actions of the (pro)renin receptor decoy inhibitor PRO20. BALB/c mice were pretreated for 1 day with PRO20 at 500 μg·kg-1·day-1 via an osmotic minipump followed by a single injection of vehicle or ADR (10 mg/kg) via the tail vein. Albuminuria and renal function were analyzed at the fourth week post-ADR administration. ADR-treated mice exhibited severe proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia and hyperlipidemia, glomerulosclerosis, podocyte loss, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and oxidative stress, accompanied by elevated urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and kidney injury molecule-1, all of which were significantly attenuated by PRO20. Urinary and renal renin activity and angiotensin II were elevated by ADR and suppressed by PRO20. In parallel, urinary and renal H2O2 levels and renal NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) and transient receptor potential channel C6 (TRPC6) expression in response to ADR were all similarly suppressed. Taken together, the results of the present study provide the first evidence that PRO20 can protect against podocyte damage and interstitial fibrosis in ADR nephropathy by preventing activation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system and upregulation of Nox4 and TRPC6 expression. PRO20 may have a potential application in the treatment of ADR nephropathy.
Detector architecture of the wide-field infrared transient explorer (WINTER) InGaAs camera

We present the InGaAs detector system of the Wide-Field Infrared Transient Explorer (WINTER), a new infrared instrument operating on a 1 meter robotic telescope at the Palomar Observatory. These commercially produced sensors are cooled to -50 °C by a thermo-electric cooler integrated into a room temperature package. These warm InGaAs sensors represent a dramatic reduction in cost and complexity over HgCdTe systems and achieve sky background-limited performance across our science bands for exposures greater than a few seconds. We present the design and implementation of the WINTER detector system and readout electronics.
The energy and momentum of the Universe

The Einstein–Cartan–Sciama–Kibble theory of gravity naturally extends general relativity to include quantum-mechanical, intrinsic angular momentum of matter by equipping spacetime with torsion. Using the Einstein energy–momentum pseudotensor for the gravitational field in this theory, we show that the energy and momentum of the closed Universe are equal to zero. Since the positive energy from mass and motion of the observed matter in the Universe exceeds in magnitude the negative energy from gravity, the Universe must contain another form of matter whose energy is negative. This form, which cannot be composed from particles, might be the observed dark matter.
Costly Signaling and Windmill-Building: Inter-Island Technological Variability on Eighteenth-Century Sugar Estates in the Lesser Antilles

Caribbean sugar mills were powered by water, animals, wind, or steam, yet the evidence indicates major differences between islands in terms of which mill type predominated. We suggest that windmills offered few, if any, advantages over animal mills and several serious disadvantages. Why, then, were so many windmills built during the eighteenth century on some of the islands of the eastern Caribbean and so few on others? Here, we draw on Costly Signaling Theory to help explain these patterns. The preference for windmill-building may have had less to do with functional requirements or economic efficiency than with cultural competition, the signaling of membership of the planter class, and the display of power throughout the plantation landscape.
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIR CHARACTERISTICS, AND AUDITOR DISMISSAL IN A GOING CONCERN CONTEXT

This study examines the role audit committee chair expertise may play in fostering audit quality. The 2002 Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) was enacted to strengthen corporate governance practices in the United States; a fundamental part of this act addressed the audit committee structure and composition. Existing literature suggests that audit committee expertise may improve audit quality. In this study I use a logistic model to compare audit committee chair expertise characteristics for first-time going concern opinion firms that dismissed and did not dismiss the auditor after receiving the going concern opinion for the years 2008-2016 with that of firms that received clean opinions and dismissed or did not dismiss the auditor. I find that audit committee chairs with financial expertise, audit expertise, governance expertise and industry expertise are negatively associated with auditor dismissal. This suggests that firms with these audit committee chair expertise profiles may facilitate better audit quality. Moreover, the chair’s audit expertise, industry expertise and financial expertise are differentially significant in the going concern context indicating that these expertise types may temper management’s inclination to dismiss auditors after undesirable opinions. JEL Classification Codes: M41, M42, M49.
Inflatable Shells: Pressurization Phase

