cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using DDL to understand and modify SimpleScalar

Many legacy systems are built on the technology of dynamic link libraries. Software engineering tools have not exploited this framework very well. Because the linking is delayed until runtime, it seems natural to provide tools access to the linking process, in order to track it, and even to modify it. There is no reason the dynamic linker must resolve a symbol to the intended function. To this end we have created DDL (the Dynamic Dynamic Linker) by modifying the Gnu dynamic linker to provide an API for developers to use to customize the linking process. We believe that DDL will be useful for a wide variety of software engineering tasks, not the least of which is the reverse engineering of legacy systems, and their maintenance and modification. We present a case study of one such task. This task is the understanding and modification of the SimpleScalar CPU/architectural simulator. We were able to use DDL to understand the behavior of SimpleScalar at a function-call level, and then used DDL to modify the run-time behavior (without modifying the functional source code) to implement the switching between detailed and functional simulation modes (an important extension to the community).
Association between depression and concurrent Type 2 diabetes outcomes varies by diabetes regimen.

Aims Although depression has weak associations with several Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) outcomes, it is possible that these associations are concentrated within certain patient subgroups that are more vulnerable to their effects. This study tested the hypothesis that depression is related to glycaemic control and diabetes-related quality of life (DQOL) in patients who are prescribed injected insulin, but not those on oral glucose-lowering agents alone. Methods Participants (103 on insulin, 155 on oral glucose-lowering agents alone) with Type 2 DM were recruited from a large US healthcare system and underwent assessment of glycaemic control (glycated haemoglobin; HbA1c), medication adherence and diabetes self-care behaviours, DQOL and depression (none, mild, moderate/severe). Results There was a significant regimen × depression interaction on HbA1c (P = 0.002), such that depression was associated with HbA1c in patients using insulin (β = 0.35, P < 0.001) but not in patients using oral agents alone (β = –0.08, P = NS). There was a similar interaction when quality of life was analysed as an outcome (P = 0.002). Neither effect was mediated by regimen adherence. Conclusions The generally weak association between depression and glycaemic control is concentrated among patients who are prescribed insulin. Similarly, the association between depression and illness quality of life is strongest in patients prescribed insulin. Because this is not attributable to depression-related adherence problems, psychophysiological mechanisms unique to this group ought to be carefully investigated. Clinicians might be especially vigilant for depression in Type 2 DM patients who use insulin and consider its potential impact upon their illness course.
A new intravenous calcium channel blocker option to treat acute elevations in blood pressure.

ntravenous (IV) agents are needed to treat acuteelevations in blood pressure (BP) in a numberof different clinical settings including in the emer-gency department, perioperatively, and duringhypertensive crises in the intensive care unit. IVagents are often needed to maintain BP within anarrow target range and many of the existingagents have a prolonged half-life, with overshoot-ing of BP goals occurring frequently. IV agentsavailable up to now have included a number ofdifferent agents with various advantages andadverse effects. For more than a decade, only oneIV dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker(CCB), nicardipine, has been available for IV usefor treatment of hypertension. Issues with IVdihydropyridine CCB delivery in the past includepoor water solubility of this class and thereduction of pH in the 3.7 to 4.7 range with IVnicardipine, which may be part of the reasonwhy changing the peripheral IV site every12 hours is recommended in the package insert.Nicardipine is a second-generation IV dihydro-pyridine CCB. It is an effective antihypertensive;however, its major limitation is a longer half-lifethat precludes rapid titration. Its onset of action iswithin 10 to 15 minutes and its duration of actionis 15 to 30 minutes but may exceed 4 hours.Clevidipine is a new third-generation IVdihydropyridine CCB that was recently approvedby the US Food and Drug Administration in 2008for treatment of severe hypertension. It reduces BPwithout affecting cardiac ﬁlling pressures or causingreﬂex tachycardia.
Concomitant tuberculous meningitis and Lutembacher syndrome with multiple atrial septal defects and infective endocarditis.

Lutembacher syndrome is a rare combination of atrial septal defect (ASD) and mitral stenosis. Symptoms depend on the size of ASD, extent of mitral stenosis and degree of changes in the pulmonary circulation. Presentation can be due to cardiac failure, atrial arrhythmias, dyspnoea, exercise intolerance, paradoxical emboli or other disease related complications like pulmonary hypertension and infective endocarditis. Tuberculous meningitis is a chronic infection due to haematogenous dissemination of tubercle bacilli from lungs. It can lead to complications like cranial nerve palsies, hydrocephalus, cerebral oedema or focal neurological deficits presenting as stroke. The treatment should include antituberculous therapy for one year and corticosteroids for initial 4 ‐ 6 weeks depending on the symptoms of the patient. This report describes the concomitant occurrence of all these conditions at a time in a 45 years old lady.
Orthotopic liver transplantation for graft-versus-host disease following bone marrow transplantation

Chronic graft-vs.-host disease occurs in 30%-50% of long-term survivors of allogeneic bone marrow grafts, and may eventuate in cirrhosis. In this study, a young woman, originally diagnosed as having acute myelogenous leukemia, underwent successful bone marrow transplantation but later developed graft-vs.-host disease-induced cirrhosis and recurrent variceal hemorrhage. She underwent successful orthotopic liver transplant. Her postoperative course was uncomplicated, with no evidence of rejection or recurrence of graft-vs.-host disease. As bone marrow transplantation is more widely used and survival improves, the number of patients with graft-vs.-host disease or venoocclusive disease resulting in cirrhosis is likely to increase. Hepatic transplantation should be considered for bone marrow transplant patients who develop end-stage liver disease.
Multi-objective design optimization of renewable energy system inverters using a Descriptive language for the components

Optimization of power electronic converters is certainly not a new subject. However, past efforts have been focused on the use of commercial off-the-shelf components in the design optimization. Thus the resulting system was really optimized only over the set of available components which may in fact represent only a subset of the design space; a reachable space limited somewhat artificially by available components and technologies. While this approach is suited for the engineer seeking to cost-reduce an existing design, it offers little insight into design possibilities for greenfield projects. Instead, this paper seeks to first broaden the reachable design space to identify a globally optimal design for some given objective, from which specifications for the individual components can be derived. A unique outcome of this approach is that new technology development vectors are expected to develop optimized components for the optimized power converter. The approach presented in this paper uses a descriptive language to abstract the characteristics and attributes of the components used in a power electronic converter in a way suitable for multi-objective and constrained optimization methods. This paper will apply this concept by developing generalized energy loss models under non-sinusoidal waveforms for the three most prevalent power supply components: semiconductor switches, inductors and capacitors, these models will be used to form an objective function for the optimization problem, weighted by the optimization parameters of size, weight, cost, and performance.
The role of posterior parietal cortex in visually guided reaching movements in humans

Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to identify the brain areas involved in visually guided reaching by measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in six normal volunteers while they were fixating centrally and reaching with the left or right arm to targets presented in either the right or the left visual field. The PET images were registered with magnetic resonance images from each subject so that increases in rCBF could be localized with anatomical precision in individual subjects. Increased neural activity was examined in relation to the hand used to reach, irrespective of field of reach (hand effect), and the effects of target field of reach, irrespective of hand used (field effect). A separate analysis on intersubject, averaged PET data was also performed. A comparison of the results of the two analyses showed close correspondence in the areas of activation that were identified. We did not find a strict segregation of regions associated exclusively with either hand or field. Overall, significant rCBF increases in the hand and field conditions occurred bilaterally in the supplementary motor area, premotor cortex, cuneus, lingual gyrus, superior temporal cortex, insular cortex, thalamus, and putamen. Primary motor cortex, postcentral gyrus, and the superior parietal lobule (intraparietal sulcus) showed predominantly a contralateral hand effect, whereas the inferior parietal lobule showed this effect for the left hand only. Greater contralateral responses for the right hand were observed in the secondary motor areas. Only the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices exhibited strong ipsilateral hand effects. Field of reach was more commonly associated with bilateral patterns of activation in the areas with contralateral or ipsilateral hand effects. These results suggest that the visual and motor components of reaching may have a different functional organization and that many brain regions represent both limb of reach and field of reach. However, since posterior parietal cortex is connected with all of these regions, we suggest that it plays a crucial role in the integration of limb and field coordinates.
A PROTOTYPE MULTIMEDIA AUTO BROKER

Intelligent, easy to use, and entertaining multimedia information brokers are vital to the explosive role of information technology. With the advent of interactive television and the information superhighway in the near future, information management systems (information brokers) for consumer services and products will be necessary. This paper describes the application requirements process and subsequent prototyping efforts for a multimedia auto broker. The research activity presented has distinct phases which overlap and take place concurrently in some instances. The phases include a knowledge acquisition phase, applications requirements definition phase, and testing and validation phase. The details of each of these phases which led to the prototype multimedia auto broker are characterized, followed by a brief
Comparative Evaluation of Lesion Detectability for 6 PET Imaging Platforms Using a Highly Reproducible Whole-Body Phantom with 22Na Lesions and Localization ROC Analysis

The lesion detectability performance of 6 PET imaging platforms has been compared using a highly reproducible whole-body phantom and localization receiver operating characteristic (LROC) analysis. Methods: A realistic whole-body phantom consisting of brain, thorax with lungs and liver, and pelvis with bladder was assembled and outfitted with 27 semipermanent 22Na lesions of various sizes and activity concentrations. The background compartments were reproducibly filled with 18F solutions. The phantom was imaged under the condition of equal emission scan time on 7 PET platforms: Advance, HR+, HR961, C-PET, IRIX, MCD, and AXIS. Imaging data were processed using manufacturer-supplied software and defaults, and LROC evaluation was performed using 11 human observers. Results: Near-nominal counting rates were obtained for the NaI systems, and the bismuth germanate (BGO) systems were operated well below nominal counting rates. The BGO systems provided the highest lesion detection performance, followed by the large-area dedicated NaI system, and hybrid PET gamma cameras. Lesion detectability was highly dependent on lesion size, with all systems exhibiting similar performance for 16-mm lesions but differentiated performance for lesions ≤12 mm. Conclusion: Reconstruction methodology can have a significant effect on lesion detectability. PET lesion detectability performance is correlated with system cost and imaging characteristics. For a particular imaging task, care should be taken to ensure that the scanner being used is appropriate and that the scan time is adjusted accordingly to ensure good lesion detectability.
Expanding Rare-Earth Oxidation State Chemistry to Molecular Complexes of Holmium(II) and Erbium(II)

The first molecular complexes of holmium and erbium in the +2 oxidation state have been generated by reducing Cp'(3)Ln [Cp' = C(5)H(4)SiMe(3); Ln = Ho (1), Er (2)] with KC(8) in the presence of 18-crown-6 in Et(2)O at -35 °C under argon. Purification and crystallization below -35 °C gave isomorphous [(18-crown-6)K][Cp'(3)Ln] [Ln = Ho (3), Er (4)]. The three Cp' ring centroids define a trigonal-planar geometry around each metal ion that is not perturbed by the location of the potassium crown cation near one ring with K-C(Cp') distances of 3.053(8)-3.078(2) A. The metrical parameters of the three rings are indistinguishable within the error limits. In contrast to Ln(2+) complexes of Eu, Yb, Sm, Tm, Dy, and Nd, 3 and 4 have average Ln-(Cp' ring centroid) distances only 0.029 and 0.021 A longer than those of the Ln(3+) analogues 1 and 2, a result similar to that previously reported for the 4d(1) Y(2+) complex [(18-crown-6)K][Cp'(3)Y] (5) and the 5d(1) La(2+) complex [K(18-crown-6)(Et(2)O)][Cp″(3)La] [Cp″ = 1,3-(Me(3)Si)(2)C(5)H(3)]. Surprisingly, the UV-vis spectra of 3 and 4 are also very similar to that of 5 with two broad absorptions in the visible region, suggesting that 3-5 have similar electron configurations. Density functional theory calculations on the Ho(2+) and Er(2+) species yielded HOMOs that are largely 5d(z(2)) in character and supportive of 4f(10)5d(1) and 4f(11)5d(1) ground-state configurations, respectively.
PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY IN LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS OF FEMALE THALASSOMA BIFASCIATUM (PISCES: LABRIDAE). 1. MANIPULATIONS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN TESTS FOR ADAPTIVE SHIFTS OF LIFE-HISTORY ALLOCATIONS.

Optimal-life-history theory is based on the relative benefit of immediate versus future reproduction. We apply this theory to the life-history tactics of female Thalassoma bifasciatum, a sex-changing coral-reef fish. Local social structure varies in this species and influences a female's chances of achieving high future reproductive success as a territorial terminal-phase male. We predicted that female life-history allocations would be flexible and responsive to variation in future reproductive prospects. We altered population size structure on four reefs, removing large fish and adding small fish. These alterations enhanced the residual reproductive value of the remaining larger female residents. The predicted response to the manipulation was a reduction in reproductive activity and an increase in growth. Our results do not support this hypothesis. Possible interpretations are that: 1) the theory, or our application of the theory, is flawed; 2) female Thalassoma are unresponsive to changes in future reproductive prospects; or 3) the design of our study was ineffectual at detecting a response. We report here an approach to the study of adaptive life-history strategies that deserves implementation in other systems.
The cause of low plasma protein concentration in nephritis

The reduction in concentration of plasma proteins observed in a considerable proportion of nephritic patients has been attributed by some authors to a decrease in the amount of plasma proteins in the body, by others to a dilution of the blood with water (hydremic plethora). We have made one or more determinations of the blood volume by Keith, Rowntree, and Geraghty's “Vital Red” method on all but three of the patients above reported with reduced plasma protein concentration, and on some others.The cause of the reduced protein concentration was found to be not hydremic plethora, but an actual decrease in the amount of plasma proteins in the body. Normal blood volumes were found, even in cases of extreme edema. The amount of total plasma proteins per kilo body weight (the weight being corrected as nearly as possible for estimated edema fluid present) however, varied from 1.5 to 3.0 grams, compared with 3.5 grams found in normal individuals.
On the illness of Politian (Agnolo Ambrogini, 1454-1494): syphilis at its identification in Europe.

The authors investigated the life, the works and the illness of the humanist and poet Agnolo Ambrogini, better known as Politian, and the cause of his death, shedding evidence on the ambiguous meaning of the term scabies that is included in the titles of two works ascribed to Politian, namely 'Sylva in scabiem' and 'De scabie'. These two works tell us the illness that will kill Politian who describes them in detail as a new illness that does appear in other important works dated between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th. This new illness will be called 'syphilis'. Syphilis was virulent in Europe soon after it appeared and it killed Politian within one year. He seems to have been the first famous European who was not a physician who described his own syphilis. Others include the poet Niccolo Campani (1478-1523), the writer and humanist Ulrich Von Hutten (1488-1523), the sculptor and writer Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) and Joseph Grunpeck (1473-1532), and secretary to Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519). The origins of this serious condition have been ascribed to the crew who accompanied Christopher Columbus (1451-1506).
Getting the Story Right

Stage A 47-year-old executive experienced several episodes of brief, exertion-related precordial chest pain in the six weeks before his initial evaluation. A single episode of midsternal vise-like pain that began after he lifted his child lasted 20 minutes. He had a remote history of cigarette smoking and a strong family history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but no history of diabetes, hypertension, or obesity. Response Coronary artery disease needs primary consideration, although the lifting episode suggests that musculoskeletal strain or costochondritis may be contributing to his problems. I don't give much credence to the notion of gastrointestinal disease as a cause . . .
Resistance to blockade by saralasin of effect of ACE inhibitors in conscious sodium-restricted dog.

Comparison of the effect of captopril and enalaprilat was made on mean systemic arterial blood pressure (BP), renal blood flow (RBF), and renal vascular resistance (RVR) of conscious sodium-replete and sodium-restricted dogs (plasma renin activity = 6.66 ng angiotensin I.ml-1.h-1). BP was decreased by -8 +/- 2 mmHg and RBF was increased by 34 +/- 12 ml/min with captopril given intravenously and by -5 +/- 2 mmHg and 28 +/- 7 ml/min with enalaprilat in sodium-replete dogs. The respective changes in BP and RBF in sodium-restricted dogs were -29 +/- 2 mmHg and 62 +/- 12 ml/min with captopril and -25 +/- 6 mmHg and 53 +/- 18 ml/min with enalaprilat. Saralasin infused intra-arterially to the kidney significantly blocked the increase in RBF seen after angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition in sodium-replete dogs, and reduced the increase in RBF in sodium-restricted dogs, but the latter effect was not statistically significant. A more moderate increase in plasma renin activity was established in another group of sodium-restricted dogs, and saralasin was administered intravenously instead of intra-arterially. Enalaprilat increased RBF in these dogs in the presence of a saralasin blockade (42 +/- 7 ml/min), and this effect was not significantly changed by prior administration of indomethacin (28 +/- 6 ml/min). The results suggest that blockade of the influence of the renin-angiotensin system and possibly another vasodilator mechanism, such as kinin potentiation, account for the increase in RBF after ACE inhibition in the low-sodium state.
Protein-Protein Interactions, Not Substrate Recognition, Dominate the Turnover of Chimeric Assembly Line Polyketide Synthases

The potential for recombining intact polyketide synthase (PKS) modules has been extensively explored. Both enzyme-substrate and protein-protein interactions influence chimeric PKS activity, but their relative contributions are unclear. We now address this issue by studying a library of 11 bimodular and 8 trimodular chimeric PKSs harboring modules from the erythromycin, rifamycin, and rapamycin synthases. Although many chimeras yielded detectable products, nearly all had specific activities below 10% of the reference natural PKSs. Analysis of selected bimodular chimeras, each with the same upstream module, revealed that turnover correlated with the efficiency of intermodular chain translocation. Mutation of the acyl carrier protein (ACP) domain of the upstream module in one chimera at a residue predicted to influence ketosynthase-ACP recognition led to improved turnover. In contrast, replacement of the ketoreductase domain of the upstream module by a paralog that produced the enantiomeric ACP-bound diketide caused no changes in processing rates for each of six heterologous downstream modules compared with those of the native diketide. Taken together, these results demonstrate that protein-protein interactions play a larger role than enzyme-substrate recognition in the evolution or design of catalytically efficient chimeric PKSs.
Postisometric Relaxation Versus High Velocity Low Amplitude Techniques in Low Back Pain

Summary64 outpatients with low back pain lasting no more than one month participated in the present study. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. The first group (n=22) was treated by postisometric relaxation (PR) of the intrinsic low back muscles and the iliopsoas. The second group (n=21) was treated by rotary manipulation (RM) directed to the lumbar intervertebral joints. The third (control) group (n=21) received sham mobilisation of the spine. The duration of the treatment course was 20 days and included 12 procedures for the PR group, 2-4 manipulations for the RM group, and 4 sham mobilisations for the control group (CO). In order to objectify the therapeutic results, we used a method for simultaneous recording of the isometric axial trunk torque and integrated EMG activity of the low back muscles. Each patient was examined before and after the first procedure and before and after the last procedure. The results showed statistically significant improvement after the first procedure for the therapeu...
Low Temperature Measurements by Rotational Raman Scattering

In this presentation, concepts are developed for the use of rotational Raman scattering for gas-phase temperature measurements. Comparisons between experimental and theoretical air spectra are given, as are analyses and experimental data related to the measurement of temperature by utilization of ratios of rotational line intensities.
Genetics of Benign Adrenocortical Tumors

Benign adrenocortical tumors (ACT) represent a heterogeneous group of lesions. Cortisol-producing lesions are due mostly to defects of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathway, whereas the majority of aldosterone-producing lesions are the result of mutations in KCNJ5. Bilateral adrenal hyperplasias were recently linked to ARMC5 defects; the ARMC5 protein has an unknown function. Finally, benign ACTs are found in the context of a number of other conditions from multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) to Carney triad and others. In this chapter, we review all newly identified genetic associations and diseases associated with ACTs.
MATHEMATICAL MODELS FOR POWER CONVERTER DESIGN OPTIMIZATION

Abstract The sensitivity to program cost and equipment standardization have placed increasing emphasis on power converter design optimization. In this paper mathematical models are presented to facilitate analysis-based designs and achieve a cost-effective optimum design for a power component or a complete power converter. Solution methods are discussed for a multi-objective optimization model with nonlinear constraints and numerical results are summarized.
Generation of three-dimensional versatile vortex linear light bullets (Invited Paper)

We generate and measure the versatile vortex linear light bullet, which combines a high-order Bessel beam and an Airy pulse. This three-dimensional optical wave packet propagates without distortion in any medium, while carrying an orbital angular momentum. Its non-varying feature in linear propagation is verified by a three-dimensional measurement. Such a novel versatile linear light bullet can be useful in various applications such as micromachining.
The Modal Third Way

La troisieme voie constitue un argument cosmologique de l'existence de Dieu. L'A. presente quatre elements : les forces et faiblesses de cette troisieme voie, ce commentaire conduit a la formulation d'un nouvel argument de l'existence de Dieu, cette troisieme voie se basant sur celle de Thomas d'Aquin ; la troisieme voie represente un argument valide ; ses premisses sont vraies, ce qui signifie que l'argument est solide ; cette troisieme voie est a l'abri des critiques de Hume et de Kant.
To Suffer With: The Poetry of Compassion

Suffering is the experience of distress or disharmony caused by the loss, or threatened loss, of what we most cherish. Such losses may strip away the beliefs and symbols by which we construct a meaningful narrative of human life in general and our own in particular. The vocation of physicians and other health professionals is, insofar as is possible, to relieve suffering caused by illness, trauma, and bodily degeneration. However, since suffering is an existential state that does not necessarily parallel physical or emotional states, to relieve suffering physicians cannot rely solely on knowledge and skills that address physiological dysfunction. Rather, they must learn to engage the patient at an existential level. However, medical pedagogy discourages such engagement and, instead, promotes psychological detachment, or “detached concern.” In practice, medical education favors a process of progressive detachment from patients that devalues subjectivity, emotion, solidarity, and relationship as both irrelevant and potentially harmful. Such sought-after detachment (fortunately not achieved by most students and physicians) almost ensures that practitioners are unable fully to appreciate and respond to human suffering. The term “compassionate solidarity” summarizes an alternate model of the physician’s response to patients and their suffering. Compassionate solidarity begins with empathic listening and responding, which facilitate objective assessment of the other’s subjective state; requires the physician to develop reflectivity and self-understanding; and is in itself a healing act. Going beyond compassionate solidarity, the physician may in some cases also understand the disharmony in the patient’s symbolic world and, thus, be able to further relieve suffering through symbolic healing. Reading and writing poetry, along with other imaginative writing, may help physicians and other health professionals grow in self-awareness and gain deeper understanding of suffering, empathy, compassion, solidarity, and symbolic healing.
Parylene Photonic Waveguide Arrays: A Platform for Implantable Optical Neural Implants

We demonstrate compact, low-loss (<10dB/cm) Parylene-C waveguide arrays in a flexible, biocompatible, polymer platform suitable for implantable neural probes. Mechanisms of optical loss are investigated and fabrication techniques to reduce propagation loss in the optical waveguides are presented.
The Ethics Resistance

Legal ethics complaints have been filed against several of the high-ranking lawyers in the Trump Administration. While individual complaints have caught the public eye, the collective movement to use legal ethics to resist Trumpism has escaped attention. This is not altogether surprising: legal ethics rules have not historically been an attractive tool for political change. Perhaps, desperate times have called for desperate measures. This “Ethics Resistance” will face significant opposing forces. Legal ethics complaints seldom result in punishment. Further, the agencies that are asked to investigate these high-profile and controversial matters will not be eager to leave their comfort zone; they are accustomed to complaints from clients who are unhappy with their lawyers over straightforward matters like unreturned phone calls or high fees. There will also be loud dissenting voices from those who will see the movement as the weaponization of a tool designed for the modest task of lawyer self-governance. Finally, the complaints will have to navigate between powerful constitutional protections of lawyer speech and federal power. But we should not dismiss this movement simply because it is unusual or challenging. The wisdom of the Ethics Resistance can only be judged after we understand its distinctive qualities and consider how they further or hinder our legal, institutional, and pragmatic interests. In this Article, I undertake that analysis and conclude that the movement has the capacity to be legally permissible, institutionally sound, and prudent. I further offer a list of best practices for future complaints.
High Stability Gain Structure and Filter Realization with less than 50 ppm/° C Temperature Variation with Ultra-low Power Consumption using Switched-capacitor and Sub-threshold Biasing

This paper presents the design of an ultra-low power subthreshold Gm stage where transconductance is very stable with process, temperature, and voltage variations. This technique is used to design a differential amplifier with constant gain and a second order biquad filter with constant cut off frequency. The amplifier gain achieves a small temperature coefficient of 48.6 ppm/° C and exhibits small sigma of 75 mdB with process. The second order biquad achieves temperature stability of 69 ppm/° C and a voltage coefficient of only 49 ppm/mV.
Metal Complexes as Radiosensitizers

Many classes of transition metal complexes enhance cellular radiation damage both in vitro and in vivo. The radiosensitization of hypoxic cells is of clinical relevance due to the inherent radioresistance of a tumor hypoxic fraction. Selective attack on hypoxic cells may also be achieved by development of hypoxic cytotoxins and chemosensitizers, which may act by enhancing the hypoxic toxicity of other agents. In radiosensitization three principal mechanisms by which metal complexes act are by DNA-binding with subsequent consequences to repair processes, thiol depletion, and by an electron-affmic mechanism, implying reduction of the metal complex and subsequent fixation of damage on the intracellular target of radiation, DNA. The types of complexes shown to act by the above mechanisms are summarized.
Pregnancy and Women's Lives in the Twenty-First Century: The United States Safe Motherhood Movement

In 1900, a pregnant woman in the United States faced serious threats to her life. Training in obstetrical care was not standardized for midwives or physicians, essentially no medical interventions were available, and ways to prevent a risky pregnancy were limited. Little wonder that maternal mortality was the second most common cause of death for women of reproductive age at the beginning of the twentieth century. On the other hand, these women usually had extended family nearby and experienced mothers, aunts, or other adult women to support them through pregnancy and infant care. By 1950, the situation had markedly changed. Obstetrical care was standardized and provided such “miracle interventions” as antibiotics, safe blood transfusion, and aseptic delivery. Most deliveries occurred in hospitals; maternal deaths became a rare event. Most middle-class women bore their children early and stayed home to raise them. The downside was that the extended family became the nuclear family, with less opportunity for community support, and obstetrical care became so medicalized that it was routine practice to anaesthetize women into unconsciousness during labor and delivery. Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, new revolutions have occurred. Late childbearing has become commonplace. Between 1975 and 1997, the rate of first births to U.S. women aged 35–39 years more than doubled from 19.8 to 44.5 per 1000 child-
Scaling up Window-Based Slope Computations for Geographic Information System

Slope computations in Geographic Information Systems are typically done over windows of sizes as small as $3\times 3$ pixels, and the algorithms that are used do not scale to very large windows. Considering the abundance of high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, these algorithms are inadequate for providing high-quality processed data efficiently. We propose an iterative aggregation strategy, in which four values are aggregated in each iteration, and aggregates from previous iterations are reused. Our approach, thereby, scales logarithmically in the size of the windows. It is enabled by the observation that all quantities that are needed for determining slope are linear in the number of data points considered, allowing reuse in the next iteration. We show the usefulness of the proposed strategy for artificial data as well as actual Digital Elevation Model data.
OP0208 EFFECT OF SERUM URATE LOWERING WITH ALLOPURINOL ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN YOUNG ADULTS

Background The association between serum urate and hypertension continues to be controversial. Animal models and studies in adolescents provided strong support of urate- lowering therapy (ULT) efficacy to improve early hypertension (1), while one recent randomized-controlled study in adults failed to find benefit (2). Objectives To test the hypothesis that serum urate reduction with allopurinol would lead to blood pressure reductions in young adults with pre-hypertension. Methods Single center, double-blinded, crossover trial in which participants were randomly assigned to allopurinol (300 daily mg) or placebo for a period of one month each. Adults ages 18-40, with baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 120 and 297.4 µmol/L) or ≥ 4.0 mg/dL (237.9 µmol/L) (men or women, respectively) were enrolled. Main exclusion criteria included chronic kidney disease, gout, or use of ULTs. The primary outcome was change from baseline in SBP assessed by 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Safety assessments were also conducted. Results 99 participants were randomized, and 82 completed study participation (Table 1). Serum urate decreased by -1.33 ± 1.21 mg/dL (-79.1 ± 72.0 µmol/L) during the allopurinol period (p 6.5 mg/dL (> 386.7 µmol/L) at baseline visit. No allopurinol hypersensitivity events or other serious adverse events were observed. Conclusion In the intention-to-treat analysis, urate -lowering therapy with allopurinol in young adults did not lead to reductions in blood pressure when compared with placebo. Blood pressure reductions with allopurinol may be limited only to participants with higher baseline serum urate levels. References [1] Feig DI, Soletsky B, Johnson RJ. JAMA. 2008;300:924-32. [2] McMullan CJ, Borgi L, Fisher N, et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017;12:807-16. Disclosure of Interests Angelo Gaffo: None declared, David Calhoun: None declared, Elizabeth Rahn: None declared, Suzanne Oparil: None declared, Paul Muntner Grant/research support from: Dr. Muntner declares research grant from Amgen, Peng Li: None declared, David Redden: None declared, Tanja Dudenbostel: None declared, Jeff Foster: None declared, Stephanie Biggers: None declared, Daniel Feig: None declared, Kenneth Saag Grant/research support from: Amgen, Ironwood/AstraZeneca, Horizon, SOBI, Takeda, Consultant for: Abbvie, Amgen, Ironwood/AstraZeneca, Bayer, Gilead, Horizon, Kowa, Radius, Roche/Genentech, SOBI, Takeda, Teijin
Abstract 4778: Identification of promoters for targeted gene expression in tumors

A variety of novel therapeutic approaches to cancer have been proposed in the past several decades. One of the most compelling is the use of gene therapy to treat tumors. Restricting the expression of these genes to tumor avoids toxicity in normal cells and the concurrent side effects that this activity engenders. Promoter sequences can be used as a tool for transcriptional targeting, by restricting the expression of the therapeutic genes, or, in the case of oncolytic virotherapy, the replication of the viral agent. Several tumor-upregulated promoters have been identified in a wide variety of human tumors. Given the recognition of the validity of canine tumors as comparative models of human disease, it is critical to determine the activities of these promoters in the canine system. To achieve this goal, endogenous cSurvivin, cTERT, and cCXCR4 promoter activity was evaluated in a panel of canine normal and tumor cell lines/tissues and primary tumors by RT-Q-PCR. These three promoters, along with an E2F modified Canine Adenovirus 2 E1a promoter (E2F-E1a), were also assessed for their activity when supplied exogenously to tumor cells in an in vitro GFP reporter transfection assay. Endogenous expression of cTERT showed negligible differences between normal canine cells/tissues and tumor cell/tissues. cSurvivin showed elevated endogenous activity in non-hematopoietic tumor cells and moderately elevated activity in some normal tissues and hematopoietic tumors. cCXCR4 activity was elevated exclusively in a T-lymphoma cell line and a primary T-cell lymphoma. Exogenous expression in most cancer cell lines showed enhanced activity with most of the promoters tested. The percentage of cells expressing GFP was elevated in tumor compared to normal with all four tested promoters, when normalized to CMV-GFP expression. However, the relative fluorescence intensity varied significantly between cell lines, while the fluorescence intensity varied less between promoters within a specific cell line. Exogenous expression results did not correlate well with endogenous expression in tumor cells, but they did correlate well in normal cells. This disparity implies that promoter selection for transcriptional targeting of tumors should account for both endogenous and exogenous expression patterns. Additionally, these findings indicate that identification of a pan-cancer promoter is complex and that expression targeting may need to rely on selecting patient-specific promoters to drive the activity of therapeutic genes. Citation Format: Abdul Mohin Sajib, Maninder Sandey, Samantha Morici, Bradley Schuler, Payal Agarwal, Bruce Smith. Identification of promoters for targeted gene expression in tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4778.
A Theoretical Justification

Part I examined traditional principles for administrative procedures in making burden/benefit decisions. There are four general principles—impartiality, opportunity to be heard, grounds for decisions, and formal justice. Each subsumes less general principles such as separation of functions, opportunity to rebut information, adherence to precedent, and so on. While some reasons were given for the principles, no systematic theoretical justification was provided. The principles are for the traditional adversary adjudication model, and there were suggestions that the model might not be appropriate for all contexts. In particular, adherence to precedent and use of rules were not found appropriate for all burden/benefit decisions.
Using Word Order in Political Text Classification with Long Short-term Memory Models

Political scientists often wish to classify documents based on their content to measure variables, such as the ideology of political speeches or whether documents describe a Militarized Interstate Dispute. Simple classifiers often serve well in these tasks. However, if words occurring early in a document alter the meaning of words occurring later in the document, using a more complicated model that can incorporate these time-dependent relationships can increase classification accuracy. Long short-term memory (LSTM) models are a type of neural network model designed to work with data that contains time dependencies. We investigate the conditions under which these models are useful for political science text classification tasks with applications to Chinese social media posts as well as US newspaper articles. We also provide guidance for the use of LSTM models.
A Scalable System for Passively Monitoring Oral Health Behaviors Using Electronic Toothbrushes in the Home Setting: Development and Feasibility Study

Background: Dental disease (including dental caries and periodontal disease) is largely preventable and closely linked to inadequate oral health behaviors. Digital health technologies have great potential for unobtrusively monitoring brushing behaviors in home settings and promoting optimal oral self-care routines at scale. Objective: The aim of this study is to leverage the ubiquity of electronic toothbrushes and smartphones with the development of a Remote Oral Behaviors Assessment System (ROBAS) and evaluate its feasibility for passively tracking brushing behaviors in real-world settings. Methods: We developed ROBAS by linking inertial sensors contained within consumer electronic toothbrushes to a scalable software platform comprised of a smartphone app linked to a cloud platform. First, the criterion validity of ROBAS for accurately capturing brushing details was established in a laboratory setting. Next, real-world performance and usability were evaluated in a stratified community sample of 32 participants who used ROBAS daily for 1 month and maintained a diary of their brushing episodes. Semistructured interviews at baseline and exit captured the user experience. We used regression models and Bland-Altman analyses to assess the criterion validity, functionality, accuracy, and consistency of ROBAS. Results: Using a stopwatch as the criterion reference, ROBAS showed a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of 1.8%, an estimated bias of 0.64 seconds that was not statistically distinguishable from zero (95% CI –0.93 to 2.22 seconds, SE 0.79), and a connection failure rate of 6.7% (95% CI 0.8%-22.1%, SE 4.6%). In real-world testing, ROBAS showed close agreement with the daily diary recordings of brushing episodes; estimated average discrepancies between the diary and ROBAS were 0.13 sessions per day (95% CI 0.01-0.26, SE 0.06), 8.0 seconds per brushing session (95% CI 1.4-14.7, SE 3.3), and 30 seconds of brushing per day (95% CI 9.3-50.1, SE 10.0). Retrospective self-reports produced substantially higher estimates of brushing frequency and duration compared to ROBAS measurements. Participants reported ROBAS was easy to use and expressed an interest in receiving ROBAS-delivered feedback on their brushing behaviors. Most participants were bothered by the use of an additional study phone, and some reported connectivity-related issues. Conclusions: ROBAS has a high criterion validity for measuring oral health behaviors. It can accurately and reliably monitor brushing patterns in home settings for extended periods. Unobtrusive data collection through ROBAS sets the stage for automated coaching and optimization of oral self-care practices at the individual and population level.
Developing benign syntheses using ion pairs via solvent-free mechanochemistry

Solvent-free mechanochemical conditions have been developed to investigate the significance of ion pairing and the use of weak bases for driving forward nucleophilic substitution reactions. This approach takes advantage of the lack of solvent shells to incorporate weaker and safer bases to drive reactions to completion through specific ion pairing pathways. The most efficient reactions contained larger and more polarizable cation and anion pairs.
Polymer lattice-reinforcement for enhancing ductility of concrete

Abstract Concrete is the most widely used engineering material. While strong in compression, concrete is weak in tension and exhibits low ductility due to its low crack growth resistance. With increasing compressive strength, concrete becomes even more brittle, hence requiring appropriate reinforcement to enhance its ductility. This paper presents a new method for increasing the ductility of ultra-high-performance concrete by reinforcing it with 3D printed polymeric lattices made of either polylactic acid (PLA) or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). These lattice-reinforced concrete specimens were then tested in compression and four-point bending. The effect of polymeric reinforcement ratios on mechanical properties was investigated by testing two lattice configurations. The lattices were very successful in transforming the brittle ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) into a ductile material with strain hardening behavior; all flexural specimens revealed multiple cracking and strain hardening behavior up to peak load. Increasing the ABS reinforcing ratio from 19.2% to 33.7% resulted in a 22% reduction in average compressive strength. However, in flexure, increasing the PLA reinforcing ratio from 19.2% to 33.7% resulted in a 38% increase in average peak load. The compression results of all specimens independent of their reinforcement ratio revealed smooth softening behavior in compression.
Clustering and Performance Prediction of Vortex Wakes from Bio-inspired Propulsors

An unsupervised machine learning strategy is developed to automatically cluster the vortex wakes of bio-inspired propulsors into groups of similar propulsive thrust and efficiency metrics. A pitching and heaving foil is simulated via computational fluid dynamics with over $121$ unique kinematics by varying the frequency, heaving amplitude and pitching amplitude. A Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model is employed to simulate the flow over the oscillating foils at $Re=10^6$, computing the propulsive efficiency, thrust coefficient and the unsteady vorticity wake signature that is unique to each kinematics. Using a pairwise Pearson correlation it is found that the Strouhal number, $St$, most strongly influences the thrust coefficient, whereas the relative angle of attack, defined by both the mid-stroke, $\alpha_{mid}$, and maximum, $\alpha_{max}$, have the most significant impact on propulsive efficiency. Next, the various kinematics are automatically clustered into distinct groups exclusively using the vorticity footprint in the wake. A convolutional autoencoder is developed to reduce vortex wake images to their most significant features, and a k-means++ algorithm performs the clustering. The results are assessed by comparing clusters to a thrust versus propulsive efficiency map, which confirms that wakes of similar performance metrics are successfully clustered together. This automated clustering has the potential to identify complex vorticity patterns in the wake and modes of propulsion not easily discerned from traditional classification methods.