cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical predictors of prolonged translaryngeal intubation in patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome.

This study was designed to determine if clinical features apparent after seven days of mechanical ventilation predict long-term intubation beyond 14 days and subsequent need for tracheotomy in patients with ARDS. Twenty-four patients were entered into the study. Group 1 patients were successfully extubated in ≤14 days after onset of ARDS and group 2 patients remained intubated > 14 days. On day 7 of ARDS, group 1 had a higher PaO2/PAO2 ratio, a lower PEEP requirement, less severe chest radiographic abnormalities and a greater likelihood of an improved radiograph from the baseline study. None of group 1 and 11 group 2 patients eventually underwent tracheotomy. Clinical features apparent after seven days of mechanical ventilation in patients with ARDS suggest the likelihood of prolonged intubation beyond 14 days and eventual tracheotomy. Recognition of these features may allow more timely conversion of endotracheal intubation to tracheotomy. (Chest 1990; 97:447–52)
Reducing Retirement Risk with a Rising Equity Glide-Path

This study explores the issue of what is an appropriate default equity glide-path for client portfolios during the retirement phase of the life cycle. We find, surprisingly, that rising equity glide-paths in retirement – where the portfolio starts out conservative and becomes more aggressive through the retirement time horizon – have the potential to actually reduce both the probability of failure and the magnitude of failure for client portfolios. This result may appear counter-intuitive from the traditional perspective, which is that equity exposure should decrease throughout retirement as the retiree’s time horizon (and life expectancy) shrinks and mortality looms. Yet the conclusion is actually entirely logical when viewed from the perspective of what scenarios cause a client’s retirement to “fail” in the first place. In scenarios that threaten retirement sustainability – e.g., an extended period of poor returns in the first half of retirement – a declining equity exposure over time will lead the retiree to have the least in stocks if/when the good returns finally show up in the second half of retirement (assuming the entire retirement period does not experience continuing poor returns). With a rising equity glide-path, the retiree is less exposed to losses when most vulnerable in early retirement and the equity exposure is greater by the time subsequent good returns finally show up. In turn, this helps to sustain greater retirement income over the entire time period. Conversely, using a rising equity glide-path in scenarios where equity returns are good early on, the retiree is so far ahead that their subsequent asset allocation choices do not impact the chances to achieve the original retirement goal.
An axiomatic approach to rounded computations

The present paper is intended to give an axiomatic approach to rounded computations. A rounding is defined as a monotone mapping of an ordered set into a subset, which in general is called a lower respectively an upper screen. The first chapter deals with roundings in ordered sets. In the second chapter further properties of roundings in linearly ordered sets are studied. The third chapter deals with the two most important applications, the approximation of the real arithmetic on a finite screen and the approximation of the real interval arithmetic on an upper screen. Beyond these examples various further applications are possible.
Comparative molecular dynamics study of fcc-Al hydrogen embrittlement

Abstract Hydrogen embrittlement studies using reactive molecular dynamics have been conducted for Al metal nanoslabs with oxidized surfaces. These have provided evidence for possible grain boundary decohesion and void formation related range of hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms at different loading conditions with different initial defect configurations. Particularly, the effect of initial vacancy concentration on hydrogen diffusivity and localization, as well as on the amount of plasticity and grain formation is estimated. The results indicate significant reduction in diffusivity due to vacancy concentration, as well as hydrogen embrittlement effect through increase in dislocation emission and increase in dislocation slip propagation rate.
Women and power: Unpopular, unwilling, or held back?

We use Spain’s Equality Law to test for the existence of agency problems between party leaders and their constituents. The law mandates a 40 percent female quota on electoral lists in towns with populations above 5,000. Using pre- and postquota data by party and municipality, we implement a triple-difference design. We find that female quotas resulted in slightly better electoral results for the parties that were most affected by the quota. Our evidence shows that party leaders were not maximizing electoral results prior to the quota, suggesting the existence of agency problems that hinder female representation in political institutions.
Reproducibility of diagnosis in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

16506 Background: The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have been considered notoriously difficult with regard to reliability of diagnosis and proper classification. The diagnosis and subclassificati...
Discrete Markov Approach for Building Component Condition, Reliability, and Service-Life Prediction Modeling

AbstractCondition indexes have been developed to measure building component condition degradation due to age, use, and deterioration in support of asset management tasks related to work identification, planning, and prioritization. With the development of these indexes, a vast amount of condition index data have been collected for a wide range of components in buildings of varying type, use, and geographic location. The U.S. Department of Defense has implemented a standardized condition-assessment approach applied to thousands of Department-owned buildings, resulting in a vast condition index dataset to support more in-depth study of building component condition and reliability. This paper explores the existing data and develops a rigorous definition of the relationship between component condition, failure, and reliability. Presented is an approach using Markov transition probabilities to analyze the existing component condition datasets. This approach provides an improved method for predicting future con...
Unpopular Popular Constitutionalism

Given that the Constitution is ambiguous about how to enter into international trade agreements, what process squares best with the nation’s general constitutional and democratic commitments? Most opinion polls on the subject have shown that, in popular American political culture, concern persists regarding the legislative framework for expanding national economic openness through trade liberalization. At least as measured by such instruments, Americans have tended not to approve of the "fast track" mechanism for entering into trade agreements. Moreover, though there has been strong support for the general principle of free trade, such polls have shown a belief that trade liberalization as currently pursued too strongly favors the interests of business over workers, the environment and the poor at home and abroad – and that these latter interests should be more effectively incorporated. Together, these data indicate a popular belief that the procedural mechanism of the "fast track" may in part be responsible for producing the perceived substantive shortcomings of the current trade regime. So is there a democratic deficit here that should concern the U.S. Constitution? In this Article, I argue that constitutional and democratic theory offer only ambiguous support for "popular constitutionalism" in international economic policy-making, but that the stability and forward momentum of the multilateral trade regime nevertheless depend on its ability to meet satisfactorily with democratic and constitutional concerns.
Development of Large Eddy Simulation for Aero-Thermal Prediction in High Pressure Turbine Cascade

Prediction of aero-thermal loads on High Pressure Turbines (HPT) is critical for the design of gas turbine engines. The high Reynolds number of the flow impinging on the HP turbine, which contains high levels of turbulence and hot streaks makes aero-thermal predictions challenging. This study carries out Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of an uncooled, transonic, linear HP turbine cascade using a high-order numerical method. Heat transfer and aerodynamics of the blade is investigated in the presence of free-stream turbulence (FST). Quantitative comparisons with transonic, uncooled HP cascade experiments of Arts et al. 2 show satisfactory agreement. The distorsion of vortices from the inflow turbulence in the cascade passage and their eect on the blade boundary layer and heat transfer show interesting flow physics.
The macrodynamics of business cycles: A comparative evaluation Mohammed H.I. Dore Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1993, 242 pp.

In his latest book, Mohammed Dore has provided a much needed exposition of macroeconomic and business cycle theory since the advent of Keynes' General Theory. The book provides under one cover extended derivations of the main models that must be mastered if one is to be proficient in macroeconomic theory. It is, however, much more than just an expository volume; it is also a work of highly structured evaluation and criticism. The theories considered fall into the broad classifications of New Classical, New Keynesian, and endogenous cycle theories. The theories are rated on how well they account for ten stylized facts describing business cycles. The winner of the Dore sweepstakes is Richard M. Goodwin's endogenous cycle theory. While heartily endorsing Dore's criticism of representative agent models, this review expresses reservations about abandoning micro foundations.
A Direct Aggregation Approach to Inferring Microparameters of the Koyck Advertising-Sales Relationship from Macro Data:

The authors examine the advertising-sales relationship in the framework of the Koyck model. They note that if only macro (e.g., annual) data are available, it is necessary to approximate micro (e.g...
An analysis of morbidities and risk factors of diarrhea and cough among urban migrant children

Objective To investigate morbidity rates and their risk factors of diarrhea and!cough in the past two weeks among migrant children aged under 5 years old in Hangzhou and Beijing cities.Methods Xiacheng District of Hangzhou city and Chaoyang and Daxing Districts of Beijing city where migrant population were concentrated were selected for the study.The caregivers of migrant children aged under 5 years old in these three districts were investigated with a questionnaire by skilled investigators.Results Totally 3 028 valid questionnaires were collected in two cities.The morbidity rates of diarrhea and cough in the past two weeks in Hangzhou city were higher than those in Beijing city and the differences were significant(χ2=5.90,4.68,respectively,both P0.05).After adjusting other possible risk factors,the morbidity rate of diarrhea among the children aged 3~5 years old was 0.53 times of that among the children aged under 1 year old(95% CI: 0.42~0.68),while the morbidity rate of cough among the children aged 1~2 years old and 3~5 years old were 1.40(95% CI: 1.12~1.75) times and 1.78(95% CI: 1.46~2.16) times of that in the children aged under 1 year old respectively.Conclusion The morbidity rates of diarrhea and cough in the past two weeks among urban migrant children were comparatively higher,and risks of the two diseases were both related with age of the children.
Catch me if you can: pursuit and capture in polygonal environments with obstacles

We resolve a several-years old open question in visibility-based pursuit evasion: how many pursuers are needed to capture an evader in an arbitrary polygonal environment with obstacles? The evader is assumed to be adversarial, moves with the same maximum speed as pursuers, and is "sensed" by a pursuer only when it lies in line-of-sight of that pursuer. The players move in discrete time steps, and the capture occurs when a pursuer reaches the position of the evader on its move. Our main result is that O(√h + log n) pursuers can always win the game with a deterministic search strategy in any polygon with n vertices and h obstacles (holes). In order to achieve this bound, however, we argue that the environment must satisfy a minimum feature size property, which essentially requires the minimum distance between any two vertices to be of the same order as the speed of the players. Without the minimum feature size assumption, we show that Ω(√n/ log n) pursuers are needed in the worst-case even for simply-connected (hole-free) polygons of n vertices! This reveals an unexpected subtlety that seems to have been overlooked in previous work claiming that O(log n) pursuers can always win in simply-connected n-gons. Our lower bound also shows that capturing an evader is inherently more difficult than just "seeing" it because O(log n) pursuers are provably sufficient for line-of-sight detection even against an arbitrarily fast evader in simple n-gons.
IL-4 Induces Metallothionein 3- and SLC30A4-Dependent Increase in Intracellular Zn(2+) that Promotes Pathogen Persistence in Macrophages.

Alternative activation of macrophages promotes wound healing but weakens antimicrobial defenses against intracellular pathogens. The mechanisms that suppress macrophage function to create a favorable environment for pathogen growth remain elusive. We show that interleukin (IL)-4 triggers a metallothionein 3 (MT3)- and Zn exporter SLC30A4-dependent increase in the labile Zn(2+) stores in macrophages and that intracellular pathogens can exploit this increase in Zn to survive. IL-4 regulates this pathway by shuttling extracellular Zn into macrophages and by activating cathepsins that act on MT3 to release bound Zn. We show that IL-4 can modulate Zn homeostasis in both human monocytes and mice. In vivo, MT3 can repress macrophage function in an M2-polarizing environment to promote pathogen persistence. Thus, MT3 and SLC30A4 dictate the size of the labile Zn(2+) pool and promote the survival of a prototypical intracellular pathogen in M2 macrophages.
Anesthetic considerations in robotic mitral valve surgery

The robotic approach to cardiac surgery offers patients numerous potential advantages compared with a traditional sternotomy approach including shorter hospital length of stay, reduced pain, fewer blood transfusions, and a quicker return to normal daily activities. At the same time, robotic cardiac surgery requires that the anesthesiologist employs several subspecialty skillsets in order to provide optimal care for these patients. Multiple different regional anesthesia techniques may be used to improve analgesia, reduce opioid dosages, and facilitate rapid extubation at the conclusion of the case. Several peripheral cannulation strategies for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) exist and the anesthesia team may assist with percutaneous cannulation of the superior vena cava (SVC) or positioning of an endo-pulmonary vent. Similarly the anesthesiologist may be asked to percutaneously cannulate the coronary sinus for retrograde cardioplegia delivery. The need for one-lung ventilation (OLV) and heavy reliance on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) occupy much of the anesthesiologist’s attention during these cases. Variations in institutional practice exist. Reviews of current practice and future studies may help refine the anesthetic approach to robot-assisted cardiac surgery.
Social network, social support and unplanned hospital admission in older patients with cancer.

201Background: Cancer incidence is rising as the number of older adults increases. Lack of social support has been found to predict mortality among cancer patients. Emotional support has been reported to be the most desirable type of social support. Methods: The data was collected prospectively, and analysis conducted in a retrospective manner, in a cohort of older adults seen at the Program for Healthy Aging at the MD Anderson Cancer Center between Jan 2013 and December 2015. Demographics, cancer diagnosis, and other geriatric conditions were diagnosed and collected during comprehensive geriatric assessments. Social supports were measured through self-report RAND’s Medical Outcomes study (MOS) questionnaires. Overall social support and sub domains (emotional, informational, tangible, affectionate, and positive interaction) were scored. Outcomes including unplanned hospital admission were collected through reviewing of medical records. Pearson chi-square or the Fisher exact tests were used to compare grou...
The STarT back tool in chiropractic practice: a narrative review.

The Keele STarT Back Tool was designed for primary care medical physicians in the UK to determine the risk for persistent disabling pain in patients with musculoskeletal pain and to tailor treatments accordingly. In medical and physical therapy settings, STarT Back Tool’s tailored care plans improved patients’ low back pain outcomes and lowered costs. Review studies using the STarT Back Tool in chiropractic patient populations. PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Index to Chiropractic Literature, and Science Direct databases were searched. Articles written in English, published in peer-reviewed journals, that studied the STarT Back Tool in patients seeking chiropractic care were included. Seven articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The STarT Back Tool was feasibly incorporated into 19 chiropractic clinics in Denmark. Total STarT Back 5-item score correlated moderately with total Bournemouth Questionnaire score. Two studies reported that the STarT Back Tool’s predictive ability was poor, while another reported that the tool predicted outcomes in patients scoring in the medium and high risk categories who completed the STarT Back 2 days after their initial visit. A study examining Danish chiropractic, medical and physical therapy settings revealed that only baseline episode duration affected STarT Back’s prognostic ability across all care settings. The tool predicted pain and disability in chiropractic patients whose episode duration was at least 2 weeks, but not in patients with an episode duration <2 weeks. While the STarT Back Tool can be incorporated into chiropractic settings and correlates with some elements of the Bournemouth Questionnaire, its prognostic ability is sometimes limited by the shorter low back pain episodes with which chiropractic patients often present. It may be a better predictor in patients whose episode duration is at least 2 weeks. Studies examining outcomes of stratified care in chiropractic patients are needed.
Polarization-Induced Transport: A Comparative Study of Ferroelectric and Non-Ferroelectric Dielectric-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistors

A comparative study of ferroelectric and non-ferroelectric-gated organic field-effect transistors (FETs) have been carried out by using a small molecule semiconductor 6,13 bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) to understand the fundamental aspects of carrier transport in FET architectures. Temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics from non-ferroelectric dielectric-gated FETs show a clear activated transport, independent of the dielectric constant. While using the ferroelectric dielectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE), where the dielectric constant may be tuned by changing the temperature, a negative temperature coefficient of the carrier mobility is observed beyond 200 K. The polarization fluctuation dominant transport inherent to a ferroelectric dielectric in conjunction with the discrete nature of traps in TIPS-pentacene results in an effective de-trapping of the shallow trap states into more mobile states.
Joint object and action recognition via fusion of partially observable surveillance imagery data

Partially observable group activities (POGA) occurring in confined spaces are epitomized by their limited observability of the objects and actions involved. In many POGA scenarios, different objects are being used by human operators for the conduct of various operations. In this paper, we describe the ontology of such as POGA in the context of In-Vehicle Group Activity (IVGA) recognition. Initially, we describe the virtue of ontology modeling in the context of IVGA and show how such an ontology and a priori knowledge about the classes of in-vehicle activities can be fused for inference of human actions that consequentially leads to understanding of human activity inside the confined space of a vehicle. In this paper, we treat the problem of “action-object” as a duality problem. We postulate a correlation between observed human actions and the object that is being utilized within those actions, and conversely, if an object being handled is recognized, we may be able to expect a number of actions that are likely to be performed on that object. In this study, we use partially observable human postural sequences to recognition actions. Inspired by convolutional neural networks (CNNs) learning capability, we present an architecture design using a new CNN model to learn “action-object” perception from surveillance videos. In this study, we apply a sequential Deep Hidden Markov Model (DHMM) as a post-processor to CNN to decode realized observations into recognized actions and activities. To generate the needed imagery data set for the training and testing of these new methods, we use the IRIS virtual simulation software to generate high-fidelity and dynamic animated scenarios that depict in-vehicle group activities under different operational contexts. The results of our comparative investigation are discussed and presented in detail.
Uncoupling DNA- and RNA-directed DNA methylation at Rasgrf1

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have garnered much attention as possible links between DNA sequence and the protein factors that mediate DNA methylation. However, the mechanisms by which DNA methylation is directed to specific genomic locations remain poorly understood. We previously identified a lncRNA in mouse, the pitRNA, that was implicated in the control of DNA methylation at the imprinted Rasgrf1 locus. The pitRNA is transcribed in the developing male germline antisense to the differentially methylated region (DMR) that harbors paternal allele methylation, and is driven by a series of tandem repeats that are necessary for imprinted methylation. MitoPLD, a factor necessary for piRNA biogenesis, both processes piRNAs from the pitRNA, and is necessary for complete methylation at the locus, along with piRNA binding proteins. Using two independent mouse systems where pitRNA transcription is driven by the doxycycline-inducible Tet Operator, we demonstrate that pitRNA transcription across the DMR is insufficient for imprinted methylation, and that the Rasgrf1 repeats have additional, critical cis-acting roles for imparting DNA methylation to Rasgrf1, independently of their control of pitRNA transcription. Furthermore, pitRNA overexpression and oocyte loading of pitRNA is insufficient to induce transallelic and transgenerational effects previously reported for Rasgrf1. Notably, manipulation of the pitRNA with the TetOFF system led to transcriptional perturbations over a broad chromosomal region surrounding the inserted Tet Operator, revealing that the effects of this regulatory tool are not localized to a single target gene.
Sequence-Selective Recognition of Peptides in Aqueous Solution: A Supramolecular Approach through Micellar Imprinting

Sequence-selective recognition of peptides in water has been one of the most important and yet unsolved problems in bioorganic and supramolecular chemistry. The motivation comes from not only the importance of these molecules in biology but also the fundamental challenges involved in the research. Molecular imprinting in doubly cross-linked surfactant micelles offers a unique solution to this problem by creating a "supramolecular code" on the micelle surface that matches the structural features of the peptide chain. Hydrophobic "dimples" are constructed on imprinted micelles that match the hydrophobic side chains of the peptide precisely in size and shape. Polar binding functionalities are installed at correct positions to interact with specific acidic and basic groups on the peptide. Secondary hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions are introduced through imprinting to enhance the binding affinity and specificity further. Binding affinities of tens of nanomolar are readily achieved in water for biological peptides with over a dozen residues. Excellent binding selectivity is observed even for subtly different peptides. The synthesis of these protein-sized nanoparticles involves a one-pot reaction complete within 2 days; purification requires nothing but precipitation and solvent washing. These features make the molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (MINPs) highly promising peptide-binding "artificial antibodies" for chemical and biological applications.
Training and Expectations for the Expert Witness in Australia: Could Guidelines Work in the US?

The Australasian College of Legal Medicine (Oz ACLM) runs a number of courses to assist medical professionals to better understand the interface of medicine and law. These include the basic and advanced law intensives and the expert witness training programs (EWTP). This presentation will outline the content of these 3 courses, which constitute a basic requirement to obtain fellowship of the Oz ACLM.
Geological Development of Panama

The Panama that geologists see today is a young landscape that in form comprises a reclined S-shaped, generally E-W oriented isthmus produced through complex geotectonic processes that created and assembled a diverse suite of geological units since late Cretaceous/early Tertiary time. The geological development of Panama is a consequence of the relative motions of the North and South American continental plates and four oceanic plates over the past 150 million years, and is a part of the larger story of the tectonic development of the Caribbean basin and Central America. The igneous rocks that comprise much of present-day Panama formed during Tertiary time as an oceanic plateau associated with the Galapagos plume and from an oceanic volcanic island arc complex that presently extends from the southern margin of Nicaragua to the northwestern Colombia. About 10 million years ago, the Panama-Costa Rica arc began to collide with northwestern South America, cutting off the deep-water circulation between the Pacific and the Caribbean. Development of Central America was completed around 3 million years ago, creating the land bridge between North and South America and terminating the shallow marine circulation between the Pacific and Caribbean.
Chemical Variations in Barium Titanate Powders and Dispersants

Commercial raw materials for multilayer ceramic capacitors—barium titanate (BT) and ammonium polyacrylate (APA) dispersant—were examined for lot-to-lot variations which cause poor reproducibility in BT slips and in capacitor chips. Two lots of BT supplied by a commercial source were different with respect to surface species examined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrokinetic sonic amplitude and total carbon analysis. It was found that there was more APA dispersant chemisorption on BT when the BT surface was more hydroxylated and less carbonated. For the dispersant, the two lots differed in pH and ammonium ion content. The amount of APA dispersant adsorbed on BT depended more on the ceramic powder surface species than on the chemical differences in APA lots.
Effect of flicker on macular blood flow assessed by the blue field simulation technique.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of diffuse luminance flicker on the motion of leukocytes in the retinal macular capillaries of normal subjects. METHODS: Using the blue field simulation technique, subjects were asked to match the motion of simulated leukocytes displayed on a video monitor to that of their own entoptically seen white blood cells (WBCs). The changes in velocity and density of the WBCs were recorded after stimulation with diffuse luminance flicker of various durations (0 to 16 seconds), either immediately or at various delays (2, 4, 8 seconds) after cessation of the stimulus. RESULTS: White blood cell velocity increased as flicker duration increased from 0 to 16 seconds. After cessation of flicker, leukocyte motion decreased to baseline within 15 seconds. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' findings suggest a coupling between retinal neural activity and blood flow in the macular region of the retina. The rapidity of both the flicker-induced increase in WBC motion and the disappearance of the effect after flicker cessation resembles the time course of blood flow changes previously observed in the microcirculation of the cat optic nerve.
Series Solution of Discrete Time Stochastic Optimal Control Problems

In this paper we consider discrete time stochastic optimal control problems over infinite and finite time horizons. We show that for a large class of such problems the Taylor polynomials of the solutions to the associated Dynamic Programming Equations can be computed degree by degree.
A Triangle Algorithm for Semidefinite Version of Convex Hull Membership Problem

Given a subset $\mathbf{S}=\{A_1, \dots, A_m\}$ of $\mathbb{S}^n$, the set of $n \times n$ real symmetric matrices, we define its {\it spectrahull} as the set $SH(\mathbf{S}) = \{p(X) \equiv (Tr(A_1 X), \dots, Tr(A_m X))^T : X \in \mathbf{\Delta}_n\}$, where ${\bf \Delta}_n$ is the {\it spectraplex}, $\{ X \in \mathbb{S}^n : Tr(X)=1, X \succeq 0 \}$. We let {\it spectrahull membership} (SHM) to be the problem of testing if a given $b \in \mathbb{R}^m$ lies in $SH(\mathbf{S})$. On the one hand when $A_i$'s are diagonal matrices, SHM reduces to the {\it convex hull membership} (CHM), a fundamental problem in LP. On the other hand, a bounded SDP feasibility is reducible to SHM. By building on the {\it Triangle Algorithm} (TA) \cite{kalchar,kalsep}, developed for CHM and its generalization, we design a TA for SHM, where given $\varepsilon$, in $O(1/\varepsilon^2)$ iterations it either computes a hyperplane separating $b$ from $SH(\mathbf{S})$, or $X_\varepsilon \in \mathbf{\Delta}_n$ such that $\Vert p(X_\varepsilon) - b \Vert \leq \varepsilon R$, $R$ maximum error over $\mathbf{\Delta}_n$. Under certain conditions iteration complexity improves to $O(1/\varepsilon)$ or even $O(\ln 1/\varepsilon)$. The worst-case complexity of each iteration is $O(mn^2)$, plus testing the existence of a pivot, shown to be equivalent to estimating the least eigenvalue of a symmetric matrix. This together with a semidefinite version of Caratheodory theorem allow implementing TA as if solving a CHM, resorting to the {\it power method} only as needed, thereby improving the complexity of iterations. The proposed Triangle Algorithm for SHM is simple, practical and applicable to general SDP feasibility and optimization. Also, it extends to a spectral analogue of SVM for separation of two spectrahulls.
110th Anniversary : Industrial ProcessWater Treatment and ReuseEnabled by Selective Ion Exchange Materials

Silica (SiO2) is ubiquitous in petroleum produced waters; removal and recovery of silica reduces fouling when upcycling these waters for industrial applications. Herein, we report the relevant properties of a selective silica recovery material, calcined hydrotalcite (HTC), as well as the design and economic analysis for its use in an ion exchange process to remove silica from produced water. This process improves upon established technologies by minimizing sludge product, reducing process fouling, and lowering energy use. The ion exchange capacity of HTC (approximately 45 mg SiO2/g HTC) and optimized thermal reaction conditions (550 °C for 30 min) for calcination and regeneration were determined experimentally and used in the process modeling. Modeling outputs included raw material requirements, energy use, and the minimum water treatment price (MWTP). Monte Carlo simulations for process economics showed how R&D improving HTC reusability and silica binding capacity as well as separate reductions in raw ma...
International Family Abduction

International family abduction (IFA) is a significant problem in the U.S. and in other countries, and the problem has received substantial media attention. One investigation found that 350,000 children are abducted annually in the U.S. (Rigler and Wieder no date; Slota 2009). Ten thousand of these children are kidnapped and held in another country by a parent who has a different nationality (National Report—International Child Custody for the Common Law Judicial Conference on International Child Custody no date).
Sleep disorders and aging

Abstract Sleep is a complex physiologic process that has highly preserved neurogenetic underpinnings stretching back hundreds of millions of years. The critical role of sleep in organism health is highlighted by the diversity of organisms that require at least some degree of quiescence to maintain physiologic function. While changes in sleep naturally occur over the life span—from neurodevelopment to natural senescence—there are enumerable factors that can adversely affect sleep. Moreover, sleep itself has a significant influence on the body’s ability to perform, affecting resiliency to disease and decompensating alongside psychiatric and medical illnesses. For this reason, deviations of sleep from the expected course may be a useful biomarker of mental and physical health, particularly in late life, where sleep disruptions tend to be more evident. In this chapter, we explore expected sleep changes in late life, followed by a characterization of common sleep-wake concerns and their relationship to physical and mental health.
Reliable skeletal maturity assessment for an AIS patient cohort: external validation of the proximal humerus ossification system (PHOS) and relevant learning methodology.

Validation of classification system. To externally validate the Proximal Humerus Ossification System (PHOS) as a reliable skeletal maturity scoring system and to assess the learning curve associated with teaching the procedure to individuals of varying levels of experience. Assessment of skeletal maturity is essential for treatment decisions in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). PHOS is a five-stage system that uses the proximal humeral physis in assessing skeletal maturity and has been shown to reliably grade skeletal age leading up to and beyond peak growth age (PGA). This system is advantageous in the AIS patient, as it is often captured in standard scoliosis films. A medical student, an orthopedic surgery resident (PGY-2), spine fellow, and experienced scoliosis surgeon in his 25th year in practice were given a three-slide PHOS learning module. Each participant rated 100 X-rays on two separate occasions, separated by 1 week. Intra- and inter-observer reliability, as well as cross-institutional reliability, were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals [CI95]. Average intra-observer reliability ICC between scoring sessions was 0.94 [0.92, 0.96] and inter-observer reliability by level of training were 0.94 [0.91, 0.96], 0.93 [0.9, 0.95], 0.94 [0.91, 0.96], 0.96 [0.94, 0.97] for the medical student, PGY-2, fellow, and attending, respectively. Reliability across institutions was 0.99 [0.98, 0.99]. Combined rating observations (n = 400) showed 82% exact matches, as well as 17% and 1% mismatches by 1 and 2 stages, respectively. Similar to the PHOS developers, we found PHOS stage 3 to occur immediately after PGA. PHOS is easily learned and employed by raters with varying levels of training. It comprises a five-stage system to reliably measure bone age leading up to PGA and thereafter. This new system relies on visualization of the proximal humerus, which is readily available on standard scoliosis X-rays. Level III.
Efficient Anonymous Temporal-Spatial Joint Estimation at Category Level Over Multiple Tag Sets With Unreliable Channels

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies have been widely used in inventory control, object tracking and supply chain management. One of the fundamental system functions is called cardinality estimation, which is to estimate the number of tags in a covered area. In this paper, we extend the research of this function in two directions. First, we perform joint cardinality estimation among tags that appear at different geographical locations and at different times. Moreover, we target at category-level information, which is more significant in practical scenarios where we need to monitor the tagged objects of many different categories. Second, we enforce anonymity in the process of information gathering in order to preserve the privacy of the tagged objects. These capabilities will enable new applications such as tracking how products of different categories are transferred in a large, distributed supply chain. We propose and implement a novel protocol to meet the requirements of anonymous category-level joint estimation over multiple tag sets. We formally analyze the performance of our estimator and determine the optimal system parameters. Moreover, we extend our protocol to unreliable channels and consider two channel error models. Extensive simulations show that the proposed protocol can efficiently and accurately estimate joint information over multiple tag sets at category level, while preserving tags’ anonymity.
Molecular Orientation Depth Profiles in Organic Glasses Using Polarized Resonant Soft X-ray Reflectivity

Molecular orientation anisotropy can be critical in functional organic thin films. For instance, it is known that molecular orientation can affect the performance of organic electronic devices such...
CLIP and Massively Parallel Functional Analysis of CELF6 Reveal a Role in Destabilizing Synaptic Gene mRNAs through Interaction with 3′ UTR Elements

Summary CELF6 is a CELF-RNA-binding protein, and thus part of a protein family with roles in human disease; however, its mRNA targets in the brain are largely unknown. Using cross-linking immunoprecipitation and sequencing (CLIP-seq), we define its CNS targets, which are enriched for 3′ UTRs in synaptic protein-coding genes. Using a massively parallel reporter assay framework, we test the consequence of CELF6 expression on target sequences, with and without mutating putative binding motifs. Where CELF6 exerts an effect on sequences, it is largely to decrease RNA abundance, which is reversed by mutating UGU-rich motifs. This is also the case for CELF3–5, with a protein-dependent effect on magnitude. Finally, we demonstrate that targets are derepressed in CELF6-mutant mice, and at least two key CNS proteins, FOS and FGF13, show altered protein expression levels and localization. Our works find, in addition to previously identified roles in splicing, that CELF6 is associated with repression of its CNS targets via the 3′ UTR in vivo.
Abstract PS10-58: Cost effectiveness of routine cardiac imaging during adjuvant trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer

Background: Guidelines recommend patients treated with trastuzumab (TRA) undergo a multiple gated-acquisition (MUGA) scan or echocardiogram (ECHO) at baseline and every 3 months thereafter. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the incidence of clinically significant cardiotoxicity and analyzed cost effectiveness of routine cardiac imaging during adjuvant TRA. Methods: HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant TRA between 2015 and 2019 were investigated. Information regarding comorbidities, clinical diagnosis of cardiotoxicity, and alterations in therapy were collected. ECHO and MUGA scans were reviewed to monitor trends in ejection fractions (EF). Data was analyzed via the FREQ procedure. We defined clinically significant cardiotoxicity as holding or discontinuing TRA regimen. Results: We found 108 patients. Median age was 57 years (interquartile range (IQR) of 47-68 years); 86% Caucasian and 12% African American. 3% had preexisting heart failure, 43% hypertension, 14% diabetes, 4% coronary artery diseases, 32% hyperlipidemia, 2% chronic kidney disease, 6% stroke, and 38% were smokers. No patients received anthracycline containing regimens. 30 patients (27.7%) had EF drop >10% from baseline. Six patients (5.5%) were identified with clinically significant cardiotoxicity; 4 (3.7%) had EF 10% was 6 months (IQR of 4.5-7.5 months). Conclusions: Current practice for TRA cardiotoxicity monitoring consists of cardiac imaging every 3 months. The average cost for a MUGA scan and ECHO is approximately $3700 and $2500, respectively. We determined that clinically significant cardiotoxicity, occurred in 5.5% of the patients approximately 6 months into treatment. With TRA causing reversible cardiotoxicity and 2.7% of the patients being symptomatic, cardiac imaging every 3 months appears excessive, especially in patients without comorbidities. Baseline cardiac imaging with repeat assessment in 6 months appears sufficient in non-anthracycline containing regimen. This strategy allows cost savings of approximately $6000 per patient. Citation Format: Vineeth Tatineni, Daniel Redle, Daljeet Singh, Arifa Abid, Sameer Mahesh. Cost effectiveness of routine cardiac imaging during adjuvant trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS10-58.
Quantifying Sufficient Randomness for Causal Inference

Spurious association arises from covariance between propensity for the treatment and individual risk for the outcome. For sensitivity analysis with stochastic counterfactuals we introduce a methodology to characterize uncertainty in causal inference from natural experiments and quasi-experiments. Our sensitivity parameters are standardized measures of variation in propensity and individual risk, and one minus their geometric mean is an intuitive measure of randomness in the data generating process. Within our latent propensity-risk model, we show how to compute from contingency table data a threshold, $T$, of sufficient randomness for causal inference. If the actual randomness of the data generating process exceeds this threshold then causal inference is warranted.
Diversity in MDL Leadership: A Field Guide

Multidistrict litigation (MDL) includes some of the most high-profile torts of our day—opioids, talc, RoundUp, to name a few—but the attorneys who spearhead these proceedings often look a lot like they did fifty years ago: predominately white and predominately male. A debate has emerged over whether attorneys best positioned to fill MDL leadership roles are the grizzled repeat players who appear time and again—and who are largely white, older, and male—or newcomers with fresh ideas and energy who may not always look like their predecessors. And if diversity is important, what kind of diversity matters? In this short essay, I suggest that judges broaden their ideas about diversity to consider cognitive diversity--meaning different knowledge, skills, information, and tool kits. In selecting leaders, courts should consider conflicts of interest that are likely to emerge between plaintiffs and plaintiffs’ counsel, encourage dissent and the airing of minority viewpoints, and select leaders based on attorneys’ cognitive diversity. To be sure, there are a number of MDLs in which normative claims about representation, fairness, and social legitimacy can make identity diversity among leaders key—mass torts over trans-vaginal mesh, Mirena, Yasmin/Yaz, Essure, NuvaRing, and OrthoEvra all come to mind. Gender can matter where gender itself is an issue as it is in those proceedings. But identity diversity proponents often argue that diversity likewise improves outcomes. Here, studies are mixed, with some suggesting that when people perceive themselves as belonging to opposing groups, they may tune each other out and that those with privately held information may be less inclined to share it for fear of being mocked or socially ostracized. The evidence is more straightforward when researchers consider cognitive diversity. Cognitively diverse groups consistently see “bonuses” when group members perform disjunctive, nonroutine, thought-provoking tasks like brainstorming legal strategy or identifying which issues to appeal. And, as this essay explores, cognitive diversity and identity diversity can overlap.
Epidemiologic and Public Health Significance of Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Venison: 2009–2020

Toxoplasma gondii infections are common in humans and animals worldwide. The ingestion of food or water contaminated with oocysts excreted by infected cats or ingestion of uncooked or undercooked meat containing tissue cysts of T. gondii are the 2 major modes of transmission of T. gondii. Deer are a popular game. Recently, outbreaks of clinical toxoplasmosis were reported in humans in North America linked to ingestion of undercooked venison. Here, we review prevalence, persistence of infection, clinical disease, epidemiology, and public health risks of T. gondii infections in deer and other cervids for the past decade. Estimates of worldwide serological prevalence are summarized individually for each species of deer, elk, moose, and caribou. Genetic diversity of 112 viable isolates of T. gondii from cervids is discussed, including its public health significance. Prevalence of T. gondii in deer is very high. Any part of a deer, including liver, spleen, and muscles, should be cooked thoroughly before human consumption.
Abstract 15722: Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction: Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are generally considered safe, but recent evidence suggests otherwise. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the association betwe...
Assessing the effects of gait asymmetry: Using a split-belt treadmill walking protocol to change step length and peak knee joint contact force symmetry.

Abstract Asymmetrical gait may affect important outcomes such as knee joint contact force (KJCF). A split-belt treadmill (SBTM) can be used to provoke changes in step length symmetry (SLsym) and may produce a similar response in KJCF symmetry (KJCFsym) between limbs. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of employing a SBTM walking paradigm to alter KJCF and KJCFsym and to determine if changes in SLsym coincided with changes in KJCFsym. Twenty healthy individuals performed a standardized SBTM protocol, where baseline and post-adaptation conditions had tied belt speeds of 0.5 m/s and the split-adaptation condition used a 3:1 belt speed ratio. OpenSim techniques were used to produce normalized, averaged stance phase peak KJCF during baseline walking, early- and late-adaptation, and post-adaptation. SLsym and KJCFsym values were determined. Comparisons were made for symmetry values between early- and late-adaptation and between baseline and post-adaptation. SLsym and KJCFsym did not respond in the same manner during the walking conditions. While step lengths (SL) were asymmetric during early adaptation but become more symmetric by late adaptation (p
Analysis of Partial Koch Fractal Antenna Using Characteristic Mode Theory

Fractal shaped antennas are getting popular due to their multiband behavior and stable radiations. In this paper research on the study of partial fractal structure using characteristic mode analysis (CMA) is presented. Characteristic mode analysis of Partial Koch Fractal antenna is carried out to identify multiple radiating modes that are inherent to the structure. CMA provided complete radiating properties and surface currents of all modes in the frequency range of 2GHz-7GHz. Five radiating modes are identified in this range of frequencies with two pairs of degenerate modes having stable radiation patterns. According to the symmetries of surface currents there are two vertical and two horizontal modes.
Preferential Direction of Electron Transfers at a Dye–Metal Oxide Interface with an Insulating Fluorinated Self-Assembled Monolayer and MgO

Slowing nondesirable electron transfer reactions at metal oxide–dye interfaces is important for many technologies. In particular, after an interfacial photoinduced charge separation event at a meta...