Inflatable shells are extremely thin shells that undergo considerable displacement because of the action of internal pressure. Their behavior can be divided into three phases. The first phase is the unfolding of the shell into its initial unstrained shape from its compact configuration. The second phase is the inflation of the shell into a desired final configuration. The third phase of the behavior that in which the shell is fully inflated and subjected to external loads. The second phase is studied in detail, and a general nonlinear theory is presented for a shell of arbitrary shape. Because the desired shell shape corresponds to the loaded shell, the deformed middle surface is used as the reference surface for the stresses and displacements of the deformed shell. The general theory for the second phase is then specialized for shells of revolution loaded axisymmetrically. A closed-form solution for the force resultants is given. A perturbation method of solution is derived for the displacements. A sample problem is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this solution method. In this example, the series is actually summed.
Adaptive synergy control for a dexterous artificial hand based on grasped object orientation

An adaptive synergy controller is presented which autonomously modulates the finger synergies of a dexterous robotic hand according to the relative orientation of a grasped object. The adaptive synergy controller is derived from approximating the human motion of unscrewing a bottle cap with sinusoids to replicate the task with a robotic hand. In preliminary experiments, the finger joint motions of nine human test subjects were analyzed as they unscrewed a bottle cap with five different orientations of their hand with respect to the bottle. Results from these experiments show that the nature of the motions, while similar between participants, changed significantly as the orientation angle was varied. Data from human experiments were used to develop an adaptive synergy controller that autonomously modulates the artificial robotic finger motions in accordance with the orientation angle of the manipulator with respect to the grasped object. By choosing appropriate phase and amplitude parameters for the sinusoids used to drive the adaptive synergy controller, the complex motions involved in performing this task can be controlled by a single input. Experimental results of the adaptive synergy controller show that the control strategy successfully allows a dexterous robotic hand to unscrew objects in multiple orientations using only a single input.
Biologic effects of clomiphene citrate in the castrated rhesus monkey.

Abstract The effects of the administration of clomiphene citrate to castrated rhesus monkeys were studied with the use of the indices of per cent cornification in vaginal smears, changes in external genitals and perianal skin (sexual skin), and occurrence of withdrawal bleeding from the uterus. The results were compared with those obtained in subsequent cycles of treatment with clomiphene citrate and ethinyl estradiol together and with ethinyl estradiol alone. Clomiphene citrate had a definite estrogenic effect upon the vaginal mucosa and the “sexual skin” of the castrated rhesus monkey but did not cause withdrawal bleeding from the uterus. This compound did not block the anticipated estrogenic effects of ethinyl estradiol. Although clomiphene citrate may be “antiestrogenic” in the female of reproductive age with intact ovaries, this compound appears to have inherent estrogenic activity in the individual in a castrated or equivalent state.
Anatomy and humanity: Examining the effects of a short documentary film and first anatomy laboratory experience on medical students

Medical students begin their education inside a laboratory dissecting cadavers to learn human gross anatomy. Many schools use the course experience as a way to instill empathy and some have begun integrating video and recorded interviews with body donors to humanize the experience, but their impact has yet to be measured. This study examines the effects of a brief documentary film and the initial cadaver encounter on student perceptions and attitudes towards the laboratory experience. A pre-test, exposure, post-test design was used with 77 first-year medical students at the University of Central Florida. A previously validated questionnaire was adapted to measure attitudes, emotions, initial reaction to cadaver, perception of the donor as a person, and impressions of the film. An online questionnaire was completed before the first day of laboratory, in which students watched the film Anatomy and Humanity and handled their respective cadavers (no dissection was performed). The post-test was administered immediately following the activities of the first laboratory day. Results indicate an increase in negative attitudes towards dissection, but a more positive initial reaction to the cadaver than originally anticipated. Students also experienced a decrease in emotions like sadness and guilt regarding anatomy laboratory and were less likely to view the cadaver as a once-living person. Findings suggest a higher comfort level, but also greater detachment toward the cadavers from day one despite the video intervention. These results provide novel insight that may aid other interventions aimed at promoting humanism in the anatomy laboratory experience. Anat Sci Educ. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